Tasmania this week.
by Carl Hyland on 16 Jul 2012
It's cold out there. Carl Hyland
Winter action has put a dampener on recreational fishing activities in Tasmania but some anglers, even though the weather is crook, are prepared to get out and have a go. Many species like low water temperatures and these include blue warehou (snotty trevally), blue spot flathead and Eastern Australian salmon. Even Bluefin tuna are still about in vast numbers with some huge specimens showing up of late.
For thinking anglers prepared to put in the hard yards, the rewards are there, you just have to know where to look and what to look for. Vast volumes of fresh water are currently flowing into saltwater estuaries creating that fresh water wedge, driving pelagic species back into the brine.
Bream like such waters and can currently be found in streams and rivers that are still open to fishing (The inland freshwater is currently closed), therefore open waters such as Georges Bay and Port Sorell are good options worth exploring.
Tasmanian anglers are concerned about the impacts of the Super Trawler which is coming to Tasmanian waters and will be based in Devonport, the Margiris, a dutch owned ship which is to be leased out to Seafish Tasmania for the taking of redbait and mackerel for the Chinese and South African markets. With a huge quota to fill, many anglers are up in arms about such a venture and many actions are planned to take place around the Island state to try and dissuade politicians (both Federal and state) from allowing or supporting such a ship into not only Tasmanian waters but Australian waters as well. One such protest is planned for this weekend with huge rallies planned in the three Tasmanian cities those being Hobart, Launceston and Devonport. Recreational anglers, mums dads and children will be staging rallies to run through the streets of these towns towing boats canoes and kayaks as a sign of their unhappiness that this huge vessel is being allowed to trawl local waters. Many feel that this will have a detrimental effect on fish stocks, not only the redbait and mackerel populations but also those pelagic species which rely so much on these fish for food. Species such as Bluefin tuna and striped marlin and also mako shark.
This event has the potential to be the biggest show of solidarity by recreational fishers in Tasmania’s history.
Hobart rally starts on the Brooker Hwy opposite the show grounds at 10.30am.
Launceston starts at the Silverdome at 10.30am.
Devonport starts on Victoria Parade at 10.30am.
We shall keep you posted on developments but in the meantime there are many websites devoted to activities surrounding the Super trawler.
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