Tasmanian Fishing Report - December 2024
by Spot On Fishing Hobart 12 Dec 2024 01:42 PST
Jason Green with a Crescent beast caught recenty © Spot On Fishing Hobart
Spot On the Fishing Connection would like to wish everyone a safe and merry Christmas. We hope all your catches are full and tasty.
Christmas Trading Hours
Tuesday 24th - 9.00am - 5.00pm
Wednesday 25th - Closed
Thursday 26th - Closed
Friday 27th - 9.00am - 5.00pm
Saturday 28th - 9.00am - 3.30pm
Sunday 29th - Closed
Monday 30th - 9.00am - 5.00pm
Tuesday 31st - 9.00am - 5.00pm
Wednesday 1st - Closed
Thursday 2nd - Normal Hours Resume
Saltwater Fishing
Bluefin: The fishing has been exceptional in Eagle Hawk and the South East over the past few weeks. Tuna have averaged over 70 kg, with the new Halco 210 lures, Meridian, and JB skirted lures proving effective on the larger fish. Hippolyte Rock and Tasman Island are holding schools of fish feeding on large bait. This would have to be one of the best runs of large bluefin tuna in recent history.
Striped Trumpeter: Fishing has been productive in recent weeks with bait and jigs working well. Depths from 40m to 120m have been productive. One tip is to down size the leader thickness if the bite has been a little slow. Good average sized fish have been caught.
Bream: Anglers have reported productive fishing recently, with good catches in the Swan River, Little Swan Port, and the Derwent. It's recommended to experiment with various lures and techniques to enhance your success. As the season progresses, bream fishing is expected to improve, offering exciting opportunities for both novice and experienced anglers. A bi catch in the Derwent have been some smaller Silver Trevally.
Salmon: Salmon are plentiful in almost every estuary and bay, with reports of larger fish around Dover and Southport.
Tailor: Some Tailor have been caught in the Derwent system, particularly from Bellerive to New Norfolk. While they aren't huge, using a silver sliced lure on the drop has been the most effective technique.
Kingfish: Some early kingfish have been reported in the last week. With strong currents and high water temps its looking like a very good year for targeting them. Georges bay, Triabunna, Bruny and as far south as Dover have had reports of 50cm to 70cm fish. Trolling 12cm bibbed minnows is a fantastic way to try to find the schools.
Squid: Good numbers have been reported over the last few weeks. One customer catching a few squid with hoods over 50cm. Southport, Bruny and the lower Derwent have been good areas to try.
King Flathead: Have been fishing fairly well along the east coast in depths from 40m and deeper.
Snapper: Small pinkies seem to be getting caught in parts of the Derwent and Storm Bay. It won't be long until larger models start to hold in the reefs and broken bottom in Storm Bay.
Freshwater Fishing
Trout fishing has seemingly improved everywhere in recent weeks with reports flooding in from anglers seeing fish in places they hadn't for months. Hatches are prolific in a lot of places and high-water levels is making for a great summer ahead.
Craigbourne: Has been fishing well with good numbers of Browns and Rainbows being caught on all methods.
Bronte Chain: The fishing has been good in the deeper parts of the lake, with a few fish starting to be seen along the edges, though shore fishing remains patchy.
Great Lake: This location has been fantastic, with numerous good-condition brown trout being caught on lures and flies. Midging fish in wind lanes has been a standout.
Penstock: has been on fire with some great hatches. Mayflies, orange spinners, gum beetles, flying ants and more have been seen with fish actively rising around the lake. Fish condition remains incredible.
Dee Lagoon: Fishing is going extremely well with both lures and fly, yielding a good mix of smaller rainbows and some impressive browns.
Bronte: Has been fishing well with some good hatches. Most of the action seems to be in the middle of the lake but a few bigger fish have been caught recently around the shore early in the mornings.
Nineteen lagoons: remains a bit of a challenge with a lot of foot traffic making the fish fairly spooky and no great hatches yet. Fish are in good condition though and most lakes are close to full. Road works has commenced to fix the road in so access will be greatly improved.
Woods Lake: has started firing for the lure anglers with anglers reporting some great number of small to medium sized fish. Water remains a bit discoloured but it hasn't slowed the fishing.
Thank you!!! $20k raised - Best year yet for the Movember Lure
Thanks to everyone that bought a MOJO24 this year. Not only was it one of the best fish catching lures we have produced it also raised the most money of all our lures. We raised $20,682 this year taking us to over $101k all time.
We still have a handful left so you drop in you are after some. They are great fish catchers.
IFS News
The Parks and Wildlife Service have advised that they are undertaking repairs to the Lake Augusta Road this week. This will affect traffic from the Central Plateau Conservation Area boundary at the cattle grid, through to the Thousand Lakes Lodge.
Please be advised to drive with caution on this section of the road and obey all road signs and instructions from the contractors while the repairs are being carried out.
Thanks to the Parks and Wildlife Service for maintaining this road.
Photos