Fishing - 15,000 yellowtail kingfish arrive in Tasmania

Some warmer, settled weather allowed anglers to enjoy some fishing time last weekend, with reports suggesting improved results across a number of waters.

Wind has been an issue during the seasonal swing from winter to spring and keeping a close eye on the forecast is a must when planning a fishing trip.

One day can be bright, sunny and calm and the next can bring snow and gale-force winds, so make sure you are prepared and always put safety first.

Waters mentioned most by trout anglers last week included the Brady’s Chain and Bronte Lagoon, Lake Echo, Lake Leake, Tooms Lake, Brushy Lagoon, Talbots Lagoon, Penstock Lagoon and Little Pine Lagoon.

Fifteen thousand one-gram yellowtail kingfish arrived in Tasmania last week as part of the Blue Economy CRC’s offshore aquaculture research program.

The tiny kingfish will be raised in tanks at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania’s Taroona facility, where they will grow to about 150g before being transported to Burnie and transferred offshore as part of the Blue Economy Zone Research Trial.

The organisation has already successfully trialled 15,000 Atlantic salmon, which grew faster than anticipated, and is now using yellowtail kingfish to further understand how different species, technology, environmental conditions and regulatory systems interact in Australian waters.

Blue Economy CRC chair Greg Johannes said the organisation was growing kingfish in an environment where nobody in Australia had grown them before.

“Our job is to take on some of the risk, test what’s possible and generate the evidence that industry and government need to make decisions about the future,” Mr Johannes said.

The at-sea kingfish trial is due to run for 14 months from December.

Authorities have also been testing water from the Little Swanport River on the East Coast following the discovery of large numbers of dead black bream.

A local resident who has fished for bream in the area for years reported finding dead fish after visiting the river to watch spawning bream moving upstream on a big high tide.

He and a mate initially counted up to 50 dead fish along the banks, but after investigating further estimated the number could be close to 500.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, Inland Fisheries Service and TARFish have been involved in investigations and have urged people not to jump to conclusions about the cause.

The New Norfolk Licensed Anglers Association will run its third trout fishing competition of the 2026-27 season this weekend on the Derwent River.

Competition fishing starts at 6pm on Friday, September 18, and finishes with a weigh-in at the Rotunda on the New Norfolk Esplanade from 3pm to 3.30pm.

Fishing boundaries extend from the Lawitta Pump Station to the Tasman Bridge.

Anglers intending to fish the competition must be financial members of the NNLAA before the 6pm starting time.

Tip of the Week: Another 25 rainbow trout, averaging about 3kg each, were stocked into Brady’s Lake on September 11.

Send your fishing reports, pictures and tips to valleyfishes@gmail.com.

Tight lines until next week.

Pic: An afternoon on the water at Woods Lake last weekend.