Fishing - $25k trout still swimming in waters

Cold, wet and windy conditions shut down fishing plans for most anglers last weekend, with various salt and freshwater competitions cancelled due to safety concerns.

After a dry Spring and summer, the early Winter blast is a positive that will kick-start the brown trout spawning season.

Now is a good time to target rivers, tributaries, creeks, and streams, and where they flow into larger rivers, lakes, and lagoons.

Always check the rules and regulations regarding where you can and can't fish at this time of year, and, with spawning time approaching, consider releasing your catch.

A reminder also to check your catch for yellow IFS tags, with plenty still out there worth $5000, and a whopping $25,000 still available for the first tagged trout caught from Great Lake.

Trout anglers also note that the 2025/26 Tasmanian brown trout season closes in just over a fortnight on Sunday, May 2.

I received a late report last weekend from Conna George regarding a great catch in the upper reaches of the Derwent River.

Fishing with Zeke Hayton, Conna caught his third ever trout and one he will never forget, a big buck male brown trout weighing around 5 kg, which was also 78 cm in length.

The big male was caught using a black-and-gold Berkley T-Tail lure on a 1/12-ounce weighted jig head, and the fish was also successfully released.

Well done, Conna, that's one big trophy trout you'll never forget.
Recreational anglers have welcomed the announcement of a parliamentary inquiry into the closure of Tasmania's South‑East Sand Flathead fishery.

The fishery has been closed since March 1, and now a seven-member committee, chaired by Labor MP Meg Brown, will examine the science behind the decision to close it, the consultation process, and the legal powers used to authorise it.

The committee’s terms of reference cover the stock assessment, the environmental, social and economic impacts of the closure and alternative management options.

Members will also examine the use of the Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995, which authorised the shutdown.

Recreational fishing body TARFish has also welcomed the decision, doing so from early on. questioned the closure, saying the call was made without proper consultation and, in turn, has been pushing for a 12-month pause with an independent review.
The recreational scallop season opened statewide on March 28, except for in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

Research from the Channel states that scallops are genetically distinct from those on the East Coast, meaning they're self-seeding and reliant on populations within the Channel.

This is also said to highlight the importance of protecting areas with high-density spawning stock to increase the likelihood of recruitment in those areas.

Surveys are conducted every few years to monitor the scallop population, with the next survey scheduled for later in 2026.

Tip Of The Week - Big trout don't grow big by eating small meals. Big trout can easily eat birds, bats, rats, mice, moths, leeches, lizards and snakes.

Send in your fishing reports, pics and tips to valleyfishes@gmail.com
Tight Lines until next week.