Fishing - Tagged trout starting to be snagged

Trout anglers enjoyed another weekend of settled weather with some good catches coming from various waters around the State.

Waters that hold tagged trout were targeted, and the first for the 2026-27 season was caught from Curries River Reservoir by George Town angler Anthony O'Shannessy last week.

Anthony has now caught two tagged trout from this water after catching a tagged brown trout worth $2000 in 2022.

If you asked Anthony the secret to his success, he would say the answer is simple: the more time one spends fishing, the greater the chance of being in the right place at the right time.

Whether or not it made a difference, Anthony's favourite yellow Tassie Devil lure, paired with a bright red bead, caught the latest winning trout, which has also helped him fool plenty of fish over the years.

At the time of writing this report, there are 44 tagged trout still out there waiting to be caught before the end of the 2026-27 season, and remember the first tagged fish caught from Great Lake is worth $25,000.
Anglers fishing our rivers have had mixed results, but some good fish have still been landed over the last week.

Brandon Gall landed a big old male trout weighing around 5.5 kg from the Tyenna River at Westerway on Saturday, which he kept to get mounted for the wall.

Anglers fishing the Derwent and Huon Rivers have found fishing patchy, although some well-conditioned sea-run and resident trout up to 2 kg have been caught through both systems.

Some well-conditioned trout have also been caught from the Mersey, Macquarie and Tamar Rivers.

Jason Forster, daughter India and son Ethan have been fishing Lake Mackintosh early this season and also catching some quality brown and rainbow trout on soft plastics and hard-bodied lures.

Talbots Lagoon and Four Springs Lake have also been producing quality trout for fly and lure anglers, with Penstock Lagoon and Little Pine Lagoon also giving up some well-conditioned fish for anglers stripping wet flies.

The Brady's Chain of waters has also been rewarding anglers fishing with bait and lures, and Lake Echo continues to provide good sport to lure casters fishing around structure.

Lake Leake and Toom's Lake are also worthy of a mission, with the latter giving up some good brown and rainbow trout to anglers floating wattle grubs and worms.
A reminder that size limits need to be followed when looking to keep fish and, for reference, when measuring a fish, everything other than black bream is measured from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail.

For black bream, always measure one from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail.

If in doubt, always check the size limits for the water you're fishing in and measure fish as soon as you catch them.

If a fish is under or over the size limit, return it to the water as soon as possible.

Also, a reminder for anglers to respect the rules and regulations, and note that foot access for anglers is provided by the goodwill of public and private landowners, which is a privilege, not a right.

If access is not specifically marked or identified, then you must ask for permission, or you could be trespassing, which is a criminal offence.

Respect private property, abide by the access rules and the code of conduct.
Tip Of The Week - Many trout species have developed vibrant colours and patterns that not only attract mates but also provide camouflage to protect them against predators.
Send in your fishing reports, pics and tips to valleyfishes@gmail.com
Tight Lines until next week.