Fishing: Watch out for algal blooms

BACK in mid-August, good mate Joe Hooker and I fished a weekend up at Lake Sorell.The weather was calm and bright most of the time and, although we didn’t catch a fish between us, we did see a couple of campers who had.

We fished most of Saturday without seeing anything unusual, but on Sunday, while out on the water, we noticed what looked like a possible algae bloom.

We were a bit confused and concerned about what had suddenly appeared.

Joe took a water sample and I took a photo back at the Dago Point boat ramp, while the old mate was trying to get through to the Inland Fisheries Service on his phone on the way out.

When I got home I sent the picture through to the IFS and a few days later I was contacted.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania had visited Lake Sorell and collected water samples for analysis.

Testing confirmed the bloom was blue-green algae, but thankfully further testing by the CSIRO found it was non-toxic.

In a statement late last week confirming the bloom, the IFS said there were no public access restrictions on Lake Sorell and anglers could continue to catch and eat trout from both Lake Sorell and Lake Crescent.

There are, however, some precautions anglers should take.

Any trout kept should be washed in clean water, gilled and gutted, with all internal organs and other fish waste disposed of and not fed to animals.

Anglers should not drink lake water, should avoid direct contact with areas of dense algae and should wash and dry clothing and equipment after a trip.

At this stage the blue-green algae bloom has only been detected in Lake Sorell and not Lake Crescent, although water has been flowing from Sorell into Crescent since June.

Those releases will continue to maintain Lake Crescent levels and downstream flows into the Clyde River under existing water management plans.

NRE Tas and the IFS will continue monitoring Lake Sorell over coming months using satellite imagery and regular water-quality testing, with further updates if required.

September is always eagerly awaited by trout anglers who specifically target sea trout because it is usually one of the best months of the year to chase these great fish.

Last year flooding in the Derwent and other tidal rivers around the state virtually ruined sea trout fishing through September and October, so hopefully conditions remain settled enough to give anglers a better crack at them this season.

I am a little concerned, though, about the number of seals we continue to see moving into these river systems.

For several years now anglers have reported seals harassing and taking trout and other fish, and their increasing presence close to popular fishing and recreation areas also raises questions about interaction with people.

Maybe it is time to look at whether some form of proactive management, such as catching, tagging and relocating problem animals, could be trialled while tracking their movements to see whether they return.

It also wasn’t good news to see the Tungatinah Power Station badly damaged by fire last week and hopefully Hydro Tasmania can restore the station in the future.

One flow-on effect in the meantime could be higher water levels in some lakes and lagoons, potentially improving trout fishing in those waters — a small positive to come from an otherwise bad situation.

Tip Of The Week

Lake Meadowbank(26) and Craigbourne Lake (25) both received some hefty Rainbow trout from the IFS last week, weighing around 3kg each. Some rainbows reportedly weigh up to 5 kg, with all fish sourced from the Salmon Ponds.

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

Tight Lines until next week.