February means it is time for the annual migration from
Darwin to chase Trout on fly in the Tasmanian Highlands.
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| Home sweet home! |
14 hours of travel from Darwin sees me catching up with
fellow fishers at Hobart airport ready for the 2 1/2 hour drive to our home for
the next week at Bronte Lagoon. Our base for fishing the Highlands.
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| No chance of loosing weight this week! |
The Tasmanian Highland weather is well renowned for being
without mercy. The coming week showed us its full force, icy rain, driving
winds, snow, low cloud with a sprinkle of sun just to keep the spirits up.
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| View from the shack! |
Our local contacts gave us a run down on how tough the fishing
had been over the last season. Many reasons were given, lack of rain, record
high temperatures, hydro storage waters drawn down to lowest ever levels in the
chase for power export dollars plus many other reasons. No reason given was
strong enough to make us get back on the planes!
Arriving at the shack it was cold beer first up, then gear preparation
for an early morning fish the next day.
A 6am, 20 metre walk to the water’s edge found me sight
casting to a Brown Trout that was feeding on small fish in the reeds in water
no more than 100mm deep. A couple of casts with a wet fly to the edge of the
reeds enticed him out and soon after a 48cm Brown was ready to be hung in the
fish box ready to be prepared for Gravlax. Not a bad start to the week after 10
minutes of fishing and more importantly putting the Northern Territory 48
points ahead of the combined forces of Queensland and Tasmania.
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| After 10 minutes and a 20 metre walk! |
After a great start we were to find out just how tough the
fishing is and has been of late in the Highlands. Normal insect hatches did not
produce the mass movement of feeding fish of years past, low water levels have
made some lakes a sorry sight, The Great Lake will take years to refill as it
seems that all useable water has been converted to power.
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| Another small Brown. |
Despite the negatives the fishing was tough but this just
added to the challenge and fish could be found with effort. The most important
thing is that, thanks to my partner in crime, Daryl, the Northern Territory
came home 87 points in front, at the end of the week, of the combined efforts
of Queensland and Tasmania. This would be the same score line if the NT had a
team in the NRL!
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| Hard to find but were there! |
To anyone that enjoys Flyfishing do yourself a favour and
put Tasmania on your bucket list. It was tough this year but still a fantastic experience.
Bring on February 2017 it’s already booked in.
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| Should we have to have one of these with NT on it to fish here????? |
Remember; “You’ll never never know, if you never never go.
Get out there and fish!”
Tight lines
Jim Churchley
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