Angling Report of the Southern Tasmanian Licensed Anglers Association

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Index

Editorial ............................................................................. 2

Inland Fisheries Service ................................................... 3

Ministers Report on Inland Fisheries 2004/05................ 3 From the Director............................................................ 4 Summary of Inland Fisheries Activities 2004/05 ........... 5

Hydro Tasmania Water Management Report ............. 11

Understanding the Great Lake ‘Charophyte” beds ....... 11 The Derwent Water Management Review.................... 12

MAST Report .................................................................. 14

FACT Report................................................................... 16

IFAC Report - Reflections Season 2004/2005............... 17

STLAA Reports............................................................... 19

STLAA Executive......................................................... 19 STLAA Presidents Report ............................................ 20 Club Reports ................................................................. 23

Australian Polish Anglers Club ................................ 23 Bothwell Angling Club ............................................. 26 Bridgewater Anglers Association ............................. 27 Clarence Licensed Anglers Club .............................. 29 Huon Licensed Anglers Association......................... 32 Kingborough Anglers Association............................ 34 Lake Pedder Anglers Club ........................................ 36 Maydena Anglers Club ............................................. 37 New Norfolk Licensed Anglers Association ............ 39 Tarraleah-Bronte Anglers Club................................. 41

Features & Special Reports............................................ 43

The Quest to the Holy Grail.......................................... 43 How History Can Be Changed...................................... 45 Accommodation Houses ............................................... 46 Who invented the Cobra Lure? ..................................... 54 Three generations of Trout Fishing in Tasmania .......... 58 A History & Design of the Original Cobra Wobbler.... 61 The History of the Deep Diving Cobra Wobbler.......... 64 Derwent River 2004/05 Season .................................... 66 The Mostly Media Mob by Michael Tatlow................. 69 Season 2004-2005 Photo Gallery.................................. 71 Historic Angling Images ............................................... 84

Trout 2005

Tasmanian Angling Report of the Southern Tasmanian Licensed Anglers Association is published annually by the association

and it’s affiliated Clubs.

Cover Photo:

Tailing Trout – Western Lakes

Photo by Norm Cribbin

Historic Photos:

The historic photos in this years Trout 2005 were kindly supplied by Brian

Johnston

Report Committee:

Bill Cornelius Lake Pedder Anglers Ph 0429 851 875

Norm Cribbin Clarence Licensed Anglers Ph 0408 144 587

Leanne Datlen Bothwell Anglers Club Ph 6259 5728

Don Emery Lake Pedder Anglers

Louis Molnar Bridgewater Anglers Ass. Ph 0419 309 932

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Editorial

eason 2004-2005 has been a season of change for many anglers. The

Inland Fisheries Service as part of the fisheries management program has introduced new size limits, new bag limits and in some waters introduced changes to the angling methods allowed. This has all been with the aim of sustaining the performance and improving our fishery for future.

In addition anglers have had to contend with severe changes in water levels in many of the popular waters. The prolonged less-than-average rainfall the state has experienced over the past few seasons has resulted in lower than normal lake levels. Furthermore, anglers have experienced increasing difficulties in accessing waters due to land management issues and public liability responsibilities for the landowners.

These changes have been meet with varying degrees of enthusiasm by anglers as change to many people is seen as a threat rather than an opportunity.

With regards to access to waters it is only by a co-ordinated approach by all anglers that we can ensure that access can be maintained - let alone improved. Changes in modern society now mean that we have to band together as never before to ensure that we can maintain access to waters.

In the past many anglers belonged to Clubs and were actively involved in the fisheries management, but over time this was taken over by the various

incarnations of the now IFS. Change in its relentless march forward has now impacted on the IFS, reduced funding, the adoption of a very business-like approach to its function, rationalisation of equipment and staff but to name a few.

Whilst we as anglers may not like all the changes they are a fact of life and it is up to all anglers to ensure that the process of change is for the better. By staying informed and ensuring support for the IFS, Angling Clubs and the peak body FACT is maintained we should be able to guide our fishery forward into the future in a way that is acceptable to all.

The input to this the fourth Angling Report I have been involved in has been outstanding and I commend all those who have contributed articles, photographs, comments and critic.

As always special thanks must go to the Report Committee and Club Delegates who have spent many hours arranging advertising sponsors, following up on reports and collecting the articles that appear with Trout 2005.

Finally I would ask you to support our advertising sponsors. Without their support it would not be possible to publish this annual report. So next time you are making use of any of our sponsors services, take time to thank them for supporting Trout 2005.

Norm Cribbin

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Inland Fisheries Service

Ministers Report on Inland Fisheries 2004/05

he 2004/05 season has been a particularly pleasing one for me as

Minister with several major achievements.

When I took over the Inland Fisheries portfolio the trout fishing participation rate was in decline with the total number of anglers taking out a licence at its lowest point for many years. In 2004/05 a significant improvement in this situation was achieved with an overall increase of approximately 9 percent in the number of people taking out a licence. I attribute much of this improvement to the enhanced stocking program across the State and in particular to the popular waters stocking program. This program has seen waters such as Lake Barrington, Craigbourne Dam, Brushy Lagoon, Lake Meadowbank, Four Springs and Curries River dam heavily stocked with various species providing great sport close to the major population centres of the State. In addition to creating some exciting fishing for trophy sized trout and Salmon these waters have provided the opportunity for juvenile anglers and anglers new to the sport to have a better chance of catching a fish without having to travel long distances.

The other major change during the season was to the operation of the Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) itself, with the release and implementation of a Corporate Plan to guide its development over the next five years. The plan is designed to ensure that the IFS runs as efficiently as possible and in a financially responsible fashion, whilst continuing to improve and develop the recreational fishery into the future.

I feel confident that the measures being taken by the team at Inland Fisheries will continue to deliver improvements to the fishery and I look forward to an even better season for all anglers in 2005/06.

Steve Kons Minister for Primary Industries & Water

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From the Director

he 2004-05 Angling Season opened on Saturday 7 August, which was

one week later than the traditional opening season date. The date was changed under regulations to adjust the opening with the start of the new licence period on 1 August.

Latest figures show that the Service’s recreational licence revenue for the financial year 2004/2005 was up by 9% on 2003/2004 figures. This indicates an upward turn in licence sales over the past two years, halting the previous trend of declining sales of the past decade, and it goes against a national trend away from angling in inland waters towards marine fishing.

For the first time in nine years, Lake Crescent was opened to anglers and the fishing began with a rush. Good quality brown trout in the 3-4 kg range were caught early, mostly in the outflow canal but fish were also caught out in the lake. However, as the season continued, low lake levels and very turbid water contributed to very low catch rates, although the growth and condition of fish was very good, with some trophy sized fish caught. Anglers demonstrated consideration regarding the needs of the Service in relation to carp management and no interference with traps or exclusion fences was reported. This has ensured the opening of the lake in the 2005/06 season.

After the release of the Great Lake Fishery Management Plan last year, new regulations were introduced to cover bag and size limits. Stocking with 45,000 rainbow fry was also undertaken to assist in the improvement of the lake’s rainbow fishery. The aim of the Plan is to provide a reliable, well-utilised and accessible recreational fishery based on a multi-species trout fishery, providing a

quality angling experience for all anglers. According to compliance reports, anglers adhered to the new rules and the fishery continued to perform well.

Over the past year, the Service continued with its enhanced stocking regime focusing on waters within easy reach of major population centres. The State’s commercial fish farms provided invaluable assistance to the Service in this venture through the generous donation of fish stock.

During the 2004/05 financial year, the Service undertook a total of 115 individual stockings of 56 different public fisheries. In total, almost 630,000 trout and Atlantic salmon were stocked out. A pleasing aspect to this program was the high number of advanced fish stocked compared to previous years. These stockings highlight the strategic change in direction that the Service has taken since a review of its stocking regime back in 2003.

Transfers of adult brown trout still formed the basis of the annual stocking program. During the financial year, 7525 adult brown trout were released into the waters of the North West, North, North East, South and Cental Plateau regions. The stand out waters from these adult stockings for the coming season are likely to be the Bradys system, Curries River Dam and early in the season, Penstock Lagoon.

The number of rainbow trout stocked increased dramatically with 233,420 fish released into 29 different waters. Fisheries likely to benefit from this are Tooms Lake, Brushy Lagoon, Dee Lagoon and the Bradys system. Wild stocks of rainbow trout at Great Lake are also showing positive returns.

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Brook trout and large Atlantic salmon are providing added diversity to the popular fisheries of Bradys Lake, Brushy Lagoon and Craigbourne Dam, with the 2005/06 season likely to see these waters begin to peak as a result of heavy stockings.

Periodic releases of large Atlantic salmon in both lakes Barrington and Meadowbank will hopefully continue to provide added interest for anglers.

Other waters to watch as a result of solid stockings are, Lake Leake and early in the season Lake Crescent.

The Service is committed to maintaining existing performing fisheries and improving under performing fisheries, as well as providing added diversity to meet the needs of today’s angling community.

The current stocking regime in conjunction with other fisheries development programs should contribute to the continued improvement in the Tasmanian Inland Fishery.

John Diggle Director of Inland Fisheries

Summary of Inland Fisheries Activities 2004/05

Lake Crescent

The Lake Crescent fishery reopened since its closure in 1995. Trout stocks were healthy with a good number of fish in the 3-5 kg range present. However, due to low water levels and turbid water conditions, in conjunction with the restriction of artificial lures only, catch rates were extremely low. Some fish were caught early in the season in the outlet canal but other than this, anglers failed to catch any numbers of fish and very few anglers fish this water after the first eight weeks of the season.

Western Lakes Fishery Management

Plan

Implementation of the Western Lakes plan continued during 2004-05. Stocking was completed for all waters as identified as priorities in the plan. Further track work was undertaken by the Parks and Wildlife Service at lakes Pillans and Julians. Hydrocarbon monitoring by the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment continued.

Great Lake Fishery Management Plan

Implementation of the Great Lake plan continued during 2004-05 with the stocking of 45 000 advanced wild rainbow trout courtesy of SALTAS. Major works were undertaken to reinstate the fish anti-jump in the lower section of Liawenee Canal. A total of 7 525 adult brown trout were transferred from Liawenee Canal to other waters of the State. This fulfils the Service’s commitment under the plan to balance the trout biomass at Great Lake while stocking advanced fish into various waters to meet the commitments under the Inland Fisheries Service Corporate plan. The Service also had input into the upgrading of boat ramps at Great Lake.

Fishery Management Plans - Other

Waters

Development of the fishery management plan for Lagoon of Islands has been cancelled because of uncertainty regarding the long-term environmental health of this fishery. The development of a plan may recommence in the future once the University and Hydro Tasmania has completed studies on this water.

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The plan for Penstock Lagoon that was due for completion during the 2004-05 has now been rescheduled of completion in 2005-06.

Initiation and development of a State Freshwater Recreational Fisheries Management Plan is scheduled for the 2005/06 season.

Fishery Performance Assessment

During the past season, a major effort was put into surveying the brown trout population of Great Lake. This involved the sampling of fish from several habitats around the lake. This information will be processed over the coming year and a report prepared. Fishery performance technical reports and summary reports were completed for Bronte Lagoon and Tooms Lake. Summary reports were made available on the Service’s website.

The spawning runs at Great Lake (rainbow and brown trout), Lake Sorell and Arthurs Lake (brown trout) were monitored and a sample of several hundred fish from each run were weighed and measured. The results were published in Angler News.

The angler postal questionnaire, which has been running since 1986, was circulated to licence holders. A total of 3 911 questionnaires were sent to a sample of Tasmanian and interstate anglers. The reply rate was approximately 22%, which was down from previous seasons (27%). The information gathered has formed an integral part of the reporting system for the Fisheries Performance Assessment program.

Service inspectors continued to collect catch data as part of their normal licence checking during the 2004 – 2005 angling season. Inspectors checked over 3 200 anglers for a total of 4 070 angler days,

at 111 different waters throughout the State. The greatest number of anglers checked were at Arthurs Lake (875), Craigbourne Dam (349), Great Lake (245), Tooms Lake (201), Bradys Lake (176) and Brushy Lagoon (151). Of those interviewed 31% were bait fishing, 26% fly fishing, 23% trolling and 20% spinning.

A total of 2 854 fish were caught by anglers participating in the survey, 2 100 (74%) of which were brown trout, 421 (15%) rainbow trout, 168 (6%) Atlantic salmon and 165 (6%) brook trout. Of these fish, 229, which were below the legal minimum size and 180 of takeable size, were released.

Tagging Studies

During June 2004, the Service released 730 - 1 kg brown trout into the Mersey River. These fish were sourced form the spawning run at Great Lake with each fish individually tagged. Of these fish, 380 were released at Union Bridge and 350 released at Latrobe. One hundred tags were returned during the 2004/05 season with anecdotal reports of significant numbers of tags not being returned by local anglers. Of the fish released at Union Bridge, 16 were captured in the area from Merseylea to Liena, 7 at Latrobe and 1 from the Forth River. Five more fish were reported as being captured but had no capture location recorded. Of the fish released at Latrobe, 66 were caught in the area from Latrobe to the lower estuary, 2 from unrecorded locations and 3 from the Forth River. The stocking of the Mersey River with adult brown trout will occur again for 2005 but only at the Latrobe release site.

Communication and Liaison

The Service continued to hold quarterly Recreational Fisheries Forum meetings. The forum provides a constructive mechanism for both the Service and

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angling organisations to discuss recreational fishery management issues. Last financial year representatives from all angling associations and the trout guides attended meetings.

The Service continued to provide information specifically to anglers through its monthly bulletin - Angler News, which is produced and distributed electronically. Staff also presented talks at angling club meetings and attended the Service’s annual Open Weekend at Liawenee, and continued to maintain the Service’s website.

Fish Salvages

During 2004-05, the Service carried out a small salvage of stranded fish from Liawenee Canal following a schedule shut down for maintenance purposes. A further 450 brown trout were salvaged from the area immediately downstream from the dam at Laughing Jack Lagoon.

Trout and Salmon Stocking

The Service collected 1 million brown trout ova and 250,000 rainbow trout ova from the wild, at Liawenee, Great Lake. A further 55,000 brook trout ova were

collected from the Salmon Ponds hatchery. The Service sold 130,000 brown trout ova to the South Australian Fly Fishers and approximately 56,000 brown trout fry to Private Fisheries. All up the Service distributed approximately 222,820 rainbow trout, 294,125 brown trout, 103,160 brook trout and 5,492 Atlantic salmon into public waters. These fish were sourced from the Salmon Ponds hatchery and several commercial hatchery operations within the State. For instance, a total of 217,990 rainbow trout, 48,160 brook trout and 5,492 Atlantic salmon were sourced directly from commercial fish farms. SALTAS also contributed with the growing out of 67,150 brown trout to fry and fingerling stage and 45 000 wild rainbow trout fingerlings for the stocking of public waters. These stockings enhance the value of the State’s fishery due to the larger than average size of the fish stocked and hence, increased survival which should result in improved catch rates and a better angling experience.

A summary of fish species and age details are displayed in the table below.

Age class Brown Rainbow Brook Atlantic

Salmon

Fry 236,100 25,000

Advanced

fry

22,000 53,100 36,250

Fingerling 28,500 153,700 18,500

Yearling 14,550 23,000

Adult 7,525 1,470 410 5,492

Total 294,125 222,820 103,160 5,492

Fish numbers, species and age class for the stocking of public waters for the financial year 2004-2005.

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The Service also provided brown and rainbow trout stocks for dams on private property, where there is an agreement signed by the landholder enabling public access by anglers. During the year, the Service, Springfield Fisheries and Sevrup Fisheries Pty Ltd supplied adult rainbow trout into six waters in preparation for the Inland Fisheries Service - Free Fishing Day.

The Service supplied the North Motton Rearing Unit with brown and rainbow fry for grow-out and distribution. Last year the Penguin, Devonport and Ulverstone branches of the North West Fisheries Association distributed 60,550 brown trout fry and 19,030 rainbow trout fry into farm dams in the North West.

The Service also managed the stocking of farm dams for private fishing (with rainbow trout only) through the issuing of a farm dam stocking permits. The Service approved the stocking of 37,122 rainbow trout into 111 private farm dams located throughout the State. These fish were purchased by the applicants from commercial hatcheries.

Fisheries Compliance

Staffing of the Compliance section remained high, however one officer from the North West resigned and was not replaced. A further four fisheries management staff were appointed as authorised officers under the Inland Fisheries Act, and were given essential training in legal procedures.Licence checking was the priority activity for Enforcement Officers with 3 867 angling licences and 296 whitebait licences check during the 2004-05 season. Of these checks, just 6 anglers and 4 whitebait fishers were charged with the offence of taking fish without a licence.

Enforcement Officers also undertook 12 prosecutions for fisheries offences, with

all but one being successful. A total of 34 infringement notices were issued and paid with a further 10 infringement notices remaining unpaid or were pending summons as at 30 June 2005.

Carp Management Program

The Service undertook a concentrated effort on both lakes Sorell and with daily monitoring for spawning carp during spring. The use of radio tracking continued to be a key to finding carp aggregations with fish barriers and traps proving successful in fishing down the populations in each lake. Surveys of the Clyde River, adjacent off stream storages and Lake Meadowbank did not find any evidence of carp downstream of Lake Crescent. Surveys conducted around the State also found no evidence of European carp.

Lake Crescent

Since the commencement of the program, a total of 7778 carp have been removed from Lake Crescent. No mature females have been captured during the past twelve months despite tagged males being regularly captured. Indications are that if there are any females left, their numbers are very low. Monthly surveys in Lake Crescent failed to find any sign of successful recruitment from the previous spawning period.

Lake Sorell

A total number of 2,358 carp have been taken from the lake since 1995. As with Lake Crescent, daily monitoring was undertaken during the spring period. Male carp containing transmitters were observed moving large distances, most likely in search of females. These fish were targeted on a regular basis either when they aggregated or when they sat individually on “prime” sites. Over the past twelve months only one mature female was captured.

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No spawning was observed and subsequent surveys support these observations with no juvenile carp captured.

During autumn the Service commenced construction of exclusion fences and traps across the areas known as the Isthmus and the Blowfly. This is to complement a purpose built barrier net that is to be deployed that will effectively cut Lake Sorell into two sections. Radio tracking data from past years has shown that carp pass through these two areas regularly. The aim is to capture these carp in the traps as they move through this region.

The duplication of the Lake Sorell Outlet has been completed allowing for better screening of water as it passes from the lake and will also enable more efficient water operations.

Environment, Conservation and

Native Species Management

This year the Arthurs paragalaxias (Paragalaxias mesotes) and the golden galaxias (Galaxias auratus) were accepted for listing under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act as ‘Endangered’, while the Pedder galaxias (Galaxias pedderensis) was listed as ‘Extinct in the wild’. The status of several other nominated species is still being assessed.

Monitoring of four galaxid species, Swan galaxias, Clarence galaxias, saddled galaxias and Arthurs paragalaxias was undertaken as prescribled in the recovery plan for these species. Two new populations of the Swan galaxias (Galaxias fontanus) were confirmed outside their previously known distribution area.

Liaison with the Forest Practices Authority and Forestry Tasmania ensure

that additional assessments of the Swan and Clarence galaxiids were conducted to protect specific populations. The effectiveness of existing instream barriers was assessed regarding their ability to protect these galaxid populations from predatory fish. A survey for the dwarf galaxias (Galaxiella pusilla) was also undertaken prior to proposed logging operations in the far NW of the State.

A draft Whitebait Management Plan was also prepared and has been put forward for internal IFS comment prior to seeking wider government and community input.

The Draft Giant Freshwater Lobster Recovery Plan was released for public comment in June 2005.

The Threatened Tasmanian Galaxiid Recovery Plan 2005 – 2009 was submitted for public comment and final consideration by the State and Commonwealth governments.

The Inland Fisheries Service Open Weekend and the National Threatened Species day were used along with other miscellaneous opportunities to disseminate information to the general public to help raise awareness.

Through its representation on the Farm Dam Technical Advisory Committee, the Service provided direct input into some 89 Farm Dam Assessment Reports. This has enabled the Service to review development applications for farm dams and to ensure fish passage issues were considered in dam assessment development.

The Service continued to monitor fish populations and the success of a NHT project on redundant weirs project that was completed during the 2003/04 financial year.

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The Service also provided comment and input into Development Proposals from around the State that potentially may have impacted of freshwater aquatic species. The Service also commented on and provided input relevant to the inland fishery on all three (Cradle Coast, North and South) Draft Natural Resource Management Strategies prepared this year.

Commercial Fisheries

During the year, 20 salmonid fish farms, 29 fish dealers and eight ornamental aquarium fish operations were licensed by the Service. In addition to these, 18 private fisheries were also licensed by the Service.

Bio Consultancy

This past season saw the Service's consultancy section operate under vastly reduced funding. This team however, still managed to cover a wide range of work as summarised below.

Lake and river water quality monitoring, river algae, habitat and macro-invertebrate monitoring for Hydro Tasmania’s Water Health Monitoring Program.

Continued routine water quality monitoring of Lagoon of Islands.

Biological surveys on the algal beds of Great Lake.

Fish surveys in the Gordon River.

Pest fish surveys in several areas of the State.

Promotional activities outlining the work carried out by the Consultancy for Hydro Tasmania

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Hydro Tasmania Water Management Report

Understanding the Great Lake ‘Charophyte” beds

reat Lake is one of Tasmania’s most important water bodies in

terms of hydro power generation, and it’s social and ecological significance. As well as being a major recreational trout fishery, Great Lake also contains weed beds or “charophyte” beds that are thought to provide habitat for a number of threatened native fish and macro-invertebrate species endemic to Great Lake. Anecdotal evidence and local knowledge also suggest that these algal beds are areas where trout tend to congregate and are therefore of interest to anglers.

A study into the charophyte beds in Great Lake was one of nine commitments made by Hydro Tasmania in 2003 as part of its South Esk-Great Lake Water Management Review. The five year monitoring and research study is examining the ecology of the charophyte beds, and their ability to migrate in response to changing lake levels. A number of factors are thought to influence the migrational ability of the beds, many of which are not yet well-enough understood to define management strategies. These factors may include the speed at which plants can colonise new areas, whether the species are annual or perennial and the season. A map of the current chara beds is given below. The current low water levels in Great Lake resulting from unusually low rainfall over the past 11 months have raised concerns regarding not only ecological health, but also trout fishing and boat access. Hydro Tasmania is being proactive in investigating the

potential impacts of low water levels, and in addition to the charophyte study, has recently conducted a review of the potential environmental and social effects of low lake levels. The data gained from this study are being used to develop a series of conceptual models to examine the interactions between water levels, wind, light climate and different areas of the lake and their influence on the charophyte beds and associated fauna.

The Inland Fisheries Service have advised that the impact of lowering lake levels on the trout populations in Great Lake will be largely dependent on the extent of the lowest level reached and the duration for which it is maintained. Hydro Tasmania is working with IFS to monitor and manage any potential stranding and spawning issues through a series of water level related options such as monitoring catch rates, pre- and post-spawning surveys, and visual inspections of the collection traps.

The recent low lake levels in Great Lake have also led to reduced access for boats as most public boat ramps do not extend far enough to reach the waterline at such levels. In order to improve boat access during periods when Great Lake is very low, Hydro Tasmania has recently committed to creating a low level ramp at Boundary Bay. Hydro Tasmania is also liaising with the IFS and MAST to notify users of open boat ramps. Details of boat ramp closures and access are published in the public notices section of the Mercury, Advocate and Examiner.

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The Derwent Water Management Review

s part of Hydro Tasmania’s commitment to sustainable water

management, reviews of the business’ water management practices are being undertaken throughout each of its catchments. The approach being used for the Water Management Reviews (WMR)

is consistent with the process for developing Water Management Plans under the Water Management Act 1999, and was endorsed by the Department of Primary Industry, Water and the Environment at the outset. Each WMR involves four stages - information

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review, community consultation, technical studies and program development.

Hydro Tasmania’s first Water Management Review began in the South Esk – Great Lake catchment in 1999. The outcome was an Aquatic Environmental Management Plan (AEMP) for the catchment, released in 2003, in which nine water management commitments were made by Hydro Tasmania. These commitments are currently being implemented.

The Derwent WMR began in 2001 and is currently in the technical studies stage. The development of an AEMP for the Derwent catchment is anticipated to be completed in June 2006. Based on the issues identified during the information review and community consultation stages, 11 technical studies by Hydro Tasmania were commenced in 2004. A broad assessment of the issues for each technical study has been undertaken, and the studies have now become more focussed on particular issues. The studies are as follows.

Shannon Lagoon habitat improvement – The focus of this study is on turbidity issues and developing opportunities to enhance fishing amenity.

Recreational management and planning - This study is focusing on developing a Recreational Management Plan for Penstock Lagoon.

Derwent above Meadowbank – The focus is the condition of the riparian zone, bank stability and frog habitat.

Derwent below Meadowbank – This is focussing on building linkages with the Derwent Estuary Program and looking at research opportunities.

Ouse River – The focus of this study is ecological health and water availability, and has close linkages with Shannon Lagoon and Lagoon of Islands.

Pest fish management - This study is looking for opportunities to manage risks of further dispersion of identified species.

Water level communication– This study is looking at public awareness of varying water levels through appropriate signage.

Fish migration and mitigation– This study is focussing on migration issues in the Meadowbank area in relation to elvers and lampreys.

Lake management for multiple use – The focus of this study is the investigation of concerns regarding turbid water releases into Laughing Jack Lagoon and Bradys Lake.

Lake St Clair – This study focuses on lake levels with respect to bank erosion.

Lagoon of Islands water quality – This study is looking at opportunities to improve waterway health whilst recognising other community values.

It is anticipated that the technical studies will be completed in mid-2006 and the findings will be made publicly available. Following the completion of the studies, options for managing the issues investigated will be examined and an AEMP for the Derwent catchment produced.

For more information regarding the above articles, phone Helga Grant at Hydro Tasmania on 6230 5527.

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MAST Report

n 2004/2005 Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST) is pleased to

announce that there were again no fatalities on inland waters. Patrols on Inland waterways by MAST, Marine Police and IFS officers has seen a very high compliance rate with respect to the carriage of the correct safety gear however a small number of infringement notices have been written for not wearing PFD’s whilst under power.

The major upgrade of boat ramps on Great Lake is now completed with MAST in conjunction with Hydro Tasmania recently completing the ramp at Little Quarries at Todds Corner. Concrete ramps now exist at Brandum Bay which caters for those from the North West, Swan Bay and Little Quarries for those from the South and Cramps Bay for those from the North. MAST is currently awaiting contractors to extend the ramp at the Dam Wall on Arthurs Lake which will complete the upgrade at that facility which started 12 months ago.

The shortages of rain in the past year again lead to a decline in water levels in Great Lake and in Arthurs Lake. Hydro Tasmania advises that the lake levels at year end are lower than the previous year. Anglers have encountered difficulty in launching on Great Lake due to the siltation at the base of many of the boat ramps and as a consequence a public meeting was recently held in Launceston to discuss the issue with over 100 people attending.

Hydro Tasmania has identified a site at Boundary Bay which will be used as a temporary measure until there is sufficient water in the lake to use the new concrete ramps.

MAST has set aside $240,000 in funding for 2005/06 for recreational boating projects. In addition MAST has a further $50,000 specifically for inland water projects from recreational boating licence revenue. MAST and Hydro Tasmania are currently assessing plans to upgrade the ramp at Thureau Hills at Lake Burbury Plans have been drawn and tenders called however the level of the Lake has risen dramatically and a decision to proceed on this project may be delayed.

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MAST has continued with education nights around the State, these have been purely based on Flare demonstrations and have been very successful. Demonstrations have been held on King Island and at Devonport, Bicheno, Hobart, Launceston, Orford, Swansea and Port Sorell.

The process of gaining a recreational boating licence has also changed in the last 12 months. Applicants are now required to show they have some type of practical boating knowledge prior to sitting for their licence test and have to complete a log book showing 20 hours experience or they must attend a boat practical boating course conducted by a MAST accredited provider. These courses are proving most popular and it is encouraging to see a great number of existing licence holders attending as well and improving their own skill and knowledge.

In May MAST once again had a stand at AGFEST. It provided an opportunity for inland water fishermen to meet MAST staff and discuss any issues they may have with regards to legislation, facilities and licences. The stand was well attended and the response from the general public was very positive.

For further information on MAST, please visit our website www.mast.tas.gov.au.

Colin Finch – August 2005.

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FACT Report

he best we can say about the past year is that it has been one of

dogged persistence on matters pertaining to inland angling. In many cases, Government departments have been extremely tardy in their reply to correspondence and in some cases, ignored. When a Government Minister informs you that "no further correspondence will be entered into" you realise you're banging your head against a brick wall. Another minus for FACT is the unavailability of some Delegates for meetings which means that that area is not represented.

Having joined FACT in 1994, I've served three years as senior vice president and a further eight years as president. This has been a long, but enjoyable sojourn. I have had the distinct pleasure of meeting many astute and passionate anglers from all parts of the State. The number of submissions that have been presented to different departments on behalf of all anglers has been almost unending. Many hours have been spent on fishery management plans, walking tracks and Basslink to name but a few.

By far the largest amount of input was the battle against the importation of uncooked salmon product. Representing FACT, I travelled to the Edmund Barton building in Canberra to the first ever meeting with AQIS to speak on the issue of disease which would affect our native species and all salmonid species. AQIS were also addressed in Hobart on this issue but the 'experts' were unimpressed and appeared uninterested. A rally in Hobart was organised and a very large turnout let it be known that imported raw salmon product was an unwanted item. A two day Senate enquiry was attended and fifty minutes of dialogue was delivered by FACT. Five days of

meetings and over sixty hours of gaining information and writing submissions ensued. A tough task.

This is my last year with FACT and most likely the last year of FACT itself. A new committee is being assembled that will have a larger profile, better representation and new blood that should see recreational angling having a greater input to Government Ministers and departments. Personally, I see this as the future of angling representation in this State. I wish them well in their endeavours and sincerely hope the future of freshwater angling prospers under their guidance.

The Inland Fisheries Service, in their Corporate Plan, indicated anglers were holding them back. How? Clubs have for generations offered help at every opportunity. Despite submissions to the contrary, rules and regulations have been put through that are neither wanted nor necessary.

Of major importance, is the advancement of the stocking regime they have undertaken. Many anglers, both old and new, are excited at the prospect of catching huge salmon, plump brookies, rainbows which leap into the air and the famous fighting browns for which Tasmania is so famous. Many of our waters have seen a healthy increase in angling participation due to the increase in fish numbers and diversity. Fundamental to the continuation of this policy is the need for Government to get smart and contribute the necessary funds needed for the erection of a new hatchery. An increase in fish numbers equates to more licence sales. This will

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make the IFS stronger and more viable - a must for the future of inland angling.

My administration future now lies with the Tasmanian Angling Hall of Fame. I have just been re-elected for a second three year term as Chairman and am looking forward to working with the other Board members. We have been bequested by the IFS to take over and manage the Trout Museum and we

believe the two will augment each other perfectly. It is important that Tasmania's rich history of people, events and artifacts are documented and preserved for future generations. The Museum will soon have an upgrade where many unseen items will be displayed including paintings and other memorabilia.

Peter Richards President

IFAC Report - Reflections Season 2004/2005

asmanian Anglers are showing a positive response to the Inland

Fisheries Service new initiatives. Licence sales have increased dramatically and that is a sure sign that Mum and Dad and the kids are catching more trout. The doom and gloom of carp talk and licence fee irregularities are behind us and the Inland Fisheries Service has now clear, business orientated objectives necessary for any successful organisation. Their business plan is one of eliminating wasted manpower, wasted overheads, non-profitable properties and maximising opportunities of fish distribution into our inland waterways.

Over a long period of time it has been stated that the Inland Fisheries Service must become more commercially motivated – it could not remain a non-progressive body dependent on Government handouts. Today the Service has a target, has a plan, has enthusiasm and is getting on with the job. We can now praise the management of our fishery for the improvement to the popular fisheries – the Bronte Chain, Lake Barrington, Craigbourne, to name a few.

There are also healthy signs coming from our private sectors – after many years of neglect the delightful and picturesque Tarraleah Chalet and

Township is undergoing a $4,000,000.00 facelift, with trout guiding and tourism infrastructure highlighted; Daniel Hackett’s enthusiastic promotion of the River Lodge in the North Esk River Valley heralds a new concept for river based anglers; whilst the co-operative venture between the Department of Primary Industry, Water and Environment, Hydro and private enterprise in opening up the original Brumby’s Creek waterway for Peter Hayes’ forward thinking fishery project is a fine example of the Government’s keenness to co-operate and establish new projects that do not in any way affect existing waters, but bring added value and opportunity to the Tasmanian fishing resources and those who want to fish it.

Comparisons are often made between our Tasmanian fishery and that of New Zealand. Usually such comparisons serve very little purpose. Both fisheries are vastly different in size, fishing styles, water characteristics and access. Both fisheries are exceptional in providing their own unique angling opportunities. To develop our Tasmanian fishery we must look no further than what we have – a small but varied group of world-class waters with wild brown trout that can excite every angler as they “tail” in the margins or sip tiny caenids from the surface. Ours is a fishery where

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numbers and size are not important but where clean air, pure water and perfect specimens of trout are our joy.

The importance of having a profitable fishery management service is essential if we are to maintain our fishery and have the rest of Government recognise its value as a State asset. The three private enterprise projects previously outlined, together with existing investment in our angling resources, are important cogs in the wheel that has to turn to increase our angling licence sales, without which management will fail.

As a boy I fished the River Derwent at New Norfolk, trolling green Devons behind my dinghy as I rowed it as close to the willows as I could get. I fished with sandies and pretty fish and caught whitebait by the billy load. Now some fifty-five years later I have returned to the Derwent – no longer can I catch the

whitebait in such large numbers but the River excites me as it always did. In 2004 I saw fifty to a hundred feeding fish on one morning – and this season signals even more fish. The challenge will be to find the perfect lure to replace the green Devon – perhaps it will be a ‘plastic;’ perhaps a very special whitebait pattern. What I do know is that the fishery has survived well over the past fifty years and I have confidence that the Derwent and the rest of our inland recreational fisheries will survive the next fifty years.

Members of the Inland Fisheries Advisory Council have a wide range of expertise and anglers throughout the State are well represented.

Jason Garrett - IFAC Chairman

Sunrise at Jonah Bay – Arthurs Lake

19

STLAA Reports

STLAA Executive

OFFICE BEARERS 2004-2005

POSTAL ADDRESS: GPO Box 159 Hobart 7001

PATRON: Mr Des Cranfield

PRESIDENT: Mr Terry Byard

VICE PRESIDENT: Tony Blackwell

SECRETARY: Mr Louis Molnar

HONORARY TREASURER: Mr Neil Pinkard

HONORARY HISTORIAN: Mr Ray Aitchison

FACT DELEGATE: Mr Norm Cribbin

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Messers Terry Byard, Louis Molnar, Neil Pinkard, Norm Cribbin and Bill Cornelius

CLUB DELEGATES:

Australian Polish Tony Blackwell, N Doyle Bothwell Anglers Shane Jones, Mark Whittaker Bridgewater Anglers David Goss, Peter Wood Clarence Licensed Anglers Norm Cribbin, Neil Pinkard Huon Anglers Rob Chandler, David Roberts Kingborough Anglers Association Mal Reardon, N Atkinson Lake Pedder Anglers Bill Cornelius, Don Emery Maydena Anglers Club John Barratt New Norfolk Licensed Anglers Duncan Hughes, Elaine Aitchison Tarraleah/Bronte Anglers Jenny Beard, Anthony Jones

LIFE MEMBERS:

M.O. Wood 1968 E.T. Smith 1970 A. Maclaine 1979 Mrs J. Walker 1981 C. Smith 1983 R. Cairns 1983

K. Morley 1983 D. Lynch 1983 R. Ryder 1983 C. Bourke 1985 L. Ward 1987 B. Creed 1992

P. Lowe 1992 R. Aitchison 1995 K. Jones 1999 D. Cranfield 1999 R. Bradshaw 2002 T.Byard 2004

ANGLING CERTIFICATE AWARDS:

R. Bradshaw 2000 P. Woods 2000 L. Datlen 2000 K. Hanson 2000 W. Knight 2000 N. Cribbin 2001 B. Sherriff 2001 D. Triffitt 2001 T. Sutton 2001

W. Seabrook 2002 N. Pinkard 2002 F. Johnson 2002 J. Bluett 2003 B. Jordan 2004 E. Aitchison 2004 K. Walker 2004 B. Johnston 2004 M. Sherriff 2004

R. Walker 2004 D. Cranfield 2004 D. Driver 2005 P. Richards 2005 K. Russell 2005 M.Russell 2005

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STLAA Presidents Report

was collecting some thoughts for this year's report and I happened across a

copy of the statewide angling report of about 15 years ago. It was interesting to note several items that very much reminded me of current day issues - the State was in a period of very dry conditions with many lakes at low levels (Great Lake 50 feet down), Lake Burbury was just getting going against prophecies of doom (it was suggested that it be called Michael Field's Cesspond), and anglers were concerned about the new Fisheries Act and the future of the IFC. So what has changed? Probably not much although Burbury has turned out to be one of the best fisheries in the State.

I guess the message for us all here is to acknowledge and accept that there will always be issues and aspects to contend with in the cycle of "fishing life". Governments will always be trying to convince us of their policies and nature will always be in control and unpredictable. Of course this is not to say that fishers should not have a view,- we do and frequently contribute to the overall management of our fisheries in a variety of ways. There will always be a range of views in the big picture stuff and over time these will be proven or otherwise. In the meantime I think it is critical that we don’t lose sight of other very important aspects such as keeping our fishing affordable, our waters healthy and the fishery managed to the best extent possible. I am sure that the IPS has in the past, and will in the future strive to ensure that needs such as these are achieved.

The STLAA has had another solid year. As always, Delegates continue to bless us with their presence at our meetings to discuss a myriad of issues. Over the course of this year's meetings we had

two interesting guest speakers along. The first was Tony Wright from the IFS who gave a presentation on the future direction for the IPS as it moves to adopt more of a business footing. Aspects such as asset management (and sale), adoption of a business and corporate planning structure, licensing simplification, review of organisational structure and timeframe for changes etc were some of the issues covered. Tony's presentation helped the Association better understand the why, when and how's of some of the changes currently being implemented.

Our second speaker was David Thomas from Hydro Tasmania who spoke about Hydro's Draft policy for Recreational Guidelines. Given that much of our fishing and camping is conducted on Hydro waters, it is important for anglers to be aware of the changes proposed and to have a say in the consultation process. Changes to free range camping, campfire management and waste and rubbish disposal are proposed and these items are just some of the areas covered in the draft Guidelines. I encourage all anglers to get involved in the process.

Association members would be well aware of our involvement in the long running process to establish a Water Management Plan for Lakes Sorell and Crescent and the Clyde River. After over two years of intensive consultation and negotiation between the stakeholders, the Plans were at last finalised in Jan/Feb 2005. Sadly, the final plans were unable to be fully supported by irrigators who still have concerns over water entitlements and environmental flows for the Clyde River etc. It was certainly heartening to see the large number of angling submissions that were submitted following the public scrutiny period, in support of the final plans. At present, the

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plans are being considered by the Resource Planning and Development Commission and the Association is optimistic that they will be adopted thus enabling approval by the Minister without further change.

By way of interest, the STLAA's Focus Group which was established to manage our involvement in the process, met on 25 occasions and spent approximately 350 man hours in considering the issues and developing the angling position. Additionally, the Association's representatives on the Consultative Group attended 22 one day workshops which were used to develop the Plans. The Association also made a submission and presentation to the Legislative Council Select Committee Hearing into Clyde River Water. I think that the Association can feel very proud of its contribution to this long running process.

Woods Lake is a popular but under fished fishery, mostly because of poor access arrangements. The Association continues to work with the Central Highlands Council for improved access to this lake. The 2005/06 season may see some improvements on current access arrangements and I am sure that if this occurs, it will be gladly welcomed by southern based anglers in particular.

This year, the Ulverstone Anglers Club from the North Western Association celebrates 100 years of service and support to its members on the North West coast. This is a wonderful achievement and I think says something for the strength of angling and what it can achieve within our communities. I am sure that I am joined by all members of the STLAA in wishing the Ulverstone Branch hearty congratulations and great celebrations for this truly, milestone event.

Our AGM and Dinner at the Polish club last year was a resounding success with almost 100 people attending. This was a great night and this event combined with our family day BBQ in September, seems to indicate that our social calendar suits members. We will continue to strive to ensure that these events provide an opportunity for members to enjoy each others company without issues getting in the way.

Once again I pay thanks to many people. Our sponsors enable events such as our AGM and Dinner, our family BBQ day and our annual Trout Book to be produced with good fun for all and great prizes to be won. We particularly say thankyou to organisations such as Hydro Tasmania, Stormy Australia, J Boag and Son, tackle suppliers Spot On and Bridges Bros. and others, for without your loyal support our activities would be much more difficult to provide.

Particularly, I would like to thank Trevor Sutton, Peter Wood, Bernard Creed, Peter Thompson and Rod Walker for their untiring commitment to the water management plan process. They enabled our Focus Group and representation on the Consultative Group to occur and for the Association to make the contribution that it did. I also say thanks to Ray Aitchison as our Honorary Historian and our new Patron, Mr Bob Ward.

Lastly, I say thankyou to our Delegates for their participation at meetings, our Secretary Louis Molnar and our Executive Sub-Committee members Neil, Norm and Bill. I wish all Association members and their families’ enjoyment and good fishing in the season ahead.

Terry Byard - President

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Club Reports Australian Polish Anglers Club

ell that’s another season come and gone. It seems I only did a

President’s Report last week. How quickly the season has gone. On the fishing scene we had some very good competitions over the season with some excellent fishing.

The two highlights of the season were our Christmas BBQ at Tolosa Park and our Indoor Bowling night at Moonah, followed by a counter meal at the Granada Tavern. Both events were well attended.

Again we had the task of catering for the STLAA Annual Dinner which was held at the Polish club. I must thank all those people who helped out on the night as it was another great team effort. Well done!

There is one person I wish to thank on behalf of the committee and all the members of this club Ross Heddle of Rod and Range Moonah the way he has looked after the members of the club has been outstanding. He also made a large donation at our last dinner of a fly fishing kit complete with Rod, reel, line and even flies. The kit was won by Shane Thomas. This season he also donated a fishing rod complete with reel loaded with lead line and lures.

Also a big thank you to Steve Bax at Spot on the Fishing Connection for his donation of a spinning reel we used for a prize for the heaviest fish for the season and thank you also for the discounts he has given to members over the season.

Thanks to our Treasurer John Lewis for his hard work with the book keeping and his work at the weigh-ins, great job

Lewey. Also a big thankyou to Christine Doyle for her work as secretary and also for her hard work in the kitchen along side the ever hard working Noel. The club appreciates all the effort you both have put in. Thanks to all the committee for attending the few meeting we had and all the hard work they have also put in.

A special thank you to Sue Lewis for all the running around shopping for both dinners and work she has done for the club. The club thanks Danny and Bob for being such a great help to the club at our dinners.

Unfortunately due to work commitments I will be unable to stand for President this season.

I have included our fishing stats for the season for those who are wondering how we went last season.

In closing I wish the incoming Committee and President every success and all the members a safe and fruitful season.

Tony Blackwell - President

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President: Tony Blackwell Secretary: Mrs C Doyle Postal Address: 30 Dixon St New Norfolk Contact: Ph 6272 9820 Meetings: 2nd Wednesday Monthly

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Australian Polish Anglers Club – Season 2004-2005 Statistics

Location Number of Fish Caught Average Weight (gms)

Derwent River 20 680

Derwent River 43 551

Lake Binney 119 575

Lake Echo 90 530

Arthurs 194 625

Arthurs/Great Lake 84 631

Tooms Lake 42 481

Lake Echo / Dee Lagoon 110 608

Lake Pedder 33 604

Dee Lagoon 24 425

Total for Season 759 571

Brown Trout – Pawleena Dam

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26

Bothwell Angling Club

ith the end of the season nearly over it is time to sit down and

reflect back on the season. Our Family have had some very enjoyable fishing trips this year. We had times where we came home empty handed but mostly we had some well conditioned fish in our bags.

Meetings have been well attended with members keen to put ideas forward. The club welcomes their input. Membership is stable, with 112 adults and 41 juniors.

Tonia Branch retired from secretary with Bob Wilton taking over that position. The club thanks Tonia for all her hard work. Pam Jones remains treasurer.

Thanks go to our delegates Mark Whittaker and Shayne Jones for attending and bringing back information from the STLAA meetings.

Our Fun Fish day was held on the 15th January at Jones’s Bay. Where we held a

Barbecue, drew the raffle and gave out prizes. A great time was had by all. Some good fish were caught but it was hard work catching them against the wind.

This season has shown some good catches from both Arthur’s and Wood’s Lake. Mudeye fishing still proves to be very popular with the anglers.

Thankyou very much to the Office Bearers, Committee Members, Trophy Donors and Weigh In Stewards, because with out you our club would not be possible. We are also very grateful to the property owners for giving us access to their land.

Good Fishing for 2006

Harold Chivers Club President

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President: Mr Harold Chivers Secretary: Mr Bob Wilton Treasurer: Mrs Pam Jones P.O.Box 44 Bothwell 7030 Ph 03 6259 8373 Email bothwellanglersclub@bigpond.com

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Bridgewater Anglers Association

n March 2005 the club completed purchase of our shack site at Lake

Sorell from the government. The raising of additional funds above what had been discussed 3 years earlier put some pressure on resources. However membership levy payments (3 years @ $50 PA) and additional donations by members & bequeaths from estates got us over the line. Many thanks to the people who contributed. Improvements such as inside flushing toilet, power system, BBQ area is ongoing. We now own freehold premises consisting of 3 individual self contained units & overflow bunk room. Hopefully Lake Sorell & Lake Crescent may one day be rehabilitated to the great fishing of 20 years ago. The fund raising for shack purchase has now finished allowing more trout fishing activities & associated social life.

Last season the club conducted 8 field weekends catching 290 trout weighing 164 kilos. Competitions were held at Derwent River, Lake Sorell & Crescent, Tooms Lake, Arthurs Lake, Western Lakes, Great Lake, & Bronte Lagoon & surrounding waters.

Community service clean up of Derwent River foreshore near Bridgewater ramp was also undertaken. The seniors weekend at the Sorell shack was again a great success & is becoming one of the

social events of the year. 15 Members & 2 potential members attended the shack working bee on 28th-29th May, thankyou to Muriel, Elaine & John for the catering. Despite the snow all work scheduled was completed & most took home a load of firewood as a bonus.

Fund raising with raffles & Bunnings BBQ also continued. Eight general meetings were held at Glenorchy library Derwent Room with consistent attendances of approx 20 members. We relied on the wealth of knowledge from within the club this year rather that outside guest speakers.

Very windy year but the ever reliable Arthurs Lake brownies were in improved condition this season. The duns became sporadic after February cold snaps. Arthurs is under increasing fishing pressure with increased angler numbers, particularly interstate & overseas visitors & improved fishing gear. One day this year I counted 17 boats & 13 shore anglers below the power lines in the Cow Paddock. Boat drifting manners can come under pressure. Size of fish caught at Tooms Lake diminished from past few seasons but some interesting shallow water polaroiding was experienced. Lake Crescent opened with a flurry, 72 fish weighed in on the opening Saturday &

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President: David Goss Secretary: Gary Chaffey Treasurer: Royce Jessup STLAA Delegates - David Goss, Peter Wood Meetings: Last Tuesday of each month except January & June

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over 200 trout to 3kg caught mainly in outflow channel, but interest has diminished as fish became scarce. The ongoing carp control by IFS is to be commended.

May I take this opportunity to thank the committee, especially the Treasurer Royce Jessup & Secretary Garry Chaffey who have all done a marvellous job. The ever reliable weigh master Noel Bester was kept busy again this season with two ties for top weight.

Bridgewater Anglers Club Incorporated now has assets of over $100,000 & running costs exceeding $3000 per year. We have a great depth of knowledge in our club which we are happy to share. Any prospective members can contact committee members or myself on 0438341056.

Bridgewater Anglers Club have provided delegates & office bearers to STLAA, FACT, Clyde Water Trust & Lake area management plans. The changing structure of inland fisheries service & the ongoing management of our great Tasmanian freshwater fishery needs support. The chain of communication from anglers to IFS & Minister has become a little confused. However membership in a club helps informed communication & balanced majority decisions to be heard & submitted when appropriate.

Thank you to Brighton Bowls club for providing the venue & meals again this year for our annual general meeting.

David Goss - President

Dalrymple House

Fully Self Contained

3 Bedrooms

Reasonable Rates

1 hour to Hobart or the Lakes District in the Central Highlands

9 Dalrymple Street Bothwell

Tasmania 7030

Contact: Chris & Allen Rogers

Phone: 03 6259 5654 Mobile: 0427 794 815

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Clarence Licensed Anglers Club

eason 2004-2005 has been a very active season for the Clarence

Anglers Club. Opening weekend commenced with our traditional Club day at Pawleena Dam and was then followed up during the season with 13 field trips to various waters. Attendance at field trips was down a little from past years and this was largely due to the increases cost of fuel. Members have reported that the average weekend trip to the central highlands, excluding food is in the order of $60-$80. This is up by approximately $20 per trip on last season’s costs.

In response the Club has held an increased number of trips based on waters that are closer to Hobart. Waters such as Meadowbank, and Craigbourne Dam have been very popular with members, particularly since the IFS has arranged stocking of these waters with huge Atlantic salmon. Craigbourne has also had the added benefit of being stocked with Brook and Brown Trout as well.

Membership has increased slightly through out the season. The Clubs efforts in recruiting new members through active participation at events such as the Free Fish Day and the Liawenee Open Days has resulted in non Club anglers seeing the benefits of joining a Club. The Club welcomes the new Members and hope that they enjoy the benefits of being part of an organised angling club.

On the fisheries management side of things the Club has been very active with the positions of FACT Secretary/Treasurer, STLAA Treasurer and STLAA Delegate to the Executive all coming from within the Clubs

membership. These roles impact on the individuals angling time personally but without their efforts our fishery would be worse off. In addition many Members have taken time out to complete surveys and respond to various fisheries and related issues that have occurred during the past season.

This season has seen the introduction of two new trophies. The first being an Award for the Heaviest Atlantic Salmon caught by a Member during the season. This award was created as a direct result of the increased interest Members have had with this species. Thanks go to David Driver for getting this award off the ground. The IFS is also to be applauded for the efforts made during the past season in securing these fish for stocking, for without the stocking program this new award would not exist. The second award was created by two active Club Members with the aim of creating a perpetual Trophy based around the “One Fly” or “One Lure” concept. Alex Smith and Charlie Harris created two beautiful shields, both adorned with a leaping Trout fashioned out of copper in the centre and either a Lure or Fly to signify the angling method. The inaugural event was held at Craigbourne Dam and was attended by the largest number of Members of any field event during the past season. Well done Alex & Charlie.

Thanks must go to the dedicated members that form the Committee of the Club. Without their help and support it would not be possible to organise the number of events that are available to the Members of the Clarence Anglers throughout the season.

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President: Norm Cribbin Secretary: Craig Templar Treasurer: Neil Pinkard Postal Address: PO Box 281 Rosny Park 7018 Contact: 0408 144 587 Email: norm.cribbin@hydro.com.au

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Special thanks also go to the members that have worked behind the scenes to assist the Club in many small ways. One such Member is Bruce Andrew who turned up one meeting with a beautiful Huon Pine and Blackwood Fly Chest and Fly Box and said, “Do you think this would be good enough for a raffle prize?” We all looked at the craftsmanship of the articles and knew that we have just found our major raffle prize for the year. By way of interest to all those who purchased tickets in hope of winning the Chest and Fly Box, our very own Martin Brown was the lucky purchaser of the winning ticket. Congratulations Martin.

As in past years the Club hosted a stall at the IFS Liawenee Open Weekends as part of the Clubs major fund raising activities. This year the weather was kind and the Open Days were well attended by Anglers and the General Public alike. Thanks must go to Neil &

Margaret Pinkard, Craig & Tracey Templar for supplying the organising and logistical support to make the event possible for the Club. Thankyou also to Greg Brown, Dylan Brown, Alex Smith, Charlie Harris, David Driver and Tim Holloway who assisted during the weekend.

In closing I would like to that the following suppliers for their support of the Clarence Anglers throughout Season 2004-2005:

Spot On – The Fishing Connection

Easternshore Fishing & Tackle

Rod & Range Sports Glenorchy

Mastercast

McPherson Auto & Marine Trimmers

Pro-Angler

Norm Cribbin - President

Season Awards

Trophy Location Angler Fish Method Weight

Heaviest Fish for Season - Senior

LakeCrescent

Matthew Schiebel

Brown Lure 2,752

Heaviest Fish Field Trip (AC Walker Memorial Trophy)

Meadowbank Bert Thunig Brown Worm 2,175

Heaviest Fish for Season - Junior

Burbury Michel Granger

Rainbow Lure 850

Club Member Award

Bruce Andrew

"ACE" Award Greg Brown

Consistent Angler Award

Norm Cribbin 228.7 Points

One Fly Perpetual Trophy

CraigbourneDam

Norm Cribbin Brook Trout

Fly 390

One Lure Perpetual Trophy

CraigbourneDam

David Riley Brook Trout

Lure 390

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Field Trip Awards

Organiser Location Angler Fish Method Weight

Greg Brown Pawleena Dam

Greg Brown Brown Fly 1,500

David Driver Lake Sorell/LakeCrescent

Vince Coyte Brown Fly 1,215

Rod Walker Lake Leake No fish Caught

- - -

David Riley Lake Meadowbank

Burt Thunig Brown Bait 2,175

Rod Walker Tooms Lake Greg Brown Brown Fly 1,525

Ron Stow Bronte Area Norm Cribbin Brown Fly 790

Craig Templar Arthurs Lake Craig Templar

Brown Plastic 1,120

David Driver Lake Burbury

Tim Holloway

Rainbow Fly 1,045

Norm Cribbin One Fly - Bronte

Norm Cribbin Brown Fly 945

Rod Walker Lake Pedder Harold Schiebel

Brown Fly 385

Greg Brown Arthurs Lake Norm Cribbin Brown Fly 1,200

Jeff Freeman Meadowbank Dam

Jeff Freeman Brown Lure 1,690

Mike Bongard Wayatinah Lagoon

HaroldSchiebel

Brown Lure 730

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Huon Licensed Anglers Association

ell, another year has passed and I wonder where the time has gone

and complain about the lack of time actually spent fishing!! Oh well there is always next year.

It is with great pleasure I write about the Huon Anglers activities and events of the last 12 months. There were 5 main social weekends this year with a good turnout from members on most weekends.

First for the year was opening weekend, Luke Woolley weighed in the biggest fish of 1.778kg and Larry Paul took out the average weight prize. 27 fish weighed in for the weekend most from the Huon area.

Second weekend out was in September, most but not all members venturing to Tooms Lake. Biggest fish weighed in was once again a very nice fish from Luke Woolley of 2.374 kg from the Huon River. Biggest bag weighed in was from new member Danielle Roberts, who on her first fishing trip ever landed some10 fish! Even blaming beginners luck (looking for excuses here) it was a hard pill for the other “experienced” anglers to swallow!! All up 42 fish weighed in, majority from Tooms.

Our annual day on the Huon river was held in October and proved once again that the trout can sometimes be elusive to our members on this stretch of water. Some heard vowing never to fish this bl**dy river again!! All in good spirits of course. 9 Fish were weighed in.

Next weekend was in November and one we all look forward too, Lake Burbury. This trip coincided with the annual Lake Burbury competition organised by the

Queenstown Angling Club. 50 Fish were weighed in by members at our weigh in, 44 of those from Burbury. Members report fishing at Burbury was a bit quieter than last year and the change in format for the Burbury Competition meant some anglers were unable to enter the competition or weigh fish in. Hopefully things are less confusing next year.

Fishing over the summer period was very quiet and our last social weekend was closing weekend in April. A few members ventured to Pedder, the weather was bad with only the bravest venturing out. Only a handful of fish were weighed in from Pedder, most fished weighed in came from the Huon River.

As we are the Huon Anglers club it seems fitting that we give a quick snapshot of the Huon River and its performance over the year. A few club members fish this river very regularly and report that the season started well, one member caught 55 for the month from the Huon. Best of 6lb. Fish were feeding on whitebait in early September and it fished well up to December when fishing dropped off. 7, 8 and 10lb fish were caught up to this time. Fishing was quiet in Jan but picked up in February when one night 11 fish up to 6lb were caught off the bridge. Of special note is the Best fish from the river caught by member Peter Fewkes in late March weighing 6.5kg over 14lb!

Our shack at Great Lake has been well supported by members and recently had replacement carpet throughout, bathroom finished and a number of new beds and mattresses purchased. Colourbond was also purchased for the

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President: Morry Slot Secretary: Christine Woolley Postal Address: 29 Tunbridge Rd Glen Huon Contact: Ph 0408 136659

Meetings: Monthly

33

shack and reclad by members who completed most of the work in one weekend.

Last November Huon Anglers Club members assisted the Inland Fisheries Service to re-stock Lake Skinner in the Snowy Ranges. Larry Paul, Robin Henzler, and Rob Chandler met IFS staff at the Snowy Range Fishery where Rainbow trout fingerlings were bagged for transfer to the lake. The two hour walk left all parties hot and bothered but the efforts were rewarded when fish were successfully liberated at Lake Skinner. Special thanks to Rob Cleary the proprietor of Snowy Range Hatchery for suppling the Rainbow fingerlings.

Our Annual dinner was held in April? With all that attended having a great night. Special thanks go to our sponsors Boags Brewery and Rod and Range Sports for prizes and support of our annual dinner and Griggs Butchers of Huonville for their ongoing support all year.Finally I would like to thank our outgoing President Morrie Slot (3 years) and Secretary Christine Woolley (20 years) for their contribution and hard work supporting the Huon Anglers Club.

Cheers

Leigh Martin - President.

Bothwell Grange Bed & Breakfast

15 Alexander Street - Bothwell – Tasmania 7030 Phone 03 6259 5556 Fax 03 6259 5534

Your Hosts - John & Moya Falk

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Kingborough Anglers Association

une is always an anxious time for the membership of our Association.

What will the next twelve months hold for us all? Will we get to go fishing more than the last? When we go will that damn wind blow as hard as it did last year? Is my gear up to scratch, and of course will I land the mother of all trout – maybe this will be my year!

As I reflect on the past twelve months, it really has been a defining period in our proud and great club. We have seen the confirmation that we can purchase the land under which ‘Kingborough Lodge’ sits on the shores of Bronte Lagoon, we have also connected to a state of the art sewerage scheme and finalised our shack renovations. We have formed a strategic alliance with the Columbia clothing company, which we are absolutely thrilled with, and are coming to terms with the reality of paying off a mortgage.

As President of arguably the best angling club in Australia, I have marvelled at the calibre and resilience of our membership. We, as a group, have shown not only the ability to face the challenges facing our club, but the ability to do what it takes to achieve our goal of being a long-term sustainable community Association. In doing this we have faced the reality of change. This is coming from an Association that debated putting a wood heater into a shack for nearly a decade before making the leap of faith! Despite this wonderful quaintness, which we still have, when push come to shove we have embraced change, openly entering into debate about amending our constitution and a number of membership enhancing measures. I am just so proud of our group, and anyone who wishes to become involved in angling, freshwater

environmental issues or being an active member of the Kingborough Community I encourage you to join our ranks.

We have again donated to the Fisheries Habitat Fund via our annual dinner auction, which was once again superbly put together by Frank Hussey. This is a wonderful cause and I encourage all anglers to contribute if they can.

Whilst on the topic of change our membership would like to lend support to our hard working Inland Fisheries Service. I know that they have come in for some criticism over the past twelve months, however as was mentioned above nothing ever stays the same forever. We as formal clubs need to be supporting the IFS and not bagging them at every opportunity. They are the official arm of our wonderful sport and the recent constant destabilising comment has done nothing for our fishery or the image of our recreational activity. If the IFS and our fishery are to move successfully into the new millennium we all must embrace change whether we like it or not, and move forward together as a strong united force – remember united we bargin…. A simple call to the IFS requesting information will no doubt result in a visit to your club by an IFS representative where any issues that you have can be discussed. This is what we have done, and we encourage others to become involved and informed about the IFS’s new direction and new ideas.

During our angling year Nick Atkinson was head and shoulders above the rest in our 2004 / 2005 competition days. Over the season Nick weighed in a quantity of fish that was on the borderline of being commercial! Rob Drysdale, Steve Paul,

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President: Scott Marston Secretary: Wayne Seabrook Postal Address: GPO Box 242 Kingston 7050 Contact: Ph 6267 2556 Meetings: Last Thursday of month.

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Greg Atkins, Steve Long and Tom Kruiswick challenged Nick at times, however in the final analysis Nick was the Trout’s public enemy number one!

Congratulations also go out to Steve Paul and Peter Thompson who won our two prestigious clubman awards this year. These honours are bestowed on only the hardest working and valuable Association members and in the case of these two guys it was an absolute privilege to formally reward them for their hard work and diligence.

I would like to publicly thank the Association’s hard working Committee

as well as all those members who undertake official duties, attend our working bee or simply just turn up for our monthly meeting. The Kingborough Anglers Association has met all challenges over the past year except one – over this year, as in past years the wild trout of Tasmania is way out in front of us all, but that is what will bring us back again for another year of fun, frustration and sights to behold.

Best of luck to each of you for the 05/06 season.

Scott Marston - President

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Lake Pedder Anglers Club

his year has been one of different emotions, the passing of our

previous President Trevor Dingle. He and his family bought so much to our club. Trevor will be sadly missed but we all know he would want us to grow as a Club and enjoy all that goes with it.

As this is my first year as Club President it has been a steep learning curve and I am sure that's what I did [learn]. Organizing the “Back to Pedder” competition was an unbelievable task and I personally, and I'm sure you all agree, thank the other bearers and the Committee who put so much into the year.

The competition over the Australia Day week-end was a big success. There were a few changes, which I hope, will carry on to future comps. The Committee concentrated more on the children who as we all know are the future of fishing. For the 2006 Back to Pedder competition we hope to increase the children's input even more.

This competition also saw the unfortunate robbery at the Lake Pedder Chalet that support us in so many ways. The Lake Pedder Angling Club responded in kind and was the driving force behind the June long week-end event which was organized to support and help Corey and the staff at the Chalet. The week-end proved to be a great success and we are hoping to make this a permanent fixture in the future.

Financially we are looking better than ever and hope to make the 2006 competition the beast we have had. This of course can not be done without your help and I would like to see everyone contribute to making the Back to Pedder Club one of the best fishing clubs for family and friends alike.

Happy Fishing

Lester Curtis – Lake Pedder Anglers Club President

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President: Lester Curtis Secretary: Mrs T Curtis Treasurer – Don Camm Postal Address: 63 Giblin Street Lenah Valley 7008 Contact: 6278 1454 Meetings: 2nd Wednesday of month

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Maydena Anglers Club

nother season has come and gone and our small club is still going

strong, with dedicated members and some new blood, both juniors and seniors. I hold high hopes for some great catches this year. Our annual Barbeque was again a success with plenty of trophies for both kids and adults alike.

Once again a Maydena Angler has taken out the STLAA biggest fish for the 04-05 season. Brad Kemmler caught a 9.930kg trout out of the Tyenna River following Jason Raspins 11.40kg trout last season. It is great to see big fish still being caught in our local rivers.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our committee members and our regular members who never fail to join up every year and support us whether they are fishermen or not. I hold high hopes for our anglers both junior and senior this season to catch some big fish.

Best of luck to all Anglers for the coming season

Safe and happy fishing

John Barratt – President

Month Angler Weight Location

August Betty Barratt 2.425 kg September Brad Kemmler 9.930 kg Brown Tyenna River Blake Kemmler (J) 1.140 kg October Jason Raspin 1.930 kg November Tony Raspin 1.570 kg December Tony Raspin 2.115 kg January Tony Raspin 1.150 kg February Tony Raspin 2.215 kg March Tony Raspin 0.955 kg April Tony Raspin 1.627 kg Blake Kemmler (J) 0.915 kg

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President: John Barratt Treasurer – Carolyne Mapley Postal Address: C/O Post Office Maydena 7140 Contact: 6288 2234

Meetings: 2nd Tuesday of month

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39

New Norfolk Licensed Anglers Association

ell another season has come and gone, I trust that everyone has had

a successful year. Our year commenced with David Triffitt and Ken Russell holding an angling course for a group of students at the New Norfolk High School, this course ran for nearly three months. Thanks to David and Ken as well as to Bob Ward and Archie Tatnell for demonstrating fly tying.

Our Club offers congratulations to the Southern Tasmanian Licensed Anglers Association President, Terry Byard, for him being awarded Life Membership of that organisation.

The efforts of two of our members, Des Cranfield and Elaine Aitchison, were acknowledged when they received Services to Angling Certificates at the S.T.L.A.A. Annual Branch Members Meeting. Des was a very active Patron of the Association from 1997 until 2004 as well as being our Club Patron, a position he has filled since 1990. Prior to this Des held every Office within our Committee for varying terms over a period of nearly twenty years from the mid 1950’s until the mid 1970’s. Elaine has been the Club Secretary for the past eleven years and has been a delegate to the Association for five terms, for many years she spoilt all delegates at the Association meetings by supplying sponge cakes, cream puffs, scones and sandwiches for supper.

At our Annual General Meeting in July, 2004, the services of three of our members, Ken and Mavis Russell and Terri Sweet, was recognised when they were presented with Certificates of Appreciation, well done, Ken, Mavis and Terri.

Club meetings, which are now held at the New Norfolk Library, have been very well attended especially considering that half of our Committee does not live locally. A successful Xmas barbeque was held at Tynwald Park in mid December with about forty attending.

Our nine weekend competitions averaged 15.5 entries and 43 fish being weighed in, This is a drop of 2.5 entries and an increase of 12 fish per competition compared with last season.

A small group of members attended two working bees at the Millbrook Rise boat ramp to do some maintenance work, scrub regrowth was cleared from the riverbank and the roof of the shelter was painted. It is good to see the large numbers using this facility with up to twenty-five vehicles being there regularly at weekends in summer. Congratulations to those with the forethought to see the need for this facility.

Over the past year we have conducted three fund raising barbeques at a well known Hobart hardware store, this has enabled us to more than cover the cost of our Public Liability insurance without increasing our membership fee. Those who participated at these barbeques deserve a special thank you.

Justin Causby and Tim Lowe have agreed to write notes for the local “Gazette” from next season, thanks for this fellas, I’m looking forward to the break.

In closing I thank all Committee members for their efforts during the past year, especially, Elaine, Mavis and

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President: Ray Aitchison Secretary: Elaine Aitchison Post: 14 Warner Ave. New Norfolk 7140 Contact: Elaine Aitchison – Phone 6261 4083 Meetings: 3rd Wednesday of each month at the New Norfolk Library

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Duncan, and look forward to seeing you all next season.

Ray Aitchison – President

New Norfolk Anglers Report 2004-05

The start of the 2004-5 fishing season in the Derwent River was the best for many seasons with the size and condition of trout being excellent. Many of the fish weighed in at the first competition (Derwent River only) between the New Norfolk and Bridgewater Clubs were 1 kg. (cleaned) or better with the heaviest being 1.565 kg. The trout had been gorging themselves on an abundant supply of bait fish not usually seen so early in the season.

An angler fishing in the Old Beach area early in the season had taken numerous trout using jolly tails for bait with his biggest being around the 3 kg. mark. The Derwent River fished well right through the season with many reports of good sized trout being taken including one of 2.415 kg. which was weighed in at our last competition.

Other waters fished by club anglers during the season with good reports of trout taken were Arthurs and Great Lakes, Lakes Pedder and Echo, the Bradys chain and Penstock Lagoon. A 2.215 kg. trout was weighed in at (and won) the Eddie Wigston Competition, it was caught at Lake Echo by a club

member. A trip to the Great Lake resulted in 3 trout, two browns weighing 1.2 kg. and a rainbow of 1.35 kg. Penstock produced a couple of fish over the 1 kg. mark and another of about 2kg. or better was lost after about 10 minutes.

The Club conducted 9 weekend competitions during the season, these attracted 140 entries who weighed in 385 trout with a total weight of 221.89 kg. The average of 576 grams is quite acceptable. Of the 9 competition winners, one weighed a fish of 4.455 kg. and 3 others had fish over 2.2 kg. The other winners had fish ranging from 1.23 kg. to 1.565 kg. Three of the winning fish came from the Derwent River, two each from the Tyenna River and Arthurs Lake and one each from the Great Lake and Lake Echo.

A further 76 trout were entered into our monthly competitions, the heaviest of these was a monster of 8 kg. caught from the Plenty River. Of the others 13 exceeded 1.5 kg., another 15 were over 2kg. with one being over 3 kg. and two more over 4 kg.

After a highly successful season by many of the New Norfolk Angling Club members we can only hope that the next season is just as good if not better.

Tight Lines from the Woolly Bugger.

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Tarraleah-Bronte Anglers Club

hope everyone enjoyed the past season as much as the members of the

Tarraleah-Bronte Anglers Club did. There were many nice fish caught throughout the Bronte chain of Lakes and Lagoons during season 2004-2005. All salmonid types were present in the catch reports - Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout and Atlantic Salmon. Many anglers also reported that the size of fish had improved as well.

The Inland Fisheries Service has done an excellent job with the new stocking program for the Bronte chain of waters and all recreational anglers as a result have benefited. I understand that this stocking program is going to continue in season 2005-2006, well done IFS.

On the Club scene I would like to thank our Secretary Rob Richardson, STLAA Delegates Jennifer Beard & Tony Jones for the many hours spent tending to Club and Association matters, a job well done.

At the Clubs Annual Dinner and presentation night held at the Tarraleah Chalet in October, Mayor Deirdre Flint & STLAA President Terry Byard were in attendance to present awards. A special thankyou to Terry who on behalf of the Association made a presentation to Barbara Jordan in recognition of her never ending work to our fishery and Club.

At this point I would like to thank our Trophy sponsors for without your support the night would not have been possible. Thankyou Danny Reynders, Jean Hayes, Jenny Beard, Bronte Highland Village, Bronte Park Store, Black Buffalo Hotel and Eastern Shore Fishing & Tackle.

The Club has been active during season 2004-2005 with many activities. Of note was the clearing of limbs and other debris that was blocking the spawning creek at Laughing Jack Lagoon. The other major event was the “Bicycle Ride Around Tasmania” which the Tarraleah-Bronte Club, the local Ambulance Brigade and the Brady’s Fire Brigade assisted when the riders were in the Bronte-Tarraleah area. Thankyou to the members who suppliers that joined together to feed the hungry riders, especially the early risers at breakfast time.

In closing I would ask that all anglers look after our fishery and take home any rubbish that they generate as part of their angling experience. This past season there has been many instances of anglers leaving rubbish at campsites which is either blown about by wind or carried off when lake levels rise. We only have one fishery, look after it for your children and grand children.

John Jago – Tarraleah-Bronte Anglers Club President.

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President: John Jago Secretary: Robert Richardson Postal Address: C/O Post Office Bronte Park Tas 7140Contact: Phone 6261 4083 Meetings: Bi-Monthly

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26 The Avenue - New Norfolk Ph 03 62612244 Fax 03 62612255

Trophies and Awards

Plaques

Medals & Ribbons

Plastic signage

Printed plaques

Plastic signage

Name Badges

Computer engraving (Free engraving on our trophies)

Sublimation printing available.

Personalised printed coffee mugs, Mouse pads, Stubby holders, Name badges, Luggage tags, Polo

tops and TShirts, Jigsaw puzzles.

Have your photos or club logo printed onto any of the above products with no minimum order.

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Features & Special Reports

The Quest to the Holy Grail written anonymously in the interest of friendship

ete first waded into the hallowed waters of Little Pine Lagoon over

thirty years ago. For a teenager over burdened with enthusiasm but short on skill the experience proved frustrating to say the least. Pete spent his first day fishing the Pine in a stiff westerly breeze that moderated periodically when the rain and sleet swept in. The southern shore at the dam end of the lagoon was no place for a novice left-hander that day. The fly’s orbit around Pete, due to the strong westerly breeze, left him with a couple of flies parked in the jumper and a sense of relief that the hissing fly had not connected with his ear as it sped passed. Pete left the lagoon fishless, but optimistic that conditions should improve tomorrow.

The next day Pete witnessed Little Pine at its frustrating best, clear sky, warm (as January should be) with no wind. Wading over the ‘Cricket pitch’ towards the old river course Pete watched hundreds of trout rise to millions of duns. He felt certain a fish would soon be bagged. The rise continued for hours without a pause, fish surfaced within a rod length of anglers and the noise of their jaws snapping shut on the hapless duns would be long remembered. Returning ashore hours later, still without a fish, a thoroughly sunburned Pete learned (no surprise to the experienced) that only a handful of trout were landed that day. There was no sense of mourning as Pete relegated the ‘bloody fly rod’ to gather dust in a cupboard and took up a much saner pastime, surfing! At least you could see the waves coming.

A generation passed, life moved on, and a passion for trout fishing resurfaced.

Youthful enthusiasm gave way to a determination for success that bordered on religious zeal.

Pete’s renewed interest in trout fishing, established on the Huon River, wasn’t diminished by a chance meeting with John who shared a similar enthusiasm. John, a successful lure and bait fisherman freely passed on his knowledge and skills. In return Pete spoke glowingly about fly fishing, in the hope that he had found a disciple for the quest. Pete offered John access to a local dam, well stocked with Rainbow’s, and he was soon hooked on fly fishing. They practiced on local streams, but for Pete the real test of faith could only be measured in the Highlands. The earlier humbling memories of failure at Little Pine Lagoon needed erasing once and for all.

The arrival of a Christmas gift of biblical significance The Truth About Trout, (Revisited) by Dr. Robert Sloane did much to demystify the gentle art. After studying the doctor’s thoughts on hatches, risers, and tailers Pete’s quest to crack the Holy Grail of fly fishing seem almost possible.

The last week in March was probably a little late in the season to find a decent hatch at ‘The Pine’ so Pete and John initially focused their efforts on less holy pursuits…trolling on the Great Lake.When John asked what the plan for tomorrow might be Pete replied, “We’ve done OK trolling today…how about a change… fly rod only tomorrow”. John agreed on the proviso that Pete would call the shots. That night Pete went to sleep nervously reassuring

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himself that trout eat flies and nymphs all the time….be confident.

Following a hot tip about fishing the weed beds around Reynolds Island they spent half the morning trying to find a decent boat ramp. With the lake level so low and only a two wheel drive vehicle they started discussing Plan B. Time was wasting and Lake Augusta wasn’t too far away.

Admiring the glassy clear blue surface of a full Lake Augusta Pete announced confidently, “No blind flogging today. Grab your Polaroid’s we’ll keep walking until we spot a fish.”The rods were assembled and anything of value was removed from the dinghy and locked in the car. Two hours later, weather still calm, still no hatch, still no fish, still time for Plan C.

Recovering from their exertions, they sat in the trailered dinghy eating lunch wondering which god they had offended. “Where should we try next?” said John, in what could almost be recognized as a grumble. “Being this warm there might be a bit of a hatch down at Little Pine Lagoon this afternoon.” Pete suggested sheepishly and continued,“Don’t expect miracles ‘The Grail’s’ not easy to fish any day and if my luck holds true we’ve got no show!” “We can’t do any worse, let’s go” agreed John impatiently.

As they launched the boat their enthusiasm returned with the sighting of a few duns. Hardly a hatch, but a positive sign just the same. Mindful that they were novices, on hallowed waters, Pete directed the boat to a halt mid-lake, well clear of other anglers (nothing like a little distance to save embarrassment). “Well Pete what bit of fluff should we tie on?” quizzed John.

“Sloane’s bible recommends sticking with a nymph until the rise is well underway. I’m starting with a weighted brown why don’t you try one of his green nymphs” replied Pete.

During the next twenty minutes the odd fish surfaced nearby, but despite their best efforts nothing was hooked. The mayflies took a short break. As frustration increased, John employed some rather reckless casting techniques in the hope of tormenting a fish to strike. Just as Pete was about to remind John where they were and how a more dignified approach might be appropriate the lucky sod hooked up! As John concentrated on retrieving the struggling brownie Pete cast his eye around the dinghy and anxiously asked where the landing net might be. “In the back of the car” said John without even a sideways glance. Determined to break the ‘Curse of The Holy Grail’ Pete grabbed the only available container, an enormous bright red plastic vat, and submerged it over the side. The fish swam freely into the vat and then went berserk as Pete struggled to lift it clear of the water. John continued to play out the brute as Pete apologetically tipped the whole lot back into the lagoon. Pete worried it might be the last they would see of that fish. The gods prevailed, on the second attempt the fish was ‘vatted’ in slightly less water and Pete hauled it over the side in a cascading rush! “Now that was worth getting wet for” said John wryly. “Yeah, you got the fish, and I got baptized in the grail” mused Pete.

The duns kept hatching and John soon hooked onto another fish that was promptly landed via the red vat in an almost professional operation. Pete’s confidence was fading fast; he had yet to feel a strike. Before panic set in the brown nymph was replaced by one

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of Sloane’s variety. The first upwind cast over the shoulder to a rising fish fell miserably short. The second attempt landed in the ball park and had the

desired effect. Pete hooked and unceremoniously ‘vatted’ a long overdue trout from his Holy Grail, Little Pine Lagoon.

How History Can Be Changed by Ray Aitchison - S.T.L.A.A. Honorary Historian

hen I first became interested in the history of our fisheries, former

S.T.L.A.A. Historian, Mrs Jean Walker, always impressed on me to report the facts and not to try to confabulate if you couldn't find the answers.

A few years ago Trevor Sutton told me of how he had arranged a meeting between a well known angling writer and an old gentleman who had lived all of his life in the Highlands. Trevor, who also attended the meeting, said that the writer hardly listened to anything he was told and spent considerable time giving his own point of view, Trevor felt that the meeting was a waste of time.

A few months ago I attended an official function where the writer addressed the gathering of about forty people and spoke about a particular gentleman, long passed away, our writer told of this gent passing away the day after he had caught

a record size trout. I told Trevor Sutton and Bob Ward who were with me at the time that I didn't think that this story was correct. On returning home I checked and found that the fish had been caught on March the 1st and the man in question had died on March the 9th, close, but not quite the next day. Several other parts of the story were also incorrect, such as, the size of the fish and where the horse was left.

I have read the writer's published material extensively and just recently listened to some audio tapes of old angling identities (now passed away) and was surprised at the amount of resource material that has not been reported factually. While some angling publications can be relied on to be true, it has certainly disillusioned me about accepting information from this particular writer's publications.

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Accommodation HousesCompiled by Ray Aitchison, S.T.L.A.A. Honorary Historian Anonymous

fter fishermen and visitors first went to the southern end of Great

Lake in about 1875 it soon became evident that some form of accommodation was necessary.

The first visitors stayed at the Burnt Huts with others camping at the old sheep yards on the eastern side of the Shannon River. Mrs. Beckett ran the first accommodation house at the lake, it was called "The Stables" and was really only a hut, it overlooked the Shannon River (more than likely one of the previously mentioned establishments).

After Beckett died Mrs. Early, the police trooper's wife, offered limited accommodation at Four Mile Marsh (later known as Swan Bay).

In 1897, Mr. Isaac Harris of Tunbridge, built a boarding house at Four Mile

Marsh where a large number of visitors stayed. Earley's lived in the Police house nearby. Mrs. Earley leased the boarding house for one pound per year, she charged boarders eight shillings per day and some groups paid her an extra pound to clean their fish. She would remove the backbone and hang them on a line to dry prior to smoking.

A typical trip to the lake at this time was to catch a train to Tunbridge from Hobart or Launceston arriving at Tunbridge in the evening and staying overnight. Next morning, Mr. Harris, the

owner of the boarding house, would leave at 8 a.m. for Interlaken, a distance of 16 miles, in a two-horse vehicle, arriving at the Interlaken accommodation house at about 5 p.m.

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Next morning it was off to the Steppes and lunch with the Wilson's, before eventually reaching Mrs. Earley's house at about 4 p.m., Mr. Harris' fare was one pound each way.

The five-roomed house contained one single and two double bed rooms, lodgers slept on bags filled with chaff, and there were half-inch gaps between the floorboards for ventilation.

It is reported that a large fireplace warmed the house when it did not smoke but Mr. Frank Critchley Parker Sr. claims to have never met anyone who stayed there when the chimney did not smoke.

During the next 7-8 years visiting the Great Lake and Interlaken increased in popularity, which did not go unnoticed by the Government of the day and

consequently in 1908 funding was provided to erect new accommodation houses these two sites and in the Hartz Mountains.

At the Great Lake, the decision was made to build the new house on the western side of the mouth of the Shannon River and to re-erect the Swan Bay police house alongside in a bid to combat the poaching of trout in the spawning area.

The new accommodation house contained six single and two double bed rooms, a parlour, a large dining room and kitchen, it was reported to have been built on a similar design as the Interlaken house but was much better finished off. Later alterations including a glassed in verandah and a bar were added as well as a drying room.

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The Official opening of the house by the Premier of Tasmania was reported in the “Tasmanian Mail” on the 28th of November 1908. The lessee was Mrs. Copplestone, the wife of the then present Police Constable.

It was necessary to move the house further up the bank away from the lake when the water level was increased after the completion of the multiple arch dam in the early 1920’s. This dam was superseded by a new twenty-two metre high, clay cored rock dam, built slightly further downstream. The most significant thing about the first three dams on Great Lake is that they are all still in position today with the first two being underwater at a moderate water level.

During some of the Second World War years, 1939-45, it is reported that the Army commandeered the Accommodation House and anti-aircraft gun sites were set up alongside the multi arch dam.

Over the years there were many lessees including, W. P. Williams, Milton Brown and W. Hinton before it became licensed, around about 1950, and was renamed Hotel Miena or Miena Hotel with some licensees being Messrs., Bartlett, Smith and Kemble.

The Miena Hotel was finally dismantled in the early 1970’s. The dam was again in the early 1980’s when a contract was let to Roche Brothers to raise the level of the clay cored dam by another six metres.

Interlaken, which is a narrow strip of land between the two lakes, is located 18 miles west of Oatlands at an altitude of 2850 feet, Lake Sorell covers about 12,000 acres and is connected, by a

water race, to Lake Crescent, which covers about 4,000 acres.

In 1900 "Interlaken House" run by Doughty, and two cottages owned by Mr. Algy Page offered accommodation at Interlaken. Fishing was very difficult in Lakes Sorell and Crescent although

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large numbers of fish had been liberated they had not been caught in any numbers or size.

Many of the visitors were travelling via Tunbridge and Interlaken to the Great Lake and at this time it was decided to improve the accommodation situation at Interlaken.

The "Weekly Courier" of September, 17th, 1908, reports that the Premier, Sir John Evans and party travelled by motor bus to Lake Sorell to officially open the Interlaken Accommodation House which was under the control of the Tasmanian Tourism Association who had appointed Mr. and Mrs. Elliston as tenants.

This house was built just a few yards from Lake Sorell's high water mark and still stands today with very little alteration, it is in poor condition but new owners have renovations in progress. Power was not connected until about 2001, prior to this a large bank of

rechargeable batteries was used, no doubt candles and hurricane lamps had been used before the batteries. A large windmill provided water from the lake to tanks on high stands. A good sizes shed was provided to hang fish and meat.

Unlike the original Great Lake and Lakes Sorell and Crescent, Lake Leake

is a man made lake, being formed in 1883 when a 530 foot long dam was built across the Elizabeth River flooding Kearney's Bog (1200 acres) and another 300 acres of land that was purchased from a Mr. Lord. The purpose of this lake was to supply water to farmers as well as the township of Campbell Town through out the year.

In the early 1900's there was an accommodation house, known as "Halfway House" on the Swansea Road east of Kalangadoo Bay. A Mr. P. Brodribb later purchased another house built by Dr. Gibson at Kalangadoo Bay,

50

which he used for accommodation (Brodribb is also named in advertisements as being the proprietor of the "Halfway House" during the 1930's). He later took over the lease of the Government Accommodation House in 1942.

Consequently, in May 1904, 210 yearling rainbow trout were released into the lake, two years later fish up to eight and a half pound were being caught. The lake was opened to fishing in 1907 and word soon spread about this new fishery with many out of State visitors being attracted, but the biggest drawback was the limited accommodation.

An unsuccessful approach was made to the Government in 1910 to rectify this position, but shortly after a sum of six hundred pounds was voted to erect an accommodation house. This was completed and opened in December 1912.

The house, constructed on the bungalow principle, with a very wide verandah contained five bedrooms, a dining room, a smoking room, kitchen, scullery and bathroom. The verandah was constructed so that it could be fitted with stretchers or beds for those that preferred to sleep in the open. The first lessee was Mrs. Jack of Campbell Town with Mrs. Clarke being the manager.

For the first twenty years or so the place was a mecca for fishermen but popularity fell away in the mid thirties until after the war years before picking up again.

Lessees included Mrs. Jack, Margaret Slatery and Irene Callaghan, George Goss, Mr. Evans, Mr. Wrigley, Mr. Bruce Robinson, Mr. Vern Allen and Mr. Tom Knowles who obtained a licence and changed the name to "Laird O Lake Leake Hotel". In the early 1980's Mr. and Mrs. Eric Stanley were the licensees.

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At the Northern end of Great Lake the first accommodation house was situated between Half Moon and Sandbanks Creeks, it was known as McCarthy's Stone House and was built and owned by the Government. Slater's booklet, "Rod and Line in Tasmania", for 1904, gives the following information, "The Government have erected an accommodation house at the northern or Deloraine end, but there is no one in charge of this establishment, it being only used by parties who take their own food and camp requisites."

"A Handy Guide to Launceston and Northern Tasmania", also published in 1904, gives the following description for another house at the northern end of the lake. "Once Little Lake is reached a mile of rolling downs has to be covered ere the accommodation house is reached, which has been erected for the use of tourists by the Deloraine Improvement Association; it consists of a kitchen and two sleeping compartments - one for the ladies, the other for their escorts - charmingly on the brow of a rocky rise on the shores of Little Lake, facing due east and cosily sheltered from the

westerly winds. A Police Station has been built alongside, a constable is stationed there the year through."

There was obviously further developments at the house near the Sandbanks as Slater's "Rod and Line" for 1906, gives the following report to those who wished to visit the Great Lake from the Launceston area - "Take the train from Launceston to Longford, fare 2/6 (25 cents), coach to Cressy, sixpence, by trap or horseback 14 miles to the foot of the Tiers, ten shillings, then six miles

with a guide and packhorse over the tiers to the lake, another ten shillings. On the shore of the lake is an accommodation house that can accommodate 8 people. Cost is six shillings per day."

In the early 1920's a surplus Miena house was dismantled and taken to Breona, in the north west corner of the lake, on the return trip of a barge used to take building material to the dam site.

To this time the road from Deloraine terminated on the hill over looking the Great Lake with anglers walking down

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tracks to the lake. The Hydro Electric Commission used a cable operated wooden railway to transport their materials down the hillside to a jetty at Breona.

The house from Miena was re-erected and opened as a guesthouse in 1923 with a Mrs. Lewis as the proprietor. Initially there was room for ten guests but this was later extended to eighteen. Relatives of well known angler, fly tyer and author, Dick Wigram, took over the house in 1926 for a couple of years.

The road from Deloraine to Breona was completed during the mid 1920’s eventually connecting with the southern end of the lake in about 1933. After only a few years it was realised that this house could not meet the demands of the anglers and tourists and the Government was lobbied to provide more accommodation at the northern end of the lake.

In 1928 a Launceston architect was engaged to draw up plans for a new timber Swiss styled building to accommodate twenty-five people. This two storied building had a large enclosed verandah, 37 feet by 17 feet, a dining room, 32 feet by 17 feet, a gentleman's smoke room, a lady's lounge, ten bed rooms, toilets and bathrooms. A fish room and drying shed were built close to the house.

This building was called the "Rainbow Chalet" and was opened in 1930. The

first lessee was Mr. "Watty" Williams who had previously leased both the Interlaken and Miena houses. Mr. T. H. (Pat) Acheson was lessee during the 1940's and 1950's.

Unfortunately, the "Rainbow Chalet" was burnt to the ground in the early 1960's and was never rebuilt.

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I have not been able to find records of an accommodation house being built in the Hartz Lakes area.

A least three huts were built in the Chudleigh Lakes area for the use of anglers and others; these no longer exist apart from one that has been rebuilt for in recent years.

As time passed and the Hydro Electric Commission completed works in the 1950's and provided dams in the Highlands, other accommodation, such as the Butlers Gorge Guest House (later named the King William Chalet) and the Bronte Park Chalet became available. This latter establishment is one of few that continue to operate.

Details of photos supplied –

No. 1 First Accommodation House at Swan Bay, Great Lake, 1897 to 1908

No. 2 Government Accommodation House in 1908, Miena, Great Lake.

No. 3 Miena Hotel, formerly the Government Accommodation House, extensively altered, not long before being demolished.

No. 4 Government Accommodation House, Interlaken, Lake Sorell, still standing, structure hardly changed since opening in 1908.

No. 5 Tourist Association Accommodation House, northern end of Great Lake, 1906. (? Little Lake).

No. 6 Government Accommodation House, Lake Leake, 1912, later altered on several occasions.

No. 7 Guest House, Breona, Great Lake, moved from Miena 1920's and extended.

No. 8 "Rainbow Chalet", Breona, Great Lake, burnt down during 1960's.

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Who invented the Cobra Lure?by David Driver

o those whose passion in Trout fishing, is that leisurely troll around

the lakes, taking in (we hope) the serenity of our wonderful lake country or just contemplating your navel, then the bet is you have a Cobra lure on the end of your flexing rod.

Have you considered where the Lure idea originated from?

Recently I had the opportunity and pleasure to sit down with Brian Johnston at his home in Moonah.

Norm Cribbin knew I was interested in history and did a bit of writing and he suggested that an article on Johnston Lures would make a nice section in our Trout Book and solve the mystery in many minds of where the lure began.

A bit of background on Brian will help set the scene.

Brian is now 83 and doesn’t do much fishing any more, just the odd trip here

and there. He began his love of trout fishing back in the 1930’s with journeys to the Great Lake with his Uncle.

His family association started well before this in the 1880’s when his grandfather (James Johnston of Pontville) began fishing in the Central Highlands. In those days we must remember that there were no cars, no electricity and everything, tents, clothing, sleeping bags & rations had to be taken on horse back on a trek that took 2 days just to get to the lakes! The stop over on the first night was around Tea Tree Creek. Now days we do the same trip in under 2 hours!

Fishing gear consisted of a rod usually made from cane or green heart- the reel was either brass or wood – the most used lure were brass & eel skin spinners made in England or homemade wobblers. The fish were so big that they had to use gaffs to help land them as landing nets weren’t large enough! (Having seen some of the specimens photographed I believe him)

Around 1900, Uncle Harvey as a young man joined his father and had his first trip to the trout country. It was from here on that the roads improved, electricity was on the way, lakes would be dammed, and fishing equipment on the improve. Also later on a shack was purchased at Swan Bay which made things far more comfortable.

Fly fishing was making an impression in the early part of the 1900’s.A large number of flies had come on the market and consisted of feathers, wool and hair wrapped around a hook, they were called dry flies. A larger wet flies was known as a Matuka, they could be a red body and yellow tail feathers or visa versa. Matukas could be cast or towed behind a dinghy then retrieved by hand.

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Brian began fishing in the Jordan River at the age of 8 (1930) and by 10 years of age had graduate to the lake country with his Uncle Harvey. This began Brian’s life time love of trout fishing.

Trolling consisted of towing a Matuka or Spinner behind the boat. The Spinner was usually the Great Lake Wobbler made from of a piece of flat brass cut to the shape of a football then bent into a curve. There was a hole at each end for a split ring and a hook in the tail section.

Brian was fascinated with the way the lures worked and some years later began experimenting with the Spinner by removing one of the wings, however this failed to give the desired result.

It was in 1949 that he wanted a hobby and started working on a design for a loose fitting wobbler which he believed would give more action to the lure. He showed his drawings to a friend who did some lure making only to be told that you can not mould a bent wobbler with a hole through it.

Although disappointed he was not deterred and started work on a block of pine and a jigsaw. It took many goes before he settled on a shape and carved a hollow into which a lead body would fit. A brass rod was then turned down to a size that would form the cavity in the celluloid

Celluloid was cut from a sheet with 2 pieces placed in the mould with the brass rod between. This was pressed to form the shape one concave and one convex. These made the top and bottom

It was while he was holding up the lure to the light to see if the wings were a match that he saw that it resembled a Cobra snake’s head

Thus the name evolved and has been ever since!

Brian’s first attempts at a lead mould with a wire through although a success, it did not give the loose flight which he wanted.

During 1950 he continued experimenting and by 1951 was catching fish however the loss rate due to leverage did not satisfy him.

Testing the depth, action & balance of his lure was usually done during his lunch break down at the wharf in Hobart.

Jig used to test the balance of the Cobra’s

After numerous alternatives the breakthrough came. He found how a hole could be put through the lead core enabling a loose flight wobbler. He cast a mould from his wooden ones which allowed a little more fine tuning of shape & cavity for the core. This gave a bit more weight and a hole through it.

As the lure was gaining more popularity Brian had aluminium moulds made at the foundry, he was still cutting them from a template so a cutting mould was required therefore another trip to the foundry for a hardened cutting template.

This was the culmination of his work for a loose flight wobbler.

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Each one of the lures produced is put through Brian’s own “balance test” to ensure that they meet his requirements

A rubber stamp was procured with a Trout & “Cobra Wobbler” underneath to place on cards.

In 1952 Brian showed his work to Ted Reading at Charles Davis Sports Dept and he told me to go home and make some more. This was 1 week before the season opened so he went home, made 12 which were sold within the week

The new “Floating Cobra”

In 1952 Brian sold one per customer from a list on the wall but with no colour choice! After 2 years the demand was so great he had to go back to making them as a hobby because his family and job were too important to him.

Over the years there have been many other lure makers throughout the world with 50 or so different styles on the market and it was during this time that Brian decided to rename his lures “Original Cobra Wobbler”

In the 1960’s and 70’s Brian made many modifications, not with the original

design but with hooking and depth. He accidentally found that he could use it as a normal wobbler or a deep diving one just by altering the rigging

By this time Lake Pedder was producing those “monsters” and Brian found that he was getting “hooked up” in the underwater branches when trolling along the shore line. The treble hook was wasting too much time retrieving or losing lures. It didn’t take long for Brian to find an answer, get rid of the treble and replace it with a single hook. The success was immediate as he was getting more fishing time in the water. Information given back to Brian by users of his lures have advised him that the installation of the single hook was one of the best alterations as it allows them to spend water time fishing and once a fish strikes it rarely gets away

With Lake Pedder producing big Trophy Fish a larger version of the Cobra was recognised by Brian. Using the same design parameters he enlarge his mould, and the deep diver with a single hook, was added to the stable of “Original Cobra Wobblers”

The “Floating Cobra: in action.

It was during this period that Brian experimented with the action and found that by shortening the body he could obtain more movement and depths which gave it a larger range of usage. He named this the “Stubby Cobra”

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Now even though Brian doesn’t fish anymore he is still vitally interested in the “Cobra” and is forever challenging himself with new models and ideas.

He doesn’t market his “Original Cobra Wobblers” now, but out in “his

workshop” there is still his moulds, celluloid, lead, wire etc and boxes of “Cobras” in case anyone wants to purchase some from him

Amongst the collection which he will proudly show you, are a few of his newer experiments ready for active service.

Brian has had a fishing licence for most of his life and for the past 52 years hasn’t missed the opening of the season at the Bridgewater Bridge. In the early days before the damming of the Derwent, those early starters would line up shoulder to shoulder along the bridge, causeway or from dinghies but now days there are less fish and more vacant places but you can be sure that Brian will be there.

Yes, I did buy a number of “Original Cobra Wobblers” and can’t wait to try them out and give him back a report.

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Three generations of Trout Fishing in Tasmania by Brian Johnston (August 2003)

was asked to put pen to paper to write some history on trout fishing, my first

thoughts went back to the late eighteen hundreds, when my grandfather James Johnston of Pontville, Tasmania started fishing at the Great Lake in the Central Highlands of Tasmania.

Just think of setting out for the first time, it would have been a real headache; no electric light, no car etc. A list would have to be made, starting with provisions, blankets, fishing gear something to sleep under and the trusty gun to shoot a kangaroo to have with a pot of vegetables for tea. These and more would be loaded on to a horse and cart for a two-day trip to the Great Lake with a stop over night at Tea Tree Creek to rest the horses and get fresh water. This was about half way to the lake. Then up at sunrise next morning for the rest of the journey.Arriving at Great Lake a campsite would have to be found close to the lake. Swan Bay was one of my grandfather's chosen spots in those days. It was only an arm of the old lake. The water here was not overly deep with a large amount of strap weed and limited open space for fishing. Here was an abundance of food for the fish to eat mainly frogs, galaxia and insects. The number of fish caught in this era was up to double figures and more. To keep the fish fresh, they were salted down with coarse salt and hung up to dry. On arriving home, they were put into a tub of water over night prior to cooking and I have been told they were as good as fresh fish.

The gear used for catching the fish was a rod made from either cane or green heart, reels made from brass or wood and a Mallock spinning reel which was a side cast similar to the side cast of today made from bakelite and steel but at least

twice the weight. The most used lures were the brass and eel skin spinners made in England and home made brass wobblers made locally. The landing net of today would be of no use then, as the average size fish taken would have been too large to handle. A long handled gaff was the one most used until later, when the Hardy Telescopic Gaff came on the market. Fly-fishing then came into its' own with lighter Split Cane Fly Rods and the smaller lighter fly reel.

Around 1900 my Uncle Harvey Johnston, as a young man took up fly-fishing and joined his father for his first trip to the Great Lake. Through this period the damming of the lake began which gave us our power and lighting, as we know it today. The larger lake and road ~ system made access easier. Later small campsites and two room shacks were built around the lake, making life more comfortable.

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My uncle went fishing with Grandfather for many years until it was time for Grandfather to give up his fishing days. A few years later uncle with three friends purchased a shack and dinghy at Swan Bay and trolling with the old split cane rod, sinking fly line and catgut trace was the way to go. By this time a large number of flies had come onto the market from countries around the world. When I was a lad these would fascinate me. They were all made from feathers, wool and hair, then bound on to a small hook. These were called a Dry Fly. The larger wet flies known as Matukas were the ones which were very popular for trolling. They had either a red body with yellow tail feathers or a yellow body with red tail feathers. A combination of other colours followed.

These Matukas when cast or trolled would sink under water as the name "Wet Fly" indicated, and then were retrieved by hand. The Dry Fly would be cast gently to land on the surface of the water and float like an insect. It would have fly dope on it to help it stay afloat. About this time I became interested in fishing and at the age of nine I had my first trip to the lakes with Uncle. I had so much success I became hooked on the fly-fishing.

I continued fishing with Uncle, mostly at the Great Lake but sometimes visiting Lake Sorell, Arthur's Lake and Little Pine Lagoon. I also fished quite a few times in rivers using worms and grasshoppers. This took me up to the war years after which I had a few years again with Uncle Harvey.

The Hydro then started building new dams and as each was completed it was stocked with trout by the Inland Fisheries. The water over new ground produced an abundance of food and good fishing. This encouraged us to move on from one lake to the other.

During this period I lost my fishing mate and friend when Uncle Harvey passed away. Big changes in the early fifties with the introduction of fibre glass rods, nylon fishing lines and spinning reels improved our fishing

Harry Deacon, a friend for all my working life now joined me on my fishing trips. He had been trying his luck for a couple of seasons without much success. I suggested to Harry he came up with me to Lake King William for the last week- end of the season, which he was pleased to do. We arrived at the lake on Friday night and started fishing early Saturday morning casting Cobras from the dinghy. By lunchtime on Sunday we had twenty-three trout in the bag and two very satisfied fishermen. Harry had landed twelve and I only eleven but I had won the day by hooking Harry as my fishing mate for the next thirty odd years.

Throughout this period we fished Arthur's Lake, King William, Binney, Brady's Lake and the jewel of them all, Lake Pedder. A trophy fishery of world-renown with trout weighing twenty pounds plus taken from this water. We were not so lucky as on our own trip, we caught eighteen trout weighing from nine and a half to nineteen and three quarter pounds, all caught on the Original Cobra Wobbler.

In the seventies while fishing in Lake Pedder, we saw many fish feeding on mudeyes close to the shore, not being able to reach them from the boat, because of the amount of scrub which had been covered with the rising of the lake. Fly fishermen were using a single hook with much success. The treble hook had to be changed to a single hook with the barb held in an upright position to prevent snagging. The wobbler would then slide over the obstacles with seventy percent less snagging and allow

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more fishing closer to the shore. We are now only using single hooks.

I feel that if I do not add my hobby to the story it may be lost forever. In 1949 I came up with the idea that as a hobby I would attempt to make a loose flight wobbler with a curved body. After drawing a design which I had in mind, I approached several spinner makers who all said "You can't make a curved lead body with a straight hole to allow the wire through."

By the end of 1949 I had made a wooden mould in which to form the shape of my first Cobra Wobbler.

A curved lead, moulded onto a thin bent wire and placed between two pieces of shaped celluloid, which were then glued together. A ring was then formed on each end of the wire, one for the line and the other for the hook.Fish were caught on these, but stories filtered back to me that there were plenty of bites but not enough hook-ups. A loose flight was needed. By early 1952 everything was going well. Taking my wooden mould to the foundry as a pattern for the making of an aluminium mould and with the help of the foundry, a curved lead mould was made. These two moulds enabled me to make the first Loose Flight Cobra Wobbler - "The Original Cobra Wobbler." This was the start of my hobby, which has so far lasted fifty four years.

Over the last fifty years at least ninety percent of our fish were caught on the Original Cobra. In the 1970s I introduced the "Deep Diver" to the range. This became popular and could be used by trolling one deep and the other shallow at the same speed. I have now designed and photographed the Original Surface Cobra Wobbler working on the water with no sign of turning over. It shows more action if it is cast down

wind and retrieved by winding the reel, with hesitation at the top and bottom of each turn. This gives a better movement thus improving its action.

I have now made two cutting moulds; one large and one small to shape the Original Surface Cobra Wobbler and to keep the balance on an even keel. These have improved the balance and action of the Original Surface Cobra Wobbler, which is in two sizes. Both of which can be used for Trout, Barramundi, Black Backed Salmon, Bream and most surface feeding fish.

As well as the lake fishing we had a wonderful sea-run fishery on the Derwent River. I started fishing again after the war on 1st August 1946 - a midnight start at Bridgewater Bridge along with about fifty other balaclava clad fishermen lined up on the bridge, causeway, and in dinghies. In those days an average catch for a good three hours fishing could be about eight to ten fish, and a poor night only two to three fish. This time of the year, the fish would be moving up the river for spawning having travelled hundreds of miles to spawn. I have not missed a midnight opening of the fishing season in Tasmania for fifty-two years.

With the onset of the development of the Hydro Electricity Scheme in Tasmania and the damming of Meadowbank Lake, the flow of water down the Derwent River was altered, decreasing the area for spawning fish. I am sorry to say that now there are only a few fishermen trying their luck.

I have been a licensed angler all my life and hope this story will give you an insight into a wonderful fishing history. I have now hung up my waders and fishing rods.

"Tight lines for coming seasons!"

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A History & Design of the Original Cobra Wobbler by Brian Johnston

started fishing in 1930 at the age of 8 in the River Jordon in Tasmania,

where trout were plentiful. Beginning with worms, grasshoppers and spinners, then graduating to fly fishing at the age of 10 after a trip to the Great Lake with my Uncle.

The Great Lake was a magnificent water with rainbow trout ranging from one kilogram through to three kilo- grams and brown trout from one to four kilograms. The smallest fish allowed to be taken was fourteen inches long (355 mm). They rarely caught fish undersize in those days.

Trout fishing has always been a big part of my leisure time and I still currently hold a fishing licence in 1999, and

although I do not go so often, I still love the sport.

In those days most of the trolling was done with large Matuka flies, mainly a combination of red and yellow, as well as the Great Lake Wobbler, which consisted of a flat piece of brass cut to the shape of a football and bent into a curve. There was a hole at each end and a split ring and hook at the rear. Some years later an idea came to me that a loose flight wobbler would be better than a spinner. I had tried to get action by taking one wing off the spinner, but this did not give the desired result.

Then in 1949 I wanted a hobby and started with a pencil and paper to design the loose flight wobbler which would

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give me more action as I consider 'Action to be Attraction', therefore it should catch more fish.

Not knowing anything about making lures, I spoke to an old friend who had been making lures for years and showed him my drawings and ideas for shape. To my disappointment he said, 'You can't mould a bent wobbler and a body with a hole through it.'

To not be outdone, I started work with a block of pine and a jigsaw. After two or three attempts I settled on a shape and carved a hollow into which the lead body would fit.

I then turned down and bent to size a brass rod to form the cavity in the celluloid. The celluloid was cut to size from a sheet. Two pieces were placed in the mould with the brass rod between and pressed to form the shape, one concave, the other convex, making a top and bottom. The name came to me as I trimmed the celluloid wings, I was holding the lure up to the light to match the wings and it just looked like a Cobra's head - hence the name Cobra Wobbler.

My first attempt at a lead mould was a curved aluminium one with a wire through the lead. Unfortunately not a “loose flight”. Painting was on the inside of the body (colour and design were your own choice). The lead with the hook on the end was then inserted into the wobbler and glued together with Tarzan's Grip and placed in the mould until set. This way it did not loose its shape.

In 1950 I could mould the celluloid body in the wooden mould, but still no ”loose flight”. During this period I had spent many lunch hours down on the wharf with my rod testing balance and action.

By 1951 we were catching fish, but losing too many because of the leverage of the wobbler over the head of the fish, but I was still satisfied the shape was right.

When the breakthrough came, after numerous alternatives to the lead mould shape, I found how a hole could be put through the lead core. Thus enabling me to make a “loose flight” wobbler. I cast a lead mould from the pattern of the wooden one, which allowed a little more fine tuning of the shape and cavity for the lead core and gave it more weight. This allowed me to enlarge the lead mould and have a hole through it.

At this stage the popularity was growing so I had aluminium moulds made at the foundry. I was still cutting them from a template. A cutting mould was necessary as I needed to cut the lead mould to the shape of the template. Hence a visit to the foundry for a hardened cutting template. This was the culmination of the “loose flight” wobbler.

I had a rubber stamp made with a trout and 'Cobra Wobbler' underneath to stamp on cards. In 1952 I showed my design to Ted Reading at Charles Davis Sports Department. He asked me if he could take it home and try it in the bath. I said 'I have tried that, you have to put it on a rod and line to see it work properly.' His answer was 'Don't stand there. Get home and make some."

This was only one week to the opening of the season. By opening morning I had made twelve, these were sold in one day. That year I sold them one per customer from a list on the wall and no colour choice.

After two years the demand was so great I had to go back and make them as a hobby as the family and job were too important to me.

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I have made a lot of friends through this hobby and hope they are getting as much pleasure out of using them as I have done.

The reality is-now others are making their own innovations and today, fifty years on, there are about fifty Cobra style lures on the market in the world.

During this time I changed the name to 'Original Cobra Wobbler', in the 1960s and 1970s I made many modifications, not with the original shape, but with the hooking and depth control. By accident I found I could use it as a normal wobbler and a deep diver just by altering the hooking rig, thus increasing its use.

Then came Lake Pedder and those 'monster fish'. Trolling around the shore was very limited because of bushes in the water, one trip was enough. The treble hook had to go. It snagged so much so I replaced it with a single hook. The rigging of the flight had to have the barb upright over the back of the wobbler. This way the wobbler would hit the snag and most of the time the hook would miss. The single hook has given more fishing time with less snags and less loss of wobblers. The more time the lure is in the water, the more chance it has of getting hit.

In this period a large wobbler was in demand so why not a 'Cobra'?

About the middle 1970s the large Cobra with a single hook joined the Original Cobra. This design was a copy of the original, but about twice the size.

I then experimented with action and found by shortening the body I got more movement and deeper trolling, giving the large Cobra a range of our depths.I called this the 'Stubby Cobra'.

Just a short story to finish the Cobra Wobbler History. One night on Lake Sorell about a dozen anglers were standing around a camp fire on a very cold night in 1954-55. One asked what did you catch your fish on. I proudly answered 'Cobra'. Our boat had landed twelve for the day. He replied 'Those so and so, I dragged them around all day for nothing!'

Not knowing of the substitute at the time I asked the gentleman could I have a look at his wobbler. He agreed and I said 'That's not a Cobra, it's a substitute,' and offered him any two from my box for the next mornings fishing.

He came in at lunch time very satisfied having caught five fish. From then he became a friend for many years. I could add a lot more, but this proved a good lure catches anglers and fish.

I am now working on a snag-less Cobra.

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The History of the Deep Diving Cobra Wobbler by Brian Johnston

ome forty years ago, when the flat fish lure was used as a deep diver, I

tried to use the Cobra as one by weighing it down with a piece of chain. We had some success, but it was so awkward I put it in the 'too hard' basket, as we could catch more fish on the original Cobra.

My experience over 70 years of trout fishing in Tasmania with flies and wobblers was that most of our fish were caught close to the shore in water 0.15-2.5 m deep. In the early 1970s I changed from the treble to the single hook, which allowed me to fish closer to shore with at least 50 percent fewer snags. Some time later we discovered that at certain times of the day the fish moved into deeper water, which started us looking at the 'deep diver' again.

In the early 1980s I discovered balance and weight were a crucial part of the design. After numerous experiments with control of the lure it all came together. I could troll both the deep diver and the original Cobra together.

I first used the deep diving Cobra with success in Lake Sorell in 1988, catching twenty fish in a day and a half of fishing. Using the single hook with the deep diver gave us a new area for fishing, as it could bounce on the bottom, but still keep working. The slower it was trolled, the better it worked. A flexible tipped rod gives the best action by allowing the tip of the rod to move to the action of the lure. Many of my friends tell me that the single hook and the deep diver were the best alterations I had made to the lure, as they now do not miss as many fish. Once they strike they stay hooked.

Tests were performed on the deep diver in a full sized swimming pool by laying

it on the ledge at the shallow end. Letting out the line until it reached the deep end. I then wound the lure the full length of the pool and it retained the swimming action, (as did the original Cobra), but stayed down nearer the bottom as the water became deeper. This indicated to me that the further the line is let out the deeper the deep diver should go. I have also tried the deep diver on a leadline in the same stretch of water as the original Cobra, but found this went deeper that the original Cobra and kept hitting the bottom, which indicated that it should go deeper.

I was working on a snag-less cobra. With much satisfaction I have now developed this in the small and large original Cobra, incorporating the deep diver. This was not achieved without a lot of changes to the shape of the mould. I thought this was as far as I could go-from the humble design of two sizes, both with deep diver, and now the snag-less Cobra (series number three)-but somehow one never gives up. I have now designed a 'surface Cobra' which can be cast a fair distance and by using a winding and twitching movement, can be worked across the surface of the water similar to the progress of a frog. This could also be used as a float with a leader from the rear for live baits, worms etc. in twilight and night fishing and for drift fishing in rivers in the daytime.

For some years I have been trying to get a video view of the action of the Cobra Wobbler on the end of the line. We have tried two different tests with limited success. I am now looking for a method to video the lure under water, as some of the Cobra type lines seem to turn over. My early testing in 1949-1950 was for balance, running a length of nylon through the Cobra to see if it would stay

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level. I have now made an underwater periscope with which I can watch the Cobra's movements, and a viewing scope that incorporates a video camera to record its action and speed. Then came the testing time. The periscope, viewfinder and video camera were mounted on the dinghy and I started trolling. The video showed some

variation in the movement of the Cobra. I have now adjusted this and am getting the desired action by trolling at the speed of 1.5-2 km/hour. The original Cobra now works perfectly. This is a very satisfying result after 52 years of hard work.

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Derwent River 2004/05 Season by Justin Causby

o sum it up in one sentence, the Derwent River fished exceptionally

well during 2004-2005 season. Although I can only speak on behalf of my fishing partner, Tim Lowe and myself.

All fish caught were in top condition and ate very well on the dinner table. The largest we landed was only 1.560 kg; we saw a fish of around 3 kg landed in the Old Beach area. Average size was around the 700gr mark with several around 1.3kg (3lb).

Opening day was closing in fast and the decision was made to fish the Derwent, as we have done now for the past few seasons. It is hard to overlook as an early season destination, for the quality and quantity of fish would surprise some people. I fish almost exclusively an area of about 3-4 km between the Bridgewater Bridge and the bend below Green Island. We fish deep with lead lines and use only a green and pink Tasmanian Devil, #30 “Herbie”.

I always look forward to the opening of the trout season and would never miss the chance to get a line back in the water, but this year there was a bit of a snag, so to speak. My beloved St Kilda

was playing at York Park in Launceston. I had decided to divide my time between the two. An early start on Saturday in the river and then head up to the footy about 10 am, back to fishing on Sunday. That was the plan and we stuck to it.

We started early and had six fish in the first hour. I was starting to doubt my planned trip to the AFL game up north. I left Tim on the water at 10am to watch the Saints get a win over Adelaide and on my return to the Bridgewater Boat Ramp I find Tim packing the last of the fishing gear away for the day. He had 9 fish for the day plus my 4 in the morning. We had also returned a few to the water. We rarely keep anything smaller than 500-600 grams from the Derwent as there are always more fish to catch. All in all, not a bad days fishing.

As the fishing was good during the day we thought we would try our luck with a Pretty-fish that night near our homes at Old Beach. Something we had not really tried before. We arrived at our chosen spot only to find another angler there already. Hopped out of the car to ask if they were biting and he put the torch light in the boot of his car.

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There he had a superbly conditioned fish of around 3kg, silver and fat. We could not get our gear ready soon enough. Our fellow angler soon landed another fish of around 1.2kg. That was enough for him and he packed up and went home. I assumed his position and waited with anticipation. After much persistence we gave up with one fish hooked and lost, but we would be back.

Sunday morning we were up bright and early again on the water just after daybreak. Again the fish were on the bite early only to slow down a little during the day. It was these slow times of trolling we would stop and spin along the edge of the many smaller channels in the area. This tactic proved very successful, with some good sized fish

coming to the boat this way. Large bait fish style Rapala’s seemed to work well when spinning.

By mid morning our eski was beginning to fill rapidly. We were returning fish to the water that we would normally keep. We finished the weekend with a total of 36 trout. We kept 24 fish between us, that was more than enough to go around family and friends. A few were genuine Sea run Trout but the majority were what I call estuary fish, slightly silver and in perfect condition with bright orange flesh. We were surprised to find the trout to have been feeding on small bait fish this early in the season as usually crabs are the staple diet of the trout in this area of the river.

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The Derwent River continued to fish like this up until late December. We caught fish using all methods in most areas we tried. As the weather warmed up the Bream action started to heat up also. One day when we only had a couple of trout we hooked a Bream of around 1 kg on a lure just below a spot known as Murphy’s Drain. We decided to target them that afternoon with small sinking Rapala’s, as we had read that Bream loved lures but not many people fish for them this way in Tasmanian. We found a few gutters with the fish finder as we thought they would be a good place to start. What an afternoon that turned out to be. We landed around 10-12 Bream, averaging about 1 kg with one pushing 1.5 kg. These fish can fight, on 2kg line and a light rod they put on a great show, stripping line and refusing to come to the surface. We kept two fish to eat and return the others to catch again another day, much to the disgust of the old Polish guy on the Bridgewater Jetty who had been trying to catch one all afternoon. While I’m on the subject of Bream I hooked and landed a Bream of close to 2kg on Anzac Day this year on a #91 Tassie Devil near the Lime Kilns,

something I have not done or heard of before. Those lures will catch anything!

Late in the summer and up until the end of the season Trout were still being taken, but the river was being overrun with juvenile Couta, up at least as far as the Lime Kilns area. The long weekend of Anzac Day we caught Trout, Bream, Cocky Salmon, Flathead, Mackerel and pesky Couta. All on an area of the river most would consider as fresh water. No wonder we had a Seal doing the rounds in the Derwent Estuary. It goes to show the Derwent River is in pretty good condition these days and I’m sure that will only improve even more in the future with continued efforts to reduce pollution output levels from Norske Skog and the Zinc Works.

If you are wondering where to try your luck this coming opening weekend I can not recommend the Derwent River highly enough. It has a huge number of trout available and they are always top condition. The weather is usually a little more mild than that of the highlands in the first part of our season. Most angling methods work well and fish can be found both from the shore or in the boat.

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The Mostly Media Mob by Michael Tatlow

An extract fromTails of a Tasmanian Angler, by Neil Robson

en years ago, as TV's 60 Minutes was nearing another November end

to a frantic year in Sydney, home-sick reporter, fly-fishing gypsy, raconteur and writer of the foreword of this fine book, Charles Wooley, wistfully and historically addressed his boss, John Westacott:

"Westy, when this bloody year's done, why don't a gang of us retreat to the Highland lakes of Tasmania, rent a warm shack for a week, with plenty of red wine and tucker, cast some flies on the water and scare the bejasus out of those legendary trout? The lakes there are teeming with 'em!"

And so began the infamous yearly pilgrimage of the Mostly Media Mob to Bronte Park and scores of lakes, rivers and creeks nearby every November.

It's become Mecca for a mixed bag of us journos, some interstate mates and a blessed few Tasmanian locals selected for assorted skills such as cooking, dish washing, wine tasting, telling lies and intoning poetry around the evening fire ...Oh, and fly fishing. It's turned Sydney city slicker journos Benny "the Owl" Hawke and Richard Mortlock, for instance, into quite fair trout catchers. Richard, known on location as Lord Morlock because of his gentrified ways, accustomed to having servants, has also become a fly perv., a fly-buying fanatic who's made tidy profits for certain Sydney angling suppliers.

Intrepid Westy and Orange (NSW) auto dealer Bob Craig have not missed a year. Bobby even keeps his own four-wheel-drive truck, with freezer, in Hobart for the event.

Scots antique dealer and fish-braggart of Hobart, Gordon Brown, known nowadays on ABC-TV as The Treasure Hunter, has developed an annoying custom of turning up after we've had days of freezing nothings, only to land a fine specimen or two, on cheap gear, to flaunt before us. We've searched his kit in vain for spinning lures, grubs and dynamite.

Central to the pilgrimages are the visits for a day or three by Bridport's pioneer of trout farming in Tasmania, genial Alec Purvis, and accomplished guide and mate Joe Holmes lately.

And, yes, that tale teller and the doyen master fly fisher who, a lifetime ago, taught Charles and me the not-so-gentle art of fly flicking, one Neil Robson.

In the past couple of years, our trout-catching weaponry has been added to by my trailered Quintrex tinny, Mr Toad.

Fly fishermen, we call ourselves. But it must be reported that a few desperadoes among us last November from Ken Orr's splendid accommodations at Bradys Lake were sighted on Mr Toad by some sun-struck gossip appearing to be, er ... trolling! Purists like Wooley were aghast.

"Well, what's the difference between hauling in a wet fly with your reel and letting the boat do the hauling?" the Owl demanded, a bit defensively. "Anyway", he smirked, "we got more trout than you blokes did."

Master fly fisher Robson, retrieving from Mr Toad a one-kilo brown and a suspiciously short rod which could, I say could, be used for trolling, was strangely subdued.

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And, although I threw back some tiddlers and had caught a two-kilo denizen by fly from the shore on other days, I was generally savaged for keeping a couple of Bradys rainbows which, although above legal size, were not long out of the nursery.

"That's a Tatlow," was often heard by cruel Mostly Media Mobsters landing tiddlers. "Back it goes."

Over evening repasts, conversation inevitably turns from ribbing one another to The Weather. "My very word, gents", Robbo would opine. "That wind's turning. They'll be on tomorrow." But not even my selective memory can recall one day when that actually eventuated for the Mob.

A rare moment of fishing honesty requires me to report that after a decade of assaults on them by an average of eight fishermen, those legendary, teeming trout are still winning.

As Wooley has noted, every morning we stride out with eager confidence. The homeward journey is (usually) an excuse-laden trudge. It's the fault of that flukey November highland weather, of course. It's too bright, too cold, too hot, or it's too balmy, or wet, or dry or (our favourite) too windy.

My award for the most novel excuse for an empty bag goes to Bobby Craig. "I only come down here for the conversation, anyway," he said.

Our combined skills, loads of gear and varying degrees of determination have resulted, I figure, in an average of 2.5 trout per person per year. And that, if you count the cost of air fares, vehicle running, accommodation and (significantly) gear, grog and tucker, each suicidal trout taken by the Mob

(excluding Robbo, of course) has cost $600.

But they're superb events. They cause city slicks to wax lyrically about Tasmania's raw beauty. To scowl at log trucks. To go home to tell lots of lies about trout. To plan more practical jokes for next year, when they're going to land that denizen.

They enrich we locals with memories of grand repartee, a few jokes about the lesser (?) skilled Mobsters, and the joys of seeing our wondrous island through alien eyes.

Next time, we're likely to yield to Robbo's urging and give the gentler lowlands, around the Macquarie and Tooms Lake, a workout.

"Don't they want to catch fish?" he asked Charlie Wooley. "If you want fish before Christmas, go down to the warmth of the rivers."But fair weather would surely diminish our range of excuses, would it not?

* Michael Tatlow is a long-time Hobart

resident, publisher and journalist who

learned fly fishing with Charles Wooley

under the tutelage of Neil Robson in

1980. Mike was with Neil, Charles and

the late fishing legend Jack McKercher,

dangling a big wet fly by his legs in a

metre of water at Arthur's Lake, cursing

over a tangled leader, when a large

brown trout cruised up to his knee. As

Mike's eyes widened, it swallowed the

fly. Compassion? Suicide? It was Mike's

first trout caught on a fly, in the final

week of the season, after 36 expeditions

and the catching of 48 willow and tea

trees.

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Season 2004-2005 Photo Gallery

Les White – Lake Leake

Nic Dean – Brumby’s Creek

Atlantic Salmon - Lake Barrington Photo by IFS

Rainbow Trout – Four Springs Photo by IFS

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Rob Freeman – Scotch Bobs Creek – Arthurs Lake – Brown Trout Recovery Photo by IFS

Rod Walker – Woods Lake

Luke Chivers – Arthurs Lake

Barbara Chivers – Arthurs Lake

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Cameron Chivers – Catch from Arthurs Lake

Harold Chivers – Arthurs Lake

Wilfred Knight – Arthurs Lake

Wayne Jones – Woods Lake

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Clinton Jones – 4lb plus – Arthurs Lake Kassy Wilton – First trout for the season – Arthurs Lake

Gerb King, Bob Wilton and Sam Lyons – Woods Lake

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Bob Wilton and Jarrod Wilton – Great Lake

John Lyons and Sam Lyons cleaning the catch – Woods Lake

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Emma Datlen – Arthurs Lake

Felicity Jones – Great Lake

Jake Datlen – Woods Lake

Felicity Jones – Woods Lake

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Jake Datlen – Arthurs Lake

Steven Jones – Lake Sorell

Alex & Greg Turner – Woods Lake

Kassey & Trudy – Arthurs Lake

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Louis Molnar – Lake Leake

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Norm Cribbin – Bronte Lagoon

Lex Wilson winner of N.N.L.A.A. 4th Competition 4.455 kg

Ricky Triffitt winner of N.N.L.A.A. 6th Competition 1.23 kg

Bridgewater/New Norfolk joint Competition - opening weekend. Senior winner - Tim Lowe 1.565 kg Junior winner - Kieran Gilbert 0.850 kg

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Justin Causby winner of N.N.L.A.A. 7th Competition 1.35 kg

Sophie Chandler – Upper Huon River

Rob Chandler- Huon River

Dylan Brown – Pawleena Dam

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Jeff Freeman – Pawleena Dam

Greg brown – Pawleena Dam

Norm Cribbin – Atlantic Salmon Craigbourne Dam

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Louis Molnar & David Rowe (QLD) – Arthurs Lake

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Brad Kemmler – 9.930 kg Tyenna River – National Park

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Historic Angling Images Photos supplied by Brian Johnston

Great Lake Swan Bay circa 1930 - Harry Johnston

Don Johnston-Alf Willing-Harry Johnston-Herb McShane-Brian Johnston (boy) Great Lake circa 1934

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Great Lake circa 1920 - salted trout to keep them fresh

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Nola with Great Lake Trout circa 1920.

Great Lake 14.25lb Brown Trout caught by Harry Johnston cica 1930.

Harry Johnston - Shack Swan Bay Great Lake.

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Unknown-Harry Johnston- Miss McGrath-James Johnston-Epsom Store Pontville

Opening morning at Bridgewater Bridge circa 1950 - Brian Johnston.

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Lures from 1800? through to 1994.

Hardy Telescopic Gaff circa 1900 - James Johnston.

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