Fly Odyssey Australia recently returned from a trip to the southern extremities of Tasmania’s Western Lakes UNESCO World Heritage area, renowned for its world-class sight and flats-style fishing for wild brown trout…
Apart from its stunning natural beauty, Tasmania is famous for its magnificent lake fishing, particularly to ‘tailing’ brown trout in skinny water and lake margins. Trout forage in the shallows with tails and dorsal fins breaking the surface as they search for food providing visually exciting fly fishing which demands careful stalking and fine presentations.
Arriving in Launceston, we spent a night of gear checks and preparation before embarking on a 3 day adventure into the land of 3000 lakes with Daniel Hackett, who runs Tasmania’s first licensed Western Lakes Wilderness Huts guiding operation.
Spanning an area of 40 kilometres by 20 kilometres, the Western Lakes has few comparisons globally including many species of flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth. The region averages an altitude of 1000 metres, and features varied terrain from alpine to temperate rainforests – and as the name suggests, its full of lakes, creeks, rivers, backwaters and tarns with wild trout to explore.
After an early start we travelled a couple of hours by car through the mountains, dodging kanagaroos, and various other forms of wildlife before meeting up with co-guide Greg French by the side of a river. I’ve never seen a cast iron fire drum strapped directly to the roof of 1970’s sedan before, but I’m sure it would have turned a few heads as he travelled with it all the way from Hobart, complete with grey beard and Akubra hat in tow. Anyway several locked gates and creek crossings later, we removed our blindfolds and strapped on our backpacks for the short one hour hike through Skullbone plains to the wilderness huts.
These remote wooded valleys are ancient and you do need to check all large trees for camouflaged Dinosaurs and Tasmanian Tigers
Arriving at the huts we geared up for the big days ahead. The huts were fantastic, sleeping two anglers each, with a communal hut complete with deck and kitchen facilities.
Mayfly nymphs, duns and spinners form the staple food source for many of the trout in the surrounding lakes, however we were also prepared for caddis and snail feeders on winded shores, including Ant and Gum beetles accumulating in the wind-lanes. We used weight forward floating lines on 5 or 6 weights depending on the wind conditions, but there was no blind casting here – all the fish we cast to over the 3 days were sighted which made it visually exciting.
The size of the fish on average were typically around 2-3lb’s but we did land some great fish to over 4lb feeding on beetles and terrestrials in a range of areas including rocky outcrops, sandy beaches and still backwaters.
Most days we covered 10-15kms on foot so you do need some level of base fitness however with a small day pack and no climbs involved it was very enjoyable exploring different waters to fish each day.
Mike pictured below with a lovely brown polaroided and hooked two feet off the beach.
Lunchtimes were spent scanning the water, but you did need a certain type of hat to look the part.
Stephen stalking and landing a beautiful, wild spring creek brown
Evenings were spent under the stars, sitting by the fire drum which Daniel and Greg kindly retrieved from the roof of his car and carted back to camp in a wheel barrow. The food and company was great, and the fishing was at times spectacular!
The wildlife however around camp did have a particular liking to Greg’s boots with a Tasmanian Devil chewing on one and running off with the other left outside his hut on the final evening – which could not be located!! If you have not been, Tasmania and the western lakes experience should certainly be on your fly fishing radar.
James Laverty Dec 2016