Finding Tasmania's wild trout

Find the food and you will find the trout. Is the wind pushing food along shorelines and out to points, or into corners and against the shore. Are the birds collecting insects in the air or off the water? Is it calm and warm, or windy and cool? In what combinations are these things happening?

These observations will usually give you a hint about where the feeding trout are! For instance, in a still water situation, trout generally feed in the direction that the wind is coming from.

Choosing the right trout fly

On arrival at the water, have a good look around to get an idea of what sort of food is available. What's in the "cappuccino" (the wind driven frothy scum that collects along the shore and in little bays)? How about behind you in the grasses and leaves? Even spider webs often give us a hint or two. More obviously, are duns peeling off and trout rising? Maybe they are bulging, taking the emerger and the nymphs as they ascend. A good poke through the fly box should yield something functional. Imitate what you've seen. If you're not sure, hedge your bets and put a dry or emerger on top and perhaps a nymph a meter away on the point. Of course, don't be afraid to experiment! Check out a selection of Gary's flies.

The hookup!

Many trout are tracked, cast to and seen engulfing the fly. When watching the trout take the fly it is very important to allow the mouth to completely close and the trout to move on or turn away before tightening the line and setting the hook. A quick reflex strike often results in these trout being spooked, missed or pricked.

Back to Trout fishing hints & tips

Trout Territory's guided trout fly fishing tours include tuition, focussing on how to find and see fish and of course strategies on how to outsmart them!