Fish Wild Tasmania



Discover our Tasmanian trout fly fishing adventures and world class fly fishing tours

Experience the challenge of fly fishing for trout in Tasmania, using a Hobart based professional trout fly fishing guide. Our business is committed to offering anglers excellence in service and quality fly fish tours from 1 day to as long as you like.

Fly or lure fishing, polaroiding, stalking, wading, drift fishing and catching truly wild Tasmanian trout. Its all available, with trout fly fishing tours to unique locations, big brown trout, pristine waters, an expert guide, the right fly, fly fishing tuition for the novice or expert if you need it, and all you have to do is fish.

Trout fishing tours are all inclusive of fly fishing gear, lunches, waders, wet weather gear, customized flyfishing, lure fishing boat, transfers from your Hobart accommodation to the Highlands. We also offer Highland accommodation if you need it, from backpackers to cabins and Fishing Lodges

Learn to fly fish - It's a great sport, guaranteed to take your mind off work. As a professional instructor and trout fishing guide we also offer a full range of fly fishing tuition tours and workshops for the novice or expert. Lure fishing is another simple option for anglers who want to try lures to catch good numbers of trout

Excellent bream fly and lure fishing tours are also offered for anyone wanting to catch some of our famous big Tasmanian black bream. Numerous other seasonal species will be there as well at several East coast rivers and estuaries.

Our Hobart based guided fishing business is fully accredited with Tourism Tasmania and we are full member of "Trout guides and Lodges Tasmania" TGALT.

TASMANIA THE ISLAND
An island with thousands of trout waters, great beauty, pure water, clean air, unique animals and vast numbers of truly wild trout make it an attractive and exciting destination catering for a wide range of angling experiences suited to both the novice and expert. We are fortunate to have here one of the purest strains of wild brown brown trout found anywhere in the world which makes them a true challenge for all fly fishing anglers.

NOVICE OR EXPERT
Tasmania's still-waters offer the best opportunities for the novice and a chance to try the many proven techniques unique to the Tasmanian fishery. Destinations include: Arthurs Lake with its thousands of hard fighting fish to Little Pine and Penstock for dry fly fishing. Other waters suitable for more advanced anglers include trophy fish at Penstock Lagoon, Great Lake with its big rainbow and browns, Woods Lake again for big brown trout then Bronte, Echo, St Clair and Dee Lagoon, on the western side of the Highlands. We produced some remarkable catch rate results during recent summer months. The average size of these fish being around 2lbs with specimens to 5lbs.

See what the editor of "Fly Life" Rob Sloane had to say about our guide service after a trip with us to a remote East coast water.
Go to - http://www.flylife.com.au/library/articles/39/39.html

BEST TIME TO FISH TASMANIA
Summer fly fishing is the greatest angling experience you can find and offers the best opportunity to catch your first trout or experience sensational "Dun" hatches and some of the worlds best dry fly fishing - the months of December, January and February are without doubt the best months with the months of November and March also producing good dry fly fishing.
Spring is also a great time to be trout fishing down here with a variety of opportunities such as targeting "Sea Run" trout during the annual whitebait run up the estuaries and lower river mouths. This is also a great time to target big Tassie bream in the estuaries and rivers.

LOCATION GUIDE
LAKES AND RIVERS Tasmania is most famous for the huge number of shallow stillwater lakes that provide the most interesting, challenging and productive fishing available in Australia with average sizes of 1.5lbs to 2lbs or 1kg and specimens of 4lb to 6lbs often taken.

FISHING TECHNIQUES
The fishing varies considerably and anglers have the choice of: "Sight fishing" along the shallow margins of our 3000 stillwaters, "stalking" and fooling the elusive early morning midge and scud feeders on shallow shores, "dry fly" fishing to summer may-fly feeders using a variety of deadly methods. Try an early morning challenge "wind lane" fishing to midge feeders. You can also try the rivers that hold good numbers of smaller brown and rainbow trout.

ANGLING SEASONS
The main angling season extends from the first weekend in August through to the last weekend in April. Most waters will close during May June and July. During the fishing calendar, different types and styles of fishing are used to reflect changing seasons, weather, water levels, food availability and the feeding behavior of trout. For information on seasonal conditions in Tasmania go to "Angling Seasons"

FISHING LICENSE
A Tasmanian inland fishing license is required to fish any trout water in Tasmania.
We are agents for the Inland Fishery Service and provide this license with all tours.
The angling license's vary from $20.00 for 2 days to $63.00 for a full season.

PROTECT OUR DISEASE FREE STATE
We are proud to say our waters are totally free of all fish disease, so for those anglers who are coming to Tasmania from international destinations please clean all your equipment and waders thoroughly before bringing them into the country.

ALERT: We are particularly concerned about travelers from New Zealand where a new and deadly disease called Didymo which causes massive alga blooms is now affecting some of their rivers. This alga can easily be transported on gear, waders, flies and ESPECIALLY in felt soled boots. It is important to disinfect all fishing gear in hot water which contains strong bleach or nappy wash solution before using them anywhere near our Tasmanian or other Aus waters.
We also recommend you purchase any flies or lures locally to avoid quarantine restrictions on contaminated tackle.
A better alternative is to leave your gear at home and use our quality gear with all waders and flies provided.

GET HOOKED UP WITH A LOCAL GUIDE
Local knowledge can be the answer to successfully fishing in these waters where seasonal variations, changing water levels combined with the wily nature of truly wild trout make the fishing a real challenge and great delight to any visitor. As professional accredited guides we are happy to tour with you for a day or a week to show you proven techniques and take you to any number of locations teaching you all you need to make your visit a truly memorable experience.

MOBILE PHONE COMMUNICATIONS IN TASMANIA
Digital phones will work in all the major towns and on most major highways, however you will need one of the new Telstra 3G mobile phones to get coverage in remote areas such as the Central Highlands as well as some other remote locations.
1 Day trout fishing tours.
I am a Hobart based professional trout guide and tour to all Tasmanian trout waters from there.
I also meet anglers up in the Highlands for 1 day or extended tours.

General information:
Our trout fishing season starts on the first weekend in August and goes through to the last weekend in April.
For the "Dry fly" angler Dec, Jan, Feb and March are the best months to fish Tasmania however all months offer great fly or lure fishing. The summer months offer anglers some of the worlds best "dry fly" trout angling to be found anywhere in the world, based around fantastic "mayfly" hatches and other bugs on a seasonal basis.

Fly Fishing Tuition
As professional guides we specialise in all styles of trout fishing tuition for the novice and expert, so don't be put off if you are less than experienced. We will be happily take you through a fun filled session of tuition on fly fishing for trout or any other fishing techniques designed to have you trout fishing in Tasmania with skill in a short space of time.

Availability
Let me know the date or dates you want to book and I will confirm availability or hold them for until we sort out the details.

The Fishing.
The best trout fishing is in the Central Highlands of Tasmania around Great Lake. There are over 3000 lakes available to fish so I recommend the Lake fishing as that is what Tasmania is famous for. There are lots of different fishing opportunities with dry fly fishing being the best option and the best months are Dec, Jan, Feb and March. I provide all gear for fly fishing and tuition for those new to the sport. I also provide for lure fishing if required. Typical destinations will be at waters such as Little Pine, Penstock Lagoon, Arthurs Lake, Woods Lake, the Western Lakes and numerous others - all great Tasmanian trout waters.

Tours.
I provide all inclusive tours which will provide everything from transfers x Hobart or the airport, boat, waders, all quality gear, lunch, wet weather gear and the Tas fishing Lic. I usually do a 12 hour day X Hobart and return 7AM to 7PM and pick up from any Hobart location or the airport if you can get an early flight for the first day. NOTE - WE recommend you consider doing 2 or 3 days to maximize the experience and cover a variety of waters and weather conditions.

Rates:
Rates for the season 2009 - 2010 are as follows:
1 Angler at $580.00 per day and reduced for 2 or more days.
2 Anglers at $680.00 per day or $340.0 each and reduced for 2 or more days

Extended tours of 2 or more days.
Extending your stay and fishing for 2 or more days is the best way to experience trout fishing in any water especially in Tasmania as we have a vast range of waters and fishing options. When we stay overnight in the Highlands we could try for an early morning fish then back for a late breakfast if the weather is good for that, then out again for the rest of the day. This extends the experience to other styles of fishing and offers anglers the chance to try more of our unique fly fishing techniques.

Accommodation
Accommodation is an extra if you decide to stay overnight in the Highlands.
I recommend the following:

Central Highland Lodge
At Miena on the shores of Great Lake.
This is the best accommodation available and is very reasonable with a continental breakfast included in the room rate. They have a great lounge, bar and bistro at the lodge for all guests and I usual stay there as well at my cost.CHL Rates for this season are - Single ES room at $108 per night and a twin share at $136 per night. See more on the web site at http://www.centralhighlandslodge.com.au/

Priory Country Lodge - Bothwell
At about 20 minutes fron the Highlands this Lodge offer great value to all angler looking to anyone wanting to spoil themselves for a few days or more.I also provide a guide service for this Lodge which is a serious 5 star Lodge offering great value. See more at http://www.thepriorycountrylodge.com.au/

There is other accommodation options such as cabins and a pub but the ones I have recommended are the best available.
I can also provide the info for good Hobart accommodation if you let me know what you are after.

Total cost's:
Call or Email me at info@fishwildtasmania.com for full details of seasonal specials, all costs and accommodation rates.

Bookings
To make any booking let me your preferred dates and we can sort the details later.

A days tour with Fish Wild Tasmania
See what Rob Sloane the editor of "FlyLife" had to say about our guided fly fishing tour to Tooms Lake.
Go to http://www.flylife.com.au/library/articles/39/39.html

Your Guide
Our business "Fish Wild Tasmania" established in 1999
Bob McKinley - Pro guide for 10 years and fly fishing for 30 years
Full member and Sect of the "Trout guides & Lodges Tasmania" association
We are fully accredited and insured
We provide excellence in guided fishing

THE FISHING
Tasmanian river and estuary bream fishing and especially Hobart bream fishing is without doubt some of the best fishing available in Australia. These Tasmanian bream are much bigger than the bream found in Northern waters. It's just sensational to be able to catch these very old fish in the 2lb to 4lb range consistently throughout the year with no closed season.

BEST TIME TO BREAM FISH
The best months are from September through to January when the bream are running up river and estuaries during their annual spawning run. This annual spawn period attracts resident trout, sea run trout as well as sea run bream in addition to the resident bream when they travel the estuaries up to fresh water, some on a daily basis. The most productive method is to boat fish with hard body or soft plastic lures. Fly fishing will also produce fish particularly the ones actively feeding around the shoreline.

TROUT FISHING
Don't forget Tasmania is famous for it's sensational trout fishing and this is available from August to April. Trout fishing and in particular fly fishing in Tasmania is world class and unique to this State.
Summer and Autumn dry fly fishing in Tasmania is without doubt the best fly fishing to be found anywhere, so don't miss out on trying it and we will gladly provide all the gear and tuition to make it happen. During this period we usually fly fish in the Central Highlands and with calmer weather this is one of the best times to be fishing Tasmania.

TOURS
We are Hobart based and provide the following:
Pick up at any Hobart accommodation
A 10 to 12 hour day including lunch, drinks and nibbles
Quality gear, boat, wet weather coats, waders if required, lures and flies
Just turn up and fish

LOCATIONS
The East Coast and Southern river estuaries are without doubt the best of all Tasmanian bream waters. The Derwent River around Hobart up to New Norfolk being one of Australia's most productive bream and trout fishing estuary, particularly during the Spring period.
The estuaries South of Hobart at Dover and Southport also provide fantastic fishing for a variety of seasonal species and include bream, trout, Atlantic Salmon and a lot more making these Tasmanian waters some of the most productive in the state.
North of Hobart, Little Swanport and the Swan river estuaries on the East coast also produce great bream fishing al year but particularly during spring and summer.

RATES
POA All tours are priced on your requirements and the number of anglers fishing,
So send us an Email or give us a call today and we will set out the options and rates that suit your group.

ESTUARY FISHINNG
Fish Wild Tasmania - Estuary fishing tours from Hobart
Hobart trout guide Bob McKinley offers river and salt waterf estuary fishing tours to Southern Tasmania's many scenic, protected bays, inlets and rivers. River trout, searun trout, bream, Atlantic salmon, salmon farms, seals, dolphins, penguins and many other seasonal fish species.

FLY FISHING, LURE FISHING and BAIT FISHING
All anglers catered for with a professional Hobart fishing guide providing all inclusive tours to suit your requirements and budget.
Tours are designed to take a small group of ONE TO THREE anglers to one of our pristine coastal fishing locations and target seasonal and resident salt and fresh water fish.

BEST SEASON'S
SPRING and EARLY SUMMER
From the start of September through to Xmas whitebait run up our Tasmanian estuaries into the rivers and provide us with a fantastic opportunity to target resident brown trout and searun trout crashing through the whitebait schools making this some of the most exciting and challenging fishing in the world. Bream also run up into freshwater during this period and some hugh Southern black bream can be caught. Add to this Atlantic Salmon escaped from local fish farms and dozens of other species and you can really have a ball fishing during this period.

SUMMER and AUTUMN
Big black bream, resident river trout and many other estuary species provide the feature fishing during this period.
Dont forget this is the time for sensational summer trout fishing with a dry fly in the Central Highlands and with calmer weather this is one of the best times to be fishing Tasmania.

ESTUARY FISHING TOURS
Up to 3 anglers - Max
Pick anywhere in Hobart and all transfer's
All quality fishing gear and boat
Lunch & drinks
Wet weather gear, waders and anything else you will need
Just call us and go fishing

AN INTRODUCTION TO FLY FISHING FOR WILD FISH WITH A PROFESSIONAL TASMANIA TROUT GUIDE
This is a delightful and thinking way to trout fish and as a sport can be taken to any degree of skill level. Fly fishing for trout in Tasmania Australia is a challenge that can be made easy with the right tuition, a great fly and a little effort by any angler wishing to unlock the mystery of fly fishing for trout.

Bob McKinley is a professional trout fishing, fly fishing guide and fly fishing instructor offering a range of opportunities and fly fishing tours to learn the art of fly fishing for truly wild fish.
Workshops from a one day course to extended tours into the highlands. These workshops and tours are designed to give you the skills required to go fly fishing on your own and catch trout with confidence.

FOR THE GIRLS - Fly fishing requires a minimal level of strength and all courses are suitable for aspiring anglers of all ages from about 14 years on. So ladies, don't be afraid of giving it a go as there are many very skilled women who are dedicated to the sport.

FLY FISHING TUITION COVERS THE FOLLOWING:

Fly rods, lines, reels, leaders, tippet and all the other bit we use
How to select the right fly rod and fly reel to suit your needs
Casting a fly line - most important of all
Flies for every occasion and how to fish them effectively
Fly fishing knots, tools other gear we use
Basic entomology (trout food)
How to find trout and present a fly effectively

FLY FISHING TUITION TOURS
A typical day would consist of an early pick up at your accommodation in Hobart, plus travel to a suitable water then 1 to 2 hours of initial tuition, followed by a fun day of fishing, learning, catching fish, losing fish and generally having a ball with a fly rod and lots of trout. All you need is the desire to learn and a good sense of humor. We do the rest.
Fly fishing tuition tours are available 7 days a week, all year.

PACKAGE INCLUSIONS

ransfer from Hobart or other locations by arrangement
Professional fly fishing guide / instructor
Full set of fly fishing equipment and flies
Fly fishing course notes
Hamper lunch

Protective clothing
YOU NEED - Some warm clothes, a hat and a pair of sunglasses (Polaroid if possible)
RATES - $ POA
Seasonal fly fishing tuition rates available.

GIFT VOUCHERS
These fly fishing tuition courses are available in "Gift Voucher" form and make a perfect gift for anyone interested in the sport.

NOTE: FLY FISHING TUITION IS ALSO PROVIDED ON ALL REGULAR TOURS.
SALT WATER FLY FISHING IS AVAILABLE FOR SEASONAL SPECIES.





Fish Wild Tasmania


115A King St Sandy Bay Tasmania 7005
✆ 0418 348 223
GO Visit Website [new window]

Specialist: Coarse Fishing