The Lure of the Lakes

There are fighting trout in just about every freshwater stream, lake and river in Tasmania but you will need a licence. It costs AUD$12 for a day licence or $45 for the season (August to May, with the best fishing in October and April). There are also private lakes where no licence is required like the Launceston Lakes (15 minutes from the city) and the Snowy Range Trout Fishery (an hour south of Hobart). It’s difficult to recommend any particular area or stream because trout are everywhere – in the north there are many streams – the Mersey, Meander, Liffey, North and South Esk, Macquarie and Elizabeth. To the south and west there’s Lake St Clair, Lake Burbury and Lake Peddar. On the Central Plateau there are numerous lakes including the luxurious London Lakes, which is rated as one of the world’s top five specialist angling lodges. Some of the lakes and streams are so crystal clear, you can stalk trout by sight. Polaroid sunglasses and a sunny day also improve your chances.

A quick tale of a whopper…

In the 1980s I co-wrote a stage show for the casino circuit, aptly called Everybody Makes Misteaks. It was designed as a vehicle for Shane Withington and Grant Dodwell, who had recently left TV’s long running A Country Practice. I’m sure the audience, however, paid to see the nice ‘Dr Bowen’ and ‘Nurse Brendan’ mourning the demise of Molly – not them singing, dancing and cracking jokes.