fishing report - end of 2006/2007 season
The past trout fishing season was very difficult in Tasmania because many areas such as London Lakes experienced their driest 12 months on record. This meant that Lake Big Jim was very low after spring and we couldn't maintain a regular flow through the streams known as the Oxford Pools. Despite the dry weather, fishing was consistently rewarding, with aquatic hatches occurring on cycle, good trout to be caught in the ponds of the Pools and autumn fishing sustained by regular falls of gum beetles. On several occasions, guests who also fished nearby public waters such as Little Pine Lagoon with little luck managed to save the day with good bags of tailing brown trout in Lake Big Jim, even during the middle of the day in February.
We are confident that heavy winter rains will refresh the fishery
for the forthcoming season. Although the water table has been very low and there was little rain before July this year, recent heavy falls have flushed the fishery with clean, cold mountain waters. Lake Samuel
is full and Lake Big Jim is rising over sweetened shores where pondweed dieback has left lush, short lawns that are ideal for tailers. The Big Jim valve is open and filling recently raised weirs along the Oxford Pools. The latter are two and one-half kilometres of
man-made streams that hold brown trout to five pounds and are part of a project
that extends over fifteen kilometres, providing challenging sport to the
experienced angler.
The delayed winter spawning runs have been the best for many years. Thousands of trout have made their way up the creek on Big Jim. Large numbers of big browns also ran up stream from Lake Samuel, where last year's catches indicate that, this season, there is every chance of double figure browns and rainbows being caught.
Winter has been typically cold with snowfalls and blustery weather. With warmer weather around the corner, trout will soon be feeding on the edges of a rising Lake Big Jim. Heavy hatches of chironomid will encourage rising trout in the early mornings and evenings on both lakes. Early season buzzer fishing on Lake Samuel was successful last season and should again be exciting as big browns and rainbows taking static or very slow moving buzzes in the crystal clear waters.
Caddis larvae are a dominant food in our waters. From September, the larvae are ripe and tailing activity in both lakes has commenced. The entire western shore of Lake Big Jim is first class tailing water and Snipe Bay in Lake Samuel produces the best sight fishing for tailing trout in that Lake. October is always marked by the first of the caddis fly hatches.
Lakes Samuel and Big Jim are lower than the lakes of the
Central Plateau. This means hatches of the Highland Dun appear earlier on
our waters, commencing in late October and peaking during
December. These hatches of Tasmania's famous may-fly have been reported
as being the most prolific in our state. Lake Samuel
is the premier mayfly venue and unfailingly produces huge hatches
year after year. They can very dense in specific locations, attracting large numbers of big fish to gorge on the nymph and sub-imago stages. This can be an unforgettable experience
for anglers who have not previously witnessed these shallow water feeding frenzies.
November and December can also provide dawn windlane fishing in Lake Samuel to rising fish midging to chironomids from daylight until bright sunshine puts the fish down.
Another mayfly, the caenid, also hatches from early November, peaking from early December through to the end of January. Fish pattern very singlemindedly when this happens and It is not unusual for anglers to cover sixty large fish in a session. Bags of twelve to fifteen trout a day are reasonably common where anglers are sufficiently proficient to drop a small imitation a few inches in front of their target.
The red spinner during December
and January can be the estate's most prolific hatch. February is a quieter month with the tail end of the mayfly hatches
and the beginning of the beetle falls. A good beetle season like last year can see March, April
and May produce unbelievable fishing on London Lakes and surrounding
waters. This can be coupled with what is perhaps the favourite terrestrial food
of all Tasmanian trout - the jassid leaf hopper. These beetles and hoppers
feed on the eucalyptus trees that surround London Lakes.
We have observed these waters for thirty years. Although no consecutive years have ever offered identical conditions, the aquatic cycles are consistent and the fishing generally is superior to any other public or private waters in Tasmania. We invite you to explore these wonderfull waters and their complexities.
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