Fishing Spots in TAS

Great Oyster Bay is surrounded by the western coast of Freycinet National Park, Nine Mile Beach in the north and the historic township of Swansea to the west. The coastal shores reveals stunning countryside with white beaches, rocky headlands and low granite peaks.

Fishing Spots

Within Great Oyster Bay is the sheltered Coles Bay which is one of the most popular fishing spots in Tasmania. Coles Bay is situated at the northern edge of the Freycinet National Park and provides anglers the chance to land some nice flathead, trevally, trumpeter, Australian salmon, mackerel, cod, shark and barracouta. The waters around Coles Bay are deep and often very clear. The bay is protected from the open sea providing calm waters, although at times a howling south-westerly can arise. The channel that runs behind the coastal strip of Nine Mile Beach can be fished for bream, flathead, flounder and Australian salmon. Swansea has a nice jetty which anglers use to target flounder, garfish, flathead, whiting and mullet.

The D’Entrecasteaux Channel is the region of waters between Bruny Island and the southeast Tasmanian mainland. The channel extends between the estuaries of the Derwent, and the Huon Rivers.

Fishing Spots

The D’Entrecasteaux Channel provides shore based anglers the chance to get amongst fish that would normally be reserved for boat anglers. The best fishing spot on the channel would be Port Esperance mainly for its diverse and abundant fish species. This spot has deep shelving waters which is accessible from the various points, wharves and jetties near Dover. Some of the predominant catches are flathead, Australian salmon, sea-run brown trout and barracouta. Flounder can be caught in the shallows, whilst trevally and trumpeter are found in the deeper waters. The two best places are the Dover jetty which is in the Dover township and straight in front of the Esperance Camp on the river.

Derwent Estuary was named after the Celtic word 'clear water' in 1794 by Captain John Hayes. This estuary extends from the rural town of New Norfolk south to Iron Pot lighthouse. The Derwent estuary lies at the heart of the Hobart metropolitan area and holds around 40% of the population of Tasmania.

Fishing Spots

The Derwent Estuary is very popular for recreational anglers. Because it’s so close to the city of Hobart, the numerous jetties, enclosed bays and productive reefs are constantly in use. Some of the popular spots include Sandy Bay which is fished for flathead, whiting, flounder, Australian salmon and even small morwong. Silver trevally up to 3kgs can be taken between Droughty Point and the Tasman Bridge. At Punchs Reef which is just out from Tranmere, anglers get a chance to land some nice cod, morwong and silver trevally. A short walk from the city is where you can fish from the wharves and jetties - in particular those around Secheron Point and Selfs Point. During plentiful times, you could expect catches of mackerel, cod, barracouta, bream and warehou.

The Central Highlands region of Tasmania ranges from 600 to 1200 metres above sea level. The region features high plateaus in the east, jagged mountains in the west and gentle foothills in the south. It is also dotted with numerous lakes with many stocked with prized rainbow trout, brown trout and the occasional brook trout.

Fishing Spots

Some spots are obtainable by conventional vehicles and others are only accessible by foot. Great Lake, Arthurs Lake and Lake Sorell are three of the most popular and productive trout lakes in the Central Highlands region. Arthurs Lake is said to produce the biggest overall ‘tonnage’ of trout in any Tasmanian lake. Bronte Lagoon is a popular destination for fly fishing and the technique of ‘sight fishing’ can be implemented - the phenomenon of targeting tailing trout feeding in clear waters only inches deep.