Electric motors

Leroy Tirant
More and more anglers are wising up to the advantages of using an electric motor for fishing. Powered by a deep cycle battery they propel the boat through the water effortlessly and most importantly, they do it quietly. They literally produce no real audible sound.

Stream trout on surface lures

Dan Clifton
When dwelling on what I had written over the past 12 months, I realised that I have not written and article that did not involve the use of soft plastics, although there is no argument that I believe that they are one of the most effective way of catching fish in Tasmania, there is a real passion of mine that I had forgotten about. That is the use of hard bodied surface lures.

Rod Tapers

Leroy Tirant
    Many people walk into a tackle store looking for a new rod then get utterly confused when store staff start talking about rod tapers or actions. Most fishermen refer to this as how flexible or stiff a rod is.

Tasmania's Most Popular Lures - An unbiased and truthful analysis

An interesting discussion took place in my shop a couple of weeks ago between a group of anglers trying to determine what are Tasmania's most used and most popular trout lures.
This had obviously been spurred on by something they had read somewhere, and a healthy debate now ensued as different opinions were expressed. Listening to these anglers it had me thinking what are the most popular lures used in Tasmania? As we all have our own differing opinions I decided to speak directly to the people that know. I spoke to tackle store owners and staff from around the state to find what their biggest sellers are for trout fishing. After all I thought if we based this argument on actual sales the facts couldn't be argued. I decided when asking the question I would lump all lures of all forms, shapes and sizes into the equation so we could get the bigger picture.
Most of these lures have been around for a while now, but it was interesting to note how soft plastics are now playing a major role in our fishing practices. These are some of the results.

Simple soft plastics techniques

Angela Woods
All this talk about soft plastics. "I would like to try them, but they all say I need a 2-5 kg fast tapered rod, special and expensive 2500 size reels, braided line, fluorocarbon leader material and jig heads in 10 different weights. It sounds all to hard and expensive, and what happens if I don't like it".
Well, you don't need all that stuff just to try it. It can cost under ten bucks for a packet or two of pre-rigged plastics. If you are keen check out how you can give it a try. And hey! A packet of plastics costs about the same as bait and most don't smell at all. You've gotta love that.

Lines aint Lines

Have you ever stood in a tackle store and been confused or amazed at the amount of fishing lines available to today's anglers? Have you stood there thinking, which is the best one for what I want to do and what the hell is Dyneema or Co Polymer? Well don't be disheartened, as a tackle shop owner I can understand how confusing your choice can be as every year manufacturers produce newer, slicker, better casting lines with more abrasion resistance etc etc etc and bombard retailers with samples and stories of how this is the newest stuff and everyone's going to want it. How do sort out what the marketing hype is and what is actually a good line? Well I know you'll hate to hear this but price is usually a good indicator.

Lines and getting the most from a trolled lure

Bill Presslor
One of the most critical factors in achieving optimum performance from any trolled lure is line selection. The line you choose for a particular application deserves a lot of careful consideration, after all it's your main connection to a fish. Though it has been said countless times, a lot of anglers seem to pay little attention to this detail when it comes time to spool up for a fishing trip. The age-old adage about getting what you pay for certainly rings true when it comes to line selection. The technology and choice available to anglers in the form of monofilaments, co-polymers, braided superlines, and fluoro carbon lines is really quite staggering. The array of manufacturers and brands of lines, along with the price and availability, seems to have expanded enormously in the past ten years. The most important areas for consideration with trolling applications should be lead length (dropback or line out), line diameter, stretch, and abrasion resistance. Manipulating all of these factors can have a huge impact on your success.

Surface fishing

Leroy Tirant

In Tasmania surface fishing for trout has been a long standing tradition. "Top spinning" with wood and wattle grubs is still a favored past time for many, but in recent times anglers have been starting to become aware of hard bodied lures and soft plastics that can be used for the same purpose at less expense. Nearly all fresh and inshore salt water species available around Tasmania's coastline will take a surface lure fished with a variety of retrieves. Anglers have to remember that fish spend a fair amount of their time in the upper reaches of the water column either because of water temperature, or because that's where they are feeding. When they are high in the water column or near the surface, fish spend a fair amount of time looking up and are always opportunistic when looking for a feed. I guess the most appealing prospect when fishing with surface lures is that its visual fishing. Quite often you will see the fish before it strikes, which can lead to stressful precious seconds before it grabs the lure and of course the amazing strikes that leave a hole in the water where your lure once was. It can at times be a more productive method, often out fishing other techniques.

Bait collecting

Leroy Tirant
Owning and working in a tackle store I get the privilege of talking to fisherman all day long about all types of fishing. And regardless of how long they've been fishing for I am usually able to come up with something new for them to try; even more so when it comes to bait fishing. Like any form of fishing using the right bait, collecting and storing it properly can make the difference between catching fish and going home empty handed. I find a lot of anglers for one reason or another get stuck into a routine of using just one type of bait, and whilst this may be fine if you catch fish with it every time, what if you don't?

Leadline trolling - An effective and essential technique for Tasmania

Trolling guru, Bill Presslor takes a close look one of his favourite trolling methods - leadline

Most freshwater trollers have at one time or another had at least some experience with lead core lines. Whether you love it or hate it, lead core catches fish!
Basically, lead core line, a lead wire covered by woven nylon, has been around for over fifty years and was developed as a means of trolling lures deeper than they could be trolled by traditional means. Used in conjunction with downriggers, planer boards and surface or flat lines, lead core lines can add versatility to any trolling spread. They are often the most productive option when you need to get your lures that little bit deeper. In lakes such as Arthurs Lake, Great Lake and Dee Lagoon lead core lines are bound to improve your catch rate.

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