Fishing Eastern Tasmanian Rivers

The eastern side of the island offers good trout fishing in both lakes and rivers. Some authorities have claimed that Lake Leake, near Campbell Town, provides the most consistently good fishing in Tasmania. Certainly over the years this lake has been a wonderful fishery and an accommodation house was built nearby many years ago. A few miles south of Lake Leake lies Tooms Lake, which is rather similar in size and shape. This lake is reached from the township of Ross.

Fingal and Avoca are both good centres for river fishing in this section, the South Esk being common to both, while that lovely little dry fly stream, the Break-o'-Day, unites at the former township and the equally fascinating St Paul's comes in at Avoca.

On the eastern coastline itself fishing may be found in all coastal streams, such as the Scamander and George. On the north-east coast there are some very good lagoons, Blackmans Lagoon and two Waterhouse Lagoons. Some excellent fish, brown, rainbow and young brook trout, may be caught here.

Fly fishing, spinning and bait fishing are all productive on these rivers. Unlike parts of the Australian mainland, Tasmania does not produce those plentiful supplies of grasshoppers that bring about periods of good fishing where they occur. In this area of Tasmania, however, there are reasonable numbers of small grasshoppers to be seen after Christmas and anglers using them as bait often have great success.