We Are in Tasmania

Hi Everybody!

Karen and I are in Tasmania fishing and touring. Tassie has had a wet time as of lately and so our fishing has been slow to say the least. Spring has been very slow to show itself.We did have the opportunity to be guided in the Tasmania Highlands. It was cold up there. It snowed and the wind was blowing like a frieght train. Fishing was a bust in the highlands although we did visit Great Lake and Authurs Lake, two fantastic brown trout fisheries.We set up shop near Cressie. Its an area that is the fly fishing mecca of Tasmania. We have fished several rivers including Brumby Creek and the St. Patricks River and several lakes where were were trying to poloraid browns in the swampy parts of lakes. Brumby Creek is a swamp in places. You walk and look for tailing fish. We have seen but a handful. Sigh.Imagine walking down the middle of lakes looking for browns. That is exactly what is done here in the highlands of Tasmania where there are 3000 lakes. The highlands has no shelter unless you consider scrub junipers, shelter. Unfortunately spring is late and the active fish are few and far between. We have caught smaller fish in the rivers and we have had some dry fly action on Four Springs Lake where we experienced our first real hatch of mayflies. Red Spinners where everywhere although our success came on a caddis hatch. Karen got a real surprise while fishing at Four Springs Lake when a kangaroo jumped out of the bush and scared the crap out of her. I laughed. We also have been amazed at the sounds as we fish. The frogs and birds are so loud. It is amazing. Tasmania has very narrow roads. The locals travel fast and I putt along in our camper van trying to shift gears with my left hand and trying to remember to stay on the left side of the road. We will post pictures when we get an internet connect that will handle our files. The pictures have been fun to take. We are right now at a campground along the St. Patricks River. We have a platapus come to visit us in the camp we are in. That is very cool. We could not find the one at the zoo but we have now seen two in the wild. It cost $3.00 to camp here at this campsite. That includes HOT showers that we intend to take advantage of. Check back later and I hope we have a better internet connection. See ya.