Tasmania is the trout island: the Central Plateau lakes, the Derwent and its tributaries and the lowland rivers make up the inland fishery that the Inland Fisheries Service licenses by the rod, and the sea around it fishes for salmon, flathead and squid with no licence needed for rod and line. This site covers more than eighty Tasmanian waters.
Reports current for Tuesday 10 November
Every one of the 84 Tasmania waters we cover has a live read this morning. 59 are scoring 4 out of 5 or better, and none is slow. Water runs 13 °C to 22 °C. Pressure is falling on most of them, the trend our model scores highest. 34 have a better-than-even chance of rain.
Best right now: St Helens 5/5, Arm River above the Mersey 4/5, Arthurs Lake 4/5
Live verdicts from this morning's reports.
The Derwent estuary through the middle of a capital: salmon off the wharves, bream you should not eat, sand flathead closed in the south-east, and trout water upstream.
Georges Bay and the Bay of Fires: the east coast town where the sheltered bay fishes for flathead, bream and squid and the ocean beaches for salmon.
Yingina / Great Lake on the Central Plateau: wild brown trout and rainbows in cold, windy water, open all year except Canal Bay, with a level read from the Bureau every day.
The north-west port on Bass Strait: the breakwater and the wharves, the Emu and Cam river mouths, and a coast of beaches and reef towards Wynyard.
The main island of the Furneaux Group in eastern Bass Strait: granite headlands, white beaches and lagoons, with flathead, salmon and squid and almost nobody on the water.
One of Tasmania’s most popular trout fisheries: a Central Plateau hydro storage of wild brown trout, drowned timber and shallow bays, with a level read from the Bureau every day.
The ferry port on the Mersey: the breakwaters and the Bluff, the river’s wharves, the beaches east towards Port Sorell and a Bass Strait coast of salmon, flathead and squid.
The Forth River lake behind Devils Gate Dam near Sheffield: brown and rainbow trout and blackfish, open all year, a rowing course and a Bureau gauge.
A Premium Wild Trout Fishery in the Central Highlands: lure and fly only, naturally recruiting browns and rainbows, informal camping and a Bureau gauge.
The west coast hydro lake near Queenstown: wild brown and rainbow trout, open all year as a Premium Wild Trout Fishery, with a Bureau gauge at Crotty Dam.
The Interlaken trophy trout water: a shallow, turbid lake with a 500 mm minimum, one fish a day, lure and fly only.
The 53 km² Interlaken lake reopened in 2020 after the carp program: lure-and-fly brown trout in shallow, turbid water.
The Central Highlands rainbow trout water off the Victoria Valley Road: stocked rainbows and wild browns, lure and fly only, the rainbow-water season and a Bureau gauge.
A large, deep hydro lake in the Central Highlands: naturally recruiting browns and rainbows, all methods allowed, three launching areas and a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Derwent’s headwater storage behind Clark Dam at Butlers Gorge: plentiful small brown trout, some rainbows, open all year, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Central Plateau’s fly-only lagoon near Miena: wild brown trout tailing in the shallows, a five-knot limit and a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Derwent lake between Hamilton and Ouse: stocked browns, rainbows and trophy Atlantic salmon, open all year, an hour from Hobart, with a Bureau gauge.
The south-west’s great hydro lake in the national park: wild brown trout, lure and fly only, open all year, with Parks campgrounds and a Bureau gauge at Serpentine Dam.
The 1916 Waddamana storage near Miena: fly only, a bag of two and a 400 mm minimum, a petrol-boat corridor and a Bureau gauge at the canal outlet.
A sheltered, 3 km forest lagoon north of Bronte Park: naturally spawning browns with some rainbows, all methods allowed, and a Bureau gauge at the dam.
Australia’s deepest glacial lake, at the end of the Overland Track: wild browns and rainbows, lure and fly only in the national park, with a Bureau gauge at Pump House Point.
The eastern plateau lake below Arthurs Lake: naturally recruiting brown trout, all methods allowed, a steep gravel road in, and a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Gordon Dam storage at Strathgordon: wild browns and rainbows among drowned forest, lure and fly only, a closed canal to Pedder and a Bureau gauge at the intake.
The Derwent below Meadowbank: wild browns, sea-run trout and the odd rainbow or salmon between the dam and New Norfolk, with the Bureau’s gauge below the dam.
The South Esk at Perth: wild browns in the lowland river above Launceston, in the extended-season section open to late May, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The South Esk at Llewellyn: wild browns in the midlands broadwaters below Avoca, in the extended-season section, with the Bureau’s gauge at Llewellyn.
The Tinamirakuna / Macquarie near Ross: the midlands river of wild browns and the red spinner mayfly, with the Bureau’s gauge at Trefusis.
The Meander at Deloraine: wild browns in the river below Huntsman Lake and the Great Western Tiers, with the Bureau’s gauge at the Deloraine bridge.
The upper Mersey at Liena: brown and rainbow trout in the fast water below Lake Parangana, with the Bureau’s gauge at Liena.
The Leven above Ulverstone: wild browns in an undammed north-west river, with the Bureau’s gauge at Bannons Bridge near Gunns Plains.
The Huon at Judbury: wild browns and sea-runners in the forested mid-reaches above Huonville, with the Bureau’s gauge at Judbury.
The Tyenna between Westerway and Maydena: a large, fast, boulder-strewn trout stream on the road to Mount Field, with the Bureau’s gauge at Newbury Road.
The east coast fishing village under the granite: the Gulch and the blowhole rocks, Waubs Bay and the Apsley estuary, with flathead, salmon, squid and bream, and a no-fishing reserve off Governor Island.
The Maria Island ferry port on Spring Bay: the wharf and the bay’s flathead, squid and salmon, bream in the Prosser, and the island’s no-fishing reserve across the water.
The island south of Hobart: the D’Entrecasteaux Channel’s flathead and squid, Adventure Bay’s salmon, the Neck and the Cloudy Bay surf, and the cliffs of Cape Bruny.
Macquarie Harbour from the west coast port: sea-run trout, escaped Atlantic salmon and Australian salmon in marine water, the Gordon River and Hells Gates, and Ocean Beach.
The Nut and its harbour on the north-west coast: Stanley’s wharf and breakwater, Godfreys and Tatlows beaches, with flathead, salmon, squid and gummy shark.
The north-east coast holiday town on Anderson Bay: the jetty, the Brid River and the beaches, with flathead, salmon, squid and bream in three listed estuaries.
A bream river on the east coast: the Scamander’s black bream above and below the highway bridge, the beach’s salmon and the rocks, between St Helens and Bicheno.
The canal between Frederick Henry Bay and Blackman Bay: Dunalley’s flathead, squid, salmon and bream, the Marion Bay beach and the Tasman Peninsula beyond.
A Western Lakes storage at the gateway to the Nineteen Lagoons: wild browns and some rainbows in shallow, rocky water, bait on one handheld rod only, with a Bureau gauge at the intake.
A Derwent River hydro lake between Wayatinah and Repulse: brown trout and the odd Atlantic salmon in a long, narrow storage, best fished by boat, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Forth River storage where the Mersey-Forth waters meet: a big population of small brown trout below the rainforest, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Derwent hydro lagoon below Repulse and directly above Meadowbank: brown trout with rainbows common, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The headwater storage of the Wilmot River in the Mersey-Forth scheme: small browns in a fluctuating north-west lake, a boat ramp on the north-east shore, and a Bureau gauge.
A Central Highlands hydro lagoon the Inland Fishing Code names as a general-rules water: brown trout on the fly, lure and bait, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Fisher River storage at the north-west entry to the Western Lakes: wild browns, bait on one handheld rod only, good launching, with a Bureau gauge.
The big West Coast lake at Tullah: browns and rainbows among the drowned timber, open to the end of May as an extended-season water, with a Bureau gauge.
The lowest lake of the Mersey-Forth scheme, inland from Devonport and directly below Lake Barrington: brown trout close to town, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Mersey River storage directly below Lake Rowallan: brown trout in a narrow forest lake of the Mersey-Forth scheme, fished mostly by boat, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The long, narrow lake behind Reece Dam at the end of the Pieman scheme: brown trout in remote West Coast forest, fished mostly by boat, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
A West Coast storage of the Anthony scheme that IFS stocks for brook trout: a two-fish bag, the general season, and a Bureau gauge at the intake.
A Derwent River hydro lake near Ouse: a large head of brown trout between Catagunya and Cluny, best fished by boat, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Pieman scheme lake behind Bastyan Dam, with Tullah on its shore: browns and rainbows open to the end of May as an extended-season water, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The upper Mersey storage that IFS runs as a Premium Trout Fishery: browns and stocked rainbows, open October to May, with a Bureau gauge.
The plateau lagoon below the Great Lake dam at Miena: wild browns, no motorised boats, a five-fish bag, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
Launceston’s lake on the South Esk above Cataract Gorge: brown trout minutes from the city, shared with water skiers, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Bradys chain lagoon near Tarraleah that is open all year: browns and rainbows, a five-fish bag, with a Bureau gauge at the dam.
The Derwent lagoon at the hydro village of Wayatinah: small to medium browns, redfin and the odd Atlantic salmon under the general lake rules, with a caravan park on the shore and a Bureau gauge.
The North Esk east of Launceston: wild browns in the farmland and forest river above the city, with a Bureau gauge at Ballroom.
The Elizabeth River at Campbell Town in the Midlands: wild browns in a small river under the Red Bridge, with no current Bureau level series.
The lower Forth below the Wilmot junction: wild browns between the hydro lakes and the Bass Strait coast, a spring whitebait river, with a Bureau gauge.
The Clyde at Bothwell in the Central Highlands foothills: wild browns in the river that drains Lake Crescent, with a Bureau gauge at the town.
The Break O’Day River in the Fingal Valley: wild browns in a small river between St Marys and Fingal, with a Bureau gauge at Killymoon Bridge.
The George River above St Helens: trout in the fresh water and bream below, on Tasmania’s north-east coast, with a Bureau gauge at the town intake.
The Inglis River at Flowerdale near Wynyard: resident brown trout, sea-run fish near the coast and a spring whitebait run, with no current Bureau level series.
The Duck River at Scotchtown near Smithton: brown trout, sea-run fish in the tidal reaches and a spring whitebait season, with a Bureau gauge above the Scotchtown Road bridge.
The Arthur River below the Rapid in the takayna / Tarkine: brown trout and river blackfish in tannin-stained rainforest water, with no current Bureau level series.
The Coal River at Richmond, under the heritage-listed Richmond Bridge: brown trout in the Coal valley below Craigbourne, with a Bureau gauge.
The Ringarooma at Moorina in the north-east: brown trout in the old tin-mining valley, with a Bureau gauge.
The Great Forester in the north-east: brown trout and sea-run fish in the river that meets the sea near Bridport, with a Bureau gauge.
Tasmania’s Swan River at The Grange near Swansea: brown trout in the east coast river above Moulting Lagoon, with a Bureau gauge.
The Montagu River at Stuarts Road in the far north-west: brown trout and whitebait water near Smithton, with a Bureau gauge.
The Ouse River at Ashton in the Central Highlands: wild browns below the plateau, with a Bureau gauge.
The Nive River at Gowan Brae in the Central Highlands: brown trout in a highland river of the Derwent catchment, with a Bureau gauge.
The Shannon River at Hermitage below Shannon Lagoon: brown trout in a small plateau river of runs and pools, with a Bureau gauge.
The St Pauls River above the South Esk near Avoca: brown trout in the midlands, with a Bureau gauge above the junction.
The upper South Esk at the Upper Esk Road bridge: brown trout above Avoca, on the general season, with a Bureau gauge.
The Jordan River at Mauriceton in the southern midlands: brown trout in a small, dry-country river, with a Bureau gauge.
The Esperance River at Dover in the far south: brown trout in a forest river above the town, with a Bureau gauge at the intake.
The Lake River at Parknook below Woods Lake: brown trout in the midlands river toward the Macquarie, with a Bureau gauge.
The Arm River above the Mersey: brown trout in forest country below the Walls of Jerusalem, with a Bureau gauge.
The Cam River above Somerset near Burnie: brown trout in a north-west coast river, with a Bureau gauge at the intake.
The Ringarooma above Branxholm: brown trout in the upper north-east valley, with a Bureau gauge at the town intake.
Species activity across the covered waters, written for the southern year. Peak of the year: October.
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.
Seasonal surface curve for the dominant water type here, in degrees Celsius (estimated, not a reading).
Read from the agency page named on each row, on the date shown, and calculated for 2026 from the rule as written: a date written as a day of the week is computed, not copied. Species with no published closure are not listed, which is not the same as open.
| Fishery | 2026 | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown trout waters | Open 2026-08-01 to 2027-05-02 | Most waters open from the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April; designated rainbow trout waters run from the Saturday nearest 1 October to the Sunday nearest 31 May. | Inland Fisheries Service Tasmania, season dates and times, read 2026-09-23 |
| Extended-season waters | Open 2026-08-01 to 2027-05-30 | The South Esk from the Storys Creek Road bridge at Avoca to Beams Hollow, the lower Macquarie, Meander and Brumbys Creek and lakes Mackintosh and Rosebery open with most waters on the first Saturday of August and close with the rainbow waters on the Sunday nearest 31 May. | Inland Fisheries Service Tasmania, Tasmanian Inland Fishing Code 2026-27, read 2026-09-24 |
| Designated rainbow trout waters | Open 2026-10-03 to 2027-05-30 | Designated rainbow trout waters open on the Saturday nearest 1 October and close on the Sunday nearest 31 May. | Inland Fisheries Service Tasmania, Tasmanian Inland Fishing Code 2026-27, read 2026-09-24 |
| Sand flathead, south-eastern zone | Closed, no reopening date | Sand flathead may not be taken or possessed in the south-eastern zone (Whale Head to Cape Pillar, including the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, the Derwent and Frederick Henry and Norfolk bays, but not Blackman Bay) since 1 March 2026, until the notice is revoked. | NRE Tasmania, sand flathead closure (south-eastern zone), read 2026-09-27 |
| Calamari and squid, north coast | Closed 2026-09-01 to 2026-10-31 | No taking or possessing calamari or squid, or squid jigs on a line, north of Cape Grim and Cape Naturaliste from 1 September to 31 October inclusive. | NRE Tasmania, Recreational Sea Fishing Guide 2025-26, read 2026-09-27 |
| Calamari and squid, south-east | Closed 2026-10-15 to 2026-11-14 | No taking or possessing calamari or squid, or squid jigs on a line, from Lemon Rock (south of Wineglass Bay) to Whale Head, including Coles Bay and Great Oyster Bay, from 15 October to 14 November inclusive. | NRE Tasmania, Recreational Sea Fishing Guide 2025-26, read 2026-09-27 |
| Sand flathead closed south of the Dunalley Canal | Closed, no reopening date (part of the water) | Sand flathead may not be taken or possessed south and west of the southern end of the Dunalley (Denison) Canal, in Dunalley Bay and Frederick Henry and Norfolk bays, since 1 March 2026 until the notice is revoked. Blackman Bay, north-east of the canal, is outside the south-eastern zone. | NRE Tasmania, sand flathead closure (south-eastern zone), read 2026-09-29 |
Inland, Tasmania is trout: brown trout in the highland lakes and the rivers, rainbow trout in the designated rainbow waters, with most waters opening on the first Saturday of August. The Great Lake, Arthurs Lake, Lake St Clair and the western lakes are the names; Penstock Lagoon and Little Pine Lagoon are fly fishing only; and the lowland rivers around Launceston and the Derwent give the river fishing, with the Derwent below the New Norfolk Bridge open all year. In the sea, the east coast around St Helens and Swansea fishes for flathead, salmon, squid and bream in the estuaries, the Tamar is a bream and salmon estuary, and Hobart’s Derwent estuary fishes from the city.
The inland angling licence from the Inland Fisheries Service is needed by everyone from 14 up, free for juniors this season and priced by the rod. In the sea, NRE Tasmania licenses rock lobster, abalone, scallops, graball, mullet and beach seine nets and set lines, and says plainly that rod and line fishing in marine waters needs no licence. Both sets of rules, the Inland Fishing Code and the sea fishing rules, are published each season and linked from our Tasmania licence page.
Each Tasmanian water carries the daily report, the modelled tide curve on the coast and, on the lakes where a level is published through Water Data Online, the level of the lake. The season line on each inland water is computed from the rule that covers it: brown trout waters from the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April, designated rainbow trout waters from the Saturday nearest 1 October to the Sunday nearest 31 May, and the waters the service keeps open all year.
Inland, yes, from age 14: the Inland Fisheries Service angling licence, sold for one rod or two, free for juniors this season. In the sea, only for rock lobster, abalone, scallops, nets and set lines; rod and line fishing needs none. See our Tasmania licence page.
Most waters open on Saturday 1 August 2026 and close on Sunday 2 May 2027; designated rainbow trout waters run from 3 October 2026 to 30 May 2027; and a list of waters, Great Lake outside Canal Bay among them, is open all year, as the Inland Fisheries Service publishes.
More than eighty: the highland lakes and lagoons from Great Lake and Arthurs Lake to Penstock, Little Pine and the Hydro storages, the rivers by reach from the Derwent and the South Esk to the north-west streams, and the coast from Hobart and St Helens to Stanley, Strahan and the Bruny and Flinders islands.
The facts on this page were checked against these pages, from the agencies, park services and operators that manage the water on 27 September 2026; anything we could not verify was taken out.