Our entomologist member Jaime brought this new book to our attention.

“An essential reference on Tasmania’s diverse mayflies, ideal for aquatic biologists and flyfishers.”

Jaime tells me:

A new book about Tasmanian Mayflies with biologist and fly-fishing orientation has been just published. I have been waiting for it for about 2 years. I was one of the reviewers when it was in the process of publication so I can testify that it’s a great book. It has very good biology/ecology/behavioural information. On top of that – because the scientist who wrote it has been a fly fisherman for more than 20 years – it includes a good chunk of fishing suggestions, eg. flies to mimic the natural patterns, when and where they occur, regional colour variations, etc. I haven’t seen a book that combines the 2 approaches (taxonomy/ biology and fly-fishing) together so well. Several of the species in the book occur also in VIC and NSW, so the information can be useful for us here.

$59.99. Order it here.

https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/8073/

The proposed changes have come about. Admittedly it only effects a small number of rivers and small sections at that, but the changes are significant. The latest Fish and Game Newsletter had a snippet:

A heap of Designated Waters Licences have also been sold.
The Designated Waters system has replaced the Backcountry system and is designed to see Kiwi anglers get a fairer share on some of the waterways that Fish & Game’s research has shown are subject to too much pressure – around two per cent of the country’s rivers.
The new licence category will help us manage angling pressure by spreading angling effort around so that it isn’t concentrated in certain areas, which detracts from the angling experience and also has the potential to negatively impact the fisheries.
Over the past ten years, Fish & Game has received increasing complaints from resident and non-resident anglers regarding overcrowding in a small number of fisheries that will now be managed through the Designated Waters Licence.
Our research and monitoring show that a small percentage of non-resident anglers will intensely fish in a local area, putting pressure on the fishery and displacing other anglers. We’ve implemented this new fisheries management tool to help address that imbalance.
In some fisheries, angler use has gone from a roughly 50:50 resident-to-non-resident split (in the early 2000s) to an 80:20 split favouring non-resident anglers. In most cases, pressure-sensitive fisheries, now managed through the Designated Waters Licence, share common features. The rivers have very clear water, offer excellent sight fishing, hold large average-size trout, have high scenic value, and are often located in a wilderness or backcountry setting.

These Designated Water Licences are only available for those with a Season Licence. I’ve not been able to see the authoritative cost/conditions but this article by South FlyFisher may be correct.

For those who frequent Southland the only Designated Water is the Upper Oreti. More information here.

Danny Spelic is a local fishing notable and has given talks at our club in the past. He also runs recreational fishing courses at the CIT. The next four are running soon. Cost per course is $320 (4 x 3 hour sessions over 4 weeks) and is payable to the CIT. Details online at:

https://citsolutions.edu.au/courses/at_home/lifestyle_and_fitness

The four courses are:

The AGM will be fully reported in the next Burley Line including our new (slightly changed – congratulations Ryan!) Committee, however there were some other important outcomes.

The 2023-24 program on the member’s card has a few errors so our Secretary will be emailing out a corrected program. I think the 2023-24 program on our website is correct, but I’ll amend it if Secretary’s email has any differences. The website program has incorporated the planned flytying schedule. Both are always subject to change, but any changes will be promulgated.

With the start of a new ‘trophy season’, the ‘rate my catch’ calculator has been reviewed. The calculator is the basis for comparing our different natives species for the Keith Shield trophy. It is based on DPI Fisheries legal minimum lengths and ANSA length records for line caught fish. Each are subject to possible change. As it happens there’s been none since we established the calculator in 2017.

Fascinating read has just come in. For those who have been asking about Tiger Trout there is some info.