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I Have only fished the Upper Derwent River a few times now around November between  2005 and 2009 Nationals so I am by no means an expert on this fishery. Having said that I have researched it and this information may be helpful. The general flows have been around 50 cubic meters per second (50 cubics) but on 2 occasions it was a much more less daunting  34 cubics. At that level it's quite manageable if you get a beat that doesn’t have the mother and law stone eroded slots. The river is regularly seeded by Inland Fisheries with 30-35 cm rainbows and if your fishing soon after a seeding you will find those fish holding in the faster runs and particularly over any gravel sections.

At 34 cubics the wading without a wading stick it's pretty easy going in beats with good bottoms but I suggest that you start off with a wading stick until you determine what the bottom is like. To get to good water even at 34 cubics you may have to wade right up to the top of your full length waders and of course at heavier flows the best of the waters may nor even be approachable. The bottom can however be quite treacherous if you don’t have that gravely/ small free stone bottom.

How to get there

If you travel by from Hobart to to the central highland by the Lyell Highway up the Derwent Valley the Derwent River will be beside or within a couple of kilometres most of the time. Quite a lot of the upper Derwent is accessible off the road in its lower reached but the further you move up the more likely you are going to need owner permissions to access the river.

For detailed maps search Upper Google River on Google Earth.

Open season

The majority of rivers in Tasmania including most of the Derwent River are open from 1st Saturday in August to the Sunday closest to the end of April except for those listed as Waters closed or opened for specific periods or waters closed at all times to fishing. For more information go to http://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/ifs/goingfishing/regulations/open-dates-and-times

Services & facilities available

There are quite a few small towns scattered throughout the Derwent Valley just short distances away from the Derwent River including New Norfolk, Gretna, Hamilton and Ouse.

Target species

Browns and rainbows and possibly sea run trout right up to where the Tyenna flows in. Size ranges from the seeded 30-35 cm rainbows right up to large browns, rainbows and sea run trout which chase small white bait type fish. Fish hold both in the seams, in behind and in front of runs and along the banks particularly where trees form a bit of structure and in terfear with the flow of the river.

Food chain

Normal river nymphs, small native fish and terrestrials prevail.

• What trout eat - central Tasmania

Techniques

Rod:

This is a big river and if your going to cover the water effectively I suggest you have two rods set up.

1. Because there is always a chance of a sea run trout or a bigger fish I lean toward a #6 weight 10’ rod with #6 weight fast sink line for larger flies and swinging. If your having trouble casting three flies drop down to just two. Probably a weighted woolly bugger, nymph or English wet on the top dropper and less weighted flies on the point. If your fishing three flies put an Alexandra or a flash back nymph on the middle dropper.
2. It's less likely that you will pick up a sea run trout on the surface so for my dry fly fishing I like my 10’ #4 weight river rod.  My set up has a loop at the end of the fly line and as a consequence I can swap between the wet fly leader described above to fish the edges and softer water with the wet leader as well as a dedicated dry fly leader.

Line:

Unless there are fish rising fish with the heavier rod and and a #6 weight type 5 sink line. Its hard work fishing this set up, particularly with three flies, for extended periods when standing chest deep in a fast river so every now and again give your self a break and swap to the lighter rod and floating line with either  a dry fly or wet leader and give the margins and softer water a work over.

Leaders:

Unless there are rising fish I resort to swinging flies as my main technique for the Derwent. My dedicated swinging flies leader set up does not include any indicator and is made up as follows:

• A butt section consisting of a 60 cm section of .30 mm of Maxima Ultragreen and a further 60 cm section of .25 mm Maxima Ultragreen.
• For a 3 fly rig I add 1.8 meters of fluorocarbon tipper with the fist fly dropper just 30 cm down the tippet from the butt section (i.e. 1.50 meters from the fly line) the middle dropper is 70 cm below the top dropper and the point fly is 80 cm below that. This three fly rig gives me an overall length of around 3 meters long.
• For a 2 fly rig I add 1.5 meters of fluorocarbon tipper with the fist fly dropper just 50 cm down the tippet from the butt section (i.e. 1.70 meters from the fly line) and the point fly is up to 1 meter below that.This three fly rig gives me an overall length of around  2.7 meters long.

If fish are rising I would certainly start off with, or swap over to, my dry fly leader set up which  is the same as above but when fishing dry flies just blank droppers and a fly on the point.

Fly suggestions

Bead head nymphs
Bead head spiders
Nymphs, spiders, carixia and shrimp
Midge pupa, grubs and snails
Streamers & pulling flies
Hoppers, locust & crickets
Emergers
My favourite buggers

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