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This is a list of flies that I know all work well for the lakes around Miena and Bronte in Central Tasmania.

For the sake of convenience I have broken the list below up into 4 distinct sections:

1. The first table deals with "Matching the hatch" and is best read in conjunction with an article I first published in 2011 called "What trout eat – Central Tasmania". That article provides clear detail of what food sources you can expect to be on the trout's menu at different time of the year. This list provides match the hatch fly options for most of the food sources that both browns and rainbows fee on in these two lakes.
2. The second section of the list sets out my default prospecting team for each of the lakes covered by this selection.This is my go to team for these lakes when there is no describable hatch happening that I can base my team selection on.
3. Prospecting flies that work well in the highland lakes but have fixed locations in teams. The flies in that table fish best in the positions specified.
4. This last section of the list of flies that I recommend for the Highland Lakes is of 10 woolly bugger variants that have a reputation for catching fish regardless of where each of those flies are located in a Loch Style fly fishing team. This is a great selection of flies to turn too when you have a gap in a team that your putting together or you just need to try other flies in a team to get some action happening.need an extra fly for a team.

For all four lists if your only fishing two flies I would suggest that generally the middle dropper fly is the best fly to leave out as in most cases it is a smaller fly or an attractor fly.

If you only fishing one fly I suggest that the point fly is the best option.

In any case I am confident that proceeding in the way described above, putting blind luck aside, is the best way to locate fish.

Also keep in mind that it's important that you get the size of your flies right ... this chart below will help you do that with woolly buggers and their variants.

MATCHING THE HATCH

To be successful as a fly fisher it's important that you are aware of what is going around you. It's not just the weather but the little nuisances that are happening all the time that indicate what is hatching, living and dying in and on the water, the knowledge of which, can be a game changer.

It would be a foolish fly fisher that didn't match the hatch as best he or she could both in terms of fly selection but also the type of presentation and retrieve and of course the depths being fished.

Mayflies

Whilst we don't see very many full blown Mayfly hatches in NSW there is seldom a trip to the Central Highland lakes that a Mayfly hatch doesn't occur. Some Mayfly hatches are incredible in numbers and a joy to behold. If you get a chance swim swim this team.

Lake nymph

Chatto's soft hackle mallard & claret

Chironomid AKA buzzers & midge

Spending part of their life cycle in the water Chironomid are prolific in many Highland Lakes. The best hatches are in the months of November and December particularly when rising water in inundating areas where thistles have been drowned. At those time cricket score catches can be the norm rather than the exception. This team fishes well on either a floating line or a sink tip line and fished either static or slow.

Alpine buzzer

Marabou bloodworm

Black alpine buzzer

Olive alpine buzzer

Damsels

From time to time you will see little blue or red damsels on the wing. Their main source of food is Chironomid pupa and when the chironomid are on you will often find damsel nymphs predating on the chironomid pupa either in the form of newly hatched blood worm or as emergers moving toward the surface. When that is happening you will find trout feeding on both the damsel nymphs and the chironomids.

Red TBH damsel

Chatto's Eucumbene damsel

Small brown or olive damsel bugger

Small splashy surface feeders

Not strictly a hatch but from time to time you will come across legal but small fish surface feeding on who knows what. Not so important to the recreational angler but for a competition angler these small measurers can make a big difference to the outcome of the session. This team works really well to get them on the hook. Being so small and given that you will in all probability be fishing with barbless hooks these fish are surprising hard to land.

Dial bach

Lake nymph

Royal coachman - wet

Mudeyes

Whilst I have not experiences a run of mudeyes in the Central Highlands I understand that they do occur. I know that both Cuta and Bug eye mudeye occur in some of low land streams so given the propensity of bait fishers to catch them as bait I expect that they are pretty wide spread. If you do see mudeye shucks showing up on tree trunks and rocks a good natural looking mudeye imitation included in your team is undoubtedly a good idea.

Small brown woolly bugger

Chatto's mudeye

Murdoch

Spinners

Particularly on the South Esk you do see a lot of red or black spinners on the wind and I am sure they occur up on the escarpment from time to time. When that happens trout typically feed on the spinners at the exclusion of all other offerings.

Black spinner

Red or orange spinner

Yabbies

I have not seen a yabby in the Central Highlands yet but I have been assured that they are there. There are confirmed IFS reports of Cherax destructor in 'berry' being found in Great Lake and Four Springs which a particular concern as they are very destructive to rive banks. Yabbies seem to spread pretty quickly so I would not be surprised if they were now not fairy wide spread.

Medium silver TBH black sparkle bugger

Small brown woolly bugger

Small unweighted bibio bugger

MY DEFAULT TEAM OF FLIES FOR LITTLE PINE

1. The water in Little Pine is often discoloured and there is a lot of weed providing shelter for fish so a little extra flash in the flies is a good idea.
2. Type 3 line is my preferred line for Little Pine

Medium

Medium un-weighted MKII olive/orange woolly bugger

MY DEFAULT TEAM OF FLIES FOR BRONTE LAGOON

Medium gold TBH shrek

Small orange hot head damsel bugger

#10 or #12 white arse black Zulu

MY DEFAULT TEAM OF FLIES FOR PENSTOCK LAGOON

1. You are more likely to get a mayfly hatch on Penstock than any other Highland lake so I have shown of couple of mayfly inspired teams below.
2. If mayfly are not hatching use the same team as for Little Pine.
3. Whilst type 3 line is my preferred line for Penstock Lagoon when fishing wets I recomend that you fish mayflies on a full floating line.

Lake nymph

Barry lodge emerger

Highland dun

Skinny flash back PTN

Chatto's possum brush emerger

Soft hackle mallard & claret

MY DEFAULT TEAM OF FLIES FOR ARTHURS LAKE WHEN ITS FISHING WELL

1. Penstock has some of the deepest water amongst the highland lakes and the fish seem to respond better larger flies than in the other highland lakes.
2. Type 5 line is my preferred line for Arthurs Lake./li>

Medium

Medium black/red MKII woolly bugger

PROSPECTING FLIES - When using these flies in a team of three flies they are best fished in the positions nominated below.

Medium black/red MKII woolly bugger

medium olive/orange MKII woolly bugger

#10 or #12 white arse black Zulu

Small gold TBH fiona

Chatto's soft hackle mallard & claret

Medium gold TBH orange collared shrek

Dunkeld

Glass bead head olive and red cormorant

Black & red cormorant

#10 Lake nymph

These next 3 flies can be fished on either the middle dropper or the point.

Humumgus - Black and gold AKA Shuggie

Gunmetal TBH dark olive straggle fritz bugger

Red BH black straggle fritz bugger

Medium gold or orange TBH brown damsel bugger

Medium gold or orange TBH McGoo

Small blackTBH bibio bugger

Small pink TBH brown woolly bugger

PROSPECTING FLIES - These flies fish well in any position in a team of flies or as a single fly fished on the point.

I have no hesitation recommending that you substitute flies from this group into teams of flies for any fly that you just don't have the confidence in on the day or making up teams using two or three of these flies.

These flies can be fished in any position in the team of flies. Small brown woolly bugger small un-weighted olive woolly bugger Small un-weighted black woolly bugger Small un-weighted black sparkle bugger Small black and red hot head bugger Small un-weighted brown & pink hot head bugger Small un-weighted orange hot head Magoo Small to medium Gold TBH Shrek original tie {{end}} Last Updated: December 15, 2016 Author: StephenChatterton Categories: Gear & set ups, Members only, Trout