Tasmania

My biggest ever Brown Trout

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I can now reveal that during my recent trip down-under to Tasmania, I caught my biggest ever wild brown trout.
Chris Bassano, my good friend and ex-Derbyshire cricketer, was my guide on the Lower Derwent River.  We both saw the fish move before casting to it, but neither of us realised just how big it was!

Closer to 30lbs than 20lbs was our considered estimate, but we did not have scales and we also wanted to release it, so in truth, we will never know.  However, I have caught scores of 20lb plus pike and plenty of 20lb plus lakers from Northern Canada, so I have a pretty good idea about estimating weights.  Chris too is expert on estimating brown trout, having weighed a 28lb brownie for one of his clients in the previous week - and that was from another river!

If you want to read more about this amazing fish and see more pictures of my trip to Tasmania, then get this month's Trout Fisherman Magazine as they have the exclusive story.  Take a look at the picture below and see what you think.

1st decent Chew pike of the new season

In my last blog I reported on how difficult it has been to locate the pike on Chew this season.  Lots of things have conspired to make things tricky, but I finally landed a decent 17.08 cracker yesterday.  Armed with my new-found confidence, I was looking forward to finding a few more today, only to be scuppered by 25mph winds and all boats on Chew cancelled!

Tomorrow it looks like the winds will ease and the weekend looks good - so I'm hoping my clients and I have some decent fishing.

JH and Chris Bassano with the monster Tassie Brownie
JH with 17.08 Chew pike

See John on Sky TV's Tight Lines this Friday

I'm looking forward to going into the Tight Lines Studio "Bothy" to chat over my recent Cayman Islands trip with presenter Keith Arthur.
We will be watching footage from the trip, where I caught bonefish, tarpon and a host of other species on the fly rod.

Little Cayman really is a wonderful location and a tropical island paradise - the fishing is great too!

We will also be discussing thoughts on the coming trout fly fishing season and talking about the methods most likely to bring success.
The show goes out on Sky Sports 3 at 6:00pm this Friday, 9th March 2012.

Back from Tasmania

My trip to Tasmania was truly awesome.  I have always felt, from my previous visits, that Tasmania had the best stillwater trout fly fishing in the World and my feelings have not changed one bit.  In fact, having driven all over the island on my travels, I now know that there are a multitude of lakes and rivers to fish - not just the better known waters of the Highlands region.

The Gum Beetles didnt put in much of a show during the sunny afternoons, but as soon as the cloud covered the sun, mayflies (known there as Duns) hatched in their thousands.  Early morning and late evenings gave us opportunities for tailing fish in the margins, while the sunnier days helped us to "polaroid" fish in open water.  These are techniques that we simply do not encounter back home.

We even had some time for a sea fishing trip out from Port Arthur aboard Steve Gilbert's boat Moonshine.  We were after Tuna, but due to calm seas, they were elusive.  We did get 6 hits and 2 Albacore to the boat, plus a heap of Gurnard, flathead, perch and striped trumpeter to baits fished 300 feet below the boat!

But it was the rivers that were the real eye openers.  Huge wild trout from tiny streams and creeks - wild rainbows and browns from tumbling rivers as clear as the river Test.  I caught my biggest ever wild brownie from a river no wider than a minor road.  Keep your eyes out for it in Trout Fisherman magazine as they have the exclusive in pics and words next month.

www.lexusflyfishing.co.uk now fully updated

The Lexus Web Site is now fully operational and updated for the 2012 season.

Download an Entry Form for Individuals or Teams from the site and follow the progress of each and every match as it unfolds throughout the year.

The first Individual Heat is at Llyn Llandegfedd in South Wales this coming Sunday, 11th March 2012.  Llandeg has been fishing it's head off since opening day and loads of overwintered rainbows are being caught.

It's not too late to enter this Heat, just email lexus@johnhorsey.co.uk to reserve your place.

Drifting on Arthurs Lake
Cracking Brownie from Woods lake
Albacore fresh from the sea!

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