Stocking in response to recent rains

In response to the recent increase in water levels the IFS has had the opportunity to reinvigorate a number of fisheries that have suffered as a result of the drought over the past two seasons. Lake Leake, Tooms Lake, Craigbourne Dam and Pawleena Lagoon have all benefited from the recent rains as water levels at these storages have risen considerably. This is particularly good news for Southern anglers who have missed out on nearby fisheries such as Craigbourne Dam and Pawleena Lagoon, the former being a regular haunt for Hobart based anglers over the winter and traditionally closed season months.

Craigbourne was at 60% of capacity at the start of the second week of July and 520 adult brown trout from Arthurs Lake were transferred there by the end of that week. An additional 900 brown trout fingerlings (average 35 grams) were also stocked into Craigbourne during July. These stockings will hopefully help this fishery which has lost many of its population of trout during the harsh dry spell that left the lake at less than 1% of its water holding capacity. Craigbourne is known for its Atlantic salmon fishery and there is good news on that front too with 300 salmon to be stocked there in the third week of July, these fish should average 4 kg. Hopefully water levels will rise enough for the boat ramp to be serviceable by the time this stocking occurs.

Pawleena Lagoon as small fishery near Sorell has been a handy "local" fishery for Southern based anglers in the past, now is at full capacity. The IFS has restocked this fishery with 220 adult brown trout from the Central Highlands spawning runs with the possibility of juveniles to come.

Tooms Lake which was a very reliable and popular fishery until 2006, when the drought significantly reduced the water levels and resulted in blue-green algal blooms, has risen dramatically to within one metre of full from a low of 19% in March 2009. Whilst the brown trout population would have been reduced there should still be sufficient to provide some good fishing. The IFS aims to supplement this fishery with catchable sized rainbows when they become available from commercial hatcheries. Stocking of juvenile brown and rainbow trout will occur in Autumn 2010 from the IFS New Norfolk Hatchery. This fishery will hopefully return to the productive and popular water that it once was.

Lake Leake is another fishery on the road to recovery and has come within a metre of full supply as of the second week of July. The existing stocks at Lake Leake should provide good fishing for the coming season and the fish will improve in condition because of the newly flooded ground on which they can now forage. The IFS plans to stock wild rainbow fingerlings there during Autumn 2010.

In some cases the increase in rainfall has actually worked against plans to reinvigorate fisheries. At Lake Barrington there were plans to restock with Atlantic salmon, however due to the lake spilling this has been put on hold until water levels abate.