While Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) staff in our New Norfolk office were chatting with a local anger who was contemplating buying an angling licence for the 2025-26 season — in walked Allan Kelly, saying “he’d just caught a brown ‘slob’ trout with a tag in it”.

Allan, who splits his time between Scotland and Tasmania, was staying with his daughter near New Norfolk. October’s wild weather had kept him indoors, with gale-force winds making it hard to get out and about. Cabin fever set in, and his daughter suggested he go trout fishing to shake off the boredom. Having grown up in Scotland, Allan has caught more than his fair share of trout and salmon…hundreds, in fact.

So off Allan went to Service Tas to buy a seven-day licence to cover the rest of his visit.

Armed with a black and gold soft plastic lure and a good eye for trout-holding snags in the River Derwent, he headed out on a drizzly, overcast day. His first cast downstream came up empty. But the second cast landed hard against a snag — and boom! A trout smashed the lure! After a solid fight, Allan landed the fish and popped it into his creel.

It wasn’t until he got home and went to clean the fish that he noticed the yellow tag. Unaware of the tagged trout promotion, he put the fish in the freezer for a meal later in the week. It was only when he mentioned the catch to his neighbour, a keen trout angler himself, that he learnt about the two $5,000 tagged trout released into the River Derwent at the start of the season.

So, Allan wandered into the IFS office and said, “I caught this trout with a tag in it. My neighbour reckons I should check with you guys to see if it’s any good.” It was definitely good…$5,000 good!

The tagged brown trout measured 420 mm and weighed over 1 kg…a nice, fat fish.

After having his photo taken, Allan quickly sent the picture to his brother in WA to let him know who the better angler was. Being a very accomplished fisher, Allan also shared some great trout catching tips with IFS staff.

And the local angler who was contemplating buying a licence? He didn’t hesitate to buy one after hearing Allan’s story.

There’s still another $5,000 tagged trout swimming somewhere in the River Derwent, likely between the Bridgewater and New Norfolk bridges. Plus, there are another 27 prize-tagged trout across the state — including the yet-to-be-caught $25,000 brown trout from Yingina / Great Lake.

With the wind easing and water temperatures rising, now’s a great time to try your luck.

For more details on where to catch a prize-tagged trout, visit the Inland Fisheries Service website: www.ifs.tas.gov.au/tasmanian-tagged-trout-promotion-2025-26