As the old saying goes, “Ten percent of anglers catch ninety percent of the fish”, and Leo Oakley is definitely one of that ten percent!

A long-time licence holder and passionate trout angler, Leo has spent much of his life fishing across Tasmania. He is often found at his retirement shack in the highlands and regularly travels the state with a few mates chasing trout.

This week, Leo headed up to his shack for a bit of maintenance, hoping to squeeze in a fishing session or two between the recent gales. That decision paid off handsomely when he hooked and landed the first $5,000 tagged trout of the 2025–26 season at Bradys Lake!

Although Leo usually prefers fly fishing, the 10–20 knot winds prompted him to troll along a sheltered shoreline toward one of his secret spots. Just as he arrived, he got a hook-up and carefully played a fat little rainbow trout to the boat. Having already caught a couple of keepers, he planned to release it, but as he handled the fish, he spotted a yellow tag.

Just a week earlier, Leo had caught a tagged brown trout at Big Waterhouse Lake, but it turned out to be part of an IFS research project and not eligible for a prize. This time, however, he was $5,000 richer and the best part…he caught it on a lure he made himself - the “Oakley Special.”

The tagged rainbow trout measured 37 cm and weighed around 0.8 kg. It was one of eight trout Leo landed that day - six browns and two rainbows! Its a ten-percent thing!

There are still three $5,000 tagged trout remaining in the Bradys chain, and another twenty-six prize-tagged trout waiting to be caught across the state, including the first tagged trout caught from Yingina / Great Lake that is worth a whopping $25,000.

Get Your Rods Ready!

There is still lots of time to land a prize-winning trout this season.

Whether you're a seasoned angler or just getting started, grab your gear, buy an angling licence, hit the water, and you could be the next big winner!

Check out the full list of waters with tagged trout:
www.ifs.tas.gov.au/tasmanian-tagged-trout-promotion-2025-26