Anglers couldn't have wished for better weather for the start of the 2026-27 brown trout season!

Over the years, getting out for a fish across ‘opening weekend’ has become a tradition passed on from generation to generation, and this year was no exception! It was great to see so many young anglers with their families having fun in the sun and catching the prized brown and rainbow trout from waters around the State.

Inland Fisheries Service Officers, supported by staff from the Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania Police and Marine and Safety Tasmania, were out and about, assisting with information and checking to make sure everyone was doing the right thing. Across Saturday and Sunday, over 400 anglers were asked about their experience during the weekend and the results of their angling efforts. Pleasingly, only 16 offences were detected, with most of those being cautions for boat safety equipment issues. 

There was no shortage of quality fish caught this opening weekend with some great fish coming from a number of waters including – the River Derwent, Lake Pedder, Lake Meadowbank, Four Springs Lake, Blackmans Lagoon, Big Waterhouse Lagoon, Curries River Reservoir, Tooms Lake, Bronte Lagoon, Penstock Lagoon, Little Pine Lagoon, lakes Duncan and Lynch, Lake Echo, the Brady’s chain, Lake Mikany and the Mersey River….just to name a few.

Also, as a reminder there are some great opportunities this season to make fishing more accessible:

• Children under 14 can fish without a licence.
• Junior anglers (14–17 years) still require a licence, but it remains free.
• Young anglers (18–21 years) can take advantage of the discounted Young Angler Licence.
• Anglers aged 80 and over can now access discounted licences, encouraging their continued participation in Tasmania's inland fishery.

Get your licence from Service Tasmania, participating tackle stores, or online at the IFS website.

The Inland Fisheries Service is continuing the Tasmanian Tagged Trout Promotion for the 2026-27 trout fishing season. There are even more chances to win with a total of 45 tagged trout released into 13 different waters across the state. 

The first tagged trout captured from Yingina / Great Lake will win $25,000! All other tagged trout from Yingina / Great Lake and around Tasmania during the Promotion will win $5,000 (conditions apply). 

For more information, updates on tagged trout captures and the full terms and conditions of the promotion, visit: Tasmanian Tagged Trout Promotion - Inland Fisheries Service 2026-27.

There will also be more exciting tagged trout promotion updates to come later in the season, so stay tuned for updates!

Here's looking forward to a great 2026-27 fishing season.  Tight lines!