Arthur's Lake

Our guiding business and reputation has been built upon the magnificent fishing (both from boat and shore) available at Arthurs Lake. Arthurs is a short 20 minute drive from Rainbow Lodge and has three main access points – Jonah Bay, Pump House Bay and The Dam Wall. We generally launch our boats at either the Dam Wall or at Jonah Bay depending upon the prevailing or forecast conditions and where we want to fish. We often fish in the Sand Lake side of Arthurs, fishing the Morass and bays along the eastern side of Brazendale Island and also on the eastern shore of the lake. The fishing varies as the season ebbs and flows, however Arthurs Lake provides the best and most reliable opportunity for good sight fishing and hunting.

Arthur's Lake over the season:

September:
September sees us looking for fish in the shallows seeking out all manner of food. Later in September will often have some tailing trout in shallow and weed fringed shores, as well as the first of the stonefly hatches. Some windlane fishing is available if midges begin to hatch. Generally September is a good wet fly month, with drifting likely shores and deeper places yielding good rewards for persistent wet fly fishing. Deep nymphing also produces well over established scud and snail beds.

October:
As the spring extends into October we start to see more stoneflies hatching as well as a few terrestrial beetles, such as gum beetles. It depends from season to season whether these great insects turn up, but we generally get a few. October really spells the start of the sight fishing with reliable tailing action of a morning and evening or during overcast and cloudy days. Polaroiding is also starting to become worthwhile on sunny days, especially over shallow weedy areas. The deep water polaroiding can also be very good if we get some insects up on top. Windlanes also start to become increasingly more reliable and standard loch style wet fly fishing gets to its spring best. Sink line wet fly fishing is also very productive – especially with Dirty Harry style flies.

November:
One of the nicest months on Arthurs Lake – we see the start of reliable dry fly fishing where fish will rise up to searching dries. The tailing action is first class and by the middle of the month we expect to see the first of the mayflies, particularly in shallow water. Polaroiding and shallow water sight fishing is excellent as are the windlane opportunities when they present them selves. By the end of the month the mayflies should be almost a regular feature, however it does vary with the seasons. Deep water polaroiding is also reliable, especially for beetle and mayfly feeders. Nymphing is also a great standby, with some good and large fish falling to a slow fished brown nymph.

December:
December heralds the real start to the mayfly season and summer. As a result this is one of our busiest periods. The weather can be unseasonably rough at this time of year; however this can stir up some terrific action if you can put up with 20 knots of wind up your kilt! Beetle falls on warm days are excellent, as are the spinner falls of an afternoon. Dun hatches can start as early as 10am, so it pays to be ready for a prompt start to the day. This month is an excellent sight fishing month, with winds from all directions providing the action. Easterlies can be the best, with sprinkles of beetles coming off the points and westerlies producing excellent deep water dry fly fishing. Tailing action does tend to taper off, however different water levels can mean this action might continue till after Christmas. Shallow water wade polaroiding is also excellent at this time. The period between Christmas and New Year sees plenty of locals out on the water, but there is plenty of room for everyone.

January:
January is a wonderful month – part of the summer triumvirate. January has the best of spring, the best of summer and often the best of the fishing. The mayfly hatch is consistent during this month, especially on cloudy days with a little rain. Sunny days will see the duns hatching early, while spinner falls in the afternoon will keep you on your toes. Polaroiding is a staple technique, both in shallow water and out in the deeps. Beetles generally are a little thin on the water, but the general run of fish are just looking for a feed – making non descript dries the best option. Nymphs are a great option prior to the hatch, especially fished slowly around the weed beds and tree lines adjacent to our best mayfly bays.

February:
February continues on where January left off, with mayfly hatches still coming off well and more beetles starting to show. Muggy days also see ant falls, which can produce some awesome fishing. The sight fishing continues to be the best option – polaroiding is terrific in the deeper water as well as the shallows if they haven’t warmed up too much. Dun hatches early of a morning on sunny days are sublime, and late afternoon rises to beetles are events to dream of. Towards the end of the month the fish begin to show signs of preparation for the spawning season as the female fish start to develop roe. The duns begin to hatch with a little less intensity and the days begin to shorten, however the fish soon start to look for beetles, small jassids, ants and other terrestrials.

March:
March is a real change of season month. The mayflies usually become sparser in their hatches, although the fish usually eat as many as they can find. On days where there are no duns and no beetles the fishing can be challenging unless you are prepared to fish nymphs down deep, interspersed with some searching dry fly fishing. Big dries are often the answer at this time of year, particularly big stimulators, Madam X and Mutant Beetles. The second half of the month can be good as the beetles fall, and in some years this is when we can expect to see the jassids fall. Jassids lead to some awesome fishing as the trout just love to eat these little red devils. Wet fly fishing becomes very effective as the trout begin to get quite aggressive as they prepare for spawning.

April:
April is the last month of the season, but is often one of the best. April is the best month for good wet fly fishing as well as good dry fly fishing if the beetles fall. It doesn’t take many beetles to get the trout up and looking during April – and the deep water polaroiding is particularly good – as is shallow water polaroiding for that matter. Towards the end of the month the fish start to congregate in certain areas of the lake, making for some very reliable wet fly fishing. This often means using intermediate lines or attaching sinking poly leaders to floating lines and using two or three bigger wet flies. Traditional loch style fishing also accounts for plenty of fish. The crowds of summer have usually left the lake, meaning a very pleasant and relaxed atmosphere while out searching for fish – Autumn is a lovely time indeed.

Neil Grose Guided Fishing & Rainbow Lodge - Tasmania Arthur's Lake
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Our guiding business and reputation has been built upon the magnificent fishing (both from boat and shore) available at Arthurs Lake. Arthurs is a short 20 minute drive from Rainbow Lodge and has three main access points – Jonah Bay, Pump House Bay and The Dam Wall. We generally launch our boats at either the Dam Wall or at Jonah Bay depending upon the prevailing or forecast conditions and where we want to fish. We often fish in the Sand Lake side of Arthurs, fishing the Morass and bays along the eastern side of Brazendale Island and also on the eastern shore of the lake. The fishing varies as the season ebbs and flows, however Arthurs Lake provides the best and most reliable opportunity for good sight fishing and hunting. Arthur's Lake over the season: September: September sees us looking for fish in the shallows seeking out all manner of food. Later in September will often have some tailing trout in shallow and weed fringed shores, as well as the first of the stonefly hatches. Some windlane fishing is available if midges begin to hatch. Generally September is a good wet fly month, with drifting likely shores and deeper places yielding good rewards for persistent wet fly fishing. Deep nymphing also produces well over established scud and snail beds. October: As the spring extends into October we start to see more stoneflies hatching as well as a few terrestrial beetles, such as gum beetles. It depends from season to season whether these great insects turn up, but we generally get a few. October really spells the start of the sight fishing with reliable tailing action of a morning and evening or during overcast and cloudy days. Polaroiding is also starting to become worthwhile on sunny days, especially over shallow weedy areas. The deep water polaroiding can also be very good if we get some insects up on top. Windlanes also start to become increasingly more reliable and standard loch style wet fly fishing gets to its spring best. Sink line wet fly fishing is also very productive – especially with Dirty Harry style flies. November: One of the nicest months on Arthurs Lake – we see the start of reliable dry fly fishing where fish will rise up to searching dries. The tailing action is first class and by the middle of the month we expect to see the first of the mayflies, particularly in shallow water. Polaroiding and shallow water sight fishing is excellent as are the windlane opportunities when they present them selves. By the end of the month the mayflies should be almost a regular feature, however it does vary with the seasons. Deep water polaroiding is also reliable, especially for beetle and mayfly feeders. Nymphing is also a great standby, with some good and large fish falling to a slow fished brown nymph. December: December heralds the real start to the mayfly season and summer. As a result this is one of our busiest periods. The weather can be unseasonably rough at this time of year; however this can stir up some terrific action if you can put up with 20 knots of wind up your kilt! Beetle falls on warm days are excellent, as are the spinner falls of an afternoon. Dun hatches can start as early as 10am, so it pays to be ready for a prompt start to the day. This month is an excellent sight fishing month, with winds from all directions providing the action. Easterlies can be the best, with sprinkles of beetles coming off the points and westerlies producing excellent deep water dry fly fishing. Tailing action does tend to taper off, however different water levels can mean this action might continue till after Christmas. Shallow water wade polaroiding is also excellent at this time. The period between Christmas and New Year sees plenty of locals out on the water, but there is plenty of room for everyone. January: January is a wonderful month – part of the summer triumvirate. January has the best of spring, the best of summer and often the best of the fishing. The mayfly hatch is consistent during this month, especially on cloudy days with a little rain. Sunny days will see the duns hatching early, while spinner falls in the afternoon will keep you on your toes. Polaroiding is a staple technique, both in shallow water and out in the deeps. Beetles generally are a little thin on the water, but the general run of fish are just looking for a feed – making non descript dries the best option. Nymphs are a great option prior to the hatch, especially fished slowly around the weed beds and tree lines adjacent to our best mayfly bays. February: February continues on where January left off, with mayfly hatches still coming off well and more beetles starting to show. Muggy days also see ant falls, which can produce some awesome fishing. The sight fishing continues to be the best option – polaroiding is terrific in the deeper water as well as the shallows if they haven’t warmed up too much. Dun hatches early of a morning on sunny days are sublime, and late afternoon rises to beetles are events to dream of. Towards the end of the month the fish begin to show signs of preparation for the spawning season as the female fish start to develop roe. The duns begin to hatch with a little less intensity and the days begin to shorten, however the fish soon start to look for beetles, small jassids, ants and other terrestrials. March: March is a real change of season month. The mayflies usually become sparser in their hatches, although the fish usually eat as many as they can find. On days where there are no duns and no beetles the fishing can be challenging unless you are prepared to fish nymphs down deep, interspersed with some searching dry fly fishing. Big dries are often the answer at this time of year, particularly big stimulators, Madam X and Mutant Beetles. The second half of the month can be good as the beetles fall, and in some years this is when we can expect to see the jassids fall. Jassids lead to some awesome fishing as the trout just love to eat these little red devils. Wet fly fishing becomes very effective as the trout begin to get quite aggressive as they prepare for spawning. April: April is the last month of the season, but is often one of the best. April is the best month for good wet fly fishing as well as good dry fly fishing if the beetles fall. It doesn’t take many beetles to get the trout up and looking during April – and the deep water polaroiding is particularly good – as is shallow water polaroiding for that matter. Towards the end of the month the fish start to congregate in certain areas of the lake, making for some very reliable wet fly fishing. This often means using intermediate lines or attaching sinking poly leaders to floating lines and using two or three bigger wet flies. Traditional loch style fishing also accounts for plenty of fish. The crowds of summer have usually left the lake, meaning a very pleasant and relaxed atmosphere while out searching for fish – Autumn is a lovely time indeed.
© Flyguide Publications 2004