(^32) FLYLIFE
T
his lake has trout in it! A fish is
finally sighted. It is cruising very
slowly, close to the bank in shal-
low water, and it looks bigger
than usual. It is mid-afternoon on
a glorious January day, and this is
the first fish we have seen in the last
six lakes and 18 km explored.
Such a situation may sound famil-
iar to some Western Lakes addicts,
who repeatedly return to explore the
remote area west of Great Lake in Tas-
mania’s central highlands. The whole
addiction is more about searching than
fishing, even though the fishing can be
as good as it gets. The conundrum is
that there are hundreds of lakes full of
Rick Stuart-Smith walks the path of fewer trout
in Tasmania’s Western Lakes.
Dead-Enders
Shores with vegetation overhanging a deeper channel are good places to search for bigger fish.
A good fish found cruising an extensive shallow flat takes off like a bonefish.GREG FRENCH