THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Terrific Tasmanian Trout
Tasmania’s Central Highlands are world renowned for not only their magnificent natural scenery, but their exceptional trout fishing.
Story and photos Alistair McGlashan
Tasmania’s best, and most famous, trout fishing is found in the Central Highlands. Making up the heart of the state, the Central Highlands are wild, harsh, spectacular and certainly earn their World Heritage status. Introduced in 1864, trout have flourished in the cold climate and are now well established in the highlands’ 3000-plus lakes.
Many of the lakes are natural bodies of water that are fed by the
area’s high rainfall. Others have been enlarged to support the country’s
hydroelectric
scheme. Established more than eighty years ago, Tasmania’s hydro scheme
has linked many of the lakes by an elaborate system of rivers and channels,
in
an effort to supply the island with power. Inadvertently, the scheme has
helped to enhance the fishing to the point that it is now considered one
of the world’s best still-water trout fisheries. 
Full story OUTBACK Issue 35 June/July 2004
