Lake Gordon, Tasmania: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lake Gordon stands in Derwent Valley, Tasmania. The land about it is rolling hill. This is big water, about 220.19 sq km, and in a wind it behaves like a small sea. The bank is deeply indented, so shelter is easy to find in any wind. Across our Tasmania listings, few waters are bigger. New Norfolk at 70 km is the nearest place to stop. Ranelagh is 75 km and Geeveston 76 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lake Gordon

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Biodiversity records within roughly six miles include brown trout, perch and shortfin eel. The records cover the area rather than this water alone. Work Lake Gordon in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year February sits at 15°C and July at 6°C. In milder years the surface never sets. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. The shoulder seasons either side of summer are the ones to aim for. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lake Gordon. Rain lifts the level and moves fish about.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a dammed water rather than a natural one, which shows in the shape of the basin. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Lake Curly, 23 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Lake Gordon are worth checking on the day.