Episode 91: Derwent River Sea Trout With Plinio Taurian

Plinio’s Top Tips For Derwent Estuary Sea Trout

• There are several distinct runs of sea trout in the Derwent Estuary. In June and July there is an early run of fish that are thought to be undergoing a spawning migration. This is followed by several bait-induced runs following elvers and whitebait at various stages. The peak time to fish is mid-August and the worst times to fish are at the height of baitfish runs, when fish are overwhelmed by bait.
• Shore based fishing is best done by wading the rocky shorelines of the lower estuary. Lindisfarne, Rose Bay, Old Beach, opposite Cadbury Point and east of the Bowen bridge are all good places to try. Be careful of slipper rocks, especially during the colder months.
• From a boat, the reed and river grass lines banks above the Bowen Bridge are especially productive, with fish working along the edges of the reeds and in the alleys between reeds. Plinio keeps even electric motor use to a minimum, preferring to position his boat upwind and current and fish on the drift.
• Bite windows coincide with low light periods and the first 20 minutes of the last hour of light is especially productive. Runout tides fish best and days with some cloud cover and a little wind are more productive. Northerly winds and mild overnight temperatures usually signal good fishing.
• Plinio doesn’t try to “match the hatch” on sea trout, instead preferring to use loures that are larger and more visible among masses of baitfish.

Plinio’s Derwent Sea Trout Tackle

• Sea trout put up a harder fisht than bream, so Plinio prefers to use a 2-4 kg rod, 2500 size reel with 9lb braid and a couple of metres of 8lb leader.
• The conundrum when sea trout fishing is that small finesse lures work best on the fish but don’t perform too well on 10 -12 lb leaders. However, 6-8 lb leaders n result in losses of the better quality fish.

Plinio’s Top 3 Lures For Derwent Estuary Trout

• Ecogear MW 62F is one of Plinios favourites for fishing the shallow margins and shorelines in colours 393, 328 and 309. These lures cast well into the wind and are what Plinio will use most of the time. For sea trout, he prefers to slow roll this lure, although they can be worked with stop-starts and twitches if the slow retrieve isn’t working.
• Norries Laydown Minnow runs a little deeper and works well if the fish are a little deeper and playing hard to get.
• Smiths MD 70 is a in cherry blood is medium diving lure that is very useful if the fish are a little quiet. It’s fished in the same way as the MW 62F.
• Ecogear 3″ Power Shad Paddle Tail on a 1/16 oz, 1/0 jig head. These swim high up in the water and are great when fishing weedy areas or if the fish aren’t taking the hard bodies. They have a wide side to side roll that sea trout love.