Combine some local knowledge and an adventurous spirit and Tasmania offers the unique enticement of finding a spot all of your own. It is the kind of adventure fishers dream of. Justin O’Shannassy turned that dream into a reality.

Justin made the move to Tasmania in 2005. After over 30 fishing trips in the state, he decided it was time to pack up the family and make the move for good. “The fishing is great and the setting is too. I wanted my family to experience Tasmania’s beauty and live it.”

Justin O’Shannassy showing off his latest catch

Justin remarks that, despite the open wilderness, he feels like he is never fishing alone. “It’s not just the endless supply of fishing, but endless interactions with wildlife too. I’m regularly greeted by wombats and quolls coming out to see what I’m up to. Even the wedgetail eagles come and join me.”

Justin is convinced that it is the vast amount of wilderness and endless locations for casting a line that makes for perfect fishing in Tasmania: “Sitting out on the water, with nothing but the big, blue sky overhead. I’ve been out with a lot of visitors to Tassie, and they all tell me how big our sky is down here. I think it’s the endless horizon”.

Tasmania’s brown trout season runs from the first Saturday of August in any year to the Sunday nearest 30 April in the following year, so grab your mates and head out for a day of relaxation, sunshine and tonight’s dinner. The Inland Fisheries Service outlines all of the details around seasons, licensing, access and catch limits, along with great seasonal advice. Make sure you check it out.

Tasmania is the perfect place for a fishing trip and an even better place to call home for a lifetime of endless fishing.