Atlantic salmon in Lake Kara

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John Diggle, Director of Inland Fisheries, with a salmon released into Lake Kara on a previous stocking trip

Lake Kara is a small man made reservoir on the North West Coast. Built by volunteers, Lake Kara was opened for fishing in 1969.

Yesterday (4 August 2016) we stocked Lake Kara with Atlantic salmon.  300 fish averaged 1.5kg and were kindly donated by SALTAS at Wayatinah. This will be a great place to start the new season

Lake Kara wasn’t always an Atlantic Salmon Fishery.  In 2012 we decided to try something different.

We’d been trying and failing to get Atlantic salmon into Lake Barrington due to it spilling. So we thought maybe Lake Kara was worth a go.  We could create a put and take fishery with ex-brood stock Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout.

The first salmon stocking was well received by local anglers. Lake Kara was again a fishing destination for Burnie and the northwest. Since 2012 we have stocked the lake eight times with a mix of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout. The fish have ranged from 1.8 kg to 5kg. Add a couple of brown trout adult stockings to keep things ticking over and this fishery provides good rewards to those that fish there.

The lake has good shore access along the dam wall and around the northern end. Bait fishers and lure casters do well here. There is scope to launch small boats or kayaks to give better access to the fish.

Lake Kara is open from Saturday 6 of August 2016 until Sunday 30 April 2017.  You can fish with bait, artificial lures or fly.  There is a 5 fish bag limit with a minimum length of 300mm and only 2 over 500mm allowed to be kept. Find out more in the Lake Kara Angler Access fact sheet

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