A fourth tagged trout has been caught as part of the Tasmanian Government’s Tagged Trout Promotion.

The $5,000 trout was caught last week by Marion ‘Rusty’ Mark at Pumphouse Bay at Arthurs Lake.  

Originally from Oregon, Rusty now calls Tasmania home, where he enjoys spending time at his shack at Wilburville on the shores of Arthurs Lake.

Rusty has been enjoying good success fly fishing Arthurs Lake this season and caught the tagged fish towards the end of an evening session last Thursday.

His neighbour told him to try Pumphouse bay as he had been having some recent success there. After landing one fish, Rusty was walking back to the car in the fading light. He spotted a big clump of weed in the shallows and thought that it would be a good spot for a fish to sit. He cast his fly over to it and a fish quickly left the cover of the weed and attacked his fly.  Rusty was pleasantly surprised to find the fish was tagged.

Rusty was unsure how he was going to spend the prize money, but he said it will likely go to upgrading his push bike or towards his trip to Europe later in the year. 

There is still time to catch a tagged trout this season, with 12 more tagged fish waiting to be caught.

Tagged trout remain at the following locations:

• Lake Mackintosh
• Lake Rowallan
• Hunstman Lake (1 tagged fish remaining)
• Yingina / Great Lake
• Bradys Lake
• Arthurs Lake (1 tagged fish remaining)
• Lake Sorell

Although the brown trout season closes on Sunday 27 April 2025, Huntsman Lake, Yingina / Great Lake and the Bradys chain of waters remain open all year round, meaning the chance to catch a tagged trout continues throughout the off-season. There are also tagged fish in Lakes Mackintosh and Rowallan, which remain open until Sunday 1 June 2025.

To claim a prize, anglers need to catch a brown trout with the correct tag and report the details of the catch, with photo evidence to the Inland Fisheries Service. Fish caught in the Tagged Trout Promotion must be kept with tag intact for verification.  

Entry to the Tasmanian Tagged Trout Promotion is open to holders of a current freshwater angling licence or persons aged under 14 who have the permission of their parent or guardian. 

The Inland Fisheries Service is currently preparing for the second year of the Tagged Trout Promotion which will kick off at the start of the 2025/26 brown trout season on Saturday 2 August 2025, with more tagged fish and more chances to win.  Details will be made available closer to the date.

For more information and full terms and conditions of the 2024/25 Tagged Trout Promotion visit www.ifs.tas.gov.au.