The month of October is a pretty interesting time in the south. The Derwent's sea run trout are still on the go and our famous big black bream are starting to make their selves known again after relatively quiet times through the cooler months.

Whitebait schools can be found readily as the big tides expose the channel edges and with them some good trout can be picked off busting up chasing a feed.

The baitfish have slight colour variations, so along with the brown and silver baitfish there are olive colourations and some with a bright orange stripe. A particular Strike Pro Flatz Minnow is a perfect match and fishes very well. The Rusty Ayu Daiwa Presso also fishes well at this time of the year on the trout and bream.

It's at this time the bream can be found in reasonably shallow water, which is a nice change from dredging them up deep over the colder months. They are usually feeding on crabs about now as they move up river past the upper areas the mussels live. I'm looking forward to targeting a few with the new Cranka Crab that was launched at the AFTA show on the Gold Coast. Probably the most exciting and unique product launched at the event.

The Tyenna River has been living up to its reputation as Tassie’s home of monster fish. The river is an anomaly as far as streams go, regularly producing double figure fish when in reality maybe one a season would be exception for such a small river.

The recent Anglers Access program run by IFS has given anglers an opportunity to fish more of the river and could possibly produce even more of these trophy trout. Tyenna River Angler Access brochures are available from IFS, Service Tas and local tackle stores. Soft plastics seem to still bring the most consistent results but as the weather continues to warm and the water clears the fly angler will begin to prevail.

Craigbourne Dam’s ongoing stocking of trophy sized Atlantic salmon has continued. Anglers have been picking solid fish out of here for months. No huge bags but they have been steady.

It’s always great to see the reports from anglers on the ultra light gear fishing a few of the Derwent's tributaries. Hobart and Newtown rivulets offer suburban and rural angling experiences. The fish are small but the odd pounder keeps things interesting. Small floating bibbed lures are the preferred option along with small dries and nymphs for the fly anglers on a light three weight.

We're pretty lucky here in the south with so many options just a short drive away.