Rainbow Lodge Raft Fly Fishing Trips

The raft caters for two anglers and is a great way for those who love their river fishing (but now struggle to wade) to keep fishing running water. It is a very sturdy and manoeuvrable craft that is designed to handle rapids far bigger than anything you will experience.

For those who are a little more adventurous, we also use the raft to get to areas on rivers that we then fish while wading. At the end of the day you will never have felt as fresh after a day on the water.

We have access onto private properties that allow us to fish stretches of river that rarely see a fly.

While the post Christmas period provides the best water levels for rafting on many rivers, we still have excellent options earlier in the season.

The Meander River is a slow moving body of water that provides a gentle drift while fishing dry flies to either sighted fish, or likely areas. While there is enough broken water to scratch your nymphing itch, this is very much a dry fly river. Mayflies and grasshoppers are commonly being eaten by the resident brown trout population and fish of four pounds are not uncommon.

The Derwent River is another highly prized piece of water but unlike the Meander, this tailrace flows at a good speed. While low levels can provide a more gentle descent, the faster water adds plenty of enjoyment to an already wonderful day. Crystal clear water skims below the raft while the angler has to use a multitude of techniques in order to get the most from this river.

In some instances, you will have a good opportunity to catch browns, rainbows and atlantic salmon! The post Christmas period usually provides the most favourable conditions for fishing but platypus and sea eagles are both part of any day spent here. Water height fluctuations can occur at any time making this an exciting river to fish while only affecting the techniques used and not the numbers of fish caught. We are lucky to have enough water on this river to raft for days.

Brumby's Creek is a shallow broad water that gets most of its clear water from the Great Lake. When levels allow, the polaroiding and mayfly hatches are fantastic. Dragonfly and spinner feeders are another feature as are the renowned, Caenids. These small mayflies can provide exciting and frustrating fishing early in the mornings when the wind and weather allows. Reasonably good casting skills are always helpful but more so on Brumbys than most places.

We are continually exploring more rafting options throughout Tasmania and expect to increase our options with every season that passes.

Please go to the rates page to find out the prices for raft fly fishing trips.