Imagery: Esri, Vantor, Earthstar Geographics

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Lake Burbury

Stillwater

48.9 km²

Water area

Species recorded

Stocking records

A large Tasmanian West Coast lake best known for midge hatches on still mornings, with rainbow and brown trout, usually best fished from a boat.

Lake Burbury is a big West Coast lake that Tasmanian anglers know for midge hatches: on a still morning, trout cruise the surface after an overnight hatch and take a fly presented in front of them.

Plan on one trip: the mornings from summer into autumn, for brown and rainbow trout. Launch from the boat ramp at the southern end if you have a boat, or work the edges from the bank if you do not. Be on the water at first light, and read the current Tasmanian fishing guide before you go.

Species records

Historical records and regulatory mentions. They do not establish current abundance, a suitable angling target or permission to fish.

Brown Trout

Stocking history 2021–2026

No live gauge

No gauge readings are available for this water.

Season

Driving directions

Water and habitat

Burbury is a large lake on Tasmania’s West Coast, an area notorious for wild weather and strong south-westerly winds. The size is the main fact: there is far more water than you can cover, so you fish where the surface tells you the trout are.

FlyLife describes the lake as usually best fished from a boat, though the edges still produce rising fish. Southwestern shores are described as reachable along Mount Jukes Road and Crotty Dam Road, and the boat ramp at the southern end sits just north of the dam wall.

Fish and forage

The lake holds a good head of rainbow and brown trout. The stocking chart shows what has gone in, and Climbing Galaxias have also been recorded.

The food that matters most is midge. FlyLife reports the best concentrations of hatching midge between first light and about an hour after sunrise, and big hatches on still mornings are the listed highlight. In the warmer months, calm summer evenings can also bring on a mudeye migration.

For flies, keep it simple. A small wet and something larger and buoyant will cover the midging fish; the calendar has the patterns FlyLife’s writers name.

Stocking history

Reported past stocking. These records do not establish survival, present abundance or a current stocking programme.

Stocking recorded for Lake Burbury

5 source records · latest 10 reported periods

Brown Trout

Latest source records

17 Jul 2026

Brown Trout · 3

1 Aug 2025

Brown Trout · 3

5 Jul 2022

Brown Trout · 5

5 Aug 2021

Brown Trout · 5

5 Aug 2021

Brown Trout · 5

Inland Fisheries Service (Tasmania) ↗

Brown Trout

Salmo trutta

2021–2026 · 5 records · Lake Burbury

Inland Fisheries Service (Tasmania) ↗

When to fish it

Midge hatches are reported from January through April, and also on calm, mild winter mornings, so the lake is not a one-season prospect. The pattern through the year is the same either way: pick still mornings and be on the water early.

Summer evenings are the other bet. Calm and warm ones can bring on a mudeye migration, so if the evening is flat and the fish are moving, stay out.

THE YEAR ON THIS WATER

Midge mornings

Food · Jan–Apr

FlyLife’s writers report good midge hatches from January through April, best from first light to about an hour after sunrise on still mornings.

Midge on calm winter mornings

Food · Jun–Aug

Good hatches are also reported outside the summer window, on calm, mild winter mornings. Pick the still ones.

Mudeye evenings

Food · Dec–Feb

On calm, warm summer evenings a mudeye migration can start. It is a reason to stay out until dark on the right night, not something to plan a trip around.

Stand-out dry over midging fish

Fly · Jan–Apr

A guide’s read on FlyLife’s advice. Where trout are midging, a fly that stands out from the naturals, such as a large Chernobyl Ant or Bruisers Bug, is one of the most effective ways to draw a strike.

Small wet drawn past the nose

Fly · Jan–Apr

After a big overnight hatch, trout cruise the lake and take a small wet drawn past them. Bobs Bits in sizes 12 to 16 is listed for both browns and rainbows.

How to fish it

Start with the surface. After a big overnight hatch, trout mooch across the lake and take a small wet drawn past the nose, or a larger dry, sometimes with a nymph under it. Bobs Bits in sizes 12 to 16 is listed for browns and rainbows.

Where fish are feeding on midge, a fly that stands out from the naturals, a large Chernobyl Ant or a Bruisers Bug, is described as one of the most effective ways to get a take. In our experience the trick is to cast to a rising fish, then be patient and let the fly sit.

On the days the surface is blank, wet-fly prospecting along the edges is the sensible fallback.

Access and safety

The southwestern shores are described as accessible along Mount Jukes Road and Crotty Dam Road, and there is a boat ramp at the southern end, just north of the dam wall. Treat that as description rather than permission, and follow any signs you meet at the shore.

The West Coast is known for wild weather and strong south-westerlies. As on any big lake, check the forecast, tell someone where you are launching and when you will be back, and be ready to come in early if the wind gets up.

Regulations

Before you fish, read the current Tasmanian Government Inland Fisheries Service guide, under the Inland Fisheries Act 1995 and Inland Fisheries Regulations 2019, and check its closed-waters list. Take licence requirements, season, bag and size limits from it.