Imagery: Esri, Vantor, Earthstar Geographics

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Talbots Lagoon

Stillwater

2.66 km²

Water area

A wild trout stillwater at around 700 metres in Tasmania's northwest, known for big browns in the shallow bays and mayfly, damselfly and dragonfly hatches from late spring to early autumn.

Talbots Lagoon is a wild trout stillwater at around 700 metres in Tasmania’s northwest, with wooded bays and submerged dead timber. The drawcard is size: its shallow bays hold big browns, typically 1 to 2 kg, with rainbows more common out in the deeper water. Plan a trip for late spring through early autumn, when mayfly, damselfly and dragonfly hatches draw fish up. Spring brings frog feeders into the shallow margins. Read the current Tasmanian Inland Fisheries Service guide before you go.

No live gauge

No gauge readings are available for this water.

Season

Driving directions

Fish and forage

Brown trout are the fish to plan around, with rainbow trout in the deeper water. A Tasmanian guide rates the lagoon as carrying an unusual amount of bigger-than-average fish of both kinds, with insect hatches he calls remarkable. Midges are on the water year-round.

When to fish it

Frogs spawn in the shallow margins in late September and early October, and trout gather near them to feed. Red spinner mayflies hatch heavily in late spring and early summer, and again in autumn. Late spring through early autumn is the stretch FlyLife rates highest.

THE YEAR ON THIS WATER

Frog feeders in the shallow margins

Food · Sep–Oct

FlyLife writes that froglets spawn in the shallow margins in late September and early October, and that trout gather to feed near vocal frogs.

Mayfly, damselfly and dragonfly hatches

Food · Nov–Mar

FlyLife rates late spring through early autumn as outstanding for these hatches, with red spinner mayfly duns prolific in late spring and early summer and again in autumn.

How to fish it

Trout feeding on corixids cruise slowly, hunting by sight, and surge once they detect movement. For frog feeders, cast near structure such as logs, points and clumps of tussocks where spawning frogs gather. FlyLife’s fly table lists a Black & Peacock Spider in sizes 14 to 16 and a Possum Emerger in sizes 12 to 14 for browns and rainbows.

Regulations

Before you fish, read the current Tasmanian Inland Fisheries Service guide, and take any season, bag and size limits and licence requirements from it.

Questions

Brown Trout

The trout recorded at the lagoon, and the larger fish of the shallow bays.

Rainbow Trout

The other trout, more common in the deeper water.

Page reviewed 2026-10-03