If you like fishing for yellow tail kingfish, tuna or Australian salmon, good news! As part of the Government’s commitment to improving recreational fishing opportunities, the FAD program is expanding, with more FADs to hit the water on the north and south-east coast this September.
The new FADs, four on the north coast and five on the south-east coast will be deployed in addition to the five FADs deployed late last year. The Freycinet FAD is also being moved further inshore to Little Swanport so it’s easier for more fishers to access.
The locations for the new FADs were chosen based on public consultation from August 2022 to January 2023, discussions with fishers at Agfest, and the input of TasPorts, TARFish and TSIC.
Check the new FAD coordinates.
Map of FAD locations from September 2023.
There’s more good news - thanks to improved engineering, whale interactions with FADs are now extremely unlikely, so they can stay in the water year-round. That means more time for barnacles, algae, and other good stuff to build up, which means more bait fish, and most importantly, more game fish!
With the FADs being deployed in September, that gives plenty of time for bait fish to build up before the summer fishing season really kicks off. The best time to fish a FAD is in the warmer months from December to April. Keep an eye out for calm weather with good water clarity and bait balls on the sounder – then cast a lure nearby and have fun!
When you catch something fishing a FAD, snap a picture and tag us on Facebook (@fisheriestasmania) or Instagram (@fisheriestas). We can’t wait to see what you’re catching!
Bait ball on sounder at St Helens FAD.