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| Fishing Gear Restrictions Hooks and Lines
Set Lines
Spear Guns and Hand Spears
Bait Traps
Rock Lobster Gear
Landing Net
Dip Net
Hauling Nets and Cast Nets
Gillnets
Gillnet Buoys
Lost, Stolen and Irretrievable Gear
Rules apply to the types of fishing gear that can be used in Tasmanian waters. The equipment that a fisher can use may be regulated and a licence may be required. The licence holder must personally set and retrieve any scalefish fishing gear and another person may assist them if needed e.g. to haul the net. This section outlines the basic rules for various types of gear.
You should also note that there may be restrictions on where (area restrictions) and when (seasons) you can use gear and the species that you can target.
Aborigines engaged in aboriginal fishing are exempt from holding a recreational fishing licence but must comply with all other rules. Where gear must be marked with a licence number, Aboriginal fishers should use the unique identifying code issued to them.
No licence is required and anyone can fish with the following types of line fishing gear in marine waters:- rod and line; and
- squid jigs.
You can use any number of lines with up to five hooks, so long as you are within 20 m of the gear, or the lines are attached to the boat from which you are fishing.
Drop line (click to see larger image) |
| A set line is an unattended line, either a dropline (see larger dropline image) or a longline (see larger longline image), with up to 30 hooks. A licence is required to use this gear and area restrictions apply. A person may only use one set line at a time. In waters more than 150 metres deep, you can join your set line to the lines of up to 3 other people on your boat, provided no person uses more than 30 hooks or more than a total of 120 hooks are used. Not more than 4 set lines are permitted on a boat and each person must be present when the line is set and retrieved.
A dropline is set vertically with one end weighted and a buoy attached to the other. A longline is set horizontally, weighted at both ends and with a buoy attached at each end. Both longline and dropline buoys must be clearly marked with your set line licence number and either the letters “LL” for longline or “DL” for dropline. The buoys used must be at least 195mm in diameter.
Long line (click to see larger image) |
Set lines cannot be used in the following areas:- shark refuge areas;
- no netting areas; and
- no fishing areas e.g marine reserves and some research areas.
Learn more about using Recreational Droplines
Learn more about using Recreational Longlines |
A squid jig is a baited or artificial lure with one or more sets of pointed hooks or spikes used to take squid. You can use up to three squid jigs per line.
You can use gaffs to take scalefish, other than bream and boarfish, but not rock lobster or abalone.
Hand spears and spear guns can be used to take any scalefish except bream and boarfish. Taking rock lobster or abalone with this gear is prohibited. Spears cannot be used in the Mersey, Leven or Inglis rivers.
See Rock Lobster Gear and How to Mark it. |  |
One bait trap per person can be used. The trap must comply with the following dimensions:- no larger than 500 mm x 350 mm x 250 mm
- entrance not larger than 65 mm
- mesh between 10 mm and 40 mm.
This does not include equipment designed as fish traps which are prohibited.
A landing net is a hand-held net attached to a frame no larger than 600 mm across. The mesh can be any size and a landing net may be used to catch bait.
Dip net (click to see larger image) |
A dip net (see larger dip net image) is a hand held net attached to a frame no larger than 1 metre across with a mesh greater than 20 mm.
You can used one bait net. A bait net is an encircling net:- no longer than 6 m;
- no deeper than 2 m; and
- with mesh no more than 20 mm.
Beach seine net (click to see larger image) |
One beach seine net (see beach seine net image) can be used with the appropriate licence. A beach seine net must:- have a bag or bunt with a mesh of at least 30 mm;
- not exceed 50 m in length; and
- not be pursed or drawn through rings into the shape of a bag.
When using the net, it must be emptied in the water.
Learn more about using a Recreational Beach Seine NetCast net (click to see larger image) |
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You can use one cast net (see larger cast net image). The net must be:- circular or oval net with a leaded footline around the outside; and
- not exceed 6 m in diameter.
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Graball nets and mullet nets, including flounder nets, are types of gillnets (see larger gillnet image). A graball or mullet net licence is required and area restrictions apply. | |
Night nets may be set in Macquarie Harbour up to 2 hours before sunset and must be removed from the water by 2 hours after sunrise. A red buoy not less than 90mm in diameter must be attached to all night nets in addition to a white buoy at each end of the net.
