That was the question angling historian and author Harvey J Taylor posed to the Tasmanian Government in 1999 – much was available in the written form but no attempt had been made to retain and display physical artefacts of the history of angling in Tasmania – what was needed was a museum where the public could see the history of tackle and other memorabilia over the period since trout were first introduced and sought after by local anglers.

From the time trout were first reared in the 1860’s until the middle of the twentieth century most trout angling tackle had been imported from the United Kingdom. It was not until the 1940’s and 1950’s that local tackle manufacturers started to concentrate on trout fishing tackle predominantly fly fishing rods and reels.

The Tasmanian Government was approached and considered the project – finally agreeing that the proposal had merit and would be an adjunct to other projects running that displayed the various aspects of the Tasmanian way of life.

Since the late 1800’s anglers had travelled from far and wide to fish for the wild trout in in Tasmania, and the possibility of this being of interest to the general public was confirmed when the State Government approved the setting up of the museum to display some of the physical sides of trout angling.

Under the auspices of Wayne Fulton, Commissioner of Inland Fisheries, the green light was given and Fulton together with Taylor set about getting things under way. The first priority was a location for such a museum, the premises owned by the State Government in Davey Street Hobart were considered, but space was limited, also other sites in suburban Hobart were inspected and rejected.

At the Salmon Ponds at Plenty, where the first trout were reared in Tasmania, were a couple of old cottages used by the caretakers when the ponds were in full operation. One of these was made available and renovation commenced in establishing what is known today as The Museum of Trout Fishing.

The next step in getting the project under way was to obtain the items that would be needed for display purposes. Many hours were spent in second hand shops, attending garage sales, and having local clubs on the lookout for bits and pieces needed to make the museum an interesting attraction.

Quite a lot of items on display today were either donated or loaned from the angling community, as well members of the public, who had no real interest in trout angling, but had family’s fishing tackle stored away came forward and contributed an enormous number of very interesting pieces.

Over the years, since it opened in February 2003, the Museum of Trout Fishing has attracted large numbers of visitors, local interstate and overseas, anglers and non anglers, people who just want to see what made Tasmania an angler’s paradise.

The value of setting in place a museum and retaining the memorabilia has been acknowledged by the Tasmanian Government over the years – indeed the idea of capturing angling history has been well proven to be an asset to the State and the general public.

Once the Museum of Trout Fishing opened the second phase of the development took place on the site at Salmon Ponds, and the Tasmanian Angling Hall of Fame was developed as a way of acknowledging those persons who have contributed to the angling history over the years.