My master plan had been an optimistic one: to bundle the human members of the Busch family into the family car, attach Scuppers, my trusty go-any-where aluminium boat, and head for Tasmania to sample a combination fishing and family holiday. I know - I can see you shuddering already because the fishing-and-family thing rarely works - but I had to try. Achieving the varied goals of our small group was never going to be easy and I must admit to some feelings of trepidation as blast-off day approached.

My long suffering wife, Pam, rarely gets to accompany me on trips to exotic locations and this was to be her first (and long awaited) visit to Tasmania. Pam is a keen bushwalker and seeing the natural wonders of the island, boots and all, was her main priority.

Stuart Busch is our eleven year old son and I think that he was a bit dubious about the whole idea of being cooped up for two weeks with Mum and Dad and doing without a Super Nintendo, computer, friends, the family pets, and his own bedroom. The thought of a possibly scary sea voyage may also have been weighing on his young mind. I think that Stu's number one priority for the trip was probably survival with the least amount of pain possible.

My own goals were simply to help everyone have a good time and to do as much quality fishing as was humanly (or even inhumanly) possible. Although neither of the other party members mentioned it, I am sure that my addiction had them at least slightly worried that the whole trip might degenerate into a death-by-fishing nightmare.

As it happened the whole thing unrolled like a good movie script and all members of the party were more than happy with the experience. Even the boy-wonder wanted to stay longer because he was having such a good time. One thing that continually surprised us was the short distances between our destinations.

On the first day we drove from the ferry terminal at Devonport to the Great Lake and, even though some of the trip was over rough gravel road and we were towing a boat, we arrived in good time to settle in to the Compleat Angler Lodge and then tow the boat round to Arthurs Lake for an afternoon session.

Although our trip was essentially fishing- orientated we still managed to see Launceston and some of the northern rivers (a day trip from Great Lake), as well as spending a night at Mrs Curries House (colonial B&B) in Richmond which allowed Pam and Stuart a Saturday morning visit to the Salamanca Market on Hobart's historic waterfront. Richmond itself was a treat with its blend of convict history and tourist shops.

I can now report that it is possible to combine a fly fishing expedition with a family holiday if you know exactly what interests the rest of the family. Stu very much enjoyed rating the pies of the many excellent bakeries he sniffed out along the way - if anyone is looking for a host for a Pies-of-Tasmania bus trip I am sure that he would be available. The bottom bakery at Deloraine gained the blue ribbon but there were many close contenders.

Pam was more than happy to escape on some solo bush walks. Our base at Derwent Bridge Chalets (faultless family accommodation) was ideal for this and she enjoyed the magnificent walks and scenery around Lake St Clair. Pam's excursions also included a day trip to Mt Field National Park. She had a great time.

Our son had modest expectations on the fishing front but he does enjoy being out in the boat with Dad as long as some sort of action is taking place. Stu is just starting as a fly fisher but is a bit of a demon spinner man. He knows that Dad prefers the fly, but Stu says "spinners are grinners" and if that is what it takes to keep him interested in a trip, then I'm all for it! Stuart did manage to catch some fish with the spinning rod and that made a big difference to his happiness factor. He also got to play and net plenty of fish that I hooked on the fly - a cunning alternative!

THE FISHING - The bottom line is to ensure that the other members of the party are enjoying themselves and then you can get down to the nitty gritty - fly fishing in one of the most delightful and challenging areas in the world.

There has been plenty written about tackling Tassie's tricky trout - if you have read books by Scholes, Sloane, Ritchie and French you will know what I'm talking about. Even so, there are a few key factors that can make or break any trip. The first is to ensure that you have access to local knowledge.

That can be as simple as having fished the area before, or hiring a guide. I was fortunate to fish with Peter Hayes (Great Lake & Arthurs), Ken Orr (the Bronte area) and Richard Dax (Lake St Clair), all first-rate professional operators. They were extremely helpful in their respective areas and went out of their way to look after us all. As well as getting the good oil on the fishing we were pampered with fine food and excellent accommodation. So do yourself a favour - hire a guide for at least the first couple of days of your trip because the locals know where the fish are, when they are going to bite, and which method will be successful. A guide can make the difference between a great trip or one where you catch absolutely zip.

Once the local knowledge is under control and you know where to fish, the weather becomes a big factor. In Tasmania the fronts and highs really rush past and the weather changes rapidly. Be prepared for everything from snow (which we had plenty of on this trip) to burning sun. I fish in the tropics quite a bit but still got singed - this southern sun is savage, so be warned - wear the big hat and slop on the suncream.

Once you are hatted and creamed, plan to take advantage of those blue-sky days - when it happens, you want to be on the water. Keep your itinerary as flexible as possible and take a lay-day or visit other attractions on the crook days. On this trip (December) we had poor fishing when it rained and snowed, but the fishing was brilliant on every day the sun shone.

For the most part we fished in readily accessible locations because I was keen to sneak around in my tinny to find fish. My knees aren't as good as they used to be and the boat made things a lot easier for Stuart as well. As it turned out, the boat was a blessing and opened up a whole new aspect in relation to my Tasmanian fishing - but that's something we are saving for a future edition of FlyLife. This time we fished Arthurs, Bronte, St Clair, Great Lake, Little Pine and Dee.

The weather rather than the location seemed to spark the fishing - if the day was good we seemed to catch fish where ever we ended up - and we had some brilliant fishing. I will admit that I was lucky in having the services of Ken, Peter and Richard for a couple of days and then having to fish with the 'Boss' for the rest of the time.

When your part-time boss happens to own FlyLife and knows Tasmanian trout waters backwards, fishing with him isn't a problem! We fished like maniacs - how else? We did the lot: we fished in the flooded areas of high lakes for tadpole feeders; threw Red Tags at cruisers in the sun; cast Black Spinners to rising and leaping fish; chased gum beetle feeders over deep water in the hottest part of the day; fished the wind lanes at dawn; and snuck around the logs at night using black Fur Flies for mudeye eaters.

On one memorable day, we did all those things and fished for 17 hours! It was an orgy of fly fishing. We both loved every minute of it and only stopped when we were absolutely stuffed! We caught beautiful spotted brownies in magic condition and we caught sleek fast rainbows that jumped and flashed in the sun. We worked hard for our fish and we had an absolute ball chasing them, missing them, losing them around logs, and, most satisfying of all, landing some of them and feeling their vigour and life before pulling the fly out and sending them on their way.

God, fly fishing is good when you are in like-minded company in one of the best spots on earth and the fish are on. I live in a pretty good trout area in NSW but I love the absolute water clarity in Tassie. The fish just seem to hang in mid air as they give your Red Tag the once-over before sucking it in so slowly it is almost painful to watch. Yeah, it's the clear water and the visual nature of the fishing that keeps bringing me back. And the scenery - I guess I just love the place.

We had such a good time on this trip that picking out a highlight is difficult, but I suppose it would have to be the big rainbow we caught in the Dee. We chased that fish on two separate days and peppered it with flies until it finally took Rob's #14 Coch-y-bondhu. It took in the middle of a tangle of trees and the whole thing was fairly exciting for a while until Rob got the fish under control. It was only then that we realised that the net wasn't in the boat! It was up to me to apply the 'Tasmanian death grip' and wrestle the fish aboard Scuppers. It was a sterile 'triploid' fish in prime condition and it weighed over 4 kilos. A huge fish in clear water on a tiny dry fly - what more could you ask?

If I talk any more about the fishing I might get excited and book another ferry ride, so I will just finish off with a couple of tips. I have noticed over the years that when I visit Tasmania the fish just seem to take better on longer leaders than those I use at home. I suspect that it might have something to do with the clear water. Add a metre or so of tippet if you use shortish leaders at home, and it might just make things easier. Dull coloured tippet material also seems to help during midday polaroiding sessions under a bright sun.

I have saved the best tip until last. On other Tassie trips with Rob I have noticed he has a definite advantage over me on long fishing sessions. I put this down to the cunning use of tea.

This year I trained myself before-hand to be able to drink gallons of the stuff, and I didn't muck around - I trained on black tea, which has to be a step up from the diluted white stuff that Rob drinks. I am sure that this was responsible for my much improved form.

Well, there you have it: pack the family (don't forget the tea), order the ferry ticket and tie the boat on. If you have been thinking about a Tasmanian trip there is no time like the present. We all lived to tell the tale and the whole family wants to go again. I can hardly wait!