Fly fishing teams from around the world are converging on Launceston for the World Fly Fishing Championships of 2019.
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More than 20 national teams are expected to compete in the tournament, which will start late November.
Launceston got a taste of the imminent fly fishing frivolities with an awareness event held in the Brisbane Street Mall on Saturday.
Operations director for WFFC 2019 Malcolm Crosse said the championship would be huge for Launceston.
"Launceston is going to be the capital for this event with teams staying in the Grand Chancellor Hotel during the tournament," Mr Crosse said.
"The championships are the Olympics of fly fishing because they fish for the gold, silver and bronze medals.
"There's no cash prizes so teams spend thousands of dollars coming here just to win medals."
In other news:
Attending the function was the national fly fishing team from the island nation of Kiribati. The team was selected as a 'wild card' squad to participate in the championships.
Kiribati team manager Nial Logan said fly fishing tours were the lifeblood of Kiribati, ergo the team are well-equipped to compete in the competition.
"It's a big journey for these guys. the highest point at Kiribati is 10 m above sea level ... they have never seen mountains or rivers ... it's a big eye opener," Mr Logan said.
"The main income of the island is these guys taking fisherman out and guiding them so it is very important because it is how they support their families."
It's a big journey for these guys. the highest point at Kiribati is 10 m above sea level ... they have never seen mountains or rivers ... it's a big eye opener
- Nial Logan
While the team doesn't have any trout fishing experience in particular, Mr Logan said they are more than ready to give the other fishing teams a run for their money.
"All these guys are professional guides, the main fish they chase over there is called a bone fish which is like a big whiting on steroids," he said.
Mr Crosse also praised the Kiribati team, having previously worked with a few of them.
"They're the the top saltwater fly fishing guides in the world and all they gotta do is get there head around trout and they'll shake the tree so to speak," he said.
Mr Cross said for Launceston to be representing the nation and indeed the world through the championships was a massive privilege.
He hoped the awareness function and the championship itself would encourage Tasmanians to take up the sport.
"A lot of women are getting into it now and we're trying to encourage younger people to get into the game as well," Mr Crosse said.