Mr Wilson and Bob Wilton were fishing for trout on Woods Lake in central Tasmania when they discovered a wombat in trouble in the water.

"We were just fishing and we came across the wombat," Mr Wilson said.

Initially the pair thought they saw a platypus in the waves, but on closer inspection they realised it was a wombat.

"The wombat was trying to stay afloat above the water, we thought it was a platypus because we could see the fur.

"He was about 250 metres offshore when we found him, he was definitely struggling.

"If we weren't there in the lake he would have drowned for sure, the way the wind was blowing, he would not have been able to make it back to shore," Mr Wilson said.

After navigating their boat alongside the wombat, the two managed to pick it up in their fish landing net but the wombat kept trying to climb out.

In the end Mr Wilson said they pulled the wombat on board the boat and went back to shore.

"He was calm in the boat and pretty worn out," Mr Wilson said. "He just walked around inside the boat.

"Once we got to shore, we got him out of the boat and let him go, he just went on his merry way and strolled back into the bush."

Mr Wilson said he though the wombat may have been feeding alongside the shore when it may have been washed out.

The Examiner, Launceston