ANGLING NOTES.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14854, 20 December 1913, Page 2

ANGLING NOTES.

ABOUT IN A SIDE CAR. (By "Iron B_t__.") (specially written for "the press.") ~i7 To most anglers, myself included, tho question of transport ia always a serious consideration, whenever a fishing expedition is the order of the day, and many have been the plans and inventions when the desired horse-and-trap happened to be required for some base purpose like "paying afternoon calls," or motor-evil had overtaken the the. conveyance of a friend, or something equally wicked seemed likely to deprive us of our sport. In such diro circumstances I was bucked off a stupidly fresh horse, and remounted him successfully, and made him go afterwards! Rather, and also we have gratefully accepted a lift on a traction-engine—a far surer means of progression—to a point a mil© or so from our destination; or, as a last resort, we have trusted all to luck and the chance of seeing a driving acquaintance. I do not recommend this plan, for as a rule it leads only to disappointed expectations, and a friendly lift will seldom lessen tho number of miles which must be travelled on "Shank's mare." Experience has taught us that frequently as the road may bo used for vehicular traffic at ordinary times, the mere preset*.- of an ever-hopeful angler is quite enough to banish anything of the kind from sight. However, all this bitterness is of the past; recently, science and a side-car have come upon the scone, and looking back at a blissful week of rapid movement from river to river, I aver that at least for the lucky one in the side-car, the whole performance was just "It." At the same time, I wish to warn all and sundry that pretty as a Frenchgrey canoe-sliaped side-car may appear, it may be weU for its occupant that sho or he should know a little about motor habits. Ia our own case, the motor-bike part of our arrangement possessed a most restless disposition, and having soothed it in a totally inadequate manner, Georgo left mc waiting outside in the car, whitej in spite of my strong remonstrance, he made some trivial excuse to enter a country store. Presently the "bike" seemed to make up its mind that it had waited long enough, and slowly it began to move ahead on a downward grade, bat I could see it gathering way with every fraction of time, and though I sought anxiously among all the levers and things within reach, the proper soothing process was yet unfound. However, something had to be done, and quickly, too, so very carefully I steered the impatient machine exactly head-on agair.-st the store wall, just as it woke up fully to its usual idea of rapid motion. Surely it could not get away with mc through a wall, so I held it there and felt comforted. The

vicious little motor drew back a foot and bunted at tho wall, puffing and throbbing with sheer wrath because it was checked, but I was very firm with it. whilo some inhabitants of the village rejoiced exceedingly, and at last help arrived. After this preliminary training I resigned myself t_ those facts which Fate might bring, and the miles were left swiftly until wo ran into one of those particularly solid rain-downs that nowadays are called " 'local showers. In this instance I believe the rain was really local, for a few minutes further on we changed suddenly from a P°°*r strewn surface into a dry track; and across the lowest Orari bridge the machine "putt-putted" us away through a country where the most noticeable customs aro milk-cans and black pis*. , both symptoms of a dairy factory in or about those parts. From a road made into an avenue by two long rows of beautiful tall poplars, we turned seawards along a fenced-off space that another century or so may see fit for traffic, but which at present is merely a system of well-defined ruts. To feel really convinced of the ups or downs of life" one has only to travel in a side-car along these lines* but by now I had learned that if I pulled over the petrol cut-off, and hiked out the clutch and a few more little things like that, the motor almost certainly would stand still, so that 1 could contemplate tho imminent risk of George being jolted elsewhere, almost with cerenity. Of the Orari lagoon at the time of our visit. I have to say that it was chiefly remarkable for a couple of angling camps containing a weird assortment of clothes; for one great blue-backed sea trout, who apparently coveted my fly until it was offered to him more" nearly; and for tho story of a redoubtable, dweller upon the banks who is famous for fishing with a thick line and bean-pole rod, and hauling out seven-pounders by the scruff of the neck; "over his head he throws them," so thoy say. The tido had filled the lagoon, and there was nothing doing, so into the car again and away to a place which is miles up-river. Here, though the water has become wonderfully overgrown by willows, everybody caught fish during the evening rise;*and on account of the brown beetle season, the special fly was a Red Palmer. The manner of casting mado little difference; a boy sat or lay upon the bank, and held his flies down a ripple close to the edge, and caught five trout. The end came shortly before mid night, when George requested mc to wade across a darksome pool to net an unlucky pounder for him, and I declined sweetly; giving reason that a person who travelled in a. side-car must bo cared for accordingly. Then George left the river, and'in the fullness of joy at his great catch, ho monkeyed with his carbide bx until he contrived to let off about three quarters of his illumination all at once; and there was cause for hurry, that tho remaining light might last us home. TVe did hurry. It may be a safe proceeding to turn down upon a grassy siding and go like—well, well, we will not say any more about that. A trial proved tho Opihi to be ower full " and as a matter of course the Op.iha Gorgo would follow suit, and the Ranajitata was not right for fly; but a score of miles inland, the sardine pools of the Hae To Moana attracted us with a prospect of an occasional big fish among the rest, and soon my canoecar was being towed over the intervening distance. On the way is a creek—Dobio's creek—where usually it is necessary to put on waders and get outside and push, but on this occasion matters were far otherwise arranged. I am afraid that George must have been telling mc a naughty story, because I was so greatly interested m him at the moment when our machine ran over tho elope down to the edge, and by the time tho motor had stopped "putt, putting," and I had ceased "tut, tutting,' at Che brightlycoloured language with which the air seemed laden, we were all abiding peacefully in the middle of the creek. This was a chanco. to get a bit of my own back again, and a long step from the car landed mc on a projecting trestle of the bridge at the side, another put mc over the railing. From this vantage stand I could reach tho end of a gaff which George held out, and buckled to the work of pulling the lot right through, it was a heavier job than it looked; try leaning over a bridge-rail and tugging a man, a motor-bike, and a sidecar over soft shingle, with a foot or two of water on top, and tell mo all you think of it—but, anon, wo were speeding merrily as before. Much nearer to our fishing place 1 felt the truly dreadful sens, tion of "something slipping," and be_Tnd us upon th© road was a black, snake-like thing which had been our "belt." Never wero so many people passengers by that road, and jusc as we had got busy with a new belt, one of my most respected friends leaned from her great motor to enquiro kindly "Can I help?" but enough, now, about tnese motor incidents and the shame thereof. Th© Hae Te Moana rewarded us with many trout, but they wero not whales in size, and a pounder was a rare occurrence. My partner settled to a pool and instantly was fast in a fish; and when I returned from a down-stream expedition he still was there, JT_ving landed moro than t/wenty from tho same spot. Georgo said: "I have got all the culls yarded up m a pen by themselves," and in a littlo handscooped pool among tho shingle I saw _ dozen or more tiny trout; for which presently we made a riverward "raco." On that afternoon the trout were feeding madly, and if the usual rain had not made matters too uncomfortable for endurance, I think wo coijld have landed almost any number.