ANGLERS UNLUCKY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 83, 4 October 1941, Page 11

ANGLERS UNLUCKY

SEASON'S OPENING SPOILED

Wellington anglers have been unlucky since the opening of the trout fishing season on Wednesday last. The Friday before the Hutt River was unusually, high, and it rose to 9ft above normal this week. On these occasions the fish had batterings which will not improve their condition. In the tributaries the rainfall was- particularly heavy, though not so much rain fell in the main ranges, and the Akatarawa, Whakatikei, Mungaroa, and Pukuratahi will take some time to reach normal fishing conditions. The Karori Stream was up nine feet on one occasion, and all the smaller creeks, where fish have.less opportunity of sheltering from the torrent, will not provide the best of fishing for some time. When the rivers are really high and dirty there is little hope for the fly fisherman. Even when rivers are fairly clear but high it is difficult to know where to fish. The buffeted trout are still in eddies, where the remaining worms from the 'ast freshet may swirl within reach of the fish, or they are sneaking round after unwary bullies. It is early in the season for the dryfly angler, and at this time what luck there is should go.the way of the wet fly fishermen. The runs and chequered reaches which will hold the fish later in the season will now yield little sport. The fish have not yet recovered from spawning, and are on the thin side, compared with what they will be at the end of next month. They are inclined to stay in the gentle water along the edges rather than out in the main current.