"WILL KILL YOU."

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 124, 29 May 1939, Page 7

"WILL KILL YOU."

TERRIBLE SHARK.

MR. ZANE GREY RETURNS.

N.Z. HAS HAD ITS HEYDAY. "It will kill you if " and Mr. Zane Grey paused. He was thinking of one of the most terrible of fish he had ever seen, the "white death" ehark in the Great Australian Bight. "It attacks boats and is enormously powerful," he said, "and it will kill you if it gets a chance." Perhaps some day Mr. Grey will catcli bigger and stronger fish, but he does not know where. Hie whole life has been spent in looking for new fish in iinex-j plored waters, and lie has visions of an angler's paradise somewhere between Australia and Africa, in the great fndian Ocean. This morning Mr. Zane Grey had a look at Auckland when he arrived by the Mariposa. en route from Sydney to San Francisco. "There are liptter waters than Australia's for deep-sea fishing, but they have to be found," said the famous [I author and deep-sea angler. "I think ! the Indian Ocean will result in better ' fishing than anywhere else in the world. but nobodv has fished there yet."

Mr. Zane Grey eaid Australia was particularly blessed with 13.000 miles of coastline, and it was a great advantage to be able to fish all the year round. In comparison, Xew Zealand's opportunities were very limited. He had one regrret; after hie Australian experiences, that he could not fish for the big black . marlin ae he had done in Xew Zealand waters. Here these fiehi were caught while drifting, but if drifting was attempted off the Australian coast the bait was taken by leather-' jackets. Xew Zealand wae fortunate in its freedom from "euch vermin."

Fiercest of All Sharks. Wearing hie sports euit and cap, in which he would be recognised in any part of the world, Mr. Zane Grey related his Australian impressions. Hβ would like to go back to Port Lincoln, in the Great Australian Bight, he eaid, for he regarded the "white death" shark caught there as one of the fiercest and I most splendid fish he had ever seen. "It is like a glorified mackerel," he remarked, "superior and bigger than any I other fish I have ever tried to hook. It is more cunning and intelligent than other fish, and it will kill you if it can. It knows no fear, will leap high out of the water when hooked and will come nglit back to the boat to find out what is the matter. Then jt usually cuts the line and gets away." The euttens lie had been compelled to use were too *low for this monster of the i!«'c]i. sakt Mr. Grey. He had longed for a fast launch. His Frangipani, which was liuiit 5u Auckland, would jhave been "just tlie thing." but it wa* I at Tahiti. "Jt ie the finest launch I have ever had." he der-lared. i New Zealand's Decline. With memories of six visits to tlie Bay of Islands. Mr. Grey said the be*t fishing he had known there was in the first two years. '•Then it gradually began to peter out," was his comment. Like all other fishing resorts he had been to, it had had its heyday. All along tie New Zealand coast there had been a decline. A close season of. perhaps, ten years was the only thing that might restore the fiahing. but that was not feasible.

The largest shark caught off the Australian coast by Mr. Zane Grey's party was one of 13821b5, on February 22, five miles from Sydney Heads. Mr. Grey had landed a white death shark around 10001 bs, and several others approaching I that weight were caught by members of his party. At one stage they bad waited five days without getting a bite. In the ! water this shark was light golden in Icolour and a beautiful fish.

After spending some time at his home at Altadena, California, Mr. Zane Grey will go up to the Oregon for trout fishing and will visit his camp at Tahiti about I the end of this year. He hopes to be iback in Australian waters towards til*

end of 1940 or early in 1941