THE FISHING SEASON.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15512, 12 February 1916, Page 13

THE FISHING SEASON.

SATISFACTORY BASKETS,

(irtCIALLT WRITTEN" FOR "TITS TRESS. ) U3v K.A.8.) As I write these notes, a fairly hc.ny rain is in progress, and I sincercly hope, in common with all othoi oca anglers, that it will last long enough to make an appreciable difference 1" our rivers. Already the Ashley- is sal to bo about eighteen inches higher, as the result of the showers wc have had during the past ten days. Fishing generally has been very satisfactory, the best catches apparently having been made at Hangitata, whcic one angler caught thirty trout one evening, ten of them scaling over os.ch. ui*'omni'"M2icct * salmon were also caught in this I CI a few days since. * . ( . Lake Lyndon has been 111 very lan fishing condition, a recent basket bem„ nineteen trout weighing lrom llbtoinu each. , . • . The "NVaimakaiiri has also been good form, many catches of two ana three fish being recorded, auil one. six, the largest otb. Several arc said to liavc been caught heie 1 The 11 :ikaia lias again distinguished itself by the production ot :> ouinnat salmon, 'lho condition ot • h tish was very good, but from tho nuinc 1ous marks and scars on the back, appeared to have been attacked by P. n ' Vioises, which arc playing havoc wU!I the fish runuing into the Kakaia at- P'9" sent. I have jircviously mentioned tins trouble witii porpoises, and the followin0" extract from a home fishing .l olu " na' may be of interest, in view of wliat is happening here: — "'Tho conservators of the I'iver Lunc, having been rather exercised in mind about the depredations of the porpoises on their salmon fisheries, circularised ether Fishery Boards on the subject. Or twenty-four that replied, fourteen had no complaint to make, and nine others seemed to have suffered niucli fieni the incursions, of these sea mammals. The Dee Fishery Hoard, however, had a good deal to say, and claimed that its salmon fisheries were seriously affected by the pornoi.so nuisance. An experienced fisherman bi' s explained the methods of these sea marauders- which watch for the salmon, . anil having located them, approach them in two lines; those fish which the fnxt hunting line miss, are usuallv captured by ,the second line-. The norpoises pursue their tactics in shallow water, and arc reported to kill more salmon in a day than tho local fishermen capture in two months. The Lunc Conservators are talking of applying for power to shoot porpoises, but it >s tear<vl that the results of this met,hod of evterniination are not likely to be c.iK'Oiiraging."

A (orrcsuondont writes: —The largest •;i!raoii over caught in tho D'opiiiiion wns recently taken from the Kukaia river bv Mr Kit Dcnbv. This was a fnnnlc h;h weighing 20 Slb. tho kngth being -V7iii and the girth 20in. Ft was in splendid condition, and Mr David Hope declared it to ho n perfect .specimen. Quinnat salmon have born -aught at tho I'fknia hy Messrs .IS. F. £U:ad and (>. H. l/co. and no doubt 'ither fU-h have bpnn caught. and not identified as s-almon. hut. it, is practically certain that they arc established in our rivers.

A "West Oxford, resident write*:— '"In last Saturday week's paper you make mention of quinnat salmon. Lately 1 took a ■fisherman to the Waimakuriri Ciorgc bridge to fish. There are plenty of large fish there hut, they will net take any bait. AVliilc trolling he cp.ught. two small fish about. Sin long; 1 am certain they were sal-mon—silver-belly. round snout, and eyes near trho mouth—for they were finite, different from any trout eanglit in the rivers lioro. T p' v ,t ;! longSido of one caught_ nf tra-v/arda (a brown trout), and the difference was easilv detected bv a stranger to salmon, bo 1 feci sure thev have entered the river. As we were loavin? our attention was called to a, large fish bv some men on the bridge, but it was too far down to detect what sort it way; it was too large for an ordinary trout and looked over ."fi,. long. There a'v- plenty of the little ard they follow up tho bait, l>nt will not take il. T would not advice fishermen to go there, as t.hoy will wit ta!ce the bait. Mv friend tried everything, they just follow up and leave il.