FISHING NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20470, 13 February 1932, Page 11

FISHING NOTES.

THE QUINNAT RUN. • [eSSLUSIT* TO THJB I'RiiS.] [BT Black GHAT.] which . are written by a lisher--1 > S f s p cncnc ° and .considerable frrlaif j knowledge, will appear every Satr 'S nev.s items cr ?lr» < It an , ci , Ul ° t-diior of The Peess, will teceive prompt attention each wce'i Jhe change to cooler -weather, alter the long spell of nor'-westers, will be welcomed by salmon anglers. Hirers are pleasantly clear for this time of the 3ear and already odd fish have been taken from the ltangitata •in the south "P to the HJurunui in the north. Judging by results the Hurunui looks j che most promising river for the weekend. A v eek ago there were only a ten' reds up there and good water was available for all. One angler came away with a bag cf half-a-dozen fish averag,n B 171b, and including one of 22-ilb. All the fish were in very good condition. jVlore recently some larger salmon have a^cn > including two of about , . a few fish have been taken high up in the Hurunui the lagoon at tho mouth promises the best fishing. A fair ni»mber of fish have been taken trom the channel running through it, which is only a casting distance across. ** « ♦ During the week the nets have accounted for the capture of some good fish, .including one of 29Jlb, in the lower reaches of the "Waimakarin. White a few fish are sure to have run up higher, Dunn's Bank at the moment is probably the best spot. Already both pllore and boat anglers have.taken odd fish and better sport should be obtained in the next few weeks. It is impossible to lay down any law as to what is the best lure for salmon here, but in Canadian waters a, silver and copper spoon is used almost exclusively by both professionals and amateurs, who take their fish in the sea before they enter the river mouths. In Zealand a silver and seacoloured spoon seems to be as deadly as any. R-ed seems to have an uncanny fascination for fish of all kinds and an all-red spoon or minnow migfft prove just as deadly for quinnat as it undoubtedly does-' for Atlantic salmon in tho Southern Waiau. An angler who took somewhat more than his fair share of the fish in thy Rakaia last season found that a red and black spoon was very effective. The colour combination is one which should appeal to loyal Canterbury sportsmen, but so far those engaged in fisheries research have not brought to light any evidence of fish being affected by similar loyalties. Here aro a. few tips for those beginning saljnon fishing now for tho first time. First see that your gear in good order: a reel that jambs can be particularly annoying: a badlv tied knot in a trace has caused the loss ot many a fish. Second, treat tho quinnat as a sporting fish and do not us© shark tackle. Half the complaints one hears as to the poor fighting qualities of this salmon come from people who should buy their fish from a fish shop, instead of angling for them. Thii-d, chcoso a suitable stretch of water.. In a river such as the Waimakariri there is seldom more than one hole really worth fishing in three-quarters of a mile of water. Don't waste time where the river is divided into many streams. Seek out a big body of water and follow it up until you find'a good large hold-' ing pool.. Rapids and shallow rills are seldom worth bothering about. Fourth, fish deep: it is better for the lead to be bouncing occasionally on the bottom than for th© spoon to be spinning on the surface. Fifth, remember to keep fishing hard and to keep moving. Sixth, don't crowd in on another man. If he haa raced you to a good pool, look for another instead of spoiling his sport and your own. Seventh,' remember that the quinnat i s no fool and can be scared as easily as any other fish. Where, the surface water is broken and rapid you are fairly safe, but many [good fish lie in th*e tail ends of pools | where they can generally see you before you see them. » • * Some good fish are being taken at night in "feather dusters" in the Styx below tho Mars'ila'nd road. Although the banks are not the firmest for night fishing, the trout run up" to 81b and aro- well north going alter. On several occasions the possibility of imitation mice proving attractive lures for night fishing has been mentioned in this column. An angler fishing the Wairarapa one evening recently saw a mouse taken by a trout as it vwas swimming across on the surface. » * * 'The North Branch can usually be relied upon to yield a few large fish in the lat«r half of tho season, hut the capture ot a 13ilb rainbow there a few evenings back certainly came as a surprise. .