GOING FISHING with Kotare

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33448, 1 February 1974, Page 14

GOING FISHING with Kotare

Tom came grumbling into the lights of the car. “How are you fellers off for big hairy clogs?” “Thought he’d never ask, eh Dick,” said Harry. “He’s been fishing for about 150 years and he’s always out of hairy dogs. His pension went up again a few months ago and he still has to bludge off us.” ‘‘Green body, please,” said Tom. Harry took his box of flies out of the chest pocket in his body waders and handed it over. “You won’t catch anything here at night on a hairy dog. Tom,” said Dick. “It’s a funny thing, but no-one ever does. Try a little pukeko, Tom, or a poacher.” “You can cut that out, Dick. He’ll empty the box,” Harry said. They trudged down the bank in the dark and went out into the water, Dick and Harry on one side of the small stream-mouth at the lake edge, and Tom on the other. A fish broached noisily 50 yards away. ' “They’re about, then,” said Harry with satisfaction. “Could be a bit cold later on.” said Dick. Tom flashed his torch. “Put that out, Tom,” said Harry sharply. “Got a tangle” “Got a tangle,” said Tom. “How can you get a tangle when you haven’t started fishing yet?” “Oh I have. Got a fish on.” “What!” Tom freed the small loop jammed in the butt-ring, switched off the torch, and backed towards the beach. “You don't know when he’s got one on because he hasn’t got a ratchet on his reel,” said Dick. A heavy fish walloped on the surface to Harry’s right. “What a tinny old so-and-so,” said Harry. Reeling in Dick was already reeling in. Harry followed suit. Both switched on their torches to change over from small pu-

kekos to large green hairy dogs.

“Put those lights out,” cackled Tom from away behind them. “She’s a beauty, lads. All of 51b.” He got back in to a stolid silence. “Anything doing, you two?” “Not yet,” said Dick. “What line have you got on, Tom?” “Medium sinker.” Too heavy "Too heavy for this place,” said Harry. '“You lose that hairy dog on the bottom and you can pay for the next one.” “You’ve just got to retrieve a bit faster,” Tom said, his line whistling out into the darkness. The water was dead calm except for the small movement of the stream into the bay. A few faint star reflections glittered in the lake ahead of them. Harry’s line followed Tom’s. He began to retrieve it slowly. “Tom, a very slow retrieve pays off far better. OK, so fish see pretty well in the dark, but if you retrieve fast they’re likely to miss the fly. You’ve got to use a floater here because it’s so shallow. Otherwise you get snagged nine times out of 10.” Half a rod Over on the left. Dick wondered what had happened. He hadn't been casting too well and suddenly he seemed to be hooked up in front and behind at the same time. He looked up and found he was fishing with half a rod. The top had come off and was well under water. “What’s up with you, Dick?” “Thought I had a touch.” “What, fishing with only half a rod?” Silence, except for a morepork behind them, and then Tom began to move back to the beach. “Where you going?” Silly (piestion “Well, I’m going to land this fish. Ask a silly question . ..” “He’s joking.” “No, he’s not,’ called Tom. Five minutes later he was back again. "Nice jack this

time, about the same weight.” Lost hairy dog Harry hooked the bottom and lost his hairy dog. He tied on another. “Mind if f come the other side of you, Tom?” “No, help yourself. I’ll move over where you were." Harry's fly went whistling out as Tom checked his own fly for weed. He hooked a fish on his next cast that took off like a rocket. It took him 10 minutes to land, and was bigger than the other two by about a pound and a half. “You’ve got to hand it to him.” said Dick. “Can’t understand it,” said Harry. “Here we are, fishing with the same flies, without a touch, and he gets three.” “Eleven o’clock, lads,” called Tom from the beach. They trooped out. Harry shone his torch on the last fish as Tom tried to get the fly out. Dick bent down. “That’s a peculiar green hairy dog, Tom.” “It’s a little Pukeko, Dick, see? I never use anything else here.” Dick burst out laughing, and Harry said: “Well, now I’ve seen everything.”