What will become of strip access?

Press, 18 November 1989, Page 26

What will become of strip access?

GONE FISHING

with

PETER SHUTT

PUBLIC ACCESS to New Zealand’s countryside is under attack from many sources, not the least being those intent on maintaining the free and unrestricted access to the area traditionally, known as the ‘‘Queen’s Chain.” ’ . That is the strip of land adjacent to rivers and lake edges where anglers, indeed all recreationalists, may tread without fear of trespass laws. The problem stems from the new Conservation Law Reform Bill presently before a select committee. It repeals century-old provisions for the “Queen’s Chain” and provides for management of “marginal strips” to be transferred to adjacent land owners.

The Minister of Conservation is reported to believe the bill strengthens the “Queen’s Chain,” but investigation by Acclimatisation Societies, the Royal Forest and Bird Society and the New Zealand Federation of Mountain Clubs shows otherwise.

The bill repeals or amends all existing “Queen’s Chain” (5.58 Land Act) and Marginal Strips (5.24 Conservation Act 1987) legislation and establishes a new regime for the creation of new strips, and the management of all existing strips. The primary reason for this is to avoid survey costs for Marginal Strips on Crown Land that are soon to be transferred to the State-Owned Enterprises —

Landcorp, Forestcorp and Electricorp. The Government appears to want the maximum dollar value from the transfer of Crown Land and is removing possible impediments to commercial management. But members of the concerned groups feel the strips pose little problem and should be handled in a more appropriate manner.

It is unrealistic to expect Governments to give away ownership or control of legal roads to private interests, yet the bill suggests Marginal Strips round the countryside should be given away. Worse still, management of these, strips might later be used as a reason to prohibit access for anglers and recreationists.

The bill correctly identifies one consideration that is essential — the need for any new Marginal Strips to move with the river or lake. If the river or lake moves, the bill proposes that the Marginal Strip be deemed to move with it. This stops the present problem of surveyed information becoming outdated whenever a stream changes course, but it only applies to new strips. The legal right of public access should not be eroded in the way this bill suggests. Anglers are exhorted to make their thoughts known before the bill becomes law and the matter is beyond angler consideration — and maybe access to a favourite water is beyond our reach.

The Methven Summer School already has entries to the fishing course planned for January 1520. Last year, the course attracted new anglers from as far afield as Te Puke and Dunedin.

This will be the third year that Methven has tried to promote itself as a destination for summer visitors. It is signalling to anglers that the fishing waters in this district are worthy of attention.

The Upper Rakaia is a haven for salmon anglers as the summer progresses, and trout are frequently captured. The inland lakes are a specific attraction, with Clearwater, Heron and Emma featuring. But there are

smaller lakes that help provide a recreational fishery suited to every taste. I came upon a real-life “Captain Hook” recently in the North Island. He has a surfcasting safari operation at Thames and is right in the middle of the Coromandel saltwater fishery. We spent some time together, and I learned that the Coromandel Peninsula shelters some of the best fishing available. Now that anglers are looking to capture fish on lighter weight lines and rods, the challenge of a Coromandel fish is assuming greater importance to anglers from Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga. The thing that impressed me greatly was the range of fish species available. Access to much of the shoreline is not permitted under normal conditions, but the captain has a special relationship with the owners. Because of his conserva-tionist-style safaris, he is able to get people into remote scenic spots that might otherwise only be viewed from the sea. Perhaps this man succeeds because he has a genuine “feel” for the countryside and the fishery. He is deeply involved in /conservation of the fishery and has spent a lifetime inventing things to help anglers enjoy their sport more. ♦ ♦ ♦

A photographic competition has been initiated by the public relations committee of the Acclimatisation Society of New Zealand, and will carry excellent prizes, including specialist photographic equipment and film. The committee wants to compile a folder of photographs suitable for later brochure production. For this reason, the subject must incorporate something about fishing or hunting. Future brochures will need photographs that attract angling and hunting interest, and show these sports for the leisure activity they offer rather than showing them as meat-hunting expeditions. Competition judges will be looking for colour prints that capture the magical essence of ‘freshwater angling or gamebird hunting. Entries close on February 26. ,

The measurement of fish length is sometimes misunderstood. The correct method is to lay the fish on its side and measure from the tip of the nose to the fork in the tail membrane. This means your tape measure will run along the lateral line, easily identifiable in Rainbow trout and about midway on a Brown trout. The trick is to use a plastic measuring tape rather than a metal tape. Metal tapes may rust if you fail to clean them carefully after every use. ♦ » ♦

Nymph anglers "sometimes

complain that their favourite pool is occupied by wetfly anglers when they arrive at the water and it is not politd to fish upstream in the face of a downstream wetfly angler who was at the water first.

They’re right, but there is a reasonable solution. Fish the nymph from the top of the pool rather than the bottom, letting line out in much the same way as you might strip line before cashing a wetfly. Obviously one should wait until the wetfly angler has progressed sufficiently far down the pool to avoid placing the nymph in water where he might spook your fish. You don’t have to wait too long, and you will be surprised how often a trout returns to its position once an angler has passed. Certainly it will be wary of any movement, but that’s where the downstream nymph sometimes works when other wetfly tackle fails.

Maybe it is not as perfect as having the water to oneself, but it’s a practical alternative. Keep an eye out for rippled runs, or any water with surface disturbance. This is where the trout will return to station after being disturbed, as this offers a protective screen from predators.

The programme to establish a fishing competition at Tekapo on January 13 is sure to attract a

Steve Prattley (right) hands over his 3.41 kg trout (gutted) to Angus Woodhead at the Lake Alexandrina weigh-in station manned by the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society as part of their annual survey of lake trout last week-end. Prattley’s brown trout won the South Canterbury Anglers Club’s annual Dulux trophy competition by a small. margin over the brown trout catch of D. Hannah of.’ Timaru.

great deal of interest from both local and visiting anglers. Designed to create friendly competition between holiday-makers and locals, the event is split into categories for men, women and children under 15. Entry forms will be available soon throughout the district.

One condition of the event is that competitors must weigh fish only from lakes Tekapo, Alexandrina, McGregor or rivers running into or out of these waters. Announcing these regulation, James Maxwell said the idea was to maintain the competition on a local basis.