FIELD AND STREAM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 312, 26 September 1908, Page 11

FIELD AND STREAM.

(By Dhy Fly.) The delights of angling have tempted fol-' lowers.of various forms of sports to try their luck from time to timo when they wero more fitted to play at any game requiring less skill. It is essential that an angler, in the propter sense of the word, should liavo a cleaning towards tho gentlo art, or failure is pertain. Many imagine that on arrival at tho. stream the fisherman simply hooks on a wriggling worm, casts it in.the water and i'aits results. Those who are labouring under aiph ; misapprehensions would bo/thoroughly convinced if they spent a day in'tlio scorching sun thrashing tho stream, i trying to tirnpt tho trout to rise when they were not oil the fce<L» The sitting down theory would bo far more-acceptable than tile continuous working-up stream. I Most beginners are subjected/to all manner of hardships t and trials. A juvenile angler a few years ago "journeyed as far as Wallacevillo by early train, intending to try his luck at Mungaroa. A carefully-sketched plan indicated _ that tho stream ran at the foot of some hills, and was reached by keeping to tho road. However, tho road was long and winding, and thirst for sport prompted the la'd to take a' short cut over some level country. The distance was decidedly reduced, but, after two hours' hard work, plodding through a peaty swamp, the stream trickled in the distance. On arrival there,' tacklo was put in order, and tho lad commenced operations. Sport was good, for about tho. third or fourth cast he lost a fly in a fish. After fixing on a new one, ho was biting off the loose piece of gut when it slipped and the hook over tho barb lodged in his lip. The assistance of a farmer ' who offered to take tho hook out was refused, as the kind-hearted one probably unnerved tho lad by sharpening a blunt tobacco-knifo on a near-by stono. Fishing with a fly sccurely hooked in his lip was out of all reason, so ho returned to town, where he gave little trouble to a chemist. A resident of tho Lower _ Hutt was once persuaded that he was missing the sport of his lifo by not fishing for trout'. Before buying an outfit he spent a day on the river with an expert, who had exceptional sport. Convinced that there was no skill required, ho procured tackle,..and was fairly successful with worm. Hearing minnow fishing was more ;_exciting- .than dabbling with the worm, he .tried, his .luck. It was the last fishing oxc.ursion, lie .made, for after hooking every' obstacle: within-range''somo of !the hooks of' the minnow., lodged firmly in his cheek. In attempting .to' remove the ' hooks, another secured".the right; thumb, and in this way he reached the Lower Hutt, where a doctor frpecl 'him. j,, , . -... J , ■WainUi-o-mata attracts many novices, who not.;onlx spoil their own chance) of sport, hut' the',:chances, of jail and .sundry, who may be fishiiig...Early"'last • season a, well-dressed angler,'.-. in -.white flannels;. ;panama . hat, dtpjourneyed 'to 'Wainui.: He was told by an' '"'oM .timer" . that , liia style of dress was not' conducive.' to his. securing good , sport, but. nothing; daunted lie prepared, for - the fray.. .Needless'.!to., say, after 'fishing, down stream .with tacklo suitable for sclmapper, or evenhapuka -,'fishing,this particular,' angler formed 'one"of/the "sorrowful procession of begmncrsvwhbj in tho train when, asked tho usualquestion', attribute. their blank day to the'fish l nbt'taking. ;'' |- -'An amusing /story is ' told 'of*/ two , local anglers who' tired of angling brie day, and so: waged''.:war: .Against the wriggling eels.: Their weapons l consisted of a sch'napper-hook lashe'd to'; a stick,. and a pkccj of fencingwire. ' Stones'in the stream were/turned over, #i)clrn!ahy : ;snia)]' eels ■ fell victims to the •.? :T3}o:crisf» :was reached,- however, wheii' : .ono' : he>.vy 'stone was turned and the "sport','with the hook on tho .stick-saw what ho took to be anv-eel and mado futile efforts to hook the .other one's boot but. -The too of tho boot, through, immersion in tho watcr y bore a, strong resemblance to an eel. The language: used", by /the/ wearer of the /eel-likd. boots'wnsVdecidedly "golfish." , /Rcmih'isc.ehces'of angling'by old hands are lining poured ' into intending anglers', ears at the present'" time. Posing as a novice, n,ii;'erstwhile; angler listened to-' many" yarns' which;''though- decidedly "fishy," '-'were told as;."CiOspjel ,-truth/' No riotbs were "taken of the-stories; ,but 'sbitfo-'of thoru-wcr<s. briefly as -follow.-:— v : ./': ;Fishin'g: ; 'at' . Wainui-o-mata,, a./local; langler caught'',,arikbely. weighing two pounds,.' oh artificial.' This' .'occurrence, ban '■ * frequently bjien""; reported, "but unfortunately lacks'.corroboratioii. -.■ 'An/English-NaVy officer, who-fished extensively, through N?,w' Zealand' acouplfibf seasous. ago, 'caught, ;a trout at Wainui in'rather a -ireculiar;' l maimer." Tho fish was: hooked inithbvmpjith, but the fly.' had passdd-.th'rough tlie<V:gills'(:to . get', there. He is reported to have tpld the stfry himself, and at the samo time - remarked that il would only bo called a : "fisli.'story, "/although absolutely true. ' "j ■A' doctor, resident at Nelson, had a peculiar catch while fishing minnow 011 c' day. He espied a woodheh near tho . bank of the stream, and cast a glittering devon near it. The. bird, which is noted for its inquisitivcness, eagerly took the line, and was eventually landed. Catching a magpie with artificial fly ' is another achievement of a Wainui angler. It appears that two magpies had selected a tall, dry tree, bordering on the banks of tho stream, as their home. They resented interference in the form of anglers, antl showed their dislike by'shrieking loudly and .flying close to tho trespassers' heads. One angler, with malice aforethought, waved his :od at the intruding'bird, with the result that it was hooked' on a inarch brown. Tho playing it out, ! securing.. and dispatching the menace to anglers followed in rotation. The authenticity of this "yarn" is assured; for lifid not the angler a solitary " maggie's" feather in his hat when he returned to town!