FIELD AND STREAM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 443, 27 February 1909, Page 12

FIELD AND STREAM.

(By Dbt Fly,)

: The lowness of. streams, is causing a slump in fishing interest, and not many local anglers are ;making"trips. One; however—Mr. D."P. Neilson—who has been on a fishing tour returnedtoWellington last week. At Slakuri, Mr. Neilson had good sport. 'In about four, weeks, taking; things in leisurely, style; he secured 50 rainbow-, trout; ranging from- ljlb. to ,4}lb. These were taken.above the Makuri Gorge. A pleasant time ;was spent on .-.the Puketoi Stream; _ where it joins. the. Makuri.' At'.this plnee.rainbows of an, average of 51b.. each were 'caught on fly during .the evening rise.., The small Makuri, River, about .five miles from Makuri, 'is/reported by Mr.-Neilsori to bo teeuing .with :5ma11./. rainbows,./ averaging about a pound in weight. .'Thoy rise freely to fly, and give excellent sport.: In five and a half hours' fishing at Oringi, 'Dannevirke, Mr. Neilson secured/a fine, bag, ...Eight, trout were landed averaging' 3ilb. each,:-both fly and minnow,being used. '. Mr. S., Neilson won the fishing trophy which was, Recently competed for.under the auspices of the . Dannevirke . Anglers' Club. .In ~the' Mangapuaka. Stream (about. 77 "miles south of Napiet)'he landed iseveral trout, ranging froin lib.,, to . 4Jlb'.' , on"; fly,' and had.' bad luck in losing.one weighing,about 61b. i'.:;: The,'Tapanui- Anglers' .-and Deer6talkers'--Assooiation championship competition was held: on;the ; Pomahaka at Rankleburn on Saturday, January ;30. /There were 11/ entries, but heavy, rain: in the, morning reduced, the /starters, to six in number. The river (says tho "Tapanui Courier") .was-in. first-class order, but' with the fish ■~it was an "off "day, andbaskets wore poor. Mr. Geo. Howat (ivith a 25 per cent: handicap) was the/winner of the gold medal, his catch of 26 fish weighing 15lb. Ipoz. Mr. K;. A.: Rodger oame'next with 12 .fish, weighing 91b., and the. others who weighed in' were' Mr.; Geo. Drnmmorid '(10 .fish,, weighing fi}lb.)'.and Mr. J. Smith (0 fish,, weighing 51b/ 8oz.).:, -,: ,:.•:-/:-■' : ,'•• " , .•..-..■ ■■■ •.

~Jack .Scott,'*, in ■ the <'Otago -Witness," :says:-I have bean ; favoured, with a letter from Mr; Mr Stuart Owens, of Castle Rook, Lumsden. He states that Mr. David Maokenzio tned,,at Cleddau-'at-.Milford; Ho got none'' and reports unfavourably; He .then' trolled Ada, and at the head;got three 31b., .and '41b.-and '.saw lot's of grand/fish. They were in good: order and .capital eating.- Plenty.of small fish were rising in the /lower reaches of;the Arthur, and they sawjarge fish half'way to the Sutherland ialls.;,rhey. saw,large and medium fish in, the Umtoj Eiyer, and /tried it well above Lake;Te Anau, -but without subcess; They fished the Oroti on T the, night of February 2 and theifollowing day, but they, ■ oould only get fish :of lib., and. Jib.,-, though, they heard there were large,,fish. .'- ;,.•;-;: ~, /.'.;,:. ".-:-:' Local str^amsjcoritinue,to. remain in good' .order,/.the - rooent, heavy, rains having cleared' the. green slime out.; Mr. "D. F. Neilson secured; four trout .in the lower readies of the ,Wainui : o r mata recently,- the • largest of which,scaled 31b.: A party of -three, who journeyed -to".the • same resort last Sunday,' arrived back-m, town, without having;placed * ; fish,in;their, creels. At. South' Karori last ■Saturday,.two. anglers; got 23' fish; all told, lhoy were small, and.not in the bestof: condition.,,. ;;;,..-■..-...:;. v :. : ./;;,'./■/ .;,,;-.-.-■: :'•.:• ~;

■'■ Mr.. Kmneburgh,, a; local angler, had good sport.... in, the, Mungaturiri,; stream :■ recently.He /secured;;m /all -18; trout,. whose weight averaged slightly: over a pound each.' ' ' ■Many.attempts,have been made locally to introduoe rainbow trout in bur streams' but so,far -without, any appreciable; result! It is only the riiofo fortunate of our anglers who. .-are . able to journey' northwards'-. and try this fine sporting variety of trout. - Tho sizei .of; the ."large follows" -captured 'in northern- waters is, as a rule, subjected by the local angling'fraternity, to the usual fisherman's., disoount—viz., about 60 per cent. ..Last.. Saturday an excellent specimen of. a rainbow, was on, view, at Mr. Tisdall's /sports emporium, Lambton Quay.'and caused la-good deal of interest. The fish, was caught by Mr., E.i Q'Reilly,', in. Lake /.Taupo,- and forwarded - on >r to Wellington . by. Mr. ■ ■ Sam .Urowtner, of Napier, who/, on /previous occasions, has-sent fish to .Wellington,' to show what sizo,theygrow':to:in the nortn. The beauty on exhibition,, when cleaned,' weighed 161b., and when shop-closing 1 time came roundut. was , .cat up, and... distributed amongst anglers; the Monday verdict,being -~ An excellently, flavoured: fish, without traces, of, earthiness,- and riot' in the'least coarse." •.■•'■

-n. n J ' Atls i r ? ll ° ia 'exchange, reports :that on IMesday- February. 16, the N.S.W. Anglers' Oasting Olub presented Sir' Harry, Rawsori with a trout: rod and'landing net'built out of colonial wood by Mr.. Bradley,' one of their members. The,articles in question refleot great /credit upon their maker, "and will,, no .doubt, be cherished by his Excellent as a pleasant memento of his govorn•orshiporthat State/ TTie following are the * lm t ber s m used in its' construction:—ln the butt; :Blaokwood, a: dark-coloured'.- timber very often, with a beautiful figure. It is close grained, hard, 'and :heavy, with'.little sap-wood, and is used principally in this btate as!-a; substitute'for walnut.: It is also I as^ 1 :? or; gun-stocks, carving/joinery, and cabinet-work. The middle joint: Spotted gum. ibis is a greyish coloured timber, with; close grain., sometimes straight' but generally; interlocked. It is hard, tough, and elastic, and:is used for spokes,.shafts poles, , nms, swingle-trees, .wood-paving, and building construction generally. It i s a tall tree, plentiful in the North Coast districts.' P| jomV N0.,2: Bluo Gum. This is a red-<oloured,tirnber,' with an opon, straight grain.. It is heavy, free working, and one 1 of. our. most -useful .woods. It is employed by- .carnage' builders, wheelrights,, 'shinwnglits, etc., Itisa large treo, plentiful. m.guHies.in the Coast Districts. ' -'Qne^would, -scarcely credit: the, faot that an, artifaoial fly would prove more:entioine thanits natural representative, andyetthat is w, ha -\P r - Brady discovered when' troutinc m; the .Murrumbidgeo with "Gorrick's Creation, (says the "Sydnoy .Referee"). Tho river was oovered,with, numbers of natural flies, and yet tho fish preferred/the artificial wn' ; U V Br ,l dy „ tried , this fl y. and also the Uch-u-bundhu." and though the latter was a good killer, <'Gorriok's Creation" beat it bythree.to one. Dr. Brady creeled 97 trout in, nine,days. ■ : The 'doctor has '• pointed out tho benefit derived from aUowmg tho trees to grow in the vicinity of the river. At Billingra, after heavy ram, tho.river was yellow, and so muddy as to bo unlit for fishing: further up, however, where the-timbor had not been stripped, the;water was perfectly cloar, the trees bushes having absorbed the rain. Ho advocates the,prevention of on ,tho river gorges. ~'■■•. c '.