FISHING AT MOKAU.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 March 1925, Page 7

FISHING AT MOKAU.

GREAT SPORT OFFERING. , SOUTH TARANAKI PARTY’S TRIP. (By the Star’s Okaiawa Correspondent.) Accompanied by Messrs J. A. McCallum, of lnaha, and C. E. Betts, of Kaponga, the writer has just returned from a short, but most enjoyable, visit to the Mokau district. Three keen fishermen, the principal object of our trip was to try our luck among the members of the finny tribe, and the results exceeded our expectations. Mr. McOalluni drove us up in his own car, as, we were able to. choose our times quite Independent of the restrictions incidental to travelling per medium of ; the sendee cars. We left early in the morning and arrived at Mokau in time for dinner, after which we set out to- explore the fishing grounds, taking our lines with us, and we succeeded in catching, enough fish for tea. Some local residents gave us valuable information regarding the feeding grounds, and the young men who are running the ferry service lent us one of their boats, a kindly act which we appreciated to the full. The sea fish, principally schnapper, trevalli, and kahawai, travel up the river for miles, the numerous pipi beds being the attraction. We had three particularly successful days, our catches being 31 "(24 schnapper and the remainder kahawai and trevalli), 16 schnapper, and 29 (28 kahawai and one schnapper). On the day of the last-named catch we started fishing off a ledge into the sea, but the wind got up, and we had to get out or be washed out. We could see a huge shoal of kahawai out at sea, and these afterwards came up the river, driving in front of them myriads of sardines. Many,, of these came up high and dry and provided us with a most deadly bait. Hooking one on the end of our lines we trolled for the kahawai, and had great sport, landing the 28 fish in about an hour and a half.

Oar catches “astonished the natives,” who expressed surprise at strangers being able to beat the local inhabitants at catching fish; but the secret of our success lay in some gut lines which Mr. McCallum brought back with him when on a recent visit to Australia. Of course, with these lines, the fish cannot be “yanked” out, but have to be played in the same manner as a trout. No reel is used, but when the fish pulls the line is allowed to run out through the fingers. We tried these lines out against the ordinary schnapper line one day when out in the boat, the gut line securing eight schnapper, while the cotton line was left severely alone. Our one disappointment, and it was a big one, was that dbe weather broke two days before our return home, and we were unable to catch any fish to bring back with us.

During our stay we had a launch trip up the river, some 25 miles, to the site of the old coal mines. These mines have been idle for a considerable period, but we were informed that work is to be recommenced in 'the near future. Contrary to expectations, the first part of the trip was the best, the native bush on either side of the river being very beautiful. The country is very precipitous, but the tree ferns manage to get a footing, and.the spectacle of them growing from the foot to the summit of a high bluff was very fine indeed. Further up we came to a stretch, extending over several miles, where the scenery has been completely spoiled by willows, which have unfortunately got a hold along both banks. They "are of the straight-growing variety, and completely hide the native bush. Further up the bush had been felled and burned, and this was equally uninteresting. We were informed that the most beautiful portion of the river was in the far upper reaches, where there are ravines and rapids, but that portion can only be negotiated in flood time, owing to snags making a passage extremely dangerous when the water is low.

Tlie bird life along the river banks was a Source of great joy to us, pigeons, clucks, tills, and Kingfishers being very numerous. At one spot we saw seven pigeons on the wing. The game laws are evidently well observed, for the ducks were not at all alarmed at the approach of the launch, some of them not even taking wing. We were much interested iu the ferry service across the river, and, as touch of our fishing was done in close proximity to it, we had ample opportunity of watching the traffic across. The ferrymen were having a strenuous time, the car traffic being very heavy, two cars being frequently taken over at a time. The most interesting item, however, w r as the transportation of stock. One day 300 head of cattle crossed, but only a few were carried over. These were herded on the opposite shore as a decoy for the remainder, which were swum over. The same day 1000 sheep were carried over, an operation which occupies some hours. The most exciting incident, so far as we were concerned, was the carrying over of 80 bulls, about 20 being taken at a time. One lot became over-excited and broke the gates down. The first animal stepped off the punt as if he were stepping on to dry land, but he disappeared completely beneath the water, and the rest followed suit. “Mac” and I were anchored only a few yards away, and the excited animals came swimming round our boat, and we made preparations to “repel boarders.” Luckily, however, they did not make the attempt; but one got foul of my companion’s line and, unfortunately for him, he happened to be playing a schnapper at the time. “Mac” lost the schnapper and hooked the bull, but any chance of landing the latter was lost through the animal making for shore and getting his feet on terra firma.

Another incident which might have ended in tragedy happened, another day when three inebriated individuals crossed over in a car. One would have thought that extra precautions would have been taken with men in their condition, but the ordinary safeguard of chocking the wheels was overlooked. When in mid-channel the car commenced to “creep,” and tips was not noticed until it was almostxtoo late. Just in the nick of time a block of wood was slipped in front of the back wheel and the car was saved from a watery grave. A cold dip would have been decidedly beneficial to the three occupants. Mokau does not grow, and probably never will, owing io the poor nature of the soil, which is principally papa clay. The inhabitants are generally of a go-as-you-please variety. The proprietors of the two stores have no set- time for opening and closing their premsies, and the post office is closed for an hour at mid-day and all Saturday afternoon. Thei postmaster,. however, was of a most obliging disposition, and if he were about was always willing to look up our mail. No one, so far as we could see, troubled about a garden, but perhaps the poor soil was in part responsible for this.

The roads at the time of our visit were in fair order. There were long

stretches where the rough broken metal had to be passed over. The unmetalled parts, though dry, were very bumpy, and the unfortunate occupant of the back seat of. our car frequently “hit the roof.” The dust was awful. At one spot we got behind a lorry, and it was impossible to pass it, as we could see neither lorry nor road, lhe work of metalling the road is being pushed on rapidly, and there is no go-slow about it. Long hours are the lorries starting early in the morning and frequently not knocking off until after dark. The metal for the road on the western side of the river is brought down in a large barge from a quarry some four or live miles up the river. The barge- carries 1 forty square boxes, each containing a yard of metal. Close to the road there is a jetty, on the end of which is a large hopper.' The metal, which is a blue metal of excellent quality, is hoisted up into the hopper, and from there shot direct into the lorries. Given reasonable weather, the metalling of the road right through to Te Kuiti should be finished before winter sets in. Dairying is carried! on at Mokau, where there is a butter factory, cream being brought in by dray, lorry, and launch; but the country did not appeal to. me as a. dairying district. It was mostly standing on end, and there was little which could be brought under cultivation.

Our journey home was more pleasant than that up". The rain had judging by the muddy water in the rarer, been heavier in the back country hut where we were was only sufficient to lay the dust, so we were free from that nuisance. With the object of dodging the traffic we -were up before daylight. Just as w r e were leaving, a car with lights on came up from the ferry. It contained a party of tourists from Wellington, and they had been travelling all night. Arriving at the ferry they did not know- how to signal the ferrymen on the other side, and had been hung up for Several hours. The ferry-is not lighted at night time, and strangers are placed in an awkward predicament should they happen aloug after dark. We had" a good riin through to Urenui, our sharpened appetites adding zest to the excellentbreakfast put before us by host Kasper, who formerly was mine host of the Okaiawa Hotel. We reached our homes in ample time for lunch, the total distance from Mokau to Mr, McCallum’s, via Kaponga. being 103 miles. Our troubles on the road were practically nil, the only co-mpulsory stop being caused by a "stray nail which we picked up. Our, trip, which extended over nine days, was most enjoyable, and we are already making plans for a further raid next year upon the denizens of the deep in the same locality. I can thoroughly recommend Mokau to any fishing enthusiast, hut fine weather is absolutely essential. If does not take much rain to spoil the water, owing to the precipitous nature of the country and the papa clay formation.