ANGLING NOTES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIII, Issue 325, 24 December 1889, Page 4

ANGLING NOTES.

[By March Brown.J Timo is like a fashionable host, That elightly shakes his paring guest by tho hand ; And with his arms outstretched as he would fly, Graspß in the comer, How time doth fly 1 Why it only seems Lho ether day tbat I wished you tho reason's beat y\jß, and now odoo again it falls to my lot to repeat these gooi wishes — may I say with, if possible, a warmer greeting than last year's. I tako it for granted that this b.ing Christinas week, yon do not expeot muoh in tha way of nowa. Iti ia generally understood that on suoh a festive ooca°iou buwneßP, with its worries and oare3, Jb thrown aside for the time, ftnd then everybody and everything e^joy a well earned res f . So it is with your humble serr»nt. Poor " Maroh Brown " requires (so eaya the Dootor) a res* and change of scene, nnd unless some brother angler volunteers to take oharge of thlß column, I am afraid that you will hive to do without it for a fow weoke. The past week has not been a very busy one for Nelson anglers. Small quantities of rain have fallen, and it may be eaid that a slight improvement has taken plaoe in the state of the rivers, but for variouß reasons matters pisoatorial are not in suoh a flourishing oondition as any one would have expeoted, judging from the beautiful weather experienced lately. A pretty basket oi trout, the best I believe shown this Beason, waß taken by Mr R. S. Booth out of the Happy Valley a few days ago. They numbered in all 14, the lot turning the Boaleß at 20ib 3ozs. Six of the largest weighed 131ba 10. zs, aud were aB pretty specimens of their tribe as you would wish to sea in a day'B maroh. No other takes worthy of mention have come to my knowledge. As usurl Mr Booth took the most of bis fish on tho governor. While on subjeot of flies I may say that the enthusiastic follower of Walton wbo was kind enough to ask my advice as to the making up of a oast last week, now writes saying that after having studied the oast I gave him for some time he came to iliu conclusion that it "would bn wono bun useless throwing away oiiia'd buuigy with flies of that desoription. " He continues, " Therefore I set to work and composed my own cast ; result, after threa hours hard fishing, my only reward was a five inoh sprat 1 " And yet my correspondent cays he wonders why there is suoh a vast difference in tbe " taking propensity of some flies as compared with other species. " I would suggest that ho study the following lineß, and then the light may dawn on him:— j One tries a wrong fly; and yet he wonders wby All the trout do not greedily take it; Yet osk tbo Bame " feller " to eat your umbrella, And juat note hia hf>ad, how he'll shake it, Tben wby iB ib right, if bis own appetite Of the proffered umbrella fights ehy, To blame the poor trout if ho turns np his BDOU& At a wholly incongruous fly. Reoently a thousand young trout wero to havo been liberated in tbo Motupipi and other rivers, but owing to an accident in their transportation none were destined to ever beoome acquainted with thoßa waters. However, it is to be hoped that tbis lobb will not tend to dishearten the Sooiety from making any farther attempts to send a fresh oon ignment, but rather that it ebouid aot as a warning and prevent the repetition of a similar acoident at any future date. It is their itt'ention to stook the Maitai with a quantity of the young fry, but owing to the unfavorable oondition of tbat river it has not been effeoted yet. Anybody who is anxious to get a few dayß good fishing during tbe Cbriatm&s holidays might do worse tban try the Wangamoa stream. Thero ore plenty ol fish in ito waters, and good fish a'- that. Beside?, a more enjoyable spot for camping, with all its eurrounding 6cencry — vivid descriptions of whioh, together with that of tho Rai, have from time to time appeared in tho paptr.i — tbough it could never bo over piaieed — ia not to be found in this Island, Then again, taking the train from here to Belgrove, a few hours' drive from that station brings you to the Upper Motueka River, whose waters from all accounts simply teem with fish. Besides these there are numerous other places at which a few days could be spent in a very pleasant manner. And now, Eighty nine, you must move on and make room for a better sample. Tou have not been a bad one in your way, but then, as someone said, '' I don't like your way." "Ninety-nine" may turn out trumps, but who knows ? The impenetrable curtain of tbe Future is down, and who is able to raise it 1 Farewell, old year, farewell 1 And now _ not; another sentence will I write on angling this year. May all who read these lines prosper and have good sport and be merry, is March Brown's wish for 1890. State op the Rivers. Our rivers are still low but very much cleaner than last week. The fish are rising fairly well, and during the holidays some good sport ought to be obtained,