FISHING RESTRICTED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22094, 27 April 1935, Page 12

FISHING RESTRICTED

WATERS IN TAUPO AREA RIGHTS IN PRIVATE HANDS RESENTMENT OF ANGLERS The Easter trout fishing at Taupo and Tokaanu was very patchy and disappointing this year, and the chief feature was the great overcrowding of all available water. On Wednesday some 40 or 50 rods were trying to obtain fish at the mouth and in the Waitahanui River, and except in the very early morning not a single catch was made.

The Tongariro River was crowded with anglers, and poor sport was obtained In most instances. At times the river was too discoloured to yield any fish. In the Waikato River near Wairakei and Tatupo some good fish were caught. Anglers would have liked to try their luck lower down the stream, but were everywhere faced with the " Keep Out " notices of the .afforestation companies. Overseas visitors especially expressed resentment at the lack of foresight by the Government in parting with many miles of t<ome of the finest trout fishing in the world. They ask what possessed the Government to do it, and they point out that in a few years the extra licence fees would have brought in far more than the interest on the small amount received for the river frontage to-day.

Anglers in the Auckland Province are rapidly commencing to realise that they are not receiving a fair deal, and a strong public opinion is arising in this rapidly increasing body that the Government will not be able to resist. I"heDepartment of Internal Affairs is assisted by the over optimistic fishing reports sent out by its officials, but in spite of these it is common knowledge that the Easter fishing was greatly overcrowded and totally unsatisfactory, CATCHES AT TAUPO LAUNCH PARTIES' SUCCESS [BY TKLKGUAI'H —OWN CORRESPONDENT] TAUPO. Friday Launch parties on Lake Taupo are obtaining good catches of trout, particularly in the western bays and now that the weather is more settled than it has been for the past week improved results shouW be. obtained. Messrs. Burtenshaw, "Williams and Bolt, of Hawke's Bay, fished on three days from the launch Romance in Whangamata and Kawakawa Bays and returned with a total of 93 fish. The condition of the fish obtained was consistently good, the average weight being between 51 b. and 6lb. In Whakaipo Bay, Mr. and Mrs. Bridgens and Mr. and Mrs. Hodgson, of Auckland, in the launch Whizzbang, landed 34 fish, and Mr. S. Baylor, of Napier, and Mr. A. Rose, or Christchurch," caught a total of 23. Dr. Pierce, of New York, the noted deep-sea fisherman, has arrived in Taupo and will be staying at Waitahanui for at least-a fortnight for flyfishing.