SPORT OF ANGLING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22145, 26 June 1935, Page 12

SPORT OF ANGLING

DEPARTMENT'S APATHY VAST ASSET NEGLECTED RESTRICTION OF WATER OPPORTUNITIES CURTAILED By its neglect the Department of Internal Affairs has allowed the Dominion's most valuable trout-fishing assets, those of South Auckland, to drift into a deplorable state, and tlio time is opportune to call attention to the position with a view to stimulating public interest and arousing a demand for radical changes before the opening of the next season. First of all, it is necessary to point out what this fishing is. From the head of the Tongariro River, through Lake Taupo and down the Waikato River as far as Horaliora, there is 100 miles of beautiful water well stocked with rainbow trout noted for their great size and fighting powers. The fish vary from place to place and in some ways resemble salmon in their habits, using Lake Taupo as salmon use the sea. At the beginning of the season most of the fish in the Tongariro River are in poor condition, being like kelts running to the sea. At the end of the season they are fresh run out of the lake and in magnificent condition, recalling silvery salmon at the same stage.

Tongariro " Flogged to Death " When the trout are in good condition and the river is in order the Tongariro is one of the finest trout streams in the world by reason of the weight and number of fish it yields a day, but its lower roaches, containing the Log, Stump, Crescent, Reed. Gun, Jones, Cherry, Poplars, Gull Reach and other world-famous pools, aro " flogged to death " with hundreds of rods. It is asserted that the fish here, as in parts of the Waikato below Taupo and at Wairakei, are rapidly becoming line-shy. in Taupo the fish are also in poor condition generally at the opening of the season, although some very fine specimens are at times obtained. In the Waikato River the trout as a rule are in better condition early in the season. The water just below the Aratiatia Rapids, where too many fish seem to congregate, is an exception. Only the strong ones manage to get up the rapids. Lower down, in the reach above the Orakeikorako Rapids, the river seems to be overstocked and would be all tho better for heavy fishing, but. unfortunately, the Government has parted with miles and miles of the most accessible river frontages, having sold the laud to afforestation companies for a mere song. Seeing that trout-fishing licences now bring in tens of thousands of pounds annually to the Government and that there was every chance of the amount being greatly increased, no more stupid blunder could have been made. Further down the Waikato, above and below Atiamuri, there is beautiful water, well stocked with trout, to which access is denied anglers because the river frontages have been given over to afforestation companies without any reservations. This state of affairs continues as far as the Arapuni dam. Below Arapuni exceptionally fine trout are often taken, but here again there is danger of anglers shortly having no right of access. Waitahanui Over-fished To return to. Taupo, there is the excellent Waitahanui River, which is in danger of being ruined through the over-fishing of its lower reaches by the hundreds of anglers who crowd the limited space. The remedy for this, if the Government were not oblivious to the needs of anglers, would be to open up other attractive places. This would immediately relieve the congestion. This does not appear to be the department's policy, which, up to the present, has been to take all the licence fees and give almost nothing back. A few years ago many anglers were accustomed to fish the Rangitaiki River and other streams near Galatea. Now the same complaint is made in regard to these waters as to the Waikato—farms and afforestation lands run their titles to the river banks and no access is given to those who take out licences. At Uotorua also fishing is in a bad way, there being more anglers and less water. The Ohau Channel fishing is being restricted and access to other streams in many cases can be had only t>y paying heavily to the owners of the land. Roto Aira Restrictions Attention should be called to the position at Lake Roto Aira, which lies between Tokaanu and thjj National Park. A special reservation of the trout m this lake has been made for the Maoris, with the result that both tho lake and the outlet , river, the Pouto, are overstocked with fish that aro not in the best condition. If arrangements can be made with the Maoris to fish the Pouto near the outlet, limit bags can be obtained with greater ease than anywhere else in the Dominion. If tho Government were to cancel the present restriction on Lake Roto Aira and open it to anglers, there would be an immediate improvement in the quality of the fish and some of the Maoris would find profitable employment in catering for fishermen with boats and launches. Some roading from Taupo round the western side of the lake would open up new waters and would do something to relieve the present congestion that is so annoying to overseas visitors who come for quiet and pleasant sport. The Dominion's fishing is* a wonderful asset capable of enormous expansion if capably managed, but at present it is being atrociously bungled.