AT THE HOT LAKES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7028, 17 January 1910, Page 6

AT THE HOT LAKES

TROUT FISHING AT ROTORUA. SOME SUGGESTIONS. Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P., who has just returned from -a 'fortnight's visit to Rotorua, conversing with a "Times" ropreson bativo regarding the quality of the sport to be 'obtained on the Lake, remarked: — "The condition af the fish has unproved; they are consequently moro vigorous. Their eize lias, however, dejereased, .and does not compare -with the size of tho fish at Taupo. The largest fish caught by my party was 4Jlb; that was, of icourse, on the fly. The largest bag in any one day was twenty. Tho percentage of 'slabs' .was not so -great as last year, and I never caught one diseased fish, the small red worm being absent, so ifa,r as I oould .see. What is required is unquestionably a thinning cub of the fish. The prolific nature of the female trout and the embiro absence of natural enemies, suoh as eels, have 'caused the over-stocking of the lake, and this naturally causes ( a diminution of tlie food supply, suoh .as kuru and toi-toi —the ground bait—and, eannibalistic-liko, they (prey an one another. A half-hearted thinning out process took. pliade last year. AMENDMENT REQUIRED.

"What I advooate is 'a.n amendment of the Fisheries Conservation, Act providing that tho Governor may by Crdor-iii-Gouncil authorise a committee locally appointed to net in statod months of the year in certain parts of tho lake, such order fixing tho size of the mashj so as to altow the smaller fiiJi to escape. I would also, in consequence of the shortness of funds of the local authorities who would bo authorised to net, allow such fish when caught to he sold, tho profits to bo devoted to strengthening the local bodies' funds for this object. I don't believo in a license to sell 'running with. ,a license to fish. I have mado .this suggestion to prominent men in Roborua and thoy are willing to come in and help. Instead of there being any harsh feeling now over my farmer suggestions, the local people seem willing to 00-operate. I would make tshiis amendment of tho Fisheries Conservation Act general, so that precaution may be taken in time, to prevent the same state of things occurring at Taupo, for. occur it will. FISHERMEN WANT SPORT.

"Unless this as done., trout fishing at Rotorua will be. a thing of tihe past in five years' time, because fishermen •will not ibe attracted Jiooally and from abroad. They will always go where the befct sport exists, and from all accounts Tasmania is a likely rival. There the rainbow trout is coming on well and is attracting fishermen who have actually come here and gone straight over there, as witness Sir Theodore Brinkman arod party; Slajoj Wightrnian, of England; land two fishing friends of mine, banristers, from America. These are a. few instances of. whiclh I personally 'know. The fishing reputation of Rotorula is worth saving, in view of the money circulated to my knowledge by 'meams of the railways, hotels (and in consequence to suppliers of hotels), coach and launch proprietors. Remember, too, ' that thfose who visit Eotorua do not come with empty pocket? and they are not niggardly in their spending. Oiuir party was successful in getting . plenty oi fish—too many in fadt, and it was excellent sport so far &rS numbers were concerned, but the • fault still is the want of condition through over-stock-ing, and consequent lofes of sport through .the fish being, in many cases, in an emaciated sta.te—some you •could shave with. TOURIST ATTRiAOTTONS.

"I heard • wonderful descriptions of the Waitomo caves. Although I did jxext -have time to go there, I met people who spoke in great admiration of t)he beauties of the caves. In regard to the tree-planting at Walca-bew-arewa, the oaretaJcer in fowned me, after I had looked over a great part of the plantation, that there aire twenty million trees there doing well, while the prison camp operations near the Green Lake and in thia region ic,f Waiotapu show excellent results. If that bare land is going to produce the same growth in the nexft few years as it has done during the last tibrso or four years, then it is going to become a valuable timber asset to that locality. The hills are covered with millions of youing : treefi (American variety), and they appear to have come to strengthened virility without a, single failure. "The coach roads between Rotoruu and Taupo are very bad, owing to the absence of metal. The round trip via Waimlamgu _is still very popular, and. an interesting day's outing. Rotorua is not so full of A-ustraliatn visitors as usual, though ' Premier Wade and many Australians have fmund their way there: This was attributed by Mr Vance : a Melbourne business man. in discussing it with me, to tho coal strike. Mr Wade, whom I met at Rotorma, told me that he was thoroughly pleased with everything he had ■seen there."