TAUPO TROUT

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12425, 20 April 1926, Page 4

TAUPO TROUT

POOR JISHING REPORTED Pool* sport was reported by members of the council of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society who recently visited Taupo. With nine rods in canip, the party in ten day© averaged little more than a trout a day per man from the Tongnriro river, the largest being 131 b. Four years ago tho same ’ members had excellent fishing, and got plenty of trout, ranging in the case of big one© from 121 bto 181 b. Better luck 'attended another member, who took three fish averaging 101 b in one day, but all agreed that the fishing had been very poor in the Taupo streams this season, as compared with previous years. An instance was given of one camp of over 20 rods who fished for two days without landing a fish. The general opinion was that while there were still plenty of trout in the lake, the scarcity in tho rivers was due to the fact that during the spawning season large numbers of the best fish are pouched in the head waters and thp rivers and creeks where they are an easy prey for anyone who is inclined to take them by unfair means. The position ivais rendered difficult by tho fact that the ranging and fishing ivero under the control of the Tourist and Marine Departments, whereas it would be much better if the control were vested in one department, preferably the Marino Department. ’Hie chief reason why there were so few fish in tho rivers at the present time was, it was said, tho fact that the rivers were abnormally low for tliis time of tho year, and a© most of them are shallow at the mouth, this prevented the big fish from going up. After heavy- raiu9 and when there is a fresh in the rivers, more fish will bo found going up. Tho idea that the large number of rods had depleted the fish waa scanted.