ANGLING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22716, 31 October 1935, Page 4

ANGLING

By Dry Fly.

FIXTURES November 2. —Bare fly competition, Waipahi River. November 16. —Any legal bait competition Waikouaiti River. November 30.—Any legal bait competition, Tomahawk lagoon. February 1 and 2. —Week-end outing to Poinahnka River. Any legal _ bait competition, and dry-fly competition. February 29. —Bare fly competition, Shag River. NORTH OTAGO FIXTURES The following are the fixtures arranged by the North Otago Angling Club for the first half of the current season: — November 2. —Kakanui River. November 16. —Kakanui River. November 30. —Kakanui River. December 7. —Fly-casting; accuracy fly-casting distance; bait-casting accuracy; fly-casting accuracy. LABOUR DAY COMPETITION The critics were confounded on Monday when, despite the unpromising condition of the Shag River a week previously, success attended the Otaeo Anglers' Association's annual Labour Day Competition. The rains of the previous week had caused the river to rise somewhat and this, together with the excellent weather that prevailed, resulted in a good day's sport for the competitors. There were 17 entries and few disappointments. G. Kitchin, who won the contest, took a limit basket, the total weight being 12Alb, or an average per fish of half a pound. There were several other good catches during the day and practically everyone brought home soma fish. The next competion will be held on Saturday at the Waipahi. Though this river has been low and clear so far, it is reported that there is a good supply of trout and anglers should find good sport in the fixture. RECENT REPORTS Last week the Mahinerangi Dam was reported to be low, but in good order for fishing. Some good baskets were taken of fish ranging up to about lAlb. The luck has beeu patchy, however, and several anglers who have made the trip to the dam have failed even to get a rise. All streams in the Catlins district are reported to have improved as a result of last week's rain. One man took 11 fish of a total weight of 541 b, and another angler landed one weighing lllb. The fishing in Catlins Lake is remarkab'y good and the Owaka River has also yielded big baskets. Another report from South Otago states that the Pomahaka is very good and the Waiwera is low and clear. The Catlins is carrying a fair volume of water, but the Owaka and Puerua are both fairly low. The Molyneux is in good order for the minnow. The Clutha River at Lowburn Ferry is stated to be in good order but the catches so far have been poor. A few trout weighing from ljlb to 3Alb have been landed. The Teviot Anglers' Club reports that the dams in the district are giving excellent results, one recent catch being three brown trout weighing from 21b to 41b and one 3Jlb rainbow. The best fish caught last week was a rainbow, which tipped the scales at 7ilb. All were caught on the fly. FALSE ECONOMY One of the most common ways in which fly fishermen are prone to economise in their tackle bill (writes " Black Gnat" in the Christchurch Press) is by retaining from last season all the old casts which litter their fly books. It is false economy, for the time is sure to come when in a hurry to get a fly over a rising fish, one of the old casts is tied on and the fly left in the fish if he takes. Old, frayed casts should be discarded. They cannot possibly have the sentimental value that

attaches to a badly worn fly which has killed a few fish, or which has been attacked by the fly-book worm. The majority of dry fly experts, no doubt, keep their flies in metal boxes, and will never have experienced the dismay of opening a well-filled book at the beginning of the season to find many of their favourites cut to pieces by a fat, white grub. If the grub would only amuse himself during the winter with the old casts instead he would indeed be a.saviour. A safer form of economising is by making up casts as required instead of purchasing the ready-made article. Drawn gut lengths of any thickness can be purchased and made up at a fraction of the cost. A three-yard cast is seldom neces sary, except when fishing the clearest water, and it will be found that one of seven feet is long enough for most occasions. When using only one fly a tapered cast will give a better action and, further, if the fly gets hooked up out of reach it is certain —if the knots have been well tied—that only the fine point will be broken off. A new point of the required thickness is replaced in a few seconds if one or two strands are kept soaking in the cast damper. For making up tapered casts it is necessary to have on hand strands of drawn gut from quarter drawn to 3x, or even 4x, if they are to be used in very clear water. For all ordinary work a seven foot cast made up of one strand quarter drawn, one of half drawn, one of lx, two of 2x, and two of 3x should be most useful. This can be converted into a clear-water cast by the addition of two strands of 4x. When soaking the strands preparatory to knotting them together it is as well to have each thickness of gut in a separate cup of water, as only the sharpest eye can pick out the right size if they are all soaked together. Of knots, the double blood is undoubtedly the most satisfactory, though the most difficult to tie. The newly-tied cast should be hung up to dry with a light weight attached, in order to settle the knots well down, and trimmed up after it is dry. QUESTION OF FLIES Anglers in New Zealand have adopted the English patterns of wet and dry flies (comments " Matuku," in an article in the Southland Times), and in the early days of angling these flies proved fairly successful. Most anglers' who have fished for a number of years have the idea that the trout are becoming more sophisticated in the matter of flies. When dry flies were first used on Southland streams they proved unusually successful for the first season or two. At present, however, the trout seem to exercise a nice discrimination even in the matter of dry flies. . A number of flies more or less resembling the local insects are to be purchased in local tackle shops. Among these may be mentioned the Waipahi, the Poinahaka, Love's Lure, Otamete, Temuka, and others. In the Wellington district, they have evolved the Wainui Special, Nimmo's Killer and others. The only scientific attempt to produce a complete list of New Zealand artificial flies was made by J. C. Mottram, and his flies are fully illustrated and described in his book " Fly Fishing, Some New Arts and Mysteries." It is surprising that some enterprising tackle manufacturer has not put this series of fly on the market. Mr Mottram's list include? nine orthodox duns and spinners and three other flies, namely, an artificial dragon fly, a green or brown Manuka bcttle and the Cicada

or cricket. No artificial dragon fly is to be purchased, but Mr Mottram's is thus described:—"Body of quill stained red; head, red silk, floating hackle and legs, badger hackle." Mr Mottram's remarks regarding the Green Manuka Beetle and the BroAvn Beetle is as follows: —"Although these bottles arc of different colours on the back, one green and the other brown, hare's fur cut to shape, head, brown so one fly will do to imitate the two. Body, rabbit's fur cut to shape, legs, turkey wing barbs. I know of no other way of making a copy of a fat-bodied insect which will fall lightly and float well as this fly does to perfection." Regarding the Cicada or cricket, Mr Mottram remarks as follows: —"The following tying, although not very like the natural insect proved successful: Body, hare's fur cut to shape, head, brovn silk, wing, white cock's hackle, legs not represented because they cannot be seen from below." The above three artificials, namely, the Dragon fly, the Green Beetle and the Cricket should be worth putting on the market, and it would be interesting to see what success they would meet with. The remaining duns and spinners described by Mr Mottram are more conventional patterns resembling English flies. As, however, they are tried to represent New Zealand flies they would probably prove fairly successful.