ANGLING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23118, 18 February 1937, Page 5

ANGLING

By Dry Fly

COMPETITIONS The following is a list of the competitions to be held this season under the auspices of the Otago Anglers’ Association:— March 6.—Shag River; bare fly competition; hours. 5 p.m. to midnight, March —.—Tomahawk Lagoon; any legal bait: hours. 3 p.m. to midnight. ON THE CLUTHA The Clutha, about 10 miles above Cromwell, was providing good sport a week ago. The catches were not large, but a Dunedin angler averaged several trout a day for oyer a week, his largest being a 71b specimen, while the others ranged from 2ilb to 41b. CONTOUR CHANNEL Fair baskets have been taken on the contour recently, the fish, though small, being in excellent order. WAIKOUAITI RIVER A Dunedin party had fair sport on the Waikouaiti River at the week-end, the catch including several nice fish from 21b to 31b. The opinion was expressed by a member of the party that the Waikouaiti is fishing better now than earlier in the season. FISHING AT HAWEA A Dunedin angler who recently spent a short holiday fishing at Lake Hawea reports that the sport there was very good. Baskets were not large, but the fish caught were excellent specimens, and provided exceptionally good sport. The largest to come to his rod were in the neighbourhood of 71b to 7Jlb. and few fish below 4Jlb were taken. POMAHAKA COMPETITION Mr S. H. Barnes was the most successful angler in the competition held on the Pomahaka River recently, wining both the open event and the dryfly contest. As a result of his success in these competitions Mr Barnes will hold the Griffiths Cup for a year. There were 18 competitors on the river, but sport was not good, as the weather conditions were far from satisfactory. In the first competition, in which any legal bait was permitted, Mr Barnes secured seven trout, weighing 81b 2oz. and Mr I. M’Farlane came second with six fish totalling 51b loz. The x dry-fly competition went to Mr Barnes with five fish weighing 41b lOoz while Mr D, Hunter, with four fish weighing 41b 7oz, was a close second. The runner-up for the Griffiths Cup was Mr M’Farlanc. ROTORUA FISHING The probability of fees for trout fishing licences in the Rotorua and Taupo districts being increased, to provide improvements in control and better snort for anglers, was indicated by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr W. E. Parry, when he met a deputation from the Rotorua Rod and Gun Club recently (writes the correspondent of the New Zealand Herald). One of the main matters of complaint raised by the deputation was that there did not appear to be a sufficient number of rangers in the districts to protect the fish from being taken by illegal methods. Instances were quoted by the deputation of fish being taken by the sackload, by the use of spears and other illegal methods, while they were spawning along the higher reaches of the rivers and streams. The Minister said he was quite satisfied that better ranging was a necessity. He was prepared to go to further lengths than even the club realised to ensure protection for the tro"t. particularly the early spawners. However, to effect the desired improvements in the sport, more revenue was necessary and anglers could expect higher fees than those ruling at present, which were the cheapest for that class of sport in the world. The Government desired to place fishing, under its control on a sound basis, added the ’ Minister, and jt was no use building new hatcheries if adeauate protection was not provided for the fish when they were liberated. However; while the department would take whatever steps were necessary to prevent violation of the regulations, the angler himself had a duty to appoint himself an honorary ranger and take whatever action was necessary in the event of any violation of the regulations coming under his notice. EQUIPMENT AND METHODS A great part of the interest and romance of angling is derived from discussions on angling methods and the technique and equipment of fishing (writes “ Matuku ” in the Southland Times). The correct number of trout flies on a cast is a matter that has not received the consideration it deserves

A single fly when fishing dry and three flies, 18 inches apart, when fishing wet, is the usually accepted number, but in the opinion of those who have given the matter consideration neither method is always ideal. The three fly cast in many anglers’ opinion is not justified by results, and has serious disadvantages in practice. There is an idea that the use of three wet flies enables an angler to ascertain which fly is preferred by the trout. If an angler considers that his; tail fly is four or five feet from the top dropper it seems probable that the trout has not seen the dropper, or vice versa. Another disadvantage of the three fly cast is that it is* difficult to handle and cast. If a breeze is blowing it is difficult to keep the flies from getting entangled with each other and the cast and line. Again, it is difficult to make a delicate cast with three flies. On hot, sunny days and over low. clear water the wet fly fisherman using three flies generally gets poor results, and this is largely because of the difficulty of making a delicate cast with the three flies.

The next method is the use of two flies, and this provides interesting possibilities. The two-fly combination can be used in various ways; that is, two wet flies, two dry flies, or one wet and one dry fly! The wet flies in the opinion of experienced anglers give the best results fished upstream, and will generally prove more effective and be easier to handle than three wet flies. Dry-fly fishing technique in New Zealand is based on the English practice and text books, and in England the use of two dry flies at once would no doubt be looked on as poaching. In Southland streams the use of two dry flies has been experimented witn and found quite successful. It is particularly useful if tricky currents have to be dealt with. One fly will take up the drag and leqve the other to float over the desired spot free of drag The most interesting combination, however, is to fish two flies, one wet and one dry. The wet fly should be fished on the end of the cast and the dry fly as a dropper The usual unstream dry flv cast should be made and the wet flv will drift downstream under the dry fly. If a fish takes the wet flv he will drag the drv fiv and advertise the fact to the analer. On the whole, however, and csp«ciallv in low. clear water, the angler, whether fishing wet or dry flies, will find the use of a single fly most successful. and add to the weight of the bag at the end of the dav.