ANGLING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23370, 9 December 1937, Page 4

ANGLING

By Dry Fly

COMPETITIONS February s.—Pomahaka River; any bait (anglers’ outing): hours 5 pm. till midnight. February 6.—Pomahaka River; dry fly; hours 7 a.m.-3 p.m. February 26.~Shag River: bare fly: hours 5 p.m.-midnight. The following cups will be competed for:—Finlayson Memorial Cup, Levido Cup, Spears Memorial Cup. Griffiths Cup. In conjunction with the Pomahaka River outing, an eeling competition will be held. WAIKOUAITI COMPETITION The following is the result of the Waikouaiti competition held last Saturday by the Otago Angling Association:—R. Joyce (4 fish, 31b soz), 1; W. Raffell (3 fish, 31b 4oz), 2. This was very close and the next best basket taken was that of E. Fletcher (31b 2oz). There were nine competitors. ROXBURGH AND CATLINS A Roxburgh correspondent of the Otago Acclimatisation Society advises that four members of the Teviot Angling Club visited Lake Onslow at the week-end and caught 60 fish, including two of 6Jlb and one of 41b. These were the largest, the majority of the fish being small but all in good condition. It is also reported that the Gatlins River is in perfect condition, and that good catches are being made. TOMAHAWK LAGOON A Chinese who has fished extensively in various parts of the world was seen at Tomahawk Lagoon. He was attached to the visiting circus, and is a keen angler. He secured a satisfactory basket. TO HELP VISITING ANGLERS Apropos of the - visit -to Tomahawk of this angler, a prominent member of the Otago Angling Association remarked to “Dry Fly” yesterday that it was unfortunate that there were no facilities in the city for visiting anglers to get in touch with local fishermen. Frequently such visitors would be offered opportunities of joining weekend fishing parties, if only they could be provided with the means of meeting anglers here. WEED AT TOMAHAWK It is reported that the swans placed on Tomahawk Lagoon by the Otago Acclimatisation Society in an effort to keep down the luxuriant growth of weed which, this season, is making the upper (and more popular) lagoon unflshable, are making fair headway. Unfortunately, about half the swans obtained by the society for the lagoon have failed to survive, but the remainder appear to have made themselves at home on the lower lagoon, going to the upper sheet of water to feed. The use of this method of keeping weed down is a point on which there is a certain amount of disagreement, but cases are known where it has been found very effective. The society has been requested from time to time to cut the weed in the lagoon, but this is considered to be impracticable as dead weed left in the water is believed to give rise to the presence of poison which is fatal to fish. LARGE EEL CAUGHT When Keronia Pokai, a Waverley fisherman, was feeling under the bank of a stream for eels the other day, his finger was gripped by an eel (states the Wellington Evening Post’s Wanganui representative). When he managed to get the eel out of the water, he found it measured sft 4m and weighed 361 b. THE FISHING RIVERS Conditions should be excellent for anglers in all the main fishing rivers in Canterbury at present, according to advice received by Mr C. W. Hervey, secretary of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. The Waimakariri, Rakaia, Hurunui, Ashley, and Selwyn Rivers were all reported to be running clean and in good order. FISH AND HOT WEATHER The hot weather experienced lately In Taranaki has caused heavy mortality among fry at the Taranaki fish hatchery (states an exchange). It was stated at the last monthly meeting of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society that covers of manuka branches are being constructed for the ponds to protect the fry. BLASTING FISH Allegations that blasting with gelignite to kill fish in the Waiwakaiho River was being carried out were made at the last meeting of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society in New Plymouth. A fisherman on the river near Burgess Park was stated to have heard and felt two distinct concussions within a few minutes. A reward is to be offered by the society for information leading to the conviction of the offenders. SCALES WANTED The chief inspector of fisheries (Mr A. E. Hefford) has advised the secretary of the Otago Acclimatisation Society that he would particularly like to receive scales of trout caught in back-country lakes, both brown and rainbow trout and salmon and also perch, if any are taken. Scales of trout from the Clutha River would also be of special interest. Failing scale samples, records of lengths and weights of fish caught would be information of value—not of outstanding fish but of fish that are generally representative of the stock. There is no need to send further scales of trout caught in Poolburn Dam or the Shag River, as a sufficient number has already been received. NO SMOKING The secretary of the Otago Acclimatisation Society has received the following letter from the city electrical engineer (Mr M. C. Henderson): — . “Your letter of October 28 was placed before the Electric Power and Light Committee a few days ago, and the request that a concession with regard to smoking by anglers while fishing on Mahinerangi dam or alongside the shore was considered. It was decided, however, that if special concessions are granted to anyone, it will be impossible to enforce the prohibition. “The need for every precaution has been shown recently. On Labour Day week-end there was a large number of visitors at Waipori, and some of these visited the Birch Flat just across the river from No. 2 power station. From some unknown cause a fire was started in the bush in the afternoon, and it took the staff several hours to get it under control. Fortunately the damage was very slight, but if the fire had been further away from the settlement it would have been much more serious. “It is hoped therefore that all anglers will loyally accept the.decision of the committee and co-operate with the department in safeguarding the city’s plantations. Another fire such as occurred a few years ago would almost certainly result in the total prohibition of visitors, and this is not desired.”

NEW REGULATIONS A copy of the new fishing regulations for Otago has come to hand, and several new ones are included. These are as follows: — “No person shall within the district use anv rod to fish for, take, or kill acclimatised fish unless he is in actual attendance in person within a radius of 50 feet from the rod.” “No person shall trawl for trout or other acclimatised fish in any waters in the district (other than Lakes Hawea and Wanaka) from any boat fitted with or having attached theretb any mechanical means of propulsion.” “No person shall within the district take more than 20 fish in any one day, and no person shall within the district continue to fish on any day on which he has already taken or killed 20 fish; provided, however, that this regulation shall not apply to any angling competition duly authorised.” (1) “No person shall use for fishing in the Water of Leith during the month of April in any year (a) any single hook larger than the size known as No. 4 (new number) or No, 11 (old number); (b) any treble hook larger than the size known as No. 9 (new number) or No. 6 (old number); (c) any treble hook whatsoever with any bait or lure other than spoon or artificial minnow. (2) “No person shall in fishing for trout in the Water of Leith use any weights whatsoever on any lines, hook, or hooks.” (3) “No person shall use in fishing for trout in the Water of Leith during the month of April in any year any gaff hook of any description whatsoever.” . . , . , Other regulations to which special attention might be drawn are as follows: — . (i) No person shall within the district intentionally fish for, take, or kill in any manner whatever in the following waters namely:—(a) Water of Leith, (b) Waitati' Stream and its branches, (c) Evansdale Stream and its branches —any salmon or _ trout which does not exceed nine inches from tip of nose to tip of tail, (ii) Every person taking in or from the waters mentioned in the last preceding clause (i) hereof any salmon or_ trout which does not exceed nine inches from tip of nose to tip of tail shall immediately return it alive with as little injury as possible into the water from which it was taken. _ (iii) No person shall within the district intentionally have in his possession any salmon or trout taken from the waters mentioned in the preceding clause (i) hereof which does not exceed nine inches from tip of nose to tip of tail. ■ (i) No person shall within the district intentionally fish for, take, or kill in any manner whatever in any waters other than the waters mentioned in regulation 12 hereof (immediately above) any salmon or trout which does not exceed 10 inches from tip of nose to tip of tail. (ii). Every person taking in or from any waters within the district other than the waters mentioned in regulation 12 hereof any salmon or trout which does not exceed 10 inches from tip of nose to tip of tail shall immediately retum_ it alive with as little injury as possible into the water from which it was taken, (iii) No person shall within the district intentionally have in his possession any salmon or trout taken from any waters other than the waters mentioned in regulation 12 hereof which does not exceed 10 inches from tip of nose to tip of tail. No person shall within the district put, stake, set, drag, draw, or place, or allow to be put, staked, set, dragged, drawn, or placed, for any purpose whatsoever any net of any description except a landing net or hand net in any lake, river, stream, or dam, or within the mouth of any river or stream: Provided that nothing herein contained shall prevent the placing or using of any net other than a stake net in such of the parts of the rivers and waters mentioned in the second schedule hereto as are within the district, or prevent the taking of fish in accordance .with any regulations made under the Fisheries Act, 1908. No person shall use in fishing for eels in the district any hook that is smaller than 4/0 (old numbers), nor shall such person use any gut or gut substitute attached to the hook: Provided that this regulation shall not apply on any river within a mile of the sea by water from low-tide mark. It should also be noted that fishing in the Hawea River opened on October 1 and closes on April 30, but in Hawea Lake, its tributary rivers, and in the part of Lake Wanaka within the district the season is from November 1 to May 31, and in Lake Waipori the season is from October 1 to April 15. With these few exceptions, the ordinary season from October 1 to April 30 applies.