ANGLING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23717, 26 January 1939, Page 6

ANGLING

By Dry Fly

COMPETITIONS February 4-s.—Pomahaka River; weekend outing: two club competitions and Griffiths Cup; interclub competition with Taieri Anglers’ Club February 18.—Shag River; bare fly. WAIKOUAITI COMPETITION Described by one of the competitors as the worst he had ever seen on the Waikouaiti, the Otago Anglers’ Association’s any legal ; bait contest was decided on that water last Saturday. There were 13 rods in the competition, •but not a single fish over 21b in weight was taken, and the majority of the catches were small both in weight and numbers.. The results were: — E. H. Levido. 10 fish, 71b 1 J. A. Rhodes, 5 fish. 51b Boz .. .. 2 Only one competition remains to be decided in the Finlayson Memorial Cup competition. At present J. A. Rhodes has a fairly substantial lead, but several members are close together a few pounds back. SALMON CAUGHT A good ; number of salmon wencaught }n the rivers of ' the Ashburton County during last , week-end. . Upstream, from the. mouth of the Rangitata River one ahgler secured a bag of' five, the best being 311 b and 281 b. The fish were in good condition. Several salmon were also taken on the south side of the river near the mouth. Some were caught in the KHksis Rivor. ■ v Anglers anticipate that the first big run of salmon will, tie a month earlier this season than if-was last year. Trout were scarce in ,J the rivers during last week. A heavy swell on the sea throughout the week militated against good sport. At Lake Heron, however, excellent results were obtained. There were many parties from all parts of Canterbury camped there during the week-end, and all secured good bags. Brown trout up to 91b were caught and quinnat salmon up to 51b were also taken. A HOME ON WHEELS The fishing conditions prevailing during the Christmas and New Yeif holiday period have demonstrated just how great an advantage is held by the anglers whose possessions include, in addition to a car—which, is little short of a necessity nowadays for a fishing holiday—a caravan, preferably of the trailer type. It is probably not too much to say that those, who went away to camp in tents or to rent huts, found, in the majority of cases, that they had come to the wrong spot. Not so the caravaners, for they we re able, finding their chosen fishing place unproductive of sport, to move on at wih and spend at least some of their time in places where the fishing was good. These were not numerous. When the fishing holiday is attempted with tents, the first day is a rush one, for the campers are anxious to get to their destination in plenty of time to set up the camp before darker, in the writer’s case, before the threatening rain materialised. The tents once up and the camping goods unpacked, one feels little like repacking a couple of days later to go in search of better sport. Camping is usually done well away from towns, and news of better Weather or fishing conditions elsewhere is not readily obtained, and this also militates against any move to go find “ a better ’ole,’ The caravan owner is in a different position entirely. He might set out from Dunedin, let us say, with the object of fishing at some spot in the Queenstown district. . He may well find as he travels that the Shag River is in promising order and can decide to spend the night there, fishing until the mqod urges a move. Again, he may consider that it would be worth while to diverge from his main route to spend a day on the Upper Taieri, and the streams and dams of Ida Valley area may engage his attention for ■ couple of days, When he eventually reaches his final destination,, his camp is still with him, all ready for occupation, and he has not to wowy about putting •up tents which may or may not leak if it rains, but has only to choose a spot handy to water and, if his caravan is not equipped with an oil stove, wood. Again supposing that Queenstown has been selected for the mam camp, there are many short trips available, and some of these deserve more than a brief day. The camp is once more on the spot if the traveller decides to stay overnight. . A holiday with many attractions for the angler, on which a caravan would be especially desirable, is one spent at Te Anau and Manapoun. There are these two lakes to offer fishing, as well as the Waiau River, both between the lakes and lower down, the Eglinton Valley, where a one-day trip is decidedly too short, and other possible excursions readilv available to the caravan owner, but less attractive to the ordinary camper. One could go on giving similar instances for columns, but most anglers know them better, probably, than the writer. The objection may well be raised that the majority of anglers are barely in a position to purchase an expensive caravan, or even to hire one at tne rates which are charged at holiday time. this, of course, is unanswerable where the purse will not extend to the outlay,, and in the case of sportsmen who cannot afford a car, much less a caravan, there is nothing more to be said. For those who already possess a car. however, and who nave not considered the advantages of having a'Caravan, this article may serve its purpose. m . It is not necessary to own the most expensive de luxe model in order to have the benefits of a home on wheels. There ale many types of caravans most of Which, may be built at home by the handy man who owns a workshop add the necessary tools—from the humble .open box on which a tent may be erected to the streamlined home-from-home with every gadget and labour-saving device known to the ingenuity of man. The latter would, no doubt tax the resources of the'average angler to build in his own back yard, but he might well attempt something in between, not beyond his ability and craftsmanship, but offering the comforts of a secure roof overhead and 'somewhere to cook in comfort under any weather conditions. Plans for the building of such caravans are readily obtained, and. indeed, such plans and full instructions have, in the last year or two, been published in many of the semi-scientific magazines on the market. These are mostly of American origin, inspired, doubtless, by the demand existing there on account of the fashion, attrac-tion-call it what you will—of living permanently on the highway rather than in a house. Whatever the purpose, originally, some of the trailers thus described are eminently suited to the purposes of the New Zealand angler and are, for the mbst part, not beyond the means, financial or practical, of the average car owner. Those who experienced the mixed joys of camping in tents over the recent holiday period and who would prefer more comfort and flexibility in camp life, could not do better than consider the acquisition of a caravan before next holiday.