BANK NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2080, 4 January 1894, Page 34

BANK NOTES.

Mr A. Anderson had some very good sport on the Waitati on Tuesday, January 2, killing with bare fly a very fine basket of trout. Mr Bamfield also secured seven very fair fish the same day. Mr M'Callum has been spending his holidays on the same stream, goirg out in the mornings and evenings only. He usually managed to land seven or eight fish each time he was on the water. His heaviest fish scaled 2£lb.

Mr Frederic has been steadily fishing the lower waters of Evans creek, and during the last few days has landed, among other fish, one of 61b and two of 3-^lb. The lure used was the phantom minnow. Several Dunedin anglers are making preparations for a week's angling on some of the southern rivers. Camping-out is to be the programme of two of the parties, I believe. The competitions that were held on the Waipahi last week were not a great success the water being low and clear and the' fish off the feed.

There was on view last week in the shop of Mr C. Bills, in George street, a dead shag, which was shot in the Kakanui river on Christmas

Day while in the act of swallowing an eel about a couple of feet in length. The eel at the present time is protruding from the mouth of the shag, which had succeeded in getting about 9in of the fish down its gullet when the rifle of the sportsman put an end to its startling performance. A Waikaia correspondent kindly supplies me with some interesting particulars of angling events in his district. He says : — " I have again some fine takes to record — notably, one of the best of the season, by Mr M. A. Christie, of 12 fish weighing 401b, taken with the minnow on Boxing Day, the same day his son taking 11 fish weighing 301b with the same bait. On Christmas Day Messrs W. Nation and A. M'lvor caught 17 averaging about 21b each, and to-day (29 bh) Messrs Mason, Hassell, and two others caught 19 fish weighing over 501b. The river is in splendid order now, and fish are plentiful, and I have, no doubt I shall soon have still larger takes to record."

Monday's Christchurch Press says: — "On Thursday evening at Kaiapoi Mrs W. Haigh landed a very fine trout, weighing within an ounce of 121b. The fish was hooked in the reach of the river higher up than the boating shed, and gave Mrs Haigh about an hour's good sport before she was able to get it into the landing net. The trout i 3 now being frozen, and will be sent to friends in England as evidence of the growth of this kind of fish, as well as of the sport which New Zealand ladies may enjoy."

The following was the result of the third competition for the season of the Stirling and Inch-Clutha Anglera' Association : — G. Anderson, 6 fish, 35ib 6.z ; B. Taylor, 4 fi3h, 221b 4oz ; J. Mosley, 4 fish, 171b scz ; A. E. Farquhar, 3 fish, 71b 9oz; G. Duncan, 2 fish, 61b90z; G. Byers, 1 fi6b, 31b s£oz ; A. Duckworth, 1 fish, 21b Boz. P. Mason reported to have got two fl-sh, weight not to hand. Five returned with empty baskets, and three that were entered did not compete. The fishers had a bad day, which accounts for the small returns, a thunderstorm and heavy rain interfering with the sport.

The Border Anglers' competition on the Waikaka came off wilh the following results : — George Steel, 8 fish, 111b ; W. H. Cumberbeach, 5 fish, 71b 12oz ; George Arthur, 6 fish, 61b Boz ; George Biggar, 5 fish, 51b 9oz ; James Smith, 4 fish, 31b ; W. Marzahan, 2 fish, lib 8oz ; D. A. Purvis, 3 fish, lib Boz. The other competitors were unsuccessful, and came home with empty baskets.

The Bruce Herald says : — " A large number of anglers were down the river on Christmas Day. The water was in first-class order, but good catches were very scarce. Mr J. Bremner got four nice fish weighing 12£lb, the heaviest being about 51b ; Mr D. F. Bremner one fish weighing 4£lb, and Mr W. Gregg one fish weighing 41b."

We (Lyttelton Times) have received from Messrs Wriggleswor th and Binns, photographers, a large photograph in which the various baskets of trout taken at the late angling competition are shown. The grouping of the fish is excellent, and the photographs show a high finish. They were on view in Mr Alpe's window on Saturday morning, and attracted a considerable amount of attention.

A party of local residents made a haul of 36 dozen herrings off the New Brighton (Canterbury) pier on Thursday night last. The Countess of Wilton is well-known to frequenters of the Thames as a skilful and enthusiastic angler. Last year she captured 1451b weight of barbel in one day at Mario w, but this year her best take was 701b weight. During the present month the countess has been trying her skill with the jack, and has captured several fish from 7^lb weight downward. To the question, What is the weight of the heaviest common trout ever caught by an angler r a Home paper replies: — Twenty-nine pounds, which was the weight of one caught on Loch Stenness, in Orkney, in 1888. One caught on a branch of the Avon at Salisbury weighed 251b. One caught by Sir Trevor Wheler in 1828 on the River Avon, between Ringwood and Christchurch, whilst trolling for pike, weighed 20£lb. In November 1846, a trout of 40in in length, weighing 21£lb, was caught in the Tawe, near Drayton Manor, and presented by Sir R. Peel to Professor Owen. A portrait of this fish is still in the possession of the family of the late Sir Robert Peel. A trout, captured by a man named Turpin, in 1888. on the Itchen, at Winchester, weighed 161b 2oz. A large trout was caught on May 16, 1893, at Iwood, Congresbury. Its weight was 131b 4oz, its length 2ft 6in, and its girth lft 6in. The usual weight of sea trout runs from lib to 31b or 41b, but larger specimens are constantly met with — one, for example, a male, was taken in July 1840, at Sanstill fishery, on the Tweed, 37in in length, 22in in girth, and which weighed 24-^lb. A young lady fisher took out of tne Oamaru Acclimatisation Society's pond the o'her day, with rod and line, 15 perch and tench.