BANK NOTES.

Otago Witness, Volume 01, Issue 2123, 1 November 1894, Page 37

BANK NOTES.

Dry weather still continues. Hurry up with tome rain, Mr Paulin ! There has been very little fishing this wick, the streams being low and clear, and duck weed is beginning to grow fast. This weed, whioh is in nearly all the stony-bo! torn ed southern streams, is a great nuisacce to bottom fishers, and also gives the fly fisher a lot of trouble. (Some baske's of moderate size have been secured in the Waitafci — Mr Strains, of 45, being the best. Mr Anderson had a dozen food ones on Saturday last. lam sorry to hear that Sunday fishing is getting very prevalent on this stream. Surely the trout are entitled to one day's rest in the seven. Goodness knows they get stirred up enough on the other six. The question of eels destroying trout it to be solved by the Acclimatisation Society. They intend to have »ix or seven good pots made, and get them in the Waiwera, working the stream in sections. Mr George Munro secured a nice basket of six fish in the Waipahi last Thursday— heaviest fish, 31b. Now that the hotel ii closed anglers can get very comfortable quarto's at Mr Brown's accommodation house, near the old bridge, about 10 minutes' walk from the Waipahi railway station. It is reported that there is a little quiet poaching going on in the Leith and Waitati. In the latter stream nets are being used near the old railway bridge. I commend this rumour to Kaoger Morris's notice. Mr Chisholm had a very fine catch last week in the Upper Waiwera. His largest fish, of 611b, was a perfect beauty, and I am informed the flavour after beiDg cooked was something beyond the ordinary. There is some talk of forming an acclimatisation looiety at Cromwell. It is alleged that at present a consfdarable revenue for fishing licenses goes to Dunedin, and next to nothing is done towards preserving the fish. The demand upon the Wellington Acclimatisation Society for fish has largely increased, £250 worth having been told already this season, representing about 152,500 young fish of tha following varieties : — Amenoan brook char, 5000 ; Loch Leven, 10,500 ; and brown trout, 137,000. The society has distributed in the rivers in its district about 310,000 young trout M follows :-rAmerican brook char, 41,000; §tmsn team iQts9Qi..Lask.lfiite*-&j&Q9l

Scotch burn trout, 5000 ; brown trout, 220,000. There remain in the hatcheries about 8000 rainbow trout, 6000 Loch Levcn, and 225,000 brown trout, or a total of 238,000. Of this number, 180,000 brown trout have been allowed for distribution, and will be let out as soon as possible

Th • f )llowing i«, according to the Tuapeka Tiun s, ;i K-fjed ro b-; a " true bill " and (H-nc-rns a 1. cill angl-r not a hundred miles from Blue Sijur:— A fisherman went fishing; he thought he had a head, bu j left his reel and line at home, then to himself he said, "My upper story must be wrong " He raised his h»t with care, and did a little scratch and grin, aud fc-lt inclined to swear. What could be done— the wind was right, the day was bright, the fish were lively too ; he could not face the journey back until quitifdark it grew ; so tying all his casts in one, he boldly rrade a start, but hooked a log and came to gr<ef, and with his line did nart.

" T " writes :— " In the Otago Daily Times cf 24th ult. there is a letter, signed Alex Gilmore, complaining that he is expected to take out a fifhing license to fish in the Shag river on his o^n elope preserve. He has my sympathy, as I have a lively reco 1 lection, many jears ago now, of being ordertd off bis property as though I were a dog. I have fished many rivers both earth and touth in Otago, and often ia the Shag river up from Palmeraton, and have never been interfered with except on that solitary occasion. I had never been fishing there before, and, needless to say, I have not done so since."

Mr J. Robertson on Monday made an excursion to the upper waters of the Leith, and commencing at the paper mill took 27 fish, all of which were, however, small.

Mr S. Goldsmith, who has been fishing the Owaka and Glenomaru rivers lately, reports them as being plentifully stocked with fish, but low. The Glenomara fish are heavier on the whole than in previous years, and generally run about 21b to 2£lb. Very little fishing has been done in this stream except by local anglers, and even they have not plied the rod with any great degree of persistency owing to tbe very low state of the water. The competition on the Shag river, for the Anglers' Association's gold and silver medals was held on Saturday, and up to the present the returns are : Mr J. Robertson, 14 fish, 121b Boz (heaviest fish, lib 12oz) ; Mr J. O*g, 8 fish, Ulb llcz; and Mr W. Aitken, 11 fiuh, 101b soz. The water was very low and clear, and nearly all the captures were eff< cted with the creeper, the minnow being successfully used in some instances. It is understood that Mr Robertson took all his fish out of Munro's pool. Several returns have not been sent in, and this puts the secretary at a disadvantage in arriving at anything like a satisfactory conclusion as to who are the successful competitors. It U stated that one of the competitor* secured *. larger basket than any of the foregoing, but for some reason tbe return has not been forwarded, so the take cannot be reoorded.

It may be as well to remind anglers that for the bare fly competition, for the Acclimatisation Society's gold and silver medals, which takes place on the Waipahi river on the Bth November, it is necessary to enter six clear days before that date. An announcement in connection with the competition will be found above.

A competition also takes place on the day following, in the Waiwera stream, for the president of the Anglers' Association's prize, and a trophy presented by Mr S. Goldsmith. A recent visit paid to the Waipahi and Wai • wera rivers by Mr R. Ohisholm was productive of some excellent sport with the rod. Mr Chisholm tried the former stream on the morning of the 24th, beginning at 8 o'clock, and in five hours' time had grassed fire fish, weighing 171b, three of them turning the scale at 41b each, although they were in nothing like the condition of those subsequently caught in the Waiwera. In a month's time, however, this stream should yield trout that anyone might be proud to take. Tha trout caught in the Waipahi were all secured with the bare fly. The fish caught by Mr Chisholm in the Waiwera were splendid specimens, the girth of one (weighing 6£lb) being something quite beyond the common. The basket made consisted of seven trout weighing 211b, and they were all taken in the short space of four hours on Thursday morning. Two were taken with the fly and the remainder with the creeper. The rivers are reported to be very low, and it was only by using the very finest tackle and approaching the fish very warily that Mr Chisholm can account for his success.

Some fair baskets of fith were taken at the Waitaki on the 24th. Mr J. Mitchell, 10 ; Mr W. Bruce, 7 ; Mr John Sinolair, 4; Mr George Bruce, 4 ; and Mr Aitken, 3. Others whose names we have not learned secured fair basket*. — North Otago Times. A number of anglers visited the Waitati river on Saturday, and among the most suoocssful were Messrs J. Strain and J. Nelson, who seonred 45 and 31 fish respectively. The river is still low and will not be in really good fishing order until there is a rainfall.

Anglers who have visited the Waitaki during the week (says the Oamaru Mail) have met with some fair sport. Mr John Mitchell is top scorer, he having secured 17 fish for about four days' fishing. Mr W. Bruce comes next with nine, he having started fishing on Wednesday night and finished on Thursday morning. Mr John Sinclair's takes were five for three days' Bs&ing, and Mr "H. Aititen VnTee, YreV&g the result of Wednesday evening's and Thursday morning's angling. Mr J. Richmond got four for two days' fishing. Mr P. Dandie got three, Mr J. Milligan two, Mr W. Bissett two, and several others got one apiece from Wednesday night to Thursday morning. The Old Ferry has proved to be excellent fishing ground for anglers, and good takes were made during the week. On Thursday Mr Charle3 Everett landed seven, and others who have visited this spot have been equally successful. The fish up the river are in very poor condition, and it is very evident they have not yet received the benefit of the whitebait. The Kakanui has not yet yielded much to the anglers owing to the low state of the river, but several persons who have used the fly have met with fair sport. The fish are plentiful and in splendid condition.