BANE NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2171, 3 October 1895, Page 34

BANE NOTES.

• . • The morntng of tho lsi broke col 1 and cbcerless, and for hou» before that — iv fact, fro ai the precise moment of the opening of the SQasou ithat is, 18 o'clock)— ib wa? anything but fiibermau's weather. Iv addition to the chilliness of the temperature there was a n»sty wiud blowing tbab would iuterfete vory considerably with comfort aud with the reidy gHiing away of the line. Notwithstanding all tne disudvantsgts and inconveDitnces that auglers knew they would h&va to contend with, a goodly nnmbe* tutnod out to try their luck upon the Loitb, thore biiug at ono time as many aB 12 rods at Lee's pool alone. All who h&d th' 3 hai'dihood to venture fv>rth appear to htva been rewarded to a {>re«ter or leso dtgieo, although not only tho weather bufc the state of the »is'ec was agaiixst thtin, the water b -ing rather low. The rt^ult; watt ihib the fish d"d not take readily, or at least as readily as might be expected on the opening day, aud ! thtro are, up to tho time of writdug thi«, no record takes to chronicle as far an I am aware. From what hts come within ni> kn mledge the Messrs Wib^'er he*d tho list, but their cxict <ak«s I have been unable to ascertain. It must not be for^-otea, luwtver, th^t they may possibly have filled fov hnurs lmg^r than other anglers, bat, whether they d d so or not, th^y have always met with extraorJinuy s'icaots ou tho Leith, aad their takes are suldooi equalled, and slid l«ss neldotn beat-in, by other disci ul^e of Wftltcn. Mr A. M'Di>n,\kl took a nice basket of 14 fi-h, 7 of which wero cangLt iv Let's pjol, but none of them were of a>iy c >nsidcrab'e size Mr R. A Johnston secured 8 fish in 'he stme pool, for t*o hours' fishing, froM 12 to 2 o'clock, bui they were all below lib iv weight. Mr Mafcheson landed 3 fi-h, also from Lee's pool, ooe of \vh>ch was sb^ut 21b weight, aud Mr Bamflnld caught a similar number, aver«git>g Jib each, b twfen Clyde street and the u/iive.-Mfcy, and it in more t!i«n probable that some <f thtss g> uVeoiea may have added considerably to th'ir baskets la'er ou in the day. A* usual, the bait most in requisition was the creep&r, whioh I am told is remarkably Ecarcc on the banks of the Leilh thia seaion, afad rt-quirts a lot of looking for. I hear thab there were ab^ufc 50 rods on the WaiUti at daybreak this morning, and fiome good oatcb.es of trout were made. I know, for a cett*inty, of one fine fellow weighing s£lb fir.ding his way to ttrrajlrma. This was caught by Mr J Hunter. * . • A geutleman who was on the Arthur river in Auril last states that he saw Urge numbers of big heavy trout iv is-s waters. Intone pool he counted over 40 (is 1 !, a'l of which wculd have tested any tackle used iv their cap'ufe. Apparently the river U a flshermi-n'tt paradise, but ia unfortunately fnr removed trom civilisation. • . • I am informed tha 1 ; the Lee i« in excolUnt older, and that miniDg operations have been stopped . • . • In the event of auy angler taking a flsh lhafc differs materially in appearance from the ordiaary lun of trout he would do well to forward it to the acclimatisation socioty for examination. • . ■ Messrs J. Wilkie and Co. have just received from Messrs Hardy Bros., of Alnwick, England, a splendid specimen of a general utility rod. It is sent out to the order of Mr Auderson, one of our mo»t (-nth;iaia«tie aiigierf, aud cau bs uaed an a 15ft, a 14fb, or an ll£fb rod, either for fly or minnow. • . • At a lecture given by Profesfior Parker a few n'ghta ago on natural history, he made some interabting remarks concerning tho colouring of trout. He explained thab the difference in tha colouring was due to litble masses of pigment carried in the fish being operated upon by the nerves through the iustiu mentality of the eye. • . ' The Timaru Herald of the 20th ulb. has the following :—": — " Wo learn that therivera of South Canterbury arc exceedingly well stocked with trout, and that the spawning season has been a splendid one. The streams about Winchester are in very flue order, and the Temuka ha 3 a large body of water in it, and no growth is poticeable, the bed being clearer just now than ib ha) beeu for years. Mr B >yd Thompson, the rangrr to the Geraldinc- Temuka Acclioiatisati< n Society, has particular]} noticed the spawning iv this river, which wit'i its uutn-roua light gravelly ripples is alrncsb i-erfectly fibbed for a natural spawning bad. The Opihi has been in flood several times, but as the sosieby kept the bar at Milford fully open, no harm lua been done ; in fact, keeping the b.a- oueu h&s ensured the uoiuterrupW run of the Sah from the sea, and more th^n kept up supplies. To the north the RaugiUla ia reported as likely bo be in flue order by O jtob jr ; whilo to the south the Paroora (which has been in flood several tiuieß) ood the Waitaki should alao be good, 2ije

Goraldine-Tr muka sooioty, wo may odd, npare 110 expense in looking after tho welfare of their license-holders ; the ranger takoa a most enthusiastic and keen interest in the Oplhi, Teranka, Waihi, Orari, and Runsjibata) aud the more tho society ere supported the more they will do for their patrons. • . • A meeting of the council of tho Southlaud Acclimatisation Society was held last week. Present— Messrs John Turnbull (chairman), William Russell, W Cuningham Smith, A. B. 9. Caxr, G. W. Williams, F. A. Steana, D. Mackay, Aaron Black, and Edward Tanner (secretary). The following list was seltlod for trout fry dwttfibntlon tbw season : — Otautan, 15,000; Waihopai, 15 000; Wioton oreek, 10,000; Oiapiri, 10,000; Upper M»t»nra, 20,000; Wainmtaka la#oon, 10,000; Oreti, 25,000 ; Mak»rewa, 25,000 ; Obatnete. 15,000 ; Waikiwi, 10,000 ; L»ke George, 10,000 : Upper Oreti. 25.000 ; Stewart Inland, 10,000 ; Mararoa, 15,000; Mimihau, 3000;-tot*l, 218,000— the expected ba'inoe to go into the Orawia. A requisition from several Invercor,gi!l anglers asked the soc'oby to obtain the gravelling of about 15 chains of the end of the road lending out of the Ferry road on thg norbfa sido to the Nftw riyer bank. It waa resolved to oontributo £10 for that purpose, tho mnauidcr to be pro- | vided by the 01-htr parties interested in such road. Tbe Govorumoat intimated tbat the Agout-general hsd ben autaori>-od to arrange for n sbijinont of salmon ova darmg the | app'Oiching seafon. The seortt'«Ty of the Osago sxneiy wroto as to a sog|[c*t*d futoro : mode of dovlirg with th) diettitxrion of tho salm n frj. The sccret-ary stated that six pheasants h*d bi*eii oH-.iu<id from Au-4cla&d, and tuaied cut near the head of Paterson'a , lulc^ 1 , S^owict Island. I • . • Ffccililioi for aivgling are not euch in the colouiiio, or at lea't iv Obago, ai t-3 iudaco tho ! f*ir sex to {jo in for a». ; i\g the rad as thti^ ci itrrs do at Home " H«>Vyonp "iv tlie weekly etVPjJetnoittto the Lwidn Me cary, cays : — ''The number of l*dit« who du-ing tbo last few kuh j have enroll-rd tfeonwlves in tho raoks of Iz-vak Walton is * a*<nAfh\- g. But I roi nob eurprfted ; I only wander tibat tlirre ore wot more. I fltrongly ohj-ct to fch<t c«ric<tnrc of the" gcofe cox t*rmwl 'Tbe Ne«v Wotnau.' Ido I not like to sec a lady ri'iiig ou a bicycle, j Neif her do I liko to see one lr-r ding a gun, a j go f club, or ft cri/icet bat ; bub a fishing rod is quits another tWr»g. It is a May morning. WiU you come wish me, Angelina, to t4io ".v«t<>rsi4e ? If bo, I will <nd<avour to iuit?a*\s y*-u into the dolifrhts of fly-fl-lri»g. I hwu selticted j for you a little 9£fb builf. cano lod, l : g\it b« a f«.athw, an ebonite reJ, and a ii xs tapered Hr.c. Aud now for tbo o.lst, tj thf end of wiiioh I fastrn th's little O)i*c Uan. Do yon see 50a faint dimple on tho water jsst behind tho willow bushP Tnk« the rod thos, and o*et the line about % yard above tbe pWeo. No, that was slumsy, a'>d made too niueh of a sp'«*h. You see tho fish bus oessed lis'ug. NWer mind, there is a-u ther yondrr. Give m- the rod, anJ I will eh #w you. TLere ; elo you s«e the tiuj fly floating down tho bt»c»ni ? Now ifc reaches the eyob wri-re the dimple «ho«t)d a n'.oratot ago. Th(»ro ! he has it. See h^w tbe rexl bauds and the reel mnkes merry mosi?. What do ycu say ? ' Did i,ot know that flyfishing wes half bo it.trristii-g.' Exactly so. Tb i -t io the mtstalce riin< \) •pi cait of t?u m^ke wh^-n t-hoy / difccu-'fi tiis ' f;-o U« ftrt.'" " . • Since the ad\oi tof tho safety bV.y'l-j I havo often thoughb h<.w oyrliiii? and flhing might go hsnd in hand. A run 01 40 mi'e& — not a ftiea 1 : distftuoo on tho wSicsjl— will Vriwg tho angler within reach ol so^eral gowi strearai', and ib ia an easy matter tv cirry tho i>«ce^'try genr on tte machine, e*j) - i>l!y if it in fl'fc'd wi'.h a lu^age carrier. Even if the trim ia u«i.'d a (< tiko" alwt'-js coivks in handy, for ifc fr*q'unt"y happens that thu aiu'or to go tbrx-e cr four, cr i/Sfh-^ps m.Te, iniie'J higber up or lower dowu tho river than where the train drops him ; and ie must be bwno in mind thit the mf.cbin'i may be c\rri*«d in the train J'roe of co-t PtTP'-nally I h-ive foiKHl tha "jig-;cr" I iO3i.fl« pxtf<.m^ly v eful in tra»ollin« ah-iti 1 . ih« ooti-try on my Jl-hmjjf-x^ur-ioiis A contribu'ortolLe Fiibtng Giz.-tt", wiitingon tbe subj'^jr, sajs: — "Cjc'ing and ar<glin«j at flrst blush do not appear to have much i-fR-iitj, bub I aoo ablo to bsar witness to Ihe fact tbat nuny an Atigk-r goes to hie hawpy h-mtnng ground on a cycle. Ido it^onv.ti-fKS btc^uie I am in a tromondi.us !>u-ry, f- r d im-;ati >v ofe to get tbero to c if <-h fAvourA''l<; <ff. <,ti. ObUers «to ib, howerer, be^mse tLeir ii*h are too h avry to walk witb, or wou'fc keep, urthcy want coge^ Wcigbed-in for the club prj«j." • . • " Heron," in writing to tbe Fi-hing G'-zetbe, thus recount* & 6Hifcu'.sr take of a largo trout — large, at le*st, for the old country : " I was llshijjg with worm, aad ho<fked a t niA.'l flsh of 3rz wesf^it. While rra-.sring it to t-Jie bmk, ifc was v soiz.;d by a l%ug • iUh, whir-lx made goid his hold and struggled violently. It was not easy water, and more than once the tra'.e, which was of finest un<fr<ttcn gut, narrowly escaped being hitch*! in'.o sunkcu bushes aud wfoJa. Howc-vtr, after a quarter of an hour's ciroful play, I succeeded iv lauding my trout. Aft*r giving him a good r*p on the head, I pullexl out of his mouth th'> email trout which had hren firnt hooked. It catno out head first, dead, of c/urse, but to all *pj earnnoa not b't'.cn nor mauled in any way, and tie 'Stcinri' fliyht of books wbs etill flrmly fixed in its mouth. There wore only two hooks in tbe flight, 9A I had previous'y snipped < IT the third hook with my sci«>or6 — a practice I often edopfc wheu limit* very Hmnll worm*. Thna the big trout vva« really nvt hooked at all, but had been ehok'.d by it« prey, whic'.i it had b;'m vm ibl'i to get rid of. It wss a grand female fi<h, in gcod condition, vory golden about the sides, and beautifully spotted with rtd and black ; its we : ght, which was carefully taken iv a shop iv the village before many people, was exactly 31b."