ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2396, 1 February 1900, Page 47

ANGLING.

By Jock Scott.

BANK NOTES.

The Waitati.— The Waitati is now in capital order for fishing. A number of Dunedin anglers, including Messrs Crust, Cooke, Jenkins, Anderson, and others were out on Saturday, January 27, and all were successful in getting fish. The lower waters of this stream seem to be the favourite resort, and good sport is often obtained with sea river fish near the railway bridge.

The Waitaki.— On the 23rd ult. Mr John Sinclair and Mr George Bruce found the river in fine condition and fish plentiful, but hard to get owing to the great quantity of whitebait. The former gol 6, and the latter 3 fine fish. Mr R. Thompson had a week's good fishing, landing 12 beautiful trout. — Correspondent. Waipahi. — " J. R. S." writing on January 27, says: — T,he Waipahi is in first-class trim for cricket fishing. Messrs S. and 0. Trusler got a splendid lot of 26 trout one day last week, several weighing up to 3glb. The writer of this got a nice bag of 11 fish the following day, averaging from lib to 31b. The trout are in prime condition. The Mimihau.— '' W. P. 5.," writing on January 25, says that last week Mr James Crawford, a veteran angler, paid a visit to the Upper Mimihau. Up to date this season Mr Crawford has grassed 255 fish, from 31b downwards. This is a splendid record, considering the exceptionally wet season and Mr Crawford's advanced age. Anglers will be, no doubt, glad to learn that an export trade in eels is being opened up at Wyndham, and " W. P. S." wishes Mr Lambert every success in his venture.

Puerua, January 27. — The past week has been one of the best weeks we have had since the fisning season opened. In the early part of the week the streams were all in tip top condition for angling, and although at the time of writing they have gone down very much, they are still in very fair order. During the week the following takes have come under my notice : — Mr Thos. Telf ord (Otanomomo Estate), on the 23rd inst. landed out of the Lower Puerua 6 fish, weighing 281b. This is the best basket out of the Puerua during the season. The fish gave Mr Telford some excellent sport, and I congratulate him on his success. In the Upper Puerua Mr J. E. Jefcoate landed 37 fish, weighing 321b, from 6 a.m. to 9 o'clock. The fish were properly on the take, and were very eager for the bait. On the 23rd and 24th Mr George Roberts (Dunedin) fished the Upper Puerua, and landed a fair basket of well-conditioned fish, taking home some 20 fish, weighing about 151b. The bait principally u.°ed was the fly, black gnat, marsh brown, and Leith. — Puerua Correspondent.

Winchester, January 29. — Fly-fishing has been confined to local streams, where visitors, fishing occasionally for a few hourn, sectired small baskets of trout averaging fib. Messrs Twigg and Sugden, of Geraldine, brought in 13, totalling 601b, from the Opihi, the largest being lljlb, using both fly and minnow, while two local fishermen, spending the 28th at Ranjriiata. landed a. few fine fish, the heavy weights being 9ib, 12£lb, and 15£lb. Fishermen from other parts have also taken pome large fi.->h from this water, which at the moment is clear. Langdon's register for the week shows 69 fisb, aggregating 1471b. — Correspondent. The Rangitata River is at present heavy and very thick, and an angler who intended trying his luck there states that it will not be fit for fishing tinlil the end of the week. — Timaru Herald, January 25.

The following items are by "Kelpie," in the Press: — Several fine trout ha\e lately been caught by a local angler and a visitor in the Waiau River. The fish are in splendid condition. — Mr W. Mendelson had wonderful luck on Tuesday morning in the Lower Opihi (says a Temuka paper of January 18). He caught 25 fish, weighing 57£lb, the largest of which was a beauty, which turned the f.cale at 151b. There wero six of fie^e on exhibition in Mr D. Taylor's shop last Tuesday. These six weighed 451b, the heaviest weighing 1511s and the smallest 61b. These were all taken with a fly. and are. perhaps, one of the finest, if not the finest, ba«kels taken with a fly in New Zealand. On Sunday night Mr G. Triggs, of Timaru, caught a fish we'ghing 161b in the "glass hole ' below the Opihi camp. — "Mr C. J. Denbv, of Leeston, had a good cairh in the Rakaia the other day. He landed 12 fish, the heaviest turning the scale at 175H). Others weighed respectively 111b, 101b, 91b, and Bilb. The total catch tipped the beam at 921b, and all were in splendid condition.

An Oamaru fisherman had a peculiar experience ill the Waitaki River last week while fishing-. He reached forward to gaff a fish lie 'had hooked, when the bank gave \vay, and he was precipitated into a swirling pool containing about 12 feet of water. He was drawn to the bottom of the pool, and when he reappeared on the surface lie was being whirled round, but he iigain gaffed his fish and the next instant was thrown up against the beach, and managed by a miracle to get out of fie water. He cannoi unc'ersia.id his escape from drowning. — North Otago Times. -. r. Trout and grayling are reported to be dis-

appearing from the Inangarua Paver. Years ago abundance of grayling e\isted in the Inangahua, but now not one can be seen in the river, nor have any of these fine fish been taken from it for more than a dozen years. In pools and reaches where many trout were to be seen there are now few or none. The disappearance of the fish is largely attributed to the use of cyanide in mining.

The shags on the Waihao River continue to play havoc among the trout. Mr Maurice Ferriter, who is rabbiting on one of the back blocks, paid a visit to the upper rookery, as the habitat of the shags on this river is usually termed, and there he brought down 10 shags with nine shots, the last shot bringing down a brace. One of the shags, when shot, ejected from its maw a targe trout, partially digested. On being weig%s^l afterwards the trout turned the scale at lib 2oz. Shag and trout were on exhibition at Mr J. Sinclair's, Waimate, on Saturday night. — Times.

Mr George Kidd, on the Rakaia on Friday, made a good basket. Two beauties he landed weighed 91b each — fine healthy fish in splendid condition. A catch of 12 fish, landed from the Rakaia River by Mr C. T. Denby, weighed 921b. The largest was a fine trout of 17ilb.

Nice trout up to l^lb are now being taken in the Waihi. Mr T. Twigg and two friends brought in 801b of fish from the Opihi. the largest lOalb and llilb— one night's fishing, both fly and minnow being used.

Mr F. Palliser* caught eight fish in the Opihi on Wednesday night s of a total weight of 741b— one of the best baskets this season with the minnow. Mr C. N. Macintosh got three fiah scaling 301b, and Mr F. Tasker one of 101b.

An interesting series of experiments to settle the belief prevalent amongst fishermen that salmon and «ea trout spawn successfully in salt water has been carried out in Norway. The results show that roe taken.from a salmon captured in a river or from sea trout which have remained in <-ea water until the spawning time, cannot be successfully developed in salt water ; that salmon and sea trout roe impregnanted in fresh water may be hatched out in brackish water containing a small percentage of salt up to rather less than onethird of the salt contained in sea water on the Norwegian coast. A new departure has been made in the artificial hatching of salmon fry in Norway which is said to be attended with excellent results. Instead of allowing the young fry to escape as soon as they require food when they were very delicate and defenceless, they are now retained in captivity until the autumn and fed upon raw liver of slaughtered animals, a system which has been very successful <in America. According to Consul Nelson, of Bergen, as the result of treatment of 280,000 ova at the Government hatchery on the Drammen the loss was only 2 per cent., and in the middle of October 211.000 fry were turned out.

The Timaru Herald says that fly fishers again had a splendid time at the Opihi at the end of last week. Dr Anderson, of Christchurch, secured a 121b fish, Mr F. Palliser one of 111b, and Mr Mendelson one of 101b. Numerous smaller fish running from about lib to 51b were also caught by the anglers named and others, .there being about 40 rods on two miles of water.

Rankleburn. — Messrs W. W. Mackie and E. Pinder, for abovit a week's fishing tour at the Rankleburn, secured 54 fish, the take including some very nice specimens. The same fishermen are this, week exploiting the Wairuna stream.

The Western Star of January 16 says the Waiau is every day attracting more anglers, and now that sportsmen maj* camp there overnight in a laige tent erected by subscription for their com enience, numerous fishing parties avail themselves of the opportunity to have an outing in the far west. Excellent baskets have been obtained.

A most peculiar incident happened a few days before Christmas at the mouth of the Rangitata River. Two Waitohi anglers, Messrs Orr and Horseman, were fishing one of the streams that run into the lagoon, one on each side. Sport had been poor for a considerable time, when Mr Orr struck a fish pretty deep in the water. He came to the surface, and after a splash or two made for the other side, where he came across Mr Hoivmann's minnow and at once snapped it, taking it fairly into his mouth. This happened within 15 seconds of his being hooked the first time. The anglers, of course, thought they had each a fish until, on tightening up, they saw that they were both fast on the one. Mr Orr, having hooked him through one of the dorsal fins, slackened off and Mr Horsman, after a little trouble, landed him. He was a jack fish in good condition, and weighed slightly over 151b. I would like to know if there is on record an account of any similar event. I should think it was unique. — "Angler." This is the para-graph that was unfortunately mislaid, and I am sorry to have given "Angler" the trouble of writing it again. My thanks to him for his prompt response to the request in last week's Witness. The incident is certainly unique. — J. S.

The Fishing Gazette pays: — From Messrs Allccck. of Reclditch, we have received some specimens of Baker's patent dapping (or daping) flies. How these constructions will come out in action we cannot pretend to guess, and should be glad if any angler who is addicted to dapping, and who bhoiud give them a trial, would some day report his experience. There are many small overhung streams where it is absolutely impossible to cast a fly in the ordinary manner, and one of the methods for catching their fish is dapping between the bushes. In the hot summer months there i^ a good deal of this kind of sport practised, and Baker's patent is certainly a very ingenious way of applying artificial flies to such purpose. A fine wire hook, is impaled through the body of the fly s.o that it may be lowered to the water in a natural position, the point and shank of the hook being uppermost and out of fight of the fish. The hook is movable to the right or left from the bend, the idea being that the fly should shift out of the way of the barb when the fihh'is struck. The flies are certainly admirably dressed for the work, and include alders, dims, spinners, ants, and palmer?. It is a curious, but, as we have paid, ingenious arrangement. The dapping man, by those flies, is, at any rate, made independent of a supply of the natural insert, which is so often difficult to obtain. The hook has specially been designed for this method. Mr Baker, who is a fisherman of over 55 years' standing, found his artificial dapping fly so .successful that he pu tented it. Lough Corrib. — The angling season which has just closed on the Corrib showed a decided improvement in peal fishing when compared with that of last year. The bag of 1899 amounted to 164 spring fish, 65 summer fish, and 1312 peal, ao against 206 springers, 11 summer fish, and 909 peal killed the previous year, or a decrease of 22 springers, and an iiicrea'-e of 54 smrmer fish and 393 peal. The heaviest salmon killed was a 35alb fish. The s-'piing fishing was very poor, owing to the almost continuous floods that swept through the river and put down the fish. The June raid July fishing redeemed the season. The

number of peal killed this season was the largest since 1889. — Farmers' Gazette. Fly-fishers again had a splendid time at the Opihi at the end of last week. \L)r Anderson, of Christchurch, secured a 12fS^-nsh, Mr F. Palliser one of 111b, and Mr Mendelson one of 101b. Numerous smaller fish running from about lib to 51b were also caught by the anglers named and others, there being about 40 rods on two miles of water.

Never have trout been so plentiful in the Manawatu River in the Ormondville district as at the present season.