BANK NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2403, 22 March 1900, Page 50

BANK NOTES

Arthurton, March 19. — There has been.writpp J. R. S., a good deal of rain during the la&t few dayo, and consequently the streams will be in excellent fishing condition during this week. My correspondent had not heard of anything worth mentioning in the fishing line during the past week.

Mandeville, March 17.— Mr D. Mill, jun., writes that fishing in the district is almost a thing of the past. The rivers were very low for a while, but they are now in good order, owing to rjin having fallen. He hod not heard of baskets being taken by anyone except Mr W. N. Jones, of Gore, and himself, and he mentions incidentally that they genera Uy have had the good luck to get fair baskets. On the date ot writing, the 17th inst., they landed 35 fish weighing about 651b, with the blac'c gnat and the cricket, from the Otamete. A few weeks ago their baskets were considerably larger, running as high as 45 fish, weighing 751b. — [I am obliged to Mr Mill for his information.]

Winchester, March 19. — Missing Monday's express must account for the non-appeaarncc of report last week. Langdon's figures wero, however, 199 fish, weighing 2701b. This week the P.angilata was somewhat mixed, and althougSi on the 15th some good takes of mode-rate-fixed fish were reported, nothing came this way, where the register shows a total of 84 fish, weighing 901b ; all taken with fly. The weather continues dry, with varying winds. The Rangitata was in flood on Saturday, but should now be clearing. — [Thij regular correspondent, whom I cannot f-ufficientiy thank for his assistance, will find something concorning the Winchester fishing already in the column. It m;\y be a duplicate to some extent of what he hat- forwarded, but it is not at hand, and I cannot, therefore, check it. My reason for using it was that it being so near the end of the season, and not hearing from him last week. I thought he might have closed his contributions for the year. I am pleased to find ho has not. — J. >S.]

Ihe Molyneux — Stirling. — On Wednesday, the 28th till., Mr John Henderson landed two fish weighing 71b and lib. On March Bth Mr Favquhar caught some eels, one weighing 41b ; and on Monday, the 12th, the same gentleman larded three fish weighing 141b, the heaviest being sJ>lb. Very little fishing has been done of late. The river at the time of writing is somewhat low and clear, and the fish very shy. — Eldrin.

The Avon. — Two trout, scaling 61b and 51b respectively, were recently taken from Wright's roach, on the Avon, by a young angler of Dallington.

Winchester. — Mr J. Trist's Winchester correspondent reports as follows regarding trout fishing in that district: — The weather continues dry, with varying winds. Langdon's register shows a total of 188 fish, weighing 3151b for the week. The Rangitata was rather thifk, but a fair quantity of trout of good weight was secured. The Upper Opihi and Temuka gave good pporl for the fly, the fish running on the hmall size. A very pretty basket was brought in by Mr C. MacCulloeh from the Opuha, consisting if 26 fish weighing 451b. They were an even lot taken with the fly in one day and a morning. Mr C. Denby paid two short trips to the Rangitata, tabing 11 fish, weighing 421b, the largest weighing 9^lb. — Press.

The Past Season at Home. — " Halcyon," in dealing with the past .season in the old country, says: — Taking the reports as a whole for the past reason from the rivers in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, the falmon fishing ha" been a complete failure, the chief reasons being pollutions, over-netting in the estuaries, and lack of water in the early spring and autumn. In Scotland, where the rents on some of the best salmon rivers, such as the Tweed, Dee, Don, and Spey, ore simply fabulous, the disappointment has been very j great. On the Eden and TJaraont matters were belter on peveral of the lengths, notably the Edonhall water, which is controlled by the York&hire Anglers' Association, Mr G. Palcy, of Preston, and Mr M'Nab on several occasions killing three and four good fish a day. Last of all came the grayling season, and up to Christmas it was a very good one, belter, in facl. than we have experienced for many years. During September and October fly-fishers had no reason to complain, and on the gliding flats the comparatively new art of dry fly-fishing bore very good results. After that the worm and maggot did great execution, Mr G. Holliwell one day making a record catch of 38 nice fish. Since the end of the year there has been a succession of flood", chiefly consisting of melted snow, so that practically grayling fishing is now over and done with. Such is a brief resume of the past fishing season in all its phase?. Angling dinners and smoking concerts are now the chief ileuig of. interest »utiL J&amqb. arriye§^

with the commencement of Ihe trout season May it be a good one !

" Hanging Them On." — A correspondent writes to " Halcyon " to know the meaning of the expression "Hanging them on," so frequently applied as a witticism by the unbeliever in the art of angling. "Halcyon" says: "I cannot tell him' who originated the sayina\ but the practice is supposed to have dated from the days of Anthony and Cleopatra, for when that estimable couple u=ed to cruise about in their gilded galley on angling bent, it is said that Anthony employed divers to attach fish to his hook below the surface. Be that as it may. Mr Francis Francis, in his ' Book bn Angling,' mentions the fact that the Chinese practise the plan habitually. The rocks and stones at the bottom of the sea on the Chinese coast are covered with small s-hellfish. Two men go out to fish. One holds a line, to which is attached a baited hook ; the other, a diver, takes hold of it, and, with a hammer, dives to the bottom, and there begins cracking and breaking to pieces the masses of shellfish. The fish draw round to feed. The diver selects his fish, and literally ' hangs it on ' the hook, and hi& friend above pulls it up. This is fishing made ea&y with a vengeance." Split R.hv.>s on Spinning Tackle. — In the Field a writer, describing the loss of a salmon in Finland through the breaking of a feplit ring, remarks, "I think something may be said against the split ring business." Indeed, there may. for on recently trying mv spinning tackle with a 601b spring balance, it was always the split ring; that broke. With the rest of the spoon bait capable of holding a shark, it i& strange to see a fragile split ring used for keeping the thing together. Fishing in New Zealand. — " Pakeha." writing to the Field on the subject of fishing in New Zealand, Fays: — "Ah ragard'- tho iacklp required for the?e branches of the sport, the bast advice T can offer any English anglers who may think of bringing; their own fliej, minnow, or bait is similar to that given by Punch lo people about to murrv. It consists of the word "don't." Wait till you arrive, then onsv.LT good local men. Fi-hinp; ta< kip, which is cheap, and adopted lo local needs, ran be sot in Chiislchmoh. I may s=ay tl.al I believe the following flies are found useful under varjinj> rircumFtniiro-; : Mayflies, rfl spim.ers. gnat, rpd spider, Palmer, coaohman. governor, and Chantrcy. The first-named al ..he beainnina. thp latter towards the pnd of the season. The flies useful throughout aro red and black moor fowl, blue uprifrht, si'ner i\vi«l. and Xcv Zealand inavfiv. About ihe middle of November, a little brown bpp.lc, indigenous to New Zealand, makes its apucaz-nnee, ai^d is verydeadly. The artificial baits irost generally u'-ed are whitebait, Devons, phantoms, and Geen's spiral, but, as I paid before, the intending visitor should wait to j.plect his weapons till he sets to New Zealand. The fishing' licen«e fee is 20s for adults, 5f for women, and 10s for boys tinder 16 ; fo it vill be teen that in this country, ladies, bcidps having a vote for <lip "Legislature, are able In fish cheaply. For the half season a fee of 12s 6d irf charged to m°n. In conclusion, lot me point out that the sporl here is enhanced by very pretty, and. in places, very lovely &csner,y, and, as a rule, the weather can bn ralied on. Hotel accommodation throughout the province i« good and reasonable, and I have no doubt thai, were the great Izaak Walton still on earth, he would become a permanent resident in Canterbury and a subscriber to the acclimatisation society, which, by great care and expense, laid the foundations of our present fine fi=hipg. " Sport in AtnlraHo and New Zealand. — A Queens-lander wn\o=s indignant over an article which appeared in the Field on the above fjubiect, and says: "Of New Zealand F Fay nothing, never having been there ; but the writer seems to have had a curious experience of Aiibtralia, to say the least of it. In the fir-t -plaoo, he Fays, 'In Australia there i< no fishing.' In this port of Queensland, and I may say all over it, the creeks and rivers swarm with fh.h — the fresh -watei* cod. perch, mullet, and catfis'i. Both cod and Tierch, especially, show excellent ■snort. The former can be taken by bottom fishing, with worm or grub, and the latter by the artificial fly, grasshopper, etc. The most misleading and important part of his letter is, however, where he comes to write about the cnttle. He says the cattle in Australia 'are a poor lot. moneirels running half wild in the bush.' T should likp, to know what nerds he has seen : or, indeed, if he has seen any. No finer cattle can be ?een in the world than in some of our shorthorn, Hereford, or Devon herds. And why not? The best of English stud blood is running in their veins, and our country, both here, not fnr from the coast, and out on the western plains cannot be beiten for breeding and fattening. I should like your correspondent to some to tho Brisbane show. he 1 d annunllv in August, and see gra a s-fed bullocks there weighing from 14001b to 16001b. It is possible t'^en that he mia;hi. change his views of Australian cattle, if he knows anything about cattle, which I should say was doubtful. With reeard to farming, he seems to have been rather unforlunate. In these parts, and on the Darling Downs. T don't think that he would need much artificial manure lo glow a crop of oats and find the result nil, as appears to have bepn his rase down «outb. It is a thousand pities that such misleading letters should lip written about these colonies by irresponsible nerions. ns fhev are calculated to do much harm in the old country and elsewhere — where oniv too little of Australia is. I fear, known — and lo nioke any colonist half mad by "ip ignorance displayed therein." Mv S. .T. Adorns, of Waimatf 1 . wade a great hnnl of trou' at the Waitaki the other day. He «pcured 14- fine fish, one of them weighing 201b.