BASK NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 52

BASK NOTES.

The Upper Clutha.— A correspondent writes me as follows:— "On the 16th ult. 1 got a very nice basket of 14-, averaging 2ilb, all being taken with the serpentamc minnow. It is the best catch I have had .thi-s season. I've not heard of any other /takes worth speaking about, unless by the might fishers, with the spear and lantern. I am sorry to say it has become a, very common style oi poaching on the Upper Clutha. •I heard' of one party that took 46 fine ,-irout in one evening near the Lowburn »3otel. I can often see several lights on ',xhe river. IJeel very thankful it is a large a'iver, for if it were not 1 do not think ,-chere would be one fish left in it. Do the [•wild swans live on fish? I ask because Bately there was one on the river about three •miles above the Lowburn Ferry, and just •where he was sitting I saw or eight Sfcie trout, killed by some bird or other, and 1 have every reason to* believe they were (killed by the swan. If this is so, what a rpity to protect such poachers. Any time yon are in Cromwell I should be very pleased .to have a visit from you.— [As far as I am ,smare the swans do not interfere with the /trout, but I cannot say positively. I should imagine they were far too slow in their Isnovementa to take so fast and wary a 'fish. However, I shall endeavour to answer |*he query definitely, if I can get an authority ! lon -the subject. I iihank.my correspondent feor hi* invitation,, and if I am in his direcjtiop I shall endeavour to look him up. With (regard to the poaching, it is a matter for the 'consideration of those who have the protec|,xion oi trout in their charge, and I commend it t6 their attention. — J. S.] ' The Oreii.— This river i-s very low and

clear, and "Angler" says: "There are no ,take«this week worth recording Most of our "^Sshers. are taking to the gun, and frightening- the ducks. There are reports of some ibig bags of ducks being got, but these re.ports are to- be taken with the usual gra.-n of salt. Nobody has seen this particular •hootist's big bags, either in fishing or tehooting, so you can discount any sensational stories you may hear." Winchester, Bth April. — There were several 4iot days during the week which were not conducive to active angling. A local '-man got a very pretty basket of 17 fish, „-tveighing 121b, from the Opuha, and another of 20, averaging gib ; while some 'Geraldine fishermen took 40 trout, averaging Ci£lb, from the Opihi, one scaling 71b. "Other minor takes bring Langdon's „ fig--ores up to 14-4- fish, weighing 1231b. All the rivers are in good order. — Correspondent. The Rakaia. — Anglers have not been making good bags at Rakaia recently, owing, no doubt, to the abundance of natural bait in the river. Mr C. Denby managed to land

ll fish, Mr W. D. Lawrence one weighing ~.3i1b, Mr C. Palairet 2, Mr Rayne three. Tlhe river was in heavy flood last week, ibjut was expected to dear in a few days. The Rangitata. — This river is reported as being clear and an splendid order for fishing. Lower Opihi. — On Friday a fishing competition was held between a number of Timaru anglers. Fishing commenced at 7 o'clock on Thursday night, and baskets had to be ■weighed in at Mr D. Caldwell's residence by 9 o'clock on Friday evening. The ma:onty of those contesting evidently thought Their baskets not sufficiently large to weigh in, a3 only two baskets were weighed ir. These contained fis'.i caught by Messrs F. Tasker and J. Cullman. The former won tho comretition with a basket of 21 fish, turning the scales at 20i~ib, the largest fish weighing 31K Mr Cullman spcivred 17 fish •weighing 1721b. the largest weighing Bilb. The fish were caught in the Lower Opihi. — Timaru Post. * Where He " Angled." — He was a guile-less-loobmg man, with a potato net wound oiuj penny cane by way of landing nel, and he carried a sixpenny Japanese rod. He also dangled a dead trout on the hook of a spring balance as he entered a well-known South of England station to catch the last train up. There were some half-dozen other anglers waiting on the platform, and they made things cheerful for the new-comer. "Got a whacker?" Queried one. "Did you get him with worm?" asked another: whilst a third paid, "Alexandra or Dusty MMiller'"r r '"

Ifc is astonishing how sarcastic anglers can become towards their fellow sportsmen who Jhappen, by a fluke* to catch fish. But the proud owner of that sixpenny Japanese rod "said nothing: he lay low, like Brer Rabbit. Presentiy the champion dry-fly man •accosted him with the inquiry, "How much does it weigh?" The guileless one replied. "Two pounds." There was a roar of laughter from the whole party. "Get out !" said the champion. "I'll bet you a thick 'un it doesn't weigh more than a pound." To the surprise of everyone the owner of the trout said, "Done for £1!" He thereupon held up the fish on the hook of his spring balance, showing its weight to be 21b. But the scoffers would not have it that the ma-

chine told the truth, so the stationmastor was appealed to. He weighed the trout on the official scales, and declared its weight to be 21b. Then the dry-fly champion paid his bet with a long face, and retired with his chums discomfited. And the guileless one went down to the dark, end of the platform, and shook out of that trout a good handful of No. 5 shot on the line. — Sporting and Dramatic News. The Rainbow Trout. — The following rather interesting article is contributed to the Timaru Post: — At a time when many fishermen and angling enthusiasts are endeavouring to introduce the rainbow trout to our streams and rivers, a, few observations Concerning that fish will probably be of interest to the angling community in general. The rainbow is without doubt a grand sporting variety of trout, and of superior quality when in the taste. But, and this is a very big ''but,'" unless he changes his family arrangements to suit our climate be will always be taken at the wrong time of the year. By this we mean that in America, which is the native country of this fish, their spawning season is- in the summer, while our other varieties of trout spawn in the winter. According to our fishing law? and fiahing seasons the unfortunate rainbow trout are expected to conform at once to the habits of other fish of the race, or be caught in their spawning season, as happens at the present time. The only remedy for this, is to have a separate season for rainbow trout, whick, co far as we can see, is hardly possible. If it could be done we should have trout fishing all the year round. With some really keen fishermen, of course, everything would be right, and a little fishing in the slack timg of the year would be welcomed ; but many anglers, we are afraid, who went a-fisbing on a cold, wintry day, and met with but little sport, would not be too discriminating between rainbow trout m season and his relations who were not, and at present we must confess that wo do not see how the difficulty is to be avoided. Until & solution of the matter is found the fiah will be caught in what by rights should be their close time, and at a period when they are practically unfit for food. Tint, beems a great pity, and we can only hope that they will become acclimatised to the new conditions. Thtre seems no reason to doubt that they are well worth ty of the care and trouble taken with them, being, as we have already said, a gam« and sporting fish of very rapid growth. \ case wa? icporled in the Field in October. 18G9, by Mr Schlieterling, of Fleusburg, a. small town on the Baltic t^ea. where a large pond was stookied with marked rainbow trout about 4in long. The pond was broken into by a, flood soon after stocking, and the fry escaped to the river, and presumably thence to the sea. Nothing was seen of them for nearly two yar^; b\it then it vms reported that the fishermen in the harbour had caught some fine silvery trout with well-defined sidebands, which they were selling as salmon. At length, three years and a-quarter after the fry had escaped, one of the marked rainbow trout was caught in the river not -500 yds from the pond. It weighed 13|lb, and measured 27in in girth. These facts seem to point out that Ike laiubow trout is a fiV.i of a cry migratory habits, even more so that our own Salmo Zealandia, in confirmation of which we may again quote from the field of September" 22j 19Q0, where it is stated that they had "been caught in a small river flowing into Donegal Bay- in Ireland where no rainbow trout had ever been liberated. In .Swi!?s?rland and Germany large munbei-, of t'.n_?e fish are reared for the market in artiievl ponds. They are fed with a paste naae'e ot flour, boiled rice, grease and meat baked together. During hot weather it is not considered safe to feed them, or, if they are fed at all, it should be after sundown, when the water has cooled below 65des? Fan. The breeding fish should not be fed fiom about two months before spawning until they have finished, or the loss amongst the egg 3 will tje very great. In conclusion we may maintain that according to the late Sir James Maitland, a great authority on piscatorial matters, the rainbow trout suffers from a disease peculiar to the species. After the fish are four yeais old they develop a. parasite in the gills, and from that time go back in condition. On this account any old fish ehould be killed out wherever possible.