BANK NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2561, 15 April 1903, Page 55

BANK NOTES.

With » good moon, a river in nice order, and trout Vunning freely for the upper teaches, anglers are now getting excellent •port all along th» line (says the Timaru Herald). The Temuka enthusiast* are ' doing well, Mr J. Elder having lately taken oat two 12-pounders, and W. Grant a 15- '■ pounder and- an 8-pounder. On Monday I night Mr F. Tasker, of Timaxu, got seven j fifih of a total weight of 32£ lb—namely, one 341b, one-s£lb, three 31b each, and two 21b each. These were taken on largo flies in a. bright moon. Providing the weather keeps •i nil fine, the holiday fishing should be good, and as it will be the last opportunity | this season: for enthusiasts to get in full time thsre should be a large number of them out on Friday to Monday nex^ -Rigorous steps are being taken in South Canterbury to put a stop tc trout poaching in the rivers. -Lord Northland and Major Alexander are having* eoupl* o£ day3 7 trout-fishing on ! tke Lower Opihi. i Major Alexander and Mr D. J. Caldwell returned to Timaxu from the Opihi River ota Thursday, leaving Lord Northland-on their way at Mr F. Wareiirg's residence for the meet of the Hunt Club. During their trip the party thoroughly enjoyed themselves, having- fairly good snort and securing 13 - JBslu the heaviest turning the scale at ! 12£lb. I The Hydroscope.—There have appeared references of lata in the press to a machine invented by a clever Italian which, if it performs only one-eighth of the wonders attributed to it, will be of the greatest TT»lue to acgTere and to fishery owners. I j refer to the hydroscope, with which it is Alleged it is possible to see through, water for thousands of feet. For all practical fishery purposes, so far as fresh water is concerned, we would welcome an instrument iwbich would enable us to see only 100 ft or *wo beneath the surface. Imagine the delights of < studying a salmon pool, counting the fish, learning where the rocks are, and the place where lies the fasrourite silver flask lost last sawing, discovering unexpected pike, and generally forming an accurate idea, of the quantity of fish in the river. It «r.ay be that some of the delights of fishing would be lost to us if we knew so much. Por instance, in one large pool there may be just a, solitary sea trout.* Knowing the jwolto be a likely one, we fish it day after day, without avail, but with hope- ever springing in our manly breasts. But when the bydroscone comes on the scene, then I can picture Iho first operation of the daymh the shooting lodge being fo send gillie to the river to hydroscope the pools, and iwing back the' report, which might run thu-3: "No salmon in the big rock pool', one «ea trout~in the long rock pool, nothing in the cauldron, twa salmon in the long reach." *"Well,'whd'lthave a go at the two salmon?" eayß our host. "Would yoa like to, Duncau, or- you, Richardson, or you, Fitzgerald?" Everyone wants to patch those two salmon, but no one likes to say so. Evidently appreciating the position, our Lost put* three slips of paper intc a hat with "long reach pooJ" ■written on one of them. Fitzgerald draws it, and the others <suend the day loafing or hunting butterflies. If th-e hydroscope had not been used, svery pool on the river would have had its rod: much casting wou'd have been done, and the man who had the- long reach pool would Slave come back, perhaps, with one or posfibly the two salmon nnd been regarded by the ladies as by far the most skilful fisherman of tho lot.—JoiOf Bickebdtke, in the Field. Reward for Poaching.—The South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society are actively moving in. the matter of poaching trout in the rivers, some particulars of which were frlven by us (Timaru Herald) a few days ago. and offer a reward of £10 for information leading to a conviction Polluting a Stream.—At the Invercargill •Police. Court l&sf week. Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M.. presiding. John Young, sawmiller, (was fined 5b with costs £1 10s. for allowing Baw3nsfc from hie mill at Hedgehope to tenter Marshall's Creek, the information haySaj been laid nnder the Fisheries Conservation Aefe—M-r W. Russell appeared for fche 'Acclimatisation Society. "Shags' Heads.—We (Tapanui Courier) Urould like to draw attention to- ike fact ithat shags are getting more numerous on itue Pomahaka. Perhaps it is not sufficiently Well known thai: the Ofcagc Acclimatisation IJioeiety offer so mucu for their heads, and to «nco>jxa:ge the destruction, of Uiem the society has raised Jh© price from Is 6d to Es per head. It is to be heped that this ] jwill result in many heads beinsr brought in ito Messra Quin and Rodger (the agents in fehis district) within the next few months. -( Cbxistoliurcii Anglers' Sbcieiy.—The- prdi-

nary meeting of the ChristchuTch Anglers' Society was held on the-6th inst. in the Empire Hotel. There were about 30 members present, Mr G. Whitesides presiding. The Chairman -said, as that was the last Sneeting likely to be held for the season, it had been decided to present the cups won in the competitions during the year to the successful competitors. The season had not been particularly bright for anglers, and the cups had been won with very sniarl •basketeT He made reference to what had been appearing in the papers regarding trout as a food supply for the people, and contended that, though ihe rivers were fairly well stocked for angling, there were not by •any meao3 so many trout in these rivers | as some people — without knowledge of the subject — tried to make out. He presented the two cups 'won during the year 'to Mr H. W. Webb, who had secured the Spackman Cup for the best take of trout with natural or spinning bait — 14 fish, 181b; and to Dr B. H. Moorhouse the society's Cup for best take of trout with artificial fly— 7 fish, 4^]b. Several accounts were passed for payment. The secretary reported that the membership now numbered over 100. The sum of one guinea was passed to Detective Quirk as a reward in connection with recent proceeclings.against persona charged wiith the illegal sal© of trout. ; A Night Among the Sea Tront. — Seaward the gulls were rising and falling on tireless •wing in the- clear sunshine. Beneath wheeling flocks the fish were lying waiting for a "spate" to run up the valley streams. At Saturday's siinset a grey inisfc clung ■where sea. meets sky, changing into a fiery crimson when the sun's declining rays w<jr© shot through its banks, and men who floated over the fiah at the* following daybreak •reported a great commotion among the- waiting shoals. All day gauzy fluff 3 of" cloud collected, growimg in denseness, and by nightfall the grey folds had lowered their edges to touch the jagged peaks fencing the dale. The following morning we walked some seven miles rip the river to an oldfashioned inn, where we should be within easy reach of come splendid pools. The south-westerly sky grew darker, and at about .half-past 5 there was a specially vivid flash of lightning, a long reverberating crash of thunder, accompanied By raindrops large a« marbles. *£he earth and air smelled sweet when we turned out at midnight to fish till dawn or beyond. Our lightest rod (a 12ft, "weighing but 20oz, yet strong enough for the work) in hand, we walked down the river. The last rain cloud was wrestling its j way through -the distant circle of mountains, and the firmament was bright with countless stars. The water sides were slippery, the 'luah grass was beaded with raindrops, a thin raisfc hung above the. river. The pool ) selected would by day bave been accounted lovely; darkness prevented our seeing its | •detail- Against the starry sky the rugged bluffs sheered darkly: below, in varying | degrees and depths of brown and black, lay the braes and the- coppices. JVc stood on a. •large tongue of gravel, almost dividing- thi3 ipool from its successor, and prepared f~-r j operation?. With .a. quiet whistle, an otter emerged from its hole in the- heather-hung and aspen -crested' rooks and took the water. "Hid we desired it, there was no opportunity to seek cover, so we stood, rod in hand, unperceived because of' tho dark masses of •wood and fell at our back; while the animal swam about the pool, rising and diving, swimming and floating, the very poetry of motion, graceful and silent in evolution, as a fish. Another whistle; from a lower pooL its? mate- replied. The otter turned, and, unseen in the shadow, i>assed us with tho stream. Just behind us there was a slight struggle und splashing ; the creature we had •been watching had met and captured hjs first sea trout of the season. In the mellow midnight we saw it bring its prey ashore and eat it. Then, slipping back into the water, the otter disappeared, though at intervals its whistle sounded up the water. This by-play, familiar, yet never wearying, to the "frequenter of river sides, occupied us awhile; now, with every cast we felt that r.port was near; that darkling pool would, the local assured us, receive some of the earliest fish in the- atream. The water was rising, too ; slowly at first, but moro rapidly as the hours went on. The surcharged bogj> and tarns of the- upland valleys were Bonding down their surplus ; the level of our pool rose 2ft in 20 minutes. Then success came ; a slight "feel" on the line, and an ■upward flick of the wrist drove the steel home. The fish shot ut the pool, to be jhecked by a slight drag" on the line, then it dashed for the overhanging weedy bank, ,but a movement of the rod point perforce changed its direction. Then it sulked, awhile and pulled till the thin nut seemed ready to part, shot forward and sideways, rose to the surface or sank to the shilloes, right, left, with the rod passing, to suit its taet»e», nnd- the reel hissing pr rattling as line was • lengthened or drawn in. It did its utmost •to cause a- tangle -ot to break away in vain. Then ifc tired, and, aEter a despairing afctemot to get. into the lower pool, came* still fighting, within reach of tl\e landingnet, and finished it« life struggling or, the wet grass beneath the coppice. Fish after fish came to the hook, some to be caught, a few to escape. Long ere the dawn light shone on the far-off mountains fish were swarming up from the «>a in large numbers, and the river was roaring in full flood. The rise gradually drove us farther up the gravel tongue, separating us more widely every Ihcnr. At daybreak we stopped for a long ?est and tc compare notes. My companion showed with pride 6 fine silvery trout: but lii.s lip explanation of my success as luck did not accord with his eve envy of my take of 16. The scene around was grand ; dawn every fo'd of the hillsides rivulets were rushing in white lines, tiie roar of water .alone was lieard in tl>« little valley. W« returned to our angline. but were tired and rather careless. At full day we left the pool we had stood <-o long by for another lower dewn — a roi»k-dub. where usually particular^- fine fiih lay. To reach thp fisliable part of this, with the riv<»r at flood tide, was a ■matter ot jreat difficulty and my companion 'id not -onsider it worth the trouble. To got to th» best station I had to slide along a wet, sloping ledge witt> 12ft of yellow surges boiling at my feet. Jien. from anarrow platform, leap to a datached. mass of TOck. On tlie tiny ;liff-bonnd beach iust i beyond this I saw another fisher, a heron. For. a while he did not notice mv approach — the thunder of the waters drowned all other sounds — being ousy watching the movements of some submerged, body. Then i he hopped a yard into the surges, and the | strong;' 9liaro beak, was plunged far into the i smother. He had struck true, a small sea, j trout was impaled. foFfiin? his head back and at tho same time ierkinpc tho fish some way into the air. he caught it as it fell. There was a gulninp motion and a swelling .of his thin neck as the food slid down. MV

angling of the same pool was not more successful. One small fish only was beguiled from the creamy torrent. Fishing here and there a promising backwater or slack dub, we made our way back to the inn, richer for one splendid experienca of fishing and of the water at night.— W. T. P., in the Field.