ANGLING ABOUT LUMSDEN. By Jock Scott.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 58

ANGLING ABOUT LUMSDEN. By Jock Scott.

I indicated in last week that I would reserve what I had to say about fishing up at Garston, and now propose to give an outline of what I saw and did'theie. I left Lumsden on the Friday morning, reaching Garston, after a run of 26 or '<li miles by train, just in time for dinner. I must first say a word' as to the hotel accommodation. I found Mr and Mrs M'Caughan, who keep the Garston Hotel, most kind and attentive, and had placed at my disposal a room fit for the most fastidious. The tariff is very reasonable. All through my brief stay I received every attention from all, even to "Alice, where ait thou," who, when I was pretty well tired out and very hungry, undertook to look after my day's ralch to see that they were kept as fresh as possible. I can confidently recommend anglers to have no hesitation in putting up at the Garston Hotel. As a matter of fact, they must "go there, as it is the onV "p\ib." in the locality, but the^e is no advantage taken of the fact that the angler or traveller has no option in the matter of accommodation.

After I had enjoyed a cleanly-served, homely meal, I caught the train back, and went as far as Nokomai, distant from Garston about two miles, and alighting there made for the Mataura River, which flow? pretty well parallel with the railway line, and is not more than a few minutes' waik from Nokomai siding. I found the river low and very clear, but a beautiful piece of water nevertheless. In size it is, in this part, about twice as big as the Shag, and, like the Oreti — of which I wrote in last issue — absolutely devoid of all obstacles to fishing. I had made the acquaintance of Mr A. Soper on the railway station platform at Lumsden, and by his advice had secured a. few crickets with which to tempb the trout of the- Mataura. I began on a ripple, which I fished very carefully, but was not rewarded by a rise, and started to walk along the bank of a long and fairly deep stretch of water, intending to recommence where the water was broken, when I saw a huge monster of a fish sail in from the middle of the stream and take refuge \mder the bank. I reckon he was about 101b, and the biggest fish I saw in the Mataura. Not more that two or three- yards farther on I struck a fellow between 31T» and 4lb — for I had begun to fish the quiet water when I saw the big fish, — and after some excellent play I got him out. To go into detail as to subsequent events is unnecessary, but I may say that in that still reach of water I saw dozens of fish — many of them up to 4-lb or 51b — and took out about five or six of them.

Nearing the top of tlje reach my stock of crickets, some half dozen, became exhausted, and I had the mortification of seeing in the comparatively broken water fish shooting in to the side and out from the side without being able to give them the opportunity of finding their way into my bag. It is ti-ue, in the absence <of sunshjne, I dived in among the tussocks, where crickets betake themselves on the disappearance of Father Sol's rays, but none could I find, and I had to, perforce, pass over a very fine piece of water, carrying .m my search as I went. I had not got far when I dropped in with a regular colony of crickets amonn the tussock under some trees, and, amply stocked, began again. The charaoter of the river had changed somewhat, the water being for the most part shallower than where I had been fishing, but I continued taking fish, though, generally sneaking, they were somewhat smaller than those lower down. I fished on right up to the Garston Hotel, which is close to the river, and finished tip with a total of about 15 fish for the afternoon, some half of which were small for such a river as the Mataura. I can well imagine the bis bags told about by Mr Soper are quite within the bounds of probability, if there were a bit more water in the river, and it was discoloured. I started off next morning up the river, but met with disappointing results. The water I found wide and shallow, generally speaking, with but few deep peols or deep stretches. You could s«e to pick up a pin almost anywhere, and' were consequently wpU able to form an opinion as to whether there were many fish about. Peisonally, J do not think there are a^ great many fish up the river, and this idea is supported by \Tr Sopor. I managed to take three for a.bout three hours' hard work, and in doing so was luckier than a youthful local angler I met oil Jhe river, who had not succeeded in .iyaoiAJt gpvhMng to. his credit JEhejo, 1 p^b

him, though ho had been over the same water I had bepii fishing. It seems quit© evident the fish are more plentiful and larger below Garston than" above it, and from what I heard even better fi«hing is to be had between Athol aud Nokomai than between Nokomai and Garston.

Either Athol or Nokomai is easily reached afc very flight co=t by train from Garston. If fishing from Athol to Nokomai, the train can be caught at the latter place for horne — that is, Garston — and a walk saved. In the event of fishing up the river, a similar thing obtains, as the angles can fish up to Fairligiit, and return to Garston by train. From what I saw, I consider that Garston is a splendid place for fishing, and anyone paying it a visit will be amply repaid for his long journey.