NOTES ON STREAMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2689, 27 September 1905, Page 59

NOTES ON STREAMS.

I have to thank a gentleman who is well acquainted with the streams of Ctago g£or tho following notes: — The wet waather we have been getting will <{o good in having the rivers well Bupnhed with water for the opening of Vce angling season. Tie report from most oi the rivers is that they are well stocked w'lfo. goed fish. A ranger was walking along the" banks of the Wafkouaiti the other day, and reports liaving seen a Jot of fine fish in the lower roaches. From the annual report of the Acclimatisation Society I see there were 28.000 fry and 800 yearlings, liberated here. As a bait, the live minnow, used at night or evening, is successful. There is also a email native shrimp, got amongst the weeds, ihat kills w^ll. With a view to establishing the rainbow trout in this river 600 yearlings •were placed in it last year and ,800 the year before. These fish ouglit - to be showing up now. The Shag River had its quota of fry and yearlings last year— 2o.ooo brewn, 4000 licch. L-jveu fry, and 500 rainbow yearlings being liberated. This is such a good river for iatural -spawning that it ie alwaj-s well Blocked. The Water of Le'ith and 1 the Waitati are bo handy to .the Dunedin anglers that it is very neoassary to them a liberal sujfcily. They had 36,090 brown trout fry each. The "Leith had also. 12^000 Loch lieven fry, and the Waitati 6000 Scotch burn fry >and 2000 American brook trout. There were also about 600 yearling brown trout put into each last year. Th© ljee Stream. — This stream has not been neglected— a consignment is planted here evory v year. Sometimes the stream is discoloured^ "with mining, but the Taieri anglers go -up there and get good baskets -when the river is .suitable. I might suggest that the hotelkeeper at the Lee should keep the, secretary of the Anglers' Association posted as -to the state of the" weather and river, in whicib 12,000 fry were placed last - yea.r. Coming to the Tokomairiro rivers, -angling in ;the tidal waters ecems to give the best .sport. Some anglers made good Jjaskets with the phantom minnow last season. Both branches get a supply of fry every year, and: 36,000 brown and 6000 I«ocn Leven fry were .put into the upper waters of each last year. Lovell's Gresk is coming to the frontagain, mho perch have disappeared from the creek, the" trout are becoming plentiful. Pour thousand each of Loci Leven .and Scotch .bum and 12,000 brown trout were liberated here last year; also, -to try and establish the -rainbow trout -in Tuakiifcotb '-Lake,- /6GOO fry were planted there. - - Waipahi. — This river always receives * large supply of fish -available for distribution. Its. share, last year .was 128.000 fry and r I3OO yearlings. This is a good fly or cricket tateeam, avid with plenty of water the .minnow is suitable. Two huts have t>een erected on this river for the convenience of anglers— one near the Arthurton Balls, and the other Elgher^up, near the mouth -of the Kaiwera. , Pomahaka. — This is a somewhat later stream, December being quite early enough to start on it. The artificial minnow does well in "this rirer. Besides those placed in , ifcs tributaries, there were 50D yearlings and 1 104-,000 fry put dnto the itself. There are four buts on the river— one at the Burning Plains, one at the -mouth of the Raukleburn, one a mile below tie mouth of the/ "Waipahi, and one near the Xieitham above "Kelso. All that is wanted is suitable wafer, suitable weather, and a good angler. Waiwera. — This h generally an eariy stream. It is easy o f access and easily fished. The creeper kills well on a windy day, and- the frsh are generally plump and game. Nine hundred yearlings and 74,000 fry were put into this &treani last year. The JETailiiku and the Kuriwao are two nice iitbls streams. The Jatser. being so convenient to Clinton, is a popular stream, and ranch fished. » The creeper and fly are tbe principal lures. There were 600 yearlings and 106,000 fry iiberated in these two streams last year. The Owaka is -a sood'fly stream, and it is reported . that besides the fish planted by the Acclimatisation Society a good deal of --natural spawning -goes on. Last year there were 1200 yearling salmon and 57.000 trout fry put into this stream. There -is also- a hufc erected at Tahatika, about .sis miles up. = The ' Puerua,— This -is a stream which, although somewhat inaccessible, affovds good ?"nort. .There were 200 yearlings a.nd 46,000 fry.turnsS into it last year, and for the convenience of anglers there is a hut at the Mound. The Mimihau.— This is a favourite fly sheam — tha best in tho Mataura Valley. It is a popular resort for the InvercargiU anglers. It : got 200 -yearlings and 48,000 fry. There is an anglers' hut-on this river also, •bout eight miles from Wyndham. The Waifcaia streaais are well stocked •with trout. A local angler said it was quite unnecessary to send any more fish to that locality, but a consignment is > sent yearly. The fish caught there ore said to 7>o in prims condition and very game. A raid is now about to be commenced on shag's and eels between "the Horse Range -and the Mataura River, but for the present •only certain rivers are to be operated on for the eels — viz., the Shag, Waifcouaiti, Owafou and Waiwera Rivers. Tlie shags are,toT>e paid for at the rate of 3s per head killed on the rivers -10 miles from the coast.