ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 64

ANGLING.

By Jock Scott.

To be*. perfect* <3her£iaa you require more exceileneiei than' Ut until j to be fouud in mob. a small splice as is allotted to a '■ pUX'f CUCU3.— l'ißJtltt GILUOOR. Rudirrni! invited to contribute items or local fitning newi Jor insertion in thl> column. For insertion in the ensuing iuu« Ifctj ibouli reach Dunedin bj Monday night's mail. B4NK NOTES. By this time many a goodly trout will iave Jeft its " native* element never - again to- return to -it, and. some apital baskets' will have been' made. I was told on Friday 'night that the Shag and the Waitaki were In -_good order, so that there should be »ome news from' thetm shortly. The WaiTpahi; I was informed, was a little thick, >nd that snow had been falling; and I ihave no doubt that would apply also to the Pomahaka and wither rivers in the .neighbourhood. It-would seem that gene- , rally speaking the northern streams were in" pretty good fishing trim, but that those - down . .outh were not 'i» a condition to expect very much would be got fromthem for the first few days of the season. Information having. to be in by Monday evening, I do* not expect -I shall have - very much regarding this season's doing's to record in the present issue, I hope to. let anglers know next week of what has been done. The Waipahi. — "This river is slightly up, but is - falling fast, and should be in good trim this week. Several of the local -anglers have opened the season and met with fair success. Mr J. Walders secured eight nice fish, and Mr G. Mitchell / killed five fish— all in good condition. Fish j.re plentiful.— W. D. i 5 Canterbury Angling. — A Christchurch telegram states that the fishing season jcened at midnight on Saturday. A majo Yity of the Canterbury rivers were in good- order for fishing, particularly the Selwyn, from which a number of large catches of trout were made. The New River. — The Southland • Times states that the New River ;waa visited on Sunday by a numl>er of Invercargill citizens, whose angling instincts outweighed their Sabbatarian scruples. On account of the recent rains the river was rather high, but the water was in fairly good order, and jmedium catches were made. Messrs iWilletc brothers, in the course of an hour's 'fishing, landed seven trout, aggregating . about 141b, all of which were in fine con'd it ion. ' y, The Pareora. — The Timaro> Herald »tates that a good many eager inglers went out ■to try their •luck on the opening day. The only information gathered on Sunday night referred the Pareora, and the returns as a whole ■were small. One angler got 51b and 61b fish in the upper waters, and another got a very nice basket near the limestone. jOthers had to be content with two or three, ~and some came home with empty baskets. The general opinion was that there was too much snow water in the river, and that it will be a week or two yet before good fishing will bo the rule. The river is well stocked from mouth to sources.

f The Waitaki. — A party of Oamaru anglers went out to the Waitaki, for the beginning of the season, and caught, between them, 36 fish. None were of any great weight. The sportsmen report (says the Mail) that the river is in very fair condition and the fish are biting well. The Teviot. — The Roxburgh correspondent of the Alexandra Herald writes as follows:— "Local anglers are getting in readiness for the fishing season, which opens on Sunday next, and which promises to be a good one, trout being very plentiful in the Teviot stream. Several members of the Anglers' Association have been engaged for some time building a lagoon in the recreation reserve. The main object of this is to raise fry for stocking the Teviofc River, but in a year or so it is expected to afford sport when the larger stream is in flood. In another portion of the reserve there is a second lagoon already stocked with perch. Isaao Walton has many enthusiastio disciples here, and this season's roll promises to be a record one." The Fraser River.— Thie Dunstan Times says: — "Local anglers are anxiously looking forward to she opening of the fishing eeason, which commences on the first of the month, and axe now busily engaged getting their tackle in. order. For the next few weeks we will probably be inundated with the (usual dose of fishing stories. The Fraser River is yet rather low for good fishing, and a good flood is badly wanted to stir the fish up." . - Southland Streams. — I am surprised to read in an . exchange that the Southland streams are in splendid order for the opening of the season, and note that anglers are busy getting ' their tackle in order for the oommenpsnient of the season's sport. The Outlook at St. Bathans.— The St. Bathans correspondent of the Mount Ida Chronicle, >'n some remarks introductory of the season, says: — "Central Otago is at present extremely wintry, the waters are cold and likely to remain so for some time, so that one could not, under these unsatisfactory conditions, predict great success in that most artistic form of angling ■' — fly, fishing. It is more than probable that fly fishers will during October have reluctantly to resort to the worm, the creeper,' or the minnow as a bait." Canterbury Rivers. — The Lyttelton Times of September 28 says*: — "A telegram rec&ived on Wednesday morning stated that "the Waitaki was in good order for angling, but that the other rivers in Canterbury wer© dirty and not fishable." Tapanui Anglers' Asicoiation. — The annual meeting of the Tapanui Anglers' Association was held at Kelso recently. The following clauses were contained in the report, which was adopted: — "The association has a membership of ,29, and the statement of accounts 'to be submitted to the aiumal meeting shows a credit balance of 17s 2d. The ' past season was on the whole a disappointing, one, the fish caught being generally small in size and poor in condition. .Your committee furnished the Spylaw hut, ma'lring it one of the most comfortable -and convenient- in Otago. Three men's and Vne boys' competitions were held, the entries for which \vyere seven,- eight, eight, and < "four" -respectively. The winners were Mr D.-, -Buchanan (lost 10 per cent.), with Mr T. Hagen second; Mr Theo. Murray (lost 33 1-3 per cent.), champion ; and Mr A. Mason (lost 33 1-3 per cent.). The* boys' comjfetition 'was won by Ernest Buchanan, of Kelso, who received a handsome rod, kindly presented by ,Mr John Howat. Your committee was much disappointed at the few entries received for these competitions, and anglers are asked to note that only two competitions are proposed for the coming- season — the first on November 9 (open only to those who have not taken a first prize), the second on January 3 (the open handicap championship competition). For the first of these it is hoped there will be a score of entries." — In accordance with the report, it was agreed to hold .two competitions during the season, and also a youths' competition, for which there must not be less than eight entries. In the matter of weighing in, it was decided that the committee have power to appoint two reliable persons to scrutinise all fish ! caught. It was decided that the membership fee be again fixed at 3s. Mr John Howat, one of the committee, submitted a report as the result of a conference of several interested in fishing and deerstalking held in Dunedin lately. There was no doubt that a lot of poaching had been going on in this district — in fact, it was considered to be one of the worst in that respect. The suggestion had been made that anglers and deer-stalkers should combine, and employ a ranger to look after the river, and -nountain, to be controlled locally; and there was every prospect of the Otapo Acclimatisation Society giving a substantial vofce for 'the . payment of a ranger. Mr. Howat commented upon the evil- influences that were the outcome of i law-breaking amongst young people, and expressed the general opinion when he said that every effort should be made to put down poaching. — "Or Robertson expressed his surprise at the amount of Sunday shoot- ! ing ha fenmd went on on the Blue Mountains, and it was decided to extend the aim of the Anglers' Association, and admit deer-stalkers to membership. Ashburton Acclimatisation Sooiety. — The Afhburton Acclimatisation Society has decided that a charge of 6d per night per bed shall be levied on those using the society's hut, that the caretaker shall be I deputed to collect the fees, and that a j charge of 5s per season, payable in advance, ' shall be levied on the owner of each j private hut as ground rent. It was also j decided to procure suitable mattresses for j the society's hut at tho mouth of the Ashburton River, to procure cooking uten- j sils, and to provide other necessary accommodation; also to procure wire-netting for ; the beds of the society's huts at Rangitata and Rakaia. Dead Varnish for Rods.— The following is 1 good treatment to produce a dead appear- [ ance on rods, if too new and bright-look-j ing : — Give the rod two or three coats of fisherman's varnish, laid on thin, and when quite dry and hard rub down with powdered pumice stone and water; rub with piece of | soft flannel, and use plenty of water; wash rod with clean water, and the dull surface required will be found. The pumice removes very little of the varnish, and there will be plenty left on to preserve the wood. Fond of Poultry. — The mysterious disappearance or 16 out of a brood of 22 Muscovy ' ducklings at Stanley Park has at length been solved. An uproar was heard the other day among the feathered tribe on the park lake, and an old 3uck with a few of her ducklings was seen making in terror for i the shore, pursued by a pike, which seized

' and swallowed two of the ducklings before they reached their refuge. The pike appears to be about 3ft in length, and was possibly placed in the lake amongst some small fry two or three years ago. As a number of anglers witnessed the incident, no doubt the pike will receive a little attention in the future. — Liverpool Mercury. A Novel Contest. — A novel contest was held one afternoon at the Lifeboat Gala at Roundhay Park (says "Halcyon"), when Mr J. W. Gra&sham, the well-known Yorkshire angler, attempted to land Mr F. Boyd, tho swimmer, by means of a rod and line. Ihe event attracted a great many Letds anglers to the upper lake, and much speculation was made on the result. Eight minutes was the time allowed, but, unfortunately, after about five minutes' most evciting "play," the line gave way close to the belt with which it was attached to the swimmer's body, so the "fish" won. After that Mr Win. Almond tackled Mr J. J. Stuart, who, although a far lighter man than Boyd (who weighs about 18st), was a very strong and expert swimmer. "Billy," however, did not give him much line, and within the space of three minutes had him on the landing-stage. Messrs C. J. Hardy gave the prize, value , 10s 6d, but as Mr Grassham's misfortunes j was owing to the line fraying on the body belt; he was also awarded a prize. Another minute and Mr Boyd would have been done, and as he left the landing-stage he remarked to "Johnny" and me, "I'll never be a fish again as long as I live." The idea was first started in America, and was afterwards ■ tried in this country, at the Westminster ' Aquarium and the Crystal Palace. It caused ] so much interest in Leeds that I fancy other ' contests of the same kind will take place in Leeds. Trout and Four-footed Poachers. — I publish the following letter, written to the Field, apropos of Mr G. M. Marshall's suggestion as to causes for the diminishing in number and deterioration of trout generally. It seems 1 to disclose yet another possible enemy of the trout — an enemy that is pretty plentiful about the banks of our rivers. The letter is signea "A. H.," and is as follows : — In May, 1904, T made a pond of rather more than a quarter of an acre. It was formerly an old pond, but all the fish (carp) had long since been taken out of it, and the pond drained away until it hadl become a mere swamp full of bul- 1 rushes, with certainly no fish in it, unless there might have been eels (if there ever were any) left in mud and swampy little puddles. It is fed by a very small but good, clear spring, running, or rather trickling, from behind a ridge of white sandstone rocks, and the pond was formed by making an earth dam, and is now of a depth of from 4ft to 7ft. It is entirely surrounded by underwood and oak timber, and that part of the bottom which was not swamp was covered with grass and underwood, the latter being cut before the pond was filled. In May, 1904-, I turned in a large quantity of water shrimps, water snails, etc., procured from the Chess Valley Trout Farm, andi they increased greatly during last summer. The pond is now full of insect life, and there are a great quantity of tadpoles and small water beetles. At the end of January, 1905, I turned in 300 two-year- ■ old brown trout. From the day that they were turned in they ..have daily had 2^lb of trout food. I went to-day to see the pond, I and found that the fish were rising occasionally all over it. We caught a few with the fly and returned them to the water. They were healthy, well-fed little fish Bin or 9in long, and some that were jumping seemed larger. One of my friends, while fishing, saw a small trout come round the little promontory where he vyas. closely pursued under water by an animal which he took to be a rat — he only saw its head, as it "made off when it saw him, bufc he is quite sure that it was not nearly large enough to be an otter. The fish went on in great terror, and hid in a corner of the pond. I took it out with my hand; at first it seemed in a state of collapse, but after holding it upright in the water by the back fin for a little while it gradually recovered and swam away. A little later on, quite on tho other side of the pond, and about 50 yards from us, we saw a small fish (6in or 7iii) making frantic efforts to escape something which was evidently pursuing it from under water ; it was jumping half out of water again and again. Presently it stopped and struggled on the surface of the water. The struggle lasted about five minutes, and it seemed as though the fish were held under water by something holding its tail. I ran round to see what was the matter, and while I was out of sight my friends, who had been watching its struggles on the surface, saw it disappear. There were numerous fresh footprints of rats at the I edge of the pond, and some larger ones in the mud, which may have been those of a stoat. It ' is likely that the pursuer was a stoat, and, if so, can any reader of the Field advise any more likely method of catching it in such a place than ordinary trapping? Last year there were many .' water voles in the pond. lam quite sure j that the fish was not being pursued by a'j pike or any other fish. I have watched j their methods very often in tanks, and the j fish would have disappeared long before if it had been seized by a pike. Moreover, I am as sure as I can be that there are not, and never have been, any in the pond, or any trout before these were put in. OFF THE SLATE. In a recent issue of notes by "Halcyon" the following rather good verses appear, apparently written by some Welsh angler, a friend of "Halcyon's" :: — ■, , Oh! yes, he often ponders, as lie walks along the shore. Of days that he remembered well, that were in the days of yore, When all were young and all were blithe, but now I grieve to state, That — how it comes, it matters not — they've < rubbed him off the slate. I Yes,- those were times when open hands and gladsome hearty bid cheer 1 Unto the friend they c*red to see, 'twas "welcome" far and near. j But now they "hum" or "haw" or say it's ' "only fair to state" ' He can walk or shoot no longer, so we've rubbed him off the slate. >\ j Oace at the meet, he was of old a quite familiar sight, j Useful, but therefore welcome, but a rather noisy wight, But younger ones with more to say have joined the- throng of late, And 'being no longer wanted, they've "nibbed him off the slate." The winsome, comely hostess, as she sits her at her board, Tells to her honoured guest tEe tale and gossip quite a hoard. "Oh! yes, you used to meet him here, rather §, aueer sort, |

Knew nothing about London, and only lived for sport. 'Twas best to interfere, w thought, before it got too late, And it wasn't good for Lucy, so we've nibbed him off the slate." Boniface, too, no longer meets his. advent there with joy, How different when he ordered "then" four dinners, four of "Boy, The hearty greeting now is fled, 'tis hard indeed to mate The smiles of "then," the bow of "now," he's siever on their slate. The fishing clique no longer need his help to make a score; Time was they did so sorely, and they got it too and more. 'Tis done, and no one now I trow his powers ■will relate, No, he can't wade as he used to do, we'll rub him off the elate. Yes, he realises softly that each dog must have his day, Some a long one, some a short one, let that be as it may, And ho wonders as he wanders sometimes of that other state, Will his faults be all recorded, all be written? No, let's hope that some be wiped from of* that slate.