ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2761, 13 February 1907, Page 64

ANGLING.

Br Jook Scott.

V* k« • par l*«t Uharjßui yon reqnir* more «itel!encl« th»» macull; t* *• A>au4 Id inch a small space as Is allotted to a Mrs «trcau.— Piann aiuioii. ftwiafa art inrlto* v contribute iteai .f lecal laktag newt kf iaitrtlraia this calumn. For laurttoa in On insuiDC iuut ft •*••!« met Diibcclii kjr Honda/ aiffat's sail.

BASK NOTES.

Alleged Poaching. — A lengthy list is set Sown, for hearing next Monday at the Magistrate's Court (says Friday's Winton Record), and, in addition to the poaching cases held over from the last court day, another batch of alleged poachers will make thejr appearance before the S.M. Liberation of Fry. — Some 10,000 rainbow fry were liberated in the Park pond on Tuesday week (says the Queenstown paper), in -addition to a similar number liberated some little time ago. These fry were obtained' from the Otago Acclimatisation Society. The Shag River.— The Shag River is lower at present than at any period during the past 12 years. No water is visible beneath the bridge on the Main North road, and at several points between Palmers ton and Dunback the water has disappeared below the gravel. Trout are suffering severely, and ecores of dead fish are being picked up daily. 'Hie Opihi.— Mr D. Taylor and a friend, fishing in the Opihi on Saturday week, secured a very fine bag of 13 fish sealing in the aggregate 1601b. The smallest fish weighed B£lb, and the largest was a monster of no less than 221b. — Timaru Post. Splendid sport is still being obtained by the anglers in the Lower Opihi. Mr C. Williams (Temuka) recently caught fish weighing 201b, 191b, 161b, 131b, and 91b respectively, all in first-class condition. Lo^s of Trout by Drought and Poaching. — 'fTwo-and-a-quarter Mesh" writes as follows from Palmerston, under date 11th just ; — "No doubfc you are well aware of the fact that the Shag River is nothing now but a few stagnant pools, and as the fish are dying by the hundred I am surprised that the Acclimatisation Society 'does not take some steps to save them. Poaching is now carried on wholesale, and numerous fish have been taken out which would otherwise have helped to restock this stream as soon as a fresh came. The rangers are no doubt doing what they are told in watching for poachers at the mouth, but why does the society not give them instructions to watch the u£per reaches as well? I have it on the best authority that one man took out 10 fish with the spear one night — an 3 all large ones, from 101b up to 151b,— and the rangers not half a mite away. This was at Bushey bridge. The best way is to give the present rangers a job in the harvest field and appoint new men; but don't have a local man, or a man with relatives all over the district. • Yesterday I took a walk up the river from Mrs Gow's dam, and coming to the willows a couple of hundred yards up I counted in one pool 26 dead trout, from lft up to lft 9in long. All these trout could have been saved by catching them and putting them in the river lower down. I weqt on up the river, and counted over 800 dead trout. This was all in less than a mile of the river, and I have no doubt they could have all been saved by the eociety'6 rangers. The society seems to be on the watch for the netting men, but it could do much more good by watching the river and saving the fish than by watching the men who go" out netting occasionally. Let the society wake up, or this splendid fish stream will get such a set-back that it will not recover for years." ' Dynamiting Trout. — At a meeting of the committee of the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society, held on Monday evening, a letter was read from the Canterbury Society .stating that some persons had used dynamite in the north branch of the Rakaia, and that the society was offering a reward of £20 for evidence that would lead to a conviction. It was resolved that the tcward 1 given by the Ashburton Committee should be increased to £20 to anyone giving information which would lead to a convict«on for this offence.

The Waiau.— The Waiau River is still attracting many anglers from all parts of the colony (says the Riverton Star). Last weest some exceptionally gocd bags were obtained, ono of the most successful anglers being Mr H. Studholme, from Blaokmount. The largest fish obtained— viz., 141b, was secured by 'Mr Lowry, Dunedin. Mr Fred Wilson, of Orepuki, whilst fishing recently at the- Waiau mouth, landed a trout that went into double figures. To his surprise (saye the correspondent of the Otautau Standard) he found embedded in the body of the fish a 32-calibre bullet. I am sorry to state that this shooting of fish is of too frequent a nature in these parts, 86 is also the case in the Orawia Stream- A nod should be as good as a wink to the acclimatisation officials. # The Chief Inspector of Fisheries.— Mr L. P. Ayeon, chief inspector of fisheries, is «xpeoted! *o leave San Francisco with a »n*ignment of half a million quinnat salmon, for the Government's Hakataranfea hatcheries, and two million white fish" for Lakes Tekapo and Kaiueri. He will also try to bring to New Zealand some live striped bass, which will most likely be placed in the estuaries of some O*™ 1 * rivers flowing into the Hauraki Gulf. Theee. however, will be only an experimental shipment, and it is quite probable that they will not survive the voyage. In the oa<=e of these fi6h, it is not possible to fcrinpr out the eggs, as is done with salmon, for the reason that they hatch out in four or five days. Mr A-vson is also bringing opt for the Cantorburv Acclimatisation Society some Atlantic 6almon. which can now he procured on the Pacific .-oa-it. A few-

of the quinnat salmon «gga and also of the white fish eggs will be hatched out at the Exhibition aquarium, and the rearing of the young fish there should be watched with a good deal of interest. Pollution of Streams.— The prosecution of a dairy factory company a few months ago for polluting a stream in the district to the detriment of the sport of trout-fishing caused' some resentment on the part of those engaged in the industry, but as the law is conclusive on the point which was at issue no action was taken. There are some who consider that the interests of anglers are given too much attention, when placed side by side with those of industrial undertakings, and the matter came before Monday's conference of the Dairy Association held at the Bluff. The Woodlands factory wrote that they were handicapped by the decision given against them in a. stream pollution case, and the association, whose sympathies were enlisted, decided to prepare a petition for presentation to the Minister for Agriculture. The Southland Acclimatisation Society also took advantage of the occasion to represent that wh«y from dairy factories did bftrm to trout streams, but a decision having already been come to, the communication wa9 simply received. The He* Lakes District.— Reports from Taupo (says the Rotorua paper) show that some excellent sport is- being obtained by anglers, the fish being in prime condition and plentiful. On Wednesday last Mr Campbell caught 15, the aggregate weight of which was 1941b. There arrived by the coach from Taupo yesterday afternoon a lovely specimen which was caught on lhursdav evening.— Great sport is awaiting anglers at Tokaanu. Major Blewitfc and party have been enjoying it immensely for the past few days.— Several anglers during the week have secured many fine trout on the fly at the mouth of the Utahina Stream and among the Maoris this particular spot is becoming a favourite rendezvous. The evening appears to be the time when the fish take the bait most readily, one Maori having secured 22 very nice trout in about an hour and a-half.— As a result of about three weks' fishing in Lake Rotorua, Mr Guy and son caught 287 trout, the aggregate weight of which was 9721b, while Mr Guy placed to his own credit, m addition to the above, 87 fish, which weighed 3021b. Many others have been equally successful, amontr them being Master Bayhs, who at the Ohau Channel, during the week, has caught quite a large number of fish on tne fly. A beautiful specimen of brown "out, weighing 111b, was landed from the VVaiwakaino, Taranaki, on Wednesday night.— While fishing on Lake Rotorua on the 29th ult. Mr Mau Timiwha landed a fine fish which turned the scales at no loss than 18ilb. The angler landed nine altogether, and all the fish were very large and in good condition. _____^__