ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 64

ANGLING.

Bx Jock Scott.

Take* perfect Sibenaan you require more "excellencies than )lt ntnallf to b» Ibuud in «uoh » small space a* i> «Uotlei to * tcMers. are inrited to contribute Itemt or local flihlng nevt pt intrtion in thi» column. For insertion In the euiutag iiiua fecj akcald reach Oanedin bj MiJnd»J oifhfi mail.

BANK NOTES. The. Waiau. — At present anglers are having" a goooV time at the Waiau moufch, the Veather~ being perfect and # the river in jood condition. Anglers put in a good deal jf fcime in all-night fishing, and some good flaskets are obtained. Mr M'Kenzie, of Dunedin, landed -10 trout going 64|lb, the largest going 16|1J>. Mr F. H. Wilson can ■accommodate over 20 people at his Waiau camps. He also has a cook shop and agoocl man" in charge; also a dining room that seats 20 people. — Exchange.

P^rch-fishihg at Lake Hayes. — The Lake County- Prees says fishing- for perch in Lake" Heyes is. now a. favourite pastime with both young and old.- The latesfc addition to the fleef'of boats on the lake is one 'built and "launched by Messrs P. and JT ;Butel. It will hold six "persons comfortably. It is the intention'of the owners to make a small oil launch of the boat later. Perch are very plentiful, and big catches are, of frequent occurrence.

Angling Abotit Tapanui. — No very heavy baskets of trout were taken locally during the recent holidays. The streams are too low for large Hakes, and the warm water 'is putting the fish off- condition. — Tapanui Courier.

A Record Fish from the Waiau. — A trout of more than ordinary proportions, even for the migtay Waiau, was got by a local angler the other day. This fish, -which scaled no less than 171b, makes a record lor the present season. The record-breaker was grassed by Mr C. "Wilson, Orepuki. Th"c Rangitata.— Some excellent" sport has been had *tT the niouth , of the Rangitata River during the past few days" (says an exchange), Ashburton anglers having succeeded in getting fairly good <baskers. On Saturday week two anglers from Ashbur- 1 ton landed 'five fish, the total ' weight of which was 461b,- the largest weighing 151b. -Messrs B. Preston and J. Stephens, on the> saline evening, each landed three fish, .weight from 41b to 61b. TJake Wakatipu Trout. — A keen angler has just returned f rom ~ Queenstown full of pleasant memories and N -cur ious information. Lake Wakatipu trout, hd.eays, are peculiar and worth serious -study. They are all head, says this angler, which 'makes them good fishing but mighty spare in. the frying ■pan. He would like an expert to explain the ' cause. .-Is it due to scarcity of feed, to the keen chill of the lake, or to a kind of fishy water- on the brain?- He thinks that the Acclimatisation -Society would be ..well engaged in investigating this -''swelled head" of the trout and inaugurating a remedy. " " . The Opihi.— The Christchurch Press ,of the 9th inst. says : — The .Opihi River, is very •low at present — almost as "low es during last Bummer — and considerable difficulty is befing experienced in maintaining a good flow iof water in the races supplying the Seadown and Arowhenua districts.

Angling in Southland. — The Southland of the 9th' inst. writes ac follows: ''The present has been one of the best seasons ever experienced in Southland for ■the angler. The Aparima, Oreti, and SWaiau Rivers are teeming with trout. On Saturday last a party of three landed 17 "fish weighing 711b from the Waiau, the largest scaling 10£lb, while a 17-pounder was <taken on Friday. Another rod accounted «or iour- . fish weighing 281b. Scores of anglers have visited the Waiau during the holidays, and put in a most enjoyable time. ■Excellent accommodation is provided, -and .the tariff is reasonable. It is feared when 'netting was permitted at the mouth of the ..'JJew River estuary that the sport would evfffer in that stream,- but the results do not justify misgivings. Within the last few days eea-running trout, weighing 141b and i lo£ld, have been^'landed from the river as high up as Oporo. "An jold angler -informs •us that he has seen more big fish in the •New River this season than eveiv^-on a calm day they can be seen resting in the pools, and .their appearance proves that they are fresh from the- sea."

Canterbury Items.— The following items of newsare from the Christchurch Press of the i7th inst. :— The long spell'of dry weather lias had a marked effect on North Canter•bury rivers, and particularly on the Ashley. In some places the Ashley has lost all semblance to a flowing river, the course being marked only by a line of small pools. As a result the fish are suffering by being imprisoned in the pools. The Acclimatisation Society has made arrangements to remove as many as possible to the max* permanent

I. parts of the river, where the flow of water is maintained. Good fly-fishing is beingobtained in the Ashley at mghte. Several Chriatchurch anglers who recently made visits to the river secured good bags of nice fish,. Anglers who fished the mouth of the Eakaia during the holidays were rewarded with good catches, which included several heavy fish. The Acclimatisation Society is, sending 3000 brown trout to be liberated in the Waikari stream at, the Weka Paes. A start will be made this week to concrete the edges of the jjonds in the Acclimatisation Society's gardens. The work, judging by the results achieved last season, should effect a marked improvement in the appearance of tihe gardens and be distinctly beneficial to the ponds. Angling at Botorua. — The following is from the Rotorua Times: — "Mr W. Cbi 1- . bett and paTty had good sport on Sunday, and landed 25 fine fish, all in good condition. The same driver took out a party yesterday morning, and after three hours 1 fishing returned with 16 beauties. Judging by flic general appearance of the fish I caught here since the opening of tho season, it has been exceedingly noticeable •that the male fish are not in as good condition as females. However, the former are improving every day now, and before the close of fche season they should afford equally as good, if not better sport than the latter sex are at present. . Messrs Cowlishaw, Gordon, and Vincent had a good day fly-fishing at Waiteti, landing "30 fish, the lieaviest running 51b. Messrs Gordon, Mayes, and Giilett had 1 a good day out on the Eva, landing 57 splendid 1 fish, averaging 3^lb. Messrs Elliot and Ellison had good fishing in Kotoiti. During their stay they landed 110 fish, averaging ; 4ilb. Dr Juff and party have been very successful fly-fishing in Rotorua. On one day they landed 24 fish, averaging 3lb, heaviest 4£lb; on another day 18, averaging 31b. From Thursday, December 26, to Sunday, sth inst., the capture of 402 trout < was reported to Mr lies, as the result of I the fishing parties equipped by him, or setting out ftom his shop. These 402 fish • represent, at an average of 31b, over half j a ton of trout. But as not half of the j ' catches ' are reported, we may safely take the total catch for that period as near a ton- and a-half. Judge Palmer^ and party ! were very successful with the" fly on a recent fishing expedition, landing 50 fine trout, the heaviest '61b,- and the' average somewhat over 31b. v They were on Lake Rotorua in the Mourea." A New Development in Pisiculture. — A ' Sioward Settlement settler says he observed the other day in the Old' Ferry Creek ■what appears to be a cross between a trout and a perch. This is a decidedly new development in pisciculture. The fish '.has been closely observed, -and the ob- '■ server is satisfied that the fish he has seen ; : on several occasions is neither a trout nor i I o. perch, but apparently "a cross between / the two. In, the same- way it 4s held by some that the - large fish caught at the I mouths v of the • Waitaki and other rivers, i and termed foluebacks,' are a oross' between i ths salmon -and sea' trout. Many years, j . ago the Waitaki Acclimatisation Society I (who had 1 put a Jarge number of Pacific salmon into the Waitaki River) sent, two i of the fish Home " to Professor Gunther, of the Royal Aquarium, and he- pronounced . them to be "salmo quinnat, or Tacifio ■ 1 salmon, and- the same description, of fish are still -being caupit, so that it may be taken for granted that the quinnat became ( acclimatised many years ago.— Exchange. J Drop Minnow Fishing. — The following lather interesting article on drop minnow fishing,- a< method of angling but little followed in \ Otago, is by "Iron Blue". ' He says five men out of seven, if questioned on the eubjectr -would say that they know nothing of dfop minnow fishing ; one might i understand all about it, and the others j would probably think it was a riddle, or ] give an opinion that it was muoh easier 'to drop than to find them again. As a matter of fact, it is- a most deadly method,and in the hands of .a ekilful fisherman i it will account for many old wary trout . that have long defied all attempts to imnose upon their credulity. The term "drot> j minnow " is derived from fche style of ! working the bait, whioh is dropped' quietly < into deep holes, under banks, behind j bushes, and in like places where casting ! with a fly or spinning -bait would be quite | impossible. To make a drop minnow tackle I a lead rather more than an inch in lencth i is fastened to the end of a strong piece of gut, half an inch above the Jeafci a triangle is tied on, and at the same distance 1 another triangle and a single hook. To • bait thjs flight of hooks, take a dead bully or whitebait, push the lead well down its throat, turn the hooiks baok, and fix the triangle in its side and the single hook through its tail; thus the bai* does not hang in the usual way, but -head downwards. The flight is fastened to a strong' ■ 6inKle gut trace. Have the trace and three ■ or four ieet of line hanging from the point ; of the- rod, and swing " the bully by a sideways cast into some deep hole; let it 6ink, and! then draw it up near the surface, and so on. When a fish takes the bait give him a. 'few seconds to get a good grip, and strike pretty firmly. Then comes the difficult .Bart of the proceeding. The fish is probably a good one, and cannot always be ikept away from snags, co if it is possible he should be held hard from the first. If he can bo hustled a, little at the beginning of the fight, the result ia generally favourable to the angler. In this style of fishing a long-handled gaff is a most, useful implement, both for stretching out over weeds or sunken branches to reach a ,fish and to rescue tackle in case of a) smash, which, from the dangerous nature -«f the surroundings, is always on the cards. A rather stiff rod, about 12ft long, is the best for the purpose, and in consideration of the usage it will probably .reoeive it need not be a special favourite, but it must be strong and able to punish a big fish. In casting, if a very awkward, overgrown place has to be fished, it is a good plan to hold a few loose .coils of line in the left hand, and dTaw the trace i close up to the rod point, then swing the bait gently in the desired direction, and let the coils run out. The bait is not supoqsed to. spin, but only wobble about, and the way it shoots downwards^ after being drawn -nearly to the surface is evidently attractive to large fish, for I have had more runs at that time than-afc any Fishing on Lake TarSuwera, on New Tear's Day,' the H«sn..J. A. Millar succeeded in landing & splendid 111b fish in the .pink of condition. It is reported Jjhafc as the result of bush fires In th.c vicinity of the Makakabi River at "^BTaiparqro last we.ek hundreds of dead • traui Aik to be seen floating In the stream.