ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2914, 19 January 1910, Page 68

ANGLING.

By . Jock Scott.

To be a perfect : fisherman you require more CTeeUenoio.j than lire usually to be found in such a email space m is allotted to a man’s carcase. — PAItKEP, GrXI.MOTTK. Scatters are invited to contribute items of local foiling .news for insertion in this column. For insertion in the ensuing issue they should reach Dunedin by Monday night's mail.

rsATVK X9TEI.

I hear a rumour.about that trout hr great number are. dying in the Pomahaka. A Dunedin angler had a very successful time at the Fraser river, from which he took some large baskets of fine fish. Fishing in Lake Logan is looking up again, I arn told, fo mo very fair trout having been captured of late. The Waitaki. —'Some angle rs who f re-naon-t the Waitaki Liver have taken some Vig fish from it lately. Others, again, have ;:perienoed very poor sport there. One .■.air got a beautiful 18-pounder, and another graissed several fine fish between 51b and 61,bs. —Exchange. The Pareora.—According to the Tiinam Herald local and visiting anglers express •concern in regard to the present condition of the Pareora River. This stream, which is usually very clear _ with ‘ a fine flow of water, has dried up in several places, and trout for miles up stream have congregated in one large hole beneath the traffic bridge on the Main South road. Piero the fish, hundreds of them, are faring very poorly, and eels arc said to be playing havoc with the younger ones. The trout should he shifted without delay. The Waian. —The following visitors from over-sea arrived at Orepuki on Monday, and are enjoying a holiday at the Waian fishing camp: —Dr Rentoul, Dr VPFarland, and Professor Robson, Ormond College, Melbourne: Mr A. Mac Diarmid, barrister, \delaide; Mr W. S. Lyttlejohn, Wellington. The Oreti.— Writing from Fairfax on he 17 th inst., W. IT. says: —“ The big ■dr are up the Oreti now. We got some nc© fish on Saturday: Mr W. M’Kenz’e ■•tie fish 121 b, Mr IV. Hamilton, four fish ’3lb. Mr Sise four fish about 301 b. Mr M'Namarra two fish 201 b,_ and Ranger Friend two about 161 b. A few small ones wore al-'o tal-'m'. and < T - -, od snort resulted.” Southland Rivers.—The Southland News says the returns reported for the week have been rather small, and quite out of proportion to the records of Christmas and New Year weeks, when catches of 859 and 398 were registered. The fish wove reported, however, to be taking fairlv well, and no doubt the boisterous weather on Wednesday tended to a smaller realisation than would otherwise have been the case. In future weeks the returns from the Waiau will probably also be added. Details :

The weekly returns to date are as follow* : Oct. 28 —213 Dec. 10—418 Nov. 4 —317 Dec. 17—465 Nov. 11—152 Dec. 24—485 Nov. .18—282 Dec. 31—839 Nov. 23—312 .Tan. 7—898 Dec. 3—608 -Tan. 14—512 i Anglins: Competition.—The Matanra Angling- 'Club held its third fishing competition this season a few days ago, six anglers taking nart. The day, though fine was not altogether suitable for the mort a strong south-westerly gale prevail- ■ ifv to the discomfort of the competitors. The winner turned un in Mr R. Allison, ■vho fishing on the Wairekiki, secured 19 V.h ’weighing 13lb lljoz. This performance •arries with it a prize of the value of £1 The second prize, a fly book donated •' v vfnssrs'Wilkie and Co., Dunedin, went, i Mr W. Allispn, who fishcdi in the Mimiarc[ landed 17 fish weighing 141 b 7oz. competitor was handicapped 10 per and" thus was defeated for first place • narrow margin of soz. Mr J. annexed the third prize, which was .'•(] !>v Mr N. Holmihoun, by getting

fire fish out of the Mimihau .rhich weighed 11b loz. Messrs D. Cowan, J. Murdoch, and J. Beattie also weighed in. The president’s medal for the heaviest bags in the two competitions was won by Mr R. Allison with a total weight of 321 b 4Joz. The total weight of. the catch was 491 b a,s against 1461 b for the first competition held this season. * Young Trout.—The Courier says that recently Mr Steven, of the Clinton hatcheries. liberated a consignment of yearling trout in the Po.mahaka above Tapanui bridge. Five tins, containing 100 fish in each tin, were distributed, and the young trout, some of them being about 4in iir length, were very lively, scattering in all directions immediately they were put into the Water. In all 1000 yearlings were liberated here this season, a former lot being taken to the Rankleburn. The advantages of keeping the fish until they are a year old are most apparent, and 100 healthy yearlings must be equivalent to many thousands of fry. From the hatchery to the river not more than 1 per cent, covered the less with the yearlings. Replenishing Streams— Recently Mr Steven, of the Otago Acclimatisation Society. placed 500 vearlings in, the Mimihau and' 1200 fry in the Wyndham. The Dangers of Wading.—The following is clipped from the Field of November 27: The danger of being carried away in a strong river when one has waders on has been emphasised strongly this jlsar by three sad accidents, one of which, that to Colonial Scott-Plummer, was described in these columns but a (short time ago. Some correspondence also took place in the Field earlier in the year, in which several anglers gave experiences and counsel as to how one should aot when in difficulties. We see by reports in tj.ie Scottish papers that 'some very interesting experiments were mad© in the Corporation Swimming Baths, Edinburgh, on Friday evening last week. Two weH-knc)wn, anglers, MessrsR. Turnbull and 1). Hislop, members respectively of the Walton and’ Waverley angling * clubs, gave a demonstration of swimming in ordinary fishing clothes and wading trousers, their object being to show that a man who could swim moderately well would not be prevented from doing so by waders. One of the questions that lias arisen in connection with the subject is whether wading trousers fastened' with a belt at the top are more dangerous in case of an accident than those fastened by braces. From the account in the Scotsman we gather that neither method of wearing the- trousers inconvenienced the .swimmers unduly. They tried several different ways of falling in. One consisted of jumping into the deep end of the bath, wearing waterproof jackets and' creels weighing 6£lb, and holding rods, another of falling into the bath head first with the impedimenta. In all the tests they get out safely and easily, and afterwards were able to state that they experienced no difficulty in moving in the water with waders on. Of course, in still water such as that of a swimming bath it is much easier to be sure of what ought to be done and to try to do it. In a wild river, complicated by dangerous boulders or jagged rocks, a man might be pardoned for losing his initiative. These tests, together with a good deal of evidence published lately, go to prove that wading trousers arc not such a danger as has sometimes been said, provided that their wearer can swim, but that is no reason why anglers should relax their caution in the least particular. Not long ago mn, experienced sa'morr fisher told us of an experience he had had, which shows how one is liable to overlook even the most obvious things. lie was wading in the Highland Deo in rather big- water, and suddenly found' himself in difficulties at the edge- of a deep whirling hole. It is an extremely awkward place, in which the whole draught of a big river is confined within very narrow limits, and the chance of being drowned if one got carried' over from the edge of the stream into the hole would be considerable, since even the eddies have almost the force of a mill-race. The angler first found his feet losing their grip on the shifting gravel, and then realised with consternation that it was only the question of ?. second or two before ho would bo swept off them altogether. he had practically given up hope of getting out without a ducking at least when, in a flash he remembered to have heard or read' somewhere how a fisherman saved himself by using the butt end of his salmon red as a wading staff. The lesson was no sooner ■remembered than applied, and ho got out all right. He said that he was sure the idea of using the rod 1 would never have occurred to him of his own volition, and one can easily understand how that might be so in a case of the, kind; the natural impulse which one lias to keep (he reel from getting wet would prejudice one’s actions unconsciously. A rather similar neglect of obvious remedies is now and then seen in boat accidents, when a poor swimmer will strike out for the bank, possibly a good deal beyond his reach, instead of sticking to the upturned boat which is well within it, and which would of course' support him till help could arrive.

The Fishers of the Mackenzie Region.— j The following appears undiet “Passing" Comments” in a number of the Field recently to hand : —ln Mr E. A. Preble’s rc- ! port of biological investigations in the Athabaska-Mackenzie region (North American Fauna, No. 27, Government PrintingOffice, Washington) there are some interesting- notes on. the various fishes known to occur in the Mackenzie Valley. A considerable portion of the. collection made by Mr Preble was lost, and he alludes to the fact that other previous collections have been similarly unfortunate. Still, he was able to bring back several new species, and' his notes are decidedly valuable. Those; owners of fisheries who already regard the lamprey with suspicion will be interested to learn that, the only specimen known to have been taken in the Mackenzie Valley was found adhering to another fish caught in the Great Slave Lake. Among the fish of the region whitefish (Coregonus) are very important as a food product, and one species or more are found in nearly every lake and stream. In some lakes they run to .as much as 201 h in weight. Another important fish is Stenodus mackenzii, a fish shaped like a pike but with silver scales and not veryformidable teeth. It. reaches a large size, possibly 601 b, and will take a bait readily. The Eskimos catoh it with an imitation fish made of ivory armed with a bttrbless hook. Pacific salmon (sockeye) are caught in the Mackenzie, but apparently not in, groat quantities. The great lakh trout, namaycush, “is an inhabitant of nearly every bodV of water throughout the north, not only in the Mackenzie basin, but in

many other of the river systems,” chiefly in the deepen lakes. It often reaches a weight of 501 b, and as in better-known waters further south will take a spoon or other 'moving bait. Athabaska Lake, the eastern and northern arms of Great Slave Lake, and Great Bear Lake are noted as abounding specially in namaycush. It is •an attractive thought that in the clear water “the traveller frequently sees then* pursuing their prey in the depths, or lying motionless near the bottom.” Under the general heading of ‘‘speckled trout” Mr Preble includes a few notes on brook trout, but they are not definite enough to be of much service from the angler’s point of view. The Arctic grayling occurs throughout the region from Peace River and Athabaskai Lake north and north-west to the Arctic Ocean. Mr Preble caught a number while fishing for trout with a spoon. The only pike of the Mackenzie Valley seems to be Esox lucius, which attains a weight of 351 bor more. There -a-re notes of a good many fish of less importance, but those mentioned arc enough to show that the adventurous -analer has no small opportunities of exploration in the great north lands of Canada.

Heaviest. Aver. No. lbs. lbs. Oreti (Upper) Oreti (Lower'. .. 182 4J 1 .. 96 8 2 Aoarima 49 si 2 Waimatuku 64 6 Makarev.a 4 12 Total .. 512 — 1.8