ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3117, 10 December 1913, Page 58

ANGLING.

By Jock Scott. To bo a perfect fisherman you require mora excellencies than are usually to be found In such a email apace as is allotted to a man's carcase.— Parkbk Gilmottr. Headers are invited to contribute items of local fishing news for insertion in this column. For insertion In tho ensuing issue they should reach Dunedin by Monday night’s mail. BANK NOTES. Tho Kaktmui. —Some excellent sport has been obtained by anglers in the Kukanui recently (says tho Oamaru Mail of the 2nd inst). Mr C. E. Herman landed live belt of a total weight of one of wh;ch sealed stb; Mr H. Ingram, 13 fish up to 41.1 b; Mr C. Kibblewhito, 39 fish up to 31b; Mr B. Presland, 20 fish up to 21b; and Master A. Robins, 27 fish up to Master A. M'Kenzie has distinguished himself by grassing a 61b fish. The fierceness of the weather appears about to give place to a sunny spell, and, should this occur, the Kakanui will bo in hotter fishing form than it has been for years. As will be seen from tho catches, there are larger fish about than are usually • associated with the Kakanui. The Waitaki. —Mr Jonathan Mitchell, fishing on tho Glenavy side of the Waitaki Mouth, secured 20 fish up to Blb. Other Waitaki baskets are those of Messrs Dewar, 5 up to 41b; G Rushatch, 4 good fish ; J. C. Harris (Otokaike), 10 fish.—Oamaru Mail, December 2. Tho Waikouaiti. —Mr G. W. M'lntosh fished the Waikouaiti River last Saturday, and, using tho natural minnow, caught two fish, one of which weighed 61b. Messrs M'Lennan and Burt were also on the river, and, fishing a little higher up than Mr MTntosh, who caught his fish a short distance below the traffic bridge, took eight trout between them, the heaviest weighing about 4!b. These two anglers used the Alexandra fly, which is evidently a good killer on Waikouaiti water. Tho Oreti. —“ March Brown ” writes in the Winton Record. —“ Tho fishing condition of tho Oreti has improved considerably during tho past few weeks, and as a result some good bags have been secured. At Benmore anglers are having a very successful time. The Messrs Patterson recently grassed 57 nice fish as tho result of a day’s fishing. Local anglers have taken every advantage of the recent fine weather, and they report having met with capital sport, particularly when using the minnow during tho xior’-westers which visited tho district recently. Mr H. Raines, sen., has landed some nice fish of late, securing during one afternoon two scaling 41b each, and on

another occasion landing a five-pounder. Mr R. bind lay has also been very successful, Ins heaviest lish, out of a nice even lot secured by film recently, weighing close on .ur Wm. Young, sen., who has visited tiio Lora and other streams in that locality on several occasions since the opening 01 the season, has secured .some verylino bags."—'ills Southland Times of the 2nd mst. gives an additional take made on the Greti Kiver by Mr Meadows, who caught oigat fish of a total weight of 251 b. 'ilio heaviest fish turned the scale at B^lb. The Ashburton and the Rangitaui.—Fishing in the Upper Ashburton an angler caught 55 trout. Tnc fish, although in fair.y good condition, were small, and averaged about l£lb. Another catch of 20 was made, tfie heaviest weighing 4ilb. At the Kangitata some good baskets were taken. One angler secured 19 fish, one weighing 101 b; another took 16 fish, the heaviest being 6lb; and another 15 fish, the heaviest being db. Several other good baskets were repotted.

Angling in Canterbury.—Heavy catches are being made in the Lower Selwyn. Messrs C. de la Cour and Pankhurst caught 12, Messrs Swanston and Price nine, Messrs I’. do la Cour and Pratt six, Mr A. Gibson three. Mr F. F. Dorman caught 15 nice lish on fly between The Huts and Meddmgs Bend. Higher up the river good sport was had by Messrs Newell and Shand, who landed 28. Messrs Hiddlestonc and Bonnington caught nine up stream, all in good condition. Splendid sport is reported near the mouth of the Wa.makariri. The Kev. W. C. Oliver landed an 18-pounder with a Gold Devon. A 20-poundor was also taken below White's bridge with a live bully. The North B;anch is not producing much in the way of liaskets, but the fish are said to be there in goodly numbers. Fair sport is being had in both the Main Drain and the Cam, but the fish are for the most part on the small side. Both the Rakaia and Rangitata are reported to be yielding well, and some heavy catches have been made.

Angling at Taupo.—Trout fishermen at Taupo and Wairakei report that . the fish, while not as good in condition as those caught early in the season several years back, are much better than last year’s catch for November, and there is every prospect of splendid sport as the season advances. Already some splendid .records have been handed in, and the percentage of *' slabs ' is very small.—Auckland Star of 3rd inst. A Mighty Fish. —Many stories are told of gigantic fish hooked but never landed, and among the latest is one recounted by

“ March Brown” in the Winton Record. I leave “ March Brown ” to toll his story in his own way. Ho says: “At least one local angler is convinced that there ■ are some big fish in the Oroti River. The angler in question was fishing in the vicinity of the Oroti bridge the other day, when he hooked a monster fish. For the brief space of a, second he was under the impression that ho had hooked a whale or some other heavy-weight species of the finny tribe, and ho braced himself for the coming light. Everything went well until the fish, with-a mighty heave, broke the rod and line and got clear away. Taking into consideration the size of the fish, it is fortunate, indeed, when one, comes to think of it, that the fisherman in his excitement did not become entangled in the lino, as ho might easily have been pulled into the river and drowned, or, perhaps, towed out to sea. Reasoning along these lines it seem that even the gentle art of angling has its drawbacks.” —“ March Brown ” might have added “ and dangers.” Perhaps the seeming weight of the fish might be explained by relating an experience I once had myself. I was fishing a pool in the Owaka River between Tahatikn and Purekireki, when I got fast in a fish that seemed to be of prodigious size. By no effort could I bring it to the surface, and it was probably over 20 minutes before I caught a eight of it. Then it came up tail first, and I was puzzled to understand how it was that it remained in a vortical position, head downwards. Ten minutes later I brought it slowly to the edge of the pool, and took it out, and then its seeming extraordinary weight was explained, for it only sealed between 41b and’ 51b. I had foul-hooked it cloeo to the tail, and, of course, it had full opportunity to use all its power to keep at the bottom of the pool, and it kept there, and made nothing of the strain I could put on it for something like 20 minutes. But for the slight motion of the fish I should have thought that I had fouled a submerged log. I have frequently foul-hooked fish hy the fin, and they are bad enough to deal with, but that was the only time I caught a fellow at the wrong end.—J. fi.