BANK NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3337, 27 February 1918, Page 45

BANK NOTES.

It was mentioned at Monday evening's meeting of the Otago Acclimatisation Society that quinnat had -been seen going up the Waitaki River - in _ the neighbourhood of Kurow. A good piece of news for anglers I* The Waitati.—A Dunedin angler paid a visit to this little stream on Cup Day, and found it very low and clear. He experienced a- good deal of trouble from the collection of weed in the river, which, ho says, wants a good fresh to clean it out. Such fish as he did take were small, and had pretty well all to be returned to their native element. The fly used was Greenwell's Glory—a good standard fly, and a good killer. ■ Tho angler has no doubt there are fish in the river, but these—under existing conditions —would be shy, and keep to the banks and under stones or any other cover that offered. The Contour Channel.—Mr G. W. M'lntosh and Mr A. Harris spent an afternoon at the Contour Channel last week-end. and secured some sport. The former landed three trout and a couple of perch, the heaviest tjout weighing close on 21b, while the others were about lib each. Mr Harris caught two trout and three or four perch. The trout were taken on the fly and thc> perch with the minnow. The Waikouaiti.—Mr George Sise and the Messrs Price, two in number, spent the wee K-end on the Waikouaiti, but found it very dead. There was an absence of wind —almost indispensable for fishing such water, —and the stream was very low, with plenty of weeds in it. The anglers met with no success, tho fish refusing _ to " budge " from where they were lyinghidden. Very few other anglers appear to have been about. Lake Hawea. —According to the Cromwell rainbows are evidently increasing in Lake Hawea and in the streams running into the lake. Some large rainbow' trout were recently seen fully six " miles up the Dingle Stream, while others have been seen 14 miles up the Hunter River. In the former case the fish had to negotiate some -very rough water to reach the spot mentioned. (Oamaru Mail) are continually being asked (writes that paper on the 2nd inst.). as to whether the salmon are running yet by anglers from a distance anxious to capture one of these fish. Next month the salmon should be running up the Waitaki in .quantities sufficient to justify a visit. At present they are nOt doing so—at any rate they have not been seen in numbers. The records kept at the hatchery at Hakataramea show a gradual annual increase in the number of salmon netted there, thus it is unlikely that the salmon will be found wanting this year. Anglers, however, expect them somewhat early. Salmon will not take a bait in muddy water, and when the river is high, and clear they are difficult to reach, as they lie mostly in mid-stream. Intending visitors should ascertain first the condition of the Waitaki, and secondly the assured appearance of the salmon, before making their trip. A flying visitor is very likely to miss _ them altogether; but any angler putting in a week, say, 10 days from now, should be successful —with luck. More about Quinnat—'Angler" sends me a note, which I received yesterday. He says: ' T put in a week at Waitaki, and left it on the 20th. The fishing was poor, trout scarce, and the few I caught small. Salmon I saw no sign of, though at the river daily. A few are. reported to have been seen at Kurow, but, strange to say, though keenly watched for, were not noticed between there and the river mouth. Last year, from about the middle of February on to Easter, quinnat were to be seen and caught daily in the Waitaki from near the mouth for many miles up. At Easter time the water in the river became discoloured and ended the sport for the season. A great number of anglers arc waiting- to hear of the quinnat running, intending to try their skill among them, and it is to be hoped they will start soon, and that the river will be in good order. It was dirty when I left it. and last senson hardly any fish were caught when it was in that condition." Waitaki Acclimatisation Society.—The Waitaki Acclimatisation (Society has despatched a letter to the Minister of Internal Affairs which is very much in the nature of a protest as to regulations concerning the capture of salmon. The substantial part of tho letter is as follows: " (1) As previously pointed out by_ the conference of Acclimatisation Societies, it is evident that the date now fixed for the opening of the salmon season—lsth of January—is much too early, as the run of salmon in fishable quantities has not yet even commenced at date of writing. (2) We would moreover point out that tho salmon are said to collect outside tho mouths of the rivers at least a month before running up, but that up to date there are practically none outside —a statement which is borne out by the fact that the Government trawler, which has been operating here for tho last month, has so far failed to land a single fish. (3) Anglers have been deprived of the opportunity of fishing for trout since the 15th of January, as few of them care to take out a salmon license, knowing that salmon will not be running for some time, and thus their trout license has been practically wasted for that time, notwithstanding that they paid the same sum for it as former years, when it entitled them to fish till tho end

of April. (4) Tho fact that the Government by opening the salmon season on the 15th of January has induced visitors from, a distance to believe that salmon are available and to incur the expense of visiting the Waitaki district expecting to catch salmon, when, as a matter of fact, there are no salmon to catch.