BANK NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3443, 9 March 1920, Page 51

BANK NOTES.

"Jock Scott" has spent the beet part of Monday morning going the rounds of Dtanedin and ringing up anglers at a distance, and the result ia poor. The column has been run in the; interests of angling and of anglers, and anglers those in Dunedin) have miserably failed in their "own interests." Many anglers have ' written to me asking for information as to angling in some locality. They have been the very last to.say anything about fishing in their own j locality. It seems to m© to be very much "spying out tho promised land," without any reference to what is doing on their own- river. I have tried to make tho angling column of some value to anglers, but someon© else must take my place next year. It is no use trying to make bricks without straw, and I cannot bring myself to "invent" stories. My sources or information have been very limited—they, have been all local. The man in tho country has never played the game with me, excepting two Smiths down south, a man at Waipahi who has "faded out," and some men dead a-nd some still living. This ia neither a complaint nor a lament. It ia only a preliminary good-bye. The summarisation of the whole position is that with such poor support- from those who "can" give me news, I do not propose to conduct the angling column next year. I've tried all right to supply anglers with news as far as ever I can. My nom de plume is "Jock Scott," but I alter it to "Disgusted." Now I'll try arid tell all I know as the result of about three hours travelling round. The Shag River. —Report (seoond-hand, as usual) says that Mr Holmes made a good basket of fish from the Shag about a couple of weeks ago. The basket was an abnormal ono (I am almost afraid to say what it was like), but I am told his fish ran from lilbs to 71bs. lam told further that the heaviest), fish, was caught in Munro's Pool —a great . piece of. water in this part; it is quite conceivable that the pool contains more than one seven-pounder even now when baskets have gone down to zero. Tho Waiwera.—This stream is very low and full of weeds (second-hand information, for which nevertheless I am quite grateful). Apparently certain stretches.©f the Waiwera are so overgrown that no one can fish. If used to bo a great stream before the advent of "pot-hunters" and "pot-fillers." The Pomahaka.—This river is said—"alleged" is the word —to have very much improved during the last two or three weeks, and very fair baskets have been got on occasions. The Pomahaka (again I am, speaking from past experience) ought to be one of the rivers that should withstand a dry period. I am speaking of the lower portion of tho river, of course. When the "Pommey" gets low it only means that to catch fish additional skill is required. There is too much water for the river to become a drain. That is how small rivers suffer so badly in time of drought. I mean such streams as the Tokomairiro, Shag, Glenoniaru, Catlins. and many others. I venture to think that the lower the Molyneux the better the fishing. But that cannot apply to small streams. And so the Pomahaka is one of those streams that, in its lower reaches—a good many miles—escapes the penalty of drought from an anglingi point of view. Sympathy.—Before closing this . week's column I want to express my regret over the illness of Mr George Sise. I am given to understand that, while his trouble is not of a grievous kind, it.has been sufficient to cause him to seek a private hospital, and I am exceedingly sorry to hear of his temporary illness. While lam doing • this ."stunt" (I regard it as an "awful" word) I may as well say that I am glad that Mr G. H. Williams has got back to normal. Other anglers I know of are away having a good time (good luck to them).