ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 1 March 1921, Page 43

ANGLING.

By

JOCK SCOTT.

To be a perfect fisherman you require more excellencies than are usually to be found in euch a small epaoe as is allotted to a man’s carcase.— Pabkxb Gilmour. Headers are invited to contribute iteiaß of local fishing news lor insertion in this column. For Insertion in the ensuing issue they should reach Dunedin by Monday night’s mail.

BANK NOTES. I am told that the Tomahawk Lagoon is covered with weed, which makes fishing at the present time almost impossible. One angler got four fish on a big fly recently. Report states that there are plenty of fish in the lagoon, plenty of feed, and also plenty of weed. Fishing at the Waitaki, according to Dunedin news, has lately been exceptionally good. The salmon (quinnat) were coming up fairly freely last week, and Dunedin anglers found them a good sporting fish. It is repeated to me first-hand that Mr Butterworth took one fish (salmon) which, when taken out, weighed 241 b. The fish gave Mr Butterworth a good run, taking him about half a mile down the river before he succeeded in landing it, and running out 75 or 80 yards of line. This was the only fish he was fortunate enough to take, with the exception of two others, during the four days he spent on the river. My informant says that unless you throw your line, whatever it may be right in front of a fish, the probabilities are that he will not take. “During our visit,” he adds, “there must have been 50 or 60 anglers fishing, and I don’t remember during the period (four days) more than 10 fish being landed. During this season, fish that have come up the Waitaki seem to have been lightly hooked, and have got away in most cases. Most of them were hooked at the lip.” That suggests to me that the fish are rising short, and that the minnow has got to be worked through the water more slowly than usual. My informant adds that the main run of salmon has not yet commenced, and that the fish in the river will get more numerous later on. He states tliE.t Messrs Crust and Fea (Dunedin) are at the Waitaki, and that Mr Crust lost a large salmon through his line breaking. (He must have had a pretty heavy fish on to break his line. He is not the sort of angler to work with poor tackle, if I know anything of him.) The end of last week the twain paid a visit to the mouth, and Mr Crust was lucky enough to land a good trout weighing 91b. Mr Roxburgh, so I am told, landed a very nice sea-run 181 b fish from the Oreti at Lumsden last week, and at night-time got a six-pounder. Fishing at Dipton, Mr Hall (Invercargill) made a good basket. Good fish have been obtained from the Aparima River. Sir John McFarland stayed at Thornbury, and, angling from that point of start off, got some very good fish in the vicinity of Hazlett’s, taking fish up to 4glb on the fly. Mr 11. Smith landed a 122pounder with the “bully” below Thornbury, and captured a 6i-pounder in the vicinity w th the fly. Tho Otago Central rivers- are low. but fish have been caught nevertheless. From the Dunstan River up to the Gorge, fair sport has been obtained. The Mamiherikia. at Hawkden, good fly has provided good fly-fishing, particularly on the water situated about a mile and a-half above the station. I got a “tip” that this water is worth a visit during the Easter holidays, but camping out has got to he put up with. Mr G. Wishart (Invercargill), fishing the Oreti at Lochiel, landed a 91b 2oz trout on the Red Pomahaka fly. From appearances the fish had been in the river for some time. Mr J. Waddell (Mataura) recently caught an 81b trout in the Mataura River just below the township. Messrs R. Ividd, J. Nichol, and F. Critchfield, fishing the Oreti at Lady Bar lily, creeled fifteen nice fish on the fly. Alexander and Hardy’s Favourite were the best killers. Mr T. Hanson (Lochiel) landed a nice sea-run trout from the Oreti, weighing 4jlb. He was killed on the Peveril of the Peak fly. Mr J. Swale (Lochiel) landed a a 121 b sea-run fish on the minnow. Mr R. Stevens (Invercargill) “bagged” 23 fish from .the Oreti, on the cricket bait. The heaviest fish weighed 3ilb. With regard to the week-end bare fly competition held by the Southland Angling Club, only two competitors out of the 12 entering weighed in. These were G. W. Braxton. Invercargill, who took 49 fish, weighing 211 b loz; and W. Steele, Invercargill, whose bag consisted of 25 fish weighing 101 b 12oz. These weights are foi cleaned fish, the heaviest taken (caught by Mr Braxton) weighing 21b. Hardy’: Favourite, the March Brown, Peveril oi the Peake, and the Owaka were the besi killing flies The fourth competition of the seasoi under the auspices of the Wyndhatr Anglers’ Society was held on Wednesday week The day was rather bright, but th< streams were in good fishing condition At night five fishermen weighed in a Gray’s sample room, and 101 fish of at aggregate weight of 80ib 6oz were laid oi the tables. Mr A. Udy had a splendii basket. Included in his catch of 33 won ’ 16 large beauties, and they were altogethe ' a remarkably fine lot. He was first in th 5 competition and winner of the Acclimatisa • tion Society’s gold medal. Mr J. E. Mit chell was second and Mr W. Grig rton wit a 5 per cent, handicap third. With tli exception of Mr Crighvon, all the eompeti tors whipped the Mirnihan. Following ar ’ the catches: —A. Udv, 33 fish, 351 b 4oz ‘ J. E. Mitchell, 27 fish, 1511> 12oz; W. Calc l well. 20 fish, 121 b 14oz; W. Brighton. 2 “ fish, 121 b 8oz; A. A. Aitken, 7 fish, 61b. ! Fishing at the mouth of the Waitali last week Mr Edgar F. Stead in two day , landed five trout weighing respectively 311 51b, 6ilb, 101 b, and 111 b. and five quinne j salmon weighing 241 b. There are large numbers of salmo in the river this year, and the fish are r< ported as being in much better conditio 'I than last year. The Oamaru Mail i ' February 2l says: “A 28! U salmon \vi s caught on Saturday week by M> Butte worth, of Dunedin, in the Waitaki. Trot were taking the Devon freely during ti j week-end. though no large fish were landei s The number of young fish in the river n looked on by anglers as the most hcartei p ing augury for good forthcoming seasons f< d some years.” , ’The salmon caught at Glenavv by To jl stable Berry was shown io 3) O. Arson, o charge of the ITaka Hatiweriee, and 1 i- unhesitatingly pronounced it a quinna ie The At’-nt-ic salmon has only 11 rays on tl d ventral ,n, while the specimen under d cussion had 15. Other points differentiatii

the species were alluded to by Mr Ayson, but he regarded the cumber of rays upon the ventral fin as conclusive. A party recently killed 65 eels up Dipton way. The largest weighed 241 b, so that their clearance from trio river is to be highly commended.