ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 8 March 1921, Page 43

ANGLING.

By

Jock Scott.

To be o per'ect fisherman you require mors ttoellencies than are usually to be found in such ® small space as is allotted to a man's carcase.— PxKKiR GILMOUR. Headers are invited to contribute items of local fishing news for insertion in thiß column. Foi Insertion in the ensuing issue they should re&oh Dunedin by Monday night's mail. BANK NOTES. I hear that perch-fishing in the Taieri River in the vicinity of Allanton has “gone off” considerably. The river has been out of condition. As an angler said, “too much slime in the water.” I am informed that Mr T. Long was fortunate enough to take a fish out of the Shag River recently which weighed 81b. Such fish are far and few between at the Shag River nowadays. Messrs Booth and Long were at the Shag River last week-end, and found the water very small and very clear, consequently their operations had to be confined to the pools, in which there still remained some depth. The result was that the two anglers got 16 fish between them running from downwards. Mr Booth found the Claret Hackle the best lure, and Mr Long caught some on the same fly, but was also successful with the red-tipped Governor. I received a. communication recently in which bitter complaint was made about poaching in the Lindis River. The modus operandi is, so I am told, for a number of the poachers to get on horseback and drive the trout out of the pools into shallow water, where others spear them. My informant says “nothing gets past them. A fish 4in is not too small.” Much of the information supplied is of a private nature. One point about the depredations is that the fish are not even exempted from these delicate attentions even in the spawning season. It is stated that there is reason to doubt some of the records of salmon catches from the Waitaki River, as there are anglers who cannot tell the difference between a searun trout and a salmon. I have to acknowledge with thanks a gift of fish from the Waitaki. News from the Waitaki, which provides the most interest to anglers at the present moment, so far as I can hear, came to hand yesterday. My informant states that Mr Crust returned to town an Saturday after a fortnight’s angling on the boundary river between Otago and Canterbury. He was accompanied in his fishing by Mr Pea (presumably W. B. M. of that ilk) and Mr Jas. Mitchell, of Ma.taura. The trio had good sport among the trout, landing some 60 odd fish ranging as high as 71b and Blb in weight. Most of the fishing was done at night, the river being too clear for daylight fishing, and the water covered was in the vicinity of “the Camp.” One night they bagged 23 good fish. They caught no salmon, most of which are being got about three miles up the river from the mouth. There were quite a number of anglers after the salmon, and a few were being caught, one weighing 281 b and others of 21b and over being reported as taken. My correspondent considers, from what he saw of the salmon caught, that they are better-condi-tioned, deeper in proportion, and heavier this season than they were when the previous big run in 1916-17 season took place. They also seem, to be stronger, as more hooked are lost than was the case on the former big run. —[Thanks. —J. S.] An Oamaru correspondent draws attention to a paragraph in a newspaper that states 10. 14. and 24-pounders have been taken from the Waitaki recently, and are even weighing so high as 321 b. A few salmon (they are all apparently salmon) have been lost through defective tackle. Anglers state that the salmon may be seen “porpoising” in almost any slack, deep water in the main streams of the Waitaki, and occasionally throw up showers of spray in their gambols, especially when they reach the shallow ripples. The Waimate Times states that Mr Harry Jackson, of Waimate, caught a 251fc quinnat salmon in the Waitaki. 9he length of the fish was exactly 3ft and the greatest width lOin. The salmon, a magnificent specimen, was caught at the bridge. Evidently angling has not been very brisk lately at the mouth of the Rangitata River, as the Ashburton Guardian of February 28 says: The or.lv fish caught among 30 rods at' the Ranaitata mouth during the weekend was a 201 b quinnat salmon, which was secured by an Ashburton angler. The fish was in spare condition, and it. was reckoned it would have gone 251 bif fat. Its depth was about 9 : n and length 3ft Hin. At Hakatere. the mouth is practically closed and the river is banked high in the lagoon. Good reports continue to he received concerning the fishing in Lake Rotorua and the neighbouring lakes (remarks the Auckland Herald. Several large catches have Keen made recently. Mr P. Scott secured 53 good fish, including a brown trout weighing 81b. Two other anglers caught 41 fish the same day. Most of these were hooked near Awahou and Waiteti.