ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3596, 13 February 1923, Page 27

ANGLING.

BT

JOCK SCOTT.

Tta be « per'eot fisherman you require mou tKoellcneie* than are usually to be found in such l email space as is allotted to a man's oaroaGo.— Pintail UiLMOCR. Headers lire invited to coDfcribute items of loot) •ailing news for insertion in this column. For Insertion in the ensuing issue they should roach Douedia by Monday mglit’a mail. BANK NOTES. There have not been any very startling fishing reports from Fiji for some time. It is, therefore, of special interest to be able to report some very thrilling encounters with fish by wielders of a light rod and a spinner (writes the Suva correspondent of the New Zealand Herald). During the holidays Sir Maynard Hedstrom, Mr T. E. Fell, the Colonial Secretary, and Mr T. Horne went out after fish, meeting with exceptional luck. Heavy rains had brought down the Rewa River in heavy flood. At first sight this state of things did not promise any sport, but as it turned out the conditions were particularly favourable. Seeking shelter from great numbers of giant sanga, walu, and other enemies, huge schools of large mullet made for the shelter of the muddy-looking water. The water proved a snare, for there was only a stratum of muddy water on top, while underneath the water was beautifully clear. Over this water the sport was splendid, better than experienced for many years. The record of the party included several heavy bags, including fish weighing 641 b, 461 b, 321 b, 221 b, 351 b, 421 b, and 511 b. It remained, however, for a fisherman from the country, Mr Mark J. Dods, of Savu Savu, to put up a record for Fiji so far as can ce discovered. In a report, Mr Dods says: “I have been on a rush trip round the : ottom end of Natewa Bay, and caught some nice fish—three walu, a sanga, four ongo, and, best catch of all, a swordfish. The latter took me two hours and a-half to land, and I was just about as fired as the fish. I only had 160 yards of line, so had to be very careful, hut it was worth it. The fish weighed 1221 b, was Bft 4£in long, and 3ft sin in girth/’ A Dunedin angler, who recently paid a visit to the Owaka, states that be succeeded in catching a six-pounder, a. two-pounder, and three fish weighing the first day he was out. Next day he was not so successful, only taking two fish, one of 21b and one of lib. On the third day he fished the river had become very clear, and the weed became very troublesome. He fished from Dutton’s hrldge lo the site of the old powder mill. The fish caught were taken wdh the live minnow. Mr F. O. Bridgman spent a week at the Oreli, in the neighbourhood of Lumsden. and met with a good deal of easterly weather, whrh was not favourable for fishing. jHc had the evening with a northwest wind, and caught some small fish ranging from 21b to ljlh. He went as fa r as Irwin, one of the five rivers at Lowther. hut unfortunately found the stream very high and diriv. and met with no luck. Mr S. D. Neill and Mr I.aidlaw motored as far as IV Anau and fished the tributaries running into the lake for Atlantic salmon. They saw a number of nice fish, and Mr Daidlaw had the good fortune to land three, the heaviest weighing about 81,1 b. They were rather late for the early run and too early for the late run of fish. From accounts given hv local residents, there does not seem to he the slightest doubt that the Atlantic salmon is firrnlv established there. lam given to understand that MV Montgomery, of Christchurch, paid a visit, to the same locality a week or ten lavs before the two anglers mentioned, and caught some nine or ten salmon. Mr Peter Garden, who was in town last week, renorts that very littl" has been done at the T’omahaka or the Waiwera during the previous fortnight, owing to these -'ivers heing very high. For this reason a competition that was to have taken place between the Tapanui. Waiwera, and Clinlon Clubs had to he postponed. The Poolburn is in very good order according to recent accounts receved from Mr Francis, of Dander. Mr D._ I. Moffett and Mr W. Hodgkins are making a. tour of the southern livers with a view to fishing the Mararoa, the Greenstone,. and the head waters of tho Waiau, their special object heing lo prospect for Atlantic salmon. I wish them, every success. Should they meet with satisfactory results, it will mean the opening up of new fishing waters.

Continuing his account of a holiday spent at Pounawea, in the Gatlins district, a correspondent states that, when on an eeling expedition one moonlight night up the O'vaka River, he noticed trout rising freely, and he forms the opinion that by trolling a very fair number of fish might be captured. Judging by the displacement of the water when the rises took place, some of the fish must be fairly large. It would be

worth while for any angler who intends visiting Pounawea at Easter time to take his gear with him, and give it a trial about a couple of miles above the township. He correspondent and his companion nad an exciting time amongst the eels, and became so preoccupied in tneir spore that they did not get home till midnignt. Another trip was made up the Gatlin s River to where sav.miiling uas once in full swing, and there a tidy bag of butterfish was caught. One visitor—who, it is understood is not long out from the Home Country—spent most cf his time fishing tne Gatlins River just across tho Owaka iiom Pounawea, and made a great haul of butterfish, some of them being unusually large. A catch made with the net near the mouth of the Gatlins River included no less than seven varieties of fish. Ihese were moki. greenbone, soles, flounders, rod cod, crawfish, and three voting Marks. So far as flounders—which used to be very numerous in the Gatlins and Owaka at the time—are concerned, they seem to be getting scarcer every year; and fiounderspearing at night time, once a favourite sport with visitors, is not productive of much result. All the same, Pounawea as a lioiiday resort cannot be easily surpassed m many ways, sport with the rod (or to he more correct, the line) and gun include 1. i a , fja * n the train on Saturday, oot.fi tiie Glenoinaru and Puerua streams looked as if they were in good fishing trim i. .. O 1 ’ ,writing in the Southland Times last ..atiirday, reports that down his wav climatic conditions were rather boisterous but the rivers were in verv fair order Continuing, he says: “One good fish was taken on the soleskin minnow from the Oreti r-t. rviSmi T«- e - weighed 12£lb. Air Dan O Alalley (W inton) landed an Sib trout on the Pemahaka fly at Centre Bush; Messrs U tetepbens and H. Smith caught eight fnh Oil the minnow from tho Alakarewa aiid Oreti. Their heaviest fish weighed S, , ' Cr „ ecl visited the Alakarewa on Saturday atternoon, and after a good fight with a lack fish hooked on the Alexander fly, safely brought him to a s.indv beach to be despatched with a blow- from his netnan die. The fish weighed 51b 9oz. arid put up a groat battle before being beaten. Quoting “Creel” in abbreviated form, the twelfth competition on the Oreti River was held at Ltlmsdon on Saturday week, and resulted in a win for the Dipton Club there was a high wind blowing. The re!i # are o- s follow:— Dipton (Alessrs Snow, At Kay, Sinclair, and Taylor), 231 b 13oz; AA inton (Messrs Hewat. M’Naughton. and n°r d ’ S ru’ , an< L 21lb 2oz; Lumsden (-Messrs Clark, Beksham, Reidv, and Ogilvv), l4Jb 4oz; Southland (Messrs Collins, Collett Cow.e and M‘Donald), 71b 7oz. The Dipbave five wins, Lumsden throe, oouthl&nd two, and Winton one.