SOUTH CANTERBURY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3889, 25 September 1928, Page 79

SOUTH CANTERBURY.

TROUT FISHING. PROSPECTS OF A GOOD SEASON. TEAIUKA, September IS. A visit paid to the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society’s hatchery found Mr Main, the curator, busy in giving delivery of some 50,000 trout fry which were to be conveyed by motor car and liberated in the upper reaches of the Opiki stream. This is the second batch of fry which has gone from the hatchery this season. The first consignment of 20.000 went to the Waimate Acclimatisation Society to be liberated in the streams under this society’s jurisdiction. The South Canterbury hatchery is capable of rearing 750.000 fry in one season; this year 540,000 have been reared, leaving 480,000 to go out. With regard to the prospects for the coming season, Mr Main said that the indications were that plenty of fish would be available. There have been no severe floods to disturb the streams, and there has apparently been a plentiful supply of feed. With respect to the individual streams, the Te Ngawai should be in splendid fishing order when the season opens. A lot of good fish will probably be caught up there, and a fine lot of fish are to be seen in the Passora. This stream. Mr Main said, has been dry for some months past, but with a little more water in it there should be good sport for anglers; in fact as good as there has been since trout were first introduced. Regarding the~ Opiki, there are quite a number of good fish showing round about the mouth of that river, and it is expected that there will be some good fishing with the creeper in the upper reaches of the Opiki this season. The Ohape, which was stocked with 10,000 yearlings and two-year-olds last year from the drying pools of the Orari, is expected to yield good results from this heavy stocking. There is a plentiful supply of fish in the lower waters of the Orari, and the Teniuka River is carrying a better class of fish this season than was the case 12 months ago. The season’s prospects indicate better sport than was the case last year. With regard to the up-country fishing, Mr Main said there were some fine runs of fish in the Mackenzie Lakes, doubtless the result of the past year’s generous stocking. He had never seen so many fish up the creeks as he had seen this year. He was very hopeful that the lake fishing would be very good this season. Natural food had been very plentiful so that trout should be in excellent condition. With improved roads, anglers would be able to get further afield than hitherto, and there was every reason to believe that the 1928-29 angling season would be the best on record and this would go a long way towards popularising fishing in South Canterbury.