ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 53

ANGLING.

By

Jock Scott.

To be a perfect fisherman you require more excellencies tian are usually to be found in such a small space aa is allotted to a man's carcass.— Parker Gilmour.

Beaders are invited to contribute items of local fishing news for insertion in this column. Itor insertion in the ensuing issue they should reach Dunedin by Saturday night’s mail.

After t. hour and a-quarter fight, a youthful from Geraldine, Master Jack Morrison, landed a 31|lb quinnat salmon at the mouth of the Rangitata River one evening recently. Consequent on the heavy rain of the 25th ult. the rivers of the Eastern District are carrying a good volume of water (says the Mataura Ensign). The Waikaia, on which a triangular competition is being held, is in fairly good order. The Mataura should yield good results with the fly, and the fresh has improved the Otamita and the Pomahaka. The Wyndham is running bank high, and the Mimihau is dirty. The Oreti is clear, but it is also low.

The Waitaki River has been in fairly good fishing order during the past week, and has been patronised by quite a number of anglers. Good baskets of fish have been secured, some of the trout landed turning the scale at from 101 b to 121 b. The run of quinnat salmon is beginning to assume some proportions, and these fish have been seen for miles up the river.

Not for many years have Waipukurau anglers experienced such a poor season (says the Napier Daily Telegraph). No decent bags have been reported, and fishermen of many years’ standing report the poorest of sport. The Tuki Tuki is at present exceedingly low and full of weeds, so that no improvement can be anticipated until after heavy rains. Through a shortage of fish, salmon fishing in the Rangitata River, over the week-end, was very disappointing (says the Timaru Herald). The shortage, however, caused no need for alarm, as the fish started to run earlier this year than on previous vears. The run usually starts about February 20, but this year it started on February 18. Owing to the wind the river came down very dirty, making fishing almost impossible. A flood would now serve to start the run in earnest, as more salmon commence to run when a big volume of water flows out to sea. “From experience of previous years.” said one angler, “it has been noticed that there is always a quiet spell between February 25 and March 12. Fishermen need not be alarmed, as we’ll get salmon, and plenty of them. Saturday and Sunday, a large number of fishermen visited the river, but secured only small All the fish taken, however, were in splendid condition,” concluded the angler.

Evidently it has been blowing down in Southland from what “ Creel ” says with regard to a recent week-end fishing. He speaks of a “ strong gale ” that made “ angling difficult,” especially for the flyfisher. I should think it would; m fact, unless he had the wind with him he might as well abandon the attempt in despair. “Creel,” continuing, says: “In traversing a small portion of the Oreti River only, the writer was impressed with the large number of rods who fished this popular stream. From Benmore up to within three miles of Lumsden there must have been nearly 100 fishermen operating, and it is safe to say that from the mouth to the upper waters between 400 and 500 anglers spent their day on this river. Fairly intensive fishing surely, and decidedly demonstrating the wise policy adopted by the local acclimatisation society in concentrating stocking operations on this river thoroughly. Several parties in the upper waters caught a fair number of trout, and some really good fly bags are reported. Messrs M. M’Alister, J. Halliday, and P. B. Witt for the week-end fishing had a total of about 74. including a five-pounder killed by Mr Halliday. Lower down at Josephville, Messrs Carl Fisher, A. M’Cormiek, and two other rods had something about the same tally, Mr M'Cormiek creeling a good average “ limit ” bag on the dry fly. • Their heaviest fish weighed about 21b. A minnow fisher in the same locality is reported by Mr Fisher to have taken trout up to 51b in weight. Messrs H. Geddes, H. Sutton, and another rod secured a nice even bag of 34 trout, the heaviest of which were four ISlb specimens. Peveril of the Peak was the best killing fly. I notice that “ Creel ” has let himself loose on the Oreti, near Lumsden, “ on the working man’s holiday,” and says:— “Operations commenced about 11 a.m., and as there was a cold wind blowing at the time, 1 o’clock was set for the time to anticipate a “ rise ’’ of good fish. However, pools and ripples were taken in their sequence and several spratts were caught on the wet fly, with an odd lib and lib fish to place in the bag. One o’clock came and went, but hope was not abandoned, and at about 3.30 p.m. a beautiful pool with a lovely run in was encountered. Here a spell and a smoke was decided upon, a new cast was dressed specially for this particular water, as it promised to’contain some heavy fish. At 10 minutes to 4 -a cast was tried at the tail end of the rip, and a nice one pounder leapt at the fly, but failed to fasten. A Peveril was tried at the end of the leader, and-, an Owaka fixed for a “dropper.” And then the fun commenced. By 4.30 five good trout from 11b to 1 Jib were placed on the beach, and on one or two occasions two good fish were hooked at once. It was then realised that- the wind had become somewhat warmer, and apparently was responsible for the fish breaking the water. That is pays • to fish every inch of water was demonstrated; as at the very edge of the rough ripple good fiy trout were found to be feeding, six 111 b fish being risen, scraped, etc., with only one brought safely to the net. Down the pool again, with one out of about every four rises captured, then a return to the rough water at the top after about 20 minutes’ spell. Again the same tactics, and this time with better results, two of the IJlb fish being “ stoushed.”At 6 o’clock it was time to make back to the ear, an hour’s walk down the river. A “limit” bag of “ Charlie Evans’s ’’ trout across the shouldei- made the going somewhat tiring,

but it’s wonderful how even under these conditions one finds oneself breaking out into song. The sky looks beautiful, and the wonderful panoramic picture is gratefully contemplated. Truly, we anglers have wonderful privileges,'which some poor city mortals would make some extravagant sacrifice to obtain if they only knew what was open to, them in the great “ out-doors ” of our wonderful Southland province.

Mr William Alliscr.. of Mataura. secured a beautiful basket from the local stream consisting of trout up to 51b weight, mostly killed on the Red Quill Gnat fly. Messrs John Penny and D. Manson (Invercargill) also secured 15 and 14 respectively, threepound specimens being proudly displayed. Seventeen fish weighing in the aggregate 251 b is by no means a bad catch, and “ Creel ” recounts how Mr G. F. Strang made such a catch from the Lora River with the Peveril dry fly. The Southland Anglers’ Club held a competition for the South Cup, and there were 18 competitors, of whom 13 failed to send in a return. The winning bag was returned by a popular member and the trophy was thoroughly deserved, as Mr J. Hunter participated in the initial competition at Lochiel, and in each subsequent contest. Mr Hunter’s bag consisted of 14 fish, weighing 101 b 13oz; next came Mr A. L. Walker with 11 fish weighing 71b loz; and then Mr A. Pay, 8 fish, 61b 4oz; Mr D. Wilson, 8 fish, 61b; and Mr J. Loudon, 6 fish, 41b soz. The competition was held on the Oreti.

A Napier angler who has just returned from a visit to Waikaremoana for the fishing stated the other day that the sport, although catches were plentiful, was not all that could be wished for, in most cases the fish putting up a very poor fight (reports the Napier Telegraph). At the northern end of the lake an English angler and a British Army officer on furlough camped for a month, during which time they caught over 300 fish, of an average weight of 211 b. One of the canfpers expressed the opinion, however, that he had had better sport with lighter fish in the Homeland than he enjoyed with eight and ten-pounders in Waikaremoana.

“ Mercury Bay is a wonderful place,” writes Mr Zane Grey to a friend in Auckland. He states that the party has enjoyed excellent sport off the coast during the present deep-sea fishing expedition. Seventy big fish have been caught, the largest weighing 6061 b. “ I am securing motion pictures and photographs that will do New Zealand no end of good,” Mr Grey adds. The fact that fish in a dying state are often found on "the beaches and display no inclination to return to the open sea when approached is held by Mr Charlie Ferris, of Gisborne, to be due to a natural instinct to avoid being slain and eaten by other denizens of the deep. Mr Ferris said that if a big fish was fatally speared it would invariably turn towards the land. On one occasion when he had speared a large shark it immediately turned round, and in its dying struggles worked itself into shallow water. Examination showed that the spear had entered in the region of the heart. If, on the other hand, the fish are but slightly wounded, they at once make off into deeper water. “ Behold the fisherman! He ariseth early in the morning and disturbeth the whole household. Mighty are his prepare tions. He goeth forth full of hope. When the day is far spent he returneth with the smell of strong drink upon him. But the truth is not in him.” Some Wellington sportsmen who visited Lake Taupo on a recent Sunday were quite interested in these words, neatly written in old English and framed in the hostel at Tokaanu (reports the Dominion). One of them told a story of a countryman who went into the hotel and saw the immense trout (stuffed) which was hanging on the wall, inscribed with its weight, 18Jlb. After gazing at it earnestly for a moment the countryman remarked, “ The man that caught that fish is a liar.”