ANGLING

Southland Times, Issue 17630, 15 January 1916, Page 10

ANGLING

J (By '‘Hod.") i There is very little to chronicle this j wfpk of the doings of anglers in Boulh--1 land. This dearth of news is probably clue to the after effects of the holidays, i fishermen not having got into their prolan- stride, Xo doubt the coming week ; will see a revival of activities. I lake this opportunity- of thanking contributors for their valuable assistance in the Pisl and would solicit a continuance of news and notes of interest to anglers generally. The ■ weather conditions have been most erratic and unsat is factory during the past week. Xo doubt the moisture that has fallen will he beneficial to the growing creeps and farmers' reuuire - inputs, so under the circumstances the angler—who takes most things philosophically- —is unite content to wait "lor the turn of the tide" of adversity and look forward to better conditions under which to. carry on his pastime. Perch of unite respeetable dimensions are plentiful in the Xnw Itiver below the Iron Bridge. ,\ tispermnn who was minnowing in that legality last Saturday landed seven nice-sized lish. The 11 sh are pronounced good eating, being rather delicate in flavour. Some good hauls of flounders have hren obtained at Port Molyneus Beach tills: season. / m Sunday an Acclimal Isa-, tion Society ran.-er, in company with the police constable from Kaitangata. appeared at the scene of netting operations, and, as a result, it is stated a party of lishers, including some well known Balelufha residents, will he at an early date called upon to answer charge-: of Inning in their possession Bounders iouPo' the regulation size. The tllutha Bender mentions that the attitude of the police in connection with the matter has come in for some severe crith-ism from certain ipiarters. Mvi lenee that the shark family sometimes eels a !i;t!e of its own hack from the porpoise family \v is ssuplied when a BBt, shall-., caught by Messrs .1. Sly. .1. l-'arrell. ami I-'. Vein all. was found to contain part of a. porp-u.-e a hull-dog, two fowls, and a kitten The fish was hooked through the laiup- and lauded at l.ilCe .Manly t.’ove (Sydn-vi. Judging 1 1 v the contents, of its eron it was n harbour s a'.eng---, an 1 i rornhly a dangerous brute. Angling notes cured from We I nesday’s ,Knsi;.-n: l-'is'dir; in the ,M inrlrn at Van. law. Mr 1-1. Im-e-ao i.Malaurai -.emiveil a hug of .11 trout, whs a mrned t!ie sea Vs at r,S!h. The lii-ii vi p-t lish weighed 11 >. and t"U of B’.em weighed over :;lh each. - While carrying a hay of Osh about all day becomes a her-Vii. the experience of a Mataura fisherman on the Mimihan on Bat u nil y folly ih-monst rat es that it is folly (o "plant" tish on (he riverhank. The angler in question nought 11 front early in Hie day, whh'a he hid. Intending to pick them ir - m hie return. When |.e r ,,t trick to, tie out a weasel bolted for ip-: B-fe. and W-- |i A-erm.i u found his trout Ill'll e;i. p large -loupe..- -a as h-ft at our office a hid of! hoi iii" ■■ Bom I • i wfenc-. lie was !ishiu-t with • i-m hi the .Mimihan. a'ul • he flonnde- n;oour the ha t. The wepr of' the lish was ! Mb. Wyn lharn 1 iera'd A question much debate: is us to sport in time of- war, it seems to me r'.Bdlwaii" In (ho lb hart .Mercuryl not difficult to formulate a principle dealing

with this question. If there is any sport the .Prosecution of which diverts to its service men wiio might otherwise he adding to national production, to the manufacture of munitions, or to actual duty in the fighting lino, then such sport is to lie condemned. Equally expenditure in luxuries which divert labour from national purposes; but there he pastimes free from such objections. Drake, was it not? Was it not Drake who on the eve of the great fight against the Spanish Armada pldyed a game of howls on the Plymouth Hoc? Our father, Isaac Walton, fished, and fished throughout the English civil war, with tile sound of guns and conflict ever near him. And angling agreed with his health, for on August 9, 1653, he wrote tile woi'ds in his will, "in the nintieth year of my age, and in perfect memory, for which praise be to God." He professed the Anglican faith, despite a very long and very true friendship for many of the Homan Catholic Church. His worldly estate he acquired "neither by falsehood nor by flattery." And in time of war and trouble fishing has this advantage over most other sports—the fisherman brings something home to cook. Let us listen to a brace of verses from Walton's “Compleat Angler”: THE ANGLER'S SONG. Of recreation there is none So free as fishing is alone. All other pastimes do no less' Than mind and body doth possess. My hand alone my work can do, So 1 can fish and study, too. As well content no prize to take As use of taken prize to make, For so our Lord was pleased, when He fishers made fishers of men. Where, which is in no other game, A man may fish and praise His name. A XATIVIvBDRN TASMANIAN. The following is an account of a “boar-fish" (so named by the striking resemblance it has to a very savage wild boar) captured in Tasmanian waters, the report is tahen from the Hobart .Mercury of recent date; —He lives deep down in the sea, and feeds upon gt .asses, weeds, and other vegetable matter. The waters in which he makes his home being so deep, in consequence he is rarely captured by the professional fisherman. The hoar-fish of Tasmania attains a length of only two feet, although he has a relative called the giant boar-fish, who is much bigger. The moat remarkable point about the fish is his head, in which the snout is greatly produced, the small mouth being situated in the extremity of the snout. His scientific name is tpe Histiopterus recurvirnstris. The New South AA ales Government is going in extensively for deepsea fishing, and we may expect to hear. soon of the discovery of many strange new and useful fishes. A GELIGNITE KISH STORY. Mr Thackeray tells this story in Sydney Sun: —Two amateurs were fishing on the Macleay River with scant success when the local man appeared. "Youso don’t know how to ketch fish,” said he. “I'll back mesclf and me dorg and me pickle-bottle, to beat youse in ’arf-an-hour." He went away, but he returned in less than half an hour.’ His method was to put a piece of gelignite into the bottle with a fuse, throw it into the water, and send the dog to collect the fish when the charge exploded. He threw the bottle in. but the dog made a mistake. Instead of waiting for the fish, it swam in and grabbed the bottle before it sank and brought it ashore. .Wiseacre took to his heels, with the dog in gleeful' pursuit, carrying the bottle. Suddenly, when the dog had got within twenty yards of his master, the explosion came., and there wasn’t enough dog left to identify him by. Pity that the dog had not got closer.