ANGLING IN GRASS PADDOCKS : FISH TAKEN IN YOUNG OAT CROP

Southland Times, Issue 23652, 29 October 1938, Page 15

ANGLING IN GRASS PADDOCKS : FISH TAKEN IN YOUNG OAT CROP

By

MATUKU

Pray God that if a fish is lost I do not break my rod in half; And that, no matter what the cost, I do not curse, but still can laugh. When time can no more be defied, Dear Lord, this is my final wish, When I have put my rod aside To gaze into the fire—and fish. Anglers caught trout in grass paddocks on Monday and one was hooked in a young crop of oats. The weekend, including Labour Day, was taken advantage of by most anglers to get out on their favourite streams. - Saturday was a pleasant day in most parts of Southland, although heavy rain fell late in the afternoon and in the evening in the Upper Waikaia and Mataura valleys. On Sunday there was a con- . tinuous downpour on the Waimea plains and the upper reaches of the Oreti and Mataura and these streams came down in heavy flood on Monday morning. An angler who fished the Waimea reports good sport on the dry . fly on Saturday. An afternoon’s fishing resulted in a bag of a dozen good fish. These were taken at the back of Balfour and indications are that the Waimea in this vicinity is well stocked. Quite a large proportion of the fish are rather small averaging about nine or 10 inches in length. However, a dozen takeable fish from 11 inches upwards were taken in about three hours’ angling. These fish rose confidently to the dry fly, Nimmo’s Killer, Cochy Bondhu: and Mottram’s Dark May-fly all proving successful. On Sunday conditions were wet and cold and fishing was deferred till Monday. On Monday morning the Waimea stream was running 'in flood, bank high and of the consistency of pea soup. At first glance fishing seemed out of the question. The angler, however, observed a number of channels and hollows in the grass paddocks filled with water which had overflowed and backed up from the main stream. Investigating one of these channels he found a trout cruising round taking flies among the rushes two chains back in the paddocks. The rod was quickly assembled and the trout in question readily accepted a dry fly cast in front •of his nose and was duly landed and creeled. Further inspection revealed quite a number of trout gorging themselves in the backwaters and channels in the paddocks and in three hours’ fishing a bag of 10 good fish was caught, all on the dry fly. These fish were all bigger-than the average caught in the main stream, running from lib to 21b in weight The smaller fish do not seem to resort to these channels to feed.

The water in the channels was clearer than the main stream being apparently water which had backed up before tire stream got dirty. The fish were not stationary but were continuously cruising principally along the edees with their back fins and tails out of the water. An angler can cast his dry fly and leave it floating until a trout happens to cruise along and take it. Alternatively, the angler can watch the cruising fish and cast a fly just in front of him. Either method will be successful but it is more interesting to select a fish and cast a fly to him. Most of the . fish cruise along close to the water’s edge apparentlv searching for worms and grubs at the edge of the rising waters. One particular channel ran uji into a blind end in a paddock of young oats. The trout following along the edge apparently found a prolific food supply on the ploughed ground. One trout took a dry fly among the young oat crop and was duly landed. A few minutes later another trout was feeding in the same place. These trout, when hooked some distance from the main stream seemed, puzzled and did not show thenusual agility in taking advantage of snags and obstructions. It was also surprising how little trouble the rushes and other obstructions gave the angler; not a single fish was lost or broken on snags. Another peculiarity was the lack of fear shown by these trout. On several occasions a trout would cruise along within two or three feet of an angler

squatting or kneeling at the waters edge and as long as the angler remained absolutely still the trout would not take alarm. The trout were not familiar with their surroundings and an angler did not appear to them as anything unusual. Strange to say no eels were to be seen taking advantage of the extended feeding areas in the flooded waters; no doubt after dark the eels would appear in the flooded channels.

An examination of the stomach contents of the trout proved that they were having a veritable gorge of food. Worms and a varied assortment of grubs, were found in their stomachs. This form of dry fly angling ishyailable on most of the rain-fed rivers of Southland, if they spread over the grass paddocks after a spell of low water. The Makarewa, Hedgehope, Waihopai and Waimea, ' particularly, provide this type of fishing and possibly other streams also. If a stream is high and flooded for a considerable period no doubt the trout drop back into the main streams. When, however, the flood waters are rising the trout seize the opportunity of a change of food and the angler should take advantage of the opportunity also. No doubt these trout can be taken with a minnow or with a wet fly or a worm. A wet fly would have the disadvantage that it woitld get snagged on the grass or rushes. Anglers who fished the upper Mataura near Garston and Athol on Saturday report the stream in good order and fish up to 3Jib were taken on the dry fly. The indications are that there is a good stock of big fish in the upper Mataura. Unfortunately on Sunday the heavy rain had made the Stream dirty and unfishable. I have recently been reading George Cornwallis-West’s book “Edwardians Go Fishing” or “Many Days on Many Waters.” This book has chapters on trout and salmon fishing in England, Scotland and Ireland and in Germany and the United States. It does not profess to teach fishing but is full of helpful suggestions and obviously the author was capable of taking advantage of the very varied conditions of sport offered by rivers in various countries. Some of his stories will bear repeating. Anglers will probably remember the story of the Scottish ghillie who was sent out fishing with a famous African negro potentate visiting Scotland. He was particularly instructed to treat the visitor with all the deference due to his exalted rank. The dark-skinned visitor with the beginner’s usual luck hooked a big salmon. Sandy the ghillie got very excited and gave vociferous indications and directions to the angler but in’the end mishandling by the angler caused the escape of the fish. In a final explosion of anger Sandy remarked: “D——— you, * you big black deevil, you have lost him.”

Mr Cornwallis-West tells of a. certain Irish land owner, Willie Jamieson. Willie Jamieson’s landlord :was a Mr Montgomery and both were hot-tem-pered Irishmen. When fishing one .day without his ghillie the former hooked and landed a salmon of about 201 b. He laid it on the bank, together with half a-dozen flies which he. had been using and wished to dry in the sun. Proceeding down stream he met his ghillie and sent him back for the fish and the flies. The man came back and reported that the greater part of the catch had been eaten by one of Mr Montgomery’s pigs and that there was no sign of the flies. Willie Jamieson forthwith wrote a furious letter to Montgomery complaining of his allowing carnivorous animals to wander about on the banks of the river and claiming £3 as the value of the fish After some acrimonious correspondence the £3 was duly paid. A fortnight later the pig was taken ill and died. A post-mortem examination revealed two or three Jock Scotts and a couple of Thunder-and-lightnings in her stomach. This was too much for Mr Montgomery who promptly claimed the value of the pig, with the result that Willie Jamieson was some £lO the poorer over the transaction.