OPENING OF FISHING SEASON

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1929, Page 12

OPENING OF FISHING SEASON

GOOD CATCHES MADE GENERALLY. RIVERS APPEAR ‘weII STOCCKED. “I- am just enjoying an excellent meal off one of them. 'Wouldn’t you like to have some?” said a proud angler to a News reporter as he made an inquiry about the success or otherwise of the opening of the fishing season yesterday. “He’s a beauty, about four pounds, and there were plenty more nearly the same size,” he added. Such seemed to be the general opinion of most of those fishermen who, having eagerly paid" their license fee, had packed their rods, creels and waders and set forth to the many coastal streams in quest of brown and rainbow trout, till yesterday heedless of the wiles of cunning anglers. The majority of New Plymouth anglers made for the. rivers down the coast, and the few who were. satisfied with a day’s sport and returned to the town last night reported good catches for the commencement of the season. Many, however, anticipating the arrival of October 1, had arranged their business affairs to suit and piade more than a day of it and will not be seen again in the town until the, pressure of work is great enough, to counter the lure of the finny trout.* • A good catch was reported by Messrs. F. N. Whitcombe and E.' Doucil, who. after working one or two streams in the coast district for the day, ■ returned to the town last night with a catch of IS. The biggest tipped the scales at 4141 b and the average of those landed was 2’/alb. Most of the catch was made in the morning and gave the anglers concerned great satisfaction. The weather conditions down the coast were perfect for fishing and the opinion was expressed that the fish were rising exceptionally well and were more plentiful than at the start of the last season. Catches containing 4Jlb brown trout and 41b rainbow trout by coastal residents were reported by another enthusiast who returned to New Plymouth last night, after an excellent day’s- sport.-In his opinion the average of those he had seen landed was about 31b. Never having caught a trout before in his life he was elated at his success in tossing two high and dry on the bank after casting for only a little over aiu hour in a short stretch of water, and he jubilantly stated that if he could catch two in a short time, then the streams must be abundantly stocked and a successful season in store for anglers. Two young enthusiasts, probably inspired by the maxim of the early bird and the worm, were said to have taken three fair specimens from the Waiwakaiho before daylight, but whether that was one of the stqries which the fishin-* fraternity are surely unjustly alleged to relate was not known. ' One keen enthusiast, though, confined himself to the truth and admitted his lack of success. After assiduously fitting together and taking apart his rod, examining his tackle and gear, carefully sorting and arrayin" his flies and purchasing new waders, he had spent Sunday practising casts in the passage, thereby breaking a perfectly good lampshade and globe, but to an inquiring family he was able to announce yesterday ' that he had caught only a black, water-soak-ed log.