FISHING.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVI, Issue 14858, 30 September 1912, Page 6

FISHING.

FACTS AXB FANCIES.

(By "Iron Bluo.") After th'> winter oi" our t;onci-:d disccntcm, U is a ucieoiiu change l*> meet toom, and coaii.n'y to thu rule ol re. cut yvuis, most anglers at i.iis protein, hour are ctiejviul men. Instead cj the September luhiug news to which wo have UCCUStoUIod, '"Yeiy lew trout arc wbo seen yet" you iiavo tidings uf tiuckiy stocked rivers, crowded lagoons, and lly-s-treams lull 01 lakuaoie mm. Thai, L> not all. A lew days ago we wwo looiiue; over a crook wntoh lias run dry regularly during tae past ttnee summers, and every pool contained quant.lus oi nice trout. Truly, this u> the httinu time lor high oxpeccat.ons; now let us eujoy ilieui while wo may. The dourest n&uerinan ot my acquaintance—a man who cou'.d be relied upon to crab a eherab, if fivasui his—tolls me, still a trifle solemnly, that lie bclioves we are going to hevo a good season at last. Yea, apparently will permit a cheerful view; an empty crook rcslocked, a sorrowl ul anyier in possesion ot a sunk—or noarlv &o —the '■ tlu '■ at length, in flight, and tliat presunia.ble misprint m tlie paper, where a strikers wife •' appo:ued to her feliuws not to ' rear ' policemen." Yihat nioro would you have, extent a I surer knowledge oi tho ago whon'you | can tell a policeman apait from the j rest. One would have to cull liim , voung, us a nmttcr of course.

jUt-lnsper.oduii.ho year, when oven the most casual angler begins to take lrtsk interest in his tackle, it is usual to discover a Jot of things that have been broken and pun away, to await- repair at, some fitting -opportunity, which apparency l.iu, never arrived. Almost certainly some fly tops will bo found among the rest, and probably they are suffering from the afflictions of a broken point, a top-ring worn through, or in tho worst cases they may be smashed off short at ■ the ferrule. Wo will repair this ovil j first. In an American rod it is likely that ! the ferrule is fastened on with cement, i when by turning it in tho flame of a [ caudle the cement is melted, and the j ferrule will twist easily from tho piece of i wood. Then tho remaining length of the top is .trimmed up with a file, until I;t will fit into tho ferrule, and after smearing the wood w.th cement or marine glue, both ferrule and hood are heated and fitrod together. The ferrule;on English reds are generally secured | by pins driven flush into the metal, and ! if tho rod is an old one. the pins arc j often difficult to distinguish from, tho rest. When they have be-on found the cits : est plan is to drive, thorn right in, and after ninkiug everything lit. Home ordin- ! nry p : n's can l>~ filed off to tako their pliM-o. A smash in the middle of a joint is a more serious matter, for it must ha ' spliced. Tho broken ends are cut with j .1 ■duirn knife in a long slant, si that ' each of them overlaps the other for as ; much more than nn inch as the grain ' of the wcod will allow. The overlapping end" must be scraped and smoothed to | fit perfectly together, and form an even ■ join throughout, their lenux-h. It is a j tiresome job and rather difficult to explain, but sever a twig with a long slanting cut. and on laying the severed

ends upon each other, you will see the kind of join that is required. The sloped surfarcs of the pieces to he joined are covered with cetaent and held firmly for a moment until thev stick, and the re-r-vr .;• finished with a lapping of silkover ail, and a thiekish ooating of quickdrying varnish. To make the neatest job of the lapping, take a. few turns over one end in the usual way, but now lay in a doubled length of stronger silk along the join, and continue tho Iprvniug over that. The loop of dowWed silk will serve as a pull throtigh, by which tho end

of the I:ippi:i!; ran I>o drawn under tUo re>!.. and di.iK<uliy 3..'k.m .1 krut U iijs'lv solved. Gut '.'..-:..=, which wera stored iiwav .'u vhe end 01 last, .seasm should be Weioiiidi'y tinted, when dGuut-k-s- m..ny of t.:. "> will be found waning. ; and it tr.av save iiun.li annoyance m ill.- fnllllo :■ illc-o arc Hit -. i: . or thr -wn aw.iv at (iir.c. Any ecumd pkvi* nay !>■ u-.'fai i-r drop flics, and rl- r si ot wlr.ch .-nc ..;..-., ir> focle.r.tv; <■■•:■■ ,'> ,: " V"'y ;'°.;.. ! " .',:.''; lv- of .•■.eip.-i-.v:. or v sMuvm tint tli.it :.- t!:.- nsci: ola sa! ■ Iron delation; hut '>r •,;;'"', l!: " '' •' pot stain wii sulli •:-. I ho oep;.!. ot colour can be rc.nilaiod l.y the N'njii.li of immorsion: iln" tho ■•:>■ t. into t.ir. tea pot while b:rakfa-t '.-. piece. (Liie.. or about twenty minutes is the proper time to allow." The prut should bo a c!e;:r li"'it brown, which I have found quite satisfactory. New casLs often "listen too brightly in the water, and at last hero is a ve-,- 'or tho nevi-r----dyins dock, for 11 dole leaf rubbed n ii'\v "times up nnd down the cast will soon remove the Miperilnaus lirojitnu-s. Jed-inn from sp.'Vcn lntent'oas. the angler making trial of ths Opilu ui« n •■tho first" is least unlikely to sutler from loneliness at any hour »i the cay or nisdit. Often wo have heard the comp'.aiut of "no many r«U on tae waur." and in future it will nroo.bly he ntauV still more frequent'.v than ihirI in K nasi seasons. The hanks of certain I pool's are crowded entil there is lvirely I room to put in a hne without ImokiiiK j a neighbour. I have seen tins liappen with a minnow, and the catch was not exactly pleased : h,it it was a. Fly-man who on: o hooked the next fellow throueh the hbe of his ear. and after the flowers of conversation to bo exppetod at such an occurrence, proceeded to cut out the ilv with a rather blunt knife. The catcher woiked away silently until there eanv> a ;;roan from tho "catch." "liy poli'atb.er there went be inu-li left of :ny oar." The catcher's reply showed care of his own property, but tinder tho i-ircumaianres it cannot havo h-?cn comiortina. "1 don't want to spoil the fly. you fool."