FISHING POOR.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 233, 1 October 1931, Page 1

FISHING POOR.

No Good Bags Taken at the Selwyn. LAKE ELLESMERE LOW. Disappointed fishermen were numerous this morning. Realisation did not come up to the anticipation of the “ glorious first ”. Fishing at the Selwyn and Halswell Rivers was poor, and was described by one angler as being the worst “ first ” he had experienced in twenty years. No good bags were taken from the Waimakariri As Lake Ellesmere was very low, the number of anglers at the Selwyn was smaller than usual. Fishing at the “ gut ” was unprofitable; there is not more than three or four inches of water over-the bar at the mouth of the river, and fish are unable to come in from the lake. Several anglers who caught more than one hooked their fish near the spring hole, or between the spring hole and the upper huts. Between midnight and four o’clock this morning I lightning was bad, and by daybreak most of the anglers had given up fishing. Very few remained to fish during the daylight. Conditions at the Halswell were similar to those at Selwyn, there being little water at the mouth of the river for trout to swim in. The banks are very muddy, and in places wading is dangerous. On the Avon. The Avon was the hunting ground for many small boys, and long before daybreak some of them had taken up their favourite positions. The worm was deadly, and several good bags of half a dozen fish were taken before breakfast. The river is in excellent condition, and later in the season some good trout should be caught. Despite the fact that the mouth of the Selwyn is so shallow that the fish have difficulty in getting into the river, there are a fair number of trout upstream. and some good sport should be obtained shortly. There are plenty of fish in the Waimakariri, and it is expected that good fishing will be obtained there during the first month of the season.