LINE AND TRIGGER

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 681, 26 March 1903, Page 6

LINE AND TRIGGER

(By

“Gillie.”)

Two anglers got a nice lot of trout last week from the Waikato River, near Wairakei. The minnow proved the best lure, eleven rainbow trout coming to hand, which turned the scale at 63{ ? lb.

A Timaru angler caught, a grand trout last week in the Opihi River. It was. just over nineteen pounds in weight. This is the sort of fish which makes visitors to the colony, who are disciples of old Isaak Walton, wish to return at the earliest opportunity.

At the Thames last week, Thomas ] Senior, Robert AV. Wilson, and James ; Crosbie were each charged with being in I possession of native game, to wit, teal and wild duck, on the 9th inst., the said date not being the period fixed as the game season. Defendants each pleaded guilty. Sergeant Walker pointed out that the shooting of wild game out of season was being carried on with impunity, and that it was a difficult matter to catch the offenders. In the case/then before "the Bench no less than sixty-eight bird* had , been found in the accused’s possession. He therefore asked that a substantial penalty should be inflicted. Mr Miller, who appeared on behalf of the Acclimatisation Society, pressed for a substantial penalty, and pointed out the unfairness ; that was being done to other sportsmen j who waited for the proper shooting sea- i son by men like 'accused going out and shooting birds before they were full 1 grown. He considered it was necessary ■ that a substantial penalty should be in- I fileted, in order that it might act as a , deterrent to other persons who were, guilty of similar offences. His Worship said that as cases of this sort were hard to detect, he would fine each of the ac- ’ cased £3 and 7s costs. '

A new Act has come into force in New | South Wales which deals with the ques-l tion of capturing undersized fish, and ; penalties are enforced for retaining such, j The fish inspectors will not have too en-1 viable a task seeing that the regulations' are carried out, and one or two different points are sure to arise, concerning which the Sydney writer ” Glaucus ” has the , following : —*’ The question has been put j to me whether, when there are six men in a boat, and live of them put back all the underweight fish into the water, and one of them keeps every such fish in the boat, the whole lot of the men are liable to be fined. 1 confess the question is a puzzle. Section 23 of the Act says : ‘lf any person shall without lawful authority have in his possession, or on his premises, or in his boat, etc., any fish of a less weight or size than thatset opposite the name of the fish in the second schedule he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £2 for the. first offence, etc.” The question arises whether the owner of the boat is not liable. ’I he boat does not belong to any of the six probably, and all disclaim ownership of the underweight chappies. I pass the question on to the inspector.”

The Canterbury Acclimatisation Society has protested to the Government against the landing of some English wood pigeons, which have arrived at Dunedin from England (writes ” Dalbiac ”). The objection is made on the ground that the wood pigeon has proved a pest to English farmers. Once upon a time a man brought a rabbit to New Zealand, and men said he was a real sport. After the fashion of England it was made penal ,to shoot the posterity of the sport s importation, and by-and-bye the pakchas in council were forced to ask themselves whether the land was for the white man or the rabbit. That is why the Agricultural Department has every, few months to emptv a consignment of undesirable furred or’ feathered immigrants into the sea. For men who look at the matter in cold blood can see plainly enough that until the pakeha gets right back on the country it will be madness to give a start to any mild-eyed creature that does not show the pious pakeha dread of provocation. Accordingly colonists in general will be pleased to hear that the Minister of Lands has decided that the wood pigeons must stay at Home.