LINE AND TRIGGER

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 684, 16 April 1903, Page 6

LINE AND TRIGGER

Mr Mat. Roseingrave, who has recently returned from a three months’ trip down South, called in for a chat a day or two ago, and gave me some interesting particulars of his tour. After leaving Auckland he went to Palmerston North, where he was unsuccessful, but at Wellington he carried one nomination through. The wellknown hurdler and pigeon shot then went on to Canterbury, staying for a time at Ashburton and Timaru. On the trip back some time was put in at UJarlborough. He journeyed up to Spring Creek and put in a day with the Messrs Redwood, noted shootists, looking over their big mill. The Federal Hotel party, consisting oi Messrs Chud Gorrick, Roseingrave, and Storey then took a boat to Grove, and then coached to Havelock, where they stayed at Scott’s Hotel. Next day a move was made to Pelorous Bridge, Roseingrave being very mucn impressed with the wonderful beauty of the scenery at this pomt of his jouriiey. Close here some immense trout were seen, some of which, according to the local authority, were over twenty pounds in weight. Near Whangamoe some fleer stalking was! done, and after two unsuccessful expeditions Mat managed to bring down, a grand stag, who carried ten points, Mr Storey getting an eight pointer. The camp was close by the sea, and near by a lot of wild pigsi were accounted for, Mr Gorrick in addition shooting a couple of wild rams carrying immense horns. Very good sport was, also had amongst the trout. Altogether the trip was a very successful and enjoyable one. Roseingrave used throughout the Colonial Ammunition Coy’s cartridges, which he swears by. After the Ellerslie Handicap Roseingrave intends going South again, where he hopes' to play a hand in the Championship.

In a previous issue I professed myself entirely sceptical as to the truth of the “ big fish ” yarn, which a Southern paper reported. The alleged 541 b trout appears after all to have been a groper. The Wyndham “ Herald ” disposes of the subect as follows :—“ Some of the Tokomairiro people are surely poor judges of fish if they do not know a trout from a groper ! The reported catch of a 541 b ‘ trout ’ is now stated to be a groper. The characteristics of the fish are so different that we can scarcely credit that anyone could mistake the one for the other. Someone surely has been anxious to start a story for the purpose of contradicting it.” It would seem that the reputation for ly—l should say making inaccurate assertions, which fishermen possess has not been obtained without a very solid substratum of reason. Mr S. Bowman, of Temuka, the other day caught a twenty pound trout in the Opihi River. It measured 33in in length and 22in in girth. A sixteen pounder and two which turned the scale at over 101 b also came to hand. w • • • According to the “ Daily News Advertiser,” of British Columbia, Professor Prince, Commissioner of Fisheries for Canada stated recently at Ottawa, that he had witnessed the capture of a B.C. salmon weighing 841 b. but the largest ever caught was taken out of the Skeena, in British Columbia, and weighed 1041 b. He further stated that in the Eastern Province of Canada, where salmon do not reach these gigantic proportions, fish are caught as large as the Norwegian salmon of 501 b. or thereabouts, which are recorded from time to time. The annual catch of salmon throughout Canada appears to be worth about 25,000,000d01.