LINE & TRIGGER.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 780, 16 February 1905, Page 13

LINE & TRIGGER.

The 30C,000 salmon ova recently imported from America have gone to the Hakataramea hatchery, in charge of Mr Ayson, jun., who also takes half a million of white fish ova for Lake Tokapo. The balance of the white fish ova, half a million, will be taken to Lake Kanieri, near Hokitika, by Mr Ayson himself. Mr Ayson says he was well treated on his visit to California, and visited several of the large salmon hatcheries on the Pacific Coast and some of the State trout hatcheries. Th? salmon hatcheries are under the control of the United States Fish Commission, and the trout hatcheries are controlled by the State of California Commission. # 4c * * Before Mr Ayson’, Government inspector of Fisheries, went Home, Mr Gillies, of the Auc' land Acclimatisation Society, asked him to inquire about a point of considerable interest to fishermen, viz., whether rainbow trout were the same as steel-headed salmon. Mr Ayson ascertained that one of the great authorities holds that they are quite distinct, but Mr La Motte, the man who arranged for and superintended the first shipment of rainbow trout to New Zealand, is firmly of opinion that the steelheaded salmon is a sea-run trout. The correctness of these two’ different opinions will be easily proved in a few years in the Auckland province, for if

the rainbow trout on reaching the sea and frequenting the salt water estuaries develop the characteristics and form of the steel-headed salmon, it will prove conclusively that, they arc one and the same fish under different conditions. That trout are still plentiful at Rotorua may ce seen from the below-men-tioned figures. Among the successful anglers lately the following may be mentioned : —Messrs Seeley and party, 32 fish, three of them weighing 101 b each ; Colonel Bridge and friend, 17 fish, aggregating 651 b ; Scott and party, 22, aggregating 981 b, with a 10 and 12pounder as the largest fish ; Williams and party, 42, aggregating 1711 b ; White and friends, 2.1 trout, aggregating 871 b ; Potts and party, 18, aggregating 721 b , Boyes and party, 22 fish, aggregating 811 b ; McCrae and party, 20 fish, aggregating 751 b. The bulk of the trout were secured in Lake Rotorua by trolling, but those anglers with the fly who choose the iNgongotaha stream were fairly successful. From January 1 to the 31st, 2270 trout were taken from the lakes and streams, the aggregate weight of which was 91011 b. The following figures give the number of fish caught and the aggregate w’eight each month since the opening of the season at Rotorua :—November, 1904 : Number cf fish caught, 2951 ; weight, 97441 b. December, 1904 : Number of fish caught, 2'85 ; weight, 92491 b. January, 1905 : Number of fish caught, 2270 ; weight, 94011 b. Probably half as many again were caught, but the particulars were not handed in.