LINE & TRIGGER

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 821, 30 November 1905, Page 15

LINE & TRIGGER

(By

“Gillie.”)

Fishermen generally have been very Lbsy throughout both islands, and some very have been recorded from differe t i •cab lies

From the 13th to the 19th inst. inclusive (says the “Hot Lakes Chronicle” of Saturday) 980 trout were secured by anglers from the lakes and streams around i.otorua, the aggregate weight of which was 3651 b. Among the successful anglers ..ere Strang Brothers, who, with two .'nes, in four days caught 100 fish, the aggregate weight of which was over 5001 b. These were all secured at the Ohau, with the fly. Captain Slocum and party were . Iso very successful, bagging 135 fish, the weight of which was 7151 b, and Messrs. Roberts and Shaw also had some fine baskets, caught with the fly and minnow. The heaviest fish caught weighed 111 b.

The eel is a well-known destroyer of trout fly, and there is no doubt that these ravenous customers wreak considerable havoc in all of our streams and rivers. (Jne speared recently by a Maori in the Ruamahunga River should be well out of the way. This eel measured 6ft in length, and turned rhe scale at 43|lb.

Several good fish have been caught recently at the mouth of the Ashburton River. Fish of 91b and 9 Jib are reported, and at this weight they afford rattling good sport.

Two young treut, each a trifle over 6in in length, were taken from the stomach of a 31b fish captured in the Oreti River recently. Besides being a cannibal this fish must have had a pretty good swallow to manage a 6in trout.

A party of three at the Napier Spit succeeded in landing 169 young kahawai in the space of three hours of keen going one day last week. The kahawai is game to the backbone, and affords excellent sport.

In the off season the gunnist can secure good sport and do a good turn to the fishermen by taking an occasional prowl along the nearest river bank armed with a-. 22 calibre rifle. The writer has bad some good sport this way at the ex-

pense of the shags, who exact heavy toll fiom the ranks of the trout. Armed with a Stevens’ Favourite 22 ong rifle, and employing any amount of cunning, it is possible to save many a good fish for the rod of the angler. The shag takes a lot of killing, and the shot gun is practically useless except at very close range.