ANGLING NOTES.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16168, 23 March 1918, Page 5

ANGLING NOTES.

(SPECIALLY WRITTEN FOR "I'HK I'KEJS. ') (By "Iron Blue.") MODELS. During the months of March and April, more than at other times, the angler goes constantly in hope or expectation of a specimen fish; perhaps a great migratory trout or salmon, caught 011 his up-river trip to the head waters, and though Hoods and ireshes have so far limited sport in the snow rivers, it i* more than- probable that some giants will yet bo brought to bank. Then the question may very well occur, "What shall we do with him!'" Shall the capturo be established for ever in a proud glass case, "or stuffed" in a possibly more statisfying way ? Or shall a third coarse be taken by which tlie angler may retain the exact model of his capture and also eat him. 1

The first step is to obtain a paper outline. The lish is placed on a sheet of white paper, tho fins are pinned out in their proper position, and a pencil—held uprightly, not to say honourably—is passed round tho whole outline. the fish is put 011 one side, and the places of the eyes, gill-covers, fins, etc., are all clearly marked upon the paper. At some future date, when one has timo to continue the work, probably on some long winter evening, the paper outline is again brought out, and pinned straightly on a piece of thin well-seasoned board, which must be free from any knots that might spoil the appearance of_ the model. Tlien the record is carried a stage further, by carefully cutting round the outline with a fret saw or very sharp knife. The rough edges are neatly rounded off, and the details are all marked in upon the board shape, until when painted and varnished and mounted 011 a white panel, tho model is u work of art quite fitted for the adornment of tho angler's smoking-room or den. THE lIOOK FLY. On a dull, cold moaning, either m October or March, when the trout are not rising, and all "dry fly" methods are lacking in effect, a wet fly may still assist tho angler to fill his basket, and of all wet flies the so-called "hook fly" is the wettest, and ofton is much more useful than the rest. This is becauso its poor, bare hook-shank body sinks it furthest down towards the fisli who are lying on or near tho bottom ; and if any fisherman wishes to experiment, he "can make the hook fly very easily for himself. Take a. No. 1 or 2 eyed hook, and round the shank, just below the eye, twist and fasten a thinly-fibred red cock liaekle, with a few turns of waxed silk. Then tie on a couple of hackle tips for wings, and tho hook fly is finished. It is usually fished well below tho surface, with a sink-and-draw action, and frequently will catch trout when they are declining all the ordinary patterns of -\\-et fly.

THE SECOND FLY. it is taken for granted that nowadays thero aro few people who arc in tiie habit of using three flies upon their cast, so the ''second fly'' is that nearest to the rod point, and under certain conditions I iind it can render assistance quit* apart from actually hooking fish, lor instance, in a lull or clearing water, when a ripple is vet a rapid and a fresh is running off ;.or even on a big river at its ordinary level, when upstream iislring is often unsuccessful, for the reason that the cast is washed back so quickly by tho current, that tho fish may never have a chance to see the fly." Probably they aro not feeding on big flics, so it is useless to fit up a cast with them, but certainly tho fisli will soc a big fiy better than a little one, and then more often than not they will turn at it or rise short.* This is our new u=i; for the second fly, which must bo a big one, and is to be fished down-stream. As it goes dipping and skipping over the fast-running walor, it will attract some sort of attentiou from very many trout, whoso whereabouts thus revealed to the angler, who will act accordingly. The "act accordingly" part, is to mark tlio spot where the fish moved, and then li6ld « likely sort of small fly right over the place. Of course, the casting titi 1 i is on the downstream plan, •md the small fly can bo worked a little from side to side. Tn this" way the fisherman will certainly catch many trout which otherwise would have stayed comfortably undiscovered, and for this purnoso of "tho second fly" thero is nothingTjstter than a big red Palmer.

THE QULXXAT SALMON. To judge from tho saving of tho sorrowful salmon fishers, in :ir about South Canterbury, these Quinnat or l'aciiie salmon must bo unprincipled brutes, and you cannot even rely upon their appearance from one season to another, so that the present time is very truly "the autumn of our discontent." 1 think that last bit, or some of it, is from Shakespeare, but I do not suppose it is any the worse for that, and the fact remains, we have been sadfly disappointed by the quinnat. Whether "they have gone up the rivers -while in fiobd. or if the great run of them still has to come in from saltwater, is a question which wo may ask with all anxiety, but naturally we must "wait and see,"' though in favour of tho first having happened, there is news of a run of salmon in the Ahuiiri river, and to get there they must have fjonc right up tho A\aitaiii, from til© sea. Of course, tin' eonsMjtienco of the iliregulated habits of iHe fish, is tho

same a<s heioro in other cases, and the salmon fisher, or so mo of him. is again '•agin the Government" for not having delivered the goods. After all, it is" li-ctlo discouraging to have bought a nice now ten-bob license -with neat spacos for iho total number of the salmon caught in each month, and then to lill in the spaces with "nil," or a large round "0." Xobodv is to blame, but Rome people are so unreasonable', end I have listened to certain disappointed ones, whose words might be rhymed into: ] want my money I>aek, This won't suit me, ] want iev nioji?v back. And very speedilcc. However, wait a moment, maturs may still bo arranged nicely for all concerned. Instead op ending tiie salmon season that iias not salmoned, on die given date of April loth, the season in the present circumstances should be extended until .May loth, or perhaps May 30th. .hast year, A believe, tae chief run of quinnat oOcurred after that date, and the extension—while it could not possibly no harm—might still enable tlie license-holders to land a few fish.