QUINNAT SALMON IN THE WAIMAKARIRI.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18362, 21 April 1925, Page 11

QUINNAT SALMON IN THE WAIMAKARIRI.

TO THB EMTOB 0? "TH* TiBSS." Sir,— Having from time to time heard faint rumours of quinnat Salmon being seen and sometimes caught in or ! jbove the Waimakariri Gorge, I determined this last Easter to find out for myself just how far -up this river the? | xun—at least before the close of the fishing season. With this object in view, another enthusiast and I made a trip down the river in a small boat, . starting from near the Bealey, and finishing by AVhite 1 # bridge, the adventures and thrills we had en rout© I will not relate here, but in passing will say that we are lucky in getting through as wo did, and that 1 do not advise others to try it. Wo saw odd trout from tho Cass, down to the Esk, but in the Gorge itself, which may be considered as that' portion of the river from tho latter trib- ! utary to Staircase, wo saw neither sal- ; and it is my belief that few trout would ever live in the Gorge ■ proper, and that few salmon will ever tgo up it. As a place for fish to Btop v in, 'tho Gorge is nearly impossible, for even \ when the Tivcr is low, as was the case • T\hen we came down, it is continually scouring throughout this length. The current is so heavy and some of the ' rapids soj bad that salmon, arriving -near its lower end with their strength weakened • after the long struggle up •across tho plains, are scarcely in the - condition to tackle it, and I do not» *tliink tlie.v would bo likely to do so with' the abundance of beautiful spawning beds offering below the Gorge. I.be- :■■■■ lieve that salmon seldom pass Otarama, or at tho most, Staircase. Thus these> i fish, passing/under the _ Gorge 'bridge 1 after 'ajfortv*fiv®.ixrile -battle'against tho } cppie to' rest in the in I [ thfe fir©' miles of. open riverbed' stretch- j > mgfram the bridge-up to'the Kowhai. Sh'jnHbosO'-lioles they remain until they tyiniitionco spawning, not for 'at leasll another, month, for in no: case did we see a; salmon on {he hundred beautiful j beds over which we floated. ■ i-.ln support of these views I mention ,lhe fact that although the water was crystal clear as far down as Staircase, 'and although w© passed over many k. 'jgreat holding holes, wo did not catch a f of a salmon in this stretch * .»heie generally, wei could _see every, 'siteno on tTie "bcittom. Had only twenty of these fish entered the Gorge proper, wo must surely have seen one, hut their apparent absence leads me to the above conclusion.

AVhv, then, cannot large hags of salmon ho, taken where,they accumulate <noar the Gorge bridge? My answer is j that while-at sea the quinnat salmon is a vicious feeder, snapping at whatever comes its . way. The spawning season draws near, the fish commence to asr cetul the river. Nature ordains' thati they eat no more while in fresh water, in order that their stomachs may contract and thus make room for the spawn. However, no habit is. easy, to brgak; and the salmon continues,-much > ' to the delight ,of . anglers, to snap at whatever, comes his -way. •It swallows nothing/ and as the fish works up the driver -it gradually masters this hilbit until, near its journey's end, it may Seldom bo excited into seizing a lure. .True, fish are caught well up the river, :»nd although the hags are sometimes ■ considered good, in comparison with the number of salmon that are lying wait?ing in this upper part, these bags are poor indeed. This I believe is why salmon seem to dsappear as they got well up the stream, and I am sure they would all 1 he found in the before-mentioned holes below and by Kowhai—no longer 11 of'any uso to the angler. It was my regret that the scouring through the Gorge . had discoloured the water just • -sufficiently, by the time we reached ■ < Otarama, to prevent our seeing these fish; \lf these deductions are not correct, -then, I ask, what become of ..the, quinI nat salmon that journey up the Wai- \ makariri, for most certainly, they were [ in-nor above the Gorge proper? f )It would be interesting to' know if any-< lone Has caught salmon near the head ! Waters of this river.—Yours, etc., x GEOFFREY B. HOBBS. [ j April 19th, 1925. '