FISHING NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20098, 29 November 1930, Page 6

FISHING NOTES.

SOME TROUT FLIES. ; EACLIiSIYE TO THE FK.EG&.j [By Hi.acx Gxat. ' Thfcfie Notea, "which arc wt'.uen fty a /lau«rtnan of long eiporienc© end considerable theoretical knowledge, will ippois* 1 ofery Baturday. Letters containing nev;a Hems o* questions, and addressed "Illack Gnat." enroot tho Editor of Tub Patss, will receive prompt attention each wc«k. Although vendors of fishing tackle in Kcw Zoaland can provido anglers ■with rods and reels of every pattern, they have not, as yot, made a serious endeavour I o provide anglers with trout Hies suitable to New Zealand waters. H would be a trifle unfair to blame the tackle vendors for failing to imitate native llies, for it is certain that if a sufficient demand existed efforts would have boen made to meet it. There must be several hundreds of imitations of English ilios to choose from and of those local anglers have singled out about a dozen to which they keep religiously. The bent killing patterns here are the "Black Gnat," "Governor" (with red or yellow tip), "Ued Valium 1 ," "Hunt's Favourite," "I'everil of the Peak," " Greenivell's Glory," "Bluo Upright," "Ked Bpiulier," and "Ilardy'a Favourite."

Of those the "Black Gnat" is probably tho best fly for general uao for, being a fair imitation of the common blue-bottle, most trout arc willing to take it wot or dry. It is particularly deadly fn bush streams fished dry and will also kill well fished wet in discoloured water. The "Veveril" is another good standby fly and proves most effective in grass fringed streams in January and February. On tho water it is difficult to distinguish from the common housefly or the larger edition of tho house-fly found in tussock country. -:f -xAnglers desiring an imitation of the brown beetle can chooso between the "Ued Palmer," "Hunt's Favourite," "Coachman," and tho "Governor." Tho first of these, which is probably the most popular, is one of the Oldest known artificial flies. Aelian was aware of Ihe value of the "fenthers which grow under a cock's wattles," and in his l)e Animalium Natura he described the artificial fly mndo by the Macedonians from a red cock's hacklo. Dame Julian Heritors, in the year 1480, published her celebrated Treatyse of Fysshyngo, and therein described the fly made from " Ye reddo capon's hakyll." Thomas Barker, in his angling work. "Bai Iter's Delight," states that there are three palmer flics, the "Red Palmar, " the "Black Palmer," and the "White Palmer." Of them he sayß: "'These three flies, with tho holp of tile lobworms, serve to angle all the year for the night, observing tho times as I have showed you in this night work, tho white five for darkness, tho red five in medio, and the black flyo for lightnesso. This is the truo experience for angling in (he night, which is the, surest angling of all, and killeth the greatest t.routs." It is interesting to think that it is not a new-fangled fly, but one that has como down to us through the centuries that is the death of more trout than any other during the evening rise in Canterbury streams.

There nro uo really gnod imitations of the native Mayflies in tho market, but anglers seem to do fairly well with the " Oreenwcll's Glory," during tin; daytime. One English firm produces excellent imitations of tlio English Mayflies and if in colour they do not agree with New Zenl.ind flies, their shape certainly justifies their 11=0 here. Many dry fly anglers prefer to build their own flies and ns tho practice is both interesting ,-ind economical it deserves to become, more general. All angler who studies tho insect life oil a stream derives a great deal mora pleasure from his iisliing and should find no difficulty in making artificial files. -x- -xA large number of boats were, out oil Lake Kllesmere at the fcielvvyn mouth last week-end and most boats secured a few good fl«h. Two young anglers took twenty trout the,re last Sunday, <he fish averaging a little over tiib apiece. Tho easiest way to catch tho fish seems to be to troll "for them in tho shallower waters witli a, small bully. While :i few fish can be obtained if the roil is set in the stern of the boat tho better method is to work with two men in a boat, one rowing very quietly and the other holding the rod. The fish take very gently and if tho rod is not held in the hands fish are sure to be missed. The rapture of an Atlantic salmon of between tWn nnd three pounds in Lake Coleridge last week-end if? of great interest. If this is one of tho fish liberated there ns fry in November, 1925, it has grown at a remarkable iat<\ This salmon, which is a finer tighter than the quinnat, has made Lake Te Anau famous and it is therefore to l>e hoped that the, one captured is only one of a number of the fry which have readied maturity. Fly fishermen have been having a very poor time to date, for whenever a nor'wester in the morning has giveii promise of a warm overcast night tho weather has changed to southerly before dark. This happened last Wednesday, but a few anglers who ventured out in the rain found a spasmodic rise in the Cam and North branch, and were able to secure a few fish. .y. Two streams usually worth visiting with the fly at this time of the year are the Gust and the Jrwell. Both, are tricky streams to fish, tint large trout ran bo obtained in them.