ANGLING NOTES

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21412, 2 March 1935, Page 8

ANGLING NOTES

+ NYMPH FISHING [By BLACK GNAT.] These Notes, which are written by a fisherman of lonjj experience and considerable theoretical knowledge, will appear every Saturday. Letters containinc news items or questions, and addressed to "Black Gniit," care of the Editor of "The Press," will receive prompt attention each week.

Dry-fly purists are faced on occasion with the problem of killing fish which are at first glance rising freely, but which on closer inspection are found to be taking something below the surface of the water. These bulging fish are feeding on nymphs or larvae, and will continually ignore the most carefully presented dry fly. They require a technique totally different from that employed by the dry-fly fishermen, but until recently the desirability of using an artificial nymph has received little or no attention in this country, though the problem has been given a good deal of thought by fishermen in England. The term "nymph" in the world of science is applied only to those insects which do not pupate, thus immature Caddis flies and Dobson flies (the creeper of our streams) are larvae in the active underwater stage, and finally pupate and become inactive before emerging. Mayflies and stone flies, also the less distinguished lice and temittes, though anglers are as a rule only concerned with the former, do not pass through an inactive pupal stage before emerging, and are called nymphs during that part of their lives spent under water. Every angler who has performed an occasional autopsy knows that nymphs and larvae form a large proportion of the diec of trout at all times of the year. They are numerous in all our streams. Mr G. E. M. Skues, in his book, "The Way of a Trout With a Fly," describes a number of patterns of artificial nymphs which have been successfully used, and says: "I can cordially concur in the often-expressed wish that some wet-fly enthusiasts would set to work and make exact reproductions of nymphs and larvae in the same way as F. M. Halford treated the floating fly, and these should be submitted to searching tests, not only by one angler, but by a large number of skilled men." A difficulty which immediately presents itself in the way of successful imitation nymphs is that of size. The several species of Mayfly common to our streams mature, and emerge from the nymph stage at different times of the year, so that there is constantly a large range in the size of nymphs found in any stream at one time. Some will be almost fully developed and just on the point of emerging, while others, far from mature, will still be comparatively minute. Also the size varies considerably in the different species. Prominent in Mayfly nymphs are the three candel seta? or tails, which are used sometimes for balancing, and sometimes as a means of propulsion. In trying imitations it is necessary to make these setae from fairly stiff hairs to give »them a natural action in the water. The general colour of the nymph is very dark brown or almost black, so that dyed seals fur should be used for dubbing on well waxed silk. The body should have a good taper towards the tail, being fairly full in front and ribbed with gold tinsel. A selection tied on size 12, 14, and 16 hooks would give a sufficiently large range.

This week-end promises to be the proper opening of the salmon fishing season in most rivers. Reports from Waimakariri, Rakaia, Rangitata, and Waitaki indicate that there have been good runs of salmon during the recent freshes, and that they should all be

in good fishing order by the weekend. In "The Press" of Wednesday, Mr J. McDonald reiterated his requests which have been fully replied to already, and proclaimed that his opinion is of greater moment to the average angler than that of 12 men who made up a special sub-committee to report on research at the last conference of acclimatisation societies. His personal attack on two valuable members of the research staff is not worth considering. He states he was fortunately able to secure a copy of Mr Hobbs's report. It is apparent that Mr McDonald read the report very carelessly when he says that it is "completely silent as to the number of ova found in the different redds examined." Extracts from the report read, "Samples averaging 309 specimens obtained from 24 redds of brown trout in 10 different streams showed that 98.9 per cent, of the eggs had been fertilised." Further on "upwards of 8000 specimens were collected from 35 redds in the Bruce stream and tributaries, at Inchbonnie." That should be clear enough to anyone. Little more need be said except to state that such criticism as Mr McDonald offers is unworthy of serious attention.