TROUT FISHING IN NEW ZEALAND.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1536, 4 September 1912, Page 5

TROUT FISHING IN NEW ZEALAND.

A VISITING. ANGLER'S VIEWS, ■ Sir,—l have .been seat bya <•' friend in New Zealand .cuttings from.a Sydney paper of May 10, from a New Zealand paper,headed "A Libel.on Trout," and/another from-The Dominion, dated'.May'l7.. The first cutting'.should havd mentioned that my remarks'as to the condition of tho troiit referred "only'to Lake'Taupo. In the smaller rivers, e.g., Waium-p-niata,' Wai!canai;,.Mangat;oro, the fishing is very good, and the condition of the trout excellent. The last-named" river needs restocking. I was. infor'med'sthat 25,000 yearling rainbow trout had been'put into it two years ago, and on inquiry: found they hadall been dumped into the river at one place above the bridge, near the accommodation house,, and had nevermadbanyshowiu the river since. For e'ome reason the.rainbow trout have never likiid.the Mangaloro, ond it .was a mistake.restocking it with.them. The great,majority of the yearlings confined to | ono short reach , of the river must certainly have fallen victims to (sels .and brown I trout;. ;The"former are increasing largely in numbers in .'.the Mangatoro, and absolutely .nothing is.'being done to reduce their numbers.. The'brown trout'have decreased very, much in numbers in late years, but have increased in size. Regular work with eeTbaskets, would soon reduce the number of eels, and increase tho number of brown trout. • If 20,000 two yearlings were put into the river now, or preferably in the .small'..tributaries, I believe the Mangatoro would-again, quickly become about tho best, brown trout river in New Zealand. The:, fry,-however, must not be all dumped ii one" spot, but spread carefully over the: river in selected spots. Now, as regards the fishing in . Lake Taupo. • I-.fished'the lake at Kanataoand the Tongariro' for About three months continudusly up'bo the beginning of May. The average weight of the. trout I caught was 7Mb. in the lake; ond almost exactly 81b. in the river:;. Two yeru-s ago I found the' avorage lOJlb.sin'.the lake, and BJlb. in the river. In both years I fished for about the same period. - .*As the trout are easy to catch, the numbers'from which'l got my averages were lirge. I met many anglers on the lake and river,' end found their experience a.s.to reduction, of .weight of trout was similar to ..my own, and. all 'were agreed that the;reduction in weight was dus to tho inferior condition of the trout; and I have no hesitation in giving a flat contradiction, to '.the Auckland Acclimatifation Society president if.he ever stated that tho proportion of the fish affected is not large. ;\ij jninsen.'o number of fish were cut up by-different anglers, and the worm .was almost--invariably found tn be present in them-. My own- belief is that tho worm is presont in all rainbow trout of any sizo in Lake I'aupo, but I am by. no menus certain that it is the sole cause of the deterioration in condition. It was. fount] in troiit in perfect condition, as well as-in cel-iike.-sliibs. I cannot see that tho sliaga have anything to do. with infecting the. (rout with'fhe worm. They probably getitlfrom tho same source as-the trout do, as the-gTeat-.liarm. they do is the consumption'of troiit food. Colonel Mooro's' oxpsrience,' as' givon in yonr paper of May 17, is very different from mine, and 1 will-leave it'at that. The New Zealand anglers who'regularly -fish Lake Taupo are" well known iu Now Zealand; and tho Acclimatisation, Society should have no difficulty in collecting-their experience in fishing last season, compared with that of former seasQiis;... . ' It would also, be .a great advantage to the angler if .Hie society would clear brushwood along 'the'bftflks of unwadcablo rivers like the Waikato," very little of-that fine river , being, at present.- fishable.. ■ The amount ch.-irg.4o , to tourists for a. fishing license is very, loiv, and! might well.be increased-if,the funds of the soi:iety wera short. The deVifi/ction of.tho-shag.is, of course, very : advisable,'- as their'numbers sre tco great/The present .practice of.payiiiE fl reir.Mi it- Kitsiua.for ekm stot

near Lake Taupo is not likely to result in a. rapid decrease in their numbers. I fancy the best plan is to harry the rookeries in thenestinsseason^l^etc^^^ Dornoch, July 21, 1912.