ANGLERS... AND THEIR

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 7, 23 January 1937, Page 9

ANGLERS... AND THEIR

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XII. [Concluding.] VUITH well over thirty years of angling in difcerent parts of the , country, 1 have at various tiines been asked which I consider the best fishing stream, and still find it a very hara question to answer. Having ianded my first fish in South Canterbury in 1896, I naturally have rather ' a eoft spot for that locality, especially as there are so many streams within easy distance of each other, but after three years among the rainbow trout in the King Country, a dozen or more in North Canterbury and Westland, and five years in Southland 1 know of so many fisherman's Paradises that to eettle on one partieular stream seems almost an impossibility. Tlie whole thing eventually boils down to what style of fishing suits the temperament of the^angler. For down right thrills, I think thtere is nothing like the rainbow in some of the fast-flowing streams of the North Island. What is there to compare with the mad rush of a six-pound rainbow when he first f eels the hook ? One of the first lessons I learnt was to keep the point of my rod up, but the man who can do that every time with oue of these gentlemen "stepping on it" is a better fisherman than L For a heavy bag of big fish where vs the water anywhere to compare with the two-mile stretch between Lake Ellesmere and the Selwyn Huts in Can terbury? A top weight of fish has been taken out of this stretch in one weekond. But to the genuine angler both these places fail to appeal on account of the heavy tackle used. The rainbow is not at all fastidious, and a big knot I or two in the cast does not put bim off

when properly on the go; and the big brown trout from the lake eoming up for silveries and bullies do not shy at the heaviest of tackle whieh is often used. To my mind the real pleasure oi angling is to stalk aDd land a feeding trout on the lightest of tackle. There is a great deal more satisfaction to bo had out of a nice bag of two-pounders landed from a small, clear stream on a 2s or 3x cast than a dozen very big fish landed with very heavy gear. Now, to find the ideal stream. From the upper reaches of the Wanganui in the Kmg Country to the Aparima in Southland, which is the exrent of my wanderings, there are hundreds of miles of small streams, any one of which would satisfy any other anglem than a New Zealander, who, in my opinion, is blessed above all others On account of the long twilight Southland rivers have a great appeal. One can go out there at eight o'clock in the evening and have at least two hours of daylight fishing, and the evening rise is tho best of the twenty-four hours. Westland is much the same, and as practically all the rivers there are lined with bush to the water 's edge, with insects constantly dropping into the water, the fish will take almost any thing in the way of a fly. In both these districts, however, there are two big drawbacks. The first is the trouhle working a passage through the scrub from one pool to the next. It is astonishing what a line and cast will get tangled in, and sometimes I have found it best to take the rod right down between stretches of water. Anotber disadvantage about the bush streams is the number of snags in most of them, and a lot of the bigger fish

get foul of a sunken branch, with the result that a lot of tackle is loet. South Canterbury streams have none of these drawbacks, and in the Timaru and Geraldine districts there are the Opihi and Temuka rivers aud a host of other small streams wonderfully stocked, where any ordinary angler can get a good bag under ideal conditions. The water is easy to ford, and one can cross and recross almost anywhere. There is always a good morning rise. an oceasional rise right through the day, and the evening rise on a warm night is a sight to see. There are roads running in all directions, and one can take a run up a couple of miles and find a crossroad to a ford almost anywhere.' The average fish run froru one-and-a-half pounds, and there are numbers of big fish as well. To a man with a car the lakes are within easy reach, and Lake Alexandrina espacially is well worth a visit. To my mind it is the best lake fishing in the South Island. Yes, I think if I were on the staff of a tourist agency and a visiting angler asked me to recommend the best troutfishing in New Zealand I would advise the Opihi. What will my North Island friends say to that?