Angling FLOOD DAMAGE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 7, 1 October 1937, Page 14

Angling FLOOD DAMAGE

Veteran)

Prospects for Opening of Season HYBR1D FISH?

(By

In a recent lefter to a newspaper the view was expressed that in many rivers the scarcity of trout was due to the forest-destruction which is causing general concern. The theory is not so f ar-f etched as it eeems, and can be applied to several Hawke's Bay rivers. The fact that floods are inereasingly numerous and severe is attributed to the clearing of large traets of bush, and winter flood destroy many millions of trout ova by disturbing the spawning beds. Erosion in the high country ineaiis that more and more shingle will be carried down into the river-beds by these floods. As a result many rivers show a tendency to become more shallovv as the years go by; the Mangatainoka, or Argyll river, is a glaring example. Thirty years ago this stream contained many deep pools which always held a lot of trout. To-day it is praetically all shallow water, and shallow streams are never well stocked with lish. The upper reaches of most Hawke's Bay streams are similarly affected by a surplus of shingle; tliere is no shortago of spawning beds for trout but tliev may be too frequentiy disturbed li^ floods. It would be interesting to hear tlie viows of other Hawke's Bay anglers on this subject Hybrid Fish. As far as this writer is aware, most of Ihe restoeking of Hawke's Bay rivers is done with rainbow fry. The three main rivers of this district are not unlike the Opihi of South Can-, terbury, which for many years has been the best brown-trout river in New Zealand. The brown trout of the Opihi provide sport fully equal to that shown by the North Island rainbow, but in normal seasons the Hawke's Bay brown trout is not a good sporting fish. Last season, however, there were a few brown trout of an unusual type in the Tukituki river. These fish were silvery in coiour, with light grey spots, and as , sporting fish were, if anything, superior to the rainbow. Aimost simi- , lar trout are sometimes caught iu Lake Heron, in Canterbury, which also contains raihbow and the ordinary darker coloured brown trout. it is generally accepted that rainbow and brown trout will not cross, and the two varietiOs are seldom seen near the same spawning grouuds, but these light-col-oured fish mentioned look surprisingly like hybrids. They are certainly not "fresh-run" brown trout. ' ' Y'hllc t'ouching on the question of hybrid fish, the most peculiar yet seen by this writer is at present in a glass ease in a Hastings residence. This specimen, probably the largest ever taken from the Tukituki, weighed about 19 pounds; it has a salmon's head and tail and the colonr scheme of a brown trout. In shape this extraordinary fish is like an Atlantic salmon; it may not be a hybrid, but it looks like one Season 's Opening. As there i,s still a lot of snow on the high country the Ngaruroro and Tutaekuri rivers may not be in very good order When the season opens today. in central Hawke's Bay the rivers are less affected by melting snow, and present indications are that the Waipawa and Tukituki will be clear. It is unfortunate that so many of the sinaller creeks in Hawke 's • Bay run through papa country which is unsuitable for trout. In the early part of the season there is more chance of catehing fish in a small stream than in a river, providing that such a stream is within reaeh. There are sure to be some anglers who turn homewards disappointed this evening, but as du.sk falls there is always a last chance which has saved many' a blank day. At this hour big