ANGLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2815, 26 February 1908, Page 58

ANGLING.

Br Jook Scott.

T» *• • perfect dtuau* jcu nquira m»rt exc«llem«lu tfcM v* null/ to to ttmut Ja tucb a «in«Jl «pu* v 1< *!!oc«4 to * nl'i Itfeui.— Fium Gilmoob. , StUtn art Utiui U crauitmU iUaw *r teetl fiihlag am . Mr l»M«i»D Is (kb oolaaa. f»r innrtl»B <■ tk« «utia« iua* «»jr **eM cwek »o»»(Un by Vo««>7 Dljkf »««U.

BASK NOTES.

Perbh Fishing at Waihola. — Last week I tad a very enjoyable day's perch fishing at Waihola— enjoyable as far as the catch was concerned; not otherwise, for it rained ponsistently after 11 o'clock and made' things particularly uncomfortable. Anglers will be pleased to learn that the Waihola Lake contains a great number of perch, .which just now are rising readily to the minnow, no matter what form the artificial article may take. The worm they will not . apparently ' look at. Myself and a friend lost much valuable time in, a vain endeavour to get a boat with which to exploit the fishing capabilities of^the lake, and, finally abandoning the attempt, walked towards Titri. Halfway to this station we fitted <i*> the rods, and before f had spun the minnow half a dozen times I had a nice' plump little fish - fa6t. It was quite evident "that the fish" were rising to the minnow, and in the course of three hours I had captured about - 30 fish, working the water in the direction of Titri. None, were very large, but they were all tak&ble fish, in excellent condi-* /tion. A very pleasant Saturday may be spent fishing between Waihola and Titri," starting a mile -on the Dunedin side, and I recommend anglers to - make the trip, which is inexpensive and will repay them. Streams in ,Otago Central.— The long drought has had a most disastrous effect on many trout streams throughout Otago Central. Some parts of several streams have completely dried up, v and unless rain comes shortly many of the smaJl creeks may be wiped oji the geography of the interior. It is stated 'that Charto Creek is "dry from the" road bridge to the Manuherikia River, a distance of about one mile. I don't think there will be very many trout in Chattp Creek, therefore the loss sustained would not be very great. The Lauder and Poolburn streams hare been I very low indeed, and as a consequence the ; fish have" been forced to retreat to "the few j .pools remaining in these wate»courses. It j is well known tha>t poachers have been . exceedingly busy on the Ida Valley portion ] of the Pcolburn Stream. It is to be regretted that settlers in the vi3inity do not move in the direction of protecting the trout against the' wholesale destruction so openly" carried on. Dunstan Creek, I am told, is also very low in the gorge northward of St. Bathans. There is some ■pfendtd fishing water in the Manuherikia . River above the Hawfadun, Station, the fish being fairly -plentiful and. of good «ize andcondition. At Alexandra local -*nj?lers, regnei" the lowncss of- the Manorburn Stream, where in former years tjiev were wont to get fair baskets. It will take years to restore the Manorburn to its oldtime condition, as all save the very small trout have disappeared during the period • of drought. The Fraser River appears to be the only trout stream that has escaped 6erious disaster from an angler's point of view. The source of water supply is a guarantee against any exceptional lowness eventuating, the river being fed by waters from the marshy slopes of the Old Man Range, where, in the driest seasons, there are always a few snow-drifts remaining to

keep up the supply of water and keep down the temperature of same. On the occasion of a recent visit to this stream I found the trout "quite disinclined to show " fight " when hooked, although the large fish were in the pink of condition. Speaking with an experienced angler whomt'l had the pleasure of meeting on the stream, he told me he had .also remarked upon this character ietio of the Fraser River trout. The larger and better-conditioned fish a/c found in the, pools and rapids in what is .. known as the "Middle Gorge," at the upper end of which is a long stretch of flat, through which the stream meanders in. a succession of shallow pools and rapids . for 'a distance of two miles, with not a trout throughout the entire stretch of water. The fish have never got beyond the gorge, although there is nothing visible t6 prevent them going up stream for a distance of five miles beyond the uppermost pool in which they are known^ to be. I saw the traces of mining, operations of some years back in the Upper Gorge, and as th~e»work was carried on in the bed of the river it was almost impossible for trout to remain there at the same time. As the river bed has. been entirely worked it is possible trout will -return to the Upper Gorge _« at - jome future time. But the wonder is that they have not -done • so within the seven or jshjht years that have elapsed since mining operations ceased there. I may tell you I had a most pleasing expedience on the F*aser Hiver, my catch for -the "two days totalling 58 fish, which turned the scales at 521b, the largest being a four-pounder. My Newfound -friend was about equally fortunate as regards weight, his heaviest £&b beinsr a beauty of 81b, which he lured with a worni on a No. 7 hook. The river was very low at the time of my 'visit — a visit I intend repeating at no distant date. I found the trout disposed to accepting, the brown's in preference to any other pattern or colour, the "Jessie" coming- in for most attention in the early morning hours. — WanUXREK. The Rangitata and Waitaki.— The Timaru Herald writes: "Last week come Timaru anglers enjoyed first-class " sport at the Rangitata. The reason, for their going so far was that the Lower Opihi i« so low and the mouth closed that it i« a waste of 1 time fishing there. No change for the i better is expected at the Opihi till heavy rain falls, ub there is no body of water on the ripples, and the society will not open the bar while the stream is low. The fish taken both at Kangitata and Waitaki are in splendid condition." * The Waiau. — A correspondent kindly sends me the following: — "For the week the catches have been very indifferent, with the exception of *ne night of the 18th inst., when six anglers caught 47 fish, varying from 2£lb to 91b. The weather has been very hot, and the *iver very low and clear. ' Although" there ' has. only: been one fairly large night's catch there has always been "a. few .fish caught every - night. ; On the night of the 21sfr two anglers secured seven Ush,- weighing 30lb. "The- rain- will, improve • the 'river. ' Pour anglers -were on. the . river on the flight of the 22nd, and . tome very nice fish were ■ got. • The weather is now (22nd inst.) stormy from the south-west." v " Miscellaneous Items, — An exchange contains the following- news, which may be of interest to anglers: — Some, fine catches of trout were recorded at Temuka. the other day. — Mr J. Pollock landed a beautiful specimen of the brown trout irom the Opihi, weighing 17£lb.— - At the Rangitata. two quinnat trout, weighing 1 6£lb and 41b j^epectively, were caught. A correspondent states that this is the first time these fish have been caught in this^ river. — An eel of record size was "caught by Ngairo, * Wairarapa Maori, in the Maungatahere Stream the other day. The monster measured 9ft in length and turned the scale at 681b. It was secured by means of the spear. An exciting time was experienced in endeavouring to secure another eel, thought to be even larger. In its struggles it bent the spear head, and. unfortunately for Carterton's piscatorial reputation, got slear away. Angling in the North. — The continuous dry weather has practically caused troutfishing to come to a standstill. The majority of the streams are full of green weed and exceptionally low. Trout are reported to be lying in large numbers in the country districts, and there are also many trout dying in our local streams. There seems to be no likelihood of any good fishing 'until rain comes. — The Rot^rue. Chronicle says: "Anglers have not -been quite so 'numerous during the past few days as they were at the beginning of last, week, but those who have been out on the lakes have secured good baalcetfuls. Messrs Clarke, Scott, and Rutherford, who .spent a day on Lake Rotoehu, were rewarded with a good basketful, 31 fine trout having, been secured. _ These were. caught on the fly, and averaged 51b. 1 ' Mr Felton, fly-I fishing in Lake JRotorua, caught 22 fish, the heaviest of , which .was 7|lb, " while the basketful averaged 3sH>. The Nathan Bros., of Palmerston "North^ had two days' good fishing, the result being a catch of 57 fish, all on the fly. Among this lot were many fine trout; Jhe lot averaged 3ilb." Our (Dominion) Carterton correspon- • dent writes: "Fishing in the Waiohine at the beginning of the week, Mr J. M. Lightfoot captured -a splendid trout. No were handy to weigh the capture, but the local fishing Ananias confesses it is the largest fish captured co far thifl season. Mr Lightfoot was using a ' ooachman ' on tbe_ lightest of tackle, and his friend, attempting to slip_ the landing net under the fish, fouled the' tail fly, and Mr Lightfoot had the unique experience of playing fish, friend, and landing net at one and the same time." The - Snowy River. — During his last hip to the Snowy River (says a Sydney exchange). Mr C. H. GorHck caught a good basket of well-condi-tioned trout, averaging lilb each, one evening. The fish jrere conspicuous for their small heads and roach-like backs, and their stomachs protruded. Dr S. H. Hughes, in the presence of Messrs S. Brooks and Gorrick, performed -an autopsy, and found the stomachs. ->acfced with fine gravel and cleanyellow sand. The conchuion arrived at by some of the part? was that these tront had . been rooting in the sand for food, and inadvertently swallowed the sand and gravel, but no trace of food was found. The ques- . fion. arose whether the fish had deliberately absorbed the sand for some natural purpose not at present explicable. The fish were very fat and Well-conditioned. Other fish taken at the same place on the same occasion bad plenty of insects, larva, etc., in their stomachs. Mr C. H. Gorrick has fished many New Zealand rivers with ific>o9s, and a few years asro was a regular visitor here: but probably the improved ishing conditions in New ."kmth Waleß

satisfy Mr Gorrick, as it is over four

since his last vi:

Southland Acclimatisatio:

n satisfy Mr Gorrick, as it is over four years n since his last visit. d Southland Acclimatisation Society. — At a " recent meeting of the Southland Acolimae. tisation Society a letter was received from h the Otago Society stating that owing to c the complaints received of the great de- & struction of trout by the gulls frequenting s the inland streams the Otago Counoil in- :. tended a.t next conference to ask the Goe vernment to remove the protection from s the birds inland.— Resolved that the Southe land Society support the Otago Society in f ite attempt to have the . protection on the s gull removed. The- Secretary of the Ores puki Anglers' Society asked for the coil operation of the Acclimatisation Society in f an attempt to have the bush around the 1 camps at the Waiau mouth preserved and s' fenced. It was pointed out that the prei sent destruction by cattle and sheep, and • by persons wantonly cutting down the trees, would shortly result in there being £ no shelter left. Attention -was also drawn , to 1 the great annoyance "to anglers caused ! by the use of acetylene lamps by flounderr - catchers on the river. — Resolved that steps . be taken through the Tourist Office to I place before the, department the necessity i for the fencing ai&^ireservation of the . | bush in question. Xfr T. S.- Miller, .0.E., i wrote _ forwarding. ~ detailed information ; with regard to the proposed fish ponds at' i the Mimihau River, near Wyndham. 'It ; was estimated that the eest of excavation" would be about £1452.— Report held over. ~ J , Canterbury Acclimatisation "Society. — At , a meeting of the .council of the Canterbury i- Acclimatisation Society a letter was xead. from the Otago Acclimatisation Society , , asking the Canterbury Society . to Bupport • a remit requesting -the Government to remove the protection extended to seagulls in- ] land, on account of their trout-killing proI clivities. — It was decided that the society could not support the remit, as seagulls were protected only within three miles of the coast. The secretary reported that 651 ordinary fishing licenses, 255 boys' and girls' licenses, and 55 half-season .licenses had been issued, producing £749 2s 6d. The" financial statement for the month - showed a balance in hand of about £500. j Alleged Pollution of the Tokomairiro. Statements have been in circulation regarding fish dying in the Toko fiver (says an exchange) just below tha woollen mills j as a result of discharge of deleterious mat- J ter from the mills into the stream. There : has been some talk of further prosecution ; of the company, and public attention has been, drawn to the matter. The facts are that the woollen mills are innocent regard--ing the recent alleged wholesale 'killing of fish. t A few wero observed recently, and tho water at the bridge was highly discoloured. x This, it is said, wae due to the cleaning out of the flour mill race and, the turning of .the lead water ainto a lagoon, in which was stagnant matter, and setting it flowing down the bed of the river. The, flow of --water in the stream is jtfct sow' somewhat, low, and the release of septic matter from the borough drainage after the !■ recent rain was supposed to be the whole :' cause of the fish dying. - j Trout-poaching.— The following is a re-; port of oases recently brought before" Mr~) W. G. Kenrick, S.M., 10 offences having ; been committed at the Upper Pomahaka: — Ranger Box v. Waltei and Excell — OHarged with using an .unsportsmanlike device for the purpose of 'taking trout — •' tb wit, shooting and gaffing, contrary to regulations in that behalf, and contrary to the form of the statute in such case made, and provided. Mr Sinclair appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Inder for defendants, , who pleaded not guilty. Mr Sinclair detailed , the facts, and called Ranger Box (Otago i Acclimatisation Society), who produced his I authority. At this stage Mr Inder, said he ; was satisfied the authority was correct, and i defendants would iplead guilty. 'He said j Walter Excell' was a fisherman, and had had a license for several years. On the J Sunday in question he went out with ' his ! brother, _who was shooting rabbits, while the other 'was fishing. During the afternoon they shot two fish, and it was the only time he had taken a fish illegally. He submitted it was pot a case for a heavy fine. Mr Sinclair eaid he hud been expressly instructed to point out that one was a licensee, and it was common knowledge to the society that license-holders went out to cloak poachers; and under the "circumstances should have an extra penalty imposed.- -■ Council produced the" gaff (a manuka stick about 10ft long, with gaff attached), and' contended that it was .evidence that the men were out for illegal purposes. Tho minimum fine of £2 was inflicted, and 7s costs; solicitor's fee, 10s 6d. .(The "fine was a joint .one). Rainbow 'Trout.— AbouJ three yeras ago some rainbow trout fry' were placed in .one of < the lakes known to the Maoris , as -Parawanui, situated about one.' mile ; from the Webt Coast, and about five miles from Aratapu. It has been a matter . of conjecture whether these fish could be J acclimatised, in these northern water's, Tjut , there ~ is how -no VJtfubt ' on the matter, .as r Mr J. W. Williams, of Aratapu, a few days 1 ago 1 landed three beautiful specimens, weigh- j ing between 41b and 51b each. These were j all caught on the fly and were in the .pink of condition — in faot. equal in quality to those in the Rotorua district. Water Supply for Trout. — An application from the Department of Fisheries at Syd- I p.ev. New South Wales, for a supply of 60,000 gallons of water per day for the trout ' ponds at Prospect Hatchery was dealt with ' at a meeting of the Water and Sewerage , Board on January 8. It w&a stated that the trout in the ponds were being adversely I affected, owing to the high temperature and the limited ' supply of water. An allowance 0K40,000 gallons per day had been ■ approved b^ the board, but considerably • less than that had -"been used during the cool months, and even if the increased 'allowance were granted during the hot months it would be found that the aggregate quantity used during the year would not exceed the 40,000 gallons per day. The extra allowance was require^ -to save the_ fish from destruction. On this the resident engineer at Prospect ~- reported that some i latitude appeared, to be vital to the success ' of the* department^ operations, and though ' the conditions of the water supply wejre not - favourable to concessions^ he recommended j that, the additional supply asked for be * "granted . for one month; . the application -to | come under reconsideration. The board ap- j proved of the recommendation. — Exchange. \ Owing to the shocking state of the majority of the roads in the Ashburton County, as a Tesult of the dry weather, the various local bodies will shortly have to face a heavy expenditure to put them into order. Many of the roads are cut up to [ such an extent that it is almost impossible to. ctclo (A them. . |