ANGLING

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 320, 6 September 1932, Page 3

ANGLING

CONTROVERSY AROUSED OVER USE OF LIVE BAIT ROTORUA OBJECTIONS Canterbury anglers who were interviewed recently did not generally support the contention by Dr. T. W. J. Johnson, a member of the council of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society, who said that the use of live bait in trout fishing is a most disgusting practice. The question appears to be the subject of controversy wherever anglers angle, for whereas two men said flatly that the use of live bait was "plain murder," another claimed that in some waters it would not be possible to talce fisb without the use of live bait, and another said that although he would not use live bait he did not object to others doing it. It was m|ide clear that there is a large body of anglers in Canterbury who favour the use of live bait. One man said that live bait was used by such a large majority of anglers in this district as a fair and sporting method of taking fish that any attempt to interfere with this method of angling would be opposed with energy and determinatiop. There were only two rivers near Wellington where live bait was permitted, but no restrictions were opposed in' the North Canterbury Acclimatisation

~ ■■ ■ ,i _ . , :=r.3£3gr^ Society's district. "Because it is my own personal i view that it is not exactly sporting, ' I don't say that everyone else should ! be of the same opinion," said one | man. "It is something the same as j live-bird trap shooting. Personally i I don't think it is sporting, but I know some very fine sportsmen who are very keen on it. A certain numi ber of people who enjoy fishing have I not the time nor the physical ability ' to fish with the fly. Personally I don't think there is so much sport in live bait fishing, but I would not condemn it out of hand." "Plain murder," said one man. "But a lot of them seem to like it." "Plain murder," echoed another. "I would shop it altogether. There's no sport in that way of fishing." Another said that some people were too lazy to learn the habits of fish and how to fish properly. That was why they used live bait. It was ' not sportsmanlike, but at the same , time it was possible to fish in an un- ; sportsmanlike manner with artificial i lures. It took years to learn how to I angle properly and many men would ! not take the trouble." "Isn't it a matter of local eondi- ■ tions? asked one. "Maybe conditions are different in Auckland from what they are here. You could not fish some waters without live bait, but in others many people consider the use of it most unsporting." When interviewed by the "Post" on the attitude of the Rotorua* Rod and Gun Club in reference to this matter the president, Mr. R. H. Jones said that although the two methods were legimate in some waters he considered that in Rotorua the practice should not be tolerated ' and considered the free use of live . bait very unsporting, although it | was permissible outside the 300 yards limit. He contended that as fishing in Rotorua was one of the chief attraction the use of the fly only should be insisted upon as fishing then became 1 a matter a matter of "bluff between ! the angler and the fish and called for skilful handling of the line and its artifiicial lure.