Angling.

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 36, 1 December 1894, Page 5

Angling.

CURRENT NOTES

[By Phantom.]

[Readers are invited to contribute items of local fishing news for insertion in this column.] The cold wind in the early part of the week prevented many anglers from enjoying their favourite pastime. The few that did face it report the rivers to be in very good order, but the fish are not so keen on the feed as last week. It is well they should be hard to get sometimes, or angling .would lose half its charms. They are getting very cunning on the much - fished reaches. They swim alongside the bait and examine it carefully before taking it in. I came on a friend tte other day in sore trouble. He told me that while spinning past a flax bush a very large trout —“ fifteen pounds if an ounce ” —came and had a look at his artificial minnow, but would not take it. My friend then •spent an hour in looking for and catching a live bullie. He then crept to the lair of the monster and dropped the bait in. ‘lt had not been there three minutes before it was seized and carried down amongst the roots of flax, and when I came on the angler he had been hanging on for two hours and said he would stay all night sooner than* lose the fish. We threw stones and tried to reach him with a stick, but our only reward was a sharp shake and a tug. As a last resource it was decided to pull on the line. “ Stand by with the gaff —he’s moving,” I called out. Another pull and up he came —a<great black eel ! I let go the line and sprang to my friend’s assistance, and bathed his temples and lips with brandy. It was a long time before he could speak, then he said—- “ Cut the line and let’s go home. No more live-bait fishing for me.” Mr B. Tanner has returned from a fishing holiday in the Wyndhara district. He found the streams in good ply, but it is rather early in the season for enjoyable fly fishing. Mr W. Handyside had good sport on the Aparima at Otautau the other day. Mr W. Batchelor drew a prize from the Waihopai in the shape of a ten pounder in splendid condition. Mr E. G. Gresham bagged four good fish at the ferry on Wednesday afternoon. I noticed Mr F. A. Steans arrive by the Riverton train lately with a very bulky bag. A well-known angler was seen not far from the Ferry, on the lee side of .a flax bush, wringing his shirt, and in a big ditch close by was a flatbottom boat upside down. It is to be hoped the gentleman was not too hard on the inventor of flat-bottoms.