THE ANGLING SEASON

Southland Times, Issue 20080, 18 January 1927, Page 2

THE ANGLING SEASON

ADVERSE EFFECT OF RAINS IN AUCKLAND. The fishing Reason in Auckland opened well, but the heavy rain of the last few weeks has had a detrimental effect on the sport in the rivers in many cases, and also at times jn the lakes. Fish go deep in the lakes during thundery weather, and the abnormal rainfall caused the rivers to be swollen, and often very muddy. However, there is every promise that as soon as the rivers are clearer the remainder of the season will provide excellent fishing. Trout fishing has been very much interfered with in the rivers and streams by the excessive rains, for the waters, instead of becoming clear and low as they usually do about this time of the year, have remained full and dirty, and fly fishing especially has been heavily handicapped. From now until the end of the season the fishing should greatly improve. Toward the end of the season there should be a rush to the Tongariro River, which promises to yield large fish in plenty. An Aucklander who returned recently from Rotorua, where he had been fishing for a fortnight, said the sportsmen there had trouble with the weather during the Christmas holidays. lc We had heavy thunder-storms and lightning and conditions were against- good fishing,” he said. All fishermen know that when there is thunder about the fish in the lakes make down deep, and these conditions for the holidays were against good sport. On the other hand several parties made good hauls. I tried fly for an hour or more at the mouth of the Wairoa stream, where it empties into Lake Tarawera. I tried all the favourite flies and then went out in a rowing-boat to known spots where fish are usually caught on the fly, but the fish were not there.

I then went out in Mr. Warbrick’s launch, right along the north-western sores of Lake Tarawera, where fish are nearly always good, but we had no success at all. Later I saw a man who had come back from the same place the day before with 22 fish, and when I asked him how he did it he told me he trolled with spoon bait with a spiral leaden sinker which sent his line 4ft. or sft. under the water, and this was successful. He had trolled unsuccessfully on the surface.”

Others complained of not being able to catch fish in the lake when there was thunder about or in other bad climatic conditions, and it is understood that Mr. Warbrick, head guide for the Tourist Department, hopes to try an idea given him recently by a prominent Canadian sportsman. This is to go after the fish right to the bottom of the lake with the sinker. This, of course, would deeply offend the artist angler, who sticks to the fly and endeavours to coax the trout up from the bottom.

The good sport obtainable in the King Country is becoming more and more known, but it has not yet reached the popularity it really deserves. There are plenty of good streams with deep pools, and the fish generally are big. In the Kawhia district the Marokopa stream is providing some good sport, but until recently it has been almost a model perserve for the few people who know of the opportunities it offers. A select company seems to have been enjoying the stream for some time, and saving nothing about it, but more anglers are finding their way there since stories of good sport have got abroad. It is possible the Tourist Department may find it worth while to include the Marokopa stream in the itinerary of visitors to the Waitomo Caves not far distant. The stream is hard to fish, but is well worth any extra labour on account of the size of its stock.

The new regulation prohibiting fishing after 9 p.m. has caused many residents of the Rotorua district to complain bitterly, for some of them have done most of their angling at night.