Golden Bait

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 403, 11 July 1928, Page 8

Golden Bait

SLENDER PURSES AND BIG FISH

BIG game limiting makes one think of rajahs atop of goldplated elephants; big game fishing has a similar association with long purses. But the great fishes of New Zealand waters may be approached by other means than the golden trail of American millionaires and English sportsmen, and with care the spor can be made reasonably cheap.

The first visitor to make the discovery that the pursuit of swordfish and shark in the northern waters was

"'quite cheap” seems to have been Lord Grimthorpe, who, novice though he was, landed the record-breaking mako —630-pounder—last season. His letter on “The Perfect Holiday” was published in many influential papers in Great Britain. Sir Daniel Cooper, on the other hand, emphasised the expense of the fishing trip, and made it clear that the man of average means was everlastingly barred from its thrills. HOW TO SPEND Visitors rarely obtain the requisite knowledge of local conditions to allow them to make authoritative statements

about big-game fishing. They stay for a week or a month and, having had the luck of a beginner or a Chinaman, sail away—with trophies and impressions. How much one spends on fishing depends on how one goes about it. If you are a Zane Grey, of course, you purchase a launch or two of special design, costing about £1,200.

and gear worth hundreds of pounds, but these ships are practically useless for anything else, when the short fish ing season of two or three months is over. Benzine is an important item, because these high-powered boats eat it up. HIRING A LAUNCH There is no need to buy one of these launches, as plenty of them are available for hire at prices ranging from £3 10s to about £5 5s a day. This cost may be shared by two, three, or even four anglers, although objections may be raised to a too numerous fishing party. The usual practice, however, is for the members to take turns, each man having a “smoke-oh” after he has landed a fish. Assuming that three Aucklanders go to Russell, this will be their daily bill, while they are fishing: £ s. dLaunch hire (including master’s wages) 3 10 0 Benzine- (average quantity) 0 17 6 Cost to each angler. ... £1 9 2 To this must be added £1 a day for board and one-third of the cost of the launchman’s meals. This makes a total of £2 10s a day, not including luxuries the fishermen may believe they need. No matter how great is the knowledge of the launchman about the haunts of the marlin or the mako, and the best times and tides for approaching him, deep-sea angling is still a gamble, with the odds against — well against —a record-breaking catch. But if the big iisli are not biting and the neophyte gets tired of handling his heavy tackle, he can always fall back on the kingfish and kahawai, those game fellows, who lured overseas anglers out to Cape Brett long before the first swordfish leapt into the air with a stiff line on him. Closer into the shores of the bays and headlands the angler, with a lighter rod, will find his skill and his strength none too great to land some of the fighting “kingies.” This inshore sport has also the big advantage, relished by many longshoremen, that it does not demand the tumbling and churning in the swell of the Pacific. There are few sports, with the pleasure and thrills of fishing, which will cost as little as this. It is not to be denied that a small fortune or a large one can be spent in hiring a launch alone, trolling all over the waters, buying high-priced tackle, and living expensively. But without cheeseparing, deep-sea angling can be made a comparatively cheap sport.