WITH THE ROD.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1922, Page 3

WITH THE ROD.

OPENING OF THE SEASON. GOOD SPORT IN TARANAKI. (By "Ripple.”) * The season opened well on October 1, and rodmen were early astir. Practically all the trout streams In the Taranaki, Stratford and Hawera districts were visited; in fact, on some streams anglers were too plentiful for big catches. However, some time during the day every angler had the gratification of hearing the whirr of his reel, and I did not hear of an empty creel for the day’s fishing. More fortunate anglers secured as many as 20 fish. For the greater part the average weight of the trout taken was small, 1 lb and 1% lb trout predominating. Most streams showed a large number of yearlings and fry, demonstrating that the work at the hatcheries is bearing good fruit. One heard a good number of complaints of poaching with gelignite and other explosives, as well as by other means, and it is a great pity that those who know of this illegal work do not come forward and give evidence and assist the societies in securing convictions. For many years our best streams were denuded of trout by illicit poaching, and now that hatching operations are going along so efficiently, it is a great pity that the fish should be interfered with. Given another five years, every stream around Mount Egmont will have , received a good stocking of trout, and the societies appeal for the protection necessary to give to the magnificent trout streams a chance of being numbered amongst the best angling waters in the Dominion. It is very pleasing to report that an increasing number of anglers have decided to five up bait-fishing and confine themselves entirely io the artificial fly. This branch of the sport has everything to commend it. Having tried all kinds of bait-fishing, I know that the results of the fly are very much better, both in the number of fish taken and the amount of "play’’ a fish will give. Some old anglers maintain that the better fish do not take the fly readily in the early season, but the results of the past week have proved that the flyfisher has taken larger and more fish than the ba it-fisher.