ANGLING NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 36, 19 November 1920, Page 4

ANGLING NOTES.

(By "Creel").

(Signed) A. H. STOCK.

KEEP FISHIN'. Hi Somer was the durndest cuss Fer catchin' fish— he sure was great! He never used to make no fuss About the kind of pole or bait. 'Er weather, neither; he'd jest say, "I got to ketch a iness to-day. ' An' toward the creek you'd see him slide, A-whistlin' soft n' walkin' wide. I says one day to Hi, says I, "How do you always ketch 'em Hi?" He gave his bait another switch in, An' chucklin', says, "I jest keep fishin'." Hi took to readin' law at night And pretty soon, the first we knowed, He had a lawsuit, won his fight. An' was a lawyer! I'll be blowed ! He knowed more law than Squire McKnab ! An', though he had no "gift- of gab To brag about, somehow he made A sober sort of talk that played The mischief with the other side. One day, when someone asked if Hi'd Explain how he got in condishin, He laughed an' said, "I jest keep fishin'." W'ell, Hi is Gov'ner Somers, now ; A big man romid the State, you bet — To m,e the same oid Hi, somehow ; The same old champeen fisher, yet, It wasn't so much the bait or pole, It wasn't so much the fishin' hole, That won fer Hi his big success ; 'Twas jest his fishin' on, I guess ; A cheerful, stiddy, hopeful kind Of keepin' at it — don't you inind? And that is why I can't help wishin' That more of us would jest keep fishin'. — "Chicago Daily News. Last week-end, and indeed for the whole ot the week, hail, rain, snow and sleet-, were not conducive to the gentle art. The rivers however will benefit by the fresh in them, and some good fishing should be obtained from now on. Most anglers, I suppose, would take the opportunity of looking over their gear, and it is really surprising how" much profitable time can be spent in renovating minnows, sharpening hooks, retying casts and traces, oiling line, washing out creel, etc., etc. Mr J. Gorton fishing along the edge of a ploughed paddock on the Makarewa, last Friday, caught nine fish on the minnow, average weight about two pounds. There was not three inches difference between each fish and they were in splendid condition. "Barooga" and "Arrowsmith" had an unusual experience while fishing at Benmore. The line was left carelessly m the water, and on removal great excitement was caused by two fish about flbs weight that had "struck" th'emselves being landed from the tail and top iiy. The following distribution of fry was adopted at th.e monthly meeting of the Southland Acclimatisation Society last week: — Waimumu, 20,000; Oreti, 195,000; Otapiri, 185,000; Waiau, 25,000; Winton Angling Club, 20,000; Dipton Angling Club, 20,000 ; Lumsden Angling Club, 20,000 ; H. Beer, Mossburn, 1500 and Stewart creek, 500. Confirming the opinion that October was one of the best fishing months for some few years, Mr Neil n. McKay reports having caught over 200 fish on the fly in the Oreti at Dipton for that particular month. Owing to pressure of space the report of the Gore meeting is held over until next week's issue. SOUTHLAND ANGLING CLUB. An executive meeting was held in the Y.M.C.A. rooms on Monday 15th inst., when there -was a good attendance comprising : Messrs G. Braxton (president), A. A. McLean (secretary), J. Collins, H. Kelly, R Sloan, Alex. Evans. G. Strang, N. F. Pattle, R. Thompson, W. Steel, A. Evans, and Neil R. McKay (representing Dipton), J. Hamilton (Winton). Apologies were received from Messrs' A. IT. Stock, J. W. Smith, and C. W. Wilson. llie secretary's arrangements for triangular competition to take place on the 24th inst. were confirmed. It was decided to liold a monthly (if possible) competition to be called the Oreti River Angling Com. petition between Lumden, Dipton, Winton and Southland Clubs. The teams to comprise two bare fly Ashers and two artificial minnow anglers from each club, total weight of bag for four men to count for each club. It was further decided to procuro a shield to cost eight guineas, each club subscribing £2 2S towards the expense. Provision also to be made ior

mnty-four names on same, so that it uld not be won by any club under six >ars, designs to be submitted to ub's delegates at earliest opportunity. be following was tlie draw for precedcfc, Dipton first • Lumsden, secoud; uthland, third ; and Winton, fourth. Ihe rangements for hour? oi fishing, placo, c., to be left to each club controlling eir particular cornpetition. Any angler ing later than the timo stipulated to be squalified. Arrangements were also ide for a week-end roving cornpetition to ke place on Saturday, December 4th to onday, December 6th. Hours of fishing 12 noon Saturday, to weigh in Mon,y( 9 a.m. Town cornpetition to weigh at Messrs A. and W. McCarthy's, Dee -reet. Entries close with secretai'y, 0 A and W. McCarthy, on Saturday h, December, 9 p.m. Any legal bait, ny competitors bag will be accepted if rtified by statrionmasteir, J.P., postaster, or constable. All fish to be •aned before weighed in and 2o per at of total weight of bag to be forirded to secretary for distribution to norary members. Financial nxembers to idred clubs in the Southland district are gible to compete on payment of ls entry 3. Prizes were generously donated by essrs Steans Bros., J. Wilkie and Co., Thompson, esq., and E. Keast, esq. TROTJT REARING. (NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL). In continuation of my previous article, come to the "artifieial" rearing of iut, or, in other words, the work car■d out by Acclimatisation Societies ice there are no fish culturists breedg for profit in New Zealand, as exist in her parts of the world. You have already be,en informed that ben the spawning season is approaching xit make up stream in search of suitable sitions where they can perform their ities. These fish are captured by 3ans of traps (formed of wire netting) 3II anchored, and placed in suitable aces, such as where a stream joins a rer, etc. The "runs" of fish do not ke place according to schedule, but are verned by various reasons, such as clim. e, sufficient quantity of water in rivers streams, but chiefly "ripeness * of the

;h. New Zealand expenence, liowever, iows that they usually start to run about be middle of May, finishing towards the -nd of July. The fish in the traps are ■aken out by 1 anding nets, and placed in pounds" (boxes made of wire netting) [ -hich are then submerged, the two 3xes being kept separate. When there re sufficient on hand to warrant strip--ing the females are taken from their ound and stripped until all have yielded p their ova. To strip a fish, it must e held with its body somewhat sideways, lil obliquelyv downwards, and abdomen ,-urned slightly towards the manipultor— |f large its body may also be a little bent. 1 dry pan, to receive the eggs, is placed jn the ground as near as convenient to the fish's vent, then gentle pressure is exercised by stroking with the fingers, commencing from the v.entral fins, and continued downwards towards the vent. If the eggs do not run freely, use 110 force, but put the ush back, as she is not ripe, \vhen there is sufficient quantity of eggs in the pan, a male fish is taken and his ■oiilt extracted (by the same method as ised with the female, and with the same aution) and distributed over the eggs, .he pan is now tilt.ed backwards and forvards causing the contents to be well lixed (thus practically ensuring total imregnation). Allow a little time for this ) take place, then add water to depth of wo to thr.ee inches, stir gently with the and, and then let pan stand until the "^ggs harden or "frees," which will occur a irom one to three-quarters of an liour, iccording to ternperature of weather, as ...uld lengthens the time required. By his process (known as the "dry" method), he average success in fertilising may 'ange from 95 to 100 per cent. As soon ^is the eggs "frees," clean water must be iarefully poured over them imtil no effete m"t is left, and as soon as the water is clear, they may be transferred to the carryihg titi in the proportion of one-third Jggi and two-thirds water. The number ^ GSSS to pound weight is reckoned at | >000, amongst the salmonidae family. Fer- ^ ised eggs can ]:t, s,a.f ely transported so W1g as steps are taken to prevent shocks rom violent oscillation, during a period of .not longer than 48 hours after impregna10n> ^us enabling them to he brought y'om points far distant from the hatchery. n ai rival, they are spread out evenly 6ggs must not lie on top of other eggs) |>n the bottom of a series of hoxes, or in fAyers of perforated trays, with a cur- | /|8n of water fiowing over them in the ■>oxes, ^ °r under and over them, 11 the f, *ay method is used, and there must he /, 6as^ 4 inches of water always present r °Ve eggs- Whether boxes or trays used, all parts exposed to the water

should be painted with "asphaltum paint" to prevent the formation of fungus, and light mnst also he excluded by means of covers. When the eggs are laid down, they require to be periodically examined, and any that are "white" in colour must be removed. They are unimpregnated, and if left, would be attacaed by byssus, a product of decaying animal substance. This byssus is of a fleecy appearance, develops long tendrils, which branch out in every direction attaching themselves to all eggs fn the vicinity and ensuring their destruction. Another form of fungus that attacks the eggs is Saprolegnia ferex, and the effect is usually fatal. Should any survive the fry will be wealdy and worthless. This pest- is hard to perceive, owing to its fineness and absence of colour. Absolute cleanliness, not only in the water, but everything near. the eggs, is the bst preventative. In about forty days after the eggs were taken, the embryo (young fish) is distinctly visible through the outer shell, and the eggs can be handled almost with impunity. This is the time to send them any distance not exceeding fifteen or twenty days journey. Hatching out of the eggs is determined by the ternperature of the surrounding water. At Christchurch, where the water ternperature is 53 degrees Fahr. brown trout hatch out in from thirty to thirty-two days; Wellington, 50 to 56 degrees, average time, thirty-five days ; Clinton, 41 degrees, average seventy-five days; with Mataura approximating to the latter. The first appearance of the young fish consists of its head and tail protruding fi-om the egg, or "umbilical sac." This supplies most of the necessary food, until the shell is sloughed off, and the fish proper appears. They are then called "fry." In the "first appearance" stage, the young fish are called "alevins," and care must be taken that they are not too crowded, and that there is a good current of water passing through the boxes. The fish proper appears after a period varying from three weeks to three months, according to water ternperature, and other disturbing causes. It is considered advis. able that when the young alevins start to push upstream (which happens hefore the "sac" is absorbed) it is necessary to feed them. Opinions differ as to the best food. I believe the N.Z. practice is to use boiled liver, grated very finely, and this method of feeding is kept up until liberation time. Durin.g this fry period incessant care must be taken. The fish must first he thinned out by shifting to other boxes, care must b,e taken to prevent the "canibal" tendencies of the stronger fish, watch must be kept lest unconsumed food particles or dead fish generate disease, and the purity of the water must be maintained. These young fish, when from six to nine months old, are well adapted for distribut. ing purposes, as g'reater numbers can be carried each journey, and with less risk, and if suitable places are chosen for their output, they soon adapt themselves to their new surroundings. Their subsequeni progress is determined by the amount of food available and decrease in natural enemies, namely, . poacher-s, shags, and eels. Anglers should observe an open season for these three. By so doing they would greatly assist acclimatisation societies, whose work does not, at present, receive the consideration it is entitled to from the people of New Zealand. — Yours fra-

ternally,