ANGLING NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 43, 14 January 1921, Page 10

ANGLING NOTES.

(By "Creel.")

Scene : Banks of a river encircling a lunatic asylum. Angler sitting patiently in the rain waiting for a "bite." Lunny on top of wall observes him and the following conversation ensues Lunny: What you doin', fishin'? Angler: Yes. Lunny : Caught anything. Angler : No. Lunny : Been fishin' long, Angler : All day. Lunny : Come on inside. — With apologies to Phil May.

Conditions last week-end were so-so, Old Sol being very prominent, and as the rivers are all fairly low, fish were able to discern one's cast or trace rather easily ; consequently the best results were obtained in the evening, when some nice fish are reported to have been on the "move." Messrs R. Kidd and G. Brenton visited Lady Barkly, last Saturday, and landed some seventeen fish between them on the fly. The weather was very bright and several fish from two to five pounds were observed lying the shallow water. Hardy's Favourite, March Brown and dark red Spinner were the popular flies. Mr Geo, Byars (Wallacetown), landed a splendid Makarewa trout 9|lbs w,eight on the natural bully. The trout was in very fine condition and I understand "he did eat well." Trout from this river are very palatable, the only fish to equal them in the writer's opinion being fish caught in the Ota-ria (Ot-ago district). Mr R. Kidd, during the course of the holidays visited the Mimihau, and creeled thirteen nice fish, the heaviest weighing three pounds. Dark red Spinner, Jessie No. 4, and March Brown were the killing flies. Messrs J. Elder and C. Provan fished the Oreti at Lochiel and landed 18 and 16 fish respectively. They averaged about flbs weight, and Peveril of the Peak was the most prominent fly. Mr Connelly creeled ten nice fish on the fly at Oporo. They averaged 11b weight. On Wednesday, the 12th ultimo, the initial match in connection with hte Oreti River Angling Competition, between Lumsden, Dipton, Winton and Southland Clubs was held at Lumsden. "Southland w,ere represented by Messrs W>. Steele and A. Macdonald (fly), and J. Nis. bet and Alf Evans (minnow). A full report of the function will appear in next week's issue.

The following article is taken from an English paper. The work eulogised by the writer is carried on in New Zeaand by the various acclimatisation societies and I am sure all anglers will give them due credit and assistance in their undertakings. I understand they intend to make strenuous efforts to have the netting of trout totally abolished, and may want the assistance, political and otherwise of all anglers. The prevention of strong virile fish from running up the vari ous rivers must have a detrimental eft'ect on the species of trout that inhabit our various streams :— REARING TROUT FOR THE ROD. Owing to the great dernand in all parts of the country for good fishing, vast improvements have been made in the art of pisciculture ; more especialiy in rearing trout for the rod. The number of anglers who a.vail themselves of the opportunities afforded by the many bea-uti-ful trout streams in picturesque surroundings is yearly being augpitented'. Angling is a form of amusement which not only combines health with recreation, but takes its followers into the beneficial atmosphere of rura-1 ways. All tnat is pleasant, all that is romantic, await the trout-nsher as he wanders beside some wild and remote burn, with no companions save the white-bibhed dipper or the blue-green jewel of a kingfisher, that hurtles upstream in a long line of glittering blue. No wonder the dsmand for trout-fishing exceeds the supply. — Thrivirig Hatcheries. — When Izaak Walton first eulogised the popular sport of angling in his most charming book (the first edition published as long ago as 1653) he little dreamed of the latter-day methods of scientific fish culture that would spring up, solely for the purpose of providing quarry for "hon. est anglers." Tirnes have vastly changed since Walton and Cotton roamed the deiightful paths of Troutland, and those worthy fishermen would doubtless be &ur-

prised at the large number of ardent disciples following in their footsteps. Today every city and town in the Kingdom can claim its angling clubs, with hundreds of enthusiastic members. To a great extent this rapid increase in the ranks of the Waltonian army and the growing popularity of the fine sport of angling have been responsible for the laying down of hatcheries, whereby good strains oi trout (and other fish) can be procured for restocking rivers, lakes, and ponds. Clubs, fishery owners, and others have long ago realised that the only way to keep up a good stock of fish in our depleted waters is by continual restocking ; and to-day fish breeding is a cofnmerciaJ. enterprise, which is lucrative when carried out on right lines. Up to a few years ago the number of establishments rearing trout for restocking purposes could be counted on the fingers of one hand, now thera are upwards of thirty hatcheries with all up-to-date improvements, where fish breeding is carried out on a large scale. It is said that the first attempfc at artificial fish breeding was undertaken in the fifteenth century by one Dom Pinchon, a monk of France. His expexdments, however, did not call for much serious notice, and it remained for another countryman, several eenturies later, to conclusively prove that fish breeding could ibe done, and not only so, but be made a profitable commercial enterprise. This man, by name Remy, was a poor fisherman who, for a living, fished the numerous streams of La Bresse in the Yosges. Siruck by the enormous waste of eggs brought about by the natural process of spawning and breeding, he col-lect-ed the naturally spawned ova from the reeds, and conducted experiments by hatching the same in small, round perforated zinc boxes. These boxes were sunk in the bed of the river, and the action of the wrnter flowing through incubated the eggs. He was able, by this means, to replenisli depieted streams. — Delicate Work. —

Profiting by this man's experiments others carried on, and now we have an almost perfect system. In the present day methods of hatching and breeding trout, the parent fish at the proper season are spawned by hand, the eggs being collected in earthenware receptacles and fertilised by the milt of the male fish. When the fecundation is completed the eggs are taken into the hatching house, a building fitted up writh long troughs, through which a constant stream of fresh pure water is running. Here the eggs are incubated on glass griils in the hatching troughs, and when the incubation (whicti process varies from 50 to 70 days and overj is successfully accomplished, the young fry — as the newly-hatched trout are termed — are kept in tanks until old enough to be turned into feeding ponds in the open. In these ponds they remam until sold, either as six-months-old, yearlings, or two-years-old, thougn many thousands of fry are also sold. These latter are usually forwarded some time before the complete absorption of the yolk sac, when they are first beginnmg to take food. As may be expected, the succ.essful propagating of fish by artificial process calls for delicate work, and much care and experience. By far the cheapest method of restocking or stocking a water with trout is by means of eyed ova — eggs which have been incubated but not hatched out. This ova must be laid down in the streams in artificial hatching beds,^ holding from xo,000 to 30,000 eggs. Local conditions must be favourable, and, of course, time must be 110 object. Where quick results are wanted mature fish should be introduced to the water. Ova, unincubated, is very useful for restocking small upland streams that will not r,epay for the outlay n stocking with yearlings or older fish. Fry are well adapted for putting into rivers where are numerous shallow stretches or tributary bums. Yearlings and two-year-olds are suitable for either lakes, rivers, or ponds, as they are quite able to fend for themselves, and readily adapt themselves to a change of surroundings.

The Christmas and New Year holiday traffie on the railways for 1920-21 constituted a record, stated the Prime Minister. The number of passengers carried on the North Island lines was 482,000 and on the South Island and W&stland sections 407,000, - giving a total of 889,000 passengers. Long distance traffie had been a feature of the business and it was pleasing to report that all demands made on the Department were satisfactorily met. Generally speaking the trains maintained punctuality and the only accident recorded occurred to a passenger who attempted to board a moving train at Bluff with fatal results. The heaviest passenger traffie was in the Wellington district, Auckland coming next and the Christchurch ■ and Dunedin districts following.

In many districts of New Zealand the character of the trees planted denotes ihe viewpoint of settlers and from what part of the world they came, remarked the president (Mr R. Nairn, of Christchurch) at the Nurserymen's Conference, states our Wellington corr,espondent. Englisiimei1 from the old world were not satisfied unless they set out oak, elm, ash, sycamore, hornbeam, beech. hawthorn and similar trees, whereas the sqaatters of the South Island, who mostly came from Australia, brought with them seeds of eucalyptus and sowed them freely around their homesteads. This explains why the old station homesteads of the South Island have such large specimens of gums in such localities. Some of the mountains of the mooa measure 35,000ft in height.