380 



FLY FISHING AND SPINNING 



to the abundant supply of natural food in the rivers of New 

 Zealand, secondly, to the climatic and meteorological 

 conditions, which are eminently suitable to their growth, 

 etc., and thirdly, because there are no otters or other 

 enemies of their own kind preying upon them or their 

 natural food. In Canadian rivers and lakes, which present a 

 vast and varied field to the fisherman, many other kinds of fish 

 exist, and, like the muscalonge, feed on and destroy every 

 other variety of fish, including trout. 



Trout fishing commences in both Islands on Octo- 

 ber i and continues until April 30, with the exception 

 of the Rotorua district, where the season opens on 

 November i, and continues to the end of May. It 

 is advisable therefore, when it is desired to fish for the 

 whole season in New Zealand, to start in the South Island. 

 If the tourist arrives at Christchurch in the South Island 

 about October i, he will be able to get good fishing 

 at once. He will find that the first month of the season 

 is not so favourable to dry fly fishing as fishing with the wet 

 fly or minnow. In the rivers it will later on be possible, with 

 the dry fly, to kill trout up to 3 and 4 pounds in 

 weight, while the average weight for the trout in the 

 smaller streams may be regarded as about one pound. 



The brown trout run up to 15 or 20 pounds in 

 weight, and though big trout may occasionally be induced 

 to take the dry fly, yet the wet fly or the minnow at the 

 opening of the season will be the best method of fishing. 



The natural food of the trout is abundant, but it is varied, 

 and the fisherman should have and be able to use different 

 kinds of lures, in order to imitate the food upon which the 

 fish is feeding at any particular moment of the day, night or 

 season. 



The fisherman who goes to New Zealand unaccompanied 

 by a servant may find it difficult to obtain a man who will 



