FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Ocr. io, 1908. 
582 
Otago Acclimatization Society. 
The annual report of the Otago Acclimatiza¬ 
tion Society for the season ended March 31 lash 
comes to us from Dunedin, New Zealand. 
The objects of this society are: the introduc¬ 
tion, acclimatization, domestication and sale of 
all innoxious animals, birds, fishes, insects, trees, 
and vegetables, whether useful or ornamental; 
the perfection, propagation and hybridization of 
races newly introduced or already domesticated; 
the spread of indigenous animals, etc., from parts 
of the colony where they are already known to 
other localities where they are not known; the 
procuring, whether by purchase, gift or exchange 
of animals, etc., from Great Britain, the British 
Colonies and foreign countries; the transmission 
of animals, etc., from the Colony to England and 
foreign parts, in exchange for others sent to the 
Society; the holding of periodical meetings, and 
the publication of reports and transactions, for 
the purpose of spreading knowledge of acclimati¬ 
zation, and inquiry into the cause of success or 
failure; the interchange of reports, etc., with 
kindred associations in other parts of the world, 
with the view by correspondence and mutual 
good offices of giving the widest possible scope 
to the project of acclimatization; the conferring 
rewards, honorary or intrinsically valuable, upon 
seafaring men, passengers from different coun¬ 
tries, and others, who may render valuable as¬ 
sistance to the cause of acclimatization. 
The report shows that the Society is doing 
good work, as will be seen in a few excerpts 
which we make from it, as follows: 
The quantities of fry distributed during the 
year were: 713,000 brown trout, 234,000 Loch 
Leven, 93,000 Scotch burn, 6,000 American brook, 
and 6,000 rainbow. Yearlings: 3,225 brown trout, 
4,500 Loch Leven, 6,236 rainbow and 400 salmon, 
making a grand total of 1,068,361 fish distributed 
altogether. 
The past fishing season, like its predecessor, 
has been a very poor one, owing to the continu¬ 
ance of drought over the whole of the Society’s 
district. During October and November all our 
streams were in good fishing trim, but after that 
time the most of our rivers remained too low for 
successful angling. The largest of our rivers, 
such as the Mataura, Pomahaka, Waikouaiti and 
Lee Stream, provided fairly good baskets up to 
the end of the season, and good fishing could al¬ 
ways be had in the tidal waters. A number of 
extra weirs have been put across the Water of 
Leith, and a couple in Silverstream. The Soci¬ 
ety’s gold medal for the fly competition on the 
Waipahi was won by P. C. Murray, with nineteen 
fish weighing 28 pounds, and the silver medal by 
D. McLellan, with twelve fish weighing 18 
pounds. The Pomahaka River yielded the best 
sport of the season. Up to the end of November 
baskets of 40 and 50 pounds were got daily, and 
even after the water became very low experi¬ 
enced anglers were able to make good baskets. 
The heaviest trout caught in our island streams 
that we have heard of was one of 17^2 pounds, 
caught in the Waiwera by J. Anderson with the 
minnow. 
The red deer herd in North Otago continue to 
spread fast. Good mobs of them have been seen 
well up the Makarora Valley toward the Haast 
Valley, and at the very top of the Hunter Valley. 
Steps have been taken by your Council to clear 
the lower parts of the deer forest of old and 
weedy hinds and stags with malformed heads. 
Thirty-six licenses were issued, entitling each 
holder to shoot four heads this season—1908. 
Some grand heads were obtained, and the major¬ 
ity of the stalkers got their number. Baron von 
Kusserov, from Victoria, got a fine 18-pointer 
in the Hunter Valley—length of horn 41 inches, 
with a span of 38 inches. Mr. A. Cowie, Dune¬ 
din, got a good 15-pointer in the Makarora Val¬ 
ley—length of horns 44 inches and 40^ inches, 
with a span of 40 inches. Both of these were 
very heavy heads. A goodly number of real good 
royals and 13 and 14 pointers were obtained by 
other stalkers. The fallow deer on the Blue 
Mountains are doing well, but very few good 
heads were obtained. This season (1908) 113 
licenses were issued, entitling the holder to shoot 
four bucks, and this number, shooting season 
after season, is probably too severe on the herd. 
Gray ducks are fairly numerous in the Soci¬ 
ety’s district, as are pigeons and pukakis. Para¬ 
dise ducks, which are protected, are also fairly 
numerous. The year 1910 will be a close season 
for imported game (other than deer) and native 
game, and every third year thereafter. Cali¬ 
fornian quail are increasing in numbers in sev¬ 
eral parts of Central Otago. In the Cromwell, 
Alexandra, and Roxburgh districts they are 
fairly numerous. The Canadian geese at the 
Clinton establishment laid a number of eggs in 
the spring, but unfortunately none of them 
hatched out. 
Several parties were convicted and fined for 
taking trout and game. We are pleased to state 
that local constables have been the means of the 
Society getting a number of convictions. 
The sum of £77 7s. was paid for shags’ heads 
during the past .year, which shows that these 
destructive birds are still pretty numerous in 
the society’s district. All anglers should do their 
best to keep down the shags in their own districts. 
Last November a second shipment of twenty- 
nine little owls was received, and sent to Mr. 
Iverson, Alexandra South. Very favorable re¬ 
ports have been received about the good the 
little owls are doing in checking the small bird 
pest, especially in the fruit growing districts. 
The society is again very much indebted to the 
High Commissioner for New Zealand in London 
for procuring and arranging for conveyance of 
these birds to New Zealand; and also to the 
Shaw, Savill and Albion Company for bringing 
them out free of charge. Your council, having 
received a number of applications from different 
parts of New Zealand for little owls, have or¬ 
dered 100 of these birds to be sent this year. 
The number of fishing licenses sold was: 
Men’s, whole season 891; half yearly, 158; boys’, 
360; ladies’, 53; perch, 23. Red deer licenses 
issued, 44; fallow deer, 109; imported game, 11. 
Canadian Fishing. 
Montreal, Can., Oct. 3. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: The early fishing for trout was very 
good, but the drouth made the water low in 
many rivers, causing the summer fishing to be 
less attractive than in ordinary years. The sum¬ 
mer bass fishing in the inland lakes was ex¬ 
cellent. About Sept. 1, in our Northern country, 
the bass go down to deep water in the small 
lakes and come to the surface in the very big 
ones, notably in northern Lake Huron where the 
bass fishing is best in September. 
L. O. Armstrong. 
Bass on the Fly. 
Sullivan County, N. Y., Oct. 1 .—Editor 
Forest and Stream: We were doubtful of suc¬ 
cess in fly-fishing for small-mouth black bass 
in the month of September. The rivers were 
very low and the bass confined, to a great ex¬ 
tent, to the deep, slow flowing water of the big 
pools, or eddies, as they are usually termed on 
the Delaware. 
For four or five days we failed to take a fish 
with the fly, then we caught one or two and 
improved upon our flies. We also learned more 
about their feeding times during such dry, warm 
weather, and thereafter had what we considered 
fair sport. Long casting was necessary and the 
fly had to be well sunk. 
The bass from these pure waters are delicious 
eating and fight like devils. Again and again 
we were completely deceived as to the size of 
the fish, until they leaped from the water. Of 
course, they had a fair show for their money on 
trout tackle; No. 6 hooks were most successful. 
They would not take spinners or small spoons 
of any kind. 
Native anglers used crawfish, lamperns and 
small catfish, when they could get them. One 
bass taken on fly disgorged a catfish nearly five 
inches in length. We saw a man fishing who 
had taken nine bass on crawfish. Doubtless, a 
good bait fish would have the best of it, al 
though we killed four bass one afternoon where 
two men failed with crawfish. This we at¬ 
tributed to the long light cast with the fly rod 
on the clear, quiet water. The big chubs, wind- 
fish, or fall fish, worry one a good deal, but 
the difference in their play is easily recognized. 
I cannot say what effect the high water will 
have on the fishing. If the bass go on the rifts 
the fly-fisher will be able to do something. It 
will depend, I fancy, upon the warmth of the 
weather, whether the fish do this or not. In 
any event, I am grateful for such favors as have 
been vouchsafed to me. 
Theodore Gordon. 
Anglers’ Club of Mass&chussets. 
The schedule of events to be cast off during 
this club’s first tournament, Oct. 9 and 10, fol¬ 
lows. The contests will be held on the Frog 
Pond on Boston Common: 
Friday, Oct. 9, 1:30 P. M.—Trout fly-casting 
for distance; open only to those who have never 
cast further than 75 feet; rods not to exceed 11 
feet in length; reel must be in place on the rod. 
Event 2, 2:30 P. M.—Fly-casting for accuracy 
at targets, distance 50, 55 and 60 feet; rods, 
reels, etc., same as in Event 1; amateurs only. 
Event 3, 3:30 P. M.—Trout fly-casting for dis¬ 
tance with five-ounce rods; open to all. 
Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 A. M.—Dry-fly casting 
at targets, distance 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 feet; 
open to all; rods, reels, etc., as in Event 1. 
Eleven A. M.—Bait-casting for accuracy with 
half-ounce weights at 60, 80 and 100 feet; open 
to all. 
One-thirty P. M.—Distance fly, Eastern cham¬ 
pionship; amateurs only; rods unrestricted. 
Two-thirty P. M.—Salmon fly-casting for ama¬ 
teurs ; 15-foot rods. 
Three-thirty P. M.—Handicap distance fly-cast¬ 
ing; open to all. 
Four-thirty P. M.—Distance bait-casting with 
half-ounce weights. 
