Time flies for angler

❛ [Fishing’s] an enjoyable sport, but if you drown it’s no

good to anybody

FISHING season opens tomorrow and trout can rest easy: Otago Fish &

Game president Monty Wright will not be out there.

While many of his peers will be out at dawn tomorrow, at 76 years old and with 65 fishing seasons under his belt Mr Wright prefers to give his prey a head start these days.

However, it will not be too long before the veteran angler ties a fly and makes a cast.

‘‘I prefer to let the rest of them have a go on opening day. They’re all champing at the bit to have a go,’’ Mr Wright said.

‘‘They can catch a few more fish on opening day. They are a bit unsuspecting; they haven’t seen anglers for a while.’’

That is not to say Mr Wright isn’t ready to go.

‘‘I don’t have any new gear to try this year, but all my gear is ready to go. I’ve cleaned all the lines, I’ve got all the casts ready.

‘‘As soon as everything is available, I’ll be out there.’’

Seasoned anglers may find tried and trusted fishing holes are not as plentiful this year, with winter flooding altering the course of many rivers.

‘‘The big flush in July spread a lot of rivers around a bit and changed a lot of the pools and the ripples, so that means people will need to find new possies to look,’’ Mr Wright said.

‘‘The big rivers, like the Waitaki right down to the Mataura, quite a lot of it will have changed, and quite a lot of the Taieri has changed as well.’’

With his Fish & Game hat on, some things had not changed. Mr Wright said anglers needed to remember their licences, remember to keep their equipment clean, and take basic safety precautions.

‘‘Anyone on the lakes or in still water, for God’s sake put a lifejacket on,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s an enjoyable sport, but if you drown it’s no good to anybody.’’

Weather predictions for the next few months were for above average temperatures and normal rainfall — ideal conditions for angling, Fish and Game said.

Not all streams and rivers are open on October 1. For details: www.fishandgame.org.nz

mike.houlahan@odt.co.nz

PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Weapon of war . . . Otago Fish & Game president Monty Wright prepares an ‘‘olive streamer’’ in readiness for his 66th season battling brown trout.