CONTENTdm
Hawthorn Fly Fishing & Angling Collection
Barrington, Charles George
308 pages
application/pdf
/ I fe THE LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Harry Hawthorn Foundation for the Inculcation & Propagation of the Principles & Ethics of Fly-Fishing SEVENTY YEAES' FISHING HLBAlVmm+vngB ■**fc»«»^«esafe'>.a«>^.:. '^fffrfrffftu SEVENTY YEABS* I^HP CHAKLES GEOKGE BAIiBXNGTON, C.B. WITH A !SPiSCB LONDON SMITH, ELDEB, & CO., 15 WATEBLOO PLACE 1906 CA11 rights reserved] ■$&?$%£'?: V<7A/. ( 7 m^^9^^m SEVENTY YEAES' FISHING CHAELES GEOEGE BAEEINGTON, C.B, WITH A FRONTISPIECE LONDON SMITH, ELDEE, & CO., 15 WATEBLOO PLACE 1906 [All rights reserved] THESE EEMINISCENCES ARE DEDICATED TO THE HONOURABLE HENRY J. COKE rh PREFACE It has been said that, if any man who has, for many years, followed some favourite pursuit, would record his past experiences, with the conclusions drawn from them, he might render service to those who come after him. This saying, in my opinion, is not only true generally, but applies specially to the sport of angling. There is so much that is unknown with respect to fish, their habits, and the best mode of catching them, that it is only by comparing the views of different fishermen that we may hope to arrive at any knowledge of the subject. Even so there will be a good deal left to guesswork. My first trout was killed about seventy years ago, and never having lost my love of the sport, I have, ever since, fished for salmon, trout, and occasionally for grayling, whenever an opportunity offered. Experience has certainly not been wanting in my case ; whether the inferences drawn from that experience are sound, it must be for others to decide. Should the following pages be of use to those of a younger generation, or of interest to sportsmen of more mature years, the writer of them will be amply repaid. jl; CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE preliminary ,1 i. stray remarks on habits of the salmon ... 19 ii. tackle 32 iii. management of the fly ....... 47 iv. sport on tweed and avon 84 v. other fishing methods 93 vi. sea trout 103 vii. trout 120 viii. the ilm . 149 ix. in the north 166 x. grayling and trout ........ 199 xi. artificial breeding 211 xii. poaching 218 xiii. fishing clubs 236 xiv. expeditions 246 xv. report made by the royal commissioners on salmon fisheries appointed in 1902 292 Index 305 ^ SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING PEELIMINAEY What is sport? — Perfection not attainable — Present state of affairs affecting fishing—Decrease of salmon—Over-netting—Better prospects as far as grayling and trout are concerned—Fly-fishing in general— Salmon-fishing and trout-fishing contrasted — Fishing for salmon with trout tackle—Fish lost on the Garry in consequence—Good trout killed on the Test—Landing-net—Skilfully used—Trout landed for the writer by Lord Spencer in full uniform as Lord-Lieutenant—Accurate casting—Striking the fly away—Fish coming short. What, it may well be asked, constitutes true sport ? My answer is: A pursuit where success cannot be obtained without observation and study of the nature and habits of the creatures we pursue. The element of chance must be present, and the art by which we may hope to succeed should not be too easy of acquirement. It is a matter of doubt if there ever existed a perfect fisherman. I say 'of doubt/ because though such a one there may be, it has never been my fortune to come across him. Let us consider what becoming a past-master of the art entails: facility in casting a long line equally well with either hand uppermost, without reference to adverse winds, banks or trees, both by the ordinary method and by means of the ' Spey' throw; in trout- fishing the ability to use the left hand as well as the right. Yet, besides casting, there are other branches of the art: the best method of leading the fly according to B SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING the nature of the stream ; running a fish so as to land it as quickly as possible, incurring, at the same time, as little risk as may be of losing it; added to this, the knowledge of where fish will lie, if angling in unknown waters. The angler relies more on his own exertions and skill than his brother sportsman who goes hunting or shooting. It is true that when casting from a boat he must trust a good deal to the man who rows him, but in this instance only is he obliged to depend on the help of another. The fisherman, moreover, may, even to the end of his days, always be learning something. In my own case— after more than fifty years* experience—a short time back I was compelled to devote much time and trouble to learn the f Spey' cast, in order to do justice to the fine trout- fishing in the river Ilm, at "Weimar. Let us now briefly take a glance at the present state of matters generally affecting fishing interests. Commissioners have been appointed, at intervals, to investigate and report upon the subject of Salmon Fisheries, the last appointment of a Eoyal Commission having been made in 1902; the evidence then taken, with Eeport and Appendix, being published in the shape of three Blue Books of considerable dimensions. These volumes lead to the conclusion that things are in anything but a satisfactory state. Most of the witnesses agree that the supply of fish of the salmon kind has seriously decreased ; the reasons given for such decrease are: over-netting, want of free access to the spawning grounds, insufficiency of funds to provide fish ladders or pay for watching, so as to keep down poaching, differences between upper and lower proprietors, which add to the difficulty of efficient management by Local Boards. For instance, one gentleman, representing the lower proprietors on the river Ythan, considers that the close time for nets, which begins on September 10, should remain as it is, because PRELIMINARY 3 the last fortnight of the season is the most productive, and because, if an earlier date were fixed, the fishings would be valueless; the next witness (also connected with the Ythan) gives it as his opinion that the time of closure (September 10) is too late for any river.1 The Tay and the Tweed are so prolific that, even though the supply may be diminished, many years will pass before they cease to be of considerable value, both from a commercial and from a sporting point of view ; but this is not the case with regard to smaller rivers, where the extent of spawning ground is comparatively limited. Let us take as an example the Hampshire Avon, a river which I fished for many years, and with which I am well acquainted. The total number of salmon killed yearly by net and rod during the period between 1860 and 1870 might be reckoned at 700 or 800, in some years more. The evidence taken by the Commission shows a woeful decrease—indeed the river seems to be pretty well fished out. One of the upper proprietors, who had killed as many as sixty-four fish in a season, states that in 1902 he could not catch even a kelt. The fish, he says, are gone. The representative of the fishermen at the mouth of the river tells the Commissioners that there is only2 one boat at work at ' the Eun ' (the lowest netting station), the fishing having become so bad. Nevertheless he considers the present close time for nets long enough, and attributes the falling off to the want of proper passes to enable the fish to reach the spawning beds. With reference to this statement, it should be borne in mind that the obstructions to travelling fish were the same as when twelve or more nets were in use at the Eun, and when the gentleman referred to above 1 A short summary is given further on of the recommendations of the Commissioners, with such remarks as it occurred to me to make thereon. 2 I have known twelve nets at work in the Run. b 2 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING »il could kill fifty or sixty fish with the rod during a season of three or four months. Nor was it for the want of warning that the present unfortunate state of things was arrived at. When I was a member of the small club which had the angling in the Eoyalty water, I went to Christchurch one year at the beginning of the close season, and dropped down the river in a dinghy, with the object of finding out if any clean fish were still coming up from the sea. One clean-run gilse I saw jump, and a few red fish were to be made out here and there. This condition of affairs I put before the late Lord Normanton, an extensive upper proprietor, and he brought the matter to the notice of the Fishery Board. Nothing was done, and the fisheries of the Avon are ruined, or nearly so. From what has been reported lately it is to be feared that the fate of the Avon awaits a good many other southern rivers. The close time should be so regulated as to allow the late supply of fish to go free, and here was a case (not a singular one, probably) of nets working until the run of salmon from the sea was over. It has been said that when things are at their worst they begin to mend ; were it not that some hope may be entertained of the old adage coming true, it would be in vain to write about a sport which may before long become, in general, hardly worth pursuing. Possibly some day we may have a Government able to find time to attend to the salmon fisheries of the United Kingdom, and a House of Commons inclined to pass the Acts necessary for their improvement. Meantime, where the necessary funds and energy are forthcoming, the best—I would say the only efficient—step towards keeping up the supply of fish would be to buy up the nets. On this subject something is said in the following pages. With respect to trout and grayling we have indeed UL.BULWk^U-H ^mmmemmfSSmmM1^' - PRELIMINARY better prospects before us. More attention has been given to preserving and stocking the streams. Numerous clubs have been called into existence which lay down rules limiting the number of fish to be taken during the day, forbidding the use of bait, and providing for the return of under-sized captures to the water. Weeds are trimmed, and coarse fish netted out: for instance, the Wiley Flyfishing Club has destroyed numbers of pike, which are now nearly extinct in their water, besides innumerable roach which consumed food that ought to have nourished trout, with the result that the river is well stocked. It is true that angling clubs have taken water which in former days might have been fished free of cost, and so may be said to have rendered sport less easy to come at for those who have not the means of belonging to such institutions. On the other hand, the modern facilities of travel have opened up places where trout-fishing costs nothing, and which may be reached by the less wealthy angler, without unduly taxing his purse. On the whole, I am inclined to believe that trout and grayling fishers are better off as regards their chance of sport than they used to be, and that their prospects are likely to improve rather than deteriorate. Fishing must of necessity remain, as it has always been, the most uncertain of sports, depending as it does so largely upon weather and other circumstances; especially is this the case with respect to salmon-fishing in the United Ejngdom, where netting is carried to such perfection that only when the close season for nets has begun can the angler, as a rule, hope for the advent of a sufficient supply of fish to stock the casts. Thus, as I have been lately told by a gentleman who lives on the Tweed, the spring fishing gets worse every year. My informant is a keen sportsman, and fishes some of the best part of the river. Gilse- fishing on the Tweed has practically ceased to exist. The 6 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING autumn is now the only season during which good sport can be anticipated. The rod fishing, then, may be said to depend upon propitious weather between September 15 and December 1, a period of two months and a half. A flood early in the autumn, followed by a second soon after, best suits the upper and middle portions of the Tweed. The first spate is always a dirty one, but should clean out the bottom of the river; the second soon runs clear. How often does so desirable a state of things occur ? In some years there is no autumn angling worth mentioning in the Tweed, from want of water. Sometimes, after waiting in hope, a flood does come, the water runs in sufficiently to admit of catching one or two fish, and as you wind up your line for the day, the boatman will tell you ' she will be in real good ply the morn/ Before turning in at night, the rain is heard pattering against the windows, and more waiting has to be put up with. Further, you cannot wait for an unlimited time, as you might in the spring, for the close season is approaching. To most sportsmen November salmon present no great attraction, though in some seasons the late run of fish from the sea is of better quality than might be expected. (I would rather kill a spring fish of 10 lbs. than an autumn one of 20 lbs.) The period then left during which the angler has to reckon upon for his amusement may be put down as about six weeks, assuming that the water will be in order—a large assumption indeed. Eivers which run out of lakes of considerable size (such, for instance, as the Invernessshire Garry) remain in order for some time, as, when the lake is once full, it falls but slowly, certainly in the spring. Trout-fishing is uncertain enough, but in the chalk streams of the southern counties the water will remain, PRELIMINARY ia general, high enough until at least the beginning of July. Moreover, even in low water trout may be caught late in the evening, whilst this is impossible with regard to salmon, for the simple reason that they are not there to catch. Still, the trout-fisher is subject to one most serious drawback from which the salmon-fisherman rarely suffers, the sudden destruction of the trout by pollution of different sorts. A short time back, the trout in the river Ilm, below Weimar, were entirely destroyed by the sewage of the town, which, in consequence of a long drought, poured, undiluted, into the river. The refuse from a paper mill, if not carefully manipulated, will destroy the fish for some distance. On one occasion the sewage tank in a farmyard, close to a brook famous for its excellent trout, was discharged into the stream, every fish being killed for half a mile below. Fly-fishing in general.—It has been said that trout- fishing, especially with the dry fly, calls for greater skill than salmon-fishing. Every man who has had experience of both will draw his own conclusion on this point. The salmon-fisherman should be strong, so as to be able to wield a powerful rod with untiring sinews, and cast, with accuracy, for hours, to say nothing of the exertion of running heavy fish (if he has luck) at intervals through the day. The man who goes after trout has, as far as physical work is concerned, an easier time. On the other hand, guiding and placing the fly amongst rocks or under boughs which overhang the stream are difficult of acquirement and is more essential than in salmon-fishing. Eunning large trout with fine tackle requires as much judgment as, perhapsmore than, playing a salmon. Trout have invariably a harbour to make for, and, failing that, a refuge amongst the weeds which abound in the chalk streams^.^ Hampshire and other southern counties, One loses more SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING trout than salmon; to make up for this, one gets hold of more. Trout when first hooked are, if of fair size, more difficult to keep away from dangerous places, because probably they know the country and a salmon does not; per contra, if balked in their attempt, they give in more quickly, and are then nearly sure to be landed without much difficulty. A salmon fresh up from the sea will fight till he dies. Personally, I incline to holding salmon hard, and trout gently. By bearing firmly, where there is a chance of being cut, you may induce a salmon to keep on your side of a dangerous spot. When an attempt is made to check a trout's career, it generally has the effect of making him more determined to dash * into weed, or amongst roots under the bank. At least such is my experience. It is sometimes observed that if one had not been so hard on a fish, it might not have been lost. This may be true with regard to trout; but, in my opinion, certainly is not so with salmon. At the last moment, considerable pressure must be put on, to enable the gaff or net to be used, and if the hook has not a firm hold, it will come away. It is better that the fish should escape, early in the fight, thus avoiding the waste of valuable time, and the additional vexation of losing him after a period of anxiety. Should a salmon when first hooked remain at the surface, splashing and shaking his head, his conduct may proceed either from the fly having stuck in his tongue, or having taken slight hold. In such a case, only resistance enough to maintain a slight bend on the top should be offered, and for this reason: if the hook is in his tongue, he is safe enough and no harm is done; if the fish is badly hooked, there is a chance that his struggles may cause the fly, especially if it be a fair-sized double, to PRELIMINARY become firmly fixed. The chance is a slight one, but it is well not to neglect it. Should the fish, after a moment or two, sink down and begin to run vigorously he is pretty sure to be killed. It is seldom that a salmon breaks a tolerable fisherman, except by cutting the line round a rock or some such obstacle, or because the fly is struck away at the rise, as happens sometimes, in trout-fishing. I can call to mind but few instances in which it has been my misfortune to be broken by a salmon, and then generally from my own fault : on one occasion, in consequence of deliberately hanging on to prevent the fish from running across the line of a friend, who was playing another immediately below; another time the reel-line had become rotten, and parted just below the middle- piece. Here, I was to blame for not having tested it before beginning to fish. (I have known a casting-line go from having been touched by a lighted cigar, but the fault was luckily discovered in time.) Trout have often broken me—partly, may be, from mismanagement, and partly on account of the advantage they possess in having shelter at hand, to which they are apt to run. During the fishing season accounts sometimes appear in the sporting publications of the capture of salmon on trout tackle. Now, the most skilful fisherman is powerless to stop the rush of a salmon until some time after it has been hooked, even when equipped with an 18-ft. rod and line to correspond. After a few minutes it becomes possible to get the fish more or less under control; the final process consists in drawing it, when nearly exhausted, out of the deep into shallow water; a heavy fish may be pulled towards the bank half a dozen times, and each time will, by sheer weight, force his way back into the cast. These dull efforts give but little pleasure to the angler. With a trout rod they are apt to 10 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING be repeated until they become tedious. There is no real difficulty in killing a salmon with a trout rod provided the line is not all run out, and that you are not obliged to put on pressure in order to steer clear of rocks where you may be in danger of being cut. You run also some risk of being broke should the fish swim up stream and then jump. In the Costello, where the fish are not large and the pools are of no width, we used trout rods—under 15 feet. The last week spent on the river my bag was twenty-four salmon (besides sea trout), so I had no reason to complain ; but one clean fish of 12 lbs. or thereabouts was lost entirely owing to the use of what was, in fact, trout tackle. The fish did exactly what is adverted to above—he ran up the river and then threw himself out of water; owing to the shortness of the rod it was impossible to hold up enough line to obviate being ' drowned'; consequently the weight of water and the action of the salmon combined brought about a smash. It is common enough on the Tweed, when the water falls in towards the middle of April, to fish the casts with a March Brown. One thus has a chance of getting hold of a chance salmon, and besides killing a spring fish now and again, you are pretty certain to run a good many kelts on trout tackle. In that way you have the opportunity of discovering the effect of using a rod, &c. not intended for the work in hand. In such a case the delay in landing fish is of slight importance, as there are probably but few left in the casts; moreover, the spring salmon in the Tweed are, generally, of no great size. The chance of landing salmon is certainly diminished by the use of trout tackle, and ultimate success depends more upon luck than skill. A laughable scene was once enacted under my eyes, which tended to corroborate this view. Immediately PRELIMINARY 11 below the falls of the Garry is a pool which holds good trout, besides affording a resting-place for fish waiting to ascend the river. Thither a trout-fisher had proceeded, establishing himself on a rock, from which he Was able to cast across the water. He had already taken several trout when a salmon rose, which he duly hooked. My gillie was sent down to offer his assistance, whilst I remained on a bridge a little way above, whence a good view of the operations was afforded. The salmon showed no inclination to leave the pool, and when nearly exhausted the angler succeeded in leading it towards his side of the river. There, however, the current ran sharply over the shallows, so that before the fish could be brought within reach of the gaff its broadside became exposed to the influence of the stream, and the trout-rod being unable to hold back its weight, a flap or two of the fish's tail sent it a few yards further from the fisherman ; rolling down the river, the man being unable to follow, it soon ran out the line, which its mere weight easily broke. Had it been hooked on an 18-ft. rod this misfortune would have been avoided—with proper tackle it need not have been allowed at the last moment to leave the pool. It is not my intention to detract from the skill of any gentleman who may casually hook a salmon on fine tackle and eventually land it, as I am aware that it requires much care and patience (as well as good fortune) to perform the feat, but rather to impress upon sportsmen of a younger generation the policy of using a rod and line of proper strength for the purpose. In a subsequent chapter is an account of the capture of a fish in the Quoich. A walk of six miles had to be undertaken to reach the river, and there was no object in carrying unnecessary weight over that distance. Though the water could have been covered with a double-handed trout-rod, I was determined to run no avoidable risk, and stuck to my 18-ft. weapon and heavy ^i 12 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING lit reel. Had the lighter rod been used, the fish I killed there would probably have escaped. In trout-fishing the ability to cast a long line is often of advantage, but the power to place the fly is of greater importance.1 No better practice for this purpose can be found than in the habit of fishing burns and small streams, where it is necessary to cast behind rocks, under overhanging boughs, and generally in cramped places. It is true that burn trout are apt to run small, so that, if well hooked, there is not much fear of losing them. On the other hand, some satisfaction is derived from overcoming the difficulty of getting the fly into the right place. Moreover, these small fish possess one great merit—they make an excellent \ water souche.' Anyone who has undergone his early training on these narrow streams will find it easy to acquire the knack of c using the dry fly. In order to learn how to shoot the line under branches which reach to within a short distance of the water, as good a plan as any is to try how far you can cast under the arch of a low bridge, where there is no chance of getting fast. I once spotted a large trout in the Test, rising close to the bank and under the boughs of a copper-beech. It was not easy to get to him, partly on account of the beech, partly because of sundry bushes a little below. Two flies and a casting-line were sacrificed, but at last my attempt to reach him succeeded. The fish took instantly, and made off down stream; had he not been firmly hooked he would have escaped, as the rod had to be thrust out, the top nearly touching the water in order to keep clear of branches. Once away from the trees, a few minutes sufficed to bring the landing-net into play. The trout weighed 3 lbs. 2 ozs. This case shows the necessity of being able to cast in cramped situations. 1 See chapter on Trout-fishing. PRELIMINARY 1Q Doubtless some of those gentlemen who win prizes for accurate casting at fishing competitions would have hooked the fish without the loss of a fly. I was well pleased to get him in spite of losing some of my tackle, through the lack of their superior skill. The old saying ! Fine and far off' is sometimes quoted in favour of the use of a long line. ' Fine and as near as you can get' would be more to the purpose—though you be compelled to creep on hands and knees, and perhaps stand in the water. To this, however, there is an objection. Where the bank is steep, it may be difficult to land quickly enough to follow your fish, and so have a better chance of avoiding a smash amongst weeds, &c. Once, on the Itchen, I should certainly have lost a good trout that had been hooked whilst wading close to a willow bush, which prevented my getting readily ashore, had it not been for the presence of mind of my attendant, who, when he saw the rod bend, ran up stream to where a post was in the water close to the bank. The fish also made for the post, but the lad was there first, and as it swam round the line, checking for an instant, it was whipped out with the landing-net. Upon asking what made the lad think of running up to the spot, he said : ' Mr. lost a fish round that postie two years ago, and I allowed as this one knew his way there, too.' This lad, by name Jack White, was quite the best hand with the landing-net I ever came across. Here is another anecdote concerning him. The present Duke of Leeds was fishing the Chilland water on the Itchen, close to a waggon-bridge, above which lived two large trout. I had been down to the spot a short time before, bent on getting them. They lay behind some piles, and on reaching their haunt, they were both seen to be rising. Putting a Pale Olive over the first, it took directly and bolted for the bridge, underneath which were a good many sticks SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING which had sunk to the bottom. Fortunately, the water was deep, so I was able to prevent the trout from getting fast, and after a short time he came into the net. Then an attempt was made to get the second. This was a failure, the fly being invariably carried away from the pile behind which the fish was lying, by the action of the stream on the gut casting-line. When the Duke had got down to the place, he asked White if those trout were still there. * Well,' said the boy, * Mr. Barrington have killed one, but could not get the other, and I can see him rising.' The Duke, not liking the look of the sticks under the waggon-bridge, stationed Jack White there, telling him to stop the trout if possible should he come that way, he himself going up the bank to cast for him. Probably the height of the water had slightly altered since my visit, so that the pile no longer caused an eddy, which prevented the fly from working properly. However that may have been, the Duke got hold of the fish almost immediately, and down it went at its best pace to the bridge. As it came beneath Jack White's feet, he, in a moment, dropped on to his knees, made a scoop in the water, and sprang to his feet with the fish in the net. As touching my failure to get this particular trout, it is to be noted that an Itchen fish, lying in the kind of place above described, will not go an inch out of his way to take- the fly, especially if, as was the case, there is a heavy rise on at the time. The mention of this skilful use of the landing-net reminds me of an incident, unique of its kind, which occurred at Panshanger, Lord Cowper's place in Hertfordshire. I happened to be on a visit there one Whitsuntide, upon the occasion of a review of the county volunteers. Lord Cowper had offered me a place in a carriage from which to view the manoeuvres, but the May fly being up, and the Panshanger trout being famous for size and PRELIMINARY 15 quality, I preferred to spend the day by the waterside. Towards evening the fish took well, and one was hooked just as some of the party who had been to the review came in sight on their way home. One of the carriages stopped, and out of it sprang Lord Spencer, accoutred as he was in the full uniform of a lord-lieutenant. By the time he had reached me the trout was nearly beaten, so, taking the net out of my hand, he proceeded to land him secundum artem. I tried to persuade him to take a cast, but this he declined to do. This trout was probably the only one ever landed by a lord-lieutenant in all his glory. It is pretty certain that Lord Spencer is the only lord- lieutenant who landed a trout in full uniform, and that I am the only angler who was ever so highly honoured. (These few lines had hardly been written, when the news appeared of his having had an attack out shooting. I, in common with his many friends—enemies he can have none—must hope earnestly to hear of his speedy recovery.) It must be remembered that not only is it easier to place the fly with a short line, but when the fish is hooked there is a better chance of managing him successfully. A trout will almost invariably dash for shelter. It stands to reason that the more line there may be in the water, the greater the risk will be of getting fast. Again, in the case of a fish running straight at you, you may, by stepping nimbly back, keep a short line tight: with a long one, you will probably be reduced to the expedient of .pulling it through the rings, a proceeding to be avoided if possible as leading to entanglement and objectionable complications. It has already been observed that accuracy and delicacy in trout-fishing are much more essential than the power of making long casts; but just as there are men who have caught many salmon without discovering the best way of running a fish, so plenty of trout are killed by anglers if; 16 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Who have not acquired the art of placing a fly to a nicety. Where large rivers or lakes are in question, this faculty is not of so much importance, but as many of the best trout streams are of a character which renders accuracy of the greatest advantage, it is well worth while to bestow some pains in the endeavour to arrive at the necessary skill. I know of no better rule than that of taking care to point the top of the rod in a line with the spot aimed at, allowance being of course made for a side wind. Practice, if this rule be attended to, will soon enable the fisherman to drop his fly where he pleases, almost to within a few inches. One of the most deadly shots is achieved by casting on to the opposite bank, or even on to a dock leaf, and by a gentle shake causing the fly to fall in front of a feeding trout.1 In this case it is necessary to check the motion of the rod as the casting-line falls. Even in skilful bands the attempt is apt to lead to the loss of the fly or cast. Nevertheless, risks of the sort should be boldly taken, on the principle of ' nothing venture nothing have.' For accurate casting a man should feel as though the rod were part of himself, and as easy of control as his hand or his foot. He will then be conscious of the least flaw in delivery, whether the result of a puff of wind or of imperfect recovery, and will probably be able, by a slight motion of the wrist, to remedy the defect before the fall of the line. In fishing for trout or grayling the process differs in some degree from that adopted with respect to the larger fish. Striking a fly away is more likely to occur, though, except in the case of a beginner, such a mistake is seldom made. It arises nearly always from inattention. 1 I have seen the late Mr. C. V. Bayley, who was for long a member of the well-known Lentwardine Fishing Club, perform this feat when fishing in my company at Chenies many years since. PRELIMINARY 17 Perhaps, when casting over a feeding trout, the fish, having moved a little higher, rises when the spot where the rise had been noted has been passed ; the fisherman's attention may have been diverted for a moment, and just at that moment the trout takes. Then the angler, fearing to be too late, may give a nervous jerk and the fly is lost. The best chance of avoiding such a mishap is to use a free-running reel and to keep your fingers off the line. I avoid the use of the wrist, and, by lifting the fore-arm gently, fix the hook by a pull, rather than by a stroke. When this mode of proceeding is habitual, the line, running easily, will probably save a smash, even though the lift be given with more force than necessary. It does not follow that in trout-fishing the pull should be delayed, or that, in the case of experienced anglers who may be gifted with a delicate sense of touch, it is to be preferred to a gentle turn of the wrist. Some men are for striking the instant they see a rise, lest the trout should eject the fly on discovering its character. I am not in a hurry to hook a rising fish, and believe that it is quite easy to pull the fly away from large trout before they have got it inside the mouth. Nor do I think they find out the deception as quickly as some suppose. Where the water is fine and clear you may watch the behaviour of trout when taking the fly; sometimes I have been apparently late in striking, having waited till the fish turned: so much so that it appeared as though the stroke must have failed, yet on landing the trout it was found to be more firmly hooked than usual. So much depends upon the humour of the fish that we may doubt if the question whether it is better to strike instantaneously, or to give a trout just a moment before doing so, will ever be settled absolutely. It is difficult to account for ' coming short * at the fly (except where the o 18 SEVENTY YEARfe' FISHING water has been over-fished); yet, as we know to our cost, nothing is more common. Salmon, especially in summer and autumn, are much given to this pernicious habit. I well remember fishing a cast in the Floors water (the Shot) one day in October with the then Duke of Eox- burghe (grandfather of the present Duke). Fish after fish did I lose, so, thinking their loss might be put down to bungling, I asked tne man who rowed me what was wrong on my part. ' Naething,' said he; ' the Duke is losing them the same as yersell—it's the fish that are wrong and winna tak' haud.' We killed, indeed, a good many on that occasion, but all through the day we were hardly ever more than a few minutes without having a fish on one rod or the other. With salmon a change in the size of the fly may make all the difference, but with trout what can be done when they rise at almost any fly of the right size, but come short at all, generally not being hooked, or, if they are, escaping immediately ? All flies are on such days the same, though exceptions will now and then occur. Three years ago (in 1903), when the fish were behaving in this way, in despair I put up a * Eed Tag ' (usually considered a grayling fly), and with it killed one trout over 2 lbs. and four others of smaller size. CHAPTEE I STRAY REMARKS ON HABITS OF THE SALMON ' The glorious salmon which bounds and gambols in the flashing water.'—Bobeow. What is a spring salmon ?—Hybrids—Yares—Rate at which fish travel— Passes—Feeding in fresh water-rWell-mended kelts—Flies possibly taken for shrimps—colour-blindness—Senses of fish—Decrease of salmon—Close season for angling—Buying up the nets. Careful investigation has afforded us much insight into the natural history of the salmon. His progress has been traced from the ovum, through the stages of smolt and par, to the mature fish.1 On some points, however, we are still in the dark. 1. How is it that, out of a number of par in a breeding pond, it has been observed that some will put on their silvery dress and be ready to go down to the sea a year earlier than others, the whole of them being of the same age ? 2. How far out to sea does the salmon go when he leaves the fresh water ? 3. What is a ' spring salmon' ? The first two questions, though of interest to students of natural history, are probably of no very material 1 It was at one time not uncommonly supposed that salmon and j_ were not the same fish differing only in age. There are still professional fishermen who are of that opinion. Mr. Young, however, in 1842-3 marked many small gilse after they had spawned, and were about to return to the sea. He recaptured some of them as salmon weighing from 9 to 14 lbs. 20 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING consequence to the fisherman or the consumer; but the last is worthy of some consideration. Theories there are which profess to account for the presence of salmon in our rivers, long before the spawning time. Of these, two are, to some extent, plausible. (1) That the spring fish are early spawners of the preceding season, and that, having returned sooner to the sea than the majority of their relatives, they have consequently reappeared in fresh water in the spring instead of waiting till the summer or autumn months. (2) That some salmon do not breed every season, and that the heavy fish which used to come up the Hampshire Avon, for instance, are those which have, as it were, missed the opportunity of visiting their spawning ground and postponed their departure from the sea, until another year had passed over them in salt water. Objections could be pointed out to both theories, but if it were proved that the spring salmon was identical with the early spawner of the previous autumn, a strong reason would appear for allowing such early spawners ready access to the upper waters, by curtailing the netting season. It is clear enough that an increase in the number of spring fish would be much to the advantage of the net-men, as the price of salmon is higher at the beginning of the season than it is later on; of the consumer, because the fish is then in its prime ; and of the sportsman, who would prefer killing a few spring fish to many autumn ones. The first of these attempted explanations seems the more reasonable, but the question is a difficult one—e.g. how comes it that in the Hampshire Avon the fish which come away first from the sea are all of large size and that, as the season advances, the average weight of the Avon fish decreases ; the reverse is the case in the Tweed—the Tweed salmon in February or March being, as a rule, WmmwmMwmmsmsmmmmmssm STRAY REMARKS ON HABITS OF THE SALMON 21 lively little fellows of 7 or 8 lbs. The fish increase in size as the year goes on. It would be interesting to know the habits of the fish when they reach the sea, and possibly of some importance in respect of the regulation of bag-nets, &c, used along the coast; but, like all matters as to which positive evidence is not available, there is some difference of opinion as to whether they remain tolerably near the coast, or swim far out to sea. I believe the general opinion of those who have considered the question is that they do not go to any great distance; yet some old fishermen do not hold this view, as the following incident will show. It once happened to me to kill a fish in the upper part of the Tweed which the attendant fisherman proclaimed to be a wanderer from foreign parts, crying out when he took it out of the landing-net, ' Mercy on us, what's yon ? It's just a Noraway fesh.' It was a curious-looking one, being thickly marked about the back and sides with black spots, and in shape somewhat lacked the graceful proportions of a Tweed salmon. Having once caught a similar creature in the Avon, I have little doubt that my capture was a hybrid, between the real salmon and the sea trout. I have been told since that such hybrids are not uncommon in the lower parts of the Tweed. No attempt has been made, as far as I know, to account for the different ages at which the par drop down the stream on their way to the sea. The proceedings of the salmon when he leaves the salt water are more or less known to us, and are of much interest as bearing on the regulations concerning close time and net-fishing. When lying near the mouth of the river they wish to ascend, fish will swim up with the tide for a certain distance, and if the volume of fresh water is not sufficient for their purpose, return with the ebb, to their starting place. A clean salmon is often caught in the 22 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING % Tweed, not indeed silvery in appearance, but beginning to turn brown, with tide lice on it—(N.B. Tide lice will not remain on the fish in fresh water more than thirty-six hours)—the change of colour being caused by the rocks about Berwick, against which the fish has been lying: a proof that it is the habit of salmon to wait at the mouth of the river until the arrival of the flood. On the Dee, which runs into Solway Firth, one mode of fishing the tidal waters is by 'yares,' a contrivance peculiar, as I believe, to the Solway rivers. The working of these y ares is managed as follows:—Posts are driven into the water at an angle from the shore ; between these are hurdles, ten or twelve feet in height. The post next the bank is not in line with the rest, but is absolutely at right angles to the shore; between it and the bank is placed a net somewhat narrow at the mouth, but having a long purse or bosom attached to it; the outer circle of the net is fitted with large rings, through which a cord is passed and run up a pole to a platform above, on which sits the nets-man, holding the end of the cord in his hand. The fish, as they swim, are naturally inclined to take advantage of the easy water inside the posts and hurdles, and are led into the net; when inside they cause a pull upon the cord, to which the man on the platform responds by a jerk, closing the mouth of the net. He then hauls up the fish, knocks it on the head, and lowers away again as quickly as possible to await a fresh arrival. When the tide turns, he lands his fish and, at the ebb, crosses the river to another yare, set in the reverse way to catch the fish on their way back to the mouth of the river. Here is direct evidence as to the proceedings of salmon when the water is low. It may be as well to consider the progress of the fish on their way up the river when no artificial impediment offers itself. In former days there was a good shot of JMJ^^U" STRAY REMARKS ON HABITS OF THE SALMON 23 the long net, "somewhere about a mile and a half above Coldstream Bridge, over the Tweed, and it was the habit of the fisherman, who fished the said shot, to stand on the bridge, from which he could see the fish at the bottom of the river, and watch until a schule, or, as we should say, a shoal, of salmon left the pool below and started on their travels. He would then walk up, get his men and net ready to row the shot above, calculating that he would be just in time to intercept them; allowing about three- quarters of an hour for this manoeuvre, we may put down the rate at which a salmon travels, where there is nothing serious to delay him, at something under two miles an hour. Granted that the above statements are tolerably correct, it is not difficult to arrive at some conclusion as to the way in which netting affects the supply of salmon above tidal waters. If a salmon's rate of swimming is a mile and a half an hour, how is it possible for fish which leave the sea on the Sunday to clear the upper-netting stations by Monday morning, in large rivers such as the Tay, when the weekly close time ceases ? In such rivers the only result of the present law as to weekly close time is that the upper-netting stations have a large take on the Monday. This is, as I have been informed, particularly the case on the Tay. On the way to their spawning grounds salmon have been, on some rivers, assisted to overcome obstacles which, unless in exceptional circumstances, would have prevented their further progress. Fish-ladders or passes have been made for this purpose. If these are properly constructed, salmon should have no difficulty in getting through them ; nor does it seem to be essential that the passes should be placed in the strongest part of the stream; this opinion is based upon what I saw many years ago, as to the persevering attempts of both salmon and sea trout to 24 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING ascend a fall on the Costello, a famous Gal way river noted for its white-trout-fishing. There had been a flood, and the water was clearing fast, so that there was reason to hope for sport before long. Meantime, I and a friend wandered up the banks of the river, speculating, by the way, as to whether it would fish on the morrow; on rounding a bend of the stream we came upon a pool at the head of which fish were seen trying to get over a fall. The ground rose immediately beside this fall, and from the highest point of the rise it was easy to watch the proceedings of both sea trout and salmon. They would collect at some little distance down stream and then come on in a body, to just below the fall. Their next step was to swim round the pool and finally take up their position where the water afforded them the best chance of success : the salmon towards the middle of the stream, where the depth was greatest, the sea trout at the sides, where the rush of water was less heavy. It may then be assumed that, when fish mean to ascend a river, they will do so if it be possible, so that it is of small importance whether the pass or ladder is in the centre of the main stream or not, provided there is depth of water sufficient to carry the fish over. It has been asserted that salmon do not feed in fresh water and that they take a fly out of sport. Do they take minnows, prawns and worms, for sport ? And how does a fish after spawning turn into a well-mended kelt ? Aye, and in a large river such as the Tweed, mend to such effect as to present the appearance, even to a tolerably practised hand, of a clean fish ? The following anecdote shows that this is so. I was in the habit often of passing the shop of Mr. Grove, the fishmonger in Parliament Street, and of sometimes stopping to order a slice of Severn salmon for dinner at the club. On one such occasion a fish, which had been caught a few hours before, arrived whilst I was conversing STRAY REMARKS ON HABITS OF THE SALMON 25 with Mr. Grove. The straw covering was taken off, and Mr. Grove remarked upon its handsome appearance, and asked me if I did not also admire it. ' No,' I replied, 11 have doubts as to its being a clean fish. See if there are any maggots in its gills, and look at the colour of its back, which is blue instead of brown, as it should be. If I am right, the flesh of that fish will not be red but fawn-coloured, nor will there be any fat, curd, roe, or milt in it.' The fish was cut open and sliced, and Mr. Grove was forced to admit that it was a well-mended kelt. Is it to be supposed that this fish had so far recovered its shape as to deceive the best fishmonger in London, without feeding, and that greedily, after spawning ? It is my belief that the fly is taken by the fish for a shrimp, whilst the silver-bodied Wilkinson's Grey Doctors, &c, are supposed by them to be minnows or some kind of small fish. It has been said that the ordinary salmon fly is like nothing in nature. How do we know that this saying is anything beyond pure assumption ? It once happened to me to be at the Westminster Aquarium in the days when it was an aquarium, and my attention was drawn to a tank in which were a number of shrimps; these were swimming about in a succession of darts, much resembling the motion given by a fisherman to his fly, some at the surface, some under water. Here seemed to be an opportunity of finding out what the shrimp would look like to a salmon, so kneeling down I cast an eye upwards as the fish would do, and somewhat to my surprise discovered that not only were they, when thus seen through the medium of the water, of different sizes, but were full of prismatic colours, sometimes brilliantly so. May it not well be that these prismatic colours, as displayed by a shrimp, which is not an entirely opaque creature, are imitated with more or less success by the 1 mmmm 26 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING bright feathers, gold and silver lace, &c, used in tying a salmon fly ? This, however, by the way; it is enough for us to know that fish are to be caught with flies which we have proved to be successful. It has been stated that trout are colour-blind, and, as I presume, such statement is meant to include salmon. This assertion rests on the authority of Sir Herbert Maxwell, an excellent sportsman and naturalist, and is therefore worth attention. Sir Herbert, in order to prbve his theory, had May flies dressed with scarlet wings, and with them succeeded in killing trout. Certainly the wings of a May fly are not scarlet; but trout may be caught in the May-fly season, when feeding well, with flies which bear no resemblance to that insect. It is not my intention to controvert any statement of Sir Herbert Maxwell's, even if I were capable of doing so with effect; but let me shortly quote the proceedings of two old friends —now, alas! no longer with us—who were members of the small club which fished the water at Christchurch known as 'the Eoyalty.' At the head of ' the Eoyalty' is Knap Weir, and just below the weir stream a large stone was put into the water, behind which a salmon would sometimes rest. A fish had shown himself at this spot, but had declined the flies which were offered him. The next day was a Saturday, when the hatches and racks of Knap Weir, as well as those belonging to other weirs up the water, would all be drawn, thus creating an artificial flood, during which the abstemious salmon would assuredly pass from ' the Eoyalty l to the pools above. Sooner than lose the chance of getting the fish, my friends procured some prawns, one of which was threaded on a hook, and offered to him, with no result. The river keeper remarked that the prawns had not been cooked, and therefore still retained their natural grey appearance; upon, which, he STRAY REMARKS ON HABITS OF THE SALMON 27 was desired to take them away and bring them back boiled. When he returned a red prawn was tendered to the salmon; it was instantly seized, and in due course the fish was gaffed and knocked on the head. I would ask, with proper submission, what could induce a salmon to refuse a prawn in its natural state, and take it eagerly when cooked? It certainly looks as though the only possible answer should be—change of colour from a grey prawn to a red one. In ' Mental Evolution of Animals,' the author, George John Eomanes, FtE.S., Zoological Secretary to the Linnsean Society, states that' fish are well provided with the organs both of hearing and smell,' but he considers it doubtful ' whether taste, as distinct from smell, occurs in fish.' He remarks upon 'the care with which anglers dress their flies and select this and that combination of tints for this and that locality, time of day, &c, as showing that those who are practically acquainted with the habits of salmon and other fresh-water fish regard the colour- sense in them as axiomatic.' This gentleman stands so high in the scientific world that when he asserts that fish can hear, as the result of personal investigation, we are bound to consider the question as settled in the affirmative in spite of the old rhyme: If fish could hear as well as see, The devil himself might a fisherman be. It is perfectly true that the majority of anglers are careful in the selection of tints in fly-making, their inference being that there is no doubt as to the ability of fish to distinguish one colour from another. My own opinion is in absolute agreement with this view, and (though majorities are not always right, even in matters relating to fishing) that there should be any question on this point never entered my mind, so that I was the more 28 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING surprised upon hearing that the contrary idea had been started or adopted by so good a sportsman and so keen an observer of nature as Sir Herbert Maxwell. Sir Herbert has doubtless killed trout with an artificial fly bearing no resemblance to that on which they were feeding. We have most of us done so. Quite recently I caught nine trout one afternoon with a medium-sized Watford Coachman, the fly which the fish were taking being a rather small one of dirty brown hue. Probably Sir Herbert has sometimes found a ' Eed Quill Gnat I answer better than a 'Pale Olive' when the Avington water was covered with duns of that description. If so, how can the success of the Eed Quill be accounted for unless the trout were unable to perceive the difference in colour ? Any effort to assign a reason for these varying fancies on the part of the trout must be a mere speculation. Nevertheless I will venture to make a guess as to their cause, my inference being drawn from experience of the habits of animals, and, I may say, of our own. Domestic creatures—dogs and cats—even when not overfed, will sometimes reject one kind of nourishment to which they had been accustomed, and eat with avidity food unlike that first offered them. We ourselves prefer some variety; if confined to one article we should, most of us, make a comparatively small dinner. Is it not possible that a trout, after swallowing a quantity of ' Pale Olives,' may get somewhat tired of them and welcome the offer of a | Eed Quill Gnat' ? It is hardly necessary to remark that the fickleness of trout is greatest where food is most abundant. The subject, though interesting, is not of great practical importance. We shall go on using the best imitation of the fly the trout are taking at the time; if that fails we shall change to a \ Wickham, or to whatever pattern we, STRAY REMARKS ON HABITS OF THE SALMON 29 according to previous experience, may think most likely to tempt them. It is much to be feared that the supply of salmon has seriously diminished, and that there is no great prospect of its increasing. In 1902 a Eoyal Commission was appointed, and their Eeport was duly presented to Parliament, along with tables of statistics and minutes of evidence. The evidence shows a decrease, and unless some vigorous steps are taken, so far from expecting any improvement, we must be prepared for further decrease, and in many rivers extinction. Shortly after the passing of the English Act, many years ago, I published a letter in the ' Field ' urging the appointment of a permanent staff by Government to manage the salmon fisheries, instead of handing them over to the care of Local Boards. The objections to such bodies are many. To state them would serve no useful purpose, as we are told in this last Eeport that the present system should be continued. This view is, to my mind, an unfortunate one. The fisheries in England have been for more than thirty years in the hands of Conservancy Boards, and their condition is worse than ever. That alone is surely reason enough for trying a different plan. The evidence annexed to the Eeport of 1902 is, as was sure to be the case where different interests are concerned, often conflicting. One witness states that salmon spawn in the sea! Another maintains that bag-nets are not destructive; whilst a proprietor, belonging to the north of Scotland, points out that when these nets were taken off, an immediate increase in the produce of the river he fished occurred. Nevertheless, a perusal of the volume of evidence will repay those who take an interest in the subject. In my humble opinion, the obvious course, in order to maintain a sufficient supply of salmon, is to shorten the netting season; an extension of the weekly 30 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING close time would be of little use (I do not say of no use). In the ordinary state of a river, when the spring floods are over, fish would not swim beyond the brackish water if all nets were removed; and in many instances, when there was a sufficient flood to induce them to travel, the water would be too heavy for the nets. Angling should be allowed to continue for some time after the close season for netting begins. In the first place, because unless those who reside some distance from the mouth of the river are permitted to kill such fish as reach them in the autumn, they will not assist in preserving the spawning beds, and without their aid it would be difficult to do so effectually. In the second place, because the total number of salmon killed by the rod is insignificant as compared with the result of a few weeks' netting. In former days, when, owing to the want of means of communication, no sale could be found for fish caught at any distance from the market towns, there was little inducement to spend money or time in catching them. A shot of the long net was rowed occasionally, and the captured salmon were put into a cart and sold in the neighbourhood for what they would fetch, the rest of the fish being left for the angler. The extension of railways not only afforded markets at a distance, but tended to the development of the towns near at hand; and with the increased demand came fixed engines, and closer attention was given to the capture of the fish. After a time Acts of Parliament were passed, and had these Acts been properly worked, at least in some of the rivers, matters would not be so bad as they are reported to be at present; but, as an old Scotch fisherman once remarked to me: ' What is the use of they legislative enactments if persons are not obliged to observe them ? ' From one cause or another—in most STRAY REMARKS ON HABITS OF THE SALMON 31 instances from want of funds—the law has been too often set at defiance, nor is there any probability that assistance can be looked for from the State to put a stop to undue netting, poaching, &c. It therefore behoves those who are fond of rod fishing to act for themselves. The only step of practical use would be to combine and buy up the nets, not only those which may have been used in the river itself, but those which worked its mouth, power, of course, being retained to make use of them later on when the fish increased. At present the nets have not only to pay the rent of the fishery, and the wear and tear of fishing gear, but also to provide the men who work them with a living, and to yield a profit to the tacksman. If an association of anglers became the lessees, they would, after a jubilee of a few years, be able to kill fish enough with the net to pay the interest of the capital sunk in the purchase of the fishery, and still leave a margin sufficient to defray the expense of keepers, &c, and afford sport to the angler. If this result could be arrived at, the sport would cost nothing, and might even be better than ever. 32 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING CHAPTEE II TACKLE Rods—Lines—Reels—Flies: Change of, according to size and colour of water—Lord Home—Mr. Daniel—Wading—Caution as to dangerous wading. The stray remarks made in the preceding chapter upon the history of the fish lead naturally to the study, from the angler's point of view, of how to catch them ; and it is with much diffidence that I venture, not indeed to tender advice to many who are doubtless better fishermen than myself, but to offer such observations as have occurred to me during many seasons devoted, whenever opportunity arose, to the sport, hoping that the following pages may perhaps afford some slight amusement to brother fishermen, and even some hints useful to less experienced disciples of the art. Eods vary of course in weight, length and action; the longest I have used was 22 feet, spliced in three pieces, made for me by one Sandie Eose, a native fisherman on the Tummel. The shortest was 17 feet. The advantage of a long rod is not only in power of casting a long line with comparative ease, but in cases where the fish lie on the other side of a heavy stream in enabling the caster to hold up a portion of the line out of the water, thus preventing the fly from coming too fast over the salmon, and so avoiding the risk of cheating them at the rise. Its TACKLE 33 disadvantage is its weight, the strain of holding out a rod of extra length whilst working the fly being considerable. In steering a fish clear of rocks and dangerous spots where there is a chance of having the line cut, this extra length is, of course, in the fisherman's favour. For all practical purposes 18 or 19 feet will probably be found the best length and should not prove fatiguing to a man of ordinary power. Indeed, except in cases where the casts are numerous, but short (i.e. where the fisherman stands on a rock which extends for twenty or thirty yards only, and after casting from this limited extent goes on to a similar post further on), a rod of 20 or 22 feet would try the muscles and sinews of most men too severely. Besides the length of the rod, its action has to be considered, whether it is to be that of the Irish or Castle- connell type, of the old Tweed sort, stiff and well suited to sending out a heavy line against the wind, or of the Spey fashion, used in rivers where from one cause or another the line cannot be stretched out behind the caster. These different rods are, no doubt, all well adapted to the purposes for which they are intended, and are now made by so many painstaking manufacturers, who use none but the best material, that it is a matter of fancy where they are procured so long as a first-rate firm is employed. When ordering a rod, I should go to a maker who was himself a fisherman and who is therefore well aware of the necessity of adjusting the weight of the line to the action of the rod; for this reason I have for many years bought fly-rods from Forrest of Kelso and Hardy of Alnwick. Lines.—Lines are now mostly made of prepared silk, though American cotton is sometimes used. I have used only the first, with three or four feet of strong treble gut spliced on to the end in order to taper the cast. Twisted D 34 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING hair was often substituted for gut for this purpose, but it is more apt to rot unless dried immediately after use. As to casting lines, some diversity of opinion exists- Many people prefer single gut, excepting in heavy water, or when the river is slightly discoloured. I discarded single gut after a few years' experience, not because it is deficient in strength when new, but because it is less reliable, being apt to break at the knots if it has once been used and put away. I am further of opinion that it shows more in the water than fine twisted treble; let anyone stand on a high bank and watch a fisherman who is using single gut; to him the single gut will appear, if the sun is out, like a streak of silver stretched across the river; twisted gut is far less visible. In former days it may have been a matter of some difficulty to obtain a satisfactory outfit. The old reels were somewhat like oyster barrels in shape and must have been inconveniently slow in taking up line when a fish ran in towards a fisherman's feet. Scrope, in his * Days and Nights of Salmon Fishing,' describes the reels in use in his early days as being ill suited to deal with such circumstances, and tells us he designed others with a larger circumference. In the beginning of the last century the reels Were generally attached to a broad leather belt going round the angler's body, instead of to the rod, and were known as 'belly pirns.' By this arrangement the fisherman was enabled to use the butt to assist him in crossing a deep or rapid ford. The lines were of black, twisted horsehair. They did not, however, long remain trustworthy without great care in drying them; this, as well as the difficulty of procuring proper material, led to their disuse. The rods, too, especially towards the butt, were heavier and less finished than the modern ones. The improvement in tackle has probably been as marked as in other things. — ■py-jjU; ■55PB55 TACKLE 35 Flies.—With respect to salmon flies, it appears to me that the number of patterns used is far greater than necessary. Half a dozen different kinds will meet all ordinary requirements. White Wings, Jock Scot, Silver Grey, Silver Doctor, Blue Doctor, Black and Yellow (for bright sunny day), Turkey Wing, the last dressed only on large hooks. It is essential, however, that each pattern, excepting the Turkey Wing, should be tied on hooks of different sizes. It often happens that a fish will rise at the fly without taking it. In such case it is well to change to a smaller one. Should he again come up without being hooked, a still smaller fly should be tried. For all, except the large sizes, I prefer double hooks; the weight of a large fly makes it difficult to cast; there can be no object in-adding to that difficulty by the use of a heavy double. Moreover the leverage affecting the bend of a large double hook, should a fish turn or roll, is very considerable, and may cause the wire, however well tempered, to break, an accident to which the single hook is less liable. When visiting a new river it is as well to listen to the native fisherman's advice, and to buy a few of his flies— at the same time not relying absolutely upon them. One or two instances may be quoted in confirmation of this view. Once, in Ireland, having fished a cast of promising appearance with a fly of sober hue, tied by the local professional, without moving a fish, I suggested to him (the water being slightly discoloured) to put on something brighter of my own; having glanced at the fly I proposed to use, he said, with a self-satisfied smile, * Sure, your honour, no man would kill a salmon with that fly here in ten years.' Nevertheless after a few casts up came a fish at the fly he had condemned, the said fish being duly hooked and accounted for: the fly was of a well-known pattern, ' the Thunder and Lightning.' 36 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING On another occasion I was fishing a well-known pool on the Tweed. Being somewhat of the character of a ' Dub,' it was of little or no use without a breeze, but the wind that day was fresh, and from the right quarter, moreover there had been floods, and the river was full of salmon. After fishing for some time with no success, though the fish were showing themselves at every moment, it occurred to me that the fly was too large; but the man rowing the boat maintained that it was small enough, saying that when the water was over a rock which he pointed out, one of similar size was always used. As, however, there had been one or two heavy floods which had thoroughly cleaned the bottom of the river, it was clearer than it would usually have been when high enough to cover the stone he referred to. I therefore proceeded to change the fly I had on for a smaller one—still no result; a still smaller was tried (probably half the size of the one I began with) and in a few casts I was fast in a fish, and ended by killing nine salmon out of that one pool. In the case just quoted the water was high but clear— the successful change was from a large fly to a smaller one. Here are instances where the proceeding was reversed with advantage. Fishing the Lees water one cold frosty morning, for some time without result, the fisherman advised me to try a larger fly, saying that in such weather small ones were useless. I handed him the box of flies, out of which he chose one twice the size of that hitherto used; with it we killed two or three fish. The river was low at the time and there were not many up. A year after I was out on the lower water in the park at Floors. The river was clear and fine, the wind heavy from the east and bitterly cold. After fishing for some time with a fly adapted to the height of the water, it occurred to me to try the plan which succeeded at Lees. mmmrnzmsmasz* TACKLE 37 Accordingly a good-sized Wilkinson was substituted for the small Jock Scot hitherto used. With the Wilkinson six salmon were landed by two o'clock. The head fisherman, who had up to that time been in attendance on one of the Duke's guests, who had left for the South by an afternoon train, came to see how I was getting on. He was surprised at my success, remarking that they had done nothing up above, and, on looking at my fly, told me they had been fishing with flies three sizes smaller. Two more fish fell to my lot, which took flies of the size generally used in the then height of the river. But the wind had dropped and the afternoon was milder. These instances may tend to prove that the angler should sometimes use his own discretion, and not rely entirely on the opinion of the professional. On a river like the Tweed, where the men have had opportunities of seeing every sort of fly used, such cases as those last quoted would rarely occur; but in remote districts, where the flies are tied with such feathers and materials as can be procured in the neighbourhood, and at little cost, the native fishermen have perhaps never seen a Silver Doctor or a Wilkinson. Indeed, it happened that, when I was fishing the Garry one spring, my attendant had not seen me put on a Silver Doctor. Shortly afterwards upon gaffing a fish which had laid hold of this Silver Doctor, he expressed his surprise at anyone's killing a salmon with such a fly. The man became a convert to the use of the Silver Doctor, and when consulted afterwards as to the expediency of a change, would usually recommend ' that silver thing.' After all said and written upon the subject of salmon flies, there is probably something near the truth in the remark of the fisherman mentioned in Scrope's work— ' some days the fish would take the thumb of your mitten,' others they would ' na look at the Lady of Yarrow in all her braws.' The fisherman's saying was perhaps rather 38 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING highly coloured, but it is true enough that in some rivers, at all events, hungry spring salmon may be caught with flies having no resemblance whatever to one another. On the Avon, near Christchurch, when I first knew it, it was considered hardly necessary to use any fly but 'the Bolingbroke,' which was made with wings of the long feathers from a golden pheasant's topping, the body fiery brown, ribbed with gold lace. I provided myself with some of this pattern when elected a member of the small club that rented the Eoyalty, but finding that the Tweed flies, Jock Scots, Childers, Stevensons and Co. were just as effective, I got no more Bolingbrokes, the wings being too brittle for use, in the strong south-westers to which that part of the river was exposed. Later, the Eagle became a favourite fly on the Avon, and I remember an old gentleman, who had killed fish on the river for many years, and who used none but huge Eed Palmers, wingless lures. Certainly the Eagle, the large Eed Palmer, the Bolingbroke, and the Tweed patterns were as unlike one another as possible. It is probable enough that the preference shown by fish for some particular fly is to be accounted for by the colour of the bottom of the river. For some years I went up to the Garry at Easter for a fortnight, and after two or three visits I found one particular pattern so successful that it was unnecessary to use any other except in two of the casts; in these two pools Jock Scot and the Silver Doctor answered well, but the fly which proved deadly in other places was useless there. I believe the pattern which answered so well with me thirty years ago is still as popular with the fish as ever. The fly in question had mixed wings, blue jay at the shoulder, and lake- coloured silk body, with golden ribs. It is difficult to account for the failure of the favourite fly in two pools only, unless because the bottom of the river was of quite TACKLE 59 a different colour to what it was anywhere else. There alone, the rocks were light brown, the bed of the rest of the river being dark. Wading.—In these days an outfit would be considered incomplete did it not include waders. Those most commonly used are made of mackintosh, over which are drawn thick worsted socks and brogues. Shooting boots a size larger than those usually worn are better, as affording more support and protection to the ankle, and they also prevent the small stones or gravel from injuring the mackintosh, which the brogues will not do. I prefer long waterproof boots as being easily put on and off and more comfortable to wear; these may be made of mackintosh, or strong leather, well greased, such as is used by fishermen when netting. The soles should be furnished with large copper nails, which will not rust as iron ones do. Where deep wading is necessary waterproof trousers are used : most uncomfortable garments to my mind. When I was a young man it was my habit to take to the water in ordinary clothes, wearing thick shoes, with holes punched in them, and gaiters; these were less tiring to walk in, but the practice tends no doubt to sow the seeds of rheumatism in after life. In later years I have made it a rule to adopt wading boots, even when the water could be covered from the bank, as being convenient when kneeling down in wet grass to keep out of sight in trout-fishing, or in crossing from one side of the stream to the other. Here it may be as well to offer a word of caution to ardent young sportsmen who might be disposed to take to the water without ascertaining the depth and nature of the stream. Two narrow escapes have I seen from the danger of careless wading. A gentleman had arrived at a wayside inn where I was staying to fish the Awe. There was little prospect of killing a salmon, the river having fallen 40 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING in, but some chance of sea trout. The morning after his arrival we went together to a stream much frequented by these fish, and before my companion began I cautioned him to return by the same way he went, as there was deep water on both sides near the end of the cast: further, he was advised not to go too far down stream, as the bottom, being composed of loose gravel, he might find it difficult to keep his footing. In went our friend, taking the advice rather lightly; having fished the place down, he turned to come back, and observing that he presented a broad front to the stream, instead of walking up sideways, I was prepared for an accident. After a step or two, the shifting gravel affording an insecure footing, came a stumble, and down went the angler. My fisherman ran instantly below, where by going in up to the middle, whilst I in less deep water held fast to his coat-tails, he just managed to reach him and drag him half-drowned ashore. Had he been alone the chance of his coming to land alive would have been small. The second instance occurred on the Solway Dee at a cast known as 'Meg'.s Hole.' There you had to wade along a spit of rock which ran out towards the middle of the river, and it was essential to return exactly by the way you had come. My fisherman was a small, rather frail, old man, and I wished him to remain on the bank, but he insisted on wading in to show me the place, as it was entirely new to me. Having fished down to the tail of the pool, I turned to come back, giving the man my rod and taking the gaff to help me on my way. The water ran hard over the rock on which we were, but it never occurred to me that a professional fisherman would be in any difficulty; however, to my dismay, he made a half-stumble and only saved himself by jamming the butt of my rod into the bed of the river. In vain did I shout to him, the man seemed half-crazed. There was nothing TACKLE 41 for it but to go down another yard or so and to try to reach him with the gaff. This I was able to do ; the rocks afforded some foothold, and firmly planting my feet, I offered him the hooked end: clutching it eagerly, he almost lost his footing, and for a moment it seemed likely that we should both be washed down into ' Meg's Hole,' where the waves and the rocks would have made an end of us. Owing to the nature of the bottom, however, it was possible to stand fast and drag the man up to where I was; then, creeping sideways up stream, to pull him a little farther on the way, so that we arrived without more difficulty to shallow water. Here, again, was great risk incurred owing to the folly of a man who ought never to have trusted himself in such a place. No doubt he had often fished ' Meg's Hole' with safety, but he told me the water was rather high, and he had probably not allowed for that circumstance. It is somewhat amusing to look back to old descriptions of trout and salmon, and of tackle, affording, as they do, a singular contrast to more modern ideas. What would the Eev. W. B. Daniel, whose work on Eural Sport was published in 1807, have thought of the Durham Eangers, Silver Doctors, Wilkinsons, &c, as tied by Forrest of Kelso, or Wright of Sprouston? The flies he recommends for the spring season must, he says, be framed much larger, but not so splendid as what are used in summer. Wings, dark brown, speckled from a bittern's wing; body, reddish brown hare's fur and copper-coloured mohair, bittern's hackle over all. No. 2 : Wings, mottled feather of a peacock's wing; body, light brown hair of a bear, sable fur, gold-coloured mohair, gold twist, black and red cock's hackle, and red head. He also mentions other patterns, with mottled and heron wings. His advice upon all points I should not be inclined to 42 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING take ; for instance, when he says : ' the angler must strike the moment the fish rises, because the salmon will not take the fly under water, but when they take they break the water fairly.' His ideas about hooks are probably original. They ought, he thinks, in a very rapid river or deep lough to be thick wired, otherwise ' the violence of the current will prevent the fly keeping an even motion and thereby the fish will fail in seizing it when he rises; and in a deep lough, the water which the salmon forces before him when he rises will throw it on one side, and by that means the fish will also miss the fly.' As to the rod, it should not be less than 15 feet; the reel should hold fourscore yards of good running line made of silk or hair. He refers to the advantage of being able to give the salmon when hooked plenty of line, ' for the fish will at first run swiftly, and afterwards leap and plunge, so that he must be humoured and the line slacked and wound up again with great skill, until he is quite subdued, when he may be led to some shallow, where, on his belly and touching the bottom, he will turn on his side, and be so jaded that he may be taken out by the gills.' As to the mode of taking him, the rev. gentleman published a footnote describing the capture of the salmon in verse, which ends thus : Quite exhausted now he grows, And now his silver body shows; Nor one faint effort more he tries, But at my feet a captive lies. His tail I grasp with eager hand, And hurl with joy the prize on land. The poetical angler must have been gifted with a hand not only eager but of considerable power to enable him to hurl a twenty-five pounder on shore! In Scrope's day the bright patterns now used in many i TACKLE 43 rivers were almost unknown. I question if any of the present fishing-tackle makers keep in stock a single fly of the kind he describes, although some of them would answer well. One he calls ' Toppy'—and two others, ' Meg with the muckle mouth' and ' Meg in her braws,' known generally as the ' Turkey Wing.' I have often tried them with success. Indeed, on some days these old-fashioned flies will kill when the brighter ones are allowed to pass unnoticed. I was on one occasion fishing a cast named ' The Back of the Wall,' on the Lees water, in the month of September, the river being full of fish and in good order ; Silver Doctors, Stevensons, and other flies of the modern type proved of no avail. One large salmon had come up twice without taking, and as a last chance a large Turkey Wing of a Tay pattern was offered him. This was instantly seized, and after a good run the fish was landed on a bank of black mud, a little below, weight 28 lbs. Several others were caught in the cast with the same fly. Having no fisherman with me, valuable time was lost in taking them down to the bank of mud aforesaid (the only available landing place in the circumstances), and the fish left off rising before evening or my sport might have been even better. Another day a large salmon had risen without being hooked, but when I changed the fly from a bright one to the Turkey Wing, he laid tight hold and was killed. Two more were caught, and then a particularly headstrong fish, which I believe to have been hooked foul, ran out a prodigious amount of line, and cut me round a rock at the bottom of the river. I had no other Turkey Wing with me at the time, and, though there was no reason to complain of the day's sport, my belief is that I should have done better had it been possible to continue the use of that pattern. 44 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Thanks to the kindness of the present Lord Home, I was afforded, whilst staying at the Hirsel not long since, an opportunity of perusing notes made by his lordship's grandfather (the Lord Home referred to in Scrope's ' Days and Nights of Salmon Fishing') upon Mr. Daniel's remarks above referred to. As these observations from the pen of a great sportsman of bygone times may interest anglers of the present day, it may be worth while to refer to them here, f A salmon rod (he says) should not exceed 15 feet in length for fly-fishing, and should taper very gradually from the butt to the extreme point, which should be not less than J inch in diameter and be of whalebone, the butt not more than 1J inch diameter, so that in throwing the line the curve should be quite regular from the butt to the point. Without such a spring the line cannot be forced against the wind. The running line should be of hair, and very thick and heavy; the casting line made gradually to taper so as to fit properly to about six feet of line, made of three guts twisted by the hand, to which lines bearing the hook should be joined, so that, in fact, the whole should make one continued taper from the butt to the hook itself. The butt is made of good ash, seven feet in one piece; the top, the best hickory, the same length in three or four pieces. 1A rod and fine so poised can be used with complete effect against any wind. I never saw a London or Edinburgh salmon rod worth a halfpenny, or that could stand my work two days. I can pitch my fly with ease fifty feet from the point of the rod, with tackle of the above description, against a very rough wind. ' The best dye for gut for clear streams is made thus: pour a little Bohea tea (pretty strong) into a basin, in which put the gut first and a teaspoonful of ink. It ■^ •jwi -wjuii "J > TACKLE 45 gives the gut a beautiful bluish colour, rendering it quite indistinguishable when in the water.' Daniel remarks that fishes are supposed to be affected by the approach of rain, since it is allowed that at such times they cease to bite freely. Lord Home testifies that this remark is strictly true in regard to salmon. ' They rise freely, but seldom take the hook, even the day previous to any considerable fall of rain (enough to raise the river). Salmon bite equally well at any hour of the day, provided the river be in proper order, and the day cloudy with wind. The best fishing months on the Tweed are February, March, April, part of July, August, September, and October, the last by far the best, May and June the worst. Every river (he considers) must have its particular flies, according to the colour of its waters. The most killing fly in the Welsh rivers would not stir a Tweed salmon and vice versa. The most killing fly used on the Tweed is the following : body, a large black cock's hackle, with black dubbing below ; head and tail, either orange or yellow—the former the best and should be deep coloured; the wings, tail feather of a dun or chestnut turkey, with white tip, and as a change a black turkey with white tip, commonly called by the fishermen red and black white tops. The wing feathers of the large Scotch brown eagle make most excellent flies for spring, the part used that near the bottom of the quills, which is softest and most beautifully mottled. Other flies are used, but none so deadly as the first two. The tail feathers of the salmon- tailed kite make also capital wings—also the speckled turkey. The beautiful speckled or spotted purple and white feathers under the wing of a teal make an excellent second wing.' Lord Home has put on record a day's fishing which, provided the catch was of clean salmon, exceeds anything IP I SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING I have ever heard of. He says: ' The greatest number of salmon ever caught by the rod in one day was on April 9, 1795, by Lord Home ; the wind east, attended with rain the whole day; the number caught, 36; the weight of the fish ran from 6 lbs. to 36 lbs.; the largest salmon his lordship ever caught weighed 53 lbs. 14 oz. to the lb.; from the time the fish was first hooked till it was on dry land, fourteen minutes; the hook on single gut.' His lordship's rod must have been a powerful one for its size, and the thick hair line must have given him a great advantage in casting. It would take up a good deal of water when lifted, thus getting the spring on the rod; the back swing would shake out most of the moisture, and thus diminish the exertion of making the cast. It will be observed that both Lord Home and Mr. Daniel give the proper length of the rod at 15 feet. Scrope, I think, puts it at 18 feet. His lordship says he could pitch his fly a distance of fifty feet from the point of the rod against a rough wind; probably on a calm day a few yards further. If this was the extent of his casting, a good deal of the water where he fished must have been missed. It would be interesting to know when these short weapons were superseded by those of the length used in the present day. With due respect to his lordship's opinion on the subject of flies, I differ from him as to flies suited to one river being useless on others, having killed salmon with flies not intended for the river I happened to be fishing. E.g. I got two one day on a stream in Lord Home's water with the Avon fly, ' Bolingbroke,' after having tried favourite Tweed patterns without avail. 47 CHAPTEE III MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY Casting—Against a wind—Long casts—The Duke of Roxburghe's casting power—Working the fly—The boatmen—The rise—Cheating a salmon— Running a fish—A hard run on the Garry—Attempt to land a fish on the Avon by holding on—My first Tweed salmon—Landing a fish without gaff or net—-Insensibility of fish—Getting hold of the kingdom of Scotland—Landing a laurel wreath—Various moods of salmon—Castle- connell rods-—Sir F. Grey's fish on the Avon. The foregoing remarks on tackle bring under consideration the method of using it to the greatest advantage. It is hardly necessary to observe that the best of rods, flies, &c. are of little avail unless skilfully used, and yet how many degrees are to be found amongst the crowd of anglers, from the novice, or the blunderer, who seems nearly incapable of improvement to the artist who can send out a true straight cast, to the right spot, regardless of wind and other difficulties! After all, that which is of the most consequence is to be able to cast properly. The sportsman in these days rarely goes out alone, and his gillie or fisherman probably has a fair knowledge as to what fly to ' put over them,' as they say, but the angler must depend on his own resources, as far as throwing a good line and properly covering the cast is concerned—and this indeed constitutes the charm of fishing. To put on paper a description of the art of casting would be a difficult matter. We all know when watching the fisherman whether he throws a good line, and when by his side we can appreciate the skill which enables 48 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING him to encounter difficulties successfully, or the ignorance which increases those difficulties; but if instruction is to be of avail, it is best given by the riverside. It is a true maxim which says that the caster should be able to throw with ease the length of line he lifts from the water, and it is on this account that it is essential that the line should be properly adjusted to the action of the rod. If too heavy, it will be difficult to lift when the fly comes round at the end of the cast; if too light, it will not bring out the proper play of the rod and so will increase the exertion of casting. But this maxim hardly applies in the case of having to throw against a wind, and all that can be said on this point is that the strength used and the fall of the fly must be gauged with the greatest accuracy. On the one hand, the fly must on no account be allowed to hover, as it were, in the air before it drops; on the other, it should not be hurled into the water with undue violence. In the first case the fly and part of the casting-line will be blown back, not only failing to reach the right spot, but making knots on the gut, and subjecting the angler to delay and risk. In the second an unseemly splash will be the result. The object must be to arrive at a happy medium between these two extremes. In fishing slack water, or in places where the fly sinks in an eddy as it comes round, it is a good plan to pull a yard or so of line through the lowest ring, hold it between your fingers, and let it go as you make the next cast. When throwing as much line as you can manage, a yard or two gathered up in this fashion will be found of much service in lengthening the cast. This is not, however, the main advantage to be obtained. The chief object is to relieve the strain to which the top part of the rod is subjected in lifting the sunken line; besides, it will often happen that a fish will follow the fly round and seize it MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 49 at the moment it seems to be about to escape. Should the angler lift his rod at that moment he will certainly break something (the casting line only, if lucky: the rod, if unlucky); whereas if he is merely drawing in a yard or so before making a fresh cast, he will hook his salmon, in all probability, well and firmly. As to the length of line which a master of the art may be able to throw at a casting competition, many surrounding circumstances have to be taken into consideration; distances which seem fabulous are said to have been covered. Doubtless the facts are correctly stated, but it would be interesting to ascertain how the feats reported have been performed—whether there was anything connected with them which would be incompatible with fair, ordinary fishing. For instance, it is quite possible by making two or three false casts, as it were (drawing the fly back just as it would naturally alight) before delivering the fly to send out a longer line than could be practically worked by the fisherman. In actual practice the fly is usually allowed to come well round towards the fisherman's side of the river, so that when lifted it would have a strong tendency to return somewhat in the same direction, whereas it is bound to proceed towards the opposite shore. And this tendency tells much against very long casts. Be all this as it may, although often having heard of men who could throw forty yards—i.e. fish with line enough out to cover that distance—I have never seen but one fisherman able to do so. There is a famous cast on the Floors water (the Slap) where the Tweed rushes through a channel forty yards wide, and many an unsuccessful attempt has been made to cast from one bank to the other. Upon one occasion, however, whilst I was fishing this * Slap,' the late Duke of Eox- burghe happened to be present, and as I was using an 18-ft. 6-inch rod just out of the maker's hands, I asked him E 111)1' 50 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING to try it. To my delight—for it was a pleasure to see such an artist cast—he threw the fly to within an inch or two of the opposite side (not straight across but slightly down stream, showing that he had thrown more than the distance in a direct line across the water), and, moreover, he made three or four such casts, without any intermediate recoveries to keep the line in its proper course, and indeed fished the water fairly round as though he had been using a short line. The Duke was a tall and powerful man, and had fished for salmon from his boyhood. It is not my intention to assert that other fishers could not be found who would do as much. I can only say that, in my experience, the Duke was the only man who succeeded in performing the feat before my eyes; to my mind thirty yards or a trifle over constitute a long cast, and many a good fish has been killed by anglers incapable of covering that much water, still less of emulating the performance above referred to. A comparatively short line properly thrown and worked is far more effective than a long one somewhat beyond the power of the caster to manage properly. There is one error which a novice is not likely to make —i.e. casting more line than necessary. It is a mistake made mostly by men who have been accustomed only to fish from the bank or wading, and, in such cases, it merely results in a waste of time, unless when salmon lie on the other side of strong running water; then the result is likely to be a failure to hook a fish, even if it be inclined to take, owing to the difficulty of holding enough of the reel line out of the stream, and preventing the fly from coming round too quickly. In fishing down from a boat not only is time wasted, but as the boat is kept moving water is missed. ' Casting,' as above mentioned, is meant to apply to over-hand throwing, where trees and banks do not interfere ^u^u-wyu, - |mu^w.tiuL-.u MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 51 with the angler's comfort. As to the Spey throw, or * switching,' as it is sometimes called, I can say nothing, being but a poor hand at it. In order to switch properly a rod of a different make to those used on the Tweed and on open waters, in my time, is required. I have possessed one or two built for trout-fishing in places where the bushes and banks precluded the use of the ordinary rod; they were, to my touch, rather topheavy, and useless for casting against the wind. The proper balance for them is well known, and there is no difficulty in procuring them from many of our fishing-tackle makers. A good switcher, as I have been told, can command quite as wide a cast as that covered by the ordinary method. It is a mode of fishing which is invaluable in cramped places or where deep wading is necessary, and it has often been a subject of regret to me that I did not attempt more assiduously to acquire it. Next in importance to casting comes the proper method of working the fly, the object being that it should travel fairly and easily round from where it falls to the edge of the cast (by the * cast' is meant that part of the channel where the salmon He); where the stream runs at a uniform rate, or nearly so, the fly and line will fish of itself, as it were, requiring little or no humouring on the angler's part. On the contrary, in some rivers, especially in Highland streams, it often happens that the fish lie well over towards the opposite bank and beyond the main strength of the current. In such cases it is well to throw straight across into the easier water on the far side of the cast, taking care to let as little of the reel line as possible strike the water; the top should be held rather high as the fly falls, and gradually lowered as it comes round; by this means it is possible to avoid its being whisked away from the fish before he has time to seize it; when this happens, though you may raise salmon, you will seldom 52 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING hook them. On the Tweed the fly is usually allowed to sink well below the surface ; but then the channel of the river is in general of a character which does not require any such manipulation. As an example of the importance of working the fly with due regard to the nature of the water, the following illustration may be mentioned. Mr. John Bright, the well-known Cabinet Minister, was desirous of fishing part of the Floors water on Tweed; he was accordingly taken charge of by the head fisherman, and proceeded to the lower beat inside the park. He fished all day and killed nothing. It was doubtless an unpleasant experience to him, and a surprise to the other guests at the Castle, as there were plenty of fish, and the water was in order; moreover, one of the party had got eight fish below the town of Kelso on a beat which was certainly not equal to the \ Lower Water' at Floors. I had the good fortune, thanks to the kindness of the then Duke of Eoxburghe, to be sent to the piece of water upon which the great man had been at work the next day, and was rowed by the same fisherman. I inquired of him how it was that my predecessor had failed. Could he not reach the fish ? * He cast fairly enough,' said the man, ' but he had not the right method of " working the hook." ' Upon my remarking that perhaps he had not explained this, he said pithily enough, ' Hoot, John Bright is one of they folk that will not be telled.' On another occasion the fisherman referred to was rowing a gentleman, well known not only as an angler but as a writer upon sport. The wind was strong and adverse. The first effort to cover the cast was a failure, the line being blown back in the caster's face. * That's bad,' said the professional; ' throw again.' A second attempt brought forth the remark, * That's waur.' ' Can you get over them in this wind ?' replied the angler. The fisher- fsmmmmm. MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 53 man, observing that he supposed he could, took the rod, let out a few additional yards, and away went the line straight as though it had been ruled, in spite of the adverse blast. Then, returning the rod, he remarked: 1 Eh, sir, ye can write grand aboot sawmon-fishing, but ye're just wanting the practical pairt.' Here is an example of what may be done sometimes by taking the advice of one thoroughly up to the business. I had fished a cast well known to Tweed men called f the Bushes,' a little above the famous ' Sprouston Dub/ with two flies, and not had an offer. The fisherman, knowing the river to be well stocked with fish, desired me to sink the fly as deeply as possible, and to work it slowly and gently, much after the fashion of trolling for pike with a gorge bait. By this method, which never would have been adopted but for the advice of Kerse, the fisherman, I killed two salmon, one of them a newly-run fish over 30 lbs. The fly used was a Wilkinson.1 In the interesting and amusing book upon fly-fishing recently published by Sir E. Grey, he mentions that one gentleman belonging to a party of anglers was more successful than his friends, which success he attributes to his casting a long line, nearly straight down stream. The fact of his success is doubtless beyond question ; but such a method is unusual in most rivers with which I have been acquainted, and is adopted only where the stream bends towards the side from which the angler is fishing ; in such a case it is very necessary, in order to prevent the fly from coming round too rapidly. In connection with the proper working of the fly, it may be worth while to say a few words upon the boatman, upon whom, in the wider and deeper parts of the 1 It is probable that these silver-bodied flies, Wilkinson's Silver Doctors, are mistaken by the fish for minnows. 54 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING iSi Pit- river, so much depends. Where the cast cannot be reached from the bank, or by wading, the angler must naturally have recourse to the aid of a boatman. When possible he should wade and hold the head of the boat whilst the sportsman stands up in the stern to cast; where it is too deep to admit of his wading, recourse must be had to the sculls. In some cases a man will stand on the bank and let down the boat by means of a line. The boatman will know if the cast should be fished in technical parlance up or down—i.e. whether you should begin casting at the head or tail of the stream. In the first case the boat being dropped down gradually, in the second rowed gently up, the stroke being given as the fly comes round: the first when the current is heavy, the second in slacker water ; whichever plan is adopted, the boat must be kept at the edge of the cast, and in no degree should it be allowed to hang over that part of the channel where the salmon are resting. Such a proceeding would obviously tend to frighten the fish lying on the angler's side of the cast, which are indeed those he is most likely to take. When the man wades and holds the boat, he can generally put the fisherman, with accuracy, in position to cast again over any fish which may have risen without taking; it is difficult to do so when he has to depend upon the oars. Eowing the boat is an art of itself, and requires not only considerable skill, but hard work, where the water is heavy, or the wind strong. Much depends also on the management of the boat when the fish is on, it being most desirable to keep as near to it as possible. The Tweed boatmen are, as a rule, good fishermen, and well able to judge of the capabilities of the gentlemen they attend. Of course, some row better than others. A man who can keep the boat travelling, parallel to the edge of «*■*■■». MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 55 the cast, and hold a true course, regardless of a heavy side wind and rapid water, is a good boatman, good enough for any fair fisherman. The boatman who can assist a novice, by a touch of the scull, which brings the stern a yard further into the stream as the fly is delivered, and, as it comes round, by a reverse action keep the line right so as to ease its recovery, is an artist. Such a man was W. Stevenson, for many years head fisherman at Floors. Often have I watched him from the bank. He would tell an inexperienced amateur not to move his rod after the fall of the line, and, by dexterous management of the sculls, humour the fly, as it came round, according to the nature of the stream. In fact, he would himself do half the fishing, besides often making an indifferent cast into a good one. The men I have had with me have invariably been civil and attentive, keen, and anxious to promote sport. Occasionally they are perhaps more outspoken in their remarks than those who have not been much in their company might be inclined to tolerate. But allowance should be made for the disappointment of a keen man, who has been doing his best, and working hard, to assist the amateur fisherman, when he finds his trouble thrown away, owing to the blunders of a novice too self- sufficient to take advice. It has been said, in my hearing, that casting from a boat is comparatively easy. The assertion is probably made by those who have never tried it. Let anyone fish Sprouston Dub with an adverse wind three or four times without a rise or a rest, except perhaps to change the fly, and then give his opinion as to whether it is easy work; the Dub, if I remember right, is about 400 yards long. Possibly it may be supposed that the fisherman is rowed out to any distance he pleases from the bank, and can thus command the water without difficulty. If the choice were offered of boat, or bank, or even wading, I should 56 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING certainly not prefer the boat. Not only is it, in my opinion, easier and more pleasant to be on terra firma, but it gives one the satisfaction of feeling dependent only on one's own exertions. The next consideration is how to treat a rising fish. It has been said that the strike should be given when the rise is seen. In my humble opinion, this is a mistake. A salmon, being a large and heavy fish, requires a moment or two to return to the bottom of the river where he has been lying, his method of going to work when taking the fly being divided into three movements : (1) the rise; (2) taking the fly at or near the surface; (3) going down again with it in his mouth. Scrope, after giving a description of the flies used on the Tweed in his day, \ Toppy,' the ' Lady of Merton,' &c, says, ' If you rise a fish with the Lady, and he does not touch her, come over him with Toppy, and you have him to a certainty, and vice versa.1 (I am dubious as to the certainty, rather inclining to the opinion of a south- country fisherman, that there \ was never no certainty till you gets them on the "bank." ') The plan usually adopted was to change the pattern, and if that did not succeed to try a smaller fly. I should rely more on the change of size than of colour. Once, on one of the lower pools of the Garry, I killed a salmon at the third time of asking; the fly he rose at first was of some size; he was offered one a trifle smaller, and again he came up; the third was still less, and that he laid fast hold of. Now and then the change from a smaller to a larger hook answers, especially in cold wintry weather, or where, owing to swirls in the water, you have reason to believe that fish might not have been able to see the fly. If a salmon has touched the fly, it is very seldom that he will rise a second time. I wonder if anyone who may chance to peruse these MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 57 pages has ever known a fish to be killed after ' cheating him '—i.e. deliberately baulking him, when he rises. Once, while walking by the riverside, at Floors, I came upon the Duke of Eoxburghe (grandfather of the present Duke), who was wading and fishing a favourite cast known as the ' New Stream.' As I came up to him a fish rose without taking. The Duke, turning round, said to me, ' This is the second time; if he comes again, I shall cheat him.' Having waited a few moments, he threw again, and again the salmon rose. The Duke dropped the top of the rod and let the fly down below. At the next cast the fish was hooked. Close to where he had been lying was a dangerous rock, so that had it run across towards the opposite side, which it seemed much disposed to do, the line would assuredly have been cut—a misfortune which might easily have occurred to a less experienced and skilful fisherman. The Duke, however, getting a little down stream, turned his hand over, holding on in such fashion that the powerful rod he used bent double, and it appeared as though something must go. In this way he managed to keep his fish on the right side of the rock; when past it, the Duke shouted to me, ' I've got him now! ' A short distance below, the salmon, a new one of 28 lbs., was landed on a shelving bank of gravel. The Duke told me he had often tried the same manoeuvre, and sometimes with success. Often, in comparatively smooth places a wave caused by the rise may be observed behind the fly, before the water actually breaks, then comes the rise itself, followed by the long drag on the line which tells you that the fish has got the hook ; then, and only then, is the time to fix the hold by a firm but careful pull. Some fish are more leisurely in their movements than others, and it requires a certain amount of self-control to resist the inclination to shorten the moment of suspense between the appearance of the ' wave,' or the straightening of the 58 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING line, and the return of the fish towards the depths of the river; still that self-control must be exercised, or light will be the bag. Further, it will sometimes happen that a rise will be seen in the middle of the stream, and that no corresponding pull will be felt by the angler; if the strike is made, no chance is given the fish to follow the fly round and make another effort to secure it. Occasionally a second rise will be made during the same cast, if the fisherman goes on working his fly as though nothing had happened, and that second rise will generally prove fatal to the fish. Bunning a salmon.—Let us now consider, a fish being hooked, how to deal with him. It is hardly necessary to observe that considerable skill, to be acquired by experience only, is required to enable a man to run his fish properly, and get him on shore with as little delay as possible. Salmon rarely take uniformly well through the day, so that, where they are plentiful, it is well to make the best use of the time during which they do rise. It is hardly possible to control the first rush of a salmon ; as soon as that is over and the resistance of the fish becomes less, pressure should be put on, and kept on, until a second rush is made; then, again he must be allowed to have his own way, unless he is making off to a dangerous place, where the line will probably be cut against a sharp rock, or is apparently bent upon going where the angler is unable to follow. These rushes will be gradually shorter as the fish becomes exhausted, and, if the stream is slack, he can be landed without further difficulty. If, on the contrary, there is no choice but to bring him to the net in hard-running water, the rod must be turned towards the bank next the angler and a firm hold maintained, until the attendant is able to use the gaff or landing-net. This operation requires some nerve, as the broadside of the fish, being acted upon by the MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY stream, the weight upon the rod and line is heavier than is pleasant. It should not be attempted until the fish is quite beat. With reference to the contingency above mentioned— i.e. where a fish is running towards another pool where it is impossible to follow him, or into danger of such a nature that it becomes necessary to take any risk in order to stop him—some experienced fishermen maintain that the line should be slackened, the slightest bow being maintained on the rod, or, indeed, slackened entirely. The experiment has been tried twice in my presence, once in the Tweed when the fisherman deliberately and of his own accord gave the fish his head when he was hanging above a slap, the result being that he swam down the stream and was seen no more; the second time on the Inverness Garry, when the line became slack, from no desire of the fisherman. The Garry fish was killed by good luck after a desperate run. Perhaps, as affording an example of how much may depend on fortune or accident, the adventure may be related. I happened to be fishing a pool which had just come into order, where the river made a considerable bend, so that the cast was somewhat of the shape of a half-circle; below was a waterfall, further down a rock projected into the water, on the same bank from which the angler cast; from this rock a tree sloped towards the river in such fashion that it was not possible for a man, single-handed, to take the rod past. After I had fished the pool with a large dark-coloured fly and seen nothing, the fisherman urged me to try a different one over it; this I declined to do, but told him, if he thought it worth while, to choose another fly and go to work himself. He proceeded to do so, having selected a huge Silver Doctor, whilst I retired up the bank to watch. At the very tail of the pool up came a fish, which was instantly hooked. At this critical 60 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING tlr'y II moment the man stumbled and the line was in a bag; nevertheless, down the waterfall went the fish. The man followed as best he might, until he arrived at the point where the tree barred his progress ; by the time he got there I was on the rock below, holding on to the tree with one hand on account of the slippery stone, and stretching forth to take the rod with the other. All th,at could be done was to grasp the middle of it until he came round and relieved me, the line in the interval running freely down stream; upon reeling-up the rod bent, and the fish, which had been taking matters easily, was off as fresh as when he started : down stream we went through swirls, eddies, broken water and rocks, till we reached at last a small sandy bay where the fish had stopped ; here the trees grew close to the water's edge, so that it was impossible to get the top of the rod up. The man who had run the fish (he had offered me the rod, but not having hooked the fish I naturally declined it) was rather doubtful as to what to do. However, at my suggestion he walked backwards into the wood with the top pointing towards the fish, and so towed him to the side where it was easy for me to use the gaff. The salmon was a well- made spring fish of about 15 lbs. The run was not as long or as desperate a one as that described by Scrope on the occasion of his reels getting out of gear; but let anyone who knows the Garry cast an eye over the river for some 300 yards below the Mill Pool, and let him say if following a salmon through such dangers as it reveals is not a remarkable achievement. Nothing but extraordinary good fortune could have enabled the fisherman to succeed in getting his fish. In endeavouring to stop a fish in close proximity to danger I know no better chance than to hold on and run the risk of a break in doing so; it has been my habit to throw as much strain on the line as possible and not on MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 61 the rod: first, because the line will stand a far harder pull than the rod; secondly, because if anything goes it will be the casting-line; a broken casting line is no serious misfortune, but a broken top, especially if it happens to break at the ferrule, may finish the day's fishing. Should a salmon yield, cease plunging, and show some inclination to come towards the fisherman, let him by no means reel up at once, but walk up stream with the rod bent hard on the fish until out of danger, then wind up as quietly as may be. Any strong measures in the use of the reel will certainly set the fish off again. As stated above, it is hardly possible to control the rush of a salmon when first hooked. If the attempt be made, it is certain to result in a disaster. Let me quote an instance of such an attempt, leading to the loss of the fish. A salmon had been seen at the tail of a stream in the Avon known as ' The Piles,' one Friday afternoon; it was tolerably certain that when the weirs had their hatches opened the next day at twelve o'clock (the hour at which weekly close time begins), such fish as might be in the * Eoyalty fishery ■ would leave that water for the pools higher up; the time available was therefore short, and flies of approved patterns had been tried in vain. Prawns were to be had, but I had no suitable tackle to use with them; accordingly, on my way home to the King's Arms, (an excellent hotel), I went into an ironmonger's shop and bought a sea-hook, which, to judge by its appearance, should have been strong enough not to break in the jaws of a shark ; this I tied on to a cast made of the stoutest three-plied gut, attaching some heavy shot and a coarse swivel to the tackle. So armed I got up early on the Saturday and fished the water down to where we had seen the fish; having put a couple of flies over him without effect, there was nothing for it but to let him see the prawn. No sooner did it come 62 SEVENTY YEAKS' FISHING near him than he seized it eagerly and was fast hooked. I looked at the Christchurch Abbey clock, which was plainly visible from where I stood, and found that there was only a quarter of an hour available in which I could reach the train by which it was imperatively necessary that I should go to town. The keeper was with me, so I told him to take the rod and kill the fish ; this he refused to do, whereupon the only course left was to pull the salmon across the river to within reach of the gaff by main force. Walking backwards from the bank with a firm grasp of the line, I succeeded in bringing him safely three parts of the way, when the rod straightened, the* line flew up, and he was gone—the ironmonger's hook had broken. Apart from the knowledge which every fisherman of experience may obtain, it would seem that some men have naturally a gift of touch which enables them to gauge the exact amount of pressure which may be safe to put upon a running fish, much as some horsemen are endowed by nature with good hands. This gift is more often found amongst gentlemen than amongst professional fishermen, probably because the former use better tackle, which can be absolutely depended upon with fair usage, whereas many of the latter are obliged to be content with what their means may afford, and are therefore afraid to ' hold on ' at the proper moment. I have little doubt that this sense of touch comes naturally to some men, whilst others remain, in spite of much practice, all their lives without it. It is this sensitive touch that makes good hands in driving or riding, enables a musician to produce a good tone, or gives John Eoberts and a few professional billiard-players judgment of strength and the consequent power of making the marvellous breaks for which they are famous. So, with regard to fishing, the advantage of feeling exactly how much pressure it is safe to put on is of the greatest MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 6c value. Nor do I believe that experience, though it may do much, will make up for the want of a delicate sense of feeling in the angler any more than I believe that without it a man can have good hands on a horse. Eeference is not intended to extreme cases, but to ordinary circumstances where the object is merely to kill the fish as quickly as possible in order to save valuable time. Upon one occasion, having hooked a newly-run gilse of about 10 lbs., the professional fisherman remonstrated with me for not holding harder. I therefore gave him the rod and asked him to kill the fish. A moment or two after he began to ease the strain by pulling line off the reel, remarking at the same time, * It's amazing what power they things have in the water.' This same man (and no better ever rowed a boat) was with me when I killed my first salmon, in the Tweed. The water was a good size for killing fish, but beginning to run low and clear. He, being strongly in favour of the use of single gut, had knotted on a cast out of a hank which happened to be in my book. Shortly after going to work a fish came up to the fly and was hooked, foul, as it turned out; away went the salmon, up and down and across the stream, towards the shallows opposite, occasionally swimming deep, now and again throwing himself out of the water. The directions which the fisherman shouted to me were enough to confuse even a tolerably old hand, still more a comparative novice, as I then was. 'Hold up your top or he'll break ye—mind ye've only single gut—he's gaun to they stanes opposite— feel his weight—get below him—drop your hand ' (when he jumped &c). Fortunately, after an exciting battle, the salmon, a clean-run one of 15 lbs., was brought to the net, when the old man's features relaxed into a beaming smile, and as he knocked it on the head with the doctor he exclaimed, ' Eh, but ye managed him grand.' 64 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING It is, in fact, hardly possible to judge what a fish is doing unless one has the rod in one's own hand. In the case above mentioned, the fisherman knew nothing of my capacity in the way of running a fish, and his anxiety to see it brought to book caused him to give me instructions which, as they were somewhat contradictory, it would have been hardly possible to follow. That he would have killed the fish in better style than mine is probable enough. Here follows an example of how a salmon may be lost from a want of proper resolution at the right moment. I had been all day on the Feale, near Listowtel, not having had a rise or a pull; just before giving up the fisherman said, ' Here is one more stream your honour should try before you go home.' I, however, having lost all hope, gave him the rod, desiring him to fish the cast himself. To my surprise, after a few throws, the man hooked a fish of 8 or 9 lbs., which, after jumping once or twice, ran for some distance down stream, the fisherman and I following along the bank. A little below, the river widened out to a broad reach, where branches hung over the water; the fish was showing signs of fatigue and I urged the man to shorten the line and turn the rod over his shoulder, knowing that if any of these branches had fallen into the river, there would be a strong chance of losing him. He took no notice of my advice, and the next minute the fish got fast at the bottom and escaped. In this case the fisherman was afraid to prtt on any pressure, having no idea of what good tackle would stand in that way. It has been my habit when fishing in gloves to keep the reel line between the second and third fingers; when a fish makes his rush, the fingers can be opened to give free play to the reel, and as the vigour of the dash subsides, closed lightly or firmly according to the motions of the MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 65 fish. Without gloves this plan will not do, unless the angler chooses to risk having his fingers severely cut. Without gloves, however, the line may safely be held between the finger and thumb. The quickest way of tiring a fish is to get below him and pull him down stream, but in many rivers this course is impossible, and you are forced to stand where you were when the rise took place. In such cases the job is a long one. It is essential if a fish runs up stream and passes you to turn the rod towards the bank on which you may be, and by no means hold it at something like a right angle to the river: in fact, in the position it occupied when the salmon was hooked. By thus turning the top you keep the reel line on your own side, and as much as may be out of the strength of the current; if this precaution be neglected and the water is heavy, the line will make a half-circle under the surface, which, as Scrope pithily remarks, 'would go round the ruins of another Carthage.' If alone and without a gaff, a salmon may be safely landed thus: Having found a suitable spot—i.e. a shelving bank, the fish must be gently but firmly conducted towards the shore until he falls over on his side; you may then lay down the rod, taking care to place it so that the reel will run out easily should the salmon have another plunge left in him; march into the water, take him by the tail, and push him up the bank. It is well, perhaps, to point out that, in so handling a salmon, the thumb and one finger only should be used; if two are employed, one pushes the other out of its hold on account of the limited space between the root of the tail and the body of the fish. The actions of a fish doubtless depend in great measure upon the way in which he is hooked; if the fly is fixed in the tongue or lower jaw, the power of resistance is much diminished; if in the gills, he will F 66 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING quickly bleed to death; swallowing the hook, which occasionally happens (so long as the gills are not touched) when using the prawn, does not seem to affect his means of locomotion. One evening it happened to me to kill two fish with this bait in the Avon; they both ran furiously, and when landed, the hooks, one large and two small, were found to be lodged in their entrails. The first of these fish, immediately after bolting the prawn, rushed down to the tail of the pool, and I hoped that when he came to the shallow water he might turn; however, after hanging for a few moments, off he went down the stream; in order to follow it was necessary to struggle through a boggy piece of ground, so that it was not possible to keep up with him, and by the time firm footing was reached nearly all the line was out, the fish being far below and near the opposite bank. Heeling up and running down the river, I became conscious of a sensation as though something was rasping against the line. When able to get up to him, after one or two more rushes, he came to the gaff; there was then but little daylight left, so, in order to save time, I proceeded to cut the tackle above his mouth and put on a spare hook ready baited. The fish, a clean-run one, over 25 lbs., had cut one of the strands of treble gut, thus accounting for the rasping sensation referred to above. What would have happened had the hooks been mounted on single gut? The second fish took the prawn, gulping it down instantly into his stomach, just as his companion had done, but instead of pursuing a down-stream course, ran hard some distance up the river, then, turning, came back to the pool where he had been hooked. As there was no bog to wade through or any impediment to prevent following him, he was easily landed; he weighed within a pound or two of the first. It is apparent from the above incidents that fish can MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 67 have but little sensation of pain in their interior as compared with other creatures. What resistance could be offered by any warm-blooded animal with a hook in its stomach? In the course of my own experience I have three times seen fish hooked in the eye; twice when fishing the Tweed, once in the Garry; on each occasion the runs which the unlucky salmon gave were of the wildest description. Do what one may, when first hooked, a salmon of any size is master of the situation, and if he declines to run it will take a long time to land him. One which was hooked in a cast named 'the Prison,' near Sprouston, took five hours to kill; it did not actually sulk, but kept swimming slowly round and round, resting now and then for a short time when tired; a small fish would not have been able to resist the pressure put upon it, but this particular salmon weighed 25 lbs. (for it was killed at last). By its tactics it saved the lives of several of its relatives. Occasionally a fish will become sulky and lie down at the bottom without stirring; the best chance of moving him is to row or wade across to the opposite bank, get below him and pull him down stream. I know little about sulking fish, my own experience being limited to one occasion, on the Avon. The fit of ' sulks' may have lasted ten minutes, but on getting a punt and crossing the water, the salmon, which was a large one (32 lbs. weight), came away directly and was killed. Should a salmon, when apparently nearly beaten, rest for even a few minutes, he will soon recover from his exertions, and when he makes a fresh start will be nearly as strong as when first hooked. Twice have I seen fish lost in such cases. Upon the first occasion I was using the prawn, and, after hard fighting, the salmon (a large spring fish) had run over a shallow where there was scarcely depth for him to swim, into a small hole, where F 2 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING the water was perhaps two feet deep. The keeper had no waders, so I gave him the rod and marched in below with the gaff. When nearly within reach the fish made a furious dash and succeeded in making his way over the shallows. I shouted to the keeper to keep up the top and run with the fish. Instead, he stood still, out went the line, the heavy shot attached to the trace got fast at the bottom, and the fish was away. The second instance is as follows:—A friend had come down to fish ' the Eoyalty ' for the first time. I accordingly went out with him to point out the casts. Having fished two pools blank we came to a stream at the bottom of which a punt was waiting to take us across, as it fished best from the opposite side. My companion, however, threw a long line and did not see the expediency of crossing, as he could cover the water from where he was. Having made a few casts he was fast in a fish, which, after a gallop up stream, subsided into a small hole, much of the same nature as that referred to above, only that the water was not so shallow. A little farther down on our side was the boggy ground referred to on page 66, which, the river being rather high, was passable with difficulty, if at all. The angler appealed to me as to what he should do. I advised his crossing at once; now, the punts used on the Avon are small and narrow, and unless one is accustomed to them it is prudent to sit fast at the stern; so I added, ' Whatever you do, sit still till you reach the opposite bank, and on no account stand up before you get there.' When halfway, off went the fish, as strong as ever, and up sprang my friend to his feet; at that moment, the stream being somewhat heavy, the punt gave a lurch, he stumbled, and nearly fell overboard, failed to let the reel run, and was broken. Both these fish were lost by mismanagement ; in my case I did not give the salmon credit for m**m* MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 69 being able to get out of the tight place he was in, and had the keeper followed my directions he would have kept the sinkers off the bottom and killed the fish. My friend's loss was the result of his casting from the wrong side of the water, and neglecting my warning to sit still. Besides these two cases I recollect having on, for sometime, a salmon which ran to where the current of the Tweed was divided by a rock ; between the two streams was slack water, and, the fish being in good condition and over 20 lbs., was able to resist my effort to move him for a time. When he did move off he went as though just hooked. Moral: Never let a salmon have a moment's breathing time if you can help it. It might be supposed that all men who have been in the habit of fishing would arrive at some general method of running a salmon. This is, however, by no means the case. It once occurred to me to be out with a gentleman who, when a salmon was hooked, put the butt of the rod on the floor of the boat, held the top up and allowed the reel to run without touching the line. When the fish got tired of towing it about, he would wind up and bring him ashore; it is needless to remark that besides risking the loss of the fish, endless time was wasted by this method of going to work; the rod was of cane and over twenty feet, so that the friction on the rings was considerable, otherwise no one could guess how long it might have taken to land the fish. The boatman was in despair, and in order to put an end to this novel mode of treating a salmon, when another fish was hooked he, as soon as possible, rowed the boat ashore, thinking that the gentleman would then be forced to stand up and use his rod in the usual manner. Our friend was not to be done so easily, for some trees near the bank having been recently felled, he sat down on the truuk of one of them and went -— •' £ YEARS' FISHING on as before. On another occasion a friend was running a fish which had turned up stream; he appealed to me as to whether he was going to work the right way. ' No,' said I, ' turn the rod over towards the bank behind you.' This he declined to do, though it was obvious enough that by so doing he would have pulled the line out of the main body of the stream and thus relieved the pressure on his tackle. The strain was considerable, as he had not only to contend against the power of the fish, but the weight of the stream acting on the line. The channel, however, was excellent, and no misfortune occurred. Curious mistakes have now and then been made by anglers not well up to the proceedings of a salmon when first hooked. There is an old story of a gentleman who was fishing where the water ran deep and strong. The fly being well sunk a heavy pull was felt, and the reel giving out line freely, he thought a big fish was on. After a few moments, the line sagging round in the eddy, it became evident on winding in that the hook had not moved. The angler thereupon handed the rod to his man, asking if he had not got hold of something very weighty. ' 'Deed, have you,' he replied; ' you have just got fast in the kingdom of Scotland.' The fly was fixed in a rock below the surface, and the action of the stream, a want of resolution on the part of the angler, and an easy running reel had sufficed to produce the illusion. That the tale is strictly true I cannot assert from my personal knowledge. I tell it as it was told to me. Here is another instance, however, of a somewhat similar occurrence, for the reality of which I can vouch. An old friend of mine, keen as all good fishers should be, happened to be on a visit to the late Sir J. Marjoribanks on Tweedside. The water was far too big, in fact in flood; nevertheless, though told there was no chance of a fish, he persisted in MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 71 trying his luck. His first attempt was made where, even in low water, there was a heavy run, at the tail of which fish would rest, just above an eddy which turned in towards the side from which he cast. After a throw or two a heavy drag was felt, and out went the fine; the professional fisherman, a very old man—for he told me he remembered rowing my grandfather—took the boat ashore and instructed the angler to go down a step or two and bring the fish into the eddy. Following this advice no salmon, indeed, was landed, but instead a wreath of laurel was dragged ashore. A short time before, one of the Duke of Eoxburghe's daughters had been married, and on the occasion of her first visit, after the ceremony, to Floors Castle, the Kelso people had erected a triumphal arch on the bridge which there crosses the river, as an earnest of their good wishes to her and her family. The arch having served its purpose, was pulled to pieces and thrown into the Tweed; the fragments were carried down by the next flood, one of which found its way to the Lees water, where it was hooked and landed as narrated above. The dash of a clean salmon when first hooked is, as all fishermen know, most vigorous and exciting to the angler; when nearly exhausted it will, before coming within reach of the gaff or net, make repeated efforts to regain deep water. Its last struggles rather try one's patience, even when using a powerful rod. If hooked on trout tackle, these last moments are naturally much prolonged. When fishing for trout one spring in the Tweed, the river being full of kelts, I hooked a large, well-mended one; for a long time it continued to bore out into the cast, after having been worked into shallow water; I was using two large March Browns, one a shade lighter than the other. The big kelt had taken the tail fly, and to my surprise, as it hung in the stream, a second 1 72 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING kelt rose at the dropper. Ejiowing that if it took hold an immediate smash would be the result, the line was instantly slackened, so that the fly should fall back below the rise. The experience would have been unique, but hardly have made up for the loss of my flies and casting line, possibly for a broken rod. Salmon, as is well known to all fishermen, lie only in certain parts of the rivers known as ' casts.' These spots are, of course, pointed out by the attendant gillies to the sportsman, although an experienced hand would doubtless discover the best of them for himself, if put down by the side of an unknown stream. Casts have all their own names, in most instances given them by local fishermen on account of some distinctive feature. There is generally to be found a crooked pool, an otters' pool, and so forth. On the Tummel one stream is named Craigandhoulia, or the Tailor's Eock, because a tailor was drowned there. Two streams on the Dee (Solway) are called the Amont and the Aval—French words signifying up-stream and down-stream—the Amont was fished up, i.e. you cast the eddy with your face looking up stream, the Aval was fished in the ordinary way. Some distance below these two streams there is ' Queen Mary's Pool,' and upon asking my gillie why it was so named, he said ' it was because Queen Mary crossed the water there, and when she got to the tither side they knockit the heid off her.' In rapid rivers which bring down gravel and soil when in flood, casts are subject to alteration, generally for the worse; three good streams at least do I know on the Tweed which have been spoilt in this way. One near Coldstream, known as • The Back of the Wall,' used in a certain height of water to be much above the average— in anglers' parlance it fished better off the land—and there one September afternoon, I, fishing alone, without man MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 73 or landing net, killed six salmon. I am told it has been so silted up with gravel as to be now altogether useless. It has constantly occurred to me that in certain cases something might be done to improve a cast. Where a good deal of water runs over shallows by the side of the channel in which the fish lie, a wall might be built out at such an angle from the bank as to turn the water so wasted into the main stream, thus increasing the volume of the current. Sometimes ' a cradle' is put into the river with the object of contracting its width immediately above the cast, which is thus made deeper and more rapid. Careful observation of the kind of water which salmon rest in is often of great assistance, and may not only save the trouble of casting over useless parts of a river unknown to the angler, when without the assistance of a local fisherman, but prove the means of picking out a fish from a place which a man used to depend upon a native gillie might pass unnoticed. Coming home after an unsuccessful day's stalking in the forest of Glen Quoich, the stalker told me that there was a salmon in the Quoich where that river ran past his house. Upon further questioning he said the fish's fins had been seen as it swam up the shallows. The next day I took my rod and tackle up to the shallows referred to, and proceeded to fish the likely-looking places above. At the second pool came a wave below the fly, a head and tail rise, and a slow heavy pull; the next moment the fish was hooked and running down stream. After a hard fight and several escapes from [being cut amongst the rocks, the salmon was duly landed on a shelving bank of gravel (weight, just under 20 lbs.). One or two other places of promising appearance were tried in vain. Then fastening the head and tail together SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING by means of a few twisted birch twigs, I trudged slowly home six miles along the road, with the fish in one hand and the rod in the other. On approaching Glen Quoich Lodge I fell in with my host, the late Mr. Edward Ellice, who, while congratulating me on my success, expressed his surprise, as, said he, ' You did not know the water.' Many years afterwards, it so happened that I was staying with the late Lord Normanton at Somerley, his place on the Avon, whence it was easy to reach the ' Eoyalty ' which I was fishing at the time. His Lordship's river-keeper was anxious to have the Somerley water tried, as salmon were said to visit that part of the river occasionally. Accordingly, the keeper and I walked up one morning to the highest stream, bent upon giving the water a fair trial. In one of the pools, two or three salmon had been netted at considerable intervals of time: nothing was known as to the rest of the water. In that pool two kelts were caught and put back. Some way lower down the river made a considerable bend, and the keeper suggested that, as the pool below the turn did not appear to be of much account, we should take a short cut across the fields in order to save time and trouble. Being generally acquainted with the look of the river from having often shot wild fowl out of the Gazes on its banks, this particular pool was well known to me, and I had thought to myself that it was just the place for a spring salmon ; it seemed therefore a pity to leave it untouched. We accordingly stuck to the river and fished the pool down, with the result that there we got the first salmon ever taken with the rod on the Somerley water (28^ lbs. weight). After this other casts were discovered, and in the spring a few salmon were generally killed—a few only, for the Avon never held many, and the Somerley water being a long way from the sea, as the river ran, the fish ?*m MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 75 had much difficulty in escaping nets and rods on their way up. The last day I ever fished at Somerley produced two fish, one of 21 lbs., another of 12 lbs. The river-keeper was only just recovering from influenza, so that I was alone. On my way up to the top of the water a fish showed itself. In the bright sunshine it seemed to be brown on the back, not blue, as a kelt would be. Beginning some way above, I got hold of the larger fish, and after a time drew it ashore on a shelving bank of sand. Then returning to where it had been hooked, I fished the pool down to where the other salmon had been seen : he declined, however, to take the fly (a double Silver Grey) which had proved successful; so noticing that he lay amongst boils and heavy swirls, where the water presented almost a convex aspect, it occurred to me that perhaps the Silver Grey was not easily visible. I therefore substituted for it a large Bolingbroke (wings, golden pheasant's topping; body, fiery brown, ribbed with gold). No sooner did the big Bolingbroke come over the fish than he took, and was soon on the bank by the side of his big brother. It is generally considered that, though salmon may lie in pools where the water presents the appearance just referred to, they will but seldom take in such places. It might be worth trying casts of this description with a fly a good deal larger than would be used in other parts of the water. Avon fish were never at the best of times numerous, but the wild fowl were. (On one day we killed at Somerley 173 head of eatable ducks—a record, as I believe, in the annals of real wild birds.) When I first knew the Avon it was the prevailing idea that in consequence of an alteration at the mouth of the river, the number of fish had materially decreased. The Avon in old days was 76 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING said to have run directly out to sea, but that after heavy gales from the south-west, which threw up a quantity of gravel, its course was altered, so that it turned under one bank and took a more circuitous direction. I was told that salmon had consequently difficulty in finding the mouth of the river. I was willing to believe that the Avon had changed its course—indeed, the fact was evident enough—but not that fish would be hindered in ascending the river in consequence of such a change. In two or three years the fishing improved from other causes—the effect of the English Salmon Fisheries Law, possibly better supervision above Christchurch, and the return to the water of kelts, though the river was still eating away the bank. As soon as this slight improvement became manifest, the ' Eun' below Christchurch where the fishermen worked was covered with nets. The result has been naturally that the last state of that river is worse than the first. Those interested in the netting wilfully blind themselves as to the cause of the falling off, the Eun men attributing it to want of fish passes, those higher up to the change at the mouth of the river. One remedy proposed is the abolition of netting in fresh water. No doubt such a measure would be of some use, but the question arises as to how funds are to be obtained to compensate the owners of the fresh-water fisheries. Where the diminution in the number of fish had rendered such fisheries of little or no value, the compensation would be comparatively trifling, but the prohibition would of itself not do much. Nothing short of some years' jubilee would avail. Then, as no licences would be taken out, the funds would disappear. My first visit to Christchurch after joining the small club which fished the ' Eoyalty' produced two salmon of about 25 lbs. each. I had fished on the Thursday and Friday with no result, beyond landing five or six kelts;' MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 77 so, putting down my want of success to the unfavourable state of the weather (a bitter east wind and hot sun), had decided to go to town by the early train on the Saturday; but, as I walked home in the afternoon, the air felt less keen and the sky had become cloudy. I therefore told the fisherman to call me early if a change occurred. Luckily the wind shifted during the night, and instead of a hot sun and cold easterly breezes we had on the Saturday morning mild weather and a drizzle from the south. Accordingly the fisherman and I went up to Knap Weir (our boundary) and began immediately below, where a large stone had been put in to induce the fish to rest. After two or three casts a wave came below the fly, and just before the line would have been lifted a rise and a heavy pull. After a hard fight the salmon, which was nearly beaten, gave two or three heavy rolls, and produced a feeling as though it had suddenly doubled its weight. It had turned once or twice over the line, which thus had got noosed round its body, and I had not only the weight of the salmon to contend with, but, the pull coming from its middle, its power of resistance was the greater from its being broadside on. However, on the bank where we were there was no impediment, so, getting below the salmon, he was pulled down stream. A firm steady pressure caused him to turn over and over until the coils of the line became free, when he was easily landed. Weight, 25 lbs. In the afternoon, when the artificial flood caused by letting off the water, which had been penned for netting purposes, subsided, I killed a second fish of the same size. On my return journey to London, whilst waiting at Eingwood for the up train, my rods were on the platform, and from their length attracted the attention of a schoolboy, who was, with his father, on his way to town. ' Father,' he said, ' what long rods ;' on which the father 78 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING 1 inquired if I went bobbing] for whales with those rods. 'Yes,'said I; 'that is what they are meant for.' 'Ah,' he replied, ' I dare say with all your long rods you have not taken two such fish as I have,' and with that he opened a rush basket and displayed two pike of about 3 lbs. apiece in wretched condition, being at that season (month of April) full of spawn. Having no wish, so to speak, to take the gilt off the man's gingerbread, and sympathising with a brother angler's pride, I forbore to mention my own performance. Allusion has been already made to the fact that salmon in the spring, when fresh up from the sea, are, when in a taking humour, by no means particular as to what fly they may rise at. Here is a case in point. It sometimes happened that only one member of our small club would be on the water, and in such cases we were at liberty to invite a friend. On such an occasion I took down to Christchurch my uncle, the late Admiral Sir Frederick Grey. The river was, though clear enough, very high, and he was advised to try a large fly. The Admiral, however, chose one of the old Bolingbroke pattern, two or three sizes smaller than that recommended, and being, like most of his profession, a man of decided opinions, stuck to his choice. The wind was strong and foul, and the Castleconnell rod he used seemed useless against the adverse blasts. After some two hours or so it lulled for a few minutes, and during the calm interval he for the first time succeeded in getting his line out properly; the immediate result was a rise, the rod bent up to the reel, and away went a 30-lb. salmon up stream at his best pace. In a wonderfully short time the Admiral 1 For angling rod he took a sturdy oak, For line a cable that in storm ne'er broke, His hook was baited with a dragon's tail, And then on rock he stood to bob for whale. MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 79 steered his fish to within reach of the gaff, and on landing him exclaimed: ' You see, my fly was the right one after all.' I have little doubt that the fish killed by Sir Frederick would have taken a larger fly, but am not certain that the smaller one would have answered excepting at the spot where it proved successful; the river was a big fishing size, but the fish killed was lying in an eddy at the tail of a heavy stream where there was no depth of water. This was the first time a Castleconnell rod had been used in my presence where large fish were to be met with, and I was surprised at the short time in which a 30-lb. salmon was killed with it. This is to be accounted for by the fact that, with a fish on, the upper part of the rod is pulled down towards the water far more than the old Tweed rod of stiffer make would be, the strain being thus thrown more on the line and the lower part of the middle piece. I have only once killed a salmon with one of these Castleconnell rods, and that was in a cast called the Black Stone in the upper Floors water. One of the other guests at the Castle was fishing, and asked me to take a few casts with his rod whilst he had a smoke on the bank. A fish was soon hooked, but, being unacquainted with the spring of this kind of rod, I was at a loss what to do, and afraid to hold on, until urged to do so by its owner. My objection to the Castleconnell type is that I have never seen anyone able to cast against a wind with a rod of this build. It may be done, but never has been done by anyone in my presence, though I have often seen the attempt made. Another relation of mine, brother to the Admiral, the Honble. Harry Grey, was for many years a member of the small club which fished the Avon, and a fishing adventure of his (I should think) is unique. He had hooked a large fish in a part of the river where the bank had been piled, 80 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING At one place two or three of these piles had given way, and the bank had become undermined. The fish having been on some short time came close inshore, where the bank was in this state. The keeper struck the fish fairly with the gaff, but when he endeavoured to lift it out, the bank gave way under his feet, and in he went into six or seven feet of water, losing his hold of the gaff and breaking the casting line. Mr. Grey went on fishing until just before dark, and as he was reeling up caught sight of the top of the gaff handle in a hole a few feet deep, a short distance above where the fish had been lost. A punt was launched and an attempt made to recover the gaff and the salmon, but without success. The next day the top of the gaff was seen again. A net was then drawn through the hole, and the fish, with the gaff still sticking in its side, captured. Twice have I known the gaff to fail; once in the Garry, where the gillie tried to hoist the fish up a steep bank, and the hook straightened so that it fell back into the river. The casting line, however, was not touched, the hold was good, and a few minutes sufficed to bring the salmon (which weighed 23 lbs.) on to a shelving bank, where it was easily tailed and pushed ashore. This gaff was purchased at the shop of a London tradesman of high repute, yet it had been carelessly tempered. On another occasion I had hold of the second largest fish which fell to my share on the Avon (weight 34 lbs.). When the fish came within reach, the same man who had fallen into the river when trying to land Mr. Grey's salmon, attempted to strike the gaff into it and bring it ashore at one stroke, with the result that the hook came off the handle and that the fish swam away with it in his side. Here, again, the casting line was not touched, and after another ten minutes the fish was tailed and landed. The gaff was still in its side, and was soon fastened to MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 81 another stick. It is now along with other tackle in a cupboard in my sitting-room. A blind salmon.—One bright hot afternoon in the month of May, whilst waiting till towards evening before trying for a fish, I was watching the shoals of roach as they ran up a gentle fall immediately below a pool known as ' Brewhouse Hole,' when a salmon appeared leisurely ascending the stream close to my feet. It took no notice of my presence, and remained almost stationary within a yard or two of the bank before it disappeared. The next morning before leaving for town I told the fisherman of the curious behaviour of the fish, and remarked, ' If you get a salmon of 18 lbs. or so when netting Brewhouse Hole, it will in all probability be the one I saw.' At my next visit I was informed that whilst the net was coming in, a fish of that size was seen swimming behind it, whereupon a second shot was rowed and resulted in its capture. Upon examination it proved to be blind, a thick film having grown over both eyes; the fish was said to be in good condition. There was no reason to doubt the truth of the man's story, and the strange behaviour of the fish is thus explained. I wonder if any similar instance of a blind salmon is known to any of my brother anglers ? Blind trout I have seen, and once scooped one out of the Itchen with the landing-net. It was an ugly black brute, and in very bad condition. But this blind salmon was said to be a well- shaped, healthy fish. It has been my good fortune to spend many pleasant days on the banks of the Avon—fishing for salmon in the spring, and shooting wild fowl in winter. The friends who were my companions in these pursuits have nearly all passed away, and it is certain that my line will never again be cast upon its waters. Nevertheless, I still take an interest in the river, and it is with much G 82 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING regret that I have read the evidence given before the Commissioners of 1902 of its decay, if not ruin, as a salmon stream—a regret heightened by the conviction that under proper management its product might have been increased, not diminished until the vanishing point seems to have been reached. Considerations as to the caprice of the fish we attempt to capture with the artificial fly have been already stated. Spring salmon are less uncertain as to their habits in feeding than autumn fish, sea trout, or brown 'trout. Indeed, when clean run from the sea both in the Tweed and the Hampshire Avon, it is my belief that by far the majority of them take. I once asked an old fisherman on the Tweed whether many were found in the streams when, in former days, they ' burnt' the water. ' No, indeed,' he said, ' if the casts had been properly fished previously.' On the Avon if a salmon showed itself, before the warm weather, in one of the pools, it was almost certain to be hooked, provided of course that it was not a swimming fish. In the autumn it is, as a rule, only one out of many that will rise. There is a pool immediately below Coldstream Bridge in which the fish may be seen by looking over the parapet. Upon one occasion I chanced in the month of September to be on the spot; the bottom of the river was, without exaggeration, covered with fish. A man was trailing a fly off the bridge, and as it came over them one salmon, out of the number congregated there, rose. The fisherman turned to me saying his fly was too large. As it happened, two or three smaller ones were sticking in my hat, and I bade him try one of them. The salmon moved towards it, but did not break the surface—the fisherman then expressed his hope that he might get him at the gloaming. Sure enough he did kill a fish that evening, I pjwjp^s: MANAGEMENT OF THE FLY 83 probably the one he rose. How can we account for the fact that this one salmon only, out of perhaps fifty or a hundred, was ready to take ? The fickleness of salmon and trout with respect to the fly they may prefer at the moment is well known. Why this is so we know not, but all fishermen are aware that such is the case. It is still more remarkable that, with salmon, they should vary, not only as to the eagerness with which they may take, but in their behaviour, when inside the circle of the net. I have seen fish after fish drawn out with the seine, offering no resistance as it came ashore ; perhaps the next day they would dash violently at the net in their efforts to escape, so much so that the hauling lines would have to be slackened—and what is still more singular, possibly one fish only, out of several, would behave in this manner. If they all acted in the same fashion, their conduct might be set down to the condition of the weather, or to some cause which affected the mood of salmon in general at the time. But this theory would not account for the violence of one fish and the sluggishness of another; the fact stated rather goes to prove that fish vary as much as other creatures in disposition. SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING CHAPTEE IV SPORT ON TWEED AND AVON Avon—Sport on the Tweed—Dubs—Mr. Liddell's day on Bergham Dub— Curious Casts on Tummel and Makerston—Rob of the Trows—Big and small salmon. The best sport which has fallen to my lot has been on the Tweed, and after that on the Hampshire Avon.1 On that river I once killed four spring salmon of large size in the day. More than once three. Whilst it was only on one or two occasions that my trip from London to Christchurch failed altogether. It was not only on account of the weight of the fish, but owing to their condition, that the sport on the Avon is thus rated. They showed extraordinary game, running hard, leaping out of the water at one moment, swimming at the bottom the next, and producing, what an old Tweed fisherman described to me as ' music in the Pirn.' Along the silver streams of Tweed 'Tis blithe the mimic fly to lead When to the hook the salmon springs And the line whistles through the rings ; The boiling eddy, see him try, Then dashing from the current high, Till watchful eye and cautious hand Have led his wasted strength to land. 1 The first six fish taken by rod in the ' Royalty Vat the beginning of my last season on that river weighed altogether 150 lbs.—largest 30 lbs., mujCl-JPifinKflBfl .pWIJ^z-.-VrM^aU SPORT ON TWEED AND AVON 85 In the Tweed, the ' dubs' or long deep pools, where there is but little current, hold a large proportion of salmon, especially in the autumn, and it is generally on these dubs that the heaviest bags are made. (It was on Bergham Dub that the late Honourable and Eev. Eobert Liddell killed eighteen fish in one day.) These places are useless unless the wind strikes them, and it frequently happens that they remain unfished for days; thus, the fish they contain may probably never have seen a fly. On the other hand, the streams may have been well threshed, without a rest, for some time. It cannot be supposed that salmon take better in dead water than where there is a good run.; the inference, therefore, is undeniable, that it is in consequence of the large number of fish collected in the dubs, and to the fact that they are not so constantly cast over, that they provide the large takes so often recorded in the ' Field.' They do not afford as pleasant fishing as the streams; the line being less easy to lift, moreover, as they are in general more exposed to the full power of the wind, the casting is not only laborious, but difficult. For all that, it is well to fish the deep water whenever a breeze gives a chance of success, the streams being always available so long as the river is in order. According to my experience the dubs fish best in low rather than in high water, provided there is a strong ripple on them. When the river is full, the shallow side of the channel is the best; as it falls in, fish are inclined to draw in to the deep side. In the same way, when the streams, though clear enough for fishing, are still heavy, the tails of the casts and eddies at the edge afford the best chance. When there is a doubt as to whether a cast is too big, it is well to watch the fly. If it makes a streak smallest 20 lbs. I killed four of them, the other two were caught by a friend ; they were all weighed in my presence. 86 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING in the water, resembling, on a small scale, the wake of a light boat, it is a waste of time and trouble to go on fishing there. It is to be observed, however, that where the stream runs hard, between its banks, the water being, for the most part, tossed about and disturbed, smooth places may be seen here and there, extending perhaps only a few yards; these may be fished with success before the cast itself can be said to be in order. There is a cast in the upper Floors water which just answers the above description. It fishes off the bank, and there I was landed one afternoon, whilst the fisherman took a friend, who was with me, higher up to fish from the boat. The cast was too heavy, but throwing only where streaks of smooth water were to be seen, it was my good fortune to land four salmon before dark. It is a sound rule to keep as short a line as possible on your fish, yet there are places where this maxim must be disregarded. Such a place I have seen on the Tummel. There you throw from a rock which runs out into the river at an obtuse angle from the bank. Should a fish be hooked and run down, it is necessary to stand still until a good deal of line has been taken out, then to follow quickly, and after passing the rock wind up rapidly, holding the top well up at the same time. Were you to start directly the fish was hooked, you would certainly cut the line. Farther down, the river runs, for some distance, at a great rate, and here three buttresses have, at one time or another, been put up in order to protect the bank; behind these are small holes where, though the water is broken, a resting-place is afforded to the fish on their ways up the rapids. These holes may be tried at any time, as, though fish will not remain long in them, yet, while there, they are likely enough to take. It is probable that in rapid SPORT ON TWEED AND AVON 87 streams of this kind there may be similar resting-places, here and there, which escape notice altogether. Any man who has had experience on various rivers would have little difficulty in finding out the casts on water to which he is a stranger. The only case in which he might easily be mistaken is where the pool is of such depth that salmon lying at the bottom of it would not be able to see the fly. Such places there are on many rivers. For instance, in the 'Eoyalty' on the Avon is a pool known as ' Brewhouse Hole,' which is said to be twenty- two or twenty-three feet deep. Two fish only were, at the time I fished the water, known to have been killed there with fly, though they have on several occasions been taken with a prawn. The river, just above, makes a considerable bend and immediately below runs with just enough strength to carry this bait round the pool. One evening late in the month of May, just as the day was over, a salmon showed itself at the head of the place. I put on a ' White Wings,' threw over it, and killed it. On another occasion the late Mr. Pepys Cockerell was standing on the bank a little below where my fish was caught, when a salmon came up only a few yards from his feet. He instantly cast where the rise had been and hooked his fish, which certainly must have been still some distance from the bottom. That fish will occasionally take in such circumstances the following anecdote will show. As mentioned above, Brewhouse Hole was occasionally fished with a prawn— a boat being held at its head close to piles which had been there driven in to preserve the bank. The line was then payed out, and allowed to travel down with the stream. At the tail of the pool were some rough stones and a slight fall, so, in order to see where the prawn went, I had put a large pike float on the line. No offer having been made, the first time the bait was let down, the line SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING was pulled through the rings and allowed to fall in coils f at the bottom of the boat, whilst I lifted the prawn from the water to see if it was all right. In the very act of lifting, a salmon rose as though at a fly, and provoked at the idea that in another moment he would have taken, I dabbed the bait violently into the pool. To my surprise the fish seized it instantly, and darted off down stream, dragging the huge float under. After he had gone a few yards a firm pull on my part hooked him. The fish, which weighed 19 lbs., was eventually killed, but not without anxiety of mind: the line at the bottom of the boat having got into somewhat of a mess, and the fish having shown a strong inclination to leave the pool. Luckily, the keeper was able to put the line to rights in time. Probably but few salmon have been killed with a float on the line! I have been told that the fly is not visible to the fish at a greater depth than eighteen feet (in clear water). One of the most sporting waters on the Tweed is Makerston. Here, hard by' the Trows,' where the stream rushes furiously between the rocks, dwelt for many years a fisher well known throughout the border, Eob Kerse. Eob was tacksman of the water, which at that time belonged to the Misses Macdougal. Many of his sayings and doings have been handed down to memory, so that there would be no advantage in repeating them here. The following anecdote may, however, be related, as showing a different state of things with regard to Tweed fishings from that existing in later days. In Eob's time cairn nets were lawful; the cairns themselves—perhaps, to speak more correctly, the remains of them—are still to be seen. The nets, which are fully described by Scrope, were set so as to intercept the fish as they swam up the river. There had been a good flood one month of July, 1 A foolish proceeding. SPORT ON TWEED AND AVON 89 bringing up numbers of fish, gilse especially; when the water was of a suitable height for the purpose, Kerse set his cairn nets. Upon being asked what his catch had been, he said that he did not rightly know, but that a cart was going all night to take the fish to Kelso and that it took him three days to drink ' the lave.'* As a proof, if any were required, of how things had altered, even more than twenty years ago, it may be well to relate what happened in my own case. I had been shooting grouse for a week with the late Duke of Eox- burghe; there had been a good deal of rain during that week where we were, and more up in the west, so that on returning to Floors we found the river too big to fish. The Duke was going on the next day to join a grouse- driving party, but most kindly left me at the Castle with the water at my disposal. For three days I fished most diligently. The weather was favourable—breezy and cool. The casts in good order. My bag was one clean gilse. On consulting the fisherman he gave it as his opinion that it was useless to persevere. ' We have seen no fish,' he said,' and unless the flood had been bank high they could not get by the nets.' It is not too much to say that gilse-fishing in the Tweed has ceased practically to exist. Eob Kerse was a man of liberal disposition, more so perhaps than many of his class. As tacksman all fish caught in his water were his property, but gentlemen who fished with him have told me that after a good day he would nearly always offer them a fish to take home with them. His death came about in a remarkable manner. One very hard winter the Tweed near his house was frozen over, and coming home late at night he went on to the ice, probably remained there too long, caught a chill, and died after a few days' illness. 1 The rest. M-.i. 90 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING * m fl'i! itr: On the stretch of the river belonging to Makerston is a most singular cast named the ' Side Strake.' In order to fish it the boat is pushed up by a man wading who holds it fast on a rock at the edge of the river; this can only be done when the water is low. Beginning with a line no longer than the rod, the fly is cast across and slightly up stream, and allowed to come round until it almost touches the gunwale of the boat. The line, after a throw or two, is gradually lengthened until some twenty- five yards have been covered. Should a salmon rise at the top of the cast, may be within six feet of where you are fishing, it will be as plainly in view as though it were on the slab of Mr. Grove's shop in Bond Street. You must kill the fish from where you stand, as following it would be impossible. Above the Trows is a piece of water, promising indeed to the eye, but useless to the angler on account of its great depth. One of the best places at Makerston is known as the ' Orchard Head.' Here the man who rows you has to wade sometimes from one rock to another to land the fish, having shoved the head of the boat on to a big stone towards che head of the cast. One day, when fishing at Makerston, through the kindness of Lord Wimborne, I had hooked a fish over 20 lbs. in the Orchard Head ; a long time elapsed before it was sufficiently exhausted to think of using the net. Never having killed a salmon in the cast, I began to wonder how it was to be landed, when the boatman, getting over the side, worked his way towards the end of the pool, stepping from one rock to another. These rocks were covered and looked very slippery. After one or two attempts the fish was safely brought into the net, considerably to my relief, as the fisherman's proceedings were, as far as I could judge, attended with considerable risk—a false step and in he would have gone, SPORT ON TWEED AND AVON 91 waders' heavy boots and all. My anxiety was increased, needlessly most likely, by unpleasant recollections of having myself to run about on rocks covered with water. There is a cast on the lower part of the Awe where, should a fish run down, it can be followed only by stepping from one flat stone to another, the stones in question being under water. A salmon had shown itself in the cast referred to, and I had tried in vain to reach him, being much hampered by rocks and trees. One day, however, a gentle breeze slightly favouring me, I did get over him. He took instantly, and the next moment was off down stream at a terrible rate, I following as best I could. On arriving at the flat stones already mentioned, it became necessary to take to the water, and my progress became accordingly much retarded: once or twice I nearly slipped off into deep water.' My chance would indeed have been better than that of the Makerston fisherman, as in those early days I was without the encumbrance of waders or heavy boots ; but it was unpleasant travelling. The salmon, then going faster, pulled out a prodigious length of line, but the reel running gaily saved me from being broken, and coming at last to easier water, hope of killing the fish arose : but no such luck. A few yards were wound up then came a plunge followed by a jump, and the hold gave way. Probably the largest salmon I ever had hold of was hooked in a cast at Floors called 'the Slates.' It took under water, and after a moment or so ran down to the stream below, ' the Black Stone'; there it turned and came up to where it had been hooked. No strain seemed to have the smallest effect, nor did I ever get the top of the treble gut casting line out of the water. The head fisherman, when the salmon set out on his course, shouted to me : ' Keep up your rod or he'll break ye!' Shortly after getting back to ' the Slates ' after another short run, the fly came away. ' See,' said Stevenson, the fisherman, ' if there is a scale on the hook.' No scale being there, he gave his opinion that 'it was just one of theyLevathians.' The smallest salmon I have ever killed was in a cast on the Lees water (on Tweed), named the Slap, and was 3| lbs. in weight. It was, according to the fisherman, who was a man of life-long experience, undoubtedly a true spring salmon, not an early gilse. Indeed, as it was tolerably early in spring no gilse had as yet come up from the sea. 93 CHAPTEE V OTHER FISHING METHODS Burning the water—The Leister—Sometimes thrown by hand—Minnow fishing—Worm fishing—The prawn—Heavy sinkers required in strong streams—Harling—Trailing. Besides fly-fishing there are, as is well known, many other ways of capturing salmon. The most ancient mode of killing fish is doubtless by the use of the spear; the American Indians and savage nations in general have probably practised the art for time out of mind. The red men of North America are, by all accounts, capital hands at the game. In the Tweed the leister was brought into play whenever the low state of the river afforded an opportunity, until the last Act (1859) prohibited its use. In Scrope's work, ' burning the water,' as it was called, is graphically described; but as his work may not be found in every library, a few words giving a short account of the sport may not be out of place here. The leister was a four- pronged spear, each prong having one barb, the shaft being about 16 feet in length. A boat having been brought up to the top of the stream, one man took his place in the bow and another in the stern. These two struck the fish whilst a third sat in the middle of the boat to look after the torches, which were composed of old tar barrels or dry wood and rags made inflammable. The lights being duly started, the boat was pushed out from the shore and allowed to drift down stream, broadside on, 94 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING being kept in that position with the leisters, the ' taes ' or points of which must have been of wonderful temper to stand the work without being blunted. In striking, the shaft was not grasped too firmly, but darted through the hand. When a successful shot was made the hold was shortened so as to bring the fish to the surface, and it was then lifted into the boat. The sport was keenly enjoyed ; indeed, the late Duke of Eoxburghe and his father have told me that they would give up a month's autumn fishing for a couple of nights' ' sticking.' It could only be pursued in low water and on a calm night. The following anecdote shows that the professional fishermen were as eager as their employers to take part in a night's spearing. Upon one occasion, everything looking propitious, arrangements had been made for ' burning' the Floors water; the Duke, however, knew that the head fisherman's mother was very ill, and being a kind and considerate man told him that, in these circumstances, he need not be present unless he liked. After dinner the Duke and his friends being still in the dining-room, one of the river keepers came up to the Castle and delivered the following message in these very words : ' Stevenson's : compliments to your Grace, and Stevenson's mither's deid, but if she disna swell we'll burn her the nicht.'2 In old days the leister or waster, as it was called by the- older men, was sometimes cast by hand, being attached by a stout line to the caster's arm. The' clodding' leister was shorter in the handle and the prongs were graduated in length, that furthest from the fisherman being the longest. When the fish was struck the handle fell over in the direction of the opposite bank, thus enabling the man to draw his victim ashore with tolerable certainty. The casting leister was of greater weight than that in 1 The head-fisherman. 2 The Tweed is always spoken of as ' she.' OTHER FISHING METHODS 95 ordinary use, and was effective only where the water was of no great depth. It was probably used chiefly on the spawning beds, where it must have been most destructive. Though 'burning the water' was still in vogue, when my first visits were paid to the Tweed, it so happened that I was never present at the proceedings ; but I have so often heard descriptions of it from those who took part in it, that the above account may be taken as sufficiently accurate. When the river is too low for fly-fishing the minnow comes into play. The tackle is much the same as that used for trout, only stronger. It consists of a trace made up with swivels, and large shot enough to sink the bait to a proper depth, to which two hooks of different sizes are attached, the smaller being passed through the lips and the larger inserted in the body so that the tail of the minnow may be curved round the bend in order to cause it to spin. The Tweedside fishermen use the same rod alike for fly and minnow. Before casting, a few yards of line are gathered in and held in the hand; when the cast is made, the sinkers used being tolerably heavy, the spare line flies through the rings. In this way a fair extent of water is covered without spoiling the bait. The use of the same rod for both modes of fishing is not to be commended, chiefly because it spoils the top. The Tweed men probably continue the practice for the sake of being able to change from minnow to fly, or vice versa, without being obliged to carry two rods (even when the river is low you may still get a fish out of the deep water with fly should there be a good curl on it). Having no wish to spoil my Forrest rods, by which I set great store, and thinking that, with some implements rather approaching the form of a pike-rod, casting would be easier, I had a stiff cane one made. It was about 17 feet in length and provided with large upright rings. 96 SEVENTY YEARS' FTSHING When trying the prawn in the Avon I found that, using it as though trolling for pike, any cast of fair width could easily be covered. There was some doubt in my mind as to the length chosen being the best. The fishing- tackle maker pointed out that casting would be easier if it were shorter, and this was no doubt true. On the other hand, the disadvantage of running Avon salmon with a short rod and heavy shot on the trace would have been increased. One season a skilful minnow fisher took some water on the Tweed. He had only one side of the river, and was in the habit of wading and throwing off the reel in the Nottingham fashion, and thus was able to command such an extent of water that the fisherman opposite complained that he fished all the water where the fish lay. His reply was that he fished fairly, and that if any more remarks of an unpleasant nature were made he should no longer confine himself to his own side of the cast. To show that this was no idle threat, he proceeded to throw the bait right across, nearly to the opposite bank. The minnow answers best in cold weather, especially if a breeze ruffles the surface of the river. The last resource, when the water has become too low even for minnows, is the worm, or rather, two large lobworms threaded on the hook. I have never fished with worm for salmon myself, although I have seen it used by others, so there is little to be written here on the subject. By all accounts, it is a deadly method of going to work. Scrope ,says that ' When the water is in right order—that is, low and clear—and the weather fresh, a clever fisherman may glean the river of almost all the fish that are left in the streams.' The grandfather of the present Duke of Eox- burghe told me that he once got seven fish one morning in May with worm, having begun to fish at daybreak. He then sent home for his breakfast, thinking there was a chance of a heavy bag. Only one more, however, was captured OTHER FISHING METHODS 97 during the day: this the Duke put down to the warmth of the water when the sun came out. It would naturally have been cooled by the lower temperature at night. Perhaps in corroboration of Scrope's statement, quoted above, I may mention that one of my relatives, the Hon. H. Grey, had for some time been trying the worm without an offer, when he arrived at a cast which, according to the fisherman, had not up to that time ' seen a hook.' Here he quickly killed two salmon. The man then observed that the casts above had been ' sair fished ' the day before. When pike or trout take a bait it is seized by the middle, being swallowed, after a few moments, head downwards. The action of a salmon with respect to a prawn is exactly the same. When really hungry, this action is so rapid that perhaps the first intimation the angler has of what is going on is given by the rush of the hooked fish. At other times, when less keen, short jerks of the line will be felt. In that case, if you strike at once, the chances are that, in spite of fly hooks, the bait will be pulled away from the fish without getting hold of him. It is well, therefore, to wait till a steady draw is felt, then, after a moment, respond by lifting your hand, and you will have him. Any rod will do for the purpose, but one such as that described in treating of fishing with minnow seems to answer best, a stiff cane rod about 17 feet in length, with large upright rings. The trace used is generally of strong twisted gut, fitted with sinkers and swivels. At first only one large single hook was used, afterwards two fly hooks were added, in case a fish should come short. To bait the prawn, the loop of the tippet on which the hooks were tied is fastened to a trolling needle, which is then inserted in its head and brought out at its tail. The tail somewhat resembles in shape the propeller of a steamer, and so causes the bait to spin rapidly. H SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Some fishermen do not consider it essential that the bait should spin, and, indeed, they catch fish without swivels on the trace. I always used them, being of opinion that, even if they do not make the bait more attractive, they can do no harm, and have, at all events, the advantage of preventing the kinking of the line. The prawn is worked in much the same way as the minnow, being, of course, cast under-handed. It possesses the advantage of requiring very little current to make it effective; indeed, it is hard to say under what conditions a fish which means business will refuse to take. In almost still pools it answers. In such places it is best to allow it to sink deep, and then draw it gently towards the surface, as a pike fisherman does when using the gorge hook. I once saw a clean salmon of 15 lbs., or thereabouts, show himself in a hole about six feet deep, just above where I was fishing. It was impossible to get up stream of the place, or even opposite to it, and, more as an experiment than in hopes of tempting the fish, I cast the prawn from below into the upper part of this small pool. The sinkers happened to catch in the bottom, as it seemed, and to free them a smart jerk was given, when, to my surprise, it turned out that the salmon had taken the bait. This fish, after one or two violent jumps, went off at his best pace up the water, running out nearly all the line, it being impossible to follow him owing to the swampy nature of the ground. I was alone, no punt or boat was at hand, and it looked at one moment as though a smash was inevitable; fortunately the salmon turned of his own accord, and was then quickly killed. I look upon the prawn as the most killing method of salmon fishing. ; I have seen fish taken with it in all states of the water, not only in low and clear water, such as suits the minnow or the worm. Upon one occasion I remember a fish being caught, in a heavy downpour, with the river rising and off OTHER FISHING METHODS the colour. Two of us had been fishing the Avon all the morning in the rain, and were just about to give up, the water having waxed, when my friend recollected havin seen a fish, the day before, at the tail of a cast called Holly Hole. Eemarking that perhaps the salmon was still there, he took up a rod baited with prawn; and marched off to the spot. The water was a bad colour, and, even had it been clear, the chances were that the rise would have moved the fish. Nevertheless, at the second or third cast, it was hooked and duly accounted for. As further proof of the effective nature of this bait (were any required), it may be mentioned that one of my uncles, the late General Grey,x before going on duty to Balmoral, provided himself, one spring, with a set of suitable tackle, and arranged for a supply of prawns. During his stay on Deeside, he killed twenty-one fish, eighteen of which fell victims to the prawn. Moreover, he never used it until the cast had been fished with fly or minnow, sometimes with both. The prawn doubtless has its advantages, but it is, to my mind, a tedious mode of going to work, and cannot be compared with the fly; it requires nothing like the same skill, nor does it afford the same pleasure to the angler. Furthermore, as it is desirable to sink it well below the surface, a good many large shot must be attached to the trace where the stream is heavy, and these are apt to get fast round stones, rocks, or pieces of bank which may have fallen into the river. Experience teaches that it is essential to cause the bait to go pretty near the fish. When down at Christchurch, on one of my numerous trips to the Avon, I happened to see a fish move in a cast named the Piles (for here the bank had been piled to prevent its falling into the river). The stream having been tried with the fly 1 General Grey was at the time secretary to her late Majesty. He was a skilful fisherman, and a good shot and horseman as well. 100 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING imtt' without a rise, recourse was had to the prawn. Still no. success. Having observed, however, that the bait was continually forced up to the top of the water by the strength of the current, it seemed as well to use heavier sinkers. Fishing the place down a second time with additional shot on the line, I killed two fish. The prawn must possess some -extraordinary attraction, as I have known salmon to be killed after tearing off the back of the bait. In the cast referred to, just above, a fish was killed after coming twice at my prawn. There are still other ways of catching salmon besides those already described. Harling, for instance—which is in use where the casts are of great width, as they are on the lower waters of the Tay, and in some of the Norwegian rivers. Two rods are placed on „ the floor of the boat, the butts fitting into a piece of wood slightly hollowed out for the purpose, the tops hanging over the stern. Flies are attached to each rod, or sometimes a fly on one and a minnow (real or artificial) on the other. Beginning at the head of the stream, the boat is dropped down in zigzag fashion, its pace being controlled by the boatman. If a salmon takes, it hooks itself, the other line being wound up and the rod to which it belongs being put out of the way, whilst the fish is played. Scrope considers this same harling stupid work, and little better than setting night lines. He says, ' it is generally practised by fishermen who have been working the previous night, and like it because they have not the fatigue of holding or throwing the rod.' This may be so, but where I have seen this mode of fishing the portions of'the river in which salmon would lie were so wide that to cast one stream would take up half a day, and I doubt if, in such waters, the boat could be so managed as to admit of their being properly fished. This is the only excuse for resorting to harling. OTHER FISHING METHODS 101 That fish run hard, and, owing to the weight of water, take out a great deal of fine in these big rivers, is true enough; but the real enjoyment of the sport, rising a salmon by your own casting, hooking him, and feeling his first rush, is lost. Scrope believes that harling drives the salmon away from the casts where it is used. This, with due respect to so great an authority, I venture to doubt. Fish have been caught with the fly, before my eyes, after a boat had been rowed over them, not once only, but several times. To a fish or a diver at a depth of say ten feet, the passing of an angling boat overhead would appear, I should suppose, only as an unusually heavy cloud, obscuring the light for a moment. In the Tweed, when crossing from one side of the cast to the other, a fish is every now and then taken by letting out a few yards of line and allowing the fly to travel behind the boat, as you make your way towards the opposite bank. In this case the fly passes over the part of the water just below the Course of the boat. Much akin to harling is the practice of trailing a bait from the stern of a boat, which is sometimes resorted to in lochs, as though trying for ferox. In lochs through which the salmon pass to ascend the rivers which fall into them, they are often caught in this manner. Two rods, with phantom minnows attached to spinning traces, are hung over the side ; twenty-five yards or more, according to the depth of water, are let out, and the boat follows the course of the river. It should be rowed just fast enough to make the phantoms spin properly. The late Mr. Charles Balfour, of Newton Don, and I, one day took a turn at this work on Loch Oich, into which the Garry falls. We each killed three fish in the course of our journey down the loch. We were half-starved with the cold, and being both of opinion that the sport, if it could be so called, was very poor, landed at the far end of the water, and walked back to 102 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Invergarry. A singular accident once happened in this loch to the late General Sir C. Ellice. The gallant officer had been wounded at the time of the Indian Mutiny, so that he had the full use of only one arm, and consequently was unable to cast a fly. He was therefore trailing a phantom in Loch Oich, and, when near the end of it, hooked a large salmon, which ran out a great extent of line. Just then a small vessel issued from the locks (which are situated at the extremity of Loch Oich), and the fish, swimming under the keel of the ship, cut the general's line and escaped. Trailing is much used on Loch Tay, but there are no other means of taking with the rod the fish which have reached the loch. The salmon are clean spring fish of the largest kind. An old fisherman once remarked to me, it would be perfect sin not to try for them in the only way by which they can be caught. In trailing, the tackle must be strong, for as the boat is travelling in the opposite direction to the fish, the strain when it takes must be heavy. 103 CHAPTEE VI SEA TROUT Known by different names White trout of Ireland—Whitling—Phinock, &c, —Silver-white—Tackle to be used—Flies in general too gaudy—Sport near Conan Ferry—Costello—Fishing with two flies—Consequent loss of two salmon—Mischief done by herons—Remarks as to the people in the district—' Mutiny' on board a sailing-boat—Makers of * poteen '—' The Feale.' The term sea trout is intended to embrace all migratory fish of the salmon tribe, other than the real Salmo salar. They are known as bull trout (Salmo eriox) and salmon trout (Salmo trutta). The bull trout weighs from 2 or 3 lbs. up to 20 lbs. It is rarely caught by the angler when in a clean state, but occasionally rises in autumn shortly before spawning time, and again in the spring when in the kelt stage. If fresh from the sea, it is good eating; practically, it is of no value to the sportsman. The salmon trout is, says Scrope, called by different names in various localities—white trout, phinock, sea trout, whitling, hirling. Besides these there are bouge (pronounced 'budge' in Hampshire), trough and peel (Devonshire), rnorts and sprods (Lancashire). The whitling is, as some think, the young of the bull trout; but both Scrope and Lord Home, the ancestor of the present lord, are of opinion that they are the true salmon trout. They run from 1 to 3 lbs. and are often killed with the fly or bait, taking best when the water begins to clear after a flood. The phinock, Spey trout, the Lancashire morts and sprods are to my eye identical. The 1 104 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING white trout of the west coast of Ireland differ in some respects from these, being red in flesh and more rich to eat than most salmon, whereas the whitling are paler in colour when cut open, and not of such flavour. They rise well, are extremely vigorous, and show great sport when hooked. The bouge or budge of Hampshire, and the trough and peel of Devonshire, I take to be without question the same fish; they are excellent eating, but, excepting the peel, as a rule, refuse the fly. The budge attain occasionally to a large size. I have seen one stuffed in the shop of Mr. Hart, the Christchurch bird- stuffer, which was said to have been 17 lbs. in weight. I have frequently seen budge, trough, and peel caught with the net; the peel would weigh f lb., the trough and budge about 3 lbs. Whether the fish described by these different names are all the real salmon trout, I am unable to give an opinion. We may, however, leave on one side the non-rising budge, trough, and Co., as not worth further consideration from the angler's point of view. Besides these varieties of sea trout, there is a small fish which I have only seen twice; once in the Tweed and once in its tributary, the Glen. The local name is the silver-white. It has the appearance of a small gilse. Scrope mentions having occasionally caught a small silvery fish in the Tweed ' between £ and J lb., which seems of the salmon tribe, the flesh pale pink and good eating.' He adds that he has taken many of them in the river Isla with a net; possibly these are the same fish as the silver-white. Those I saw, as far as my memory serves me, had forked tails, and were larger than those described by Scrope, being between 1 lb. and f lb. in weight. Can they be very early small gilse ? I have never heard of or seen trout with forked tails in this country. Once at Aix-les-Bains, in the south of France, we had for dinner some fish which exactly answered the SEA TROUT 105 description given above of the silver-white, except that they were a good deal larger. On inquiring where they came from, I was told that they were ' Truites du Mont Cenis.' They were caught with the net in some lakes high up in the mountains ; perhaps land-locked fish, if such fish really exist. What they really may be is a puzzle, at least to me; perhaps some fisherman who is also a naturalist may be able to solve the question. They may be set aside, as far as fly-fishing is concerned, not because they are disinclined to rise—those mentioned above took eagerly—but because they are apparently so few in number that it is not worth while to lay oneself out to catch them. For sea-trout fishing a rod of 14 feet or so answers best. It should not be too stiff, as these fish, especially when clean run, are rather tender in the mouth and apt, when first hooked, to jump vigorously. A single-handed rod, from its want of length, has the disadvantage of allowing the line to sink too deep, so that when the trout throws itself out of water, too heavy a pull comes upon the hold, and although there is no great danger of being broken, as might well happen with a salmon in such circumstances, the hook is likely enough to come away. Some writers on fishing recommend flies of the same patterns as those used for salmon, only of smaller size. Those of the present day are, in my opinion, too gaudy, and I should prefer something less showy, i.e. teal or drake wing with red heckle body; speckled wings of sober hue ; body pig's wool; silver-twist over all; heron wings, black heckle body, silver-twist. Pig's wool has one great advantage, that when it begins to look shabby, it may be picked out with the point of a knife, or a pin, and will then show as well as ever. Sea trout take best when the water first clears after a flood. In hot weather the time to try for them is the 106 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING evening, for an hour or so before dark ; when it is cool they will rise through the day. In the Awe and in rivers where the streams are deep and strong, the tail of a salmon cast a little way above shallow water seems to be their favourite haunt. The sea trout in Lewis, as I have been told, run to a large size and afford excellent sport; the best turn I have ever had at a Scotch sea trout was near Conan Ferry, about opposite Fort William. On my way back from the north I once paid a visit, early in September, to Lord and Lady Morton. They were then living in a shooting-lodge at Inverskadl, about five miles from Conan Ferry. In order to reach the lodge I embarked in the Fort William steamer which touched at the ferry. On board I met the late Lord Claud Hamilton, Lady Claud and her two daughters, who were also on their way to Lord Morton's. It was a miserable afternoon, cold, and raining hard. On reaching Conan Pier only one pair-horse fly, of the description usually to be met with in the Highlands, was to be found; this, of course, was barely sufficient for the ladies, so, leaving the servants to procure a cart from the nearest farm for the conveyance of the luggage, Lord Claud and I set off on foot. It was still raining, but not so heavily, and after following the road, which in one or two places was under water, we arrived at a foot bridge over the Conan. It was then dark, the bridge itself slippery from the wet, and provided with a hand rail of most frail aspect. To venture upon it was by no means a pleasant task; however, we got safely across and so reached Inverskadl Lodge. Our luggage had not arrived, consequently we had to depend on our host for dry clothes. He, good man, whilst expressing his regret at the discomfort we had undergone, observed that, though the rain had made our walk unpleasant, it would have put a SEA TROUT 107 neighbouring loch and small stream which issued from it in capital order for the next day. The following morning we drove over to the loch in question in two small pony-carts. Lord Claud and I got into a boat to fish, casting one from the bow and one from the stern. The loch was full of sea trout which rose well; so much so, that we had more than once two fish, on at the same moment. This proving inconvenient, and the man who rowed us having previously pointed out part of the loch where, for some fifty yards, the trout could be reached from the shore, I left Lord Claud in possession of the boat and proceeded to fish there. Having landed several fish, I determined to try the stream which ran down from the loch to the sea—nothing more than a large burn in its usual state; it was then very full, though not much discoloured, and clearing rapidly. Here I had excellent sport, killing one small gilse between 4 and 5 lbs. and many sea trout. The next day found us again at the waterside; the river had fallen greatly ; only here and there were pools which held a few fish, and these, as a rule, refused the fly. The loch appeared to be even more amply stocked than it was before. What the total bag came to is no longer in my recollection—it was a heavy one, however. The trout weighed from f lb. to 1^ lb. I do not think either of us killed a two-pounder. The skill required to make the most of the opportunity which this loch and small river afforded was certainly not great. In fishing the river, previous experience, so as to know where to cast without missing likely water, was an advantage, and it was well to kill the trout quickly, so that no time should be wasted. Small lochs and streams in hilly countries rise quickly after heavy rain, and fall as rapidly. It is, therefore, long odds against success in the case of those who visit the neighbourhood only for ff 108 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING a few days, as Lord Claud Hamilton and I did. It is to be noted that the river especially was, by the afternoon of the first day, in the best possible condition for killing sea trout—just clearing after a flood. Many years have passed since, through the kindness of a friend, I spent nearly two months in Connemara, fishing for white trout and salmon. It so happened that one of the gentlemen belonging to the Costello Club, not intending to fish in the summer of 1858, transferred his membership for that year to one of my best and oldest friends, the Hon. Henry Coke. That excellent man invited me to go with him to try my luck in Connemara; the invitation was gladly accepted, and the beginning of June saw us on our way thither. At the Galway railway station we found two outside cars waiting to convey us to the lodge belonging to the club, which we reached in due course after a drive of twenty Irish miles. The Costello runs out of a lake four miles from Cashla Bay, not counting the bends and turns of the river. Above this lake we did not fish. The water was strictly (preserved by an arrangement under which a number of the natives undertook to look after it, some half-dozen of them being told off to accompany the members of the club as gillies or fishermen. On reaching the river we found it was extremely low; moreover the head-keeper told us no trout had as yet been seen. Nevertheless, whilst our baggage was being unpacked by a servant who had been engaged in Galway, we put up our rods and proceeded to endeavour to get a fish for dinner. Mr. Coke came home with a beauty of 4 lbs. in perfect condition, whilst my attempts met with no success. This was the first white trout I ever tasted, and no more delicious fish ever was put on the table ; it was of a deeper red than most salmon and full of curd. Although the weather was very hot for some time after SEA TROUT 109 our arrival, causing the river to remain small, some trout swam up with every tide, so that there was soon a sufficient stock for sport, particularly as the fish which put in an appearance were all of good size, running from 3 lbs. up to 4 lbs. with here and there a five-pounder. The larger trout (those of 4 lbs. weight or more) seemed to remain in the river, but the rest appeared mostly to run through to the lake. Our usual course of proceeding after breakfast was to fish lightly up the river, taking alternate pools, then embarking to try the casts, or stands, as the men call them, on the lake. In the afternoon we would fish the river down again, and so home. Towards one or two o'clock we met for luncheon. Our men would make a fire of drift wood collected from the shore, and, when burnt down to glowing charcoal, some freshly caught trout, which had been cleaned and split open, were laid flesh downwards on the embers ; when the skin began to contract the fish were turned, and as soon as sufficiently cooked transferred to a large flat stone in lieu of a plate. A few potatoes baked under the fire, some bread and butter, pepper and salt, brought from the Lodge, furnished us with an excellent repast. Cold whisky and water and a pipe to finish up with, and what more could one wish for ? Days passed without rain ; the heat became greater ; even when sitting in the shade out of doors, without coats or waistcoats, we were unable to keep cool, so that fishing, except in the evening, was abandoned. The Club possessed a Tialf-decked boat, which was discovered in a shed near the sea, but our men told us there were no sails or mast, and that they had no means of putting her into the water. After some searching we found the sails, mast, and tackle ; then, getting some rollers cut, we succeeded in launching the craft; the mast having been stepped, the fishermen professed to be unable to hoist the ■Ill fill fit 110 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING lI sprit. Here again they were beaten, for Mr. Coke, having been some years in the Navy, shinned up the mast and put things to rights. It seems difficult to account for the conduct of our men, the more so as my gillie had been accustomed to sail from the mouth of the Costello to Galway with cargoes of turf. Possibly they wished to keep us more constantly at work on the river, our custom being to give away our spare fish to them and their families. We now, when the tide suited, took to sailing in Cashla Bay, sometimes running across to the neighbouring villages and buying lobsters; now and then catching a few gurnets and mackerel on the way, relying on the flood tide to bring us home in time for the evening's fishing. The Costello is the only white-trout river of which I have any knowledge. There may be other streams as good, but the sport we enjoyed was by far the best trout- fishing we either of us ever experienced, before or since. After some three weeks of scorching heat the rain came, and lasted for twenty-four hours. The river rose rapidly, and fishing was stopped, but not for long, as it soon cleared. Both salmon and white trout came up from the sea in hundreds, and on the first day that the water was fit I killed six salmon, besides trout. Before the rain we had nearly always done well with the trout, but when the flood came, with tolerably cool weather, our sport still improved. Upon two or three days we each had baskets of over 60 lbs. weight, and, when the weather was at all propitious, expected to catch about 40 lbs. The men we had with us were accustomed to see two flies used, and after much persuasion we yielded to their wish and put on 'bobbers.' We both had to pay the penalty for doing so. In Mr. Coke's case he hooked a salmon at the head of a cast appropriately named the Crooked Pool, the bend being on the side from which the angler SEA TROUT 111 fished. The fish running straight down stream, and the fishermen having to run round the curve, a good deal of line was out, and, when an attempt to shorten it was made, the fish threw itself out of the water with such violence that the last jump landed it a little way up the opposite bank; the fly used as a dropper caught either a bramble or the long grass, and the casting line broke, the fish falling back into the water. In my case a salmon had been hooked in one of the largest pools in the river. After a fair run, it was coming nicely into the bank when suddenly it stopped. It could be still felt plunging, and I was unable to make out what had happened; therefore, giving the rod to the gillie, and climbing the bank behind me, I peered into the water. The fish was plainly to be seen, and the cause of my being unable to move him was apparent enough. The drop fly had caught the end of a branch at the bottom, and when the salmon, which was exhausted by his previous exertions, attempted to get away, the sunken bough gave to him, in fact played him, as the top of a rod would have done; there was nothing for it but to pull at the line in the hope of its breaking close to the fly, which had got fast. Unfortunately, the break took place above where it was looped on, and the fish had to be left where it was. I was somewhat consoled for its loss by the capture of two salmon and ten trout the same day; the trout weighed 30 lbs., being all as nearly as possible 3 lbs. each. The largest trout which was taken weighed over 7 lbs., and was killed by Mr. Coke. I happened to be passing by on my way to some pools higher up, and witnessed the early part of the struggle. Up and down, across and across, the river, went the trout with perfect ease to himself, sometimes running out a length of line, at the next moment rushing in towards the fisherman's feet, who was 112 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING compelled to move swiftly back from the bank to keep a bow on the rod. After a time the fish set off to where the river divided, and seemed bent upon swimming down the opposite fork; luckily two men were engaged in cutting turf on the other side of the stream. Our gillies shouted to them- something in Irish, and they headed the trout back by throwing stones in front of him. As the contest seemed likely to last, and was no longer carried on in proximity to the dangerous fork, I pursued my journey, feeling confident that victory would incline to the angler. It may be well to mention that, as it was unnecessary to cast to any distance, we did not use salmon rods, but double-handed trout rods ; the casting lines were, however, of strong single gut. The fish referred to was hooked foul between the back fin and the tail. Upon one occasion my fisherman contrived to jigger a trout which was lying in shallow water, and which evidently had something wrong the matter with it. It made no resistance, and was quickly dragged ashore. It had a huge half-healed wound in the back, and was in; wretched condition, and, being unfit for food, was returned to the water. Had it been all right it would have weighed 12 lbs. at least. The man told me he had never seen a trout of that size, nor did we rise or hook one at all approaching the weight. About half-way between the lake and the sea the river ran amongst a number of large flat stones so close together that it could be crossed dry- shod by stepping from one to the other. One day when eating my luncheon, a little way below, two trout were to be seen swimming slowly down the stream, partly on their sides, apparently in a dying condition. One of them was scooped out just alive, and a small round hole was discovered at the back of its neck. Upon asking the fisherman if he could account for the injury, he said, ' It is thim cranes ' (the natives so called the herons). We found that SEA TROUT 113 it was the habit of these mischievous birds to stand upon the flat stones above mentioned and strike at the trout as they passed up the narrow runs between ; they certainly could not have got a fish of the size found mortally wounded out of the water. So destructive were the herons,, that we kept a boy constantly on the spot to drive them away. The flies which were most successful with the trout were dressed with mottled wings, body red, blue, or green, and ribbed with gold or silver twist; size large lake flies. Before closing the account of our expedition to the Costello, perhaps a few remarks upon the place and its inhabitants might be useful to anyone who thought of visiting that part of Ireland in search of sport. Where the river falls into Cashla Bay the coast is rocky and picturesque. Inland the country is bleak and hilly, presenting no attractive feature, though the lake through which the Costello runs is prettily situated. The people amongst whom we lived were of the poorest; the wages were 7s. a week, or lOd. a day, and employment was not always to be had even at that rate. The cottages were hardly worthy of the name, many of them having no regular door, but instead, two entrances made of movable planks, that to windward being kept shut to keep out bad weather. A pig, potatoes, and here and there a patch of oats, afforded a scanty supply of food. Now and then a small coasting vessel would sail for Galway with a few loads of turf, the cutting of which gave the natives something to do, and put a few shillings into their pockets. Sea-fishing, except for lobsters, was apparently not attempted. Nevertheless, in spite of such unfortunate conditions of life, the men who attended us were cheerful, civil, keen in their endeavours to promote our sport, and inclined to make the best of things. If a fish rose without being hooked, instead of finding fault with the angler, i 114 SEVENTY YEAES' FISHING the gillie would say: ' Glory be to God, your honour made him lave that.' There were, however, one or two occasions when in dealing with the men it was found necessary to put one's foot down. For the first few days of our stay we had only one boat on the lake. Upon inquiring if another could be obtained, the head-keeper said he would send a second one up, but that it required two men to row it. This was done, and when it was used a second boatman was employed. However, unless we both went up to the lake this second man was not wanted, and we proposed to pay him only for the days on which we required him. This arrangement he declined, saying that, unless he was engaged for the whole period of our stay, he would not come at all. For our part, we should probably not have insisted upon the point; ;but in the sitting-room of the lodge was a book of records and rules of the club, and one of these rules distinctly provided that when any member hired a second man, that man should be paid only for the days on which he was wanted. As we were admitted to the privilege of fishing for that year only, we felt the more bound to abide by the regulations, and were consequently obliged to stick to our offer. No other gillie was to be obtained, but luckily we discovered another boat hidden away in a ditch; upon being examined, it turned out to be fit for service, and was of the right size for a single sculler. The difficulty was thus overcome; but the head-keeper, who apparently would have had us give way to the man's demand, told us that our proceeding in the matter would be much disliked and would possibly entail risk, remarking that some of the men had guns—this remark merely provoked a smile on our part. It is hardly necessary to say that we stuck to our determination, and that nothing occurred to justify the veiled threat conveyed to us by the keeper. SEA TROUT 115 On another occasion my fisherman began, without orders, to lower the halyards of the boat in which we were sailing, just as we ran alongside one of the fishing piers in Cashla Bay. My friend, who was steering, shouted to me to prevent him, saying we should not have way enough to reach the landing place. I therefore told the man to leave the halyards alone, and went forward to lay hold of them myself. As he showed no sign of obeying the order, it became necessary to forcibly remove him. The man thereupon lost his temper, snatched up one of the large stones which served as ballast, and threatened me with it; being deprived of his stone and told that if he did not behave properly he might shortly find himself in the sea, he at once gave in and begged for mercy. Upon leaving the Costello, this same man, grateful for a few shillings beyond his pay, ran by the side of the jaunting car wishing me God speed, and lamenting that he should see me no more. On the day of my departure I left late in the afternoon to meet the train which was due at Galway between ten and eleven o'clock at night. When a few miles from Galway, a man was seen by the light of the moon lying in the middle of the road. I told the driver to get down and see what was the matter. Instead of doing so, he whipped his horse, whereupon, leaning over, I got hold of the reins and stopped the car. ' Now,' said I, ' if you won't go to help the man, I will.' ' Ah thin, your honour, don't sure; it's unlucky to meddle with anyone lying like that,' said he. The man was insensibly drunk and reeked of whisky, so, pulling him off the road and finding that he had really nothing the matter with him, we proceeded on our way. Whilst waiting for the train I inquired of a sergeant of Constabulary if he could account for the conduct of my driver. The sergeant smiled and said, ' There have been i 2 116 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING ructions in these parts, and one or two of the boys have been hurt. Your carman was afraid that this was a case of that sort, and that some of the party who, he supposed, had beaten the man, were watching to see that no one came to his assistance.' How is it possible to account for such conduct on any rational basis ? During our stay at Costello Lodge, the making of illicit whisky was much indulged in. One day, on my way up to the lake, we spied a girl in a red petticoat, apparently tending two or three cows on the hillside. Upon catching sight of us she vanished, whilst a little further on smoke was seen rising from the ground. Upon inquiry my fisherman told me the girl was watching for the gaugers and the smoke was made by the boys, who were brewing ' poteen.' Never having seen the operation of illicit whisky- making, I, accompanied by my man, marched straight for the smoke. Upon drawing near we came upon a man and two women, who stared at us out of a hole in the moor, whilst a second man could be seen making off at his best pace. When we arrived close to the party they shouted to him to come back, which he did immediately, bringing with him the copper worm used in distilling (the only valuable part of the apparatus). When the makers of poteen discovered that we were not excisemen, but fishers, they soon got to work again and insisted on our having a glass of the stuff for luck. Fiery it was indeed, and sweet. The poteen when made was mostly sold at the patterns (or village fairs), being brought in under their gowns by the women. It was generally disposed of when it had been brewed three weeks or a month. Some years after our trip to the Costello, the Hon. H. Coke and I went again to Ireland with the object of securing some fishing in another river, the Feale, the SEA TROUT 117 owner of which had offered us a lease, at a nominal rent, on condition that we would preserve it. The water was in some respects desirable. No trees impeded casting, there was a fair extent of streams and pools; moreover, there appeared to be a better supply of fish than might have been expected. The nets were off when we arrived, and the few fish we caught were bright and in fair order. The river was, however, tainted with flax water.1 The tacksman, a gentleman farmer, appeared anxious that we should take the fishing, thinking, doubtless, that the preservation of the spawning fish would be of general benefit. Upon inquiring as to whether there would be any difficulty in preventing poaching, he told us that the magistrates would not convict in poaching cases, or if they did impose a fine, the amount would be so trifling as to be of little avail. The only way of putting a stop to the practice would be, he added, to hire ten faithful men who would take the law into their own hands and administer a good ' bating' to anyone caught fishing on ' preserved waters. He said that if we or either of us were to reside on the spot, it would be quite possible to put down illegal fishing, and probably stop it entirely, but when he heard that our idea was to remain in England except in the fishing season, he said he could not honestly advise us to take the river. The result was that we gave up all idea of the kind, and went back to England, with the determination, as far as I was concerned, to have nothing more to do with Irish fishings. The Feale, especially the pools below the town of Listowel, might, with fair play, afford good sport. When we visited the river it was much poached, and not only would there have been some difficulty in preserving it, but it would have been hardly possible to prevent the flax water from coming into it. The men we had with us 1 It is illegal to turn flax water into a salmon river. r 1 118 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING were civil and pleasant, as Irishmen are when nothing happens to upset them. When excited they are not absolutely to be relied on. One of our gillies told me that at a bend of the river, which he pointed out, there lived a big salmon, over 40 lbs. weight, and that whenever a fly came near him he snapped it off the line and spat it out. Whilst relating this fable the man became so much in earnest that his eyes were almost starting out of his head, and in all probability he had told this outrageous tale so often that he at last believed it himself. 'Well,' said I, ' the pool looks likely; let us go and try it, and hope to get hold of this large fish.' Curiously enough, I did kill a salmon in the place, not indeed of 40 lbs., but of fair size for the river, being rather over 10 lbs. weight. Besides salmon the river held sea trout; two we saw in the possession of a native, of good size and fresh up from the sea. The landlord of the inn at Listowel bought them, and served them' up to us at dinner; excellent eating they were. Whilst fishing the Feale we were most hospitably entertained by Mr. and Lady Emily Beecher. When leaving he told us that he had not expected us to take the river, but that if we would return in the winter we should be provided with excellent snipe-shooting. The shooting is, I believe, as good as any in Ireland. The late General Owen Williams on more than one occasion killed over fifty couple in the day on the bogs below Listowel, as I have heard. It was with regret that I left Listowel, and moreover was prevented by other engagements from availing myself of Mr. Beecher's offer of shooting in the winter. I was told on the occasion of a visit to the north of Ireland two or three years ago that there were many rivers of moderate size in Donegal which would afford good sport, both with salmon and sea trout, if properly SEA TROUT 119 cared for; but that, owing to the difficulty of enforcing the law, no one thought the attempt to preserve them worth making. It is an anomalous state of things when, as regards offences against the Fishery Acts only, there should be such difficulty in maintaining the law. Surely it is high time that the Government stepped in to put a stop to such lawless proceedings as we constantly hear of, and if necessary provided part at least of the funds required to pay an efficient staff of water bailiffs. There would be no difficulty in getting the men if the money were forthcoming. I think it is Sydney Smith who says, if you wish to roast an Irishman, you can always get another Irishman to turn the spit. The laws and bylaws stand in great need of amendment with regard to netting, close time, and so forth; but such as they are , should have been strictly enforced by the local authorities. With some exceptions nothing of real use has been done by these gentlemen in this direction, in many instances from want of money. Nor is it to be expected that matters will improve; the revenue of a fishery depends on the supply of fish being derived from rates levied on riparian proprietors, according to the value of their fishings, or from licences. If the river deteriorates fewer people will take out licences, and the rates on the fisheries will fall. Legislation is required also in a direction which has apparently been little noticed. It may easily happen that where the proprietors have 'agreed to buy up the nets, some one owner will insist upon going on using them, either refusing absolutely to cease netting, or demanding an unreasonable amount of compensation. In such a case compulsory clauses, such as those which enable a railway company to purchase land for the purpose of their undertaking, should be enacted. 120 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING CHAPTEB VII TROUT Early recollections—Lord Grey's joke—My first trout—The old keeper' instructions—Tempore mutantur—Modern floods against fishing—Fly —Sunk—Floating—A good day on the Itchen—Choose trout near the bank—Down stream with dry fly—Weeds—Killing fish where they are thick—Mostly luck—My largest trout at Avington—Weeded fish— Treatment of—Evening rise—Lord Barrington's lost trout killed by the writer—Noosed fish—Irrigation—Bad day on the Itchen—Smut— LarvsB—Grubbing. Now when the first foul torrent of the Brooks Swelled with the vernal rains is ebbed away; And whitening down the mossy tinctured stream Descends the billowy foam; now is the time, While yet the dark brown water aids the guile, To tempt the Trout. The well-dissembled Fly, The Rod, fine tapering, with elastic spring, Snatched from the hoary steed the floating Line, And all thy slender wat'ry stores prepare.— When, with his lively ray, the potent Sun Has pierced the Streams and roused the finny Race, Then issuing cheerful to thy Sport repair ; Chief, should the western breezes curling play, And lights o'er ether bear the shadowy clouds High to their fount, this day amid the Hills, And woodlands warbling round trace up the Brooks, The next pursue their rocky, channel'd maze Down to the River, in whose ample wave Their little Naiads love to sport at large Just in the dubious point, where with the Pool Is mixed the trembling stream, or where it boils Around the Stone, or from the hollow'd Bank Reverted plays in undulating flow, There throw, nice judging, the delusive Fly, TKOITT 121 And as you lead it round, in artful curve, With eye attentive, mark the springing game, Straight as above the surface of the Flood They wanton rise, or, urged by hunger leap, Then fix, with gentle twitch, the barbed hook, Some lightly tossing to the grassy Bank, And to the shelving shore, slow dragging some, With various hand proportioned to their force. If yet too young and easily deceived, A worthless prey scarce bends your pliant Rod, Him, piteous of his youth and the short space He has enjoyed the vital light of Heaven, Soft disengage and back into the stream The speckled captive throw. But should you lure From his dark haunt beneath the tangled roots Of pendant trees, the Monarch of the Brook, Behoves you then to ply your finest art. Long time he, following cautious, scans the Fly ; And oft attempts to seize it, but as oft The dimpled water speaks his jealous fear. At last, while haply o'er the shaded Sun Passes a cloud, he desperate takes the death With sullen plunge. At once, he darts along Deep struck and runs out all the lengthen'd line, Then seeks the farthest ooze, the sheltering weed, The caverned Bank, his old secure abode; And flies aloft and flounces round the Pool, Indignant of the guile. With yielding hand That feels him still, yet to his furious course Gives way, you, now retiring, following now Across the stream, exhaust his idle rage Till, floating broad, upon his breathless side, And to his fate abandoned, to the Shore, You gaily drag your unresisting prize. Thomson's Seasons. My earliest recollection of trout-fishing is seeing my father, Captain Barrington, catch some with fly at Cassio- bury, where he and my mother were staying on a visit to old Lord Essex. The fish were being landed by a servant named Shannon, who had been steward on board the last vessel commanded by the Captain. I could not imagine how they were caught, f Shannon,' said I, ' how does 122 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING father get hold of these pretty fish with red spots ?' The old sailor, like many of his profession, was fond of a joke, and replied, ' Why, you see, Master Charles, the Captain waits till the trout put up their heads, and then he throws a running knot over 'em, and hauls taut.' This tale I firmly believed, and when I went to school it cost me dear; for one day, hearing others'talk of fishing, I remarked that the best way to catch trout was to throw a noose over them when they came to the top of the water, as I had seen my father do. At that moment one of the upper-school boys happened to be passing, and heard my speech; he promptly called me a d d young liar, and gave me a severe thrashing with a cricket stump he had in his hand. A propos of practical jokes having relation to fishing, there is a record of one played by my grandfather, Lord Grey, at the expense of his eldest son, Lord Howick, then a small boy in a skeleton dress. The father and son were fishing together, the father with fly, the son with worm. The son had hooked a trout and was carefully playing it, leaning forward in his eagerness and watching the fine intently. Just then Lord Grey caught a small trout, which, instead of returning to the water, he slipped between Lord Howick's jacket and his neck, the boy's attitude giving him the opportunity of doing so. The little trout glided down as far as the seat of the trousers, flapping about there much to the young fisherman's inconvenience. Whether he held on to his own fish in spite of the discomfort is not stated. From what I know of the last Lord Grey's character in later years, I should say that he did. My first trout was captured when I was a small schoolboy eight years old. For some years my holidays were spent at Howick, in Northumberland, the country residence of my grandfather, the Lord Grey of Beform TROUT 125 Bill memory. Lord Grey, like most country gentlemen, much preferred the pure air of his own place to the dust and confined atmosphere of London, and seldom remained in town, unless detained by duty, long after the beginning of summer. After what would be considered in these days an early dinner, he would often stroll about the pleasure grounds, sometimes catching a few trout in a large pond, which was at no great distance from the house. I generally accompanied him, and one evening, after trying the pond for half an hour, he took me to a burn, which, flowing past the place itself, ran through a beautiful glen for a mile and a half on its way to the sea. There he handed me over to an old gamekeeper, who, though no longer on the active list, was always available when his services could be of use to the younger members of the family. The ancient retainer put a rod, duly baited, into my hand, and cautioning me to keep out of sight, directed me to drop the worm into a likely part of the stream. It had scarcely reached the bottom when it was seized, and, after a few moments' law, I was told to strike very gently. A few more moments and a beauty, covered with red spots, was drawn ashore. From that moment I determined to be a fisherman. The capture was, it must be admitted, of no size, but it afforded me more real pleasure than I have often derived in after years from killing fish twenty times its weight. I cannot, in common gratitude to the memory of the kind old man referred to, who assisted me in my early sporting days, refrain from recording my recollection of him; trusting to be forgiven for what may be put down by some to egotism, especially as he afforded a type of the class of keeper of bygone days. With strongly marked, handsome features, he was well over six feet in height, and powerfully built, and although at the time referred to advanced in years, and somewhat bent with age, no 124 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING poacher would have had much chance of escape had old David Moffat got his hand upon him. He became my tutor in all matters relating to sport; taught me to use gun and rod, and, as his instructions with regard to learning to throw a fly are to the purpose, they may as well be put down here. Having taken me out in a boat, and put a rod in my hand, he would say,' Do not let out too much line, and make as if you were going to touch up one of my lord's coach horses, but stop your hand when the cast is two or three feet from the water.' As my lessons progressed he would tell me to lengthen the line and check the throw, just before it fell. If the fly touched the water behind me he at once pointed out the fault, remarking, truly enough, that, had I been on the bank, and caught the long grass, or any other obstacle, the fly would have gone. After a short course of such instruction we together made many pleasant excursions to the neighbouring streams, riding over to the Am, or the Coquet, and once driving as far as the Glen; proud indeed I was when I came home from the last-named river, with three dozen small trout in the basket. The old man seldom fished with fly unless after a flood, but used the worm, especially in clear water, and many times did he urge me to give up the fly for this most deadly bait; to me, however, the touch of the worm and the act of impaling it on the hook were alike distasteful, and in after years when trout were difficult to get with the fly, it was my habit to use the drop minnow or, if I could get them, wasp grubs. It is common enough to cry out against such methods of fishing—unjustly indeed. To my mind the successful use of worm, minnow or wasp grubs, in low, clear water, is one of the most difficult arts to acquire, far more so than ordinary fly-fishing, and however desirable it may be to forbid the use of bait in streams which contain fewer and TROUT 125 larger trout, it must be borne in mind that fifty or sixty years ago the number of fish in rivers like the Glen was so great that the sport was probably improved by the process of thinning them out. Trout were there of good size, but it was only now and then that one exceeding 1 lb. would take the fly, except when the river was clearing after a flood, and even then the best fish were to be killed with minnow. I once killed, after one o'clock in the afternoon, twenty-one trout, which weighed 20 lbs., all caught with this bait. Times have naturally much changed since old Moffat's day. A considerable part of the Howick property lies near the Border, at a distance of some twenty-five miles from the place itself. The land being good partridge ground, he, when, keeper, was sent up, in the autumn, as soon as the corn was cut, to get birds for the house and to send away. When on these missions he would often get a day's fishing and bring back a salmon or gilse for his employer's table. After killing what game there was to be got off Lord Grey's farms, it was his habit to shoot his way back to Howick, the people over whose land he walked never interfering with him. What would they say or do if such a proceeding were attempted now ? Even in my recollection there was plenty of good trout-fishing in Northumberland, either entirely free or to be had, nearly always, for the asking. At the present day you would not get anything like the sport formerly afforded by the Glen, the Breamish, the Am, the Coquet and other rivers by whose sides I have often wandered when a youngster—and this not owing to poaching or pollution, but to the increase of drainage, not only in the low grounds but on the hills. The Cheviots carry far more sheep than they used, in consequence of such increase. The result of course has been to add to the violence of the floods. This affects the trout-fishing directly and - • 126 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING l\ i indirectly. Directly, because the rise of water being much greater and more rapid, the trout become in a short time glutted and sick; by the time they have recovered, the water will again have become low, so that the good time for fishing is much curtailed. Indirectly, because the force with which the flood comes down is apt to tear away parts of the soil and alter the course of the stream. The landowners, in order to avoid any loss which might be so brought upon them, employ men to keep the river in its place; this they do by the use of piles and thorn bushes, making it into a long straight piece of water like a wide ditch, and doing away with the deep holes and corners where the best trout used to lie. What fish are to be found in these straight reaches are too small to be worth catching. This is unavoidable, nor would any right-minded man wish, in the smallest degree, to curb the energy of the farmer who endeavours to make the most of his land, or his sheep walk. We must make the best of things as they are. So far as sport is concerned I believe our grandfathers had the best of it. They were not bothered with barbed wire out hunting. They probably derived more pleasure in watching their pointers and cocker spaniels hunt than their successors do from killing the large bags now so common. They could hunt a brace of dogs themselves if necessary. Only in one respect have we an advantage. Since killing the kelts was made illegal, we have got larger salmon than they did. Trout may with truth be described as almost omnivorous. They seem to partake of the nature of the shark, as described in an old sea ditty. A shark was on the larboard ; sharks don't on manners stand, But grapple all they come at, just like your sharks on land. They will feed on insects, worms, grubs, small fish, even TROUT 127 on their own kind, red horseflesh, bits of dough or bread, shrimps and prawns. The Hon. James Howard, for many years one of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, is said to have killed a trout of great size at Hampstead Marshal with a potato peeling, whilst a red herring which had been thrown into the Itchen furnished the big Winchester trout of 16 lbs. with its last meal before its capture. Once when having luncheon on the banks of the Itchen in company with Mr. A. Bonham Carter, we noticed the rounded shape of a large trout he had recently killed; on being cut open, it was found to contain a mass of Olive Duns, two dumb bees, and a small eel half digested—a strange bill of fare indeed! Mr. Bomanes, a gentleman not likely to make a mistake in such matters, believes that fish have little or no sense of taste, and this may possibly account for their often being caught with different flies from those on which they may be feeding. When the May fly is up, an Alder will sometimes kill as well as a Green Drake. When Olive Duns are thick on the stream, Grey and Bed Quills may answer better than Duns. In my own case the Bed Tag accounted for a good many fish late in the season on the Itchen where the usual patterns were unavailing and much to the surprise of the Winchester tackle-makers. Why this should be so, does not signify, though the question from a speculative point of view may be interesting; it is enough for the angler to know that it is so. When trout decline to take the flies which may be on at the time, or such as are in common use, Bed Quill Gnats, Wickhams and so forth, let him then not hesitate to try patterns of quite a different character. My own belief is that the fish are attracted now and then by the change of colour (with due submission to Sir Herbert Maxwell) and that they are so -— 128 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING influenced I feel convinced from the fact that they are found to reject those flies in which certain hues predominate. I have often tried Bed Heckles in the German river Ilm and in the Tweed, and cannot remember ever to have killed anything in either worth having. The natural history of the common trout is, however, so well known, that it would serve no useful purpose to say much upon that head here. Some remarks will be found further on, as to their resting-places, feeding-ground, habits and so forth, with instances bearing upon* the conclusions arrived at. In all streams with which I am acquainted, if not artificially fed, they will reach a certain size, after attaining which they will show signs of senile decay, becoming lanky and worthless, alike for sport and the table. Where food is plentiful the largest fish will be found; in fact, unless the river supplies them with plenty to eat, they will run small, and if, occasionally, one of unusual size is caught, it will, in general, be hardly worth carrying home. Fly-fishing for trout is, as every angler knows, carried on in two different ways, i.e. with a sunk fly and a floating fly. The dry-fly man describes the use of a wet one as the ' chuck it and chance it plan.' His rival who fishes with the sunken fly maintains that a competent fisherman should find no great difficulty in floating his fly over a rising trout, provided he has learnt to place it accurately, but that the skill which enables him to do so will not teach him where to fish when no rise is to be seen, and when sometimes the best sport is to be had on the north- country rivers. Let not the advocates of the two systems content themselves with becoming masters of one of them only, but rather endeavour to be armed at all points, and so TROUT 129 ready to take advantage of any opportunity which may offer, whether it be on the chalk streams of the South or on the more broken waters of the North. To my mind both forms of fishing, with wet fly or dry, have their charm. Wet-fly fishing I learnt as a boy, and, indeed, it was then the only mode of fly-fishing in the North of England, where my early attempts were made. To succeed, the angler must have learnt where trout will be found, according to the height-of the water and rapidity of the river. Trout will not lie in heavy currents unless there should be rocks or some shelter from the weight of the stream ; it is therefore necessary when fishing such places to be able to pitch the fly behind the stone where a swirling eddy probably holds a good trout, to leave it in the water just long enough for that good trout to take, and, should he decline to rise, recover it before it has time to get fast. Further it wants a quick and experienced eye to see the rise, and in heavy water even unscraped gut will go, if too sudden and hard a pull is given when the fish takes. On the other hand, the excessive clearness of the chalk streams in the southern counties renders it imperative to use the finest tackle, and adds to the difficulty of keeping, not only yourself, but rod and line, out of sight. In fishing such streams you have to cast with the sun in your eyes, in spite of the glare, so that no shadow should reveal your presence, kneel, crouch, or wade, and if possible, get your back to a bank, hedge, wall, or anything which will prevent your body or rod from showing against the skyline. All this is tiresome no doubt, but, if you can kill two or three brace of the fine trout which inhabit the Itchen or Test by taking these precautions, you will be well rewarded. The use of the dry fly entails in most cases casting up stream, though throwing across to a rising fish in many K 130 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING instances seems to be quite as effective. The fly must by no means be allowed to be dragged under water by the current. Let us now consider what a day's sport may fairly represent in the month of June on the Itchen, when the large trout are at their best. The fisherman will probably be on the water before the fly has come up, and will have stationed himself where he can watch for its appearance. On the walk up a trout may have been spied near the surface, and approached with all possible caution ; the line having been switched out to the right length, and the fly nicely offered, the chances are that he will take; if he finds his way into the basket, his captor will be encouraged to wait for the ' rise' with the more patience. Presently a few Duns will show themselves; soon their number increases, and the fish begin to feed. The angler will look out for a trout which may be sucking in the flies near the bank. Crawling up so as to keep well out of sight, his first attempt perhaps lands the fly on a projecting blade of grass, from which it is gently disengaged, if possible. Should it be necessary, he will break the gut rather than show himself. At the second cast the fly alights close to the bank, touching no impediment, and falling as light as thistledown; then comes a small ring, a quick suck, rather than a rise; the hand gently goes up, the rod bends, and away rushes a two-pounder up stream for twenty yards before he can be checked ; gradually his run is stopped, and he comes down to where the ready landing- net is in hand to secure him. Then comes the most ticklish part of the game, for the weeds have begun to show, and there is no great width of open water where he can be landed. Should he catch sight of the fisherman, with a last desperate effort, he will dash into cover, when the betting will be long odds in his favour. No such mis- «*■ TROUT 131 fortune occurs, and he is put away to join company with the one already secured. Whilst the rise lasts the angler may continue his sport, perhaps occasionally losing a trout in the weed; but by three o'clock the fly ceases to appear and he walks home with six or more goodly fish on his back, hoping that the next morning may bring with it even better luck. Larger bags are, of course, to be made than that indicated above, by first- class hands, but the day's sport described may be fairly expected, in tolerably favourable circumstances, on water which is not over-fished. The advantage of selecting a trout rising near the bank is at first sight not apparent, but is a real one nevertheless. Trout feeding in mid-river, where the water glides along without disturbance, do not remain in the same spot, but swim a short distance up stream and then drop back to their starting point. It is not, therefore, certain that you will throw over the trout by casting to the rise. Fish lying near the bank are practically stationary, waiting for the food brought down by the current, so that a man who can place his fly properly is sure to get over them at once. When there is a glut of fly and you are after a trout, which is rising at every moment, it is well to wait until none are passing over him—the real insect appears, even when thick on the water, not in an unbroken and continuous succession, but in dozens, with, as it were, intervals between each dozen. If the imitation is offered during one of these intervals the chance of its being taken is increased. Should the wind be adverse, i.e. blowing down stream, trout may still be killed by drifting the fly. In such cases a tolerably long line must be cast, so that it may fall in a slight curve, either to the right or left of the fish ; the line must then be slightly held back so that the action of the stream may cause it to straighten just K 2 132 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING at the right moment. You have, however, only one chance, as, if the first cast is unsuccessful, upon lifting your hand, the trout will be off instantly. This method of fishing is not practicable, excepting where the water is clear of weed. It once happened to me to bag four large trout in this fashion on the Chilland water in the Itchen, but the process is so tedious that it is hardly worth resorting to, unless a brace or two are particularly wanted for the table, or to give away. It is said that more fish are pricked when fishing in this way ; in my own experience, I have found it to be so.1 On the chalk streams, it is common enough for the fisherman to stick to a small extent of water, devoting j himself to the task of killing one or two large fish which may happen to live there. I cannot but think that where that is habitually done, the trout become more and more shy, and that for the sake of the river as well as your own it would be better policy, having tried two or three flies, to proceed in search of another victim to do this, however, you must have a fair extent of water—perhaps more than you are at liberty to fish. There is nothing, in my humble opinion, more satisfactory than plenty of elbow-room. When the fish are taking badly, it is only one out of a large number that will come to the fly, even in strictly preserved streams, where there is no question of over-fishing. For a few seasons I resorted to the Ilm at Weimar, which is strictly preserved and fished most lightly. One evening when thunder was about, and rain impending, the trout I cast over would seldom take notice of the fly, though they occasionally sucked down a pale transparent- 1 Since these pages were written, the experienced angler who writes under the signature of \ Red Quill' has expressed his disapproval of dwelling too long at one spot.- Sept. No. of Baily, 1905. I am happy to find myself in agreement with so practical and skilful a hand. TROUT 133 looking Dun of which no successful imitation is made. Now and then, however, a genuine rise would take place at my fly, and the trout be hooked and killed. Before dark, ten large fish were landed, but to get them any quantity had been shown the fly—had not the extent of water at my disposal been practically unlimited, I am convinced that the bag would not have exceeded a brace. One of the drawbacks to fly-fishing is the exuberant growth of weed; now, that weed has to be cut, and what can be more vexatious than to be driven off the stream by having the water covered with masses of vegetation, drifting down upon one. Occasionally a change of wind will shift old-cut weeds out of the bays and bights above, and in a* short time they may pass away, but if a supply of fresh-cut ones arrives, it is a case of reel up, and away. The only effectual remedy for the weed-cutting nuisance is to have a strong net with a wide mesh placed at the upper limit of the fishery. To do this, a simple plank . bridge must first be erected, with strong posts, at each bank, to which the net should be attached. When the day's fishing is over, one end of the net can be unhitched, and allowed to swing across to the opposite side; the weeds which have been collected in it will then pass away during the night, leaving the stream clear for the next day's sport. The weeds in the fishery itself require careful management. On no account should they be all swept away with the scythe, as, besides destroying the refuge afforded the fish against poachers, it would be found almost impossible to approach a rising trout unseen. The best plan is to cut away the weed only half-way across the stream for a certain distance, then change sides and repeat the process. In this way the fish still have a safe harbour to run to, and the angler has a piece of open water to land his fish. 134 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Where the river is of some width, this mode of treating weeds would probably leave too large a space of bare water, and in that case small channels should be made wide enough for casting, and sufficient water close to the banks should be kept clear to enable the angler or his attendant to use the landing-net. However, do what you will, the weed nuisance cannot be altogether avoided, though it may be mitigated. It is certainly the most serious drawback to dry-fly fishing, on the chalk streams of the southern counties, and, in my opinion, is, in some cases, enough to make one give up the game, after the middle of the season. What, indeed, can be more annoying than to lose (if you are out of luck) fish after fish from their going to weed ? I say ' if out of luck,' because chance has a great deal to say as to your landing a trout of any size where weeds abound. Here are two instances in point. One evening late in June I noticed three large trout feeding on a shallow below a hatch hole on the Itchen. The moment the fly, a Silver Sedge, was presented to him, the trout lowest down stream took it greedily ; he instantly dived into a dense mass of weed and was lost. The second took a similar fly, but instead of diving, as his neighbour had done, rushed violently across and down stream towards another mass of weed. It was in vain that the rod was pointed to the sky and held aloft, the trout knew what he was about and quickly buried himself, too securely to be moved. A third Sedge was put on and offered to the last of the three; he also was firmly hooked, but, instead of weeding, ran for the hatch hole, which was fortunately some way above, and before reaching it, the stream, the fisherman, and Mr. Hardy's rod together stopped his career; he continued to dig and plunge heavily, after the fashion of a large salmon, until so beaten that he floated quietly down into the landing-net. Now this third trout was the TROUT 135 largest which fell to my lot on the Avington water, and weighed nearly 3J lbs. The two lost were apparently somewhat under 2 lbs. The second example of luck was as follows:—Upon one occasion the trout were rising fast, where the Itchen widens considerably, above some hatches. Olive Duns were up, but not a fish would look at my imitations; I then found that they were feeding not upon the Duns, but upon a small dark fly ; accordingly, the Olive was changed for a ' Blue Upright.' No sooner was the change effected than two fish were hooked and landed—then, having caught sight of a large trout on the rise, I cast over him; he came at the fly, and was hooked foul. How long a period elapsed before he was in the basket it is impossible to say—he went into every weed in the place, and when brought near the bank bored out afresh into the deep; a good attendant would have gone down stream and brought the net under him, whereas it was impossible for me to approach unseen. All things, however, come to an end, and the end of the trout came at last. He was hooked near the tail and weighed over 2 lbs. (I got one more over 1 lb. and then the rise was over.) Now, had the two-pounder been hooked in the usual way, he would certainly have been lost in the weeds : as it was, owing to the position of the hook, neither the fish nor the casting line got fast, and it was possible, when he went to cover in a short time, to pull him back into open water. There is a theory that when a trout goes to weed he hangs on to it with his teeth. The jaw and teeth of a trout are strong, and is it to be supposed that, had this particular fish closed its mouth on the weeds, fine scraped gut and a small Blue Upright would have prevailed against him? It has been asserted that, if you wait long enough, a weeded fish will emerge from his refuge and so may be 136 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING )t killed after all. Such a proceeding would require a larger stock of patience than I possess, moreover; whilst waiting the trout's pleasure, it might well be that the chance of getting hold of two or three others would be lost. I therefore pass on to suggest what is the best plan to adopt, when fishing a weedy river, premising that my views are based on personal experience, and that it is far from my desire to set them against any opinions which better fishermen may hold. When a trout of any size has been hooked where weeds abound, the best chance of keeping him out of them is to hold the top of the rod pointing straight up, taking care not to interfere with the free running of the line (the friction caused by the rings will put as much pressure on as fine scraped gut and small hooks will stand). Should the trout nevertheless run into weeds below you, the case is hopeless; but if he is up stream you may get him by lowering the top till it touches the water, and keeping up a gentle strain. Should that fail, take the line in your hand, the rod being kept pointing straight at the spot where the fish is laid up, and give a succession of gentle pulls. If this proceeding prove unavailing, I should haul until the line broke, or the trout came away. The last time I fished the Itchen three fish were thus induced to abandon the weeds and were duly landed, but, as intimated above, this result must be put down, mainly, to good luck, and not to skill. It will sometimes happen that a fish may be seen rising in a hole amongst the- weeds, and where there is a strong growth between him and the angler. In these circumstances, he may occasionally be caught by casting to the hole, and should he take, keeping the rod well up, and endeavouring to lift his head on to the intervening weeds. If the attempt be successful, the rod being still in the same position, he may be drawn gently over ■fifi TROUT 137 towards the fisherman ; but in that case his head must be kept out of water, or nearly so; the weeds will partly sustain his weight, and each flap of his tail will* only hasten his journey towards the landing-net. When a trout is thus treated he will offer little or no resistance when he gets fairly into open water, being, indeed, partly in the state of a fish which has been a minute or two on the bank. Whether killing trout in this way can be honestly called sport is a question I leave to others to decide, merely stating that, in my view, fishing amongst weeds, after they have shown on the surface of the water, is hardly worth while. As to the tackle used in dry-fly fishing it would be useless to say much. Fish are killed on 9-feet rods (ducks, as some call them) and on double-handed rods. Of course the weight of line must, as in salmon-fishing, be so adjusted as to enable you to cast with the least exertion ; the flies must be small and the casting line fine. Flies of every conceivable colour and design, from the showy Pink Wickham to the humble-looking Blue Upright, are to be had at any good shop. Were I to fit myself out afresh, my choice would be somewhat limited. Bed Quill Gnat, two or three sorts of Olives, Blue Upright, Wickham's Fancy, Bed Tag. The last-named is usually considered a grayling fly, but in my experience of late years it has been most successful with trout also. Besides the great variety of flies nowadays offered to the choice of the angler, we constantly see in the columns of the sporting press descriptions given of the real insects by fishermen who are also naturalists. To the practical angler, it is of no moment whether he is aware that a Dun of one colour is a male, of another colour a female. Experience teaches him that such and such flies are to the taste of the fish, and the knowledge so acquired is enough for him—some of the flies which kill the best are not 138 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING imitations of any real insect, e.g. Wickham's Fancy in the South of England, Hofland's Fancy in the North. The patterns dressed by the fishing-tackle maker often have too much wing in proportion to the size of the hook. I therefore, some years ago, got Mr. Hardy of Alnwick to use larger hooks in proportion to the wings than those commonly sold ; and in order to prevent their being unsuitable to the size of fly required, to file off part of the shank, leaving the bend as it was. In this way the appearance of the fly was according to the rule, whilst, the bend of the wire being larger, there was a better chance of hooking a rising trout and of killing him when hooked. As regards casting lines, it is not possible to lay down any precise law. Probably more fish will be hooked with very fine tackle, but it is not certain that more will be landed. Where there is plenty of open water the finest casts are strong enough to kill even the largest trout one is likely to encounter (it should be only a question of time), but where dense beds of weeds exist, you of course have a better chance of keeping fish clear of them or of getting them out when weeded, the stronger the gut is; the angler must exercise his own discretion in the matter. Scraped gut has a tendency after a short time to ravel up, presenting somewhat the appearance of fine cotton ; when this happens, my practice has been to throw away the cast and put on a fresh one. Should this be considered wasteful, it is easy to have in your fishing book three feet of the finest gut tied and ready to put on in place of the lower part of the old casting line. It is the habit of some men to coil away the casts, when not in use, round their hats. In rainy weather this plan is good enough, but in hot sunny days, especially if showery as well, nothing will rot them so soon. It is better to keep them in your case until wanted. After the beginning or towards the middle of June you TROUT 139 may generally reckon upon a second rise of fly late in the evening, especially on a calm evening, after a hot day. As the light begins to fade, you may use less flimsy casts, and if you have marked down any large trout, then is the time to go for them. Large fish especially have always a secure spot to lie in, when not feeding; when in search of food, they repair to some adjoining shallow, and if hooked on such shallows, will at once make off to where they are in the habit of resting, or possibly dash into weed. With fairly strong gut you may succeed in stopping the rush of many a trout before he reaches his refuge, not only to your own advantage but to the advantage of others, bearing in mind that where the river is well stocked it is far better a fish should be killed than that it should get away pricked, or, still worse, with a hook in its mouth. I do not remember making any large bags in the evening. I once hooked eight trout about a bend of the Itchen known as the f Duke's Corner,' but of these four were lost in the weeds; yet, to one who is not only a fisher, but a lover of nature, what greater pleasure can there be than in wandering beside clear pools and streams, occasionally bagging a fine trout, which may have defied our efforts when the day rise was on, for successive mornings ? Trout have their own particular feeding-ground, where they may be observed day after day. If caught, in a short time the next largest fish in that part of the stream will take the place of the ' departed,' but if the first has been pricked or got away after being hooked, he will retain possession of his haunt, and probably refuse the fly for the remainder of the summer. I say' probably,' for cases occur where a trout has broken away once, or even twice, in the course of the season, and has been killed at last. Going up the Itchen one morning, I saw a trout of 140 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING fair size rise two or three times, close to where the waste water from the mill left the main stream. Two flies were offered him in vain, so I passed on. A couple of hours afterwards, another member of the club overtook me with a two-pounder in his basket. On inquiring where it was caught, it turned out that it was the very fish I had tried for above the waste. Two days later, I got one a trifle smaller at the same spot. Now had either of us pricked the first, we should have missed the two good ones we did catch. I had often remarked a trout of fair size and perfect shape, feeding in a side stream, over which was a footbridge. He lay a few yards above the said bridge, and was to be seen sucking down the natural flies as they floated over him. Thinking that, if hooked, he would rush for the shelter of the bridge, where he would assuredly break the cast, I had left him alone whilst any chance existed of getting hold of other fish, in less dangerous places. One day, however, when a poor rise of fly was nearly at an end, I put a Bed Quill Gnat over him; he took instantly, but instead of bolting down stream for the bridge, he ran violently up, turned round a sunken post, and was gone, with the fly in his mouth. Daily, on my way up the water, I saw him in his old haunt and, in general, feeding well. I tried him occasionally with Quill Gnats, Duns, and other favourite lures, and, though he would sometimes turn and look at the artificial fly, he refused all offers up to the end of the season. There can be little doubt that many and many a fish which will go on taking the real fly, and rejects the artificial one, acts thus from having had an unpleasant" experience of the latter. It has happened to me as well as to others to catch trout with hooks still fast in their mouths. Fishing the upper part of the Avington water, one day in the middle of the summer, I saw what was TROUT 141 evidently a good trout feeding near the opposite bank. Crossing by a bridge higher up and crouching below where he was still rising, I let out the proper length of line, and was fortunate enough to hook him at the first cast. After giving some trouble, he came to hand. The lad who was with me, whilst taking my fly out of his mouth, said, ' This is the fish Lord Barrington lost last week.' ' How do you know that ?' ' Here is his Lordship's Bed Quill Gnat stuck fast in his palate.' This lad had been out with Lord Barrington at the time —the trout when hooked had run up stream a little way, then, turning, had come down so rapidly that the fisherman had to retreat quickly from the bank. In doing so, he tripped up in some sticky ground which had been poached by cattle, fell on his back, and of course lost fish and hook. Now, here is a case which upsets a theory I had always held, viz. that when a fish was caught which had escaped previously, it was because he had either had the fly struck away at the rise, or had, at all events, got off almost immediately. Two or three days after Lord Barrington's adventure, referred to above, he had gone up to the upper part of the Avington water, whilst I remained lower down, devoting myself to a stretch of the river between a waggon bridge and some hatches, used to turn part of the stream down to a sawmill, and known as ' the Aquarium.' Close to the waggon bridge a fish was rising; upon throwing to him, he followed the fly, which just before lifting it got into an eddy and dragged. In spite of its being sunk, the trout rose just as the line was being recovered, the result naturally being a break, through the middle of the cast. It seemed strange that the break should have occurred at this part of the tackle; however, as another trout was rising a little way below, no more heed was taken of the circumstance, a fresh cast 142 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING and fly were put up, and an attempt was made upon the second fish. He took directly and ran up stream, and, just as he was landed, to my surprise I saw the first, still feeding. Naturally, another effort to catch him was made; this time the fly worked properly, and the fish was hooked. At that moment Lord Barrington, accompanied by the keeper, arrived on the scene; the fish had come away below, Lord Barrington stationed himself on the bridge, to prevent his turning back to its shelter, whilst the keeper went down stream with the landing-net. After a short time the man got him, and said to me, ' You were lucky to kill such a fish as this [he weighed nearly 2J lbs.] ; he is hooked foul.' Lord Barrington, who was inspecting the trout, said, j Nonsense, here is the fly well inside his mouth.' This was the case, but there was also another fly in his side with the broken part of the cast still attached to it, and wound round the body of the fish. He had evidently meant to take the first fly, but when it went under water had turned away with a switch of his tail, thus striking the line and fastening part of it round him. The tale may seem to bear the appearance of a romance, and I should have hesitated to relate it, knowing how sceptical people are where fishing anecdotes are concerned, had there not been witnesses present. Lord Barrington is no longer here to vouch for what happened, but the river-keeper ' Collins' is still at Chilland Cottage, and would not hesitate to corroborate the story. It seems pretty clear that, in general, fish can have little or no sensation of pain when hooked—that they are frightened at finding their movements interfered with, I have no doubt. Once, on the Itchen, I caught a trout with a wound, probably caused by a heron (which went from one side to the other). The fish ran, seemingly, with unimpaired strength ; as, however, it was under 1 lb. I was about to put it back, when observing how it had TROUT 143 been stabbed, it was knocked on the head and taken home for dinner. Would any creature that we know of, except a fish, resist or struggle after being thrust through the body in such fashion ? It is comforting to reflect that when hooked fish escape, they feel no further inconvenience, and probably forget the fright they have had before long. The size and, what is more important, the quality of trout vary much. Their size depends upon the abundance or the scarcity of food, though exceptional cases may be found, just as, in the human race, men exist of a size and height far beyond the average. The largest common trout I ever saw was a female fish just under 20 lbs. It had been kept in a stew at Hampstead Marshal on the Kennet, and supplied with food in abundance. Now and then it was taken out of the water and weighed, its captors hoping it would reach 20 lbs. When within | lb. of the weight, it showed symptoms of age and none of increasing in size. It was therefore knocked on the head and stuffed. I saw it many years ago at Ashdown, Lord Craven's place on the downs. It was afterwards sent to the Sportsman's Exhibition at Islington. In streams flowing through rich land, where every rise of water brings down an abundant supply of worms, insects, &c, the fish are in shape short and thick— powerful, with small heads, and well filled out even to the root of the tail. In waters where the weed is full of insect life, especially of fresh-water shrimp, they are to be found at their best. The Itchen and the Test afford examples of such waters. The worst trout I have met with have been in water-meadow streams, running through poor soil, where there is no food-producing weed to compensate for the lack of water, when the river is nearly all turned on to the fields. It was my habit for some years to run down occasionally from London by train, to fish the upper part of the 144 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING well-known little river Darent. Some of the largest trout were to be found at the lower part of the water I had permission to fish, and there most of my time was spent. After a time the farm near this portion of the river changed hands, and the new tenant, availing himself to the utmost of his control of the irrigation, kept his meadows constantly under water. Shortly, the trout thereabouts began to fall off; though still of fair size, they became lanky, with large heads and thin bodies, and so, unfit either for sport or the table. After a year or two the land, owing to its being kept continually under water, grew nothing but rushes and marshmallow, so that the landlord was obliged to take the farm into his own hands, and found it necessary to give up irrigating it, for a time. Immediately the trout began to improve, and were, before long, as good as ever— tolerable proof, if any were wanted, of the mischief which may be caused by water-meadows, particularly where flooding is overdone. It would be absurd to say that water-meadows should be so managed as not to starve the trout; therefore, my advice is, avoid rivers where the system exists. There is another cause for the decrease of trout, viz. the silting up the mill dams, especially where the stream is small and consequently the mill dams are large. Landlords, in these days, can seldom afford to clean out the dams, so in time a miller who formerly had enough water to enable him to grind for nine or ten hours, is now able to use his mill only for three or four. At the end of that time down go the hatches and a mere trickle remains, just enough to keep the fish below alive. The trout are thus without a proper supply of running water, which brings them their food, and suffer accordingly. The mischief is not unfortunately confined to restricting the supply of food. In frosty weather the water is often TROUT 145 so low that the spawning beds are exposed to the depredations of ducks and other enemies. On the Test I have seen a pair of swans busily engaged in devouring salmon spawn, almost immediately after the departure of the parent fish from the beds. These evils will probably cease, as the dams will before long become so shallow that they will be of no further, use, and if the mills are still required, they will be worked by steam engines. A few pages back it has been attempted to describe a good day's sport on a chalk stream in somewhat favourable conditions. Let me, per contra, set forth my own experience of an unsuccessful day. When the water was reached, about ten o'clock, no fly was to be seen, but after half an hour a patchy rise came on of which the fish took no notice—not one was stirring. After waiting some time in vain, it seemed best to walk up the river, on the chance of getting sight of a feeding trout. Toiling up through sticky ground and pausing to inspect every likely spot, three were discovered rising, not greedily, but at intervals. All three were hooked. The first got off just as it was close to the landing-net, the second broke the hook at the bend, and the third, which weighed 1^ lb., was killed. Having then reached the boundary of the fishery, there was nothing to do but to walk gently back again; but no other rise was seen, and so the day's fishing was over. Possibly another trout or two might have been caught off some rapid shallows, on the way home, but a party of soldiers from a camp close by were bathing in the hatch hole above, and had disturbed all that part of the river. I do not remember to have had, during the years I fished the Itchen, more than one or two blank days, but often have come home with, perhaps, only one or two ' killable' fish. On the occasion just referred to there was apparently no fault to be found with the weather or the condition of the water ; the sun was hot, certainly, but so it had been the L SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING previous day, on which four good fish were killed, besides hooking two others which were lost. It seems to be impossible to tell beforehand if the sport will be good or bad. In the latter case it is indeed bad. It is curious that trout should rise only occasionally, at an interval of, say, five minutes, more or less. One day when the fish were so conducting themselves, I stationed myself on a bank from which, by means of an opera-glass, it was easy to see what they were doing. Before long a trout was discovered apparently biting a piece of upright weed, working from near the bottom of the water to within a foot of the surface. After a time he left this particular weed, and swam to a similar one a yard or so off, snapping up an Olive Dun which came over him on the way. There can be little doubt that he was feeding almost entirely on larva or some insect crawling about the weed, that when he had devoured all that was to be found on the spot, he went across stream in search of more larvae, but that he was ready to take a fly if it happened to pass over him on his way. Perhaps the worst result of this habit of feeding among the weeds is that the trout become glutted, and may not take, even at dusk. Apart from the causes already adverted to as hindering sport, there are two evils which are frequently met with—'smut' and 'bulging.' Sometimes when everything looks well the water will of a sudden be covered with tiny black insects no larger than a pin's head, and known as ' smut.' The fish feed greedily on them, and may be seen darting about under water in pursuit. When they first appear, a trout or two may be caught with any small dark fly, but after a short time the case becomes hopeless. This curse may last a quarter of an hour, or two or three days; whilst it continues sport is not to be looked for. The insect itself, when TROUT 147 examined through a magnifying glass, presents the appearance of a diminutive house-fly, and seems to be confined to streams where mill dams exist; I saw it first many years ago on the Tweed at Sprouston, whither my steps had been bent, in the spring, in pursuit of trout. Suddenly the Dub, a long stretch of water, became boiling with rises. The March Brown was up, and much sport was anticipated. After throwing over many fish, one was caught, and on examination its mouth was found to be filled with these little black insects. The' smut' appeared, on this occasion, for only a quarter of an hour or so. It is impossible to say how long a time this curse may go on, so that the angler perhaps stays on, near the river, for a couple of days, hoping, only to be disappointed, that it will cease. At other times trout may be seen ' bulging,' i.e. greedily feeding, as my belief is, on the immature fly just before it reaches the surface. This is terribly against the angler; but it is by no means certain that fish could not be caught, when this is the case, by a sunk fly dressed to imitate the larva. The Panshanger May fly is tied on this principle, and sometimes kills well. Moreover* once when fishing the Chilland water, on the Itchen, the trout were evidently taking something just below the surface, and none could I catch. A gentleman who was on the opposite bank inquired what sport I was getting. ' None,' said I. ' Why,' said he, ' I have got five, and will show you my fly.' He cast his line across where the stream was narrow, and I discovered that he was using a fly well known in the North of England, tied with pale green body, and heckle from the golden plover—and this he fished, sunk. Happening to have some similar ones with me, one was immediately put on, and with it four trout were killed. Probably it resembled the immature Duns, of which a few were to be seen at the time. To tell the truth, however, it must be L 2 148 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING admitted that, though often tried on other occasions, I never but that once found it of any use. Trout, besides taking ' smut' and larvae, are much given to grubbing. In hot weather numerous tails may be seen sticking up on the shallows, the owners of which are engaged in swallowing fresh-water shrimps, and snails which abound in the weed (watercress, especially, contains a small grey snail of which trout are very fond). It is said that these grubbers may now and then be caught, by fishing down stream over them with a sunk March Brown. According to my own experience, you may get a fish or two when the curse is on or when they are taking larvae, but never one of these weed grubbers. CHAPTEB VIII THE ILM The May fly—Reappearance, after several years, at Avington—Fickleness of trout—Number of trout pricked—Performances of former anglers— Old trout should be netted out—Sunk fly—The Ilm—Lord Northbrook's big trout—Loss of large trout in the Ilm—Fishing in the neighbourhood—The town of Weimar—Hotels, &c.—Big trout lost by Mrs. Barrington. Besides ordinary dry-fly fishing with fine tackle and small flies, the May-fly season, on streams where it appears, affords an opportunity of taking the finest trout in the water. After it is over the fish, having become glutted, are sluggish and rise badly, if at all. Indeed, in some rivers they rise at the artificial fly no more for the rest of the season—one such river I became acquainted with, owing to the late Lord Barrington having hired a portion of it. In the middle of the summer he and I went down to try the water. He warned me that we could not do much with the fly, but said he would order some minnows to be provided, with which we might catch some of the best trout. On our arrival we found that only four baits had been procured: leaving Lord Barrington to make the most of these, I wandered up the river, trying all the likely places with fly. Though the wave of a moving fish was to be seen here and there, and though some small dark- coloured flies were up, not a trout would rise either at them or at any I offered them, Becourse was then had 150 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING to some artificial minnows which had been brought down, in case they should be wanted. Here another difficulty had to be encountered—the weeds had not been cut, and though a fly might be dropped into narrow channels between them, it was hardly possible when using the minnow to avoid showing oneself or getting fast. At last one fish was killed, by casting where the shade of overhanging boughs had kept the water comparatively open for two or three yards. A little higher up was a mill, above and below which the stream ran sharply and was free from weed. There I remained for the rest of the day, alternately trying the minnow and smoking a pipe. Out of this piece of water I got two more trout—Lord Barrington had caught a brace, so we had enough for dinner and breakfast. The next day we fished with much the same result. All the morning I stuck to the fly, without raising a trout, towards evening getting two good-sized fish out of the mill water with minnow. Lord Barrington caught three. The keeper told me that it was very seldom a fish was taken with the artificial fly when the May-fly season was over. Doubtless heavier fish are to be killed, as a rule, with the Green Drake, and perhaps a greater number of average-sized ones as well; but, on the other hand, bad sport only can be looked for during a fortnight (perhaps the best fortnight in the year) in streams where it is unknown. On this account, were I in search of trout water, my preference would be for a river where the May fly did not exist. The fly itself varies much, not only in numbers, but in size and colour. In Derbyshire it is large, and appears sometimes in such quantities that the hedges are full, and almost every blade of grass holds a Green Drake, as it is locally called. In other places the fly is smaller, and is not to be found in such profusion. One of the most THE ILM 151 curious facts as to the May fly is its disappearance from waters where it formerly existed. Still more curious is its reappearance after an interval of some years. On the Avington water, five or six miles above Winchester, it is no longer to be seen, though formerly trout were to be caught with it, even higher up the river. One year, however, it reappeared, but only on one part of the water, a stretch known to members of the Itchen Club as ' the Aquarium,' and not exceeding two hundred yards. A day or two after, the trout began to feed on what must have been to them a new kind of food, with the result that many of the largest found their way into the basket. Once when out on the Darent I could do little or nothing worth mentioning with the Green Drake, and a friend who was with me advised me to try an Alder instead. This the trout took quite freely. I have had a similar experience at Longford, in Derbyshire. Probably the May fly had, in both instances, been up but a day or two, and the fish had not become used to it. Amongst other problems relating to trout is how to account for their remarkable fickleness as to what they will take. It often happens that the most accurate imitation of the fly which is on the water, and at which they are apparently rising (I say 'apparently,' because occasionally two different kinds of fly may be up at the same time and whilst those which are in greater numbers are neglected the others are chosen), will be refused, whilst one which has no resemblance to it will be successful, e.g. when Olive Duns are up, the Bed Quill Gnat may kill far better. Nor is this the case on chalk streams alone, where dry-fly fishing only is practised. It has been stated of late years in letters published by the ' Field' and other sporting papers, that trout are more shy nowadays than they used to be, this view being 152 SEVENTY YEAES' FISHING founded partly upon old reports of performances in bygone years, records which, at the present time, we cannot approach. Wherever water is more closely fished, particularly on unfavourable days, trout will become more difficult to catch. Every fisherman is aware that, as a rule, the early part of the season is the time to make a bag ; not the end of the summer. The weeds are not so much in the way, the weather is more favourable, and the water is generally in better order; but besides, there are few, if any, pricked fish. Probably the majority of those who turn their attention to the causes which conduce to sport or the reverse do not realise the number of trout which have been hooked, and escaped, after the first two months of the season. How many of these does the angler cast over in the course of the day ? More than he thinks. In the ' Field' of July 30, 1904, there may be found a letter from the experienced angler who writes under the signature of ' Detached Badger,' in which he gives the result of two days' fishing in the beginning of the month. Eleven trout killed, besides under-sized fish put back, and many lost. It would be interesting to ascertain the proportion of lost to landed trout. Supposing that this proportion amounts to one in four or five (not an improbable assumption), it is clear that, short rises or absolute refusals may be in great measure accounted for. ' Caeteris paribus,' a big fish has a better chance of getting away than a small one. Not only so, but he is more likely to be cas§ over; he probably lies near the bank and so is sure to see the artificial fly when the rise is on, apart from the fisherman being more anxious to secure him on account of his size. Should he break the cast, by going to weed, or in some other way, he will soon be back in his original feeding place, but will in general turn THE ILM a scornful eye on artificial flies for some time to come, if not for the rest of the season. Again, the facilities afforded by the extension of railways have rendered the access to the waterside so easy, that members of fishing clubs will run down to the neighbouring inns for perhaps one or two days, and, having reached their destination, are bound to handle a rod, be the surrounding circumstances favourable or not. The brighter the sun and the lower the water, the finer the casting lines and the smaller the flies will be, adding, of course, to the chance of a break, and to the number of pricked fish. As to reports of what may have been done in former days, we must bear in mind that our predecessors were almost entirely country gentlemen, residing near the streams they or their guests fished. Being able to go out when they pleased, they naturally chose the best opportunities, and did not try the river on days when everything seemed to be against them; as a natural result, more trout were killed in proportion to those lost. The state of the weather, and, perhaps, conditions of the atmosphere which we are unable to discover, are doubtless of great effect with respect to the way in which trout, and, indeed, all fish will take. I can only speak from my own experience, but much prefer westerly and southerly winds, though in the Glen and some of the north-country streams good sport is often obtained on cold days, with easterly and northerly breezes. Seldom have I met with success when the barometer was falling, and never have I killed a trout after the white mist which is apt to rise from the meadows had made its appearance. The performances of one angler, long since dead, who used to fish the upper portion of the Itchen, were often quoted in my hearing, and on one occasion I asked an old 154 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING man who was praising his skill on what sort of day he generally fished; the answer was, ' he always liked to try his luck when a good drop of rain was about.' Everyone who is acquainted with this part of the water knows that the best chance of making a bag, particularly of large fish, is in heavy rain. The inference to be drawn from the foregoing remarks is that, in consequence of altered circumstances, trout are more difficult to catch than they used to be, that their nature has become different—that they are born timid instead of brave I do not believe. It was stated a few pages back that all trout streams produce fish which will, after reaching a certain weight, begin to go back in condition, until they become lanky and worthless, either for sport or the table. What should be done with them ? It is very desirable that they should be got rid of, but how is this to be effected ? It would be easy to catch them with a drop minnow, but it would be impossible to avoid killing other fish in good condition as well, with this bait. These old fish are apt to lie in hatch holes, and still, deep places, where a minnow will not spin, so that some form of Gorge hook would have to be used. Possibly a clever keeper might get them with a net, but of all fish that swim, a trout, under certain conditions, is the most difficult to net. The fishermen employed by the Wilton Fly-Fishing Club have told me that they occasionally find trout of 4 or 5 lbs., dead or dying, in the winter. The only apparent remedy would be to set the river-keepers to work, after the spawning season, with the net. Hitherto ' dry-fly' fishing has been considered; let us now turn our attention to the use of the sunk fly. My own experience in this branch of the art has been of late years mostly confined to German waters. It is true that on the Wiltshire Wiley I have caught both THE ILM 155 trout and grayling with a wet fly; but the dry one was the rule, the wet one the exception. For some years it has been my custom to repair in the summer to Weimar for the purpose of fishing the river Ilm, which flows almost through the town, the water for some miles being held on lease by a German gentleman living in Berlin, who takes in three or four partners. Above the town the trout rarely, except in one or two mill dams, exceed 2 lbs., and even at that weight are rather apt to have big heads and thin bodies. Below, they reach a size of 4 lbs. and sometimes 5 lbs., the average, not counting small fish returned to the river, being quite 2 lbs. Larger fish are to be killed in some of our own rivers (the late Lord Northbrook caught one of 8 lbs. with dry fly and fine tackle in the Alne, and another of the same weight was taken in the Test), but in number and average size the Ilm stands unrivalled. This river is much overgrown with bushes, chiefly alders, and the large fish lie, during the day, in the shade of the boughs ; should one be seen rising, or near the surface, he will probably take, if the fly can be got to him. In order to reach the fish it is generally necessary to cast off the water on account of trees and banks behind you; not only is this usually the only possible mode of casting, but the fly must be shot in, under the overhanging bough which shelters the trout from the heat of the sun; granted that a successful shot has been made, and the fish hooked, the wrist must be immediately turned over, and a judicious strain put on to prevent being broken, amongst the roots of the alder. Now, let any man, who is disposed to look down upon wet-fly fishing, honestly consider whether the performance above described is an easy one. When the sun gets low, the trout come out from under the banks and feed in the open water, and there may be seen lying near the 31 156 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING surface, generally taking rather small flies, which appear at the approach of evening. The water usually becomes slightly discoloured at that time of the day, owing to the hatches of a mill being drawn. Here and there are places where there are no trees to interfere with casting, and where you may, if so disposed, use a dry fly. The water being but lightly fished, the trout when they do take are almost invariably well hooked, but they are most capricious, so much so that it is impossible to predict what will please them best. No doubt a large Alder or a Watford Coachman would bring fish to book, if used through the day, but a change to floating flies, such as are used at home, will often account for one which has refused to look at either. Perhaps these German fish are even more capricious than ours, and as they are certainly not much fished over, their uncertain behaviour must be put down to the nature of trout in general. It has happened to me to kill on the same day with the under-mentioned patterns:—Teal Wing and red body—Alder, Watford Coachman—all dressed about the size of lake flies; Bed Quill Gnats (floating), such as are used on the Itchen, which accounted for two fish that had refused the Teal Wing. Upon one occasion, wading out to a shallow where several good fish were to be seen rising, I got three (largest over 3 lbs.) with the Teal Wing —the natural fly on, at the moment, was a Ginger Quill, which was being taken off the surface at every moment. On getting home I sent a message to Messrs. Hardy requesting them to let me have a dozen Gingers of the largest size used on the Test or Itchen. A couple of days later, duly furnished with the Ginger fly, I repaired to the shallow above-mentioned. The trout were still feeding on the same fly, so, having applied a little paraffin, I looked out for the largest to be seen, and floated the imitation over his head. He took it instantly, and when the THE ILM 157 disturbance in the water (for he weighed over 3 lbs.) had subsided, back I went to the shallow fully expecting to clean the place out. Not another trout would take the Ginger Quill that evening, or on any other occasion, though it was repeatedly tried. A quarter of a mile up the water was ay bend about which many of the largest fish lay; on the opposite bank was a crumbling stone wall touching the water, and close to it on the same evening when the Ginger Quill had been tried, four or five large fish were rising at this spot. No trees interfered with the casting, but the place was not altogether easy, as there was a considerable chance of hitting the wall and breaking the hook, and besides, there were brambles hanging over the water: in addition to which a large bough had fallen in, nearly in a line with the fish, and against which bits of drift weed had lodged. A large Alder, a somewhat smaller Black Gnat, and lastly the Ginger Quill were tried in vain. Eventually a Silver Sedge was floated alone close to the wall and taken—fortunately no misadventure occurred, and the fish was secured—weight over 4 lbs. At the next attempt a second trout of about the same size was hooked with the same fly, but with a different result. When nearly beaten, the fish caught sight of the man with the landing-net, and bolted under the fallen bough, above referred to, where he soon made an example of the scraped gut on which the Sedge was tied. Had I been using stronger stuff I should have beaten him in half the time, and been able to stop the final effort which landed him in cover. The above instances are quoted as examples of the fickle habits of trout in general—certainly over-fishing cannot be put down as accounting for them in the Ilm. A short account of some of my own experiences on that 158 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING river may possibly afford amusement to my brother anglers. On arriving at Weimar some years since, I found the river hardly clear enough for good sport, so did not make a start till five o'clock. Owing to the state of the water I began with a large Watford Coachman; having tried it over several trout which were either rising or lying near the surface, without avail, it was changed for a large Black fly, peacock's topping and black heckle body, grey speckled wings—with this I got two trout, one of 2 lbs. and one of 4 lbs. These fish were easily reached, there being no trees opposite them on my bank. Proceeding up stream, where the sides of the river were wooded, a rise or suck caught my eye. The fish was lying close to a stump near the opposite side. After one or two bad shots, the fly dropped a few inches above the stump. It was instantly seized ; on lifting my hand the sensation was as though I had been fast in a salmon. The fish, instead of making for the opposite bank, ran straight towards me: the line slackened slightly, and the next moment it burrowed under some old sticks at the bottom. For a short time a few plunges could be felt, then back came the cast, minus the fly; to make matters worse, the river-keeper told me the trout was well known, had been seen lying by the stump since the beginning of the season, and weighed 6 lbs. or more. Further up the Black fly was answerable for a third fish weighing 3 lbs. It was then getting late, so I changed back to a Coachman, and with that four more were taken. The evening's sport consisted of seven fish—one of 4 lbs., one of 3 lbs., five of 2 lbs. and over. The best afternoon's take (for I never went out in the morning) came to nineteen fish, the next best eighteen. On other days ten, fourteen, and so on. During that THE ILM season four fish over 4 lbs. were caught, a good many over 3 lbs., and one over 5 lbs. (a Bainbow). Those under 1 lb., and those not in first-rate condition, were put back, and not counted in the bag. The Ilm, below Weimar, probably affords the best trout-fishing in Europe. But that to be obtained in New Zealand, at the cost merely of a fishing licence, is still more extraordinary. A party camping out at Christmas (1904) killed in six days' fishing three hundred trout averaging 4 lbs. each.—all Bainbows. The trout-fishing for a mile and a half below Weimar, where only these bags were made, is, for the present, at an end, a drought having so diminished the volume of the river that enough water was not left to dilute the sewage of the town, so the trout were all poisoned. In one afternoon two hundred were taken out dead, averaging 2 lbs. each. In the course of a few years, no doubt, it will be as good as ever, and I trust that it may then fall into the hands of some true English sportsman. It would be necessary to attend carefully to the terms of the lease—German ideas do not commend themselves to us. Free access should be provided to the river, trees and boughs should be cut away, and some arrangement made as to turning in young fish. The club, to which I belonged for some years, was bound to put 1,000 fry into every mile of water at the end of the season; 100 yearlings a mile or 5,000 fry would have been more to the purpose. It is sometimes said of us English people that we are much given to the worship of 'red tape.' Let anyone holding this view pay a visit to Weimar. At every step he will come across the words 'Es Verboten.' It is forbidden to drive along one road, to ride along another, and so on. We suffered much inconvenience from the prevalence of this spirit. Above the town a good deal of 160 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING the water was so overgrown with bushes as to be useless for fishing, whilst other parts of it were unnecessarily difficult from overhanging boughs. The first year of my joining the club which held the Crown lease of the river I was told that we had better subscribe 51. each to pay the farmers who held the adjoining land, for clearing away the overhanging branches. This we paid, but nothing was done. The keeper was sent round to try to make some arrangement with them, but failed to do so, the farmers saying that we only fished for our amusement and that they would do nothing to help us. The next year we applied to the chief magistrate, and requested him to order that access should be given us, by cutting away bushes, &c. at intervals of fifty yards, at the same time we expressed ourselves as ready to pay for the labour of the men who might be employed on the job. The magistrate said he could not give the directions we wanted, but that, as we had the lease, which afforded a right of access, he would order that all boughs hanging over the water should be lopped away at the cost of the farmers; this, of course, would have entailed far greater expense on them than our proposal. Accordingly the keeper was again sent round to announce the decision of the magistrate, and to tell the farmers that we were ready to forego the enforcement of the order if they would accept our first proposal. The farmers still declining to accept our offer, nothing was done. The next year a few poplars were cut down, but the banks, excepting where these grew, were left alone. Some of the best streams above the town run through the Grand Ducal park, one of the most beautiful in Europe, and when fishing them one is apt to be followed by the natives, who stand staring at you like oxen, and constantly get in your way, besides showing themselves to the fish. THE ILM Of course it is possible to get away from them by wading, and as this not only renders casting easier, but also gives you a better chance of sport, it is as well to take to the water; the wading is however Unpleasant, the bottom being rough in some places and insecure from shifting sand in others. The water above the town of Weimar affords good trout-fishing, though, as already stated, the fish rarely exceed 2 lbs.; yet there are plenty to be caught between | lb. and 1\ lb. by anyone who has mastered the difficulty of casting off the water, and who does not mind wading or creeping through the bushes. I once killed in the Park nineteen trout which weighed over 20 lbs., fishing only in the afternoon, and, as the head-fisherman told me, there are rivers in the country where one might do quite as much. As already stated, the river immediately above and below Weimar is in the hands of a club, but access can be obtained by rail to water which may be fished by payment of some small sum to the farmers or proprietors, or free of any cost except that of the railway ticket. The trout are not remarkable for their size, but are of sufficient weight to afford fair sport: better probably than could be obtained at home except in strictly preserved waters. In some of the neighbouring towns and villages lodgings may be procured, but the accommodation is probably indifferent. At Weimar there are some fair hotels—the 'Erb Prinz,' 'The Elephant,' the ' Bussischer Hof '—where you may reckon on clean beds, hip-baths and tolerable food. The charges are about half those you would have to pay in England. At the hotels there are generally one or two waiters able to speak English, but at the inns where we put up, neither the landlords, landladies, nor women M 162 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING servants could speak anything but German. This, indeed, was the case with the inhabitants of the town in general. I knew of one tradesman who was an exception to the rule, a wine merchant, from whom I bought a bottle of brandy—this seems remarkable, as there are some resident English families, and numerous schools where English young ladies are often sent to learn German. In the town and its neighbourhood you may find something worth seeing when the rivers are not in order. A curious old library, a museum, statues of Goethe and Schiller, Goethe's garden-house in the park, the park itself, which is beautiful, and of some extent; the Grand Duke's palace and country places at Bellevue and Tiefurt. At Tiefurt is a tolerable inn, where refreshment is to be had for man and horse, and in the courtyard of which I was shown a number of large trout swimming about in a tank, awaiting a purchaser. It must be confessed, however, that Weimar cannot be justly described as otherwise than a dull country town, without any diversions other than a few lawn-tennis courts, and incapable of affording amusement to a lady. Mrs. Barrington was good enough to accompany me on my visits, and often went out fishing with me in the evenings or afternoons. One spot by the river-side near the end of the park was a favourite haunt of ours, and there we frequently had tea. It was sheltered from the heat of the sun, and though trees interfered much with the casting, there were so many trout in the pool that some might nearly always be caught with a short line. From this pool alone Mrs. Barrington took out one evening six fish of fair size. The rest of the river in the park was totally unsuited to a lady angler, being accessible only by pushing your way amongst trees and through cover. Indeed, in some of the best places it was not possible to fish without wading. THE ILM 163 Below the town, where the average weight of the trout was 2 lbs., more open places were to be found. From this part of the water Mrs. Barrington caught, once, seven fish, after tea, amongst them two over 3 lbs. The only misadventure she met with during our trips to Weimar was the loss of what must have been a very large trout, in a mill dam, about half a mile above the park. We were just sitting down to tea, by the water-side, when what was evidently a heavy fish rose close to the bank. Mrs. Barrington promptly dropped a fly into the ring; the trout was hooked immediately, and the next moment dragged down the top nearly to the surface of the water, as it rushed off towards the middle of the river. The rod was a tolerably stiff one, a little over 11 feet of split cane, and made by Hardy of Alnwick, so I knew it would not break; but, in spite of holding it well up, it bent from the hand so as almost to touch the water. After a few moments, the fish got fast amongst some branches which had fallen into the mill dam, and from which we failed to move him. It is essential to the comfort of a visitor that he should be able to communicate in their own language with the natives. Weimar is easily reached from London, via Flushing. Starting in the afternoon you would arrive there the following night, as far as I remember about ten o'clock. A man fond of fine scenery might, I should say, with advantage, take his bicycle and prospect the country about Gotha, Eisenbach, and Weimar, with the object of getting hold of desirable trout-fishing. He would, of course, have to put up with indifferent living, and he must be thoroughly conversant with the German language. Nor should he expect to do much in the way of sport, until he had made out how the land (or rather the water) lay. M 2 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Fishing in England, worth having, is now so difficult to get, without paying heavily for it, that it is quite worth while to go further afield. The travelling expenses may be larger, but the cost of the fishing would be infinitely less. In my own case the subscription to a club fishing the Itchen was quite double that of the Weimar club. Number of trout over 1 lb. caught in the Itchen in 1890 (one of the best years), 150 trout 1 lb. and over. Number killed in the Ilm in the year 1902: in the lower water, 177, average 2 lbs.; upper water, 37, under 1 lb. mostly; grayling, four, the trout were 1| to 2 lbs. Total, 215. In the Itchen 1 lb. and upwards. In the lower waters of the Ilm the average was 2 lbs.; they were killed in seventeen afternoons. I never went out before luncheon. On the Itchen fished both morning and evening rise. Largest trout I ever killed on the Itchen, not quite 3J lbs. On the Ilm, in 1902, nine trout of 4 lbs. and over, one 5J lbs. As to travelling expenses, the balance in favour of the home waters could have been small, if any. In order to do justice to the Itchen, favourable-looking days only were selected. When the wind was in the wrong quarter or the weather very bright and hot, instead of fishing, it was my habit to go back to town by the next train, and wait for a change before returning to the waterside ; this entailed taking a three months railway ticket, so that the difference between the price of the London and South-Western Bail way season ticket and the journey to Weimar and back was all that had to be considered. It is true that the Itchen trout were killed with the dry fly, the German fish with a sunken one; but to me, owing to circumstances already mentioned, the fishing on the Ilm was the more difficult. Further there was no reason why a dry fly should not be used at Weimar, in open places, where the bushes were not in the way. THE ELM 165 The Ilm has one great advantage : you are not subjected to the nuisance of weed-cutting, or to the mass of vegetable growth which in the chalk streams of England constitutes such a drawback to the pleasure of fishing after the first months of the season.1 1 On looking back to some old notes I find that in one week no fewer than nine trout were lost in the weeds on the Avington water. In* 166 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING CHAPTEB IX IN THE NORTH Free fishing in the North—Labouring men often good hands—Knowledge of where trout lie essential—Flies for the North—Best day on the Itchen —Large bags at Avington in thunderstorm—Behaviour of wild fowl while it lasted—Large trout killed by Lady E. Baring—Brook fishing—Longford—The Kennet—Casting the real May fly—Dapping —Bait and minnow in clear water—Stewart tackle—Shade fishing— Till fishers—Thames trout—Escape of a large one. In Scotland and the North of England free fishing for trout was often to be met with, so the angling for them was far more general in the North than in the South, amongst men of the middle and labouring classes. Many of these are artists in their way, and, though preferring the fly, are equally at home with the worm or minnow. They would probably say (supposing that they understood Latin) with Scrope, when writing about salmon, ' Becte si possis, si non, quocunque modo,' which may be translated ' With the fly if possible, if not with bait.' Two such men I know well. One was in my service for thirty-five years, the other was Dean, late station-master at Coldstream. They both came from Alnwick, and had learnt as boys to fish in the Aln. Trout-fishers of that stamp could, if they choose, give valuable information as to the haunts and habits of trout, and as to the best mode of catching them. The old keeper David Moffat, already mentioned, was such a one, and to him I am indebted for what knowledge I may have acquired on the subject. Some hints may be of use to beginners, or to men who idimim — : IN THE NORTH 167 depend upon seeing a trout rise in order to discover where to cast. It may appear strange that those whose experience has been confined to chalk streams should thus depend upon the rise: but proof that such is sometimes the case has been afforded me. Two gentlemen who had been in the habit of fishing in the South of England came one summer to pay a visit to my uncle, the late General Grey, who then was living at Coupland Castle, on the Glen. They could place a fly accurately, so that they were not without experience. Some of the best water near the Castle was reserved for their benefit, whilst the General, his brother the Hon. H. Grey, and I repaired to more distant streams. The two strangers met with little success, whilst we brought home fair baskets. One of them seemed to doubt if there were many fish in the part of the river assigned to them ; so a small net was put through on one of the holes a short way below the Castle, with the result that fifty-two trout, some of them of fair size, and two whitling were drawn ashore (the whitling were kept for the table, the trout were returned to the water). Trout, at least those worth catching, have always a harbour, where they lie when not feeding. When ready for their meals they seek shallows and easy running streams; it is therefore a waste of time to throw over the middle of a pool where the water breaks and boils below a fall (a hatch hole, for instance). Eddies close to the bank, at the head of the pool, even the lasher, if the stream be not too heavy, may be tried with success; the best chance, however, is in the gliding water below, to which the fish usually drop down when inclined to take. Where the current runs hard, amongst rocks, trout are to be found at the back of large stones which shelter . them from the weight of the stream, and such spots should be carefully fished from below. This requires practice, 168 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING not only to hook the fish if they rise, but to avoid getting fast; the rise will perhaps be invisible in the rough water, the fly having been taken at some little way from the surface. In such case, the angler must trust to his sense of touch in order to strike at the right moment. Perhaps the place most certain to hold a good trout is where a spring or drain falls into the river. Should you succeed in catching that good trout, the next best in the neighbourhood will take his place. But these fish, being well provided with food, are ' sair' to take. One big trout I knew which lived in such a situation, and which, for several summers, persistently refused to take a fly, insomuch that it acquired the name of ' Artful Terence.' As far as the fly was concerned he might have become an ' Old Parr ' amongst trout, for doubtless he fed at the bottom; but at last it was thought that his innings had lasted long enough. The closure was accordingly applied, by means of a spinning minnow. The artful one weighed rather over 4 lbs., but he was an old fish, and had he been left in the river, would soon have begun to lose weight. Flies, when used wet, should have the wings sloping back towards the bend of the hook, not upright as in dry- fly patterns. In my young days, when using a dropper it was usual to put on one red fly and one black one. Not a bad rule in streams where Bed Heckles, &c. are taken; but in some water red is not a popular colour. In the Ilm, near Weimar, I found flies of this hue useless, or nearly so, and have heard that this is the case in the Tweed also. Here is a short list of the flies which answer best, according to my experience in the North : Heckles.—The Bed Tag, the best 'all round' fly I know; Bed Heckle; Black Heckle, ribbed with silver wire, red floss silk tail; Coch a Bondhu; Grouse Heckle; Golden Plover Heckle* IN THE NORTH 169 Winged Flies.—Duns, Olive and Pale; hare's ear body: starling's wing; March Brown: Alder; Stone Fly : Watford Coachman,1 dark body; Peacock's herl; Light Grey Wing: Black Gnat, silver body; Hofland's Fancy. Other patterns innumerable there are, and some of them may be as good as those above mentioned; but if setting out on a trouting expedition to the Lowlands or Highlands of Scotland, or to the North of England, I should content myself with the foregoing list. They should of course be dressed of various sizes, the smallest being tied on double hooks. The ' Alexandra' is not included in the fist. It is really not an imitation of an insect, but of a minnow, and its use is forbidden in some waters. Yet it is cast as a fly, and though trout will not look at it in some rivers, where they will it is deadly. If used, it should as a rule be of a smaller size than that commonly sold in the tackle shops. A small ! Eagle ' would probably answer much the same purpose. (I have now and then caught trout with the ' Eagle' when salmon-fishing on the Avon.) For my part, where fish are numerous and little fished tor, as is the case still in parts of the Highlands, I should not hesitate to use either. It certainly affords a much more pleasant mode of fishing than spinning a minnow, and in rough or slightly discoloured water would probably be more successful. It entails no delay in baiting, a process which requires care and experience so as to ensure the baits spinning properly. Nor is there any difficulty in procuring as many Alexandras as may be required, whereas a supply of minnows is, ofttimes, difficult to obtain. I have often thought of trying a good-sized Alexandra in the Thames. It would work well in some parts of the river which are not adapted for spinning. The intention has, however, never been carried out. 1 Good in the evening. lift 170 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING It is to be noted (for the benefit of the tiro) that the wet fly, especially in clear water, is most successful when cast up stream, and that a good angler is not in the habit, as some dry-fly men seem to believe, of confining his efforts to what has been described as ' flailing down the water.' ' Flailing' when a brace of trout are wanted for the table, or to send away, may be resorted to, should it have been found impossible to get them in a more legitimate way. When there is only light enough to see the rise, a good-sized Watford Coachman or March Brown thrown towards the opposite bank and worked across stream, as though fishing for salmon, will generally prove successful, not only in northern waters, but in the chalk rivers of the southern counties. When a trout is hooked, the angler should endeavour to get below him and pull him ashore as quickly as may be. The time available for this mode of fishing is so limited that delay is to be avoided, and for this reason a stretch of water free of weed should, if possible, be chosen, and a strong casting line used. As far as sport is concerned, there is little to be said in favour of the process above described, but during the quarter of an hour or so when the light suits, it is not likely that more than two or three trout will be killed: the stock in the river will therefore not be sensibly affected. My best day's sport on the Itchen consisted of sixteen trout over 1 lb. The day was warm and bright, and as may be supposed the fish took freely. The fly used was a Bed Quill Gnat. Had it not been for carelessness and bad luck, two or three more might have been taken. Towards the end of the rise a fish which had apparently been firmly hooked got off, after a plunge or two. The Bed Quill Gnat was still on, so, as the fishing would very shortly be over for the day, and time was valuable, it was not examined, and a second and third trout were hooked, agK- IN THE NORTH 171 both of which also escaped. Then, upon looking at the fly, the barb was found to be gone, the rise was over. Over-anxiety to make the most of a favourable opportunity accounted for my carelessness, the breaking of the barb just when it was most wanted was bad luck. The first fish would of course have been lost, but, as it was tolerably early in the season, and the weeds had not become troublesome, the other two would, in all probability, have been landed had a fresh fly been put on. Two larger bags were made on the Avington water by members of the Itchen Club, both killing the same number of trout, viz. eleven brace. I was myself on the water on one of these occasions. In the morning heavy dark clouds threatened rain, and, shortly after reaching the river, it came down, at first moderately, soon turning to a downpour, with thunder close overhead, and continuous flashes of lightning.1 I had caught one fish before the storm, and then, not supposing trout would rise while the thunder was about, took shelter under some trees. After waiting for some time, and seeing no sign of fair weather, I started for home. On the way a couple of fish were seen to rise, much to my surprise. They both took and were killed ; six more were caught within a hundred yards, and then, the storm being over, the fish left off feeding. Immediately after reaching my inn, the Duke of Leeds, then Lord Carmarthen, appeared with twenty trout in the basket. In the evening he killed two more, thus making his take for the day equal to the previous record of twenty-two. This day's fishing showed that trout would take in spite of thunder and lightning—a fact of which I was in ignorance, but which subsequent experience proved 1 • The dawn was overcast, the morning lowered, And heavily in clouds brought on the day, The great, the important day.'—Addison. ; f i 172 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING beyond doubt. Had I fished on regardless of shelter, my bag would have been heavier, though it would probably not have equalled that made by the Duke, his beat being a rather better one than mine. Since, it has been my custom to set the weather, however heavy, at defiance, by means of sou'wester hats and mackintosh coats, and almost invariably with success. On such occasions it is well to resort to the haunts of the best trout, particularly if they frequent deep gliding water where they are difficult of capture on ordinary days. Following this course, seven trout were taken out of the ' Bectory Beach' at Itchen Abbas one morning which weighed altogether 12 lbs, and, as mentioned elsewhere, eleven large trout were killed in the afternoon in Germany whilst thunder was growling round the hills. The curious behaviour of the wild ducks which frequented the Avington water, during the storm (though not bearing on the subject of trout-fishing), may be here recorded, as perhaps of interest to the wild-fowler. On hearing claps of thunder overhead, they would rise, and, after a short flight, alight close to the shelter of the willow bushes, thinking possibly that some sportsman, firing more than the usual three drachms of powder, was about. During heavy rain Itchen trout take the sunk fly; in fact, it would be impossible to use a floating one in a downpour. The Bed Quill Gnat, Wickham's Fancy and Bed Tag generally answer best—the seven fish, however, taken in the ' Bectory Beach' were all killed with a small Olive: not quill dressed, but tied with light wings, rather woolly- looking green body, and one turn of gold twist near the shank of the hook. I have more than once heard the dry-fly men express their contempt for the other branch of the art, but as far as my own observation goes they do not scruple to take advantage of a downpour and kill IN THE NORTH 173 the trout, when the opportunity comes, with a sunken one. Dry-fly men generally wait until the rise to begin fishing, doubtless because the water is of such a nature that it would be impossible to move up the stream without disturbing the trout they might happen to pass. Where, however, no risk is involved of putting down the fish, it is as well to try favourite feeding places before the fly appears. The Itchen, after the early part of its course, joins another stream a little below Alresford—just outside the town. The late Lord Northbrook rented, for some years, a charming cottage, with the fishing of this other stream, in which the trout, owing to the abundance of food, ran to a considerable size—it was below a mill on this water that he killed the 8-lb. fish which is mentioned elsewhere. On several occasions he was good enough to drive me over from Stratton (his own place) to fish at the cottage. We had been over from Stratton one Saturday, and after our day's sport, whilst waiting in the garden for the horses to be put to, he pointed out a fine trout lying opposite an ornamental tuft of Pampas grass, asking if I thought it would be possible to catch him. ' Not now,' I said, ' as he sees us plainly.' The following Monday afternoon I was due in London, but Lord Northbrook most kindly suggested that I should have a morning's fishing first, and go up from Alresford. He added that he should be glad of a few trout, if I could get them, and that my flyman could bring them back to Stratton. Monday morning found me at the cottage on my way up to a bridge, at one end of the pleasure ground, through the arches of which trout would often drop down, from the hole above, when inclined to feed. Presently a fish appeared, and remained at the surface; he rose and was killed. Then some shallows lower down were tried, where five trout were hooked. Four got off, one was li Hit 174 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING landed. There was no time to go down to the meadows below, before my train was due, and it seemed doubtful if another trout would be caught, when I bethought me of the fine fish which lay opposite the Pampas grass. In water such as I was fishing, it is easy to see trout lying at the surface, but by no means easy to get within casting distance without their seeing you. Crawling up on my knees, not venturing to look if the trout was at his usual post, I threw where he had been on the Saturday afternoon. The fly was below his resting-place wThen he rose and took it.1 Then he seemed likely to escape by swimming under a garden bridge; but, luckily turning of his own accord, and running hard up stream, was soon exhausted. His weight was just 3 lbs. And so Lord Northbrook got his dish for dinner, at the cost, however, of having four good trout pricked, which would still occupy their feeding-ground, but would probably refuse the fly for the remainder of the season. This morning's fishing was worthy of notice. The trout were hooked with a floating fly when no real ones were out. The only one they would take was not a fly, in the proper sense of the word, at all, but a dingy mouse- coloured Heckle of larger size than those in general use on the Itchen. Several well-known patterns were tried, of which the first fish (the one below the bridge) took no notice; then a small Bed Heckle was put on, which he inspected and refused; lastly, the dull grey and brown affair, fatal to three trout, besides hooking or pricking four others. Bearing in mind that these trout had been killed, though no fly was up at the time, when I became a member of the Itchen Club I made it a rule on reaching the water-side to cast over any suitable places at once, instead of waiting for the rise, and often with good results. 1 One ought never to be in a hurry to lift the line, as trout, like the one in the text, will often turn and seize the fly after it has passed them. IN THE NORTH 175 Immediately outside the grounds of Alresford Cottage was a long stretch of Water, leading up to the mill referred to above. Close to the stream was a road along which people were frequently passing. Lord Northbrook told me, as a curious fact, that the fish in that part of the river became so used to the sight of mankind that, instead of scuttling off at their best pace, as you may often see the small trout do in a Highland burn, they would leisurely drop out of sight of the passer-by, and, in a very short time, reappear at their feeding-places. I have seen trout act in the same way in the mill dam at Itchen Abbas, where the high road to Alresford touches the river. A remarkable capture was effected in the Alresford Cottage water by Lady Emma Baring, Lord Northbrook's daughter. The following account of her Ladyship's exploit is taken from his diary for the year 1888 :— A fish of large dimensions had been frequently observed by a most intelligent miller and staunch preserver of fish. Last year this fish took his place in the curtain of the mill tail, where it was impossible to catch him. This year he rashly came down lower. For a trout of such remarkable instincts special attractions were required. No other lures than the artificial fly being permitted, Colonel Birch Beynardson, Grenadier Guards, an astute and experienced disciple of old Isaak Walton, devoted the morning to the manufacture of a very artificial fly (the materials having been obtained from the poultry-yard, colours white and brown). It was, in due course, offered to the fish by Lady Emma, with her usual skill. Her efforts were rewarded by the capture of this ' monster of the deep.' Colonel Beynardson assisted, from the window of the mill, in directing the movements of the rod at the right moment, giving the word of command to strike in tones said to have been heard at Aldershot. 176 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING He also landed the struggling trout, breaking the handle of the net owing to its unusual weight (7 lbs. 2 oz.) The idea of tempting this tyrant of the brook in the manner related was, I believe, conceived by Colonel Beynardson from his having seen the miller now and then opening the window, and casting bits of refuse dough into the stream, which the big fish, having driven off his less powerful companions, would swallow—hence, his tying an imitation of the dough. The colour of the Colonel's fly was, it may be noticed, much the same as the dingy Brown Heckle with which I got the trout, as described on page 174. There was another mill on the water a short way above where my fish lay; perhaps it also bad been partial to lumps of dough. Besides the sport afforded by the chalk streams of the South of England or the Highlands of Scotland, much pleasure may be derived from brook fishing, even though brook trout are generally of no great size. Fishing of this character I have often enjoyed at Longford in Derbyshire, the residence of my old friend the Hon. H. Coke. The fishing consists of two brooks, which run into a mill dam—the mill dam itself, and the stream below, for some distance. When the mill is at work, there is a plentiful supply of water below it, and the fishing is then at its best. Even when the water in the dam is penned there are holes and corners from which trout may be extracted by the persevering angler—and as, except just before rain, the trout take readily, enough for an excellent dish may easily be caught in a couple of hours or so. The fish are of no great size, seldom exceeding \ lb.; but still a good sportsman may find amusement in catching them, as, in order to do justice to the fishing, some experience in order to judge where to cast, and some skill in getting the fly into the right place, are required. The mill dam holds larger fish, and in the May-fly season a IN THE NORTH 177 few years since I killed some of good shape and size, where one of the brooks runs into it. The morning had been warm, and I did not go out till the afternoon ; there was no breeze, and but little stream, so that the fish would not look at a sunk fly. A floating one was therefore resorted to, and when a trout rose, an attempt was made to put it over him. In water of this description fish are not stationary, so that this was, to some extent, guesswork. If the fly was not immediately taken, it was left on the surface, in case a hungry trout might swim by, until it sank; then it was removed from the casting line and stuck into the bark of a neighbouring tree to dry, a fresh one being substituted ; the same plan was adopted after landing a fish. Had I been provided with paraffin this would have been unnecessary; had I been regularly fishing the brooks it would have been impracticable. Fresh trout seemed to be constantly coming up from the mill dam, to feed on the fly brought down by the stream, so that it would have been bad policy to leave the place. On another occasion I had a good afternoon at the lower end of the mill dam, late in the summer, and again in a calm. The trout were rising fast, but, owing to the want of a ripple, only one or two small ones had been caught, when it occurred to me to try a' Bed Tag,' fished dry. This time, being furnished with a small bottle of paraffin, some of it was applied to the Bed Tag, which was then floated over the fish. Bather to my surprise, it was taken quite greedily and, before the fish had left off feeding, as many were caught as I cared to kill. I had never tried the Bed Tag at Longford, but have found since that there, as well as at other places, it kept up its character as one of the best of flies. The superior size of the trout in the mill dam is doubtless owing to the supply of food brought down by the N 178 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING brooks. There is also another piece of water close to the house, where some large fish are to be caught, if the wind is in the right quarter to cause a ripple; their shape and condition are generally perfect, and there, again, the food is abundant, the water being full of small grey snails. I have sometimes wondered how many trout might be killed in the course of the day by a good hand on the Longford water, supposing him to begin early and manage to be on the lower part of the brook when the mill was at work. One day last summer (1905) a tradesman, from a town in the neighbourhood, obtained leave for a day's fishing and carried off forty-two. Probably some of Mr. Coke's friends could have done more, being better acquainted with the water. What anyone wants with such a number I cannot understand. If the fishing were mine, he would not have a chance of repeating the performance. Applications for leave to fish are frequently made by persons who have no claim on the owners of the water, and if granted, the good nature of the proprietors is sometimes abused. I remember another case in which an old friend of mine gave permission for two rods to fish on the little river Darent. They took away with them about the same number as the Derbyshire tradesman carried off from Longford, and as they chose a day in the middle of the May-fly season, the fish they killed were mostly the largest in the stream. The Longford water has been mentioned as a type of good brook fishing. In contrast to it, let me record some sport which has fallen to my lot on the Kennet. It is nearly half a century since my first visit to that river. A friend and I, seeing that tickets to fish near Hungerford were to be had for a few shillings at a shop where we were in the habit of buying tackle, settled to take a couple and go down to try our luck. The first day we arrived rather late in the afternoon, after the fish had IN THE NORTH 179 done feeding. We got one trout before dark. The next morning we were more fortunate, my friend killing two, whilst I got four, one of which weighed 4 lbs. Many years after, a relative of mine, the late Mr. T. Price, known as one of the best men to hounds in England, asked me if I would care to go with him to Marlborough, and fish Lord Ailesbury's ' water.'l He had permission for himself and a friend for two days, from his Lordship. I was glad of the chance—a few days afterwards we were off by Great Western Bailway to Marlborough and started fishing the next morning. The Kennet offers as complete a contrast to the Longford water as possible. The trout are large, whilst the stream is sluggish, except below the mills, of which there were three, two in working order, and one no longer in use. The greater part of it is therefore of not much account without a breeze. Lord Ailesbury's keepers told us that the fish ran up to 4 lbs. or 5 lbs. weight, but I suspect that those of that size rarely took the fly. We were limited to trout over 1 lb. and allowed to kill eight apiece. Altogether, in company with Mr. Price I made four trips to Marlborough, and we were lucky enough to be almost always favoured with a breeze. The most successful fly was the ' Governor. When fortunate enough to get five or six trout over the prescribed weight, I made a point of returning to the water any which were not remarkable for size, even though they might exceed the 1 lb., in the hope of getting hold of one of the 4 lb. or 5 lb. fish spoken of by the keepers; the result being, that only once or twice was the number we were allowed to take reached. Only one of these big fish did I, myself, come across. He lay close below the partially ruined mill above referred to, and every now and then rose at something I was unable to make out. 1 Until late in life Lord Ailesbury was known as Lord Ernest Bruce. n 2 11 180 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING The Governor, a small Alder, a Bed Heckle, were tried in vain—then a Pale Olive was floated over him, which was taken instantly. After a few heavy plunges the fish gave in, and was brought down stream into the landing- net. According to its length, this trout should have weighed 4 lbs. or more, but it was a large-headed, lanky brute, and probably would not have scaled 2 lbs. As it was being landed, the keeper appeared, and pulling a long face, said, ' You are never going to kill such a fish as that, sir.' ' By your rules,' I replied, ' I am entitled to do so, but it shall be put back if you will allow me to take one instead which may not be up to the proper weight.' ' Certainly,' said the man. My reason for making the proposal was that I had only one trout in the basket; it was then two o'clock, and it looked as though my chance of another was bad. However, soon a rise was seen a few yards off, and on offering the fish a ' Governor' it laid hold. It proved to be 1J lb. By the end of the day I had several others, though scarcely a rise was to be seen at the natural fly. The last was spied in shallow water at the tail of a hatch hole. Wading in below, it was easy to keep out of sight. When hooked, the trout bolted for the hole above, but the place being clear of weed or other obstruction, before long it was brought back to the shallow, and there landed—weight If lb. This day affords an instance of the uncertainty attached to trout-fishing. The afternoon is not, as a rule, the best time to fish ; there was no apparent change of weather, and yet five or six fish were killed, besides some smaller ones returned to the stream, after two o'clock, whilst the morning's work only accounted for one. As I have mentioned elsewhere, it is pretty certain that, even on the most favourable day, one trout only out of a great many to whom the fly has been offered takes. On this occasion the fish cast over in the morning were IN THE NORTH 181 not hungry enough to take the ' Governor,' and it was not till late in the day that I came across those that were. As to the lanky trout, had the water been mine, it would have been knocked on the head and left on the bank. Fish of this description are not only useless, but do harm. On one or two days, having nearly reached our limit, we landed and returned to the water many fish over 1 lb., always hoping to get hold of one of the real big ones. This we never did, our heaviest not exceeding 2 lbs. I have since rather doubted if we were justified in pulling out fish even though they might be put back— the proceeding does not of course affect the stock, but it may have a tendency to spoil the sport of those who fish the water afterwards. Ought we to have killed our eight trout and then left off fishing ? I think so. The rule which fixes a Hmit as to size and number is an excellent one. What can be the object of taking more, except the vainglorious one of boasting of success?—a proceeding quite unworthy of a sportsman. Besides the artificial fly, trout are killed with the natural insect, by dapping, and by the blow-line. I have never caught a fish in either way, though a friend once tried to teach me how to manage a blow-line, and indeed, being a good-natured man, presented me with some yards of the floss silk used for the purpose. There is no doubt that, in the May-fly season, the largest trout are to be killed, both on the Test and on the Irish lakes, by means of the blow-fine. It appears to me to be a tiresome way of going to work, depending too much on the action of the wind. A puff will send the line up into the air, just as the fly is about to alight, or perhaps the breeze will suddenly fail, so that it hangs limply by the side of the rod. Of dapping I know nothing; but with another way of using the real fly I am well acquainted. The first step is II * m 182 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING to procure a small basket, with the ends of the willow projecting inside it; the next, to fill it with May flies, which perch on these ends, and which may be caught by the lad who carries the landing-net. Two of these insects are put on to a good-sized fly-hook, made of thin wire, and attached to two or three yards of gut—they are then floated over any fish which may be rising. If this can be managed, the result is death to the trout. When a boy at a tutor's in Derbyshire I have watched the process and tried hard to acquire the necessary skill. It is, to my mind, by far the most difficult form of dry- fly casting, inasmuch as the flies are switched off if the least jerk or violence be used. At that time there was a man, Brownson by name, who had brought the casting of the real fly nearly, if not quite, to perfection. The scene of his exploits was Dove- dale, and as, by staying at the ' Izaak Walton' hotel, the river could be fished on payment of a small fee, it was pretty well flogged even in those days. The rods used were of peculiar make, being unusually limber in the middle piece ; to the butt, instead of a spike, a flat piece of wood was attached; this was placed in the palm of one hand, the other grasping the rod between two and three feet higher up; the line, being let out and gently lifted, was swung round with a rotatory motion, and the May flies quietly dropped a little above a rising fish. After a lesson or two from Brownson I learnt enough to be able to catch trout, provided they were pretty near me, but it must be confessed that when they were at any distance, even though well within reach of ordinary casting, the May fly was nearly always switched off. On the Tweed the Creeper or Stone fly is used instead of the May fly; in Devonshire the Fern Web answers the purpose, but, as I believe, they are not cast in the Derbyshire fashion. l^ IN THE NORTH 183 Many years after my visit to Dovedale, Lord Granby kindly gave me permission to fish the Duke of Butland's water on the Upper Lathkill, and here I again used the live May fly. Leaving town one Thursday, I reached the ' Peacock' at Bowsley in good time, and in the afternoon walked up the stream to see the keeper and settle where to meet him the next day, passing the Wye and Lower Lathkill on my way. With the exception of the Dove in Dovedale, the Wye appeared to me to be the most perfect of trout streams. Dry-fly men were fishing both rivers and seemed quite up to their work. On reaching the Upper Lathkill I found a gentleman winding up his line, saying the rise was over; he added that the May fly had been up for some days, and that the trout were beginning to be glutted. On the Friday, with the artificial Green Drake, I got eighteen trout. On the Saturday the keeper declared it would be useless, so having procured a supply of the natural fly, he proceeded to put on two, which I managed to drop in front of a feeding trout; it took instantly. So we went on, I switching off the flies, and the keeper replenishing the stock. However, by three o'clock twenty- one trout were in the basket. Then, leaving the Lathkill for the Wye, one more was caught. In these two days I killed forty trout; no other visitor at the ' Peacock ' had taken even one. Let it not be supposed that the fact is here mentioned as implying that my success was owing to superior skill. On the contrary, whilst watching the anglers who were, in vain, endeavouring to tempt the fish on the Lower Lathkill, it struck me that they were, generally, knowing hands. One gentleman was so in a marked degree, not only floating the dry fly perfectly, but steering it admirably between the boughs. Indeed the conclusion which passed through my mind was that, had it been my lot to fish where he cast his line, I should have 184 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING been quite unable to equal his performance. The explanation is simple enough. Both Wye and Lower Lathkill, no doubt pretty hard fished as a rule, had been well flogged during the Green Drake season, and doubtless held a number of pricked trout, whilst the water assigned to me was more strictly preserved and but lightly fished. It is true, I believe, that the anglers on the lowei? water used the artificial fly. Still, the Upper Lathkill affords an illustration of what may be done where the number of rods is strictly limited. No fish under 9 inches long were allowed to be killed on the upper water. I have never seen a trout killed by dapping, but once the attempt was made in my presence at Panshanger. A gentleman, who was on a visit to Lord Cowper, though not a first-class fisherman, was certainly a keen one, and had sallied forth immediately after breakfast. In the afternoon I and one or two of the other guests determined to walk down to the water and find out what he had done. He had caught only one fish, and told us the trout would not rise. ' However,' said he,' I shall get one or two out of the pool below the waterfall.' He had captured two or three common house flies or bluebottles, and these he had put on a fly-hook, from which he had stripped the dressing. Crawling up to the edge of the stream, and lying full length on the grass, he proceeded to dangle the bluebottles over the water, every now and then turning his head to smile at us. Mr. Henry Cowper, the brother of our host, whispered to me, ' The flies have never been near the water.' Sure enough, the casting line was lodged on a dead stick, which projected from the bank. There we left him, wondering how long it would be before he discovered that the bluebottles were suspended from the stick, instead of resting on the surface of the water. I have never been in Devonshire during the Fern Web IN THE NORTH 185 season; in my Cambridge days I happened to be staying with a near relative and friend 1 close to Dartmoor. A small river ran through the property, and close to the house was a weir pool, above which was a long stretch of deep water, where the trout were considerably larger than those usually to be met with in the neighbourhood. As they were not disposed to take the fly, I provided myself with some minnows, and with this bait contrived to kill a good many, some of them over 1 lb. weight. The next day was Sunday, and, coming out of church, the clergyman stopped me, saying, \ I hear you killed a fine dish yesterday. I suppose you got them dapping ? ' Before he had time to get my answer, he was called away on some parish business. The following morning, whilst dressing, I saw from my window, which commanded a lovely view of the river, and valley through which it ran, a pony tied up to a white gate, whilst its owner appeared to be groping amongst the ferns which grew close by. On coming into the breakfast-room and inquiring what the man could be doing, my host informed me that it was the Parson, who, being under the impression that my fish had been killed dapping, had ridden over and was then searching for Fern Webs. ' I do not think,' he added, ' they will be out for another week. When they are, he will be sure to get some of the large trout above the weir with them.' I wonder if any of those who may chance to look into these pages has ever been asked if he was not a ' great fisherman.' To me the query has always seemed rather out of place. Unless, indeed, one had the assurance of Mr. Jorrocks, who, when asked if he was not a great huntsman, replied, without hesitation, 'The greatest in England.' 1 The terms relative and friend are not always synonymous. There is an old Scotch toast bearing upon the point. ' Here's a health to ma freends, and the de'il tak the rest of my relations.' 186 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Shortly after my Cambridge career an old college friend took me down for two days' trout-fishing in Hertfordshire, where we were hospitably entertained by one of his relations. On starting, after breakfast, the lady of the house said to me, 'I hear you are a great fisherman, Mr. Barrington, so I have ordered no fish for dinner and depend on you for a supply.' Assuring her that I had no pretence to the title, I pointed out that an easterly wind and a hot sun were much against us. Nevertheless we would do our best. On this occasion we had two streams to fish ; my friend, who knew them both, told me that one held excellent trout, but owing to its clearness and the difficulty of getting near them unseen, they were bad to catch. The other, he said, was easier to fish, and the trout in it were to be caught with greater facility, but were apt to be muddy. We began with the first. On reaching the water I went down stream, whilst my friend went up. As I wandered along the bank, plenty of trout were to be seen, and here and there was one rising. It was, however, impossible to get a fly over them without showing oneself. Wading was out of the question, the bottom of the river being found, on probing it with a landing-net, to be soft. At last one was discovered, rising close to the bank, where some slight shelter from the rays of the midday sun was afforded, so, crawling up to within reach, an attempt was made to get him. The first cast lodged the fly in the bank, and the act of extricating it seemed to have disturbed the trout, for he ceased to feed. Lower down, cows were standing in the stream, every now and then stamping and stirring up the mud. Further down still was a nice-looking shallow, which was quite thick from the actions of the cows. Nothing was to be seen rising, but, as the place seemed likely enough to hold a fish worth having, I proceeded to try it. After a few casts IN THE NORTH 187 a trout was hooked. It weighed rather over 2 lbs. Having reached the limit of the water, I went up stream again, to look for my friend, and on the way saw the trout which I had put down recovered from his alarm and again on the rise. Having successfully.stalked him, and made no mistake in casting, he was hooked and killed. He was of much the same size as the other. My friend had got one, also a good fish, so off we went to the second stream. There, when the sun was a bit off the water, we got several trout, which, though perhaps muddy and certainly rather black, showed good sport. (My friend killed three over 1 lb. out of the tail of one hatch hole.) How often it happens that our host's pheasants will go over him, and the poor relations, who are standing back in the cover to shoot the stray birds which decline to face the guns in front. Still more frequently do we, in vain, give up the best pools to a friend, whilst only the inferior casts provide sport whilst his visit lasts. When the late Lord Malmesbury was tenant of Achnacarry, one of his guests, a lady, much given to fishing, said to the fisherman one morning, ' Where are we to go to-day, John ?' ' Deed, my lady,' he answered, ' I cannot say; them places as is the least likeliest, is often the most likeliest of all.' John spoke from experience and was no doubt right; the truth being that sport commonly depends upon coming over the fish, whether salmon or trout, which may, at the time, be disposed to take. More than once I have tried, unsuccessfully, to show some sport to a friend. The Mr. Henry Cowper referred to above was a capital trout-fisher, and not a bad hand with a salmon rod, and I had invited him to have a turn at the Boyalty fishery on the Avon. The morning after our arrival, the keeper reported having seen a good salmon in one of the casts and another fish at the tail of 188 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING the same stream, which, however, he thought was a kelt. ' Why,' said I, ' do you think so ?' ' Because he acts like a kelt.' ' How does a kelt's action differ from that of a clean salmon ?'—that he could not say. I told Mr. Cowper he had better try the fish at the tail of the stream first; he made a few casts, but the place was only to be fished with the left hand. A slight wind was against him, and he did not persevere, but walked up to where the keeper had seen the good salmon. I thereupon made an attempt upon the one he had neglected, and almost immediately hooked it. j It proved to be a clean fish of 19 lbs., not quite new run, the gill covers just beginning to show a tinge the colour of copper. After this I put down my rod until late in the afternoon, by which time Mr. Cowper had fished all the water but one (the best) stream. I then went up to our boundary and fished down behind him. In one unlikely place, for the river was not high enough, a wave came below the hook—evidently the act of a salmon. I therefore shouted to the keeper to bring my friend up to try for him—he replied that Mr. Cowper had risen one fish and seen another, and would prefer to take his chance of one of them. I, accordingly, as it was getting late, took a step down and cast over the one whose wave I had seen, hooked, and killed him (18 lbs., just up from the sea). The next morning Mr. Cowper was obliged to go back to town. I remained another day, and caught the good salmon the keeper had marked down, weight 25 lbs. Here was an instance of mere luck, except in the case of the first fish. Mr. C. had fairly covered the others— I watched him. Some time after the dapping of the bluebottles narrated above, Lord Cowper gave me a day for myself at Panshanger. I took with me Mr. Edward Petre, a IN THE NORTH 189 friend of many years' standing, and my constant companion in rowing excursions on the Thames. The fishing consists of a broad piece of water near the house and some nice streams above and below. Wishing Mr. Petre to have the benefit of what chance there might be, I remained by the broad water whilst he tried the streams opposite me. The trout ran to a large size thereabouts, but rarely took the fly after the May-fly season. Indeed Mr. Henry Cowper was of opinion that each large fish in the broad water rose but once, in the summer—so he said at least. At luncheon time we had caught nothing. Mr. Petre, who had fished the upper water, then went down, whilst I remained where I was. Presently there came a faint puff of wind (up to then it had been dead calm) which caused a slight ripple. Up I jumped, and cast into it, almost immediately hooking and killing a trout of 3| lbs. Hardly was it landed, when another laid hold, which weighed 4J lbs. What little wind there was had altogether died away. Another case of good and bad luck! Mr. Petre had hooked only one trout, and that ran amongst some sticks at the bottom and broke him. Many men are of opinion that worm and minnow fishing, when the water is low and clear, is the most difficult of all legitimate ways of taking trout known to the angler. In that view I concur. Fishing with bait in discoloured streams is certainly deadly, but it is hard to say where the sport comes in. It differs little from catching eels with a clot of worms strung on worsted, and a pole. Strong gut may be used, and when a trout has swallowed the hook, it may be dragged ashore with as little consideration as the eel. In former days, when the possession of salmon roe was not forbidden by the law, you might choose a suitable run, turn half a barrel into the cheek of the stream as ground bait, and fish as men fish in the Thames for ill mill i 190 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING gudgeon, roach, &c. The Thames men require considerable skill to succeed, using, as they do, the finest tackle, single hair, a shotted line, and a float the top of which is only just perceptible, and striking the very moment a bite is indicated. Killing trout in thick water is, however, a very different affair to filling the basket when the river has fallen to a summer size. The first difficulty to be overcome is to keep out of sight—not an easy matter, as the worm or wasp's grub, which answers as well, must be thrown underhanded, or the bait would soon be destroyed. It is necessary, then, to get nearer your trout, either by wading or crawling along the bank, than when flyfishing. If worms are to be used, they should be kept in moss for a fortnight—they then become tough. If a man of pitiful mind, you may, before putting them on, kill them by holding them in the palm of one hand and giving them a smack with the other. Wasp grubs should be scalded. The tackle consists of fine unscraped gut, a single hook, and one or two shot about eighteen inches from the bait. Having waded in (if necessary) at the tail of the stream, you fish the water up, as you go, raising or lowering the top of the rod according to the depth of water and strength of the current) being careful not to allow the hook to touch the bottom of the river. Should there be rocks or large stones, the worm must be cast a little above or to one side of them. When a trout takes, the touch on the line will indicate the right moment to strike. If not feeding greedily, the fish will often keep the bait between its lips, apparently playing with it—a strike then will probably pull it away, only pricking the trout, or not hooking it at all. When taking badly you may guess what the trout is about by the way in which the line twitches. After a moment or two the worm will be dropped, or a slow drag will be ■1 IN THE NORTH 191 felt; in the latter case the hand may be raised with the certainty that the hook will be securely fastened. As evidence of the deadly nature of bait fishing in clear water, I may mention that one afternoon, in summer time, I took out of a pool in the ' Glen,' where the stream from Coupland Mill runs into the river, eight trout of fair size, fishing with wasp grubs. The bank was fringed with willow bushes, behind which it was easy to hide, but it was impossible to avoid coming in sight of the fish, in landing them; consequently one had to wait a short time before trying again. In fact, the trout took as fast as I could catch them. The fly had previously been tried, but with the result that hardly any were captured, and those of the smallest sort. In later days, though now many years since, the ' Stewart' tackle came into fashion. Instead of a single hook, three of a smaller size are tied on the gut, one above the other; on these the worm is threaded, so that the topmost hook goes through near its head, and the lowest through its body, half an inch or so from its tail. The manner of fishing is much the same as in that described above, only that you strike directly the bite is felt. It has the merit that should small fish be hooked they may be returned to the water; it is perhaps the more killing plan; on the other hand, it has the fault of rendering the trout shy. When on the Lammermuirs after grouse, I went out one by-day to fish a rocky burn which was full of small trout, with the main object of procuring a supply for our party. One of the keepers went with me to bait the Stewart tackle and carry the basket. The streams first tried produced only a few quite small fish, and upon asking the man what made them so shy, he replied that two of the servants had been out the day before, catching trout for the house. 'When,' said he, 'we pass the It 192 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING turn above you will have better sport, as the burn was not fished higher up.' Sure enough, after reaching the bend, there was no difficulty in getting an ample supply. Another way of killing trout in low water on the Coquet and other rivers in the North is by ' shade fishing.' This was practised from amongst trees, in the deeps, where the artificial fly, even had it been feasible to put it over the fish, would certainly not have tempted them. In order to get the bait into the water, the rod was poked out between the branches, the top being bent back, whilst the gut, above the hook, was held in the left hand ; taking care to keep clear of the boughs, the line was suddenly let go, when the worm, having been shot through the open space between the branches, was gently dropped into the water; strong tackle was necessary, as little law could be given the fish. The charm of this mode of angling lay in watching the proceedings of the trout. Standing well above them, their every motion was plainly visible ; even when hooked, it was by no means a certainty to land them, as you were obliged to force your way to the water's edge, and, either in doing so, or in the endeavour to get the trout into the landing-net, considerable risk was incurred of entangling the line. Should further information be required as to skilful worm-fishing, it would be well to consult a work published a few years ago by Mr. Henderson, a gentleman well known as a most successful fisherman in the North of England. His account of expeditions to the Glen, Breamish and other Border streams is interesting and instructive. TrOut will also take the minnow in low water. Some of the men living near the Till were adepts at killing them with a spinning bait, using two hooks only, one passed through its lips, the other giving its tail the necessary bend to make it work properly. The Till trout were IN THE inclined to be shy, probably owing to a good supply of food, its waters by no means rapid. The nature of the Till is tolerably described in the old distich : Says Tweed to Till, ' What gars ye rin sae still ?' Says Till to Tweed, ' For sae fast as ye rin and so slow as I gae, Where ye droon ae man I droon twae.' Yet these men, with their clumsy looking double- handed rods and somewhat primitive tackle, would generally get a basket of trout, in spite of low water and bright weather. I do not think they were particular as to the bait spinning truly, but would guide a rather wobbling minnow into gentle runs, under the banks, and seem almost to coax the trout into taking. It is true that they killed their fish very early in the morning, beginning as soon as it was fight. Complaining to one of them once that I could do no good with a spinning minnow in low water, the man remarked, ' What can ye expect if ye dinna rise airly in the morn ?—a catch ma trouts maistly whiles ye are resting in yer bed.' There is another mode of using the minnow, when the river has fallen in, perhaps as deadly even in the middle of the day as these Till fishers' spinning is at break of dawn, i.e. the Gorge, or, sink minnow, as it is called in the North. A baiting needle (a large darning needle with the eye filed so as to admit the gut loop, is as good as anything) is passed through the mouth of the bait and out at its tail; the gut on which the hook is tied is then drawn through, so that the bend lies along the back of the minnow's head. The deep holes and gentle runs are fished much in the same way as though trolling for pike. Bapid streams as the bait soon o are not suitable to this mode of fishing, 194 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING becomes worn about the tail, and does not in such places so closely imitate the action of a small fish. It is meant to represent a minnow alternately sinking and rising in deep water. Trout, like other fish of prey, seize their victim by the middle, afterwards turning its head downwards preparatory to swallowing it. When not in hungry mood, they will hold the minnow between their teeth for a time before turning it, sometimes running about with it in their mouth, as a cat will do when it catches a mouse. To strike then would certainly entail the loss of the trout, and it is in such cases necessary to act in the same way as though worm-fishing (described above). Should your fish move rapidly off, line must be given, delicately, so as to oppose the least resistance possible to the movements of the fish. You will probably find the line stop running, after a few yards have come off the reel, either because the bait is being gorged or because it has been dropped. You can then wait a little and lift your top. If the trout is still on, he is safe enough. If the bait has been abandoned, you must put on a fresh minnow and proceed as before, hoping —for hope springs eternal in the angler's breast—that you may come across a fish with a keener appetite. On the whole, though, in my younger days, I have killed many a good trout with sink minnow, I should say it was the least sporting way of taking them. The skill required does not by any means equal that essential to success in fishing low water with the worm. The bait is easier to cast, the experience necessary to enable you to judge when to strike is much the same, in either case. Ths advantage of the plan is, that you may kill the large trout in deep and smooth water, out of which they could not be extracted with the artificial fly. On the other hand, whereas, when spinning, you may put back fish which are either too small, or out of condition, IN THE NORTH 195 you cannot save the life of a trout which has taken the Gorge hook. The small double Gorges sold by the tackle-makers are useless, the hooks themselves, from their want of size, having a strong tendency to bury themselves in the bait and to fail in getting hold of the trout unless it is absolutely gorged. Now, a clever hand at the game, with a delicate sense of touch, will contrive to hook most of his fish in the throat, perhaps even in the palate, but to do this he must use the right kind of hook. Finding out the faulty nature of those sold in the shops, I took to providing myself with some more suitable to the purpose. With this object, a fair-sized single salmon hook was loaded, not too heavily, with lead, just above the bend. This is easily done by forming a mould of damped sand in which the hook is placed, and running molten lead round it. If the lead when cool is found to be in excess, it may be trimmed to the right size with a knife. The hook is then whipped on to a length of looped gut, and it is ready for use. I have sometimes wondered if the Thames trout which inhabit water too quiet for spinning might be caught with a Gorge. When rowing I have more than once seen them in such places; two there were, one summer, in the backwater leading up to Monkey Island, a few miles above Windsor. On consulting a Thames fisherman, he said the gut trace would soon be destroyed by small pike, which, at the time of year when it was most likely to get hold of a trout, were ravenous. This is probably true enough, as I remember one afternoon, in the middle of May, losing three gut traces in this way whilst spinning for a large trout which I had seen feeding, a little below Hambledon Weir. Besides these various ways of catching trout, there is fishing with live bait; but, never having practised it, I can o 2 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING say nothing of it here, except that once at Hambledon Weir I witnessed the capture of a fish of 6 lbs. by a professional fisherman by this method. When the trout was hooked the man worked it down stream into slack water, running along the side where grew some willow bushes, over which he had to lift his rod; there he found another professional, who eame to his assistance with the landing-net. Though frequently on the river for many years I never saw but that one Thames trout killed. Once, however, whilst sculling a little above Walton Bridge, I watched, for twenty minutes or so, a most interesting struggle between an unusually large one and a punt angler. The angler, who was after roach and dace, had hooked a small fish when, as it was being drawn in, it was seized by a trout, which was allowed to gorge it; then the excitement began. Either the bait was too far down to be ejected, or the roach hook had got hold. The trout ran all over the river, where it pleased, followed by the puntsman, who had cast loose from the ryepecks,1 to which he had fastened up, and wonderfully well he managed his punt. The angler seemed to have but little line on the reel, his tackle being only intended to deal with roach and small fish: nothing but the skill displayed by his attendant could have saved him from disaster, long before the end of the fight. At length the trout came to the surface, all but beaten, and was gently conducted towards the well of the punt, over which the professional was leaning with a landing-net such as is commonly used on the Thames, i.e. having no length of staff, but a mere handle of about two feet. The fish, catching sight of the enemy, made a final effort; the angler had shortened his line and in so doing brought the gut through the top ring ; something stuck for a moment, a break naturally ensued, and the trout 1 f Ryepecks ': local name for poles to which the punt is moored. IN THE NORTH 197 was gone. The angler flung down the rod in despair, whilst the puntsman cried out to me, ' He wound hisself up too tight, and that fish weighed 11 lbs. I have known him all the season.' Many fishermen, accustomed to other rivers, may perhaps wonder why so few Thames trout are caught during the season, considering the numbers turned into the water by angling associations. Did any of these gentlemen station themselves on a weir for a short time, and observe the stream below, there, in early summer, they might see hundreds of bait leaping close to the lasher, ' breaking up,' as fishermen call it, after spawning. A large trout swimming below has merely to open his mouth and swallow as many of them as he wants, after which he will remain in a lethargic state until the process of digestion is over. The trout, unlike the human epicure, does not linger over his dinner, which probably is finished in a quarter of an hour. Should the fisherman come over him with a spinning bleak or gudgeon, during that small fraction of the day, he may perchance hook him, but hitting off this favourable quarter of an hour must be most uncertain. It is sometimes stated that these large trout dine at about the same hour every day, so that if one of them is observed in pursuit of his prey, we will say at six p.m. one day, we may expect him to be similarly occupied at six p.m. the next. Not having been accustomed to watch the fish as a professional fisherman does, I am not qualified to deny the statement; but as the state of the water, or the temperature, with other influences affecting the appetite of fish, are subject to frequent variation, their punctuality in feeding is probably not much to be relied upon. Live-bait fishing appears to me much on a par with harhng for salmon, possibly because I know little about 198 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING it. When a boy of sixteen I went to a private tutor's in Derbyshire, a few miles from Longford, now the country residence of my oldest friend, the Hon. Henry Coke. On half-holidays it was my frequent habit to run over and fish the Longford Brook, and there occasionally I came across a live-bait fisher, a Derby tobacconist named Fry. Immediately below Longford Mill is a plot of grass, on one side of which runs the mill stream, on the other the brook itself. Thither would Fry repair with a camp stool, a large meerschaum pipe, a can of minnows and his tackle. Whilst the mill ran, his float might be seen struggling in the mill stream ; when it stopped, he shifted across, camp-stool, minnows and all, to the other side of the grass plot, and dropped his line into the pool where the waste water came in. He was never to be seen on any other part of the water, and doubtless killed many trout in the two holes he stuck to. A more lazy or unsportsmanlike proceeding could hardly be witnessed; to quote Scrope again, ' You might as well set night lines for eels.' CHAPTEB X GKAYLING AND TROUT ' Here and there a grayling.' Caprice of grayling—Fine ones near Romsey on the Test—General Bowles' day—Large ones feed a great deal at the bottom—Good day at Steeple Langford—Large fish in the Broadlands water—Lord Palmerston's remarks—Admiral Hope and a 3-lb. trout at Christmas time—Cast of large pike at Somerley—Fish require water that suits them—Rainbow trout—Stock in ponds require constant renewing. Something has been said already as to the caprice of the fish we endeavour to catch with the fly. This quality is especially characteristic of the grayling, though it is said to rise boldly and may be caught after being risen two or three times. On some days it is a matter of difficulty to take two or three, on others a basketful may be caught, though such good fortune is but seldom the lot of the angler. The flies used in fishing for them are much the same as those which succeed with trout, and vary in different streams. On the Avon the Bed Spinner of fair size is a favourite; on the Test I have found small Bed Quill Gnats, Black Gnats, and Pale Olive Duns answer ; on the Wiley, small Heckles—Orange Tags, Bed Tags, and Grey Tags, sometimes fished wet, and sometime floating. Grayling have soft mouths, and are more apt, consequently, to get off than trout. When first hooked they generally bore towards the bottom and run. down stream, so that it is necessary to humour them, for fear of the hold giving way. Just before being landed, they will -r-— \m t 200 SEVENTY YEAKS' FISHING occasionally throw themselves out of water. One good quality they have : that of never going to weed. I do not remember losing one in this way ; moreover they are to be caught in very low water. I have killed grayling in the Dove, the Test, the Avon, and the Wiley in this country; in the Traun near Ischl, and the Ilm at Weimar, abroad. The finest, as far as my experience goes, are to be found in the Test, near Bomsey. Never did I see such a bag made as once when staying at Broadlands, in Lord Palmerston's time, by General Bowles. He and I were to have gone out after partridges together, but at breakfast he said he should take advantage of a strong wind to go fishing. I went out alone, and after a capital day's shooting came home just as the General was getting out of the boat, in the bottom of which were any number of large grayling; they had been caught with a small Olive Dun (pale silky body and starling wing) and a Black Gnat, body ribbed with gold twist. The live Pale Olive has a body which is almost transparent; no imitation of it succeeds in calm water, but in a heavy wind the fly dressed as described answers well enough. The rougher the day the better for grayling, at least according to my own experience. Grayling spawn in the spring, and are in condition through the winter. No fish, to my knowledge, so quickly recovers after spawning, probably because at that time of the year flies and other food abound. Where a stream contains both trout and grayling, the best time to fish is from the end of August till the middle or end of September (if the trout remain in good order so late), a good mixed bag being often made at that season. For my own part, I do not consider grayling and trout fishing to be on a par. Not that grayling are to be despised, particularly by men who, in spite of unpleasant weather, are keen enough to fish during the autumn and winter GRAYLING AND TROUT when trout are out of season; but, though they will fight hard for their lives, they lack the dash and vivacity of trout. It must be remembered also that, where they are numerous, they eat a considerable amount of food which ought to go to nourish the trout. Many owners of rivers containing both trout and grayling are so sensible of this fact as to place no limit to the size of grayling which may be killed by the angler: not that the number would be sensibly reduced under such a regulation. No amount of fair fly-fishing will in my belief affect the stock of either trout or grayling, as constantly flogging the water will render the fish so shy as to make their capture nearly impossible. It is my belief that, at all events in some rivers, the large grayling feed mostly at the bottom. An old friend was in the habit of fishing the well-known grayling stream, the Lentwardine; he told me that for one fortnight in the year the Lentwardine Club fished with a gentle baited on a weighted hook covered with pale green silk, after the method described as sinking and drawing, and that the largest fish were killed by this process. I have myself caught them in Germany with an Alexandra, an imitation, not of a fly, but of a minnow. (A small Jock Scott, by the way, is not at all a bad bait for large grayling.) Another reason exists for my belief. Some years ago I was on the Wiltshire river Wiley, in May and June, and on one reach, not far above Wilton, almost every day two or three grayling of the largest size were caught, and, being out of season, returned to the water. During September of the same year, I again was fishing the Wiley, but though grayling up to 1 lb. or so were killed in this part of the river, none corresponding in size to those caught and put back were taken by any of the members of the club. 202 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Grayling have a curious habit in the autumn of roving about in the pools, making as they swim a wave in the water. They may often be taken, when so acting, by casting just in front of this wave, provided of course the fisherman takes care to keep out of sight. When they rise, especially in shallow water, the strike should be gentle, but quick, or they will, unless taking greedily, escape being hooked. It has occurred to me more than once to see friends, whom I have taken out on the Wiley, fail in their efforts to kill grayling, though competent enough as trout-fishers. Standing by the riverside, I have wondered at my friends' slowness in striking, and sometimes at their not apparently seeing the rise at all. A grayling will occasionally just put his nose only out of water as he sucks in the fly. Doubtless it takes experience to teach one to catch instant sight of this action, and my friends were probably lacking such experience. Grayling, like other fish, are to be caught with worms, &c. They are hardy and prolific. In some streams where a few have been turned in they have multiplied exceedingly. In the Till, a tributary of the Tweed, they certainly were unknown a few years ago, and now they are more numerous than the trout. In the Tweed two or three years back, when fishing Bergham Dub, I saw many grayling rising. Whether it is desirable to encourage them in a trout stream is questionable. They must certainly eat a large portion of the | food which the trout would feed on, and I for one should be sorry to see them turned into a trout stream which it was my habit to fish. The best day's grayling-fishing I ever had was at Steeple Langford, on the Wiley—the highest limit of the water belonging to the Wiley fly-fishing club of which I was then a member. Steeple Langford mill dam is, with GRAYLING AND TROUT 203 a wind on it, one of the best places on the river, holding, as it does, plenty of grayling and trout of good size, the latter rather better in quality than is usual in the Wiley. Where the mill stream joins the main river is a fair-sized hatch hole, and lower down a gentle stream glides over the shallows into a pool about three or four feet deep. From this pool and the hatch hole I got in one day twenty-one grayling which filled a 24-lb. basket. Several trout of fair size were also caught; as these were going back in condition, they were returned to the river. This bag was, however, beaten hollow, lower down the river, by a gentleman connected with the ' Field.' He was probably a better hand at the business. I might have killed a few more, had it not been that the carriage was waiting at some distance to take me back to Wilton, and to walk a couple of miles with 20 lbs. of fish to carry is no joke to a man seventy years of age. I therefore left off rather early, the fish being still on the take. Had I gone on till dark my basket would, however, not have come near that made by the sportsman referred to. Good luck has enabled me to kill in the day twelve or fourteen fine grayling on the Steeple Langford water, nor do I recollect ever getting fewer than half a dozen of fair size there, probably because being at a distance of six or seven miles from Wilton, where it was my habit to put up, a favourable was day chosen for making an expedition which entailed a long drive. The flies which proved successful on the occasion referred to were the Bed Spinner (not a small one) and a Pink Wickham. As mentioned further back, the Test, below Komsey, contains the finest grayling I have ever seen; the trout, too, are noted for their size and quality. Below Bomsey bridge is a large swirling pool which holds trout of the largest kind. There are two stuffed in the smoking-room 204 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING at Broadlands which weighed over 11 lbs. each, but these big fellows are only to be caught with bait. Occasionally Lord Palmerston would desire one to be sent up to London during the season. The keeper, a Suffolk man, knew little about trout, but possessed a pike rod and tackle. When called upon to provide a fish for his master's table, he would proceed to the pool referred to, bait his hook with a boiled prawn, and drop his line and float into the river, allowing it to wander about the stream and eddy wherever the water might take it. Here he would stay till a trout was caught, sometimes remaining for a couple of days, but never failing to get one at last. Besides those mentioned above as to be seen in the smoking-room, a dead trout came floating down the river close to where I was fishing, which the keeper dragged ashore with a rake, and which would, when alive, have weighed at least 10 lbs. (it had probably been killed by a mill wheel up above). The largest I ever got was rather over 4 lbs.; it took a small Silver Doctor salmon fly in the pool below Bomsey bridge; for some moments it looked as though a gilse was on. Indeed, a man standing on the bridge being of that opinion, shouted to some of his friends to come and see a salmon caught. When the fish was landed, he turned away much disappointed, crying out to me, 'Why, it's not a salmon after all.' The grayling in the Broadlands water have been caught of 3 lbs. weight; they are, like all grayling I have been acquainted with, most capricious and generally shy and difficult to catch. One afternoon, however, I came upon them when in the humour for feeding. There was nothing, apparently, in the weather to lead one to suppose that they would be less shy than usual; there was not wind enough to cause a ripple, and the afternoon was much like other mild afternoons in that part of England. Expecting only to get one or two, I GRAYLING AND TROUT 205 had left the basket behind and sauntered out with the rod in one hand and the landing-net in the other. Half a dozen casts had not been made before a fish was hooked, and so the game went on, until it became time to go home and attend to more serious business. I therefore strung the grayling upon withies and went up to the house, on my way falling in with Lord Palmerston and Mr. A. Hayward, who was staying at Broadlands, and who had also been out fishing. Upon seeing me Lord Palmerston exclaimed, ' Why, here is Charles Barrington laden with fish like Masaniello.' 'You,' he added, turning to Hayward, ' have got none.' Mr. Hay- ward was fond of the sport, but more at home in other branches of the art than fly-fishing. I remember his killing a number of perch and pike in the water at Brocket with spinning tackle. Lord Palmerston was a good horseman, and went on hunting, when an opportunity offered, after he was advanced in years; as a shot he was not remarkable, and 1 doubt if he ever killed a trout in the course of his life. He knew, however, that trout were not in season during the winter, and one day, when on our way to shoot one of the Broadlands covers, he asked me how I managed to direct my fly into the mouth of a grayling, and not into that of a trout. I explained, to his satisfaction, that, whereas the grayling were caught in streams and shallows, the trout, after spawning in the autumn, were not to be found in such places, but in the deep quiet parts of the water, where we did not fish. There are here and there barren trout in all rivers; one of these happened to take my fly when fishing for grayling, just above an island in the park, It ran down and across the stream, and seemed at first bent upon putting the island between itself and me. Luckily it altered its course, and was eventually landed. It was in perfect 206 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING \m\ 1 iii condition, though Christmas was close at hand. Just as it came into the net, Admiral Hope, lately returned from the attack on the Peiho Forts,1 came up to me. I asked him what he thought of this specimen of a Test fish. ' Eh ! ' he said, ' a beauty and 3 lbs. weight.' ' Well,' I replied, ' back he goes; we do not kill them at this time of year.' The Admiral remarked that it would be a perfect sin to put the fish back. Lord Palmerston's orders, however, were strict, and had to be obeyed. It is often difficult to give any reason for the growth of fish. Why, for instance, should the Test grayling be larger than those belonging to the Hampshire Avon ? The other kinds of fish in the last-named river are famed for their size, even leaving its salmon out of the question. Eels, roach, perch, pike, and what trout are to be found in it, are almost invariably big fish of their kind. Pike in Lord Normanton's water are not what they were, as orders were given to keep them down for the sake of the salmon; but a cast of one is to be seen, at Somerley, which was netted with a salmon's tail sticking out of its mouth. It was said to have weighed 30 lbs.; the fish it tried to swallow, to judge by its tail, might have been about 6 lbs. I have at different times caught many grayling at Somerley; though their average weight has been good, running from } lb. to 1J lb., yet none of 3 lbs. have been killed there by me or by other fishermen. I believe one of 4 lbs. was killed at Fording Bridge, a few miles above the Somerley water; but this, of course, was an exceptional fish. In the Wiley they are of much the same size. The question as to whether the water is really suited to the fish it contains is not altogether a vain one. In the ' Lac de Treperes,' close to Aix4es*Bains, there is a 1 Admiral Hope was badly wounded in the attack. GRAYLING AND TROUT 207 fish called Lavaret which somewhat resembles a grayling in appearance, but, unlike a grayling, it is one of the best fresh-water fish for the table. Some years ago, five hundred of them were caught, and turned into the Lake of Geneva; within two or three weeks they were found floating on the surface dead—the lake from which they came is full of hot springs, and it was probably owing to the comparative cold of the waters of the Lake of Geneva that they perished—gradually chilled to death. The experiment will probably not be repeated. Possibly the Test contains something, some kind of weed, or some substance in the water, which is particularly favourable to the growth of trout and grayling. If this were ascertained to be so, we might turn in their fry to streams where similar conditions existed. Fish— especially trout—will not remain in water unsuited to them, if they can escape. Here are two instances which have come under my own observation. The Thames Association, a good many years ago, turned in a number of trout below Hambledon Weir, some of them of good size. I was a good deal on the Thames at the time, and one day sculled up from Marlow to pay a visit to some friends who lived near the river. On my way a farmhouse was passed, and in the duck pond belonging to it, to my surprise, trout were to be seen swimming about and occasionally rising. The pond was supplied by a tiny stream, a mere running ditch of clear water which communicated with the river below the weir. The fish not approving of the place selected for them, had travelled up the brook, for more than a mile. As it ran dry towards the end of summer, many of them perished before they could be moved to a safe place. In the second case, a proprietor of part of the Hampshire Avon, wishing to improve his fishing, dammed up a 208 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING New Forest brook, and took several hundred small trout out of it, which he put into the main river. No increase in the numbers of trout, however, was apparent. They, doubtless, swam up stream until they came to another brook, resembling the one in which their early days had been spent, and went up that. In these instances the small fish showed a decided preference for small waters. It is, however, no less true that large trout will not remain in parts of a stream which contain no pools and deep holes. Just at the top of the Avington water, where a water-carry issued from the Itchen, *a small piece of the bank had given way. We tried in vain to get the defect remedied at the close of the season, and the following spring the breach had become considerably enlarged, so that whilst the side stream had increased, the Itchen had diminished in volume. The half-mile above, where it rejoined the river, was well supplied with fine trout, mostly from 1^ to 2 lbs. weight; when the water began to fail they dropped down to the mouth of this side stream and went up it. The result was that the lessee of the water-carry found his sport improved, the members of the Itchen Club suffered. Bainbow trout are said to disappear from the water into which they may have been put, unless they are hindered by gratings or some such device. Of them I know little; the only specimens I have seen were three caught by me in the Ilm—two were over 5 lbs. the third 1J lb. It is difficult to say why they should not have remained where they were. About five hundred had been turned in some years before the three were taken, a large proportion of which certainly disappeared. Had any number of them been still in our part of the river, more would assuredly have been caught, as they take readily. The few left, according to the keepers, hung about three or four pools only. Some say they depart in search of more abundant GRAYLING AND TROUT food, but this can hardly have been the cause of their leaving the club water, as the common trout averaged 2 lbs. where they were caught. Can they be some little- known kind of salmon or sea trout, whose instinct prompts them to go down to the salt water after spawning? They certainly have much the look of sea fish, being bright and silvery. Be this as it may, in artificial lakes and ponds whence they cannot escape it is well worth while to cultivate them. They show excellent sport when hooked, and, to judge by those I caught, are capital eating. It would probably be necessary frequently to renew the stock in ponds where only a small supply of water runs in. It is doubtful if tiny brooks, often mere running ditches, are of use as breeding places. The spawn is in danger of being eaten up by ducks, dabchicks, &c, and, owing to their shallowness, the parent fish may easily be caught by hand. The pond at Howick of about twenty acres was originally well stocked, and, as one of these small runners fell into it, it was thought the trout would breed. Whether any of them did so I cannot say. The keeper reported having seen two or three up the small burn; but as this burn ran close by the village school, the schoolboys probably helped themselves to any spawning fish they might spy. Gradually the trout caught in the pond became fewer and fewer. This was put down to shyness, owing to the greater abundance of food in consequence of the growth of weed. After a certain time it became necessary to remove the mud which had accumulated, and the water had to be run off, whilst the remaining trout were put into a smaller piece of water. In this pond of twenty acres some twenty- five only were found surviving. There were no pike in it; p 210 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING besides the trout only a few tench. How came it about that so few were left ? Probably, as no record was kept, the number credited to the rod had been considerably exceeded. It is clear enough that, if the trout did spawn, the eggs never came to maturity, and afterwards it was recollected that no small fish had been caught for some years; the few taken were of fair size and in good condition. The facts mentioned are alluded to because, in these days of artificial breeding and hatcheries, the expense of keeping up a sufficient stock in a twenty-acre pond is hardly worth considering, and because few owners of such places seem to be aware that, unless this is done, they must be prepared to find the supply of trout reach the vanishing point. II CHAPTEB XI ARTIFICIAL BREEDING Doubtful advantage in the case of salmon—Not in that of trout—Different systems—Sticklebacks—Pugnacious habits of fry—Visits to Denham Fishery—Stirling breeding ponds—Blind fish-^Bannockburn. Artificial breeding until modern times was but seldom resorted to. Now, there are breeding ponds and hatcheries to be found in most districts of the United Kingdom. To me, it is a matter of doubt if the system will prove of much use in the case of salmon rivers. A female salmon is said to contain 1,000 eggs for every pound that it weighs ; a pair would, on that assumption, lay from 8,000 to, say, 25,000—100 female fish would deposit one or two millions. In rivers like the Tay and the Tweed it is a matter of some difficulty to form an estimate of the number of fish which reach the spawning beds, but there must be at least many thousands which safely arrive at the breeding places. The men employed by the Tweed Commissioners have been in the habit of counting the pairs of breeding fish (how they managed to do so I know not), and, according to the last Beport of the Commissioners, about 5,000 pairs were on the spawning beds in 1904-*—not half the number seen in the previous season. It is true that the waste of spawn must be enormous. It is devoured by fish and by aquatic birds; it may be swept away wholesale by floods. When hatched, the young fish are subject to perils of all kinds. Yet, allowing for all drawbacks, the supply of 212 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING fry furnished artificially, as it seems to me, could be only trifling as compared with the natural produce of the river. For the whole of Ireland, according to the last return, the number of fry, reared artificially, is put at five millions. Granted that an equal number were supplied to Scotland, what would be the proportion assigned to any river of sufficient importance to hold salmon ? It must surely be doubtful if enough young fish could be turned in to make any appreciable difference. Careful observation as to what may be the result in Ireland may help to solve the question. If there exists a doubt as to the benefit to be looked for in the case of salmon rivers, there is none as to the usefulness of artificial trout-breeding. The young fish reared from ova taken from trout belonging to one stream may be turned in to another, so as to change the blood, if that be thought desirable. They can be introduced where trout did not exist; they may be kept in ponds until, after a year or two, they become able to take care of themselves. Two systems are in vogue when it is desired to stock water or to increase that already existing : (1) to put in some hundreds of yearlings or two-year olds, or (2) thousands of fry, taking care in the second case to furnish a copiou's supply. A mistake is apt to be made on this point: e.g. the lessees of the Ilm at Weimar are bound by their agreement to turn 1,000 fry into each mile of water. In my opinion, this number should be multiplied by ten, in order to have any effect. Indeed some say 10,000 a mile would not be enough. The destruction of fry is, of course, very great, and has to be provided for on a large scale; but an additional reason has been given for plan No. 2—viz. that the survivors are more vigorous and thrive better than those that have been kept in confinement until they are a year or two old. ARTIFICIAL BREEDING 213 Before deciding upon either plan, it would be as well to ascertain whether the water to be stocked or replenished contained many natural enemies of the fry (sticklebacks and so forth); where, from the absence or scarcity of such enemies, the fry would have a fair prospect of reaching maturity I should prefer their use. In the case of a fishing club, an account of tolerable accuracy is usually kept of the trout killed each year. Let us put the number at five hundred. When the season is over, six or seven hundred young fish should be turned in to keep up the stock, on the principle adopted by a wise man who lays down every year a fresh supply of wine equal to a year's consumption. According to the usual calculation, a trout of 1 lb. weight is from three to four years old, so that if the rule of putting back small fish is strictly observed, in a couple of seasons the two- year olds would be large enough to kill. On this plan, the club would know better how they stood with respect to the maintenance, increase, or decrease of their stock than if they adopted the alternative of turning in fry. The water-keeper, if complaints were made as to a diminution in the number of fish, could not make the excuse that the dabchicks and sticklebacks had eaten up the fry. When first I joined the Itchen Club, we reared trout in a small way: according to my belief, without any good result. We had no proper arrangement for keeping the fry, the mortality amongst them, when they began to grow, being great owing to their pugnacious habits. They would, if kept long enough in the tank, I am inclined to believe, have emulated the famous Kilkenny cats, and eaten one another up. After a time, a more suitable spot was hit upon, where, at a blow-hole under the shade of a plantation,' fresh water bubbled up from the ground. There the fish could be kept for a year, after which they were put into a side stream hard by, to 214 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING ! the number of 1,200 or more. This side stream was netted when angling was over, and 400 of the largest trout turned into the main river (the keeper reckoned on losing two-thirds of the 1,200 put in). Some of us rather doubted if the plan was a good one, as fish, accustomed to such places would be sure to acquire a vulgar taste for minnows, which there abounded. After being put into the Itchen they would probably leave it, to seek the food they had been used to in early life, in the numerous runners which supply water to the meadows. I have, now and then, caught one of these minnow- hunters with the fly, but there is little sport in doing so, owing to the confined space—besides the fish may easily be poached by shutting the hatches. Moreover, at certain seasons, the smaller water carriages are apt to run dry. I believe that, at the present time, the Itchen Club has given up artificial breeding, and buys the necessary number of fish from some hatching establishment. I have visited two breeding establishments, both conducted on a large scale. The one at Denham, on the Colne, under the superintendence of the then owner of Denham Fishery, Colonel Goodlake. My visit here was somewhat hurried, as I was anxious to begin fishing. The Colonel had certainly a good stock of fine trout, and was satisfied that this was owing to the number he had been enabled to rear, and put into the river. The fish at Denham Fishery were always famed for their size and quality; the late Duke of Leeds caught, one day, six, which weighed 18 lbs., with a spinning bait. At three o'clock, being fully satisfied with his sport, he wound up his line and went home. On the same day I got six with the fly, all between 1 and 2 lbs. The other breeding place which I have twice been to see was a short distance from Stirling and close to the field of Bannockburn, the Bannock, indeed, supplying a ARTIFICIAL BREEDING 215 flow of clear water to the thirty-six ponds which contained the parent fish and their offspring. Here were trout from Loch Leven and other waters, some of the breeding fish being of large size. They, as well as their descendants, were chiefly fed on boiled horseflesh. When boiled, the meat was minced fine, and put into a metal pot with holes bored in it and provided with a long handle. On immersing the pot, its contents were shaken out through the holes. No sooner was this contrivance dipped into the water than the fish appeared and fed greedily, being as tame as chickens in a farmyard; the attendant pointed out one of about 4 lbs. which he said was blind owing to a film that had grown over its eyes. It was apparently well nourished, nor did its blindness prevent it from getting a full share of the food. (Elsewhere mention is made of a blind salmon caught by the net in the Avon.) How these blind fish obtain their sustenance it is impossible to say—perhaps the sense of smell enables them to do so. In the two instances referred to they were in good condition; but this is not always so. I have scooped out of the Itchen two blind trout with a landing net, on different occasions, and these were miserable to behold, being shaped like eels and black in colour. The loss of sight is said to be caused by lime, which is present in most clear chalk streams. In a kind of small pen were two trout still alive, but in the last stage of salmon disease. One of the thirty-six small ponds was occupied by hybrids between the true salmon and the common river trout. My first visit to this hatchery was made about the time when salmon are swimming up to their spawning ground, and so strong is the inclination of these hybrids to follow the example of their parents that hurdles are placed round their pond to prevent their throwing themselves out of it in the vain effort to reach a breeding place. II 2] 6 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING One had leapt out the night before my visit, and was found in the morning, on the bank, dead; the attendant not having put up the hurdles till too late, as far as this individual fish was concerned. This fish was about 3 lbs. weight and had much the look of a small salmon which had been some time away from salt water. It was brown in colour and, as far as my recollection goes, had no red spots on its side. The proprietor of the hatchery had made a study not only of the fish, but as to the different food-producing weeds. He told me the best kind was watercress, which contained quantities of tiny grey snails. The trout were very fond of these snails and throve wonderfully on them; the fish seen on the watercress shallows of the Itchen, with their tails out of water are no doubt grubbing for these creatures : we cannot be surprised if when thus pleasantly occupied they refuse the fly. Hopping about close to us, whilst the man was distributing his horseflesh, was a tame raven, to whom he occasionally threw a morsel. The bird was, he said, invaluable in keeping the herons : at bay : of this we had proof very shortly. One of these trout-eating birds, passing close overhead, caught sight of the raven, and altering his course, quickly disappeared. On leaving the breeding establishment, we crossed a large grass field in which were two or three horses, past work, waiting till it came to their turn to be killed and boiled down, for the benefit of the trout. One of these, evidently well bred, had the appearance of a lady's hack. Its thigh had been severely injured, and it limped up to us on three legs whinnying and expecting, as was likely enough, to be coaxed and presented with a lump of sugar or a carrot; finding that we had no dainty to offer, with a toss of its head it hobbled off and began to feed. We were glad to observe that, as far as could be surmised, it was at least in no pain, and, like the lamb * unconscious ARTIFICIAL BREEDING 217 of the butcher's knife,' not in anxiety as to its approaching end. Though having no connection with fishing concerns, it may possibly be worth mentioning that, whilst staying with an old friend in the North of Scotland, I came across an account of the battle of Bannockburn, written in monkish Latin by a Scotch clergyman some hundred years after the fight. The way in which Bobert Bruce won, is well enough known, but the old monk's story told me something which I, and perhaps others, did not know. Before the engagement the Scotch king had placed a body of infantry close to a marsh by the Bannock side, so as to protect his left flank, thinking the boggy ground to be impassable. Further examination showed, however, that although cavalry would be unable to cross, infantry might. Bruce, well knowing the deadly effect of the English archery, withdrew his flank out of range. Its second position being taken up 300 paces, say 250 yards, from its original one. Specimens of old spears, swords, . cuirasses and so forth are to be found at Stirling Castle from which it would appear that the Scotch foot, which often fought in clumps of spears, were but poorly protected by defensive armour—for one thing, their helmets were without visors. The English archers shooting at some elevation, and, as they say, * wholly together,' might have dropped an 'iron sleet of arrowy shower' into the unprotected faces of the Scotch, had it not been for the foresight of their king and general. i 218 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING CHAPTEB XII POACHING Going over the boundary—Fish killed for the roe—Lawlessness at Berwick —Coup at Christchurch —Look-out should be kept for footmarks—Net marks—Scales—Set lines—The White Fly—Poaching in Wales—Police and magistrates reluctant to assist in suppressing. Besides legitimate fishing there are, as is well known, other ways of capturing salmon and trout. Trespassing upon land or water belonging to others during the day time is rare. I have only twice seen men fishing where they had no right to fish, once on a south- country trout stream and once on a salmon river in the Highlands. In the first case the trespasser was a well-to- do man, and had a boy with him to carry his luncheon- basket and landing-net. Having outflanked this trespassing fisher, so as to cut off his retreat by the high road, and succeeded in approaching'him unperceived, I inquired how he came to be fishing our water. He pleaded ignorance of the boundary, and said leave to fish had been given him by the gentleman who owned part of the river immediately above. As his story was plausible enough, he was allowed to depart free, on giving his name. It is to be feared that people are not always overparticular in observing boundaries, for once when buying a basket in a country town, the shopman, seeing that I had chosen a white one, recommended me rather to take one of dark colour, remarking that it was less easily m i-SK&ii POACHING 219 seen at a distance. \In case, sir,' he said with a smile, ' you should happen to go over the March.' The poacher referred to, as it turned out on inquiry, had no permission from our neighbour, he had spoilt two capital pools as far as my chance of sport was concerned, had effected his retreat by a lie, and had completely taken me in by his respectable appearance. In the second case, the late Mr. B. Cholmondeley and I came suddenly on the village blacksmith in the act of running a salmon. The fish got away. Probably the casting line was broken on purpose, and as the man promised faithfully to fish no more while we had anything to do with the river, we took no further notice of the matter. Night poaching and snatching is common enough, and besides the injury to the river does infinite harm by deterring persons from taking fishings, spending money, and giving employment in the neighbourhood. The skilful poacher of game is doubtless, in general, an idle dog too lazy to work ; but yet he often obtains a certain amount of sympathy on account of his skill and knowledge of the nature and habits of the creatures he pursues; such sympathy would be utterly thrown away upon the fish poacher. What chance has a fish of escape when surrounded by the net, or when three heavy hooks tied back to back have been jerked into its body, the line to which they are attached being strong enough to drag it ashore as soon as hooked ? In some parts of the North of England, sea trout and salmon are actually killed on the spawning beds, merely for the sake of the roe, which is sold at 5s. a lb., the fish, after the roe is taken out, being buried, as worthless for food. In the Tweed, the close time for nets begins on September 15, and, for many years, the law was enforced by the presence of a gunboat which lay in Berwick Harbour. After some time the Government refused to 220 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING detail a vessel for the service, so that the netsmen began to set the law at defiance, and kill fish, mostly with drift nets, after that date. One October, out of six fish which I killed in a couple of days on Lord Home's water, three were covered with the prints of the mesh, pretty clear proof of what was going on at the mouth of the river. I believe, however, that the Tweed Commissioners have recently had more success in preventing this illegal work. The Berwick fishermen carried on their proceedings in almost open violation of the law, in some instances setting the water bailiffs at defiance; but there were also men from other places higher up the river, who would not hesitate to row a shot of the net if they saw a prospect of doing so without detection. One night an attempt of this nature was made on the lower water at Floors, but the Duke of Boxburghe's people, having heard what was likely to happen, were on the look out. Just as the poachers were about to start the head-fisherman came upon them, and seized their nets. The poachers, do what they would, were unable to loosen his grasp, but dragged him for some distance across the adjacent meadow; he, according to the account I heard from his own lips, J roaring hideously for assistance.' The net was captured, but I believe the poachers escaped. With regard to salmon, it is, as a rule, easier to discover if poaching is going on than to find out if trout are being taken unlawfully. Salmon are creatures of some size, and means must be provided for carrying them off. Even an odd one, stowed away in a large inside pocket, would seriously interfere with the speed of its captor, if pursued.1 Great destruction of salmon at the hands of the 1 See Mr. Scrope's account of the chase of the Soutar from Selkirk, who was caught with a ten-pounder in his shooting-jacket pocket. irnr* •-- • -= =- POACHING 221 poachers also takes place on the spawning beds by rake- hooks in the daytime or leisters at night; but these proceedings are generally known in the neighbourhood and can be put down by efficient river-keepers, provided always money is forthcoming to provide a sufficient force. The salmon poachers are more apt to pursue their ends in open defiance of the law than those who go after trout. Should there be reason to suspect that the former use the long-net, those portions of the river adjacent to lanes or cross-roads should be carefully watched, as, without a fight cart, the fish caught could not be speedily removed. One of the most successful 'coups' of these gentry was made, now many years ago, near Christchurch on the Avon. The fishermen employed on the ' Boyalty water' had made a heavy capture one morning, no less than nine fine fish having been netted. These they locked up inside a fish-house at Knap Weir, whilst they went into Christchurch to have their dinners and procure a cart to take them away. Meantime, some poachers, who had watched the proceedings, sent one of their number on to the roof of the fish-house. The man then dropped down the chimney, opened the window shutter, and handed the nine salmon to his confederates outside. With respect to trout the case is somewhat different. The owner or occupier of a trout stream, should his stock of fish diminish, must make a point of finding out if such decrease is owing to the depredations of the poacher or to other causes. Should the trout become less numerous in the open parts of the water, whilst those which haunt spots where the roots of bushes or the weeds offer safe refuge remain in undiminished number, it is natural to conclude that the poacher has been at work. In that case, signs of his presence will probably be discovered—footmarks leading to the river ; prints on the margin of the stream ; 222 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING perhaps the ridge-and-furrow-shaped mark of corduroy trousers will be found where a man has been kneeling to draw a net ashore; the impression of the mesh will occasionally be visible on the mud by the riverside; the scales of the fish may possibly be discovered, and a few drops of blood where it has been knocked on the head. Netting is, of course, the most destructive mode of fish stealing, and havoc of a wholesale description may be the result of a night's work, but it is easier of detection than other kinds of. poaching, and where weeds are properly treated, can hardly be resorted to with effect. There is, indeed, one method of working a net frequently used in southern waters which is deadly if weeds have been left in oblong patches, running straight up and down stream. In the very early morning, just at daylight, two men will saunter along the bank. The trout, catching sight of them, will run into these patches of weed, then the men wade in, one of them holding a net resembling a landing-net on a large scale, with a considerable purse at the down-stream end of the patch, whilst the other tramples the weed towards his mate, driving the trout into the net. Where the weeds are cut halfway across for some fifty yards on alternate sides of the river, this mode of poaching cannot be pursued. In the North of England,' poke nets ' are used, which, having been put in at the tail of a shallow, are pushed up close to the bank to the head of the run and then brought out with a jerk. The north-country poacher was, and probably is still, much given to the use of night lines, and these are generally well hidden so as to be difficult of detection. The river-keepers, if intelligent and hard-working, should know when suspicious characters are about, and this knowledge they may usually obtain from the rural police or the landlords of the neighbouring public-houses. They POACHING 223 should keep careful watch where the stream runs near lanes and country roads, especially at night where the water is regularly fished ; the poachers have little opportunity during the day. It will happen, now and then, that the river-keeper is ignorant or indolent. If ignorant of his duty, he will probably be soon dismissed. He may, however, be well-mannered and plausible, a good hand with the landing-net, able to say what fly is up, perhaps capable of tying a killing one himself, so that his master would not willingly part with him. Such a man I have known, and as others of his sort are not so scarce as might be supposed, a short statement of how his failings were discovered may not be out of place. One evening, just as fishing was over, I saw two or three strangers close to the taproom of the village inn, where it was my custom to put up. One of them hoped I had been successful and asked to see my fish. When the landlord brought in supper, I inquired if he knew the men, or where they came from. 'Well, sir,' he said, ' truly they are fish poachers, but your keeper knows all about them, and they will not disturb your water; they come here now and then, and stay in the taproom for an hour before going up the road. I don't like such characters, but they pay for what they have, and conduct themselves properly, or they would soon leave my house.' A day or two afterwards, a gentleman, with whom I was acquainted, had leave to fish higher up the stream, and met the keeper just above where I habitually fished. The man, in reply to a question as to whether anything wrong was going on in the neighbourhood, said, * Not in our part of the river, as long as it is under my care.' In spite of this apparently satisfactory answer, my friend thought it well to keep his eyes open, as he and the keeper went up the water. Having arrived opposite a long shallow where some good fish were accustomed to 224 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING if! feed, he halted, to wait for a rise. Whilst casting his eyes up stream it seemed to him that the rushes had been trampled down, and that, at the water's edge, there were marks as though a man had been kneeling. A faint impression as of corduroy breeches, and a cut in the mud made by the iron toe of a boot when he rose, were just visible. Upon pointing to these marks, the keeper said they were probably caused by someone who had been having a drink of water. A little further search, however, revealed some fish scales with the print of meshes close by. * Ah,' said the keeper, ' this is just where Mr. landed a two-pounder yesterday.' Now, gentlemen do not usually have the toes of their boots plated with iron, nor is a landing-net used so as to leave marks on the soil. The explanation was altogether unsatisfactory. The trout happened to be taking well, and my friend being a skilful hand had a fair day's sport, but not a rise did he see on the favourite shallow; there could be little doubt that it had recently been clean swept with a net. It seemed only right that the proprietor of the fishery should be made acquainted with the state of the case. He was annoyed, as well he might be, but as he did not part with his keeper, it may be assumed that he was satisfied with the man's explanation. In this instance the neglect of duty proceeded from sheer indolence. The man was intelligent, and, k as his ■ previous career showed, not lacking in courage. In the North, poachers would sometimes kill numbers of trout when the water was discoloured after rain by the following method: A quantity of sticks about six feet in length were procured, these were sharpened into a spike at the thick end, at the other was a short line with a good-sized hook attached to it. On each hook a rather large worm or minnow. The spike having been driven into the bank POACHING 225 the bait was kept in mid-water by means of split shot. When all the sticks were planted at intervals of a few feet, the poachers would wait a bit, smoke a pipe or two, walk back and take up the stick first set, go on to the second, and thus proceed till the whole lot were lifted. The fish having been secured and the wands fresh baited, they would be replanted along another stretch of river. When the water is in proper order for the operation, i.e. just beginning to subside after a flood, trout feed in easy places, close to the side, on the worms and grubs brought down by the current, and so fall easy victims to this method of poaching. I have heard of large bags thus made upon the Coquet, and can readily believe the story, having myself witnessed the operation on another stream (practically an unpreserved one). Perhaps the most deadly form of poaching is by the use of what is called on the Border ' the White Fly,' in plain English lime. Not only is this lawless proceeding deadly, but it is difficult to prevent it. The job is quickly done, and should the keepers be absent on some other duty than that of watching the river, the fish are killed and removed before there is any chance of catching the poacher. Further, no nets, night lines, or apparatus are required—merely a sack of lime. I have myself witnessed the effect of turning chlorate of lime into a trout stream. I had gone down to fish a small river at no distance from London, on which was a paper mill. The paper miller was on the best of terms with the owner of the water, and when the refuse from the mill was thrown away at the hands' dinner-time, he had given orders that it should be cast into a pool where the water flowed rapidly in a circle, a handful at a time, and gradually. As long as the refuse was thus treated it became so diluted as to do no harm, but a man who had only been recently engaged was told off to the duty the very day on Q I 226 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING which I was fishing, and he, knowing no better, or being anxious to get to his dinner, tipped a whole barrowful of the stuff into the water at once. Whilst sitting on the bank, some little way below, eating my luncheon and waiting till the mill should be set going again, a large trout rushed close by my feet violently down stream, then two others threw themselves out of the water, falling on a bed of weed, where they lay gasping. Suspecting some accident, I walked up towards the mill, to ascertain what had happened, meeting, by chance, the keeper by the way. The trout for two meadows below where the poison had been thrown in were either dead or dying, but probably a good many more succumbed, as the water affected reached them. Upon examining those we scooped out with a landing net, numbering about two dozen, their gills were found to be full of congested blood. If trout in that state are offered for sale, it is certain that they have been killed with the 'White Fly.' They did not appear to have been otherwise injured, nor do I believe that any risk was to be apprehended from eating them. Not more than a quarter of an hour elapsed between the time when the big trout was seen making off at his best pace, and the filling of the basket with the bodies of the slain—showing how short a time the poacher requires to effect his purpose and be off. Dynamite is also used for the same purpose. A near relative of mine has the fishing of a small salmon river in Wales, and as this explosive is used in slate quarries not far off, for blasting, the poachers are easily able to procure it. The river never having been regularly preserved, my friend had much trouble with the natives. It may be interesting to show the difficulties he had to contend with. His watchers, coming suddenly upon the dynamiters just as they were about to begin work, captured some of the gang. However, when brought up POACHING 227 before the magistrates, they escaped conviction. Shortly after, as one of the watchers was walking on the high road on his way home, he was set upon by two men and badly knocked about. His assailants were summoned for assault, but they also got off, and, to make matters worse, were seen going into the nearest public-house, on being dismissed without punishment, in company with a friendly policeman. My relative was a determined man, so he engaged additional watchers, who take the law into their own hands, and as they are in strong force, the poaching has been put down—not, however, until an attack had been made upon his house—fortunately defeated by three or four of the keepers who lived hard by. Where the stream admits of the use of the net, and no weeds interfere with its action, certain reaches may be cleaned out of trout. There is, however, some difficulty in the way. A net is a cumbrous thing to carry about, and some kinds are expensive. The keepers also are pretty well acquainted with the modes of working them, but it is another affair with the poacher, who is in the habit of setting night lines. The simplest form of night line is a piece of cord with a baited hook, tied on to an overhanging bough. This should, of course, be easily found by the river-keeper, nor is it very destructive, probably accounting for an occasional fish only. The farming-men near Weimar were rather given to the use of lines in this way. I found two one afternoon baited with lumps of meat, but on my suggesting to the keeper that we should hide and watch to see who came to take them up, he utterly declined to do so. These men went a little too far, shortly afterwards, having broken open the boxes in which we used to keep the trout alive, and were foolish enough to hawk the fish about the town. They were caught, had up before the magistrates, and sentenced to a longish term of penal servitude. Q2 iflff 228 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING The most deadly way of using night lines and the most difficult of detection is this. A strong water-cord of considerable length is furnished with a number of hooks tied on black horsehair, and baited with minnows and lobworms, put on, in general, alternately. At each end of the water-cord is a brickbat, by means of which it is kept stretched out along the bottom ; when the owner of the night line wishes to recover it, he casts a grapnel fastened to a thin rope into the water and so gets hold of it. The keepers, of course, do not know where the line has been set, and if there is no long grass, wet sand, or mud by the riverside, no traces will be found of the poacher. I have seen a line of this description with a trout or an eel on nearly every hook. There is another mode of night-line fishing in weedy streams which is ingenious and not easy to detect. The line is passed through a bullet, with a large shot on the line above and another below, so that it can travel two or three feet. Beyond the bullet is the bait, either a live minnow or a large worm. An opening amongst the weeds, or a place where they do not grow too thick, having been found, the line is set in the opening, the bullet sinks to the bottom, whilst the bait rises up towards the surface. Should it not be taken, it is easy enough to catch sight of it as one walks along the bank; but if it has, the trout will probably have buried himself in the weeds, dragging the line after him. In cases of this sort the best way of preserving the water is to have keepers clever enough to ascertain when poachers are about, and to get to know them by sight; they can then watch any suspicious characters, and probably catch them in the act. Even then it is a chance if the magistrates will impose a penalty sufficient to deter the offender from trying the same game again. The law as to poaching and the reasoning on which it POACHING 229 is founded, as I gather from Lord Moncrieff's evidence before a committee in 1860, are alike curious. His lordship thus delivers himself: * Day' poaching is not a criminal offence. If you catch a man on your premises, it is a trespass. ' Night' poaching is, because it leads to assault and murder. But, this principle does not apply to night poaching of salmon, because persons so engaged do not carry lethal weapons, and there is not the same danger to be apprehended from the implements used (meaning nets, it is to be supposed) as from those employed in poaching game. One is tempted to wonder if his lordship ever heard of the murder of Mr. Oakover, by a gang of trout poachers at Mappleton on Dove, or of the volleys of stones hurled at the crew of a man-of-war's launch by the Berwick fishermen, or if his lordship would consider the thrust of a leister into his body an attack with a lethal weapon. In the case of the Berwick fishermen, the boatswain retaliated and shot one of them, as he was picking up a stone. There was no more poaching in Berwick Harbour until Lord Salisbury's Government took the gunboat, which lay there to prevent it, away. When I was a young man the piece of water in St. James's Park, not having been cleaned out, was full of roach; these the London boys were in the habit of catching, the rod being a stick, the bait a bit of new bread. The roach, being accustomed to feed on the crumbs thrown to the ducks by the nursery-maids, were quite unsuspicious and took readily enough. The young fishermen were accustomed, as a useful precaution, to post a comrade as a look-out, whose business it was to give timely warning of the approach of the beadle, as they called the park-keeper. One day when walking by the waterside I spied a boy who was engaged in roach-fishing. The outpost had apparently neglected his duty, so that the keeper had got 230 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING pretty near the sportsman without being seen. Before he could lay hold of him, however, the boy had bolted with the man in hot pursuit. I joined in, and, being tolerably swift of foot, soon passed the keeper (probably an old soldier somewhat stiff in his paces), and shortly overhauled the boy. The keeper shouted to me to stop the boy; the boy cried out, ' For gawd's sake, don't hinder me ! ' I took no notice of the keeper's shouts, and told the boy he had nothing to fear from me and might get away if he could, and so indeed he would had not a second park-keeper turned up, and headed him off from the gate for which he was making. When the first man came up, after a sob or two to recover his wind, he turned angrily upon me, asking why I had not stopped the boy. I said it was not my custom to spoil sport or head the fox. The man, who was really a good-natured fellow enough, replied, 'Well, I don't like to spoil sport myself; and as to you,' he said, looking hard at the boy, ' this time you go before the Beak.' The young fisherman begged hard to be let off with a good ' 'iding,' and, moved by the sport he had showed in making so good a run, I backed his request. ' No,' said the park-keeper, ' the young wretch is an old offender; the last time I ketched him I made him eat his fish raw, and that has not cured him of poaching.' Trout and salmon have, besides their human enemies, many foes. Adult salmon are from their size protected from attack by other occupants of the rivers they frequent, with the exception of the otter. The smolts are, from their activity and the nature of the water they inhabit, tolerably able to take care of themselves, until they approach the lower reaches of the stream, where they may be devoured by gulls and other aquatic birds. The spawn and young salmon, when first hatched, are exposed to much danger. Nor is it possible to protect the POACHING 231 eggs and fry. We cannot keep the ducks belonging to the farmer's wife, or the swans in a gentleman's pleasure ground, from feeding on the spawn, or exterminate the sticklebacks which devour the fry, any more than we can control the floods which sweep the eggs down to the sea. Should the artificial rearing of salmon prove really successful, much may be done towards remedying the loss arising from these causes. If not, matters with respect to the spawn and fry will remain as they are now, so far as salmon are concerned. With respect to trout, the case is not quite the same. Artificial rearing can, without doubt, be resorted to with the best result. At the same time, it is possible to improve a trout fishery greatly, by getting rid of their natural enemies. An ideal trout stream should contain no other fish, except perhaps minnows for them to feed on. I say perhaps because there are waters where no minnows are to be found, and where the trout get fat and into good condition. Many anglers are besides of opinion that fish which live chiefly on minnows are inferior in shape and flavour to those which, for the most part, are consumers of other food. The first step towards improvement must then be to kill down any coarse fish which the water might contain. Of these the pike is the most formidable. Where a drag-net can be used they may be caught wholesale. Trammels will account for a good many, whilst they are also to be destroyed by snares and bank-trimmers. Collins, the keeper to the Itchen Club, is most skilful in the use of the snare. This is of copper wire, and being made into a running noose, is firmly attached to rather a long pole. Should a pike be spied beyond the reach of the pole, an additional piece is spliced on to it. The snare is gently passed over the head of the fish until it reaches the gills, when the pike is jerked ashore. From 232 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING long practice it is astonishing at what a distance a pike, lying perhaps against a mass of weed, may be discovered by a man who is used to the job. It is to be noted that pike lie with their bodies at right angles to the current; trout, on the contrary, nearly always have their heads pointing straight up stream. Bank-trimmers are deadly, especially in comparatively narrow waters, and are to be obtained at most fishing-tackle shops. Old trout which are beginning to go back doubtless eat up many of their own young relations. It is difficult to get rid of them, as the parts of the river they prefer are not adapted for the use of the spinning minnow. They might easily be taken with worm or gorge bait, but it would be impossible to avoid catching also other fish in good condition, which it would be a pity to kill in such fashion, Salmon and sea-trout kelts probably eat up a good many small trout. There is, apparently, no way of preventing their depredations, or those of the elderly common trout. I doubt if otters do as much harm as is generally put down to them. Where otter-hounds are kept, they must be left alone. Where the river is not hunted, and it is thought desirable to get rid of them, the easiest way of doing so is to examine the banks and ascertain where the otter lands when on a fishing excursion, then to watch the landing-place on moonlight nights, and shoot him as he comes ashore. Keepers generally object to this plan, as they might watch for several nights without getting a shot. They would prefer setting traps ; a cruel practice, and not certain to succeed. Moreover it is not everyone who can set a trap so as to catch an otter. As to the cruelty there is no doubt. I have seen an otter brought in with one of its fore paws nearly cut off by the teeth of the trap. We may well feel a certain amount of sympathy for the otter. It is a brave creature, and, jggg POACHING 233 when tamed, becomes the friend of man. It is very fond of eels, and where these abound you may find pieces of them, consisting of the head and upper part of the body, near the river. It is safe to conclude in that case that otters have been about. Eels eat up a good deal of spawn, but for this there is no help. In rivers, such for instance as the Avon, they are innumerable, so that it would not be possible to get rid of them. Nor would it be desirable to make the attempt, as eel fisheries are valuable. As to roach, &c, which do harm by eating food which should provide nourishment for their betters, where drag-nets cannot be used with effect, they may be dealt with in the manner described already as successfully used in the Darent. The dabchick is mischievous in a trout stream, and, from its wonderful quickness in diving, is difficult to shoot. It is said, indeed, to dive at the flash. More probably it dives at the sight of the gunner, or perhaps from observing the motion of his arm in lifting his gun. In favour of this view it may be mentioned that a friend of mine, Colonel Charles Crutchley, killed one with a rifle, firing from behind a hedge which would hide him but not the flash. All that can be done with regard to dabchicks is to search the banks of the stream for their nests, and prick or blow the eggs. If the eggs are destroyed, the hen may lay again, but if the eggs are pricked, she will continue to sit, in the vain hope of bringing them to maturity, until the breeding season is over. Herons do a good deal of mischief to a trout stream ; to what extent it is not easy to make out—the harm they do varies, probably, according to the nature of the water. At Longford, in Derbyshire, one of the Hon. H. Coke's brooks runs over shallows, which afford no harbours of refuge for some distance. This portion of the stream 234 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING has been almost denuded of the small fish which lived there—the work of herons, whose tracks were plainly visible. There it is impossible to get near enough to shoot them, as the banks are bare and nearly level with the water, so that the herons can see all round them for a long way. In Ireland we knew them to kill sea trout of considerable size (on the Costello). Whether they kill for the mere pleasure of killing is hard to say. In the Costello their destruction of more trout than they could have eaten may have been owing to their inability to get one of their victims ashore. I have often watched them, with a glass, feeding at the mouth of the Hampshire Avon, and observed that, after a few successful strokes of the bill, they would shortly take their departure. My belief is that, having secured enough small fish for a meal, they do no further harm until hunger induces them to seek for a fresh supply. When wading, their movements are cautious and stealthy in the extreme. They are, as I have heard, to be caught in steel traps set under water in shallow places; but, as stated above when referring to otters, these are cruel inventions, and, in my opinion, strong objections exist to their use on that account. The following curious circumstance, with respect to herons, is narrated in a footnote to I Bewick's British Birds,' and is inserted for the benefit of those who may be interested in the habits of fish-eating creatures:— j There were two groves adjoining to the park at Dallam Tower, in Westmoreland, one of which for many years had been resorted to by a number of herons which there built and bred, the other was one of the largest rookeries in the country. The two tribes lived together for a long time without any disputes. At length the trees occupied by the herons, consisting of some very fine old oaks, were cut down in the spring of 1775, and the young - ^H'jfiiigli'i'w •" i POACHING 235 brood perished by the fall of the timber. The parent birds immediately set about new habitations, in order to breed again; but as the trees in the neighbourhood of their old nests were only of a late growth, and not sufficiently high to secure them from the depredations of boys, they determined to effect a settlement in the rookery. The rooks made an obstinate resistance; but, after a very violent contest, in the course of which many of the rooks, and some of their antagonists, lost their fives, the herons at last succeeded in their attempt, built their nests and brought out their young. ' The next season the same contests took place, which terminated, like the former, in the victory of the herons. Since that time, peace seems to have been agreed upon between them; the rooks have relinquished possession of that part of the grove which the herons occupy; the herons confine themselves to those trees they first seized upon, and the two species live together in as much harmony as they did before their quarrel.' There may be other enemies to trout besides those mentioned above—goosanders, mergansers, cormorants, for instance. All fast swimmers under water and well adapted for fishing purposes. Goosanders and mergansers are not in most parts of the country numerous enough to be taken into account, whilst cormorants, as I believe, stick mostly to the coast. One I remember was shot on the pond at Howick with a rifle by Sir F. Grey. 236 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING CHAPTEB XIII \m\ FISHING CLUBS Rise of—Before joining a club, careful inquiry desirable—As to number of members and extent of water—It should be divided into beats—Expense —Management—Weeds—Jealous members—Lease of fishery—Mills— Anglers' rights to be protected. In bygone days, when fishing was not sought after as it is now, there was little difficulty in obtaining leave for a few days' sport, without having to seek for it at any great distance. Matters have changed in this respect. Streams—such, for instance, as the Itchen or the Test— are so easy of access that it is worth while to run down to them, even for a couple of days. Should the wind change, and blow down the water, or circumstances arise which might render sport unlikely, the next train would bring the angler back to town in two or three hours. When I was a member of a club, which leased part of the Itchen, I used to take a season ticket on the London and South-Western Bailway, so that, if fishing prospects became unfavourable, I could promptly be off to London, leaving rods and baggage at the riverside inn. Again, proprietors of fishing are less able, or willing, to give leave, as the facilities afforded by the railway companies enable their personal friends to pay them more frequent visits. If not themselves anglers, they perhaps let their water. From such causes fly-fishing clubs have sprung up, which hire trout streams within any moderate SafcflBi » FISHING CLUBS 237 distance of town, wherever they are to be had, at a fair price. When a man is fond of fishing and has none of his own, he cannot do better than join a club ; but let him be careful to ascertain (by personal inspection if possible) what sport he may expect, should he become a member. He should look the stream over so as to form an estimate of the stock of trout and grayling; find out the average number of fish killed in the season, their size and quality; inquire as to the accommodation to be had in the neighbourhood and as to the extent of the actual fishing water. It is common enough to hear that a club has so many miles of river, but to discover on investigation that, in order to make up this mileage, all back waters, side streams (which are nearly dry for part of the season), and unlikely stretches of the main stream itself, have been reckoned. Should the answers to these inquiries be favourable, it is well to examine the rules of the club, especially with regard to the number of members. It is hardly ever that there is water enough for all, should the members be present, in full force, at the same time; their number is generally fixed on the assumption that this will never be the case. The regulations as to the size and number of fish which may be captured will have to be considered. In the Itchen Club the rule was to put back everything under 1 lb.; you were allowed to kill as many as you could. In another club to which I belonged all fish under ten inches were returned to the river and you were limited to eight fish in the day. It is customary in some fisheries to divide the river into beats, each member taking one of them in turn, a double beat being assigned to the fisherman when half the club only were present. I look upon the division of the water in this manner as essential. Without it the members would be liable to waste valuable time, in looking over a stretch of water 238 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING where the rising fish had either been caught, or set down, a short time before. The anglers should stick absolutely to their own water, and even if a trout is seen feeding on the way up the river, by a fisherman as he passes to his beat, it should be left alone, for the benefit of whoever is in possession of that part of the stream. The extent of water required to meet the exigencies of a club must depend, in the first place, on its numbers, yet there are so many contingencies to be taken into account that it is not possible to lay down any absolute rule on this point. One day the trout may be rising freely, so that it would be a waste of time to travel any distance up and down the bank. On another, you may walk a long way before finding a fish taking the natural fly. The Avington water, on the Itchen, was leased by a club of eight members, of whom I was fortunate enough to be one. Its extent may be put at about three miles, nearly all fishing ground, and would generally be reckoned as enough to accommodate the eight anglers. At the beginning of the season, through May and June, good baskets were often made; later on the trout become difficult to catch, coming short at the fly, if they come at all, except perhaps just before dark. Nor do I think that this want of keenness on their part can be ascribed to the advance of the season. In my belief, it is owing to the number of times they had been fished over. It may be stated, in confirmation of that belief, that in the middle of August fish were to be hooked in side streams and out-of-the-way places, when it was a matter of great difficulty to get them in the main river. I, one morning, late in the summer, caught four trout from 1 to 2 lbs. each, out of a sort of bay made by one of these side streams; the hole in which they lay was not more than ten or fifteen yards in length. Fishing the best part of the main river, most diligently, during the rest of the FISHING CLUBS 239 day, my bag was only one fish; the fact was that, partly because of weeds, boughs, and other drawbacks, partly because in such cramped spots the fish would not show the same sport, the trout I killed there had seldom seen an artificial fly. If a club of eight members could produce such an alteration in the behaviour of fish over three miles of water, what could have been expected had it contained a larger number of anglers ? It must also be borne in mind that nearly all the eight members of the Itchen Club had other avocations which kept them away from the waterside. The late Lord Northbrook, Sir E. Grey, Mr. Alfred Bonham Carter, Lord Tweed- mouth, the Duke of Leeds, were much occupied with other pursuits, and besides, no one was eligible whose abode was not at a certain distance from the river. Notwithstanding these somewhat favourable conditions, I have heard that, recently, a proposal has been mooted for restricting the members to eighteen days' fishing in the season, on the greater part of the water, the inference being that some idea exists that the river is in danger of being over-fished. Then comes the question of expense. A good deal depends upon how accessible the water may be from London or other large towns; the nearer you go to such places, the higher price you will—other things being taken into account—have to pay. Taking a sort of average, however, I should say that for 251. or 35Z. a year fair sport may be obtained, whilst an annual subscription of 501. or 70Z. should command first-class trout-fishing. These amounts would, of course, not include travelling expenses to and from the river (it would, in most cases, be best to take a railway ticket for the fishing season), or the bill at the inn where you might put up. As a rule, the sport will be best where the subscription is highest: you cannot get a penny tart for a halfpenny, § Ml 240 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING where fishing is in question, any more than you can elsewhere. As to management, it is a question whether it should not be undertaken by a secretary, residing on, or near, the water; and that, in his case, the rule of non-residence should be set aside. He would pay the keeper's wages, see that the river was watched, and the weeds properly trimmed, and exercise general supervision over all matters of interest to the members. I have no doubt that this plan would be the best; certainly where the club consisted of more than half a dozen members. In chalk streams, the essential work of the river- keepers consists of weed-cutting, and the prevention of poaching—both unpleasant duties; where there is no one to overlook them the temptation to take things easily is strong. I knew of an instance where the keeper complained that he had to turn out and watch at night: the man, before being entrusted with the care of trout, had been a gamekeeper, and had probably spent many a moonlight night out of bed, looking after his master's pheasants. It is obvious that, during the angling season, some of the members would nearly always be on the water during the day, so that it would only be at night that poaching need be feared. Again, weed-cutting is hard work, and a man may be inclined to put it off as long as possible; to keep on trimming the weeds, at short intervals, is far more troublesome than to wait until they are an unbearable nuisance, and then sweep the bottom of the river nearly bare. Besides, a heavy growth of weed renders poaching difficult. The keeper is apt to ignore the fact that this heavy growth hinders sport. My opinion is that river-keepers are not always to be trusted to perform the unpleasant part of their work, and that some responsible person should see that their duties FISHING CLUBS 241 are properly carried out. This can only be done by a secretary, or manager, who resides on the spot. In venturing this opinion, it is not my intention to make a general attack on river-keepers, many of whom are keen to promote sport, and honest in all respects, but rather to point out that without someone to look after them, they will be liable to temptations, to which they ought not to be exposed. It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to remark that, before joining a club it is well to know something of the character of its members, not as to whether they are of good reputation generally, but if they are sportsmen and above taking unfair advantages ; for instance, if they will refrain from casting to a rising fish in part of the water assigned to another member, even if they can do so unseen. As there are men who are jealous shots, so there are anglers who—let us say, from a strong spirit of emulation— are not over-particular in confining themselves to their own beats. In shooting, ways of defeating the jealous man may be found; it is not so easy to do so in the case of the selfish angler. I have known such a one to walk close to the bank in passing a member of his club, thereby putting down a large trout that member was endeavouring to beguile. His action, as I firmly believe, arose from bad temper, at finding a favourite stream occupied (the river where this incident occurred was not divided into beats). It is satisfactory to record that, after waiting half an hour, during which the fisherman whose sport had been interfered with had recourse to the soothing influence of tobacco, he hooked and killed the large trout in question. It may, perhaps, be thought by some kindly disposed gentlemen that jealous or selfish tricks are never, or hardly ever, resorted to by members of the fishing fraternity, and that there is no need of ascertaining if R IJUJmJWUHUl. I HU.JJJHWIMW1 Si! 242 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING such manoeuvres are to be feared on the part of any members of the club it is proposed to join. Cases of the kind are not so uncommon as might be supposed. One member of a club, well known to me, was guilty of the following piece of selfishness at the expense of its president. The president was much advanced in life, and, though no longer active, as keen as ever. He had been fishing in the afternoon and done nothing, but had seen a fine spring salmon in one of the pools. The other member of tbe club arrived just before dinner, and hearing that a fish had been seen, inquired in what part of the river it lay. The president, in the innocence of his heart, described the exact spot, adding, 'I shall have him tomorrow.' The next morning, on going down to the water, he found the other member, who had got up at six o'clock, there before him, with the salmon on the bank. It so happened that the club broke up the following year, but shortly afterwards was re-formed—I need hardly say, without the man who had indulged in the above-mentioned piece of sharp practice. Here is another instance. Two gentlemen were staying at the same inn and fishing for trout in the same river. Let us call them X and Y. It was agreed overnight between them that Y should fish above the inn and X below. The next morning X went down stream to just above some, hatches, where he knew a large trout had taken up his abode. Sure enough a fish was seen rising at the place, which X hooked. When landed it turned out be 1J lb. weight. The keeper happening to be present, X inquired what had become of the large trout which usually lay where he had been fishing. * Oh,' said the man, 'Mr. Y caught him this morning before you came—he weighed over 2 lbs. and was a beauty.' Besides this two-pounder, it is likely enough that Y had tried other parts of the stream which should have been FISHING CLUBS 243 left to X; very probably killing, pricking, or setting down other trout: thus interfering seriously with another man's sport. There is one more precaution to be taken by those who may form themselves into a club, or join one already in existence : to carefully examine the lease, and ascertain if the members have any control over the water. Let us suppose that on the portion of the river leased there are water carriages for purposes of irrigation, and a mill. The fair working of the mill and the supply of water to the meadows should, of course, not be interfered with, but the miller ought not to have the power of drawing up hatches three or four hundred yards lower down the stream, in order to increase the rapidity of the current where it turns his wheel. A broad piece of water is in my mind—close by, but below a mill. At the low end of it were some hatches which, when down, turned the water into the meadows; when up, sucked it away from the broad above. According to arrangement, the farmer had first control of the hatches, then the club was to be considered; last, came the interest of the miller: indeed, I believe he had no right to meddle with the hatches at all; nevertheless, he was constantly in the habit of doing so. One morning, on reaching this part of the river, I found it too low for fishing purposes, the hatches being all drawn. Fortunately, the fly had not yet appeared and the crowbar belonging to the hatches was on the bank. I therefore shut down half the sluices and took the precaution of carefully hiding the crowbar, after which I sat down on the bank, comforting myself with tobacco and waiting for a rise. Presently, down came a white-coated man from the mill, evidently with the intention of letting the water go again. This he was unable to do without the crowbar, and not being able to find it, he asked if I had seen it. He naturally got no R 2 mmmw^s^^mm1 ^mmjssmmsmm 244 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING I • information as to where it was, so that my morning's fishing was not interfered with. Again, millers are apt, when their work for the day is over, to shoot the weeds which have accumulated during the day down their ' waste.' This generally occurs about 7 p.m. and deprives you of half an hour of the evening rise, unless you have liberty to fish up above. On some rivers the weeds in the mill dam have to be cut, and the mud removed; the plan usually adopted being to turn into the water a plough and pair of horses: of course, this proceeding puts a stop to fishing below while it lasts, and for some short time afterwards. The miller should be obliged to give a few days' notice before beginning the job. It might appear hardly worth while to mention a point of this kind, as it might be supposed that such notice would readily be given, in good time. I have had practical experience that it is apt to be kept back to the last moment, or not given at all. | Experto crede.' Should a new mill be built or the existing one be repaired, it will probably be necessary to build a temporary dam, and shoot the water down some side stream, from a point up above; thus making the river useless for fishing from that point to where this side stream rejoins the main one, and subjecting the trout to danger from the poachers, or even to that of perishing from want of water. I know an instance where the club was, from such a cause, deprived of a third of its fishing ground for a whole season. If I were about to take trout or salmon water on lease, it would be my endeavour to see that clauses were inserted in the lease, providing that if any injury to the fishing should be caused by the neglect or act of the landlord, an equivalent should be deducted from the rent. The neglect would probably be confined to cases in which the proprietor, though responsible for keeping the banks in order, FISHING CLUBS 245 had failed to do so. Of the acts which might injure the fishing, the most serious is probably the abstraction of water on account of building or other proceedings, repair of hatches, for instance, which should be done before or after the fishing season, or such cases as that just mentioned (building a new mill). In one instance within my knowledge a side stream out of which some fifty trout (more or less) were to be killed in the season, was ren^ dered valueless for ever, as far as fishing was concerned, by a turbine, which the lessor put in at the head of it, and which, at times, drew nearly all the water away. It must not be forgotten that, for good fishing, a large rent (perhaps amounting to 300?. or 400Z. a year) is paid, and paid on the nail, subject to no deductions for bad years or failure of crops. Would a landlord have a prospect of getting his whole rent if, by his act, a farmer was debarred from cultivating one-third of his farm ? He would probably neither expect to get it nor ask for it. Of course the cases of fishing rents and agricultural rents are not on all fours; but works which may be necessary for the proper maintenance of the landlord's interest (such as building a new mill) could quite well be carried out at other times than during the three or four months of the fishing season. ■HWUWUi- ju-v jixuuJiu*y j* US' 11 246 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING CHAPTEB XIV EXPEDITIONS Uncertainty as to result—The Awe—Findhorn—Mr. St. John—Loch Blivet —Mr. Brodie—My first salmon—Trout and grayling at Ischl— Finstermiinz, Pass of—Halstadt—Good sport—Unpleasant incident with keepers—Great lake trout—Solway Dee destroyed by netting and fixed engines—Cruives—Yares—Good sport with sea trout—Curious escape of a salmon—Hiring salmon-fishing—Attempted imposition— 2 2-ft. rod on the Garry—Snow broth—The Tummel—Large salmon hooked in the back—The Tweed—Records—Big Christchurch salmon— Average weight of Tweed fish—Autumn fish—Trout-fishing in the Highlands—Tommiedoon—With Hon. H. Coke—Herons—Glen Quoich— Fishing described—Lady's afternoon after an apocryphal salmon- Routed by midges—Ferox—Sometimes take a fly—The Darent—Coarse fish killed—3-lb trout killed by Mr. C. Bailey—Chenies—Wandle— Trout in Coupland mill dam. The first expedition to places with which we are not personally acquainted in search of fishing quarters is apt to prove somewhat uncertain in its results ; so it turned out in my case. When at Cambridge, I took the opportunity afforded by the long vacation to undertake a trip to the Highlands in company with a Trinity friend, the late Mr. Beginald Cholmondeley, a good fisherman, but perhaps better known to the sporting world as a fine shot. He had fished the Awe for a few days the year before, and had killed two or three big fish in that river. We started by steamer to Greenock, and thence by coach to Taynuilt, a small village about ten miles from Oban, where, by staying at a roadside inn, we obtained permission to fish the EXPEDITIONS 247 lower part of the water. The Awe has a course of four miles or so, running out of Loch Awe and falling into Loch Etive, where it reaches salt water; the upper portion, extending to about two miles, belongs to Lord Breadalbane, and it was in that part of the river that, having got leave from the then lord, Mr. Cholmondeley killed his fish. We had permission only for the lower streams, where the river runs for the most part through a rocky glen, which, however beautiful, is not altogether suitable for angling, owing to natural difficulties in the shape of rocks and trees. On arrival we found the water too low for salmon, but succeeded in catching a few sea trout, the best cast for them being the lowest pool on the river. Here, even when wading pretty deep, it was not possible to reach the best of the pool with a single-handed trout-rod, and when using one of sufficient power to get over the fish, they were unable to show the sport which they would otherwise have given. After a few days we decided to go further north and try the Findhorn, Mr. Cholmondeley having got leave through a friend to fish Lord Cawdor's water. 'The rapid rushing Findhorn,' as it has been called, has, deservedly, the reputation of being one of the most beautiful rivers in Scotland. I was anxious to try my luck on its waters, for though ignorant of its merits as far as salmon-fishing was concerned, it had been represented to me as affording excellent sport with the trout. A few years later I heard much concerning the river and its surrounding country from Mr. E. Bickets, of the Treasury, a brother-in-law of Mr. Charles St. John, the well-known sportsman and naturalist. Mr. St. John, when quite young, held the appointment of a junior clerk in H.M.'s Treasury. In his day the official duties of a junior were tedious enough, consisting for the first few years in making copies or entering letters of the most hi 248 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING uninteresting character. Such work was quite unsuited to a young gentleman of Mr. St. John's disposition, and it is probable enough that when at his desk his thoughts were not absolutely concentrated on the business before him—perhaps he might murmur to himself, j My heart's in the Hielands, my heart is not here.' One anecdote concerning him rather tends to strengthen that view. Here it is: Early in the official day the head of his department had brought him a paper of some length to copy, expressing the wish that the copy might be finished before the close of the office. In the afternoon the chief came into his room to inquire if it was ready. Mr. St. John had probably been allowing his mind to dwell on more pleasing subjects, so that the matter had passed from his recollection; however, after a few moments of reflection, he inquired if his senior referred to that d—d long thing. * Yes,' said he, ' the document I wished to have copied by now.' j Oh,' replied Mr. St. John, 'that! I put it behind the fire.' One shudders to think what might not happen if Treasury clerks followed this example. Some massive columns of figures with which the Chancellors of the Exchequer intended to overwhelm the Opposition might, at the last moment, not have been forthcoming, and the Budget upset in consequence. Mr. St. John's official career did not last very long; after his marriage, he resided entirely in the North, settling eventually in the 'Laigh of Murray.' There he wrote delightful accounts of his sport, giving to the world at the same time much valuable information as to the natural history of the creatures he pursued. Fortunate it was indeed for those who admire his writings that \ his soul was not fettered to an office stool.' Leaving the banks of the Awe, we travelled by coach to Nairn. There we hired a dog-cart, which we drove EXPEDITIONS 249 tandem on account of the hilly nature of the road, to Dulsie Bridge, a lovely spot a couple of miles below Lord Cawdor's boundary, and where we got fair lodgings at a farmhouse. Again we were doomed to be disappointed : and yet not altogether, for though no salmon were killed we had excellent trout-fishing, not only in the river but in some lochs a few miles off. Here let me record an act of kindness on the part of a gentleman residing near the Findhorn (Mr. Brodie) for which I must ever be grateful. As mentioned above, Lord Cawdor's water, which we had leave to fish, was at a distance of two miles from where we were living ; the part of the river at our feet belonged to Mr. Brodie. Finding that there was little or no hope of salmon, it occurred to us that perhaps this gentleman would not object to our catching trout in his water when we did not feel inclined to walk further up, to Lord Cawdor's streams. In those days, trout-fishing was not so much prized as it is now, so that our request was not likely to be considered absolutely unreasonable. I therefore wrote to Mr. Brodie for the necessary permission, expressing the hope that, if unable to grant it, he would excuse the liberty I was taking. The next day a keeper arrived at Dulsie Bridge with a reply. Mr. Brodie regretted that he could not give us leave to fish for salmon at the moment, as he had some friends staying with him, but we were welcome to try the fish the following week. Meantime we might catch trout in any part of his water, and as we seemed fond of that form of sport,, he sent us a key of the boat-house on a loch of his, ' Loch Blivet,' which afforded the best trout in the neighbourhood, with a few flies of the patterns which answered there. We lost no time in repairing to Loch Blivet, and a most interesting place it was; gulls and water-fowl of various kinds and their young were in the greatest abundance. The small islands, on some of which we landed, were ill lit 250 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING composed of liquid red mud, over which was a crust strong enough to bear a man's weight; on pushing the blade of a scull through this crust, the soil, if it could be so called, appeared to bear a close resemblance to a bank of Thames mud at low water. The trout entirely justified the high character given them, being beautiful in shape, red in flesh, and excellent eating; they were of good size, but, from the large supply of food, difficult to get hold of; one Mr. Cholmondeley killed was over 3 lbs. Our best take was on one afternoon when, with one rod, we killed eight which weighed 16 lbs. There being no boatmen available, we took it in turn to row and fish. There were two other lochs of no great size not far from Loch Blivet; in these the trout took readily, and there was no difficulty in getting a basket of them, even fishing from the shore; but, though sometimes of good size and not bad eating, they could not compare with those inhabiting Loch Blivet. The difference in the supply of food doubtless was the cause of the superiority. We remained for three weeks at Dulsie Bridge, spending a most pleasant time in a beautiful glen, and catching plenty of trout, many of them of good size—those in Loch Blivet being the best; those in the river the next best in quality. We, however, got the largest of these last with a par's tail and spinning tackle, no minnows being to be had. We then agreed to go back to the Awe, B. Cholmondeley having heard that the water was in fair order. On our return to Taynuilt, we found this to be the case, and accordingly we went to work with ardour, but with very small result. I killed my first salmon and lost another, besides, and a few sea trout, whilst B. Cholmondeley got nothing but sea trout. This my first fish was to me, as may be supposed, an entirely novel experience. It was not more than 10 lbs., but, being fresh run and hooked in heavy water, I felt EXPEDITIONS 251 quite helpless as to how to deal with it. My fond idea of running a salmon had been that it was much the same as playing a good-sized trout; but here I had hold of a creature which seemed capable of going wherever it pleased, despite any effort on my part to hinder its movements. Of its power, proof was soon given; for, upon attempting to moderate its progress by checking the hair and silk line with my fingers, it gave so fierce a pull that, as I was ignorant of the way to hold a line in such circumstances, a cut was made, which took some days to heal, besides causing me to drop the top ; another rush down stream and crack went several inches off the end of the rod, the broken bit travelling down towards the fish. Thanks to the goodness of the channel and to my being able to run along the bank and get in spare line, my gillie was able to use the gaff before long and land my first salmon. Shortly after, B. Cholmondeley went home and I repaired to Northumberland, where, besides killing many trout in the Glen, I had good sport amongst the partridges. A lad of nineteen, as I was then, of no experience, keen as mustard, and sanguine, is not likely to find his expectations fulfilled ; moreover the result of my friend's previous trip and the account he gave of the Awe was enough to nourish high hopes. The river itself, when in order, is all that a salmon river should be, in appearance. What fish it contains are of the largest size. Two well-known sportsmen, Major Pearson and Colonel Childers, were wont?, in bygone days, to stay at Taynuilt for the summer fishing. Major Pearson and Colonel Childersl were both credited with having killed a fish of 40 lbs. The Findhorn is described by St. John in enthusiastic terms. In the Awe we suffered mainly, of course, from lack of fish; nor was it until long after- The well-known fly * the Childers ' was named after the Colonel. 252 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING i* wards that I discovered the propensity of such salmon as frequented it, to run through the lower water, not lying down till they came to Lord Breadalbane's part of the river, where we were without permission to fish. Furthermore, I was not aware of the existence of a cruive near the mouth of the river, or of stake nets which worked up the side of Loch Etive. With regard to the Findhorn, we found that the nets at the mouth effectually stopped any sufficient number of salmon from reaching the upper waters except in strong floods; and floods there were none whilst we were at Dulsie Bridge. A few years after this Highland trip, I happened to come across Sir H. Davy's account of his fishing experiences in the Salzkammergut, the district in which is situated the lovely watering-place of Ischl. Sir Humphry was much interested in the 'hucho,' a large fish of a migratory character, whch ascends the tributary streams of the Danube; but he also gave a most favourable account of the trout-fishing in the Traun, on which Ischl is situated. English friends residing in Vienna confirmed Sir Humphry's statements as to the trout, and added that grayling-fishing in the district generally was as good as possible. 1 The * hucho' is not apparently to be taken with fly, and, as it was my intention to travel with as few rods, &c. as possible, it seemed best to leave spinning tackle at home and give up any idea of catching a hucho. Having laid in a stock of flies, mainly such as killed in rough streams, I left London by the Ostend boat one beautiful evening towards the end of the summer. On board the steamer I met an old friend, Mr. Bingham Mildmay, who was going abroad for a holiday of a few weeks; fortunately, he agreed to accompany me on my trip. Beports had reached me of the sport to be had at sundry places, which it seemed as well to visit on the ——i EXPEDITIONS 253 way to Ischl; partly, therefore, with a view to the possibility of future expeditions, we went to the source of the Estch, which rises in the Pass of Finstermunz, to Innsbruck and to Botzen. The pass referred to is wild and most desolate, the mountains on each side magnificent. The source itself of the river is a pool of pure water, perhaps fifteen feet in diameter. Out of this flows a brook a yard or so wide, in which were to be seen many black-looking small trout darting away under the banks. A little below are three small lakes, on leaving which the brook becomes a good-sized trout stream. We had intended to put up at a village inn a few miles below the pass, but before we arrived a heavy storm had burst upon the hills, and the Estch had become a raging torrent, rolling down branches and debris of all sorts. The inn being but a poor one, the prospect of waiting until the water came into order was not inviting, and the Estch was abandoned without wetting a line. The river Inn was of a rather milky appearance, and, though a few trout were to be caught in a large brook which fell into the river a mile or two from the town, the fishing was not good enough to induce us to stay more than a couple of days, which were partly spent in looking about us, and wondering how Massena had succeeded in forcing his way through a country so abounding in natural defences, and guarded by riflemen supposed to be the best shots in Europe. At Botzen, by all accounts, good trout were to be caught, but here again the waters were too big. So, on we went through Salzburg to Ischl. There we found an excellent hotel, luxurious hot saltwater baths, and the river Traun in good order. The fishing of the Traun and other streams in the district was in the hands of the local fishmonger. Upon paying him a visit, we came to an agreement that we should fish where we pleased, provided the fish were given up to his man, u—_.m._jii yniiu,-!. 254 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING pi who was to attend us with a barrel of water, into which he would drop the trout and grayling as they were caught. We were to be allowed two trout a day for our own use. The fishmonger showed us his tanks, in which were some char of such dimensions as surprised me. Many of them must have been 6 or 7 lbs. weight and a few larger still. The man called them j Saibling,' the German word for char, and they had the red fins and black head of that fish. He added that they would take no bait3 and were caught with a net in some lakes a little way off. He had no trout or grayling j in stock.' On our first day we got more trout than our attendant's barrel would accommodate, so, on the second, two of them went with us. They showed us some of their flies, tied on stuff more of the nature of a barge-rope than of ordinary English gut casting lines, and also bait tackle of the same rough character, the sinker being a rifle bullet with a hole drilled through it. As the river was quite clear, they were unable to do any good with such primitive tackle ; they also used nets set round the pools, and then tried to drive the trout (the bottom of the river was of such a nature as to preclude the use of a seine), but these set nets, being made of coarse twine, the trout naturally declined to go into them. Except the char, then, they were very short of fish to sell. Trout and grayling were to be caught from the town upwards (even fishing from the banks of that part of the river actually in the town itself), the best streams and pools being near Halstadt, some ten miles distant. At this last-named place was a small inn, at which we stayed for a day or two. The spot 1 This may be so with respect to the larger char. But it is a mistake as far as smaller ones are concerned. One of my friends has often caught them in a small loch near Fort Augustus (Inverness-shire), and the head fisherman at Weimar killed one of about 1 lb. with a fly in the Ilm, and I had it for supper. —— EXPEDITIONS 255 was beautiful, immediately below a mountain, at the foot of which lay a large lake out of which flowed the Traun. At this point were sluice-gates, one of which only was kept open; below the open sluice was a long gliding piece of water, down which one afternoon were floating, in a half-drowned state, quantities of flies on which the fish were greedily feeding. There, casting from the bank, trout and grayling were taken literally at every throw. Never do I remember landing fish so quickly or in such number; they were not of any remarkable weight, running from | lb. to 1^ lb., but strong for their size and well- shaped. Whilst engrossed in the sport a smart Austrian gentleman, accompanied by a Skye terrier, approached and asked me to sell him some of my catch to take home to Ischl, whence he had driven a four-in-hand, with a picnic party. I replied that it was not my habit to sell fish, but that he was welcome to as many as he pleased. After a profusion of apologies, he accepted seven or eight and remained for a few minutes watching my performance. During that time the terrier from Skye amused itself with barking at the fish when landed, and jumping round them, with the result that in one of his jumps the drop-fly (for I was using two flies) got fast in his fore-leg. His master was in distress at the accident, so, telling him to hold the dog fast, I got out my knife to cut the little bit of skin which held the hook. The Austrian, however, not keeping a firm hold, his dog fastened on my arm, and the act of shaking him off broke the gut close to the hook, which he had consequently to carry back to Ischl, and I continued my fishing with one fly. (Here it may be as well to remark that, not long after this incident, I discarded the use of a second fly, partly on account of the extra risk of losing fish in weedy or rocky streams.) At Ischl I remained for some three weeks much enjoying myself, the sport being generally good, at times very good, the 256 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING scenery and the weather both delightful. Possibly I might have remained a few days longer, but my departure was hastened by an incident which, as showing the risk incurred by setting the law at defiance, especially abroad, may as well be mentioned. Having desired the two men with their barrels to meet me, I waited at the spot appointed for nearly an hour, when, as they had not put in an appearance, and the day was slipping away, I walked off without them to some streams about five miles off. After a bad day, resulting in the take of a few small trout, which were returned to the water, and half a dozen grayling, it came on to rain, so taking down the rod, I made the best of my way home. On the road, however, having no desire to be burdened with the grayling, I handed them over to some peasants who were just leaving the fields, where they had been at work. As the town of Ischl was reached the two men who ought to have been with me sprang so suddenly out, from round a corner, that they had me by the collar in a moment, one of them roughly opening the fishing basket to see what it contained. My indignation at this treatment was extreme, heightened, too, by the fact that they knew well enough where to find me, and that their violence was therefore unnecessary. Moreover, besides an occasional tip, they had frequently consumed beer and tobacco at my expense. Without considering the possible consequences, a dig in the ribs with the elbow freed me from one of my assailants, whilst I shook myself, somewhat roughly, free from the grasp of the other. Then, turning, I felt able to withstand offensive measures with the butt of the rod; the men, however, showed no sign of further hostility, but followed at a respectful distance to my inn. Whilst finishing a bottle of ' Vorslauer' after dinner, my landlord came to my table to speak to me. He said I had been guilty of an assault on these two river-keepers in the execution of B- ' " ' - EXPEDITIONS 257 their duty, and that they would certainly lay an information against me the next morning; that the consequences would be most unpleasant, involving probably some days in prison besides a fine. I pointed out that had these men addressed me civilly I should have been ready to go with them before a magistrate, and that, besides, they could not prove that I had broken my agreement with the fishmonger, whose servants they were; they had not seen me fish, and had found nothing in the basket. The landlord replied that the magistrate would certainly not consider my defence as justifying violence on my part, and that, though sorry to lose a guest for whom he had the greatest esteem, his advice to me was to take the early coach for Dresden at 5 a.m., and depart before a warrant for my arrest could be made out. Beflecting that the landlord was most likely well acquainted with the proceedings of Austrian magistrates, being myself deficient in knowledge of the German language, and my friend having already left Ischl on his way home, I thought my best course was to pack up my things and be off, as he suggested, by the early coach. The result of this trip was : disappointment as to the fishing at Vals, the small town on the Estch where I intended to have put up, Innsbruck and Botzen, success at Ischl. Had I been able to return to the country, it would have been with the knowledge of where to go and of the kind of sport to be looked for, so that the excursions to places where no sport was obtained, though profitless at the time, would not have been thrown away. I believe, however, that the Traun is no longer what it used to be, and it would be imprudent to repair to Ischl now on fishing bent without accurate information from some reliable English source. The coach by which I left travelled by several lakes, Wolfgang See and others, which are believed to contain s 258 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING 11 It' 1 the largest lake trout—Ferox, as they are called—in Europe. An English gentleman living in the neighbourhood is said to have killed them of a size unknown in this country. The tackle he used has been shown to me. It was beautifully made, and so contrived that several baits could be used at different depths simultaneously. The third experimental trip which I undertook was to the Solway Dee, which runs into the sea at Kirkcudbright ; this visit was a failure. The late Mr. Oswald Smith, the Hon. Henry Coke, Captain Hill, and I took the rod-fishings above the tideway for several miles up, relying upon favourable accounts of the water given by the Captain. Hearing in the middle of August that heavy rain had fallen, and that the river was in order, I left London for Ejrkcudbright, and thence reached a small inn at a village called Tongueland. My partners in adventure were there already, and the Captain was inspired with strong hopes of sport. The previous fall of rain had sufficed only to bring fish up within reach of the nets-men, and had not been heavy enough to stop their working ; so that, although a few had passed up, the river was by no means adequately stocked. My first day was on the lowest beat, immediately above a suspicious- looking structure which the attendant fisherman called a ' Doach.' This was nothing more or less than a cruive of the most formidable nature, built up recently, with a foundation of more than twelve inches from the bed of. the river (the height according to Scotch Solway law), and furnished with hecksl capable of stopping salmon over 8 or 10 lbs. weight; situated as it was in the main current, it must have been a barrier sufficient to prevent a supply of fish to the casts above. The stream where I was to begin ran hard to 1 * Racks' in England. EXPEDITIONS 259 within a few yards of the opposite bank, close to which, in comparatively easy water, the fish were supposed to rest. Upon interrogating the man who was with me, he said, if there was a fish in the river, it would be there, and would probably rise. * It is a good place,' he added, * for raising a salmon, but not for hooking him.' The truth of his saying was proved. A salmon almost immediately rose, but never touched the fly. A little lower down, a second came up, was well hooked, and killed—a small clean fish of 7 lbs. This place illustrates the difficulty often met with in such water of preventing the fly from coming too quickly over the fish, so that, even if the salmon be anxious to take, he has not time to seize the fly before it is whisked away. The look of the stream and the man's remark caused me to take the greatest pains to avoid this whisk ; but, in the upper part of the cast where the first fish came, in vain; the 18-ft. rod would only keep a small "part of the line out of the heavy running water, so that the fly dwelt but for a moment on the resting place where the fish lay; lower down, where the second fish was killed, the stream ran more easily, and the motion of the line was kept under better control. This seven-pounder was, alas, the only fish which fell to my lot for some days; then a foul black one, which had been up from the sea for months, of 18 or 19 lbs., was dragged ashore—I say ' dragged,' for it was a baggit so far advanced that the roe fell from it as it beat upon the rock when landed; it must have been a very early spring fish. I should have returned this baggit to the water had it been likely to live—and, indeed, tried to revive it, holding it in the landing-net at the edge of the stream, without avail. There can be little doubt that female fish in similar condition often die after being put back. The day succeeding the untimely fate of the baggit s 2 msmm mmrnm ppi ■i^i 260 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING it ml another 7-lb. fish came to my share, and there my captures for that August ended. My friends had no better success. Not from want of skill; for Mr. Oswald Smith was an experienced hand, and Mr. Henry Coke fished well enough to kill salmon wherever they were to be killed. The cause of our failure was simple enough—what a Tweed man once described to me as ' just poverty'—the fish were not there, and no wonder, when the way the lower part of the river was worked is taken into consideration : 1st, the cruive; 2nd, a shot of the long-net just at tide-mark—a deadly one, the bed of the river sand, with every stone carefully picked off the bottom; 3rd, yares, a description of which is given in former pages; 4th, nets at the mouth of the river; other modes of capture which did not come within my observation. During our stay, the only real day's, or rather night's, sport fell to the share of my servant, a Northumberland man, who had learnt to catch trout on the Aln and the Coquet. He went out one evening and fished for sea trout by moonlight, using, by the advice of our gillies, a fly of mine, of the Bolingbroke pattern; fiery brown body, and gold twist over the heckle; wings golden pheasant topping. He came home with a full basket, some of his trout being between 2 and 3 lbs. in weight. Being disposed to ascertain without doubt if there was an actual scarcity of fish in the Dee, I returned to Tongueland when the nets were off, in the beginning of October. A few fish were indeed caught on this second visit, but all red and in inferior condition, showing clearly that the nets were kept going too late, so that an insufficient supply of fish were left for breeding purposes; moreover the men who went with me, and the watchers, admitted that the salmon were fast decreasing in number. One man said: ' There is not now one where there used to be ten.' I i EXPEDITIONS 261 One curious incident occurred before we left the river. I had hooked a salmon and almost killed it, when Mr. Henry Coke, who was with me at the time, waded in where there was some depth of water to gaff it. I had actually brought the fish in between him and the bank, when, with a final effort, it ran back towards the middle of the river, on its way entangling the line round Mr. Coke's legs—the result of course being a smash. The salmon—a bad one, and of only ordinary size—was no great loss ; the manner of its escape was remarkable.1 After this the Dee ceased to have any attraction, and we gave up our tenancy, which was luckily only for one year. Here, again, in the case of the Dee, is an instance of want of proper inquiry beforehand ; for my own part, I trusted to the glowing account given by another man. I knew nothing of yares, and had no suspicion of the existence of a cruive—fixed engines had been generally abolished—nor was I aware that, though swept away from the English, they were allowed on the Scotch, side of the Solway. In hiring salmon-fishings great care is necessary in order to avoid disappointment, and every endeavour should be made to ascertain not only what number of fish have been killed with the rod, but at what season of the year they were caught. In some rivers, the Avon and the Garry for instance, the fishing is over by the end or beginning of May, though an odd fish or two may possibly be killed a little later. In others, spring fishing does not exist, and though possibly a good many salmon 1 A prqpos of the extraordinary way in which this fish was lost, a story was told me, when a boy, of a man who had hooked a gilse on his trout-rod, when fishing the Aln near Leshury Mill. The miller, who was passing, took the landing-net, and in stooping low to reach the fish, contrived to get the drop-fly fast in his cheek, the gilse of course getting away. The angler, furious at his loss, bent the rod double on the miller before assisting him to get rid of the fly. Se non 6 vero, & ben trovato. - ■■■iiJUUiWIJilgW^JPI mm wmms^^^* 262 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING may be landed in the autumn, the fish are at that season near their spawning time, and worth little from a sportsman's point of view. Again, fishings a long way from the sea may for one or two unusually wet seasons have afforded good sport, though when the rainfall came up only to the average, they would be of small account. Contingencies of all sorts must, as far as possible, be provided for when intending to treat for salmon-fishing, and even when apparently everything has been taken into account, it may be found that some serious drawback has been overlooked. Before hiring a moor a prudent man will send up a keeper with a brace of dogs to look over the ground, and report as to the stock of grouse, as to whether the heather has been judiciously burnt, and as to other matters of consequence. In this way it is possible to protect oneself, at least in a great measure. It is far more difficult to make sure that you are not being imposed upon in the case of a salmon river. Let me state how an attempt was made to take me in by an agent in the North a good many years since. I had requested this man to let me know if he heard of any good fishing to be had for the summer and autumn. He wrote to me after a short time, stating that he was empowered to offer me the rod- fishings on an excellent river, from May 15 to the end of the season, for 40Z. For its character he referred me to two gentlemen of good social position, who had been fishing on it for the last two years. To one unacquainted with the river (the name of which I prefer not to give) everything would have appeared * couleur de rose'; fortunately I knew it well. It was purely a spring river, and after May 15 practically useless. The gentlemen referred to had killed a good many fish of fair size, but all by the beginning of April. Happening to pass the agent's office, I called to ask for an explanation of this unscrupulous . attempt at robbery. He defended himself by saying that EXPEDITIONS 263 he had had good sport, by permission of the owner, in the preceding month of May. To this I replied, f Yes, I know the fishermen on the water in question, and have heard what you did. You got two red fish of no size, and owing to exceptional heavy rain.' Had I fallen into the trap, my want of success would have been put down to lack of skill, and as to obtaining any redress in the shape of recovering my 401. or any part of it—well, that question may be left to be answered by anyone who has had dealings with agents for Highland shootings and fishings. Probably in the event of an appeal to the law, the defence would have been that there were plenty of fish, though I could not catch them: and this would have been hard to disprove, inasmuch as one cannot see down to the bottom of the river, so as to be able to swear that it was empty of fish. Visits which were paid to the G-arry, the Tummel, and the Tweed hardly come within the description of exploring trips, inasmuch as, owing to their well-known character, and to the accounts given me by friends on whom implicit reliance could be placed, I found the fishing on them much according to my expectation. The Garry had the reputation of being difficult to fish on account of natural impediments in the shape of overhanging trees, rocks, and so forth; besides, it was in most instances impossible to run with your fish if he left the pool in which he rose. It is true that a good switcher would overcome the difficulty caused by the trees, &c, but this branch of the art had been omitted from my fishing education. I was at that time possessed of a 22-ft. rod built for me by an inhabitant of the banks of the Tummel (one Sandy Bose) ; it was spliced and in three joints, altogether a most formidable engine; too heavy, indeed, for continuous use without a rest—but the casts on the II 264 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Garry, though numerous, being made mostly from rocks where you had only twenty or thirty throws to deliver, the time occupied in fishing them was not long enough to enable the weight of the rod to tell. With this weapon I was able to get over the fish. When the fly left the water it was shot up into the air straight over my head, then a vigorous push from the forearm sent it out to its destination. I do not say this is the best method of casting—far from it, as it tells unduly on the middle piece of the rod, and it is not unlikely to cause it to break if throwing against a wind; but it was, through my inability to accomplish the Spey cast, my only resource. Twice, in my fishing experience, have I broken rods fishing against the wind, once on the Tweed and once on the Avon. On the first occasion, in casting, where a bank with a wire fence made it impossible to allow the line to extend itself behind me, so that the plan of shooting the fly up into the air was adopted. A heavy wind was in my teeth and blew in gusts. Just as the line was being delivered, there came suddenly a stronger blast than usual, and the rod, though it did not actually break, palpably gave way. Turning to the fisherman, I told him it would be necessary to go home and get another, He replied that the stream was all but finished, and that we would go across the water, where the wind would be at my back. This I foolishly agreed to. Having hooked a fish shortly afterwards, the rod creaked ominously, and, when some strain had to be put on, the middle and top pieces dropped on to the bank, leaving only the lowest joint in my hands. Giving the butt to the man, I snatched up the remainder of the rod, and ran the salmon as best I could, the man paying out and winding up line as occasion required. After a few minutes I determined to hold on at any risk, and took a turn of the line round my finger; the K-i EXPEDITIONS 265 friction, however, was so severe, that I called the man to lay hold of the top pieces, charging him on no account to let the salmon have a yard; then, getting the landing-net, I went below and got the fish, which weighed about 15 lbs. Some of my brother anglers have perhaps never used a Tweed landing-net in a heavy stream, standing, as I was, on a wall about three feet above the water. Let me assure them that it is no easy job, even for an able-bodied man. The second rod had of course to be procured, the walk home and back occupying the best part of an hour. As the fish were taking, the loss of time was annoying. In the other instance, the butt broke in a heavy wind, some way above my hands, with a report like a pistol shot. The rod was an old one and had got far too dry. It was a matter of slight consequence, as another was already put together and the delay was trifling. One Easter I happened to be at Invergarry Inn with the late Mr. E. Ellice, the'owner of the fishing. My first day's result was two fish, both of good size; the second was hooked about sunset, and, as it was impossible to leave the place from which I had been casting, it was landed after a long struggle by moonlight. It had turned bitterly cold, so that by the time the inn was reached the flies in my hat were hard frozen. Over the tops of Ben Tie and adjacent hills hung a mass of black cloud; the barometer, when we got home, was found to have fallen rapidly; after these signs we were not surprised the next morning to see the ground covered with snow. Mr. Ellice was suddenly called away, and I was left alone, with the prospect of having to wait until the fall was over, and the snow broth had run out of the river, before fishing could be resumed. The Garry issues from Loch Garry, and after a rapid course of four miles runs into Loch II 266 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Oich, where there were a good many salmon waiting to ascend the river. On several days these fish might be seen leaping. First one would jump perhaps a hundred yards off, then another would show itself nearer in, and so on, from which it looked as though they intended to come into the river, but, finding it full of snow broth, dropped back to the deeper waters of the loch. I have killed one or two salmon in the Tweed, notwithstanding a slight admixture of ' broth,' and am therefore inclined to believe that, though fish will now and then take when a little snow is in the river, they will not swim when that is the case. The nets-men who work in the early spring could probably say whether this belief is well founded. One cast there was, where the river fell into Loch Oich, the lower part of which, really extending into the Loch, could be fished from the boat, if calm, by contriving to be on the spot when the steamer running from Inverness to Fort William passed, the wash of the vessel causing waves which would last for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. On the first occasion of trying the place the Highland gillie who accompanied me, though doubtless able to row a boat across the loch, turned out to be quite incapable of managing it for salmon-fishing purposes. At one moment we were dropping down on the top of the line, at another in the middle of the cast. When told to go to the lowest part of the cast and row up, he stared in ignorance at what was meant. Taking the sculls myself, therefore, I gave him the rod, and dropping a little way down into the loch we worked the stream up, and in a few minutes were fast in a fish. The salmon being a heavy one, and the gillie somewhat yielding, it quickly reached the depths of the lake, where, owing to the length of line it got out and the weight of water, it wandered about for half an hour or more, before it came within reach of the mi EXPEDITIONS 267 gaff. The gillie was keen and intelligent, and after one or two trials rowed the boat well enough to enable me to get a fish at odd times out of the cast. The fish in this river seldom left the pools in which they were hooked; indeed, the only instance of such a proceeding I recollect was that recorded in former pages : they would, however, run down to where the water broke and hang in the stream, whence they had to be carefully worked up again, a process occupying some time, so that a salmon which might have been landed in half an hour or twenty minutes, had it been possible to travel down the bank, would perhaps take double as long to kill. Not only was this loss of time a drawback in itself, but in consequence of the long strain the hold of the hook was apt to become loosened, and would perhaps give way, just at the close of the battle. The Tummel is as fine a river to the eye as a fisherman need desire to behold, especially in the neighbourhood of Pitlochry. The Faskally water, about two miles above this village or town, presents a succession of streams up to the falls. Faskally itself is beautifully placed, a little way from the water, with a background of steep hills, and wild scenery. One spring an old friend of Cambridge days (Mr. Frank) and I had the Faskally fishing, putting up at an excellent hotel (Fishers') at Pitlochry. I, at least, did not expect many fish, being of opinion that the water was too far from the sea. Of late (i.e. in 1902) there has been a talk of opening up the upper reaches of the river, by enabling salmon to pass the falls of the Tummel (as I should imagine by blasting the rock). If the project comes to anything, much additional spawning ground will be made available—always a desirable object. It is doubtful if any anglers who may happen to live above the falls would reap any benefit from such a step, except possibly late in the season. When Mr. Frank and msmmmsmms&i ■lull!' HI, I 268 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING I fished at Faskally, there were but few salmon in the river; we suffered in fact from what professional fishermen call ' poverty,' owing not only to the netting about Perth, but also to the distance we were from the sea. Salmon will not rush up to the upper waters in the spring, as they do in the autumn, In the Tweed, for instance, I believe very few, if any, clean spring salmon are killed above Makerston, only a few miles from Kelso. Let anyone who knows the place say what chance there is of catching one in the Pavilion water at that time of the year. If then we found the supply of fish at Faskally short, it is likely that higher up there would be even fewer. It is to be feared that, if expectations of obtaining angling above the falls are entertained, those expectations will not be realised. The fact that we killed but few salmon cannot be said to amount to a disappointment; those caught were of good size. The river is a difficult one to fish, requiring long casts, the caster being, besides, incommoded in places by rocks and trees. In one respect the Tummel is unlike any other river with which I have been acquainted. It falls considerably during the day, being lower every evening than it was in the morning. Early the next day it will be found at, or nearly at, its previous height, having risen during the night. This is owing to the warmth of the sun during the day, which thaws the snow on the surrounding hills. The snow, in consequence of the distance of the high ground from which it comes, produces no ' broth,' and has a favourable effect as far as angling is concerned by maintaining the height of the river. Unluckily, we came in for a spell of unusually cold weather, so that the snow on the hills did not melt readily and the river quickly ran in. One remarkable fight I had with a Tummel fish which was killed with prawn. A large salmon had =— EXPEDITIONS 269 shown itself in a pool just below the falls named ' the Pot,' but had refused the fly more than once. I therefore provided myself with some suitable tackle, put it on in place of the casting line and let the prawn down to the fish. Feeling no pull where the salmon lay, it was slowly drawn up towards me, when a succession of jerks showed that he had got hold. When the line began to move I lifted my hand, the rod (22 feet) bent nearly double, and away went the fish round the pool as though hooked on a single-handed 9-ft. 'duck.' Between 'the Pot' and the falls, the Tummel rushes over a bed of rock with great rapidity, the water being of no depth. Presently the fish proceeded to swim up this rapid; as I thought that the powerful rod and three-plied gut might, aided by the heavy stream, prevent his ascent, strong pressure was put on. The effect was merely to cause a momentary check, and up he went. A short distance from the actual fall he bored down towards the bottom between two rocks, over one of which the line could be seen running. Strong measures were required, as it was clear that, in a short time, the trace to which the prawn hooks were attached or the reel line would be cut. Accordingly poking the rod out till it was over the small space between the two rocks, I laid firm hold of the line, and by sheer hauling got in a few feet, the fish digging heavily towards the bottom, and pulling the top down till I feared the middle piece would go. As the plunges became less violent, another yard or two was gathered in. At length the salmon came nearer to the surface, turned, and shot rapidly down to the pool where he had been hooked. The rocks were wet from the foam of the falls, so that I slipped and came down, unable to help myself, having on boots heavily nailed, and with a 22-ft. rod and furious fish to attend to. All that could be done was to keep the top up and take the chance of a catastrophe. Below was a 270 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING HUH slight fall of a couple of feet leading to a quiet stream where all would be plain sailing, and into this easy water went the salmon, I following round the corner of a rough bank which on ordinary occasions one passed, clinging fast to the bushes. No hand could be spared for holding on, but the heavy nails with which my boots were furnished held me up, and I scrambled down to the water's edge safe. On reeling up, the rod bent; a few heavy plunges, and then came a chance to the gillie, who quickly availed himself of it, and dragged the fish ashore. He weighed over 25 lbs. and was hooked not in the mouth but in the back. The fish had evidently followed the bait closely, not being particularly hungry; in turning away he had fastened the hooks in his body. When putting on the prawn my attendant remarked, in a somewhat scornful manner, ' Is it with that beastie ye're gaun to kill him ?' When the line began to move and I cried,' Here he is,' the man exclaimed, \ Hoot, it is just a bit trootie.' When the first furious rush came, his astonishment was indescribable. When hauling the salmon up from between the rocks he shouted ' Man, but ye'll break yer wand.' The rough measures taken were in the circumstances justifiable, knowing as 1 did that the tackle was new and strong. Had not the rod, however, been of unusual length, enabling me to get immediately over the fish as he lay between the rocks, I doubt if a cut could have been avoided. This same rod did me a good turn upon another occasion when fishing the Garry. A fish had been hooked in a pool below Invergarry Inn, which showed strong inclination to run down stream. A high bank forbade further progress in pursuit, and seeing that if the salmon moved further down he would get into heavier water, where it would be impossible to stop him, I held on. Some Highlanders who were standing near cried out to let him go or I should be broken. Nevertheless, EXPEDITIONS 271 sticking to my own view of matters, I kept firmly hold of the reel line, the rod giving beautifully to the plunges of the fish, and between them recovering its position. After a time the plunges ceased, the salmon came quickly up, and was easily killed, much to the astonishment of the natives. The Tweed itself, the beauty of a great part of the adjacent country, and the sport which it affords are so well known that there is little further to be written concerning it. Mr. Scrope's book, * Days and Nights of Salmon Fishing,' gives a graphic and amusing description of the river, its fish and its fishermen, and possesses the merit of having been written by a practical angler and a skilful writer. Things have altered since his day, but, in essential points, the art of the fisherman, his rods and tackle, remain much as they were. The flies, of which he gives illustrations, would probably kill anywhere, though they have been pretty well superseded by those of a more showy description. Of late years the river has often been fished with more or less success when Mr. Scrope and his contemporaries would not have wetted a line, and this may partly account for the use of the showy Wilkinsons, Durham Bangers, &c. One of his flies is quite equal to any of the more modern patterns, the ' White Wings '; I know no better when the water is still partially discoloured after a flood; or, just before dark, in any condition of the river. Mr. Scrope relates how one of his men having seen a salmon rise at a large white butterfly which lit upon the water, tied half a dozen imitations in the course of the afternoon. Hence possibly the origin of the fly. Of the upper part of the Tweed I have no knowledge, but from Makerston down to the Lees water it has been my good fortune to fish, owing to the kindness of friends to whom the water belonged. For many years I was 1 272 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING frequently the guest of the late Duke of Boxburghe and his father, so that the casts on the Floors water (just above Kelso) are those with which I am best acquainted. Not only is the fishing at Floors unsurpassed by any on the Tweed, but it has the advantage of affording more days' sport than are to be had lower down, when the nets are off. At that season the weather is uncertain, and, apart from the fact that the water clears sooner in the upper than the lower reaches of a river, the angling below Kelso is apt to be affected by the waters of the Teviot, which there joins the Tweed. It is not the object of these pages to enter into prolonged descriptions of the river and its capabilities, but it may be worth while to consider a few matters affecting it. The Tweed Act of (I think) 1859 fixed the beginning of close time for nets at September 15, for rods at December 1; it also made the killing of kelts illegal. The net legally used is the seine, the mesh being two inches from knot to knot. The gaff was prohibited after the nets were off. Had the law been properly observed, nothing further could have been desired in the way of protecting the river. Within a short time of the passing of the Act, the fish, which had decreased to a great extent not only in number but in average weight, became more numerous and heavier even than in bygone years. It is not meant that there were more salmon of 40 lbs. killed, because fish of this weight must be looked upon as exceptional, but that the run of big fish showed a larger average. Those between 25 lbs. and 28 lbs. were common, and some over 30 lbs. were almost certain to be taken during the ' Back End.' The then Duke of Boxburghe told me that before the Act of 1859 he had never killed a fish of 30 lbs. This prosperous condition lasted for some years; then came a change. First, salmon disease, which, as some ■m EXPEDITIONS 273 say, caused the average weight as well as the number of fish to go back. Secondly, poaching at the mouth of the river after the netting season was over. Matters are, I trust, improving, and in 1903 there was excellent sport. The following questions have often been put to me: What are the best authentic records as to number and weight of fish with which you are acquainted? What have you ever done yourself ? The largest bag known to me was made by the grandfather of the present Duke of Boxburghe when fishing Max Wheel, a cast just below Kelso Bridge. My recollection of the actual number killed is not possibly exact to a fish, but I believe twenty-eight were landed—two of them caught, by guests staying at Floors, with the Duke's rod ; the time occupied in bringing these two ashore was prolonged owing to the want of experience on the part of their captors, otherwise, as the Duke told me, he would probably have made up a total of thirty. This feat was performed before the nets were off. The bag included gilse as well as salmon. Max Wheel is celebrated for the number of fish it holds. A strong N.E. wind is necessary to fish it, as it is sheltered from every quarter but that; consequently the fish lying there rarely see a fly. The heaviest fish killed by the rod, as far as I know, was caught by Mr. Arthur Prior in ' The Shot,' a cast on the upper water at Floors, and is now at the Castle; its weight was 58^ lbs. This huge salmon, after being on for some time, lay down and declined to move; the then Duke happened to be a short distance below, and running up, advised the angler to come down stream in the boat; this course having been adopted, the fish came away, and Mr. Prior was able to step ashore and follow. After a time the T 274 SEVENTY TEARS' FISHING ill salmon was induced to come into an eddy, where the boatman, standing breast high in the river, got it into the net. He was unable, however, to lift it without the assistance of the Duke. Mr. Prior, being then advanced in fife, though a good man of his years, was tired out. No wonder, for this was the thirteenth capture made by him that day, the other twelve fish being mostly heavy salmon. Amongst other well-known anglers who have made heavy bags, the late Mr. Alfred Denison and the late Hon. and Bev. Bobert Liddel may be cited, the former having killed in one day eighteen fish on the Ness, whilst Mr. Liddel caught the same number on Bergham Dub, a famous cast a few miles below Kelso. I, as it happened, was shooting one of the Duke of Boxburghe's farms on the day of this wonderful performance, with Sir William Dyke, the Duke being absent from Floors at the time. We had excellent sport, killing in one turnip field alone fifty brace of partridges; and on our way home we heard of Mr. Liddel's success. Without being actually envious, I at least could not help saying to myself that, had we stuck to the deep water in the park at Floors, we might have rivalled Mr. Liddel's record, perhaps beaten it, as the lower water at Floors was full of salmon. The largest salmon I have ever killed weighed 36 lbs., and was killed in the ' Boyalty' water, Christchurch, late in the spring, with a prawn. The river had been fished with fly without success for one whole day, and the following morning at luncheon the head-keeper reported that two salmon had shown themselves at Knap Weir (our boundary), and asked leave to run the net round the pool. There was no objection on my part, as, not only was the place useless for angling, but it was probable that the fish would swim about dusk. Moreover there was a chance that the slight flush which would be HUB EXPEDITIONS 275 caused by opening the sluices of the weir after netting might induce any salmon hanging about the lower pools to come up into our angling water.1 The men were accordingly sent up to get the net ready, whilst I sat talking to the fisherman, smoking the after- luncheon pipe. Presently a large fish was seen to roll at the tail of a pool close by, which, as mentioned above, had been tried in vain with the fly. I thereupon put some prawn tackle on my rod, and cast a little above. At the second throw a fish took gently hold and began to shake the line. No notice was taken uotil a heavy drag was felt, then, lifting the rod, I was fast in a salmon. Instantly he ran furiously up stream, leaping two or three times; the head-fisherman, gazing with wide open eyes, shouted, * Heavens, he's 40 lbs !' The words were hardly out of his mouth when the fish turned and made off down the river. It was impossible to follow along the bank from which he had been hooked; luckily, a small dinghy lay close to our side of the river; jumping in, I was across the water in no time, and landing, seemed to be on good terms with my fish. Here I was mistaken. A short distance below and on the opposite side was a mill lade which ran down to the town of Christchurch. Down this lade went the fish, the keeper urging me to take to the boat and follow. This I declined to do, knowing that where the fish had gone the water was very shallow, and believing that he would certainly turn and come back to us. After running out a good deal of line he did so, and, putting on all the pressure it was safe to use, I brought him within reach of the gaff. The keeper, though generally certain of his shot, being greatly excited, missed his chance, and away went the salmon down the lade a second time; back he came, however, and, his 1 In order to net this pool it is necessary to pen the water by dropping boards down grooves in the posts which support the weir. ^mmmmmmmms^ 276 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING strength being by this time nearly exhausted, I contrived to keep him long enough at the top of the water to seal his fate. Immediately below was a pool more than twenty feet deep ; had this big salmon taken refuge there until rested, he might, for aught I know, have taken me down into Christchurch Harbour. Whilst the fish was being weighed, I reflected that this could not have been the one which had shown himself, as he was certainly ten pounds heavier than our rolling friend. Putting on a fresh prawn, therefore, I proceeded to try for the fish we had seen. After a few casts he was hooked, and running hard up stream was landed without serious difficulty. Like his big relative, he was perfectly clean run, and weighed 25 lbs. And a river which produced such salmon has become virtually useless, as far as fishing is concerned, from want of proper limitation of the netting. Yet we are advised by the Commissioners of 1902 to leave the management of affairs in the hands of the local authorities, who have failed to prevent its ruin ! On the Tweed, my luck has been nearly always good when able to get on the water, though often have I been disappointed by continuous floods ; in some seasons having been unable to fish but very few days. One 'back end,' many years ago, early in October, the late Hon. Harry Grey and I fished the lower water at Floors, taking it in turns, using one rod between us. There was a breeze on the deep water just above Kelso, so we made a beginning there. All the morning was spent on these pools for three fish. The fisherman then advised going up to the top of a long stream known as the Coach Wynd, and, after luncheon, devoting the rest of the day to this and one or two other casts. After pulling the boat up, we met my servant with the luncheon, and heard from him that a friend, Mr. J. EXPEDITIONS 277 Dalton, on the upper water, had already landed thirteen. That afternoon we killed fifteen fish, one 32 lbs., and nearly all the rest heavy salmon, making the total eighteen; the gentleman fishing above got three after luncheon. The next day Mr. Dalton and I with one rod between us killed sixteen. The third day, fishing alone, I got fifteen. The fourth day twelve. An average of more than fifteen fish a rod for five days. One afternoon in October 1891, the river being very high, I killed six in the Floors water, in the six following days sixty, making sixty-six fish in six and a half days. An average of ten fish each day to my own rod. The average weight of the salmon had, however, decreased. The heavy fish were from 18 lbs, to 22 lbs. or thereabouts, instead of from 22 lbs. to 28 lbs. or so, with an occasional thirty-pounder. How this decrease is to be accounted for I know not; possibly the salmon disease, which was prevalent for some years, may do so to a certain extent. I have often been asked by men who had never fished the Tweed, as to the condition of the autumn salmon killed on that river. Some would speak with envy of the large bags reported in the sporting press. Others would disparage the quality of the fish. One gentleman of my acquaintance went so far as to say that he wondered what pleasure I could take ' in dragging about hen fish full of roe.' In some cases people believe that, inasmuch as those which they may themselves happen to have seen late in the season are red or of bad colour, the Tweed fish all resemble them in that respect. This is a mistake. It is likely that there may be some, in the deep water especially, which are dirty looking enough, but bright fish, fresh from the salt water, are those most likely to take. It is also a mistake to suppose that because they are of silvery hue they may not have a good 278 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING deal of spawn in them. Just after a flood, I happened one year to kill eleven fish in Wark Dub (on the Tweed) on the last day of October. Ten of them were just up from the sea, and, when first landed, looked well enough. Before going home the fisherman laid them out on the grass, saying, ' Eh, sic bonny fish.' I did not agree with him, as, though bright enough, the line between the roe and the body of the fish was easy to see. Several of these salmon showed good sport, and might have broken the line without difficulty had there been rocks or dangerous places in their neighbourhood. They would, probably, when cut up, have been found red in colour, but destitute of curd, and nearly so of brown fat; fit really only to make into kippers. No sportsman will maintain that autumn fish will compare with spring salmon either as regards sport or their merits as food. Would anyone expect to get a good sirloin of beef from a cow within two or three months of its calving time ? I should say that the fish remained good for the first three weeks of October, and, if a flood brought up a late run, fairly good up to the beginning of November. The reason for allowing rod-fishing up to December 1 rests on other grounds than the quality of the fish. I entirely disagree with those who maintain that, if rivers were in their natural condition, salmon would frequent them at the same seasons of the year. The Tweed, in my belief, is a very late river. I have seen Tay fish killed in the beginning of October in worse trim than those caught in the Tweed a month later. As related elsewhere, I once killed a large female fish in the Solway Dee full of roe in August, when the Tweed fish would be in their prime. In the Costello no salmon appeared till the end of June, except one or two odd ones, in the spring; and this could not be ascribed to human interference, as there was nothing to prevent their EXPEDITIONS 279 swimming at any time, no obstruction of any kind, not a net at the mouth of the river or in the sea near it. It was the same with the white trout; these showed themselves invariably the first week in June, not before that date. Again, there are small rivers to which the salmon repair, apparently only for breeding purposes, and so shortly before their spawning time that no one thinks it worth while to angle for them. Some of the best brown-trout fishing is to be found in the Highlands of Scotland, but all the well-known quarters are so over-run with anglers now that much success is not to be expected, unless the fishings are let with shootings you may have taken, or unless you stay with some friend who happens to be the owner of lochs and streams. In the spring of 1857 the Hon. Henry Coke and I went up to the Highlands with the object of catching ■_ Salmo ferox. Besides ferox, which were only to be killed by trolling in the lochs, or spinning in the deep parts of the river, we hoped to get some good sport with the fly. As far as ferox were concerned we did very little, but with the ordinary brown trout we did well. The small Highland inn where we put up was at a place called ' Tommiedoon,' looking over the valley through which the Inverness-shire Garry makes its way to the falls of that name, and thence to Loch Oich. This well-known spring river on issuing from Loch Quoich, some miles above Tommiedoon, passes through numerous small lochs, most of them of insufficient extent to have any separate name, but full of trout, some of which, of fair size, would take the fly, whilst others of heavier weight were to be caught spinning. One I killed with a brass minnow weighed 4 lbs.; another which I lost from the fouling of the line inside the reel (carelessness) was twice that size. Those we killed with fly would run from U^H if I 280 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING J lb. to 1J lb. They took readily, so that we made heavy baskets. One afternoon out of a sandy bay in Loch Garry, just at the mouth of a burn, we killed about four dozen, one of us casting whilst the other rowed the boat. This boat was, by the way, a most unseaworthy affair, and one day, a gale having suddenly arisen, we came rather near being wrecked. A lad of sixteen or so was sculling us home from the far side of the loch, when the wind got up ; he was quite unable to prevent our broaching to, broadside on to the waves. We had to take the oars and set the boy to bale. We got across with some difficulty, shipping a good deal of water on the way. The mischief done by herons to trout streams is well known, and while at Tommiedoon we had a curious experience as to their capabilities in that way. Having made an appointment with the keeper at Glen Quoich (distant a few miles), we went out the previous afternoon to catch par, which we meant to use trolling in Loch Quoich. When enough for our purpose were caught, we put them into a hole amongst the rocks where a trickle of water would suffice to keep them alive, but from which they could not escape. The next morning upon stopping the dogcart to fetch them, two herons were seen flying lazily off having taken every one of our baits. Fortunately the keeper had plenty; we got three ferox in the course of the day. It is commonly believed that the Salmo ferox is to be killed only with bait. This is not so, for I have myself caught two with a Blue Doctor when trying for salmon in Loch Quoich. The loch near its foot is suddenly contracted into the shape of the neck of a bottle, through which there is a slight current; the place is so sheltered by the hills that, unless the wind blows straight down the loch it is too calm to be worth fishing. One afternoon, whilst EXPEDITIONS 281 staying at Glen Quoich Lodge, the wind being in the right direction, I took a boat and sculled down to these 1 Narrows,' as they were called, thinking there might be a chance of a salmon. Somewhere about the middle of the cast there came a rise, and after ten minutes or so a Salmo ferox of 8J lbs. was landed. A few days afterwards, the wind being again propitious, I killed another ferox about the same size. After landing the second of these fish the wind freshened until it blew half a gale, so that it became impossible to row the boat home, and I was forced to land and carry the big trout for a couple of miles before reaching the lodge. The late Lord Grey killed one of these loch trout, whilst staying at Glen Quoich, with a salmon fly at the same cast. This trip to the Highlands differs probably in no way from similar expeditions, accounts of which appear from time to time in sporting newspapers and magazines, but is inserted here with the view of . giving to brother anglers some idea as to what may be expected if they choose to extend their wanderings to more distant waters than those in the hands of clubs, which, though easily reached, are not available without incurring considerable expense in the way of subscriptions. In early days I was often invited to stay at Glen Quoich, a few miles higher up the valley than ( Tommiedoon,' the property of the Bight Hon. Edward Ellice, a near connection of my mother's family, his first wife having been the sister of my grandfather, Lord Grey. The lodge was beautifully situated. On one side Loch Quoich: on the other a magnificent range of hills, some of them of great height. As to sport, the stalking was excellent, the grouse-shooting fair, the trout-fishing very good. Mr. Ellice's hospitality was unbounded. The lodge, owing to the number of small bedrooms, would accommodate more guests than might have been supposed from its appearance, and many of the most distinguished Illf 282 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING members of society were glad to accept an invitation to Glen Quoich. There it was mygood fortune not only to meet with excellent sport but to enjoy society of the most agreeable kind. My old friend the Hon. H. Coke was a frequent guest, and his companionship greatly added to the pleasure of my visits. Mr. Coke has in his last work, \ Tracks of a Boiling Stone,' with an abler pen than mine, described the attractions of Glen Quoich; my object is to give an idea of what a fisherman may expect in places of which it is, perhaps, a favourable type. The loch is about eight miles in length by two and a half at its greatest breadth, and is probably as good as any for large lake trout (ferox). The time of year at which most men visit the Highlands—i.e. from the beginning of August till towards the end of September—is by no means the best for catching ferox (May and June being much to be preferred), yet, when a fair breeze ruffles the surface, they are to be caught even then occasionally. From the foot of the loch issues the Upper Garry, connecting it with Loch Garry and forming on its way here and there large pools, one of which, being considerably larger than the rest, goes by the name of Loch Poolery. All of them are well supplied with trout, most of which hardly ever see a fly. Some notion may be formed of the sport these places afford by what follows. It happened that at the time of one of my visits to Glen Quoich, a lady was staying at the lodge who could not only tie a fly as well as a professional, but was able to cast it to perfection. She was told by one of the stalkers, who lived near the foot of the Loch, that a salmon had been seen in one of the pools referred to above. At the head of this pool was a slight fall, then a strong current, in the middle deep still water, ending in a gliding rapid. Just the kind of water to hold a fish. It was impossible to reach it from the bank, but, knowing EXPEDITIONS 283 that the greater part of my time was spent with a rod in my hand, the lady inquired if I could suggest any means of getting over the fish. It so happened that a small boat (a dinghy in fact) was kept a short distance below where the salmon was supposed to have taken up his quarters; I therefore proposed that, if we were lucky enough to find it on our side of the water (it was used by the shepherds to cross the river), I should bring it up and could then row whilst she fished. Accordingly, the next day we took boat at the lodge, rowed to the far end of the loch, and found the dinghy on our side. Whilst the lady amused herself for a short time by the riverside, I proceeded to bring up the little boat, sculling it where possible, at other times wading and pushing it before me. My fair companion fished with salmon flies—Butcher, Blue Doctor, and Jock Scott—all of small size, as the water was clear and rather low. We did not even see a salmon, but at almost every cast a trout was hooked mostly with Jock Scotts. Some of these were between 1 and 2 lbs., and as, owing to the character of the pool, it was necessary to stick to the sculls, I was unable to use the net, so we had to be constantly going ashore to land them, thereby losing much time. As the afternoon went on it became dead calm, the trout still rose as well as ever, but the midges, which had been kept away by a gentle breeze, attacked us so fiercely that we, powerless to defend ourselves, our hands being employed in the management of boat and rod, were fairly driven off the water. We might, I believe, have killed any number of trout had it not been for these abominable insects (the pest of the West Highlands). In spite of the curtailment of the afternoon's sport, it was a heavy basket which I took up to the foot of the loch, where the boat belonging to the lodge had been left. Besides the fishing below the loch, there was a small Iff II 284 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING deep stream between its head and the lodge which held trout rather superior in size and shape to those usually found in such waters, known as the Ben Hooly Burn. It ran, for the most part, gently between tall reeds which enabled the cautious angler to keep out of sight when approaching the bank. It was a favourite haunt of mine and of the late Lord Grey's; many a good basket have we taken out of it. The trout were not quite so eager as those whose capture is recorded above, possibly because, being at no distance from the lodge, they were more frequently cast over. They were not, however, difficult to catch, and worth the catching, being strong for their size and well made up. I do not remember taking one above 1 lb., but many were between J and j lb. The flies they seemed to prefer were Grouse and Golden Plover Heckles, of medium size and rather large plain Bed Heckles. Occasionally one would get into a boat at the lodge landing place, and scull down alone to the far end, trailing a bait overboard, on the chance of getting hold of a ferox ; then landing, try the river for a time, and return to the boat; rowing gently home and letting the bait spin the likely bays on the way. For the benefit of those who may fancy the attempt to capture these large loch trout, a few remarks as to the best chance of doing so are appended. The tackle should be much the same as that used in spinning for Thames trout, only that heavier sinkers may be required owing to the depth of the water; in that case large shot placed at intervals upon the trace answer best. Where these are fastened with swivels the fastenings should be constantly looked to. The bait must be adjusted with the greatest care so that it should, as has been said, spin in a washing basin. I have never killed one of the larger ferox—i.e. one of 6 lbs. or more—with an artificial bait, or with one which spun untruly. These L EXPEDITIONS 285 big trout lie when feeding at the edge of the deep water near where it meets the shallow, and also frequent sandy bays, where they may gratify their cannibal taste for their young relatives. When the breeze is sufficient to cause a good ripple you may launch forth (it is useless to try for them when it is calm), allowing twenty-five to thirty-five yards of line to tow over the side of the boat, according to the depth of water; if alone, taking the precaution to fasten the rod to a rowlock or some part of the boat in such a way as to admit of its being readily unloosed when the bait is seized;L if a man rows you, you may hold the rod in your hand, in that case being careful not to strike in too great a hurry, or the hooks will be pulled away before a hold has been taken; neither should the strike be violent, as the strain on the line caused by the progress of the boat through the water is considerable. When hooked, the ferox shows great sport, sometimes sounding until it apparently reaches the bottom. In that case, when brought at length to the surface, it is usually quite exhausted. It is considered by some that these large trout are stronger, comparatively, than salmon or any other fish; this is, in my opinion, not so. They take relatively, perhaps, longer to kill owing to other reasons: the tackle used in fishing for them—a Thames spinning-rod being much less powerful than a salmon-rod—and the depth of the water in which they are played. Those which I caught with the fly ran much as gilse of the same size would have done. And two or three salmon which I happened, one day, to kill by trailing a bait in Loch Oich took out a great deal of line, and were not landed half so quickly as if they had been hooked in a river. 1 From omitting this precaution one of Mr. Ellice's guests lost his rod, either through the hooks having fouled a rock below the surface (the most probable cause) or from its having been dragged overboard by a ferox of unusual dimensions. 286 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING The best time to fish for ferox is in May or June, but the season varies in different lochs. It is to be noted that these large trout are never to be found in any number, so that it is useless to re-visit for some days a part of the loch where one has been recently caught. There is apparently one peculiarity attaching to them—viz. that they run in sizes: small ones from 1 lb. to 3 lbs. may frequently be taken, but between 3 lbs. and 6 or 7 lbs. I have never seen one. In most mountain streams, small dark-coloured trout abound. The Glen in Northumberland is formed by the junction of the College and the Bowmont, the former running down from the Cheviot Hills, the latter flowing through lower ground. In the College the black mountain trout are found; in the Bowmont the fish are bright and silvery; either kind may be caught in the Glen. To my eye the small dark trout in the College exactly resemble the Salmo ferox of the Scotch lochs; not being an expert in such matters, I am unable to pronounce an opinion as to whether the ferox is merely a larger edition of the small mountain trout. The heaviest Salmo ferox I have heard of was caught many years ago in Loch Awe, and is said to have weighed 28 lbs. The largest which came under my own notice was killed in Loch Quoich, and was about 12 lbs. On the Continent they have been known to grow to a much larger size. Amongst other streams which have afforded me sport and enjoyment is the small river Darent. The upper part of it runs through the property of the late Mr. H. Bingham Mildmay, an old friend and near connection. To his kindness I owe many a pleasant day's fishing, not only when a guest at Shoreham, but, by his permission, whenever it was convenient to run down from London by train. The Darent, from Orford to within a short distance above Eynsford, is really a large brook, but, unlike most EXPEDITIONS 287 brooks, holds good-sized trout; these, however, are not so easy to catch as they are in some waters (at Longford, Mr. H. Coke's place in Derbyshire, for instance), so that some perseverance is required to get a dish. When I first knew the stream it contained, as well as trout, a good many roach and bream, besides a few pike. One day Mr. Mildmay expected friends to dinner, and was anxious to give them some trout. As I was staying at Shoreham he asked me if I could provide him with a dish. It was not possible, owing to other engagements, for me to get to the waterside before half-past three o'clock, and I could not be certain of catching enough fish before the dinner hour. I therefore told my servant to meet me at the boundary and bring a second rod. He contrived to kill two, with worm, whilst I got six with fly. The brook was too weedy for bait-fishing, but on one stretch of water where it was tolerably free his rod suddenly bent double, and thinking he had hold of a large trout, I ran up the bank with the landing-net; the fish proved to be a bream. The moment he had re-baited the hook another bream laid hold, and in a short time he had half a basketful. I suggested leaving them on the bank, not supposing that anyone would care to eat them. My man, however, said the stablemen would be glad of them. 'Why should stablemen more than other people like to have bream?' ' Oh,' he answered, i they are on board wages.' On another occasion a shoal of roach had run up a water carriage and were swimming about in a hatch hole; putting down the hatch so as to stop the water, I scooped out with the landing-net some two dozen. Mr. Mildmay was anxious to get rid of the coarse fish, and consulted me as to how this could be done. By the next spring we had procured a silk flue net, which the keeper was instructed to set at the mouth of any running ditch up which the roach, &c, had gone to spawn. Then by mimmmmM 288 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING i walking down the bank the coarse fish were driven back towards the river and caught. It would have been impossible to use a seine on account of roots and stumps, and owing to the uneven character of the bed of the stream. The pike were killed by putting a small net round the holes in which they lay and then stirring them up with long sticks. The result was that the trout-fishing improved wonderfully, so that whereas there had been much uncertainty as to getting even a few, after two or three years there was little difficulty in killing a fair number, and those of better size and quality. A day's fishing (unless the wind was easterly) might fairly be expected to produce from eight to twelve fish, out of which one or two, or perhaps more, would be from 1 lb. to 1J lb. weight. The largest killed, to my knowledge, was a little over 3 lbs., and was caught by the late Mr. Charles Bailey. He and I had come down from London, and on reaching the stream it was seen to be so discoloured by rain which had fallen in the night that he suggested our taking the next up-train and going home. As the water had not risen greatly and there was a chance of its clearing a bit in two or three hours, he was persuaded to stay; so putting up our rods, we made a start. After a few casts, I spied the wave of a large trout which appeared to be after a minnow; so bringing Mr. Bailey up to the spot, I begged him to throw exactly where the fish had been moving. At the second or third cast it took, and for the next ten minutes Mr. Bailey was trotting up and down the grass bank with his rod bent. Upon landing the trout he said: 'If I don't get another to-day, this fish is worth the journey from town.' As it turned out the water did fine down, and we went home with seven brace besides the three-pounder as the result of our united efforts. The capture of this fish shows that trout may be killed with a fly in pretty thick water. But it must be recollected ■n EXPEDITIONS 289 that when feeding they lie near the surface, and are consequently able to see a fly which would not be visible to them from the bottom of the river. Here is another case of much the same kind. The Wiley had come down much discoloured whilst I was out, so that there seemed little use in going on fishing. My way home lay past the tail of a hatch hole, and there I came upon two or three large trout feeding on some minnows which they had apparently got penned up between them and the bank. Whilst I was watching them, another fish dropped down from the hole to take his share of the minnows. It was easy to see what went on, as the feeding trout constantly showed themselves in dashing at their prey, whilst the small fish they were after would throw themselves out of the water in their effort to escape. When the last comer came near the other fish, one of them turned upon him and drove him off. A gentle wave in the water showed where he was, and throwing in that direction I hooked him instantly. He took the fly, as it may be imagined, on the same principle which induced the French lady to marry the wrong man. Quand on ne peut pas avoir ce que Ton veut, H faut se contenter de ce qu'on a. It is curious that the trout which first attacked the minnows should not have quarrelled over their meal, and that they would tolerate no addition to their party. Of the streams near London which I have visited, the Chenies water was the best. Here I have had good sport in the company of the Hon. Henry Coke and the late Mr. Charles Bailey. The trout were numerous—indeed, in some parts of it too numerous. They grew to a fair size, but were not remarkable for their shape or quality. Yet it was a defightful outing to run down to Chenies for a couple of days. The" inn was excellent in its way, the u I 290 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING surroundings were extremely pretty, and on a balmy day towards the end of May no more pleasant excursion could be made. Occasionally I have had a turn at the Wandle. Mr. Pratt, the manager of the Billiard Club in Park Place, had somehow got a footing on that part of the river which ran through Beddington Park, and now and then one of the members of the club would go down in a brougham under his auspices, and catch a few trout. There was a waterfall at one end of the property, where you might see the large trout lying, and these I used to watch until one rose, and then throw over him. As to the Border streams there is little more to be said. It would not be of general interest to hear that on such a day two dozen trout had been killed in the Coquet, or three dozen in the Glen. But there is one question affecting the north-country trout which has often puzzled me. How comes it that only at the beginning of the season, or when the water is clearing after a flood, will the large trout in the Glen, for instance, take the artificial fly ? Whatever may be the case now, in my younger days there were large trout in the Glen, for after a flood you could get them with minnow. Nothing more surprised me than, when I first fished the Itchen, to find that fish of 1 lb. and upwards were to be caught with the fly—aye, and sometimes with a sunk fly. Before I became a member of the Itchen Club, the late Lord Northbrook took me down to fish the water, as his guest. I killed six trout with a sunk fly; fished up stream that day. Possibly the abundant supply of natural fly had something to do with it. The flower-garden at Coupland Castle, where the late Lord Durham spent several months every year, and where I went constantly in September and October to shoot with him, looked over a mill dam fringed with BUfcLV. EXPEDITIONS willows, and, as one walked along the top of the bank, the large trout—i.e. fish of from 1 lb. to 1^ lb. weight—could be plainly seen feeding on the pale duns which kept constantly falling from the bushes. These fish had probably never given up feeding on the fly from their birth, having always had at hand a plentiful supply. They were the only fish of that size we caught as a rule—but then we did not try for them unless there was a ripple on—on the same principle which prevents a man from fishing a dub on the Tweed unless the wind hits it, holding it to be a disadvantage to show the fly to a fish unless he is likely to take it. The result was that sooner or later these large mill-dam trout were nearly all caught before the end of the season. I doubt if the dry fly would have tempted them, and for this reason. Before adopting the plan of leaving the water alone unless there was a wind on it, I had often cast over them, fishing up stream with two flies, a tail-fly and a dropper. When casting two flies, the one next the rod is kept dangling on the surface, so that it is called in the North a Bobber, and in fact is fished dry. mHB^msmmm *!mmmmmm JM-J»JP.i-^-^ 292 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING CHAPTEB XV REPORT MADE BY THE ROYAL COMMISSIONERS ON SALMON FISHERIES APPOINTED IN 1902 The Beport made by the Boyal Commissioners on Salmon Fisheries may not have been consigned to an official pigeon-hole; indeed, it is said that bills are being prepared based on its recommendations. If carried out, these recommendations would be of considerable benefit, and to aid in bringing them before the public is clearly the duty of all who take an interest in the subject. Some few of them may indeed be questioned, and will require watching when the bills are in Committee (if they reach that stage), but in stating the objections to which they may seem open, it is not my desire to do more than suggest their further consideration. Summary of Becommendations (a) Administration should consist of a central authority, preferably for the United Kingdom, and in charge of all fishery matters. If this is not practicable, a strengthening of existing machinery with increased control. (6) In England and Wales placing the administration in the hand of Boards representing the watersheds, who would deal, not only with the fisheries, but with pollution and abstraction of water. (c) Financial assistance to be given in the way of REPORT ON SALMON FISHERIES IN 1902 293 assessment or by special rate, or contributions from the various county councils. No objection can be made to these proposals. I would merely remark that it is with respect to financial arrangements that difficulty is likely to arise. 'Regulation of Fishings (a) Subject to modification by bylaws, uniform close time for Great Britain is suggested. Annual close time:—Nets, August 27 to February 10. Season may be extended by bylaw to September 1. Bods, November 1 to February 1. Weekly close time : 48 hours from noon on Saturday to noon on Monday. Salmon not to be offered for sale from September 3 to February 10 inclusive. (b) Netting not to be allowed in narrow waters. (c) Fixed engines to be no longer prohibited on the coast (outside estuaries). (d) Protection of fisheries to be assisted by forces under control of government or of local authorities. Comments (a) The first of these proposals is presumably based on the assumption that, were it not for the divergence between the bylaws of different districts, all salmon would come away from the sea at about the same period of the year. In other words, that there are, naturally, no early and late rivers. Has this been ascertained ? I doubt it. The establishment of a uniform close time would certainly facilitate the prevention of poaching. On the other hand, it may be objected that there are rivers which require some variation of this close season, at all events at present. In the Hampshire Avon, for instance, the run 294 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING of fish from the sea (when there were any to run) was over by the middle of August. I do not know enough of English salmon rivers in general to form an opinion as to whether prohibiting rod fishing after November 1 would be unpopular; it probably would on the Tweed, inasmuch as the riverine proprietors high up the water get hardly any fishing before that date. It is obvious that, if their interest in the river is not maintained, they will cease to aid in looking after the spawning ground, so that the whole expense of doing so would fall on the general funds of the District Commissioners. As regards weekly close time, no angler would be opposed to any restriction of netting. It is, however, doubtful if the proposed extension would be of any great benefit. There seems to be an idea that, were it not for man's interference, salmon would at all times through the season come into the rivers, and so, that enough fish would swim during forty-eight hours to satisfy the angler, whilst those which did not fall victims to his skill would proceed to the upper spawning ground. This I hold to be a fallacy. Salmon which are early in visiting the rivers make but leisurely progress on their way up, resting in water which suits them until the near approach of the breeding season. This belief is shared by several practical and experienced anglers to whom I have addressed inquiries on the subject. Again, everyone who has watched the proceedings of salmon, when approaching the mouth of a river, is aware that they will not ascend further than a very short distance, in low water, but drop back. I have seen fish leaping in the sea, at some distance from the mouth of the Costello, on the west coast of Ireland: gradually they would come closer in, but finding no fresh water in the river, would go back to sea again, their course being easily traced by seeing them jump. There was not a net or obstruction of any kind on 11 REPORT ON SALMON FISHERIES IN 1902 295 this small river, so that the fish had free access to it at all times. They were in no way interfered with as to their natural habits, but without a suitable rise they preferred to remain in salt water; in spite of the annoyance of sea lice, and of what the natives call the 'wild bastes of the say.'l After a short time came a flood, and they then ascended in number sufficient to have stocked a large river. It is in consequence of the well-known propensity of salmon to run up a short way and then drop back, that the yares on the Kircudbright Dee work both the flood and ebb tides. It is further to be observed, that the nets are at work most successfully in the summer, when there is generally but little water in the rivers, certainly not enough to induce salmon to travel to any distance. If a flood sufficient to move them comes, the netsmen are unable to work. (b) For these reasons I should prefer to end the netting a week earlier rather than prolong the weekly close time. Salmon should certainly not be sold in close time. To prevent netting in fresh water would be an excellent measure, but here the money difficulty comes in. It would be unjust to deprive a man of his right without compensation. Where are the funds required to pay such compensation to come from ? (c) The commissioners in proposing that fixed engines should be allowed outside the estuaries (meaning, I suppose, stake and bag nets) are presumably satisfied that killing salmon in the sea is not only^ desirable because they would be in perfect condition for the market, but because this mode of fishing would not be injurious by causing too great diminution in the stock of fish. As to this point we must take the word of the commissioners. I do not myself see what difference it can make in the number left to breed whether they are caught outside or inside the river they wish to ascend. 1 Seals. ' 1 ■I III 296 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING (d) It is most important that Government should assist in putting down poaching where there is violent resistance to the law. For many years a gunboat lay in Berwick Harbour; whilst it remained poaching was, except in few and trivial cases, effectually kept down. When it was removed, or shortly afterwards, netting in the close time was freely indulged in. The commissioners' next proposal is that Local Fishery Boards should have power to stop the taking of fish of the salmon kind, including common trout, under seven inches in length, to prohibit the use of the gaff, and regulate the use of lures other than the fly (meaning prawns or minnows). All anglers—at least those who are sportsmen—would, I imagine, cordially approve this proposal. The gaff is forbidden—or should be—in the spring, for the sake of putting back kelts uninjured. In the autumn, as you are allowed to kill anything you can, why should it not be used ? The answer is conclusive: Because it would be often in the hands of the poacher, who might use it to cleik swimming fish as they endeavour to go up the ' slaps.' Further Suggestions of the Commissioners 3. Much injury being caused by pollutions which may be prevented, some amendment of the law and better administration of existing legal powers is desirable. 4. Both as regards the volume of water and pollutions, the Watershed Commissioners before mentioned should be entrusted with the care of fishing interests. They should have increased powers over sluices and over the threatened depletion of streams. 5. Obstructions to be removed. If artificial [caused, I suppose, by mills or manufactories], the formation of approved fish passes to be compulsory. If natural, the &\ REPORT ON SALMON FISHERIES IN 1902 297 local Fishery Boards to have power to remove them if owners decline to do so. To dispose of fishings belonging to the Crown, and so open up the rivers. No fishing to be allowed within reasonable distance of an obstruction. 6. Further inquiry as to artificial cultivation. 7. Further inquiry with respect to the natural history of the salmon, supported by a grant of public money. 8. Amendment and consolidation of Fishery Acts. Comments 3. The subject having been taken up by the Sewage Commissioners, the Beport proposes to leave it in their hands, observing that if the recommendations of those commissioners are adopted the fish will be preserved. Here the Salmon Fisheries Commissioners are undoubtedly right. Not only does that course obviate doing a great deal of work twice over, but it should prevent opposition on the part of those who might be disposed to assert that alterations in the existing Fisheries Law are put forward mainly in the interest of sport. 4. One of the most serious dangers to which salmon and trout rivers are exposed is the diminution of the volume of the stream. One source of risk is the abstraction of water by the construction of reservoirs for the benefit of large towns. ' Compensation water' has been adverted to in the evidence taken before the commissioners. It cannot be maintained that these reservoirs will not be injurious, at all events in a low state of the river. Here, then, we are likely to meet with conflicting interests, and as the preservation of salmon is not of such consequence as the supply of pure water to towns like Manchester and Liverpool, the fisheries will be likely to suffer. It would be out of the question to interfere with irrigation, but the owners of water meadows or the farmers might be called 298 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING upon to provide gratings in order to prevent smolts or kelts from getting into the water carriages, and owners of mills or millers obliged to put them up above the mill lades. Objections would, however, probably be raised owing to the expense of keeping such gratings free from weeds or other obstructions. Irrigation is a lesser evil than that to be apprehended from reservoirs, as a good part of the water used in water meadows runs back into the river. 5. In order to remove obstructions the financial position of Fishery Boards must be improved. At present they have not the necessary funds. The proposal to open up the rivers by the disposal of the unchartered fishings of the Crown either to Local Fishery Boards or to riverine proprietors, like any other measure for giving access to the upper waters, should be strongly advocated. The clause restricting fishing within a reasonable distance of any obstruction would be unnecessary if netting in fresh water was put an end to, unless the restriction is meant to apply to rod-fishing, and this can hardly have been intended. As to compelling owners to put up approved fish passes where the river is artificially obstructed, some hardship might be inflicted on these gentlemen, unless great care were exercised in carrying out the recommendation. Is the pass to be approved by the Local Board or a Government department ? l The fish pass at Knap Weir, on the Avon, was many years ago objected to as obstructing the progress of the fish. The pass was not in the middle of the stream, but was said to have been originally built where it ran strongest. The owner of the ' Boyalty' fishery, hearing of the objection, had another pass put up in the 1 By the Act of 1861 penalties were imposed for not erecting gratings to prevent the descent of salmon by artificial streams. REPORT ON SALMON FISHERIES IN 1902 299 centre of the river at his own expense. Had he chosen to leave the old one where it was he might certainly have done so, the Fishery Board not having sufficient funds to enable them to build passes, and there being no legal obligation on his part to provide a new one. After a time, when fewer fish than usual had been caught, this improved pass was found fault with. The complaint was unfounded, as we who were members of the club that fished the ' Boyalty' knew by practical experience. If a salmon showed itself in the weir pool, unless the net was put in without delay, it would not be found there, and the shot of the net was a deadly one, so that there could be no doubt as to its having gone up through the pass to the upper waters. Becommendations 6, 7, and 8 are open to no objection. A vast mass of evidence has been collected by the commissioners; it is impossible to read any considerable portion of it without arriving at the conclusion that those who have been examined by the commissioners disagree on many essential points—the owners of bag nets, the netsmen at the mouths of the rivers, the riverine proprietors, all fight for their own hand. To add to the difficulty which surrounds the subject, members of county councils are by no means always disposed to aid financially in the protection and preservation of salmon, whilst magistrates before whom poaching cases are brought seem in some instances reluctant to convict, or, when convictions follow, to impose adequate penalties. Perhaps when the general decrease in the number of fish can no longer be denied, and when the rivers are nearly fished out, these conflicting interests may be reconciled. Then if those concerned—netsmen in sea and river, upper proprietors, and sportsmen—all sink their differences and work together, some really useful measure may be passed by Parliament. ■WWI.-UI 300 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING The truth is that civilisation and sport do not in general go together. With some causes of the deterioration of salmon- fishing judicious legislation may deal. An end may possibly be put to pollutions, and something may be done to prevent more water than is absolutely necessary from being taken from the rivers; but we cannot obviate or even mitigate, the bad effect of violent floods, which run off as quickly as they rise, and which are caused by the improved drainage both of agricultural lands and of sheep farms on the hills. The man who can spare the time will be well advised if he seeks in wild districts or abroad for better sport than he can hope to obtain nearer home. O for a lodge in some vast wilderness !* Cowper. It is mainly for the convenience of those who may not have ready access to the Beport or leisure to read it that this short summary, &c, is given. Any attempt to analyse the evidence given before the commissioners would require a whole volume, and is out of the question in a work of this nature. That given by men of experience, who have watched the habits of the fish, is of great value where it is disinterested; much of such evidence is, however, biassed, and in some instances the cause of the diminution in the supply is kept out of sight. One man employed in bag-net fishing asserts that salmon spawn in the sea, and that the spawn can be seen floating on the water. Another ascribes the decrease in the Avon to the want of efficient fish passes. The passes, though perhaps not as effective as they should be, are in the same state as they were when the fish, though never 1 A wilderness watered with rivers abundantly stocked with trout and salmon. REPORT ON SALMON FISHERIES IN 1902 301 plentiful, were more numerous than they are now. In short, any cause of the falling off but the true one (over- netting) is put forward. One thing strikes me as curious with respect to the evidence given before the commissioners. I have found nothing said- as to the use of a wider mesh than the regulation size of two inches from knot to knot. In some cases a narrower mesh is allowed, and perhaps the witnesses thought it would be enough to guard against further extension of this privilege. When the water is heavy, not only are the nets worked in parts of the water not netted when the river is at its ordinary height, but a wider mesh is used. So far from this being of advantage to the upper proprietors, it acts in exactly the contrary direction. The wider-meshed net can be worked when the water is higher, and it is yet small enough to catch all the larger fish. The wider the mesh the less water the net holds, and the less likely is the stream to lift the lead-line off the bottom. Before laying my pen aside, I add a few general remarks on the subject of the foregoing pages. It is impossible to bear in mind the assertions and statements of opinion which have been brought to the notice of the commissioners in 1902, without discovering that, of the few facts made known, there is one which stands out preeminently, viz. the decrease generally in the number of salmon, due, as most candid persons will admit, to over- netting. Is it likely that sharp enough remedies will be applied to do real good ? One of the difficulties to be overcome arises from the idea that the object of restricting the use of the net is to increase the sport of the middle and upper proprietors. That the squire or the laird who aids in protecting the spawning beds situated on water belonging to him should look for some angling 502 SEVENTY YEAKS' FISHING is ■ in return, is only natural. To assert that, provided he enjoys his rod-fishing he will be reckless as to the consequence to his poorer neighbours, would be to utter a gross calumny. However, putting aside any such view, do the netsmen really believe that measures which would add to the angler's sport would not, at the same time, increase the number of fish they would catch themselves ? The last Tweed Act was passed greatly in consequence of steps taken by the then Duke of Boxburghe and other gentlemen, owners of salmon-fishing. Can anyone say that the Act did not tend greatly to the general benefit ? The Duke, in order to ascertain the effect of it, bought a share in the Berwick Shipping Company, who owned fishings at the mouth of the river. He told me that shortly after the passing of the Act a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, was paid him. So it would be with other rivers if proper limits to the destruction of the fish were imposed. It really seems impossible to persuade the public and the netsmen that the goose with the golden egg is bleeding to death, possibly the tacksman and the netsman may care little if this should be so.' The tacksman when he has fished a river out may, at the end of his lease, move off and play the same old game somewhere else ; the men may earn their living in some other way, and thus view with indifference the prospect of the extinction of the fish where they are employed. And so we look to Parliament to save our fisheries, and let us hope that we shall not look in vain. In the foregoing pages I have presumed to give a hint here and there which may be of use to those of a younger generation. I would fain go a little further and put before those who may be nearer my own time of life, and who are still free from the infirmities of age, a remark made by Lord Palmerston : a man who owed his success in life, REPORT ON SALMON FISHERIES IN 1902 302 not only to talents of a high order, and to his well-known love of his country, but to the possession-of common sense in a remarkable degree. ' Never,' said he, ' let a man give up his pursuits because of advancing years, until he is obliged to do so.' On that principle he acted himself, not, in my belief, so much with the object of prolonging his later days, as of making them pass more agreeably. The late Lord Northbrook, shortly before his death, in a letter inviting me to Chilland Cottage, on the Itchen, observed that it was almost time for him to hang up his rod for good and all. In my reply I quoted Lord Palmerston's saying, and added that I, his old servant and admirer, had found myself the better for bearing it in mind. Lord Northbrook's last remark to me on leaving Chilland Cottage showed that Lord Palmerston's words of wisdom dwelt in his memory. He said, ' If we are both alive next year, we will come here earlier in the season.' The prospect of laying the rod aside had been abandoned. I cherish the hope that Lord Palmerston's view may be adopted with advantage, by such of my contemporaries as are still able to profit by his example. So, wishing my brother fishermen a tight line and good sport, I wind up my fishing recolleetions, still, however, keeping my tackle in order for (if it may be so) another season or two. If INDEX ACHNACARRY, 157 Bright, Right Hon. J., 52 Ailesbury, Lord, 179 Broadlands, 200, 203 Aln, the, 124 Brodie, Mr., 249 Alne, 155 Brook fishing, 176 Alresford Cottage, 175 Brownson, 182 Anglers, 242 Bulging, 146 Angling (leases), 243 Burns, 12 Artificial breeding, 212, 213 Avington, 140,149,151,171, 208 Avon (Hants), 2, 20, 61, 66, 68, 81, Carter, Mr. A. Bonham-, 127, 139 84, 87, 99, 187,199, 274, 293 Cassiobury, 121 Autumn fishing, 5 Casting: Duke of Roxburghe's long Awe, 39, 91, 246 cast, 49 Cawdor, Lord, 249 Chalk streams, 6 Baggits, 261 Chenies, 289 Bag nets, 29 Cheviot Hills, 125 Bait: live bait, 198 Childers, 251 Balfour, Mrs. C, 101 Chilland, 132,147 Bannockburn, battle, 217; artificial Cholmondeley, Mr. R., 219, 246,250 breeding, 214 Christchurch, 76, 221, 275, 276 Baring, Lady Emma, 175 Cleiks, see Gaffs Barrington, Captain the Hon., 121 Clubs, 5, 236, 239 Barrington, Lord, 141,149 Cockerell, Mr. Pepys, 87 Barrington, Mrs. C, 162,163 Coldstream Bridge, 23, 82 Bayley, Mr. C. V., 16, 288, 289 Coke, Hon. Henry, 108, 110, 176, Beddington, 290 258, 261, 279, 287, 289 Beecher, Mr. and Lady Emily, 118 College, 286 ' Ben Hooley (burn), 284 Collins, 142, 231 Bergham (Dub), 85, 274 Colour-blindness, 27 Berwick, 220, 229, 302 Commissioners, Royal, 2 Blivet Loch, 249 Conan Ferry, 106 Boatmen, 54 Connemara, 108 Botzen, 253-257 Coquet, the, 124, 192, 290 Bouge, 304 Costello, 10, 108 Bowles, General, 200 Coupland Castle, 167, 290 Bowmont, the, 286 Cowper, Hon. H., 184,187, 188 Breadalbane, Lord, 252 Cowper, Lord, 14, 188 Breamish, the, 125 Craven, Lord, 143 Breeding, artificial, 212,213 Crutchley, Colonel C, 233 X 306 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Dabchices, 233 Dalbon, Mrs. J., 276, 277 Daniel, 41, 151 Dapping, 181 Darent river, 144, 286 Davy, Sir H., 252 Dee, the (Balmoral), 99 Dee (the Solway), 22, 258 Denham, breeding ponds, 214 Denison, Mr. A., 274 Depth of casts, 88 Doachs, 258 Dove river, 200 Dovedale, 182 Dubs, 85 Dulsie Bridge, 249 Durham, Lord (the late), 290 Eisenbach, 163, 265 Ellice, Right Hon. E., 74, 281 Ellice, Mr. E., M.P., 265 Ellice, General Sir C, 192 Estch river, 253, 257 Etive Loch, 252 Faskally, 267 Feale, the, 64,116 Ferox, 258 Findhorn, the, 247 Fish, coarse, 287 Fish passes, 23 Fishermen, perfect, 5 Fishing, free, 166 Flies, 35, 105, 113,169 Float (on a salmon line), 88 Floors, 18, 79, 272, 277 Flushing, 163 Forrest, 33 Frank, Mr. B., 267 Fry, 159 Fiinstermiintz, 253 Gaffs, 79-80 Garry, the, 11, 56, 59, 263, 265, 270, 279: Loch, 280 Glen, the, 104,124,125,191,286,290 Glen Quoich, 74, 280-281, 282 Gilse, 5 Goodlake, Colonel, 214 Gotha, 163 Grayling, 4,199, 201, 202 Grey, General the Hon. C, 99, 167 Grey, Hon. H., 97, 276 Grey, Lord, 122, 123, 167, 281 Grey, Sir E., 53, 78, 239 Grey, Sir F., 78, 235 Grove, Mr., 25, 90 Grubbing, 148 Halstadt, 254 Hambleton Lock, 205 Hamilton, Lord C. (the late), 106 Hampstead Marshal, 143 Hardy, Messrs., 33,156,163 Harling, 100 Hayward, Mr. A., 205 Henderson, Mr., 192 Herons, 112, 142, 234 Hill, Captain, 258 Home, Lord, 44, 46, 220 Hope, Admiral, 206 Howard, Hon. J., 127 Howick, Lord, 122 Howick Pond, 209 Hucho, 252 Hungerford, 178 Hybrids, 215 Ilm, the, 132,155, 200 lnnspruck, 253, 257 Irish Lakes, 181 Ischl, 200, 252, 253, 257 Itchen, the, 13, 130, 145, 164, 237, 240 Kelso, 273 Eennet, the, 143,178 Eerse, J., 88 Kerse, Rob. 53 Labvje, 147 Lathkill, 183 Lavaret, 207 Leeds, Duke of, 13,171, 214, 239 Lees water, 48, 92, 271 Leister, the, 93 Lentwardine, the, 201 Liddell, Hon. and Rev. R., 35, 274 Lines, 33, 48 INDEX 307 Live bait, 195,198 Longford, 176, 287 Quoich Glen, 74, 280, 281, 282 Quoich Loch, 286 Makerston, 88, 90, 268, 271 Malmesbury, Lord, 187 Mapleton-on-Dove, 229 Massena, 253 Maxwell, Sir H., 26,127 Maxwheel, 273 Mildmay, Mr. H. B. (the late), 252, 286, 287 Mill dams, 144 Millers, 244 Minnow (fishing), 95,192, 193 Moffat, David, 124, 166 Moncrief, Lord, 229 Monkey Island, 195 Morton, 106 &ets, 2, 31, 76 Nets (bag), 29 Normanton, Lord, 74, 206 North, the (free fishing), 167 Northbrook, Lord, 155,173,174,239, 290, 302 Oakover, Mr., 229 Oich Loch, 101, 266, 285 Otters, 232 Panshanger, 14,147,184 Palmerston, Lord, 200, 204, 205, 302 Par, 19 Passes, 5 Pavilion (water), 268 Pearson, Major, 251 Perth, 268 Petre, Mr. E., 189 Pike, 206, 232 Pitlochry, 267 Poachers, 222 Poaching, 224, 225, 226, 227, 229 Ponds, 209 Poteen, 116 Pratt, Mr., 290 Prawn, 61, 97 Price, Mr. T., 179, 231 Pricked fish, 139,152 Prior, Mr. A., 273, 274 Rainbow trout, 159, 208 Reel-lines, 33, 48 Reels, 34 Reynardson, Colonel B., 175 Ringwood, 77 Rise, evening, 139; occasional, 146 Rods (salmon), 32 Roe, as ground bait, 189 Romanes, G. J., 27, 127 Romsey, 260 Rooks, battle with herons, 234 Rose Sandy, 263 Roxburghe, Dukes of, 18, 51, 57, 88, 94, 96, 220, 272, 273, 301 St. James's Park : a young poacher, 229 St. John, Mr. C, 247, 251 Salmon, 19: travelling, 22, kelts, 24; sulking, 67 ; blindness, 81 Salmon, Royal Commission: administration, 292; finances, 292; close time, 293; netting, 293; protection of, 293: pollutions, 296 : obstructions, 296 ; rearing, 297; natural history, 297; gratings, 297 ; reservoirs, 297 ; wide mesh, 300 Salzburg, 253 Salzkammergut, 252 Scotland (free fishing), 166 Scrope, 43, 56, 271 Sea trout, 103 Sewage, 7 Shade fishing, 192 Shoreham, Kent, 286 Silverwhite, 104 Smith, Mr. Oswald, 258 Smolts, 19 Smut, 147 Snaring pike, 232 Somerley, 74, 75 Spear, the, 93 Spencer, Lord, 15 Spey (throw), 51 Spring fishing, 5 Sprouston, 55 Steeple Langford, 203 308 SEVENTY YEARS' FISHING Stevenson, W., 55 Stewart tackle, 191 Sticking, at night, 93 Swans, 145 Tay, the, 3, 278 Taynuilt, 246, 250 Teviot, the, 272 Test, the, 12,145,155,181, 199,200, 237 Thames, 169-196,197 Thunder (effect on trout), 132 Tiefurt, 162 Till, 192, 202 Tommiedoon, 279 Tougueland, 258 Trailing, 100 Traun, the, 200, 252, 253 Trimmers (bank), 232, 267 Trout, largest, 143; shyness, 152; aged, 154; haunts, 167 Tummel, the, 86, 263-267, 268 Tweed, the, 3, 20-21, 59, 63-95, 264, 268, 276, 278 Tweedmouth, Lord, 239 Vals, 257 Waders, 39 Wading, 39 Wales, poaching, 226 Wandle, 290 Wark, 278 Waster, 94 Water meadows, 142 Weeds, 5,133, 165 Weimar, 7,1^2, 155, 158, 159-161, 163, 164, 200, 227 White jack, 13 White trout of Ireland, 104 Wiley, the, 5, 200, 201, 289 Williams, General, 118 Wilton, 201 Worm, 96 Wreath landed with salmon rod, 71 Wye, 183 Yares, or Yaires, 22 Zealand, New, 159 PRINTED BY SFOTTISWOODE AND CO. LTD., NEW-STREET SQUARE LONDON wm University of British Columbia Library DUE DATE fJnhipnt to Rfid ^ JUM 1 9 19 r IIIK) 0 0 ()n\j OUIM L L bvfQ FORM 310 UNIVERSITY OF B.C. LIBRARY 3 9424 03839 3382 WOODWARD LIBRARY
Books
English
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
London : Smith, Elder & Co.
Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the Digitization Centre: http://digitize.library.ubc.ca/
Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Woodward Library. Memorial Room. Hawthorn collection. SH439 .B37 1906
Fishing
Seventy years' fishing
Text