WHERE TO FISH.

A FEW NOTES ON FISHING-WATERS.

BY HENRY G. BOHN.

WHEN it is considered that there are upwards of 300 rivers in England and Wales, without including Ireland and Scotland, many of them running through several shires or counties, and all containing fish; and that there are besides innumerable other waters-brooks, lakes, canals, reservoirs, and ponds-it must be evident that nothing less than a voluminous gazetteer of fishing-waters could give full information to the angler. Such a work would have to comprise all the necessary local information, restrictions or facilities, pitches, inns, fishing-boatmen, &c.,-the expense of procuring which would so far exceed all probable returns, that it is long likely to remain a desideratum. The nearest approach to this information is contained in Hofland's "Angler's Manual,' a comprehensive work to which all subsequent writers have been largely indebted, some without the slightest acknowledgment. Mr. Blaine is a gentlemanly exception, and constantly acknowledges his obligations; he observes, "If any general list of English fishing localities (and their flies) be wanted, Mr. Hofland's elegant work on angling can generally supply it." As the copyright of Hofland's work is the property of the present publisher, he thinks he cannot do better than give such extracts from it, as may with the addition of his own experience and inquiries, help the London angler to shape his course. He has taken considerable pains to obtain a correct account of the INNS, and particularly of the angling FISHERMEN at the various stations, most of whom have punts of their own, and know exactly the best pitches, and whatever else belongs to the sport. He does not propose to attempt details beyond the Thames, Lea, New River, Wandle, Colne, Mole, Trent, Avon, Dove, and a few others, including some miscellaneous fishing waters, respecting which he can give a tolerably correct and useful account. Those who want information respecting other waters may consult one or other of the following books: Hofland's Angler's Manual, by Jesse, second edition, 1848, for general information respecting most of the principal rivers in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland; Hansard's Trout and Salmon Fishing in WALES, 1834, for very useful information in respect to all the Welsh fishing-waters; for the scenery of Wales, and an account of its rivers, there is nothing more beautiful or interesting than Roscoe's Views in North and South Wales, 2 vols. 8vo, each with 50 beautiful steel engravings and a map, price 10s. 6d.; Stoddart's Angler's Companion to the Rivers and Lakes of SCOTLAND, second edition, 1853, a most complete and accurate work; Colquhoun's Moor and Loch, with an Essay on Loch fishing, Edinburgh, 1851; Anderson's Guide to the Highlands of Scotland, 1850; O'Gorman's Practice of Angling_in IRELAND, 2 vols., Dublin, 1845; Shipley and Fitzgibbon's Art of Fly.

G G

fishing in the Dove, (1838), for what relates to that river and the
fishing-waters of Derbyshire; Anderdon's River Dove, with Thoughts
on Angling, 1847; Mackintosh's Driffield Angler, Gainsboro', 1840,
and since, a small but useful little work for the Driffield and
other YORKSHIRE RIVERS; Pulman's Book of the AXE, third_edition,
1854. For the Rivers of South Wales, particularly the USK, Lascelles'
Familiar Letters on Angling, &c., and several others, of which
complete list may be found in Russell Smith's Catalogue of Books on
Angling, 1856, published at eighteen pence.

a

INDEX

OF

THE RIVERS, SUBSCRIPTION WATERS, AND FISHING STATIONS
MENTIONED IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES.

** For the distances, the reader had better consult Bradshaw, or the A.B.C. Railway Guide.

THE THAMES.

Note. When the term preserved is used in the following pages, as regards the Thames, it must not be understood that angling is prohibited, but that the waters are protected by stakes and bailiffs against poaching, and fishing during the fence months. The conservators of the Thames, and the various protecting societies, exercise no other jurisdiction, at least as regards the angler. This is mentioned because a recent book professing to be a guide to fishing-waters, mistakes preserved waters as prohibitions to the angler.

THE THAMES is undoubtedly head-quarters for the London angler, and is not exceeded for the abundance and variety of its fish by any river in England. Steam-boats, gas-works, common-sewers, and an enormous traffic, have driven the fish to a considerable distance from the metropolitan portion of the river, and it would now be useless to fish, as was the common practice once upon a time, at London, Blackfriars, or Westminster Bridge: fish could not live in those now poisonous waters for an hour. Indeed, excepting in two or three of the docks, which have as yet partially escaped the contamination, tolerable angling hardly commences east of Richmond Bridge. We begin with the DOCKS.

THE SURREY CANAL DOCK, at Rotherhithe, is a subscription water at a guinea a-year, or a shilling a-day. It is well stocked with jack, pearch, roach, bream, eels, and there is occasionally a carp or tench. The waters here as well as in the other docks are in most parts of them inconveniently deep.

THE COMMERCIAL DOCKS, also at Rotherhithe, (where floating timbers are sometimes stationary for years,) used to abound with pearch, roach, and large bream, but they have greatly diminished. Tickets for the season may be procured, without charge, by application to the dockmaster, or one of the directors of the company, or at the company's office at Leadenhall-street. The best baits are shrimps, alive or in pieces.

THE EAST INDIA AND THE WEST INDIA DOCKS, (one east, the other west of Blackwall) afford very tolerable pearch and bream fishing, and there are also roach, dace, eels, and pike, but they are daily becoming fewer. Orders to fish may be obtained, without difficulty, from Mr. Collins, secretary, at the company's house, Billiter-square. Trains leave the Blackwall station five minutes before every quarter, and boats to the East India Docks leave London Bridge every quarter of an hour. The bream in the East India docks have sometimes weighed 7 lbs., pearch 3 lbs., and not very long since a pike was caught in the West India Docks which weighed 28 lbs.

There are probably fish in some of the private docks, but in ST. CATHERINE'S and the LONDON DOCKS where there is much traffic and change, the sportsman is not likely to find anything but eels. Indeed these are pretty well poisoned by copper bottomed vessels.

As much local knowledge is required for successful fishing in the

various docks as in any part of the river. Live shrimps are principally used but a writer in the Angler's Almanack, 1855, says that he had much better success with small pieces of shrimp, after they had been skinned, about the size of a pea. In the Commercial Docks, at a depth of 18 inches, as well as near the ground, he caught with this bait pearch, bream, roach, dace, chub, and gudgeon.

WESTERN COURSE OF THE THAMES.

BATTERSEA BRIDGE is the first station westward of London, and but an indifferent one. Here some good-sized roach, and dace, are occasionally taken, from July to October, but, owing to the increasing impurity of the water, they are every day becoming scarcer. The fishing is preserved, 10 yards east to 10 west of the bridge. FISHERMAN, Mr. Graves.

FULHAM (AND PUTNEY) BRIDGE, affords rather better fishing than Battersea. The waters are preserved for 30 yards west to 20 east of the bridge. Anglers are recommended to try under the arches alongside the piles, and towards the middle of the river. Two hours before and one hour after flood are the best periods for these stations. FISHERMAN, John Phelps.

BRENTFORD, off the aits, and several other places on the river west of Putney, afford very fair sport for barbel, roach, dace, and very large gudgeon; but the fishing is not so good as may be had a little higher up at and beyond Richmond and Twickenham, where the waters are purer. FISHERMEN, Henry and Richard Deer.

THE RIVER BRENT empties itself into the Grand Junction Canal, at Brentford, and so into the Thames at Kew ferry; but it is hardly worth the sportsman's attention, as in summer many of the upper parts of it are almost dry. But about a quarter of a mile before its junction with the canal, there is very good fishing for bream, in August and September. At FINCHLEY, HENDON, and KINGSBURY there are some deep holes that contain jack, chub, and pearch, but excepting at Kingsbury, which is preserved, they are too often fished and netted to leave much chance to the angler. See KINGSBURY, p. 480.

ISLEWORTH, no deep, but excellent fishing, especially for dace and gudgeon. INNS, the London Apprentice, Orange Tree, and Coach and Horses; FISHERMEN, Sam. Styles and John Platt.

RICHMOND.-Here the angler will find the first and most extensive deep, or preserve, on the river. This, and the other preserves in the Thames, were granted by the corporation of London, whose jurisdiction extends to Staines, for angling exclusively; and fishermen are not allowed to cast a net of any kind into the river westward of the bridge, as far as the Duke of Buccleuch's, a distance of 700 yards, or into any other preserve hereinafter named. A recent Angler's Guide says there is a weir at Richmond-he'd be troubled to find it.

Barbel, roach, dace, gudgeon, and eels, are the principal fish caught here, but chub, pike, and pearch are frequently taken; trout but rarely, although there is just now a report that a very fine one is lying in the deep above the bridge.