1903 The Angler s Winter 19 



ditions to the deeper water. Perhaps, however, the Trout 

 ought hardly to be named with the angler's winter fish, since, 

 to be accurate, the close time during which it enjoys the 

 protection of the law covers the entire period (September to 

 the end of March) commonly known as winter. The Roach, 

 a pet fish with the bank-anglers of Thames and Lea, is also 

 at its best in the winter months, a plump, hard -fighting 

 fish, very different from the flabby fellow he was in the hot 

 weather. 



The most remarkable exception to this prevalent excellence 

 of river-fish in the winter months is found in that handsome 

 creature, the Barbel. I believe it is a fact that Barbel are 

 never caught in winter. Whether they feed, perhaps, on 

 some natural food that the angler has not yet determined 

 and tried on the hook is an open question. It is hardly to 

 be supposed that, like some reptiles, they fast for half the 

 year. On the other hand, though few people bait their 

 swims and fish for Barbel when there is ice on the water, 

 there are plenty of hooks baited with worms every week-end 

 in the Thames between Oxford and London, and it is hardly 

 credible that not a single Barbel would ever be hooked in 

 cold weather unless the species underwent some sort of 

 torpid retirement, or at any rate neglected all ordinary kinds 

 of food at that season. I have not done any fresh-water 

 coarse-fishing for years, and I may be in error, but if any 

 reader of the ' Field Naturalist's Quarterly ' is in the habit 

 of catching winter Barbel I shall be very grateful for 

 particulars of the bait and conditions. The place I need 

 not know, as I am no enthusiast at such work, and my 

 curiosity is scientific and not sporting. 



No reference to winter fishes from the standpoint of the 

 angler would be complete without alluding to the king of 

 them all, the Salmon, fishing for which opens during the 

 first week of February on such rivers as the Hampshire 

 Avon and Stour, the Sussex Adur, and the Highland Tay. 

 The Teign, on the other hand, by the banks of which I 

 have thought out these few notes, reposes for a further 

 month, the nets not being brought out until the second day 

 in March. It has always struck me that the Salmon gets 

 an all too short close time. If we were quite sure that the 



