FLY-FISHER. 87 



make excursions in any direction. In the first 

 place, that magnificent sheet of water, Llyn 

 Tegid, or, as it is called by the English, " Bala 

 Pool," is the most important lake in Wales, being 

 about four miles in length, and a mile and a half 

 broad. It lies in a sort of basin, towards which 

 the hills descend so gradually, that its banks, 

 though gently picturesque and well wooded, lack 

 the abrupt grandeur of the lakes in more moun- 

 tainous districts. The fishing is very varied; 

 trout, pike, and perch are to be taken, and, of 

 course, in a variety of ways. Sometimes monsters 

 of each kind are captured;* trout of three or 

 four pounds rise to the fly in favourable weather, 

 and some from seven to ten pounds have been 

 killed lately when trolling for pike. 



The fishing for trout or pike, however, depends 

 much on the weather, and the fish are very capri- 

 cious ; but the perch-fishing almost always affords 

 sport, and as the fish average a quarter of pound 

 and sometimes run larger, it is often resorted to 



* Pennant mentions one which weighed twenty-five 

 pounds. He also speaks of the gwyniad, or char, as 

 abounding, and mentions one taken which weighed 

 five pounds. (?) These fish have since become very 

 scarce and seldom met with, probably in consequence 

 of the whim of the late Sir Watkin Wynn, who encou- 

 raged the pike, and would not suffer that ravenoua 

 worthless fish to be destroyed. 



