280 TROUT FISHING 



hand-fed for a time and weaned gradually, say 

 in about six weeks. Then they should not receive 

 the check to their growth which must result from 

 a temporary loss of condition. 



Of course the ideal fish for stocking are trout 

 which have never had any artificial food at all, 

 or at any rate not since they were fry. But they 

 are very hard to get and are naturally expensive, 

 as they require so much more pond space in a fishery. 

 The fortunate owner of a trout stream which runs 

 in several channels, as do some of the chalk rivers, 

 can get the desired result by turning fry or small 

 yearlings into one of his carriers and transferring 

 them to the main river when they are big enough. 

 Something can also be done in a river itself by 

 screening off an area of shallows, but this has its 

 drawbacks. The screens must be cleared frequently 

 and a flood will probably upset the whole arrange- 

 ment. For most people, however, hand-fed stock 

 fish are a necessity and therefore the question of 

 carrying on the feeding for a time is important. 



The other method of creating trout fishing is the 

 one suggested by the success of Ravensthorpe, 

 Blagdon, and other artificial lakes. This, on any- 

 thing like a big scale, is a costly business, but in a 

 small way it should be within the scope of some 

 landowners, and I expect that the future will see 

 a considerable increase in the number of artificial 



