NEW WATERS 281 



trout waters. Such a fishery as that of the Enton 

 Fly Fishing Club in Surrey encourages similar 

 schemes elsewhere. Engineering difficulties apart, 

 it seems such a simple matter to dam a small valley 

 and so to cover a few acres of land permanently 

 with water that the proceeding must commend 

 itself, especially as trout grow very well on such 

 submerged land. 



The chief thing to aim at in the management 

 of such fisheries is, I imagine, ensuring a periodical 

 lowering of part of the water so that the land may 

 be dry for a time. Then with a renewal of rich 

 vegetation it seems to renew its power of fattening 

 the fish. If such an alteration of levels is not 

 feasible probably the best policy is to ensure a strong 

 growth of useful water plants, and the stock of 

 food which they promote, before any fish are put 

 into the water. Then they are less likely to deterior- 

 ate after this initial rapidity of development. One 

 more safeguard has always seemed to me very 

 desirable, the screening-off of certain shallow areas 

 as food nurseries. If larvae, shrimps, snails, etc., 

 have sanctuaries into which the fish, or at any rate 

 the bigger fish, cannot pursue them, tliey will 

 increase very rapidly, and so tlie rest of the water 

 will always receive the surplus stock as it spreads 

 beyond the borders of the protected areas. 



Though there is, as I have said, not enough trout 



