14 TROUT-FISHING FOR THE BEGINNER 



In addition to lack of food caused by 

 floods, trout have nowadays to put up with 

 a deal of discomfort in the way of refuse 

 from mills, roads, etc., which finds its way 

 into the rivers. In many instances whole 

 stretches of water have been depleted of 

 trout owing to this cause, and until something 

 is done to counteract the evil, it is only 

 waste of money to restock. 



In many streams, again, the normal level of 

 the water is now so low that the fish suffer 

 considerably from the attentions of poachers. 

 This is particularly noticeable in autumn, 

 when the trout are running up to the spawn- 

 ing beds. Many of them are temporarily 

 stranded in the pools, and the poacher, 

 with his net or spear, proceeds to work his 

 wicked will by capturing scores of fish which 

 would otherwise help to swell the existing 

 stock. 



Good trout fishing is a great asset to any 

 country district, and many of our city cor- 

 porations are well aware of the fact, as witness 

 the successful handling of such reservoirs as 

 Blagdon and Vyrnwy, where the fly-fishing 

 is of the finest in the kingdom. When we 

 think of the amount of sport that trout 

 afford to rich and poor alike, for in many 

 districts, more particularly in the north and 



