SOME HEAVY BASKETS AND BIG FISH 113 



With regard to English rivers, two days' fishing 

 on the Mimram, in Hertfordshire, are well worthy of 

 notice. In the year when they took place, 1879, 

 this little river held large trout, as in certain portions 

 it does still. The two days' sport to which I allude 

 occurred on July 2 and July 31 on the Hoo water 

 belonging to Lord Dacre, Lord Romney being the 

 fisherman. On July 2 he killed 8 trout, which 

 together weighed 25 Ibs., and turned back two more. 

 On July 31 he caught 4 trout weighing respectively 

 5i> 5> 4i> an d 3 Ibs. ; total 17! Ibs., or an average 

 of more than 4^ Ibs. On this day Lord Romney 

 returned four other fish. These trout were killed 

 with a small g-foot greenheart rod and a fly some- 

 thing between a coch-y-Bondu and a c hackle ' 

 alder. A southerly wind was blowing, with heavy 

 showers at intervals. Now, without asserting that this 

 latter day is an absolute 'record,' it is one which is 

 hard to beat, as far as fly fishing for ordinary Salmo 

 fario in England is concerned, and for this reason 

 it is here mentioned. 



The number of trout of 4 Ibs. and over which are 

 caught during the course of the year in the Kennet, 

 Test and Itchen is not very great ; but at the same 

 time each season brings news of some monsters of 

 7 Ibs., and even larger, having been captured. 



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