FLY FISHING FOR TROUT AND GRAYLING. 3<>7 



'feeder' or possible breeding ground, and must have been 

 casually stocked by some violent overflow of a neighbouring 

 burn. I had heard of large trout in this, and tried it from 

 mere curiosity, having never seen anything more dreary and 

 unpromising, less like a Christian tarn than a reach of the Styx. I 

 basketed five or six only ; not that the fish were shy, but simply, 

 as I fully believe, because they were few. They were all nearly of 

 a size, above a pound and under a pound and a half ; their out- 

 side colour pretty much that of a red Indian, and not unhand- 

 some. But when sent up to table they proved simply uneatable, 

 having the ' peat reek ' so strong that I tasted one merely from 

 a sense of duty, and dealt with the mouthful as Dr. Johnson 

 did with the hot pudding 'A fool might have swallowed it.' 

 Nothing better in flavour could have been expected from a 

 mere turf hole, but the weight of these fish may illustrate what 

 I have said of ' range of water ' as conducive to size. 



There are many large pieces of water, either altogether un- 

 used or given up to baser fish, which would carry a good head 

 of trout It is always assumed that these require running 

 water, or at least a pool fed by a stream or spring. But if turned 

 out young they will grow surprisingly in water absolutely stag- 

 nant but for a passing breeze or shower. I know a small 

 pond in the East Riding with no feeder or outlet, much 

 resembling the chalk ponds on the Hampshire Downs. It is 

 irregular in shape, but in area about equal to a circle of thirty 

 yards' radius ; shallow at the margin, but deepening to a small 

 island in the centre ; the ground shelving towards it for some 

 distance, so that a heavy rain soon tells on its level. Its ordi- 

 nary inhabitants are numerous tench and gold-fish, with a few 

 minnows of extraordinary size. Into this pond the owner, who is 

 not only a skilful fly fisher but much interested in pisciculture, 

 turned a few small trout from the Driffield Beck as an experi- 

 ment Two or three years after I often saw a good fish rising 

 near the little island, and about four years after the stock were 

 turned in one of them was taken weighing 4 Ibs. 7 oz. I did 

 not see the fish, but was assured that he was in good condition. 



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