SS SOUTH COUNTRY TROUT STREAMS 



are full too of interesting historical memories. It 

 was at Mcrton that our greatest of sea heroes and 

 deliverers used in intervals of peace to follow his 

 favourite pursuit of fly fishing ; and in Beddington 

 Park, where Queen Elizabeth once stayed a short 

 time, Sir Francis Carew first planted oranges from 

 pips brought across the Atlantic by another national 

 hero. Sir Walter Raleigh. Beddington is not the 

 place for any but building experiments in these 

 times. As for the poor Wandle at Merton, it is 

 a shocking sight and colour ; you might indeed as 

 well fly fish at Wandsworth as at Merton to-day. 

 Still there are two or three miles of the Wandle 

 yet left to the privileged angler, and in this short 

 length there are plenty of good trout to be hooked 

 now and then by the very skilful hand. In 

 Carshalton itself there is a sheet of water where you 

 may often see a few fish cruising about, and both 

 above and below re-stocking has been persevered in. 

 The Wandle is here swelled by several clear and 

 copious springs. 



The stream rises by Croydon and flows to 

 Beddington, Hackbridge, Carshalton, Mitcham, 

 and Merton. It joins the Thames four and a 

 half miles down from the last named place, and 

 of course need not be considered as a trout 

 stream after it has left Mitcham. The May-fly is 

 unknown on this water, and seems never to have 

 been a Wandle insect. We find Davy remarking 

 on its absence early in the century. The best 

 artificials are the small chalk stream patterns of 

 duns and quills ; and the best method of angling 

 is, I can hardly doubt, the dry fly. 



The chief stretches are now in the hands of Mr. 

 J. H. Bridges (Lord of the Manor of Beddington) ; 



