THE BERKSHIRE STREAMS 91 



had in addition to the main stream a length of the 

 Dun, a small tributary flowing into the Kennet at 

 this point, and rising near Shalbourne. The " marsh 

 meadows " sometimes afforded pleasant sport when 

 no fin stirred on the larger water. A few years 

 ago the club migrated to the Wylye, and the water 

 reverted to the Corporation. For some reason or 

 other sport had become very poor out of the May- 

 fly season, but since then the fish seem to have 

 risen at the artificial fly a little more freely. There 

 are some very good grayling at Hungerford, but 

 they are not free risers at any time of year. 

 Below Hungerford, Kintbury, and Hampstead Park 

 belonging to Lord Craven, are both noted for big 

 trout, and in Mr. Lloyd Baxendale's water, 

 close to Newbury, a five-pounder is by no means 

 out of the cornmon. But in these big waters there 

 is scarcely any rise at the small fly, and the May- 

 fly season is the great time. The river is broad as 

 well as deep in parts, and I have more than once 

 seen anglers wielding a double-handed twelve foot 

 rod for casting the dry May-fly to the rising fish — 

 scarcely a very delicate style of angling. 



The Kennet is navigable up to Newbury, and 

 below that town the river is rather one for coarse fish 

 than for trout. The fly is not often very successful 

 below Newbury, the trout being large and few and 

 far between. Between Aldermaston and Padworth 

 Mills Mr. Keyser has stocked the river with two- 

 year-old fish — in the seasons of 1894-5, he put in 

 800 trout of that age — but very few of these have 

 so far been taken. One trout of 6 lbs. was killed 

 in 1897 in this water, and other large ones have 

 been seen. Coarse fish abound, the pike running 

 to a great size — seventeen or eighteen pounds — 



