CHAPTER XXIV. 

 STOCKING PONDS. 



"But we'll take no care when the weather proves fair;. 



Nor will we vex though it rain; 

 We'll banish all sorrow, and sing till to-morrow, 

 And angle, and angle again." 



IZAAK WALTON. 



EXCELLENT fishing might frequently be had in ponds close to one's own 

 residence, ponds to which you need make no expensive pilgrimage, as 

 for the mountain-loving Mahseer, ponds to which you might easily resort 

 any morning or evening that you had an hour or so to spare. Golden 

 opportunities for creating excellent sport are thrown away through 

 want of knowledge, so I shall venture a few words on stocking ponds 

 in India. 



First, I will tell you of a little experiment which I made myself. 

 Close to my house at Vallam, in the Tanjore District, was a rain-fed 

 pond of some three to five acres of waterspread, as my memory runs. 

 It ran very dry in the famine, and the opportunity was taken to clear 

 it out for sanitary purposes. Thus it had been cleared of all predatory 

 fish, and this was my opportunity. When it refilled with water, I put 

 in about 2 Ibs. weight of well selected fry of non-predatory fish. Their 

 intrinsic value was about 2 annas, say, 3^., but, by reason of my living 

 7 miles from the river, I actually paid 2 rupees, say, 4^., for them. I 

 threw in a handful of small snails, and I prohibited any sort of fishing 

 for eighteen months. I soon saw the banks lined with young snails, 

 and observed that the fish were doing well. At the close of the 

 eighteen months' rest, I made it known that any one might fish with 

 rod and line as much as ever they liked for nothing. The banks soon 

 showed increasing numbers of native anglers. When they had got 

 well accustomed to it, and were thoroughly happy about their takes, I 



