

THE BOARD OF CONSERVATORS 117 



properly or in a mood to discriminate as to the choice 

 of their food. 



THE BOARD OF CONSERVATORS 



The opening of the trout-fishing season is regulated 

 by the fishing conservators, and if the gentlemen 

 controlling these associations could only be induced, 

 in the interests of the rivers they control, to consider 

 the causes which lead to the depopulated condition 

 of certain rivers in June and July, it is probable they 

 would defer the opening day from the middle of 

 February to the middle of March, or even later. I 

 have noticed that local fishermen on many Welsh 

 streams seem to regard their legitimate fishing as over 

 by the end of May, and judging by the big creels 

 which they are able to obtain in February, March, 

 and April it is little wonder that they leave the rivers 

 and the few remaining trout during the summer 

 months to the anxious attention of their visitors, 

 whose dry fly but too frequently falls on waters 

 from which nearly every trout of takable size has dis- 

 appeared. It must be evident that with late spawn- 

 ing fish and a very hard January, February, and 

 March, it is a mistake to permit trout fishing to open 

 in February, or at any rate until the great majority 

 of fish in each particular river have recovered their 

 condition. Rivers in which the trout spawn late are 

 said to produce the best results, as the alevin emerges 

 into the world under more favourable conditions as far 



