PIKE IN TROUT WATERS 205 



are, too, these additional advantages ; first, the water 

 is left practically undisturbed, for nothing unsettles 

 fish so much as the sight of a net following upon 

 the demolition of their weedy homes j and, secondly, 

 no trout or grayling will have been injured by rough 

 treatment in the nets. 



Several preliminary matters must be arranged 

 before the netting operations are begun. Thus the 

 dates fixed for the work should be convenient for the 

 farmers, millers, and others who might be affected by 

 interference with the natural flow of the water. The 

 weeds in the main river, tributaries, carriers, and 

 ditches require cutting so that the net may be pre- 

 vented from rolling, and the hiding-places for fish 

 removed. The keepers, too, must arrange to have 

 control over all hatches and sluices, to lower or 

 raise the water level as occasion may demand. 

 An excellent suggestion is offered by Mr. Halford in 

 his * Making a Fishery/ and it is worthy of adoption, 

 especially when netting a strange river. In order to 

 ascertain the locality of the deep holes and the posi- 

 tion of all obstructions, which might hang up or tear 

 the nets, he advises that a heavy chain should be 

 dragged along the river bed and a note made of every 

 spot where extra precautions should be taken to keep 

 the nets clear of awkward impediments. 



