18 THAMES FISHING. 



accustomed to the boat, and had been seen feeding 

 close to its sides, he endeavoured, at various times, 

 and in different ways, to induce them to take a 

 bait, but never succeeded, and I verily believe, the 

 fish are at this moment in the full enjoyment of 

 their native element. 



Many curious anecdotes have been related to 

 me respecting the capture of Thames trout, and I 

 will relate one or two of them. Mr. Marshall, of 

 whom honourable mention has already been made, 

 and who is so well known to every lover of Thames 

 angling, during one of his piscatorial excursions 

 in the present season, (1835) hooked a trout in the 

 Thames of twelve pounds weight. After playing 

 it for some time, the fish struggled greatly, and at 

 last made a leap out of the water nearly a yard 

 high, and shook the hooks completely out of his 

 mouth, which Mr. Marshall plainly saw. On 

 losing the fish, lie let the hooks run directly down 

 the stream, and the trout being very tired, and of 

 course less active, he suddenly pulled, and hooked 

 it again under the fore-fin and caught it. The 

 fish was so tired that it lay on its side for half an 

 hour after it was in the well of the boat. 



Mr. Marshall also caught a trout which weighed 

 sixteen pounds, and which had broken from him 

 the preceding day. The set of hooks and a portion 

 of the line which had been broken were found in 

 his mouth. This fish, with the tackle in his 



