44 AN ANGLER'S YEAR 



ago perch were plentiful in this river, and good bags 

 might be then taken in certain favourite spots. About 

 1892, however, an epidemic seemed to sweep away multi- 

 tudes of these fish, so that for some years perching was 

 lost labour. During the last year or two these fish have 

 again increased in numbers, and may be taken by careful 

 fishing with appropriate tackle in the right spots. Shoals 

 of small ones are to be seen in many quiet eddies, 

 especially around the mills, and fine specimens are 

 occasionally taken. That large perch and such, in 

 my opinion, are the only perch worth fishing for were 

 ever found in shoals in the Kennet I can hardly 

 believe. In the nature of things, predatory fish such as 

 perch, loving small deep holes and eddies, could hardly 

 dwell together in unity ; and indeed, even if the 

 apparently impossible were to happen, would have very 

 grave difficulty in getting a living. That we have not 

 more reports of these handsome fish being taken in the 

 Kennet is, I think, due to more causes than their scarcity. 

 Other reasons, I would respectfully suggest, are, firstly, 

 that the cunning angler says nothing about his captures, 

 and, secondly, that the fish are learning wisdom by 

 experience, and disdain to have any truck with the 

 average angler's coarse tackle. 



This brings me to the question of outfit for both 

 paternostering and ledgering for perch. It should be 

 said at once that the angling in the Kennet is rarely 

 done by boat, and is indeed essentially bank-fishing. 

 The writer may say that after ten years' acquaintance 

 with the river, he has only once been afloat upon its 

 waters ; and then it was in a crazy old punt, which was 

 being taken down the river for weed-cutting. 



This being the case, in order to cover the water 

 properly, especially when paternostering, a longish, light 

 rod is a necessity ; the best for the purpose is twelve to 

 thirteen feet in length, built, as regards the lower joints, 

 of whole-cane with a light springy top of greenheart, or, 

 better still, in the writer's opinion, lancewood. This 

 latter wood, although not so dependable as greenheart 

 and more liable to warp, is lighter ; and lightness and 



