98 ENGLISH LAKE DISTRICT FISHERIES 



conducted under some authoritative governing 

 body. It contains far too many fish. 



What is wanted is that numbers of these should 

 be taken out, and the results carefully watched 

 not that money should be thrown away in pouring 

 additional fish into the lake, which is being done. 



When a fish-producing lake is not netted, the 

 fishery is certain to degenerate, and that is what 

 Coniston is suffering from. The pike and perch 

 (particularly the latter) ought to be rigorously 

 netted ; and an interchange of trout might be 

 made with some neighbouring water. The netting 

 applies to the minnows in an even greater degree, 

 only to substantially reduce their number would be 

 almost impracticable. I have it on the authority 

 of one who has spent thirty years on the lake, that 

 in winter fully an acre of water may be seen packed 

 with minnows, and that over this area it would be 

 impossible to let a pebble fall without coming in 

 contact with a fish. I have reason to believe that 

 this statement is accurate, and, if so, it is no 

 wonder that Coniston fails as an angling lake. The 

 systematic netting of hitherto neglected sheets of 

 water has almost invariably proved successful in 

 providing sport and increasing the size of fish. 

 In confirmation of this, let me give an illustra- 

 tion from within the Lake District itself. Take 

 the case of the irregular chain of lakes, Buttermere, 

 Crummock and Loweswater. 



Buttermere is preserved but not netted, and its 

 trout run three to the pound. 



Crummock divided from Buttermere by a 

 stretch of meadow only is netted (there are parts 

 where netting is impracticable) and the trout 

 average half a pound. 



