CONISTON LAKE 103 



and owls are excellent flies. The March brown 

 is not much good after May. You don't want to 

 use flies too large, and the gut should be fine. 



" Fishing from a boat is always pleasant. You 

 must fish in water from 2 to about 4 feet. The 

 whole secret of fishing from a boat is to have an 

 experienced person at the oars. The boat should 

 be kept parallel with the shore, and it should go 

 very slowly, and with the wind. A light wind is 

 useless. No matter how cleanly you throw, the 

 fish will seldom take any notice of your flies. I 

 have never fished a whole day for trout, but in a 

 few hours have got about nine brace. The whole 

 thing, however, depends on getting the right wind, 

 enough of it, and a steady wind. 



" I really do not think that netting the trout [with 

 a view of improving the fishing] would do any 

 good here. They are not too numerous, and there 

 is plenty of food. I think that there is too much 

 bottom food, consequently the trout don't really 

 rise as freely as they should. 



" The average size of the trout in the lake is three 

 to the pound, but they are frequently caught from 

 half-a-pound to three-quarters. The largest I have 

 ever caught with the fly was if Ibs., and occasionally 

 I have caught them about a pound. I have seen 

 one of 3 Ibs., which was caught trolling. It is 

 always good fly-fishing at the mouths of the 

 streams which run into Coniston when there is 

 plenty of water coming down. Fishing in the 

 stream is disappointing, as the trout are very 

 small ; but if there is plenty of rain one may 

 always expect to catch a few good fish (which 

 have come up from the lake) when the stream is 

 beginning to fine down. There are plenty of pike 



