MOUNTAIN TARNS 157 



In a note, Mr. Arthur Severn, as a result of his 

 personal experience, tells me that the tarn is full 

 of trout and char, the former running about five to 

 the pound. The largest char he himself has taken 

 was J Ib. ; but an old angler, resident in Coniston, 

 fishing Gates Water from 3 to 7.30 A.M., caught 

 seventy char. The man stated that he used a sort 

 of grub, which he threw like a fly, letting it sink a 

 little, and then drawing it towards him in jerks, 

 and the char took it instantly. The char in 

 Gates Water (according to the late Dr. Davy) 

 take the artificial fly readily ; but Mr. Severn 

 thinks it a disappointing place for fly-fishing. 



The Gates Water char are small (much smaller 

 than those of Windermere), but they are brightly 

 coloured, well-flavoured fish ; and, under favourable 

 circumstances, from a dozen to twenty may be 

 basketed. Char from here have frequently been 

 transported to Coniston ; in fact, it has been stated 

 that Coniston lake was originally stocked from 

 Gates Water. The trout are of the ordinary tarn 

 variety, and rise well to the fly. There is no cover 

 round Gates Water, and probably the goodness of 

 the fish is attributable to the considerable water- 

 shed which drains into it. Gates Water is 1,645 

 feet above sea level, the fourth highest tarn in the 

 Lake District. 



SEATHWAITE TARN 



The narrow pass in front of Gates Water is Gates 

 Hause, and over the pass is Seathwaite Tarn a 

 sheet of water specially interesting on account 

 of its association with Wordsworth's Wonderful 

 Walker. Part of Walker's stipend consisted in 

 the right to net the tarn ; and here is that great 



