230 ENGLISH LAKE DISTRICT FISHERIES 



be taken only in a single " cubble," is it more 

 certain that ten nets restricted to certain portions 

 of the lake (as of old) would kill fewer fish 

 than (say) five nets (as now) fishing in any and 

 every part of the lake ; and further, would the 

 former necessarily kill double the number of the 

 latter ? 



Owing to the great depth and. other physical 

 peculiarities of Windermere its trout are not 

 free risers. They feed off the bottom. In fact, 

 it is only under certain specially favourable 

 conditions, and over a short period, that they 

 rise at all. Can anything be done by intro- 

 ducing the progeny of fish which rise freely at 

 fly in other lakes (Loch Leven for instance) to 

 improve this state of affairs ? 



Then with regard to the big cannibal trout which 

 are so common in the lake should these be pro- 

 tected or taken out ? Certain it is that they do not 

 rise at the fly, and consequently would never be 

 taken by anglers (this, of course, is always except- 

 ing <( trailing," which is sport to one man, and a 

 species of poaching to another). 



The access of salmon to Windermere has been 

 made easy by the removal of obstacles in the 

 Leven ; and it is an interesting question as to 

 how far the presence of salmon in the lake will 

 prejudicially affect trout. Can we have both ; or 

 which is to be given precedence ; or, on the other 

 hand, are salmon to be debarred from the spawning 

 facilities which the tributaries of the lake afford, so 

 that a few more trout may be killed ? The fact 

 of the salmon's reproducing its kind is the chief 

 factor here, because salmon are rarely, if ever, 

 caught in the lake except by accident. 



