238 ENGLISH LAKE DISTRICT FISHERIES 



feres with nature and disturbs the balance of animal or 

 vegetable life. 



Imagine a Fishery starting with the idea of improving 

 Lake Windermere, for instance, and being mismanaged as 

 so many are. Not only would a great deal of money and 

 time be lost, but more harm might happen to the lake in a 

 few years by this injudicious management than by any 

 natural means. 



I consider it quite out of the question to think of improving 

 the larger lakes at present. Beyond keeping down the perch, 

 which are far too numerous, I should not interfere with the 

 present state of things. Perch can be netted out during the 

 spawning season very easily, and destroyed. They do little 

 harm to trout except for the fact of their being most vora- 

 cious, and where there are a lot of perch there cannot be 

 many trout. 



What I should suggest is that a start should be made with 

 one of the smallest lakes in the Lake District. 



If the thing is properly managed in a practical manner, in 

 three years' time the fame of this little lake will have reached 

 over England. New fishing hotels will be started on its 

 banks ; fishing tickets will be sold which will begin to repay 

 the outlay ; and hotel managers who live on other lakes less 

 favoured will be clamouring for some way of introducing 

 fresh blood into their waters, so that they too may benefit by 

 the influx of angling visitors. There is no exaggeration in 

 all this. 



I myself had a barren piece of water Nickey Nook 

 Reservoir where the trout were bottom feeders, because 

 there was such a lot of food and so few trout. They grew 

 to an enormous size, but never rose to a fly ; the only way 

 we could catch them occasionally was with a minnow. Now 

 all this is changed. 



Most of these monsters were destroyed, the lake was 

 restocked with thousands of yearlings, and to-day it is one 

 of the finest pieces of water in the country. One can go 

 up there and get 20 or 30 fish almost at any time, fine fish 

 too ! Now the ideal lake I would start with must have a 

 small watershed only. It would be well if there was a hotel 

 or good inn on or near it, and that it was accessible to the 

 public. 



I should not care if it was infested with pike or perch ; 



