THE RIVER LUGG 3 



Lugg, meandering through its meadows, has just 

 now in its fullness a really noble aspect. The 

 neighbourhood has an ancient reputation for the 

 quality of its trout fishing, and in bygone days 

 it was a great privilege to fish its waters. Of late 

 years I understand it has been somewhat neg- 

 lected, and chiefly because some time ago when 

 " navvies " were at work in the neighbourhood 

 they seem to have regarded the river as their 

 special perquisite for poaching, and fine sport 

 they made of it. For many miles round here 

 their mode of taking fish was to explode dyna- 

 mite in the stream, which brought for them a 

 temporary supply of dead fish, but destroyed 

 thousands for no one's good. This diabolical 

 process continued for a long time, completely 

 depleted the river, and inflicted a permanent 

 injury from which it has not yet recovered, or is 

 only now recovering. 



I have wandered along its banks from one end 

 of the club water to the other, and have been 

 almost fascinated with the many spots which, to 

 an angler's eye, would seem to teem with fish 

 there, one might say, is the very spot, the pool, 

 the eddy, the stream where in imagination you 

 have only to cast your fly and land your creelful 

 of fish in no time; but in reality it is not so. 

 The truth must be told: the river is there, the 

 charm is there, the lovely beauties of Nature are 

 there, but the fish are not there ! 



