98 WHAT I HAVE SEEN WHILE FISHING 



perpendicular wall without one single landing-place 

 for a net has made these men adepts in the needed 

 method, and when once the word "fish" is uttered 

 everything proceeds at lightning speed, yet fault- 

 lessly. 



Wherever the owner of a river himself holds 

 and works the main net fishery it is a matter of 

 the utmost consequence to him that the greatest 

 possible number of fish that the river can find 

 healthy accommodation for should be allowed to 

 ascend ; so anglers in all such cases have the fullest 

 justification for expecting sport. There are no 

 traps to stop the fish here ; so, given a spate, all 

 is well. 



I add, with pleasure, that there is not a river that 

 I have fished in during my many visits to Ireland 

 that is so well looked after as this. The head 

 keeper and Mr. Walker, our host, are real enthusi- 

 asts, who will, as I proved, watch through the long 

 hours of the night to make a capture of poachers 

 they said it was a duty and looked quite pleased 

 and excited. But that is a story to be told in 

 connection with the pros and cons generally of the 

 still far too prevalent practice of fish poaching in 

 Ireland. 



