RIVERS; AND HOTEL FISHINGS. 203 



means that a basket contains a few of three 

 quarters of a pound. I have caught a full 

 pounder on the opening day (March 4). 

 Generally the result of early downstream fishing 

 is that one catches a fair proportion of fish 

 but little over the nine inch limit fish if 

 weighed will often be found to be barely five 

 ounces. 



How one can manage at such a time to 

 select one's trout so as to obtain a good 

 average weight in pure downstream angling is 

 a problem that others must solve. Only this 

 last season as I looked at my dozen fish three 

 having been put back which were oversize in 

 order to allow of three better ones being taken 

 I could see that they averaged between six 

 and seven ounces, and were fully up to the 

 usual run of catches made at this season in 

 many former years. The next morning I met 

 two other strange rods, whom I had seen 

 fishing the same water. I answered the usual 

 questions as to number and commented on the 

 small size of March trout. Neither of them 

 agreed to this. The first man had got his 

 dozen * and they weighed ten pounds at the 

 hotel last night/ 'Did you put back many?' 

 I asked. ' No, only three or four.' 



A little bit later, on thinking this over, I 

 saw the other man who had caught seven. 

 4 Your friend's catch was very good : was it 

 twelve fish weighing ten pounds ?' ' Yes, that's 

 right, we weighed them at the hotel last evening, 

 a full ten pounds.' ' Well, that is a record 



