A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



devote themselves almost entirely to this sport. 

 Unfortunately the gudgeon, like some other fish, 

 have much decreased in numbers of late years, 

 but from six to twelve dozen are even now 

 caught from a single punt during a day's angling. 3 

 Twenty years ago as many as twenty dozen fish 

 were often taken from a punt in the course of a 

 day. Tench fishing in some parts of the river 

 is exceedingly good, and although very few fish 

 are caught the reason is to be found in the fact 

 that few anglers devote the necessary time and 

 expense to baiting those swims in which tench 

 are found. The Thames methods of using a 

 paternoster and of casting out spinning and other 

 baits are known all the world over. Of late 

 years the Trent methods of casting from the 

 reel for pike and what is termed ' long corking' 

 for chub and barbel has come into vogue. 



The Thames fishery regulations, which are 

 exceedingly stringent, were drawn up by the 

 Thames Conservators after consultation with 

 the various angling preservation societies. The 

 close season for coarse fish commences on 

 1 5 March and terminates on 1 5 June. Netting 

 is strictly prohibited except for bait with nets of 

 small size. Owners of private fisheries may use 

 one or two specified nets of small size with large 

 mesh, but this is a privilege of little value and 

 of which they very rarely avail themselves. 



One other river in Buckinghamshire remains 

 for mention, namely, the Great Ouse, which rises 

 on the border of the county near Blackney, and 

 flows across it by Buckingham, Stony Stratford, 

 and near Newport Pagnel and Olney, and thence 

 into Bedfordshire. This portion of the Ouse 

 contains all the usual coarse fish except barbel. 

 The fishing is of the same character as the 

 Thames, but on the whole somewhat better, 

 though the fish are neither so large nor so numer- 

 ous as in Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire where 

 the river increases in size. 



In the hope of ascertaining whether salmon 

 can ascend the river, the Thames Salmon Asso- 

 ciation, of which the chairman is Lord Des- 

 borough, during a period of four or five years 

 turned some thousands of salmon smolts into the 

 lower reaches of the Thames. The work must 

 be regarded as purely experimental, and no posi- 

 tive results have been obtained. The main ques- 

 tion seems to be whether the pollution of the 



* It is believed that the steam launch traffic, to 

 which of late has been added that of the motor boat, 

 is very destructive to the spawn and young fry of 

 fish. 



estuary is such that the salmon will or will not 

 enter its waters. Smelts (not to be confounded 

 with salmon smolts) come up from the sea as 

 far as Teddington, a fact which suggests there 

 is nothing in the Thames estuary actually destruc- 

 tive to fish life. The condition of the estuary has 

 of late years been much improved by the work of 

 the London County Council, in purifying sewage, 

 but the waste products from chemical works are 

 inimical to fish life. 



The Thames Salmon Association has more 

 recently introduced a continental species of 

 salmon into the Thames, the Salmo Hucho of 

 the Danube and other rivers. It is believed that 

 this species does not migrate to the sea. It is 

 too soon yet to report on the results of the 

 experiment. Among other new fish, the rain- 

 bow trout (Salmon irideui) should be mentioned. 

 One of over 3 Ib. in weight was caught at 

 Abingdon in 1907. Not many have been 

 placed in the Thames. 



In this connexion it must be noticed that the 

 latest authentic records of indigenous Thames 

 salmon refer to this county. The Rev. George 

 Venables in his Records of Buckinghamshire repro- 

 duces the daily log of an old fisherman who lived 

 and plied his calling at Boulter's Lock ; it con- 

 tains particulars of the annual catch of salmon in 

 this part of the river from the year 1794 to 1821 

 inclusive. The catches varied greatly : to select 

 a few examples in 1794 fifteen fish, weighing 

 148 Ib. were taken ; in 1801 the total was sixty- 

 six fish weighing 1,124 ^., the greatest number 

 taken during the series of twenty-six seasons ; in 

 1804, sixty-two fish were caught, and in the 

 following year only seven ; 1812 was the best 

 for seven years, eighteen fish weighing 224 Ib. 

 being taken; in 1816 the catch totalled fourteen, 

 weighing 179 Ib., and thereafter the annual 

 return never exceeded five salmon and those were 

 caught in 1820; two, weighing 31 Ib. were 

 taken at Boulter's Weir in 1821, and these two 

 were the last native salmon caught in the Thames, 

 so far as is known. Thames salmon appear to 

 have decreased both in number and size, says 

 Lord Desborough, of Taplow Court, about the 

 middle of the eighteenth century ; but in the 

 season of 1780 over fifty fish were caught in the 

 reach opposite Cliveden Springs by one fisherman, 

 and others were equally successful in other por- 

 tions of the river. Thames salmon commanded 

 a high price a century ago : in 1 808, Lord Des- 

 borough states, a fish of 1 8 Ib. was sold for 

 7 45., or 8;. per pound. 



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