THAMES TROUT. 187 



simple. When trout get above the first weir or 

 mill-pool of a tributary, they cannot be con- 

 sidered, from an angling point of view, to be 

 Thames trout any longer. When I say the fly 

 seldom kills large Thames trout, the reader must 

 remember what great weights the fish 

 reach ; anything under seven pounds in 

 weight is not large on the Thames, and fish of that 

 weight are by no means rare, a few of nine pounds 

 or over being taken every season. Trout of ten 

 pounds weight are very scarce, but the Thames 

 holds such fish ; and the angler, whoever he may 

 be, has the chance of getting one whenever his bait 

 is in the water. He need not therefore travel to 

 New Zealand to get a huge trout, for, if he will 

 only persevere, he will, sooner or later, get one 

 from the Thames ; it is only a question of know- 

 ledge, time, and patience. With respect to play, 

 Thames trout equal salmon in their first grand 

 rushes ; and, tackle for tackle, the captor of a large 

 trout in one of our big weirs in full flow may fully 

 consider his feat on a par with that of landing a 

 twenty or thirty pound salmon on an eighteen foot 

 rod. Only salmon can keep pace with the rush of 

 a freshly hooked, game Thames trout, tearing 

 downstream in the very heart of a big weir-run, 

 with all the force of the water behind him, most likely 

 concluding his mad dash for liberty with a vigorous 

 leap, scattering the water with a mighty splash. A 

 Thames trout, hooked at the head of a weir-run 

 and bolting into it, will take fifty yards or more of 

 line off the winch in his first rush ; and if he makes 

 up his mind to go clean away, there is no stopping 

 him on fine tackle until he is somewhat exhausted. 

 With play like this, it is not surprising that the fish 



