112 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 



an active or a passive watchman. We cannot all be 

 direct guardians of our glorious heritage, but everyone 

 can do his share indirectly. Throughout the country 

 there are clubs which cater for every class of angler, and 

 these clubs keep ever watchful eyes on the waters which 

 come within their jurisdiction. Then there are the 

 angling journals, which are always ready to promote the 

 aims of the wielders of the rod, and to give publicity to 

 cases of pollution. Therefore, the least that every fisher 

 can do is to either join a club or to subscribe to a fishing 

 periodical. 



Recently, when a friend and I were spending an angling 

 holiday together we talked a lot of " shop/' and in course 

 of conversation I asked my friend whether he belonged 

 to a certain fishing association in his district. He replied 

 in the negative, but added that his father when he was 

 alive had been a member of the club for many years. 

 In referring to a debatable article in a current fishing 

 publication I inquired whether my friend had noticed it. 

 He said that he did not take the paper, although his 

 father had subscribed to it. I could not help asking my 

 friend if he realized that to no small degree he had to 

 thank his father for the sport which he now enjoys, and 

 as a corollary I asked him what he was doing for his son 

 who is a very keen angler. My friend smiled and 

 answered that he had never looked at the subject in that 

 light. This, you will probably agree, is a strange example 

 of regrettable forgetfulness. 



I am sure that in the majority of instances the lack of 

 rightful support for our national sport is due to thought- 

 lessness, and, without further labouring the point, I hope 

 that this timely reminder will bear fruit. 



