A LOOK ROUND 135 



individual fish up to two and a half pounds being by no 

 means infrequent." 



This river, which flows through a beautiful country 

 scene in the neighbourhood of Locock Abbey, appeals to 

 all and sundry as an ideal spot for a holiday. After it 

 leaves the little town of Chippenham the scenery is very 

 fine ; but between Locock Abbey and Melksham the country 

 is rather flat ; this also can be said of Bradford-on-Avon, 

 a town a little lower down. Generally speaking the Avon 

 here is a slow stream, with plenty of deep water, and 

 fringed along the sides with water lilies and other capital 

 cover for the pike and perch. That stretch between 

 Melksham and Holt has some good streamy shallows, the 

 home of some splendid big trout and whacking chub. 



Staverton, a small village two miles from Trowbridge, is 

 a capital place ; in fact, from there all the way down 

 stream to Bradford-on-Avon the water is splendid for pike- 

 fishing ; water from eight to twelve feet deep, right under 

 the bank in many places, with cover in abundance. My 

 friend said a very favourite place was behind the Anglo- 

 Swiss Milk Factory near Staverton ; a weir pool formed 

 a capital eddy, and a spinning or live bait worked over 

 the rough water resulted in many a good pike being landed. 



He could generally depend on pretty fair sport any time 

 during the winter months, although the fish did not run 

 large, sixteen pounds being his top weight just there. 

 The pike- and perch-fishing hereabouts was good enough 

 for any ordinary angler, as Sam would go on the Saturday 

 afternoon and get half a dozen fish many times, going from 

 five to eight pounds each, with an occasional ten, twelve, 

 or fourteen-pounder. Some odd times he could hardly 

 get the bait in quick enough ; he found by a long ex- 

 perience that from one o'clock to four in the afternoon was 

 the very best time. 



There was one old pike who had his home under some 

 overhanging bushes on the other side of the river, and 

 every time a bait was put across he would seize and kill it, 



