22 



plentiful, however, though" they might he, if protected. There is 

 little difficulty in getting permission of some of the proprietors 

 helow Witney, but it would hardly be worth going there on the 

 chance. The Mayfly comes very full on the river. The minnow, 

 however, is more used there than the fly. The river abounds also 

 with crayfish. 



THE THAMES. 



Few rivers have been the subject of so much writing as the 

 Thames, and few are so capable of bearing its admirers through, 

 whether we consider the varied beauty of its scenery, or the num- 

 ber, variety, and excellence of its fishes. There are few fish of their 

 species equal in point of excellence, either for the table or for sport, 

 to a Thames trout, (the days of its salmon are, we fear, departed, 

 never to return), a Thames jack, perch, flounder, &c., &c., to say 

 nothing of the whitebait. 



The conservancy of the Thames is now under the charge of a 

 Government Board. The fishing, as far as Staines, has been, and 

 is protected by the Thames Angling Preservation Society a society 

 well worth the support of every angler who takes pride and plea- 

 sure in his river, for few rivers are so entirely free to the angler as 

 the Thames ; and when it is known that owing to the exertions of 

 this society, backed by a petition from the fishermen and anglers, 

 the Board have at length abolished netting on the Thames altogether, 

 Anglers can hardly prove their gratitude too fully, or fail to support 

 most liberally, a society which has done so much for them. Hence- 

 forth anglers have nothing to compete with but one anothers' path nee, 

 and skill. Nets no longer will be allowed to sweep off the best of 

 the fish, provided the society can properly support the bailiffs, whose 

 business it is to look after the nets. The first deep on the Thames 

 is the Richmond deep, where there are plenty of roach, dace, and 

 barbel. Below Richmond, and down to Isleworth, there is very 

 good whipping for dace, in the season. There are plenty of 

 puntsmen at Richmond, and the usual charge is 5.?. per day for a 

 man and punt. Although the tide often interrupts sport for an 

 hour or two, when flowing up it gives the angler this advantage 

 over localities situated above the tide : the constant change of water 

 keeps the fish feeding, which cannot be the case far above Tedding- 

 ton Lock, where the tide in a great measure ceases, and where, until 

 towards evening, in very 'hot weather, the fish feed scarcely at all 

 by day, for many days, and even weeks together. Thirty, forty, and 

 even fifty pounds weight of roach, dace, and barbel, may often be 

 taken in a day. Good sport may be had, at times, when the water 

 is high, off the banks here. 



The next deep is the Twickenham deep, a nice little preserve, 

 with a deep hole, in which are barbel, very fine chub, and some 

 bream. There is also good roach and dace fishing. 



Teddington never was a preserve. Here it is to be noted, 

 that there are now no such things as separate preserves, the whole 



