28 THE FRESH-WATER TROUT. 



day in the month of May, "Tweed's fair river, 

 broad and deep,' 7 will be fished by many hundred 

 followers of the gentle craft. Now, as almost all 

 these catch a few trout, and some of them catch 

 large basketsful, it is obvious that this must diminish 

 the number of trout. The present scarcity of trout 

 is forcing itself upon the attention of anglers, and 

 it is sometimes suggested that trout should get a 

 jubilee ; but apart frem the impossibility of ever 

 carrying such a design into execution, this is un- 

 necessary ; if net-fishing was entirely stopped, the 

 streams would quickly regain a portion at least of 

 their old fame. The trout taken by the rod in 

 some districts are often few compared with those 

 taken by the net. It is not by the dozen, nor yet 

 by the basketful, that net-fishers count their spoils, 

 but by the hundredweight, and this, of course, 

 must speedily thin the trout in any stream, however 

 prolific it may be. 



Fair rod-fishing will never seriously injure a 

 stream. Of this Gala Water affords an excellent 

 illustration. The favourite resort of anglers from 

 Edinburgh, it is fished during the angling season by 

 about thirty anglers daily, and supposing they only 

 average two pounds each, it implies the capture of 

 an immense quantity of trout. It also suffers as 

 much from nets as any tributary of the Tweed, and 

 yet in those parts where nets cannot be successfully 

 wrought trout are still numerous. Nor are they 

 by any means contemptible in size ; in this respect 



