THE THAMES. 453 



various docks as in any part of the river. Live shrimps are principally 

 used : but a writer in the Angler's Almanack, 1855, says that he had 

 much better success with small pieces of shrimp, after they had been 

 skinned, about the size of a pea. In the Commercial Docks, at a depth 

 of 18 inches, as well as near the ground, he caught with this bait 

 pearch, bream, roach, dace, chub, and gudgeon. 



WESTERN COURSE OF THE THAMES. 



BATTERSEA BRIDGE is the first station westward of London, and 

 but an indifferent one. Here some good-sized roach, and dace, are 

 occasionally taken, from July to October, but, owing to the increasing 

 impurity of the water, they are every day becoming scarcer. The 

 fishing is preserved, 10 yards east to 10 west of the bridge. FISHER- 

 MAN, Mr. Graves. 



FULHAM (AND PUTNEY) BRIDGE, affords rather better fishing than 

 Battersea. The waters are preserved for 30 yards west to 20 east of 

 the bridge. Anglers are recommended to try xmder the arches along- 

 side the piles, and towards the middle of the river. Two hours before 

 and one hour after flood are the best periods for these stations. 

 FISHERMAN, John Phelps. 



BRENTFORD, off the aits, and several other places on the river west 

 of Putney, afford very fair sport for barbel, roach, dace, and very large 

 gudgeon ; but the fishing is not so good as may be had a little higher 

 up at and beyond Richmond and Twickenham, where the waters are 

 purer. FISHERMEN, Henry and Richard Deer. 



THE RIVER BRENT empties itself into the Grand Junction Canal, at 

 Brentford, and so into the Thames at Kew ferry; but it is hardly 

 worth the sportsman's attention, as in summer many of the upper parts 

 of it are almost dry. But abotit a quarter of a mile before its junction 

 with the canal, there is very good fishing for bream, in August 

 and September. At FINCHLEY, HENDON, and KINGSBURY there are 

 some deep holes that contain jack, chub, and pearch, but excepting at 

 Kingsbury, which is preserved, they are too often fished and netted to 

 leave much chance to the angler. See KINGSBURY, p. 480. 



ISLEWORTH, no deep, but excellent fishing, especially for dace and 

 gudgeon. INNS, the London Apprentice, Orange Tree, and Coach and 

 Horses ; FISHERMEN, Sam. Styles and John Platt. 



RICHMOND. Here the angler will find the first and most extensive 

 deep, or preserve, on the river. This, and the other preserves in the 

 Thames, wei'e granted by the corporation of London, whose jurisdic- 

 tion extends to Staines, for angling exclusively ; and fishermen are not 

 allowed to cast a net of any kind into the river westward of the bridge, 

 as far as the Duke of Buccleuch's, a distance of 700 yards, or into any 

 other preserve hereinafter named. A recent Anglei*'s Guide says there 

 is a weir at Richmond he'd be troubled to find it. 



Barbel, roach, dace, gudgeon, and eels, are the principal fish caught 

 here, but chub, pike, and pearch are frequently taken ; trout but rarely, 

 although there is just now a report that a very fine one is lying in the 

 deep above the bridge. 



