v FLY-FISHER'S AFTERMATH 85 



in the Thames in 1 844 as a remarkable occur- 

 rence. Even more remarkable, however, 

 seems the conduct of the fish : " He was a 

 very strong, active fish, shot across the river 

 like an arrow on feeling himself hooked, 

 and fought well for a full hour before he 

 could be got out of the water. He was 

 caught with a common gut line ; and there- 

 fore required considerable indulgence before 

 he could be overcome." Considerable in- 

 dulgence indeed ! An hour ! Chub may 

 be larger nowadays, but they appear to have 

 sacrificed quality to size. But this is again 

 digression, and by an odious comparison I 

 run the risk of belittling a favourite fish, 

 who is still really an excellent fighter, 

 especially if hooked near a bed of weeds or 

 the roots of a tree. 



To turn now to the tackle which is re- 

 quired for chub-fishing with a fly. By far 

 the best sport may be obtained with a very 

 light rod and very fine tackle, but it is only 

 possible to use them under certain conditions. 

 I remember a spot on the Severn near the 

 small town of Tewkesbury which I used to 

 fish for many years. There is a stretch of 

 about four hundred yards of shallow water 



