ii2 ANGLING 



years ago. An angler caught thirty-two fish ; five of them 

 weighed from 12 to i5lbs. each, about a dozen were from 6 to 

 lolbs. each, and not one of the others was under 3lbs. It is 

 stated and Mr. Hopper's authority is from a very reliable 

 source that the thirty-two barbel weighed 22/j.lbs., being an 

 average of jibs, each fish. All that Mr. Hopper can say is 

 that he would have liked to have had the catching of such a 

 glorious bag, but he would have been precious sorry to carry it 

 home. Sport of this kind is not to be met with on the Trent 

 now-a-days, and must not be expected 



Until nets are things of the past, 

 And poachers cease to exist. 



There is not much rhyme in the above couplet, but Mr. 

 Hopper thinks it looks better set out as poetry or blank verse 

 than as ordinary prose matter. However, now and again one 

 hears of good days, and just after Mr. Hopper left Trent-side 

 this year friend Brown wrote to inform him of a catch of 961bs. 

 weight of barbel in one day by one angler, about a mile and a 

 half below the swim where Mr. Hopper had been angling with the 

 success previously alluded to. But this was quite put in the shade 

 about three weeks or a month ago on the Thames by Mr. J. P. 

 Wheeldon, the well-known angler, who in one day killed i64lbs. 

 weight of barbel. Mr. Wheeldon has some angling notes every 

 week (which he styles Piscatorial Hotchpotch] in Wednesday's 

 " Sportsman," and Mr. Hopper invests his modest copper 

 every week for that day's issue, not only on account of Mr. 

 Wheeldon's good pen'orth, but because there are angling 

 reports and results from all the principal rivers and fishing 

 districts in England, our own county of Lincoln amongst the 

 rest. 



Several little incidents occurred during Mr. Hopper's visit to 

 the Trent this year. He discovered on more than one occasion 

 that Twynkles had not learnt wisdom by his experience of a 

 few years ago, when he nearly launched Mr. Hopper and 

 himself into eternity this means 32 feet of water by sitting 

 down facing the stem of the boat and pulling away, in other 

 words vis-a-vis to Mr. Hopper, who of course planted himself 



