SOME HEAVY BASKETS AND BIG FISH 123 



centre of the valley, in consequence of the artificial 

 irrigation of the meadows. This, has, however, 

 considerably increased the amount of fishing water, 

 as all the carriers, or "carriages," as the local folk 

 call them, hold trout. 



' Whether to the clearness of the water, or the 

 higher education of the fish, can be attributed the 

 diminution of the size of the bags, it is impossible 

 to say. But it is probable that with the increased 

 number of sportsmen almost every trout has been 

 either " pricked," or hooked and returned to the 

 river as not " sizeable." 



' Possibly the " patchiness " of the Mayfly may 

 have had something to do with this, but at any rate 

 we are now told that 100 to 150 fish during a whole 

 season, Mayfly time included, may be considered a 

 satisfactory number : 9 to 13 trout in a day to one 

 rod being sometimes the red-letter bag of the season. 

 These fish would average 2 Ibs. in weight. As to 

 big fish of 5 Ibs. and upwards 5 Ibs. 8 oz. being 

 the largest killed they amount to a dozen in 100 

 years. Four-pound fish have been more numerous, 

 possibly amounting to a hundred in the same period. 

 The 10,000 or 11,000 trout caught, average within 

 a fraction of 2 Ibs., so that it is clear fish of 2 and 3 

 Ibs. must be the most numerous. 



