ANGLING IN AUSTEIA, GEEMANY 



demand. All tMs sounds formidable, but spells good fly fishing for 

 all time. If France and other countries would protect the fisheries 

 and permit such clubs as the Casting Club of France to outHne 

 a conservation poUcy, they would find the result most beneficial, 

 a new national asset would come into being. The poacher and 

 the professional net fisherman are the enemies to be considered, 

 and when it is remembered that these people are biased by 

 ignorance and avarice, it is evident that for their own benefit 

 they should be controlled and forced to abide by the laws that 

 intelligence and forethought dictate. 



The conditions of angling here will naturally surprise the 

 visiting angler, yet he has the sport ; all the fish the angler takes 

 belonging to the State, the sport alone goes to the man with the 

 rod. The State demands that the angler shall take a guide or 

 giUie, whose compensation is set at 1 K. 60 h. to 2 K. per half day, 

 and 3 K. to 4 K. for a full day. The guide is a skilful fiy fisher, 

 and it is his duty to see that his patron secures a good catch and 

 every convenience. 



It is his official duty to net the fish, and to place them in a tub 

 or vessel of water which he carries ; in a word, secure them for the 

 administration. The reason for this claim by the government, 

 is that the fish are extremely valuable here, and they are a 

 possession of the State. This does not mean that the angler 

 cannot take away any of his fish, as he can have them all 

 by paying the gillie for the State the market value of his 

 catch, less twenty per cent. This can aU be arranged in ad- 

 vance by the angler taking a day ticket and paying a special 

 fee of 10 K. or 14 K., supposed to cover the purchase price of 

 an average catch at that time. In this case, the angler need 

 not take the official fish receiver, and can place his catch 

 in a creel and carry it off. 



I would advise taking the giUie, as it is certainly a novel 

 experience to have a good guide who is thoroughly posted, and 

 who wheels along the bank of the stream a portable aquarium 

 containing the catch, aUve and fresh at the end of the day. There 



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