342 THE DRY-FLY MAN'S HANDBOOK 



the most efficacious method of defeating the fish's 

 object in going to weed and trying to entangle the 

 Hne among the stems of the weeds. We are thus 

 confronted with a more or less complex problem. 

 The fewer the weeds the more shy and unapproach- 

 able are the trout. The greater the quantity of 

 weeds the more abundant are the various forms 

 of animal life on which the trout subsists but the 

 better chance it has of getting rid of the angler's 

 painful hook. 



Many years ago the theory was broached that if for 



a few years no weeds were cut 

 Necessity for on a length of one of our 



weed-cutting. chalk-streams the action of the 



water would gradually under- 

 mine the roots in some places and in time wash the 

 weeds away, leaving clean gravel patches and beauti- 

 ful natural runs between the weed-masses. Theoreti- 

 cally such a course of procedure would produce ideal 

 fishing water, but practically it is impossible. The 

 weeds if uncut would by, say, the beginning of July, 

 grow to such luxuriance that they would choke up the 

 river, raise the level above, and cause serious over- 

 flowing and consequent undermining and destruction 

 of the banks. The result would in all probability 

 be that the lessee of the water would soon find 

 himself the defendant in an action for damages, 

 and his solicitors would, if they were honourable 

 and straightforward, advise him to agree to pay 

 some sum as damages and consent to an injunc- 



