i88 COARSE FISH. 



are eagerly sought after, especially as well con- 

 ditioned fish are the handsomest imaginable. A 

 good fish is as bright as a bar of new silver, 

 generally thickly spotted, except on the belly, right 

 up to and below the eye and on the dorsal and 

 caudal fins, and even the adipose fin shows spots in 

 some fish. I know of no nobler-looking fish than 

 a big Thames trout in fine condition. 



I must strongly warn anglers who are not aecus- 

 _ tomed to weir-work from attempting to 



of weir- fish from a weir platform or head without 

 fishing ^jjg services of a skilled attendant till per- 

 fectly accustomed to all the glitter and turmoil of 

 the dazzling white water ; I also caution all from 

 attempting to approach a weir from above or below, 

 in punt or boat, till the set and run of the current 

 is well known. I have had more than twenty 

 years' experience of Thames work, and assure my 

 I'eaders there is great need for the utmost care. 

 We Thames-trouters never neglect precautions 

 when approaching a weir, either from above or 

 below ; we appreciate the force of the straight runs 

 of water, and we also know something about the 

 undercurrent and backwash. It is the under- 

 current and backwash that constitute such a 

 danger, particularly to a weak swimmer or one 

 stunned or partially stunned by a fall ; the diffi- 

 culty is to get clear away, as the main current 

 sends you down stream and the eddies bring you 

 back again. A fall into a weir is totally different 

 from a fall into the open river. Branches and logs of 

 wood remain for days in some weirs, being swept 

 down by the main current and returned to the 

 weir to the spot whence they started. I have seen 

 dogs in weirs, a retriever amongst the number, and 



