86 
SUPPLEMENT TO THE PISHING GAZETTE 
five dozen of roach and dace. E. Moffatt, in two days, 
eight dozen of roach and dace and five bream, the 
largest 31b.; and John Spong, in four days, seventeen 
bream and 201 b. of roach and dace. 
Thames (Teddinrton).— The bank anglers, in 
addition to some roach and dace have taken a jack of 
4ilb. The fishermen have been getting a few lamperns. 
"^Thames (Windsor).— River here a dreadful colour, 
and high, but roach are feeding. Some gentlemen, with 
Keane, jnn., who is fishing these waters for a time, had 
a nice bag of about 201b. I cannot hear of other fish 
being tried, and should certainly not advise anyone to 
try anything but roach. Another of the old school of 
anglers has just passed away here in the person of 
Joseph Butler, aged seventy. “ Joe ” was a very 
quiet, unassuming personage, and rarely let anyone 
know what he had caught. Oftentimes I got into hot 
water for reporting his catches. As an all-round angler, 
“Joe” had few equals, and was very keen on Thames 
trout, which he loved to outwit. I thought at one time 
I should never forgive “ Joe ” for catching a trout just 
outside here, which I had waited on several times with¬ 
out success. “ Joe ” knew the fish as being a very 
early riser, and. having to pass over Windsor-bridge to 
his duties before daylight, he would loiter on the 
bridge, at daybreak, watch my lord chasing his bait in 
all directions. One morning I was a bit late, and there, 
seated in his punt, was “ Joe,” trying my trout. With 
very little brotherly love in my bosom, I paddled down 
stream to the weir to try there for a trout, but before I 
got so far, I happened to give a look up stream, and 
sure enough “ Joe ” had hooked my fish. Back I went, 
and had the mortification of seeing my beauty landed. 
Ho weighed 61b. 5oz. I confess I played the hypocrite 
when I congratulated “ Joe ” on his capture, but we 
were always good friends, and I only wish there were 
moi’e like him on the river, as a truer sportsman in 
angling never pushed a punt.—B. E. Bambridge. 
Aucholme District. —Weather and water are now 
in splendid condition for fishing. Aconites and snow¬ 
drops are coming out, and trout were rising all day 
yesterday at flies in the ponds of the Manor fishery.— 
Thomas Ford. 
Brandon Ouse. —The waters have gone down nicely 
here, and some good roach swims can now be found 
either from the bank or punt. I saw several good lots 
of roach yesterday taken near the sheepwash staunch. 
Write or wire to Eolph, Earn Hotel; he will have boat 
and baits ready.— William Howlett. 
Dee (Corwen). —To-day the river is in high flood of 
good feeding water, which will feed up the fish for 
beginning of season, which opens on Feb. 15. Snow 
has disappeared this last week off all the hills. The 
weather is mild. Fish were seen rising on Monday and 
Tuesday.— Alwen. 
Dove and Tributaries.— Water is too plentiful, 
but weather is everything that could be wished. The 
clubs do not open before March, and, in one instance, 
April. One or two anglers are out to-day on public 
lengths.— D. and W. H. Foster. 
Fen Waters (South. Lincolnshire) —The con¬ 
tinuance of fine weather is proving quite a boon for the 
Fen fishermen. The ill influences of the frost and snow 
seem to have passed away, and reports as to the quality 
of the sport are much improved. Not only are there 
more fish being caught than before the frost set in, but 
they are of a finer sample. With a continuance of the 
present mild and open weather there should be some 
good captures between now and the close of the season. 
The chief drains, the Fortyfoot, the Vernatts, Parson’s 
Drove, Ac., are, I hear, in fine condition for fishing, 
and though, artificial baits are productive of good busi¬ 
ness, live roach or dace are to be preferred. Visitors 
will do well to come provided with those, though the 
former are pretty easily taken, but this consumes time 
and the days are none too long. The days have been 
sufficiently mild for bottom fishing, and both roach and 
perch are just now worth seeking.— Limpet. 
Idle (North Notts) . —The mild weather continuing, 
the waters have during the week lost their ice cover¬ 
ings, and the snow having gone away with only a small 
amount of rain, we have had neither floods nor a great 
amount of “ snow broth ” to spoil the fishing prospects. 
Indeed, so far, this week the weather has been very 
promising for fish and fishing. The trout are believed 
to be busy spawning in the brooks and the top waters 
of the Idle and Eyton, and should be making good pro¬ 
gress. Some capital trout are to be found in these 
waters in season, but they are not “ anybody’s fish.” I 
heard of several visitors going for the pike in the drains 
in the lower part of the district, but 1 fancy their 
success was not encouraging. Eoach and chub are 
likely to be procurable irom the river Idle, and roach on 
the canal within reach of Eetford, and prospects in this 
direction are favourable. Now that anglers are by no 
means busy and the watersides are neglected, the fish 
poachers have begun operations. I hear the other day 
a couple were taken red-handed in one of the fisheries 
owiied bj' Earl Manvers. They are to be prosecuted. 
Later. —The prospects of anglers in this district have 
improved, and the water everywhere is stated to be in 
good order. I hear the patrons of the waters about 
the lower district, and especially of the drains of 
the Idle system, have had this year but poor sport among 
the pike, but, as things stand, they should now be catch¬ 
ing them. I fear, however, the fishing in these waters is 
not nearly so good as it used to be, but this probably 
arises from over-fishing and little encouragement being 
riven to restocking or breeding. The waters about Ret¬ 
ford, Mattersey, Ac., are in excellent condition for bottom 
fishing, and so also is the Stockwith canal, but very few 
of late have given them their attention. During the last 
fortnight there have been a good many visitors to the 
ducal and other houses in the locality, including the 
Prince and Princess of Teck, the Princess May, &c., at 
Clumber. The lakes connected with these houses, and 
especially Clumber, are noted for their pike, and I hear 
some sport has been got in this direction, but I have no 
particulars. The Duke of Newcastle is quite an enthu¬ 
siastic pike fisherman.—L. 
Lark (Suffolk).— This river is now in good order for 
roach, dace, and pike ; the water is a good colour and 
not too high ; fish are feeding fairly well. I saw two 
good lots taken this day (1st), one tray of lOJlb., 
another of 91b. Red worms best bait. — William 
Howlett. 
Lea and Stort.— The very changeable weather we 
have had lately has been much against the chances of 
anglers. Still, some fair sport has been had at various 
portions of the upper waters ; it has been principally 
amongst tlie roach. At Waltham Abbey some good 
specimens up to lib. in weight have been captured. 
Broxbourne roach fishing has also been productive of 
good-sized fish ; the same remarks will apply to Eye 
House and Ware district. There was a nice show of 
fish on the 29th ult. at the Edmonton and Tottenham 
Club. Mr. Hadkiss had about 31b. lOoz. of roach, one 
beauty amongst them reaching the weight of lib. 12oz. ; 
this has, I understand, been sent for preservation. Mr. 
Ames had a nice jack, and Messrs. T. Hadkiss and 
Goodson some nice perch. Some of the Eagle of 
Tottenham members had good shows of fish on the 
29th ult. I hear of a trout of about four or five pounds 
having been seen in the Lea during the past week. The 
open competion at Harry Avis’s, the King’s Arms, 
Waltham Abbey, will be held on the 5th inst.; 
conditions—fishing from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; entrance 6d. 
each up to time of starting; all pegged down on 
tow-path, above Waltham bridge ; three extra prizes 
beyond entrance money, all given out same evening. 
Last week I had occasion to notice a report of poaching 
having t-oken place ; this week I have to say that on 
Monday last, being at Cook’s Ferry with others, I saw 
three men evidently netting, but as I have no authority 
I could not interfere.— Spliced Joint. 
Leicester. —Since the disappearance of the frost, 
angling in Leicestershire has been most actively pur¬ 
sued by the votaries who follow this class of sport, and, 
taken upon the whole, with satisfactory results. The 
best takes of fish were obtained from the canal at 
Leicester and Aylestone, roach affording some rare sport. 
Among the more conspicuous lots were those of Messrs. 
Hobbs and Prime, both these anglers having 71b. or 81b. 
daily. Two of Mr. Hobb’s best roach weighed lib. 9oz. 
and 11b. 5oz. respectively. Messrs. Shelton, A. Harri¬ 
son, and many others also had excellent takes. A brace 
and a half of fine dace were exhibited by Mr. A. Harri¬ 
son, the largest being lOoz. and the smallest 9oz. Several 
other anglers got good baskets of perch, and, although 
none of the specimens exceeded 12oz.. the whole taken 
were a level lot of fish. The finest baskets of roach 
were taken baiting with the green grub and the fresh¬ 
water shrimp. The more expert pike anglers were out 
trying their skill, but results were poor, only a 
few fish, and these not up to the average, being 
secured. Chub fishermen have been unable to do 
anything at the backwaters at Aylestone, the waters 
being in bad condition. The few anglers who ventured 
out in the Wreake valley took good roach, and at 
Market Harborough Messrs. J. Billson and T. Daybell 
were the happy possessors of pike up to 71b. In the 
higher reaches of the Soar at Blaby, Narborough, and 
Croft, sport has been very satisfactory, roach of good 
size being the chief sport. Eain fell heavily Wednes¬ 
day and Thursday. 
Lodden (Barley). —The river is quite free from ice 
and in good condition, the last few days sunshine and 
spring-like. Several anglers have been enjoying some 
good sport with jack ; they are feeding well and in the 
pink of condition. Capital baskets of roach and chub 
have been taken also.—J. E. Gould. 
Luggf and Arrow (Leominster).— Both these 
streams were getting in fair order for fishing, but rain 
came on and they rose again. All the snow water has 
been washed out of them, and they are now going down 
nicely, and should be in order for fishing in a few days. 
Fishing has been at a standstill of late, but sport should 
be good with the grasshopper. The Pinsley is in fair 
order.—G Wynne. 
Lugg, Arrow, and Pinsley (Kingsland).— 
Unsettled weather, with a good deal of rain, has 
caused these rivers to rise to nearly three-parts full, 
and there will be no chance of sport for some time, 
possibly not before the trout come in (March 2), 
which anglers are now beginning to look forward to.— 
E. T. Williams. 
Medway (Maidstone). —The waters of the Medway 
have been very thick for some time past, but in spite of 
this very many good takes of bream have been obtained 
by several of our old anglers who have stuck to their 
rods in defiance of the inclement weather.— Wm. Shrub- 
sole. 
Nene (Peterborough.) —Now that the ice has all 
cleared away, anglers have been able to visit their 
favourite haunts and indulge in their sport. The river 
is in a very muddy condition, and is very high, but 
despite this, many of the old school have been out. 
Roach, bream, and perch, ars all on the feed, and some 
good bags of the former have been taken. On Saturday 
an angler took about a stone of roach against the Town 
Bridge, and some splendid bags of the same fish have 
been made at the Ferry. Four anglers hooked 
a good quantity of bream at the Lynch last week. 
Anglers of the Nene will also be pleased to learn that an 
unusual effort is about to be made to effect an improve¬ 
[Eebruary I, 1893 
ment in the bed of the river between Peterborough and 
Northampton. At a meeting of the Town Council on 
Tuesday it was reported that a memorial had been 
drawn up for presentation to the Nene Navigation 
Commissioners for the efficient dredging and other steps 
to deepen the waterway of the river. On Saturday 
morning a large badger was seen running about the 
village green at Castor, near Peterborough, and seemed 
not the least disconcerted by the children who were 
playing near. When they caught sight of it, however, 
they endeavoured to secure it, and it was chased about, 
when it entered a kitchen, whore it was secured alive.— 
E. F. S. 
Ouse (Cambridgeshire).— This grand roach river 
is now in good order, rather high, but nicely coloured, 
roach are feeding fairly well ; red worms. One local 
angler took yesterday (31st) a lot of 111b., good fish.— 
William Howlett. 
Ouse and Derwent (Yorks).— These rivers have, 
owing to the very mild spell of weather, at last got rid 
of the large quantities of ice, and their banks have 
been visited by a fair number of anglers. Some good 
sport has been had in both rivers during the past few 
days, chiefly by the coarse fishermen of the Ouse, where 
some nice baskets of roach, dace, and chub are being 
taken daily, both above and below the ancient city. I 
hear of fair sport on the Derwent being had by the pike 
and grayling fishermen, also of a good specimen pike 
being taken in the Foss, near Huntington village.— 
Ronald. 
Scarborough.— Sea Fishing.— After waiting for 
some time, our winter friends, the codling, have again 
returned, to reward the patience of our sea anglers, and 
have been accompanied by their elders, some of which, 
without doubt, might be named the Power(ful) cod. 
Some grand fights have taken place between angler and 
fish, some weighing from 211b. to 241b. The fish are in 
splendid condition, and fight hard, which the fishermen 
seem to enjoy, when he knows that his rod and tackle 
are such as can be depended upon. I often think that a 
salmon fisher would find as formidable an opponent in a 
201b. well fed codfish, as he would in a flOlb. salmon, 
with this difference, the conflict with the cod fish would 
be shorter but more severe. Our wish is, that they will 
stay with us for a few weeks, and we feel sure, as the 
weather improves, so will our sport and enjoyment.—■ 
William Jones. 
Severn (Shrewsbury). —Severn anglers have still 
abundant opportunity for the full exercise of that 
inestimable quality to which the fraternity at large lay 
claim, patience, for week after week has passed without 
affording them a single chance of wetting a line. This 
week has been no exception, for the con.stant rainfalls 
have kept the river high and muddy, rendering success¬ 
ful sport an impossibility. Good work is, however, 
being done at the hatchery of the Shrewsbury Society 
which now contains 30,000 healthy ova, destined for 
re-stocking purposes. There is good promise of better 
salmon fishing this season, as the river having main¬ 
tained a good level during the winter ; a larger supply 
than usual is anticipated, and already one or two rod 
and line licences have been issued.— Piscator. 
Severn, Vyrnwy, Tanat, and Cain (Llanymy- 
nech). —The weather during the past week has been 
very favourable for angling, although occasionally the 
wind has been rather chilly. Some good sport has been 
had, especially with roach, which have been well on the 
feed in the Vyrnwy and Tanat, but in both those rivers 
at present, grayling are very hard to capture, even with 
the aid of the bright sunshine of the earlier part of 
this week. At present rain is falling heavily, and has 
been doing so for some hours, and there is every 
appearance of a flood, which will be welcomed by those 
interested in salmon fishing (which commenced on the 
2 nd inst.), as a rise in the water will enable the salmon 
to elude the numerous instruments for their capture 
in the lower waters, and it will also assist them in 
their progress to the upper waters. 
Stour (Bures). —The river is very thick, consequent 
upon a heavy fall of rain. Prior to this, roach were 
feeding well, one local angler getting 161b. on Tuesday. 
On the 29th ult., numerous anglers were out from 
London, and one had 101b. of fish. A jack of 51b. was 
caught here on Wednesday.— Goosequill. 
Sussex Rivers.—The weather has been favourable, 
and rivers are, as a rule, in excellent order, yet but few 
anglers have been out. From the Arun I hear of a dearth 
of rods, and but few roach and bream have been taken. 
A roach of Ijlb. was secured recently at Amberley 
among a 51b. basket. Dace and roach have given sport 
on the Adur in the Steyning district, and from the Ouse 
in the reach above lock a few roach and chub are noti¬ 
fied me. A pike of Gib. was taken recently at Fletching 
and a trout of 21b. while roach fishing. The trout, in 
poor condition, was returned to the water. A few small 
pike have taken live bait in the lower reach of Chichester 
canal, and from the basin, bream up to 21 b. and roach of 
lOoz. are the only records. Perch, for which this water 
was noted a few seasons back, seem to have deterio¬ 
rated ; it is seldom I hear of a perch over a few ounces.— 
George F. Salter. 
Taw (N. Devon). —The opening day was very 
cold, but your correspondent took fourteen nice fish, 
and in decent condition. Others were out, and took 
some small catches.— Rusty Game. 
Teme (Ludlow). —Heavy rain has been had in this 
district, and has made the water rise bank full, but the 
weather has turned fine, and the river has gone down 
and is clearing nicely. The rain has washed the snow 
water out of the river, and if the fine weather continues 
there should be some good sport. The baits will be the 
worm, preserved maggot, and grasshopper. Pike fish¬ 
ing should also prove good. When the water was high 
