THE PISHING GAZETTE 
35 
January 21, 1893] 
CON TE NTS. 
N.B.—All rights reserved in articles puhlished in this 
paper. 
Roininiscencos of an Anpler . 35 
Wintry Weather Salmon Fishing . 36 
The Pollution of the Eden . 37 
Scotch Notes . 37 
Notes and Queries . 39 
Interesting Collection of Big Game Trophies, &e., 
in Piccadilly . 39 
On the Conway, N. Wales. 40 
The Book of the Roach . 40 
The Proposed New 1 hxmes Fishery Bye-laws 41 
Waltoiiiana. 43 
Correspondence'. 43 
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 21st, 1893. 
REMINISCENCES OF AN ANGLER. 
By Major “W. G. Tiirle. 
THE RIVER ANTON. 
The proper way, no doubt, when talking about 
a river, is to begin by describing it from the 
source, but the Anton, like the boy in Chevalier’s 
song, is such a little chap, and the springs round 
East Andover so numerous, that it would be 
difficult to spot the exact point where it does rise. 
Geologists carry it right away to Redenham, 
Appleshaw, and Renton Mewsy, but the popular 
voice, less ambitious, fixes the source of the 
Anion in a pretty water meadow, bordered by 
high trees, and situated a few feet below the high 
road, one and a-half miles to the north-east of 
Andover. 
Even here it is little more than a ditch, that 
any horse, with the spirit of a mouse, would be 
able to negotiate. But it is a ditch with aspira¬ 
tions, for already at the railway bridge, three- 
quarters of a mile further down, it is full of small 
trout. That is, it used to be in my younger days, 
and many a half hour I had with them in the 
time of that indomitable sportsman, the late 
Colonel Earle. Yet, if ever man had dis¬ 
advantages to overcome, he certainly had. For 
he lost the use of one eye from a blow of a 
racquet ball, and had a forefinger and thumb 
carried away by the bursting of a gun. Still, in 
spite of all this, he was a capital hand with rod, 
gun, or cricket bat. His fingers, too, were 
wonderfully handy; the only thing that troubled 
him was fastening on eyed hooks. It is an old 
saying that some people can manage with one 
hand better than others with two, and his was 
unquestionably such a case. 
He it was who, some years ago, when fishing 
on the Newton Stacey waters, flicked off his 
Clarke Mayfly and about two yards of gut, all of 
which was afterwards discovered and identified 
by him, ingeniously woven into the dainty, corn- 
act nest of a reed warbler. It still exists, the 
ook and gut clearly distinguishable from the 
rest of the materials in the nest, but so firmly 
entwined in it, that it would be next to impossible 
to dislodge them without tearing it to pieces. 
But after genial, kindly Colonel Earle died, I had 
no more opportunities of fishing the upper part 
of the Anton, and I do not know whether the river 
is better or worse now than then. The fish, in my 
time, much resembled the Devonshire trout, and 
were almost as active in jumping at a fly, so that 
it required a sharp turn of the wrist to hook them. 
The bustling little river receives its first re¬ 
inforcement in the shape of the Charlton stream, 
and where the two join (a quarter of a mile above 
the railway bridge) I have seen fish up to one 
pound in weight. Immediately after this it enters 
the precincts of Andover itself, running through 
Cricklade, the property of F. Ellen, Esq., then 
alongside the Andover and Southampton Railway, 
till it reaches Bridge-street, the centre of the 
town. About here the fish are plentiful, and of a 
good size. But where they most do love to con¬ 
gregate is round the town sewer, just below the 
bridge, fine fellows, who often fall victims to a hook 
and a piece of bread. 
Tunneling itself across Bridge-street, the river 
flows for some little distance, amongst gardens 
and orchards, mostly belonging to Miller, the 
nurseryman. Excellent sport used to be had here 
in the palmy days of the Anton Club, the upper 
boundary of whose fishing very nearly joined 
these grounds. I have often put up my horse for 
an hour and had a chuck at the fish here, attended 
with great success. Thanks to the club, the river 
was always well stocked, whilst the trout ran up 
to a pound and a-half in weight. Still, fishing 
was not at all easy, for the boughs of the fruit 
trees were always in the way, and could not be 
treated like common bushes, for fear of shaking 
off the fruit, which was rather a bother. But, 
after all, what genuine angler would care for 
sport unattended by dangers or difficulties P Fish¬ 
ing on strange waters always had a fascination 
for me, though I must say I never had much 
opportunity of trying my luck beyond Hamp¬ 
shire ; still, if one only keeps one’s eyes open, 
there is plenty of variety to be had even in this 
small corner of the world. 
The old Anton Club fishing commenced, I be¬ 
lieve, at Pitt’s flour mills, and extended to 'West- 
over, below Clatford, skipping a piece (and a very 
good piece) on which was formerly situated the 
paper mills of F. Giles, Esq. Three years ago 
the mill was pulled down, and the propert}' passed 
into the hands of J. Forster, Esq., who has built 
himself a charming red-brick residence in its 
place. The fall of water that once used to turn 
the mill wheel now serves to work a dynamo 
machine, which supplies the house with electric 
light. A pretty though startling effect is pro¬ 
duced by Mr. Forster having fixed electric lights 
on the trees, at intervals, between the road and 
the house. As with the wave of a fairy wand 
night is turned into day to speed the parting 
guests, but no sooner is the gate closed behind 
them, than click—and all is darkness once more. 
The Anton Club, run by Mr. Fowle, better 
known by the name of Corporal Fowle, one of our 
earliest volunteers, was held in high esteem by fly 
fishermen, for it had much to recommend it. In 
the first place it was within easy distance of 
London, close to a good-sized town, with a capital 
service of trains, whilst the fishing was so fortu¬ 
nately situated that it might be said to have a 
station at each end, Andover and Clatford. With 
these advantages, together with pretty water, well 
stocked with fish, and a good rise of fly—what 
could angler desire more ? 
The club consisted of fifteen members at £25 
each, numbering amongst them some of the best 
performers of the day. The late Francis Francis 
was an honorary member, and always had a great 
affection for the Anton, making a point of visiting 
it once or twice a year. Everything in the club 
was capitally managed, even to the keeping up of 
a good stock of fish, in spite of the unenviable 
reputation Andover has always possessed for 
harbouring some of the most expert poachers, both 
on land and water. Unfortunately, though the 
club exists no more, the poachers are still flourish¬ 
ing, as the neighbourhood knows to its cost. The 
cause of the breaking up of the Anton CluV) was, 
I believe, the removal of Mr. Fowle to Ascot, to 
superintend some brick works he owned there. 
Since then most of the water has fallen into 
the hands of Mr. Duplessix, who has bought some 
parts and rents others, and I am told that lately 
the fish have fallen off greitly in size. But this, 
I am sorry to say, is the case with most rivers 
about here, and almost entirely due to the present 
system of turning in such large quantities of 
artificially-reared trout, and also to the sharp 
look-out kept upon the jack nowadays. Both the 
Anton and the greater part of the Test are over¬ 
stocked, and the average of the fish is falling off 
year by year. The consequence is that the trout 
multiply in such numbers that there is not enough 
food in the rivers to allow them to develop fully. 
On Newton Stacy water, for instance, the average 
weight, some fifteen years ago, was nearly two 
pounds: it is now scarcely one pound and a 
quarter. 
'Whether this is a disadvantage or not can only 
be decided by each individual angler for himself, 
being a question of quality versus quantity. For 
my part, on the whole I am inclined to give 
quantity the preference, for though it makes a 
man proud and happy to be able to haul out a 
grand specimen, one fish hardly constitutes a 
good day’s sport. On the other hand, two or 
three brace of fish, taken at intervals during the 
day, are likely to afford more extended amuse¬ 
ment and occupation. In the present overstocked 
state of the rivers, even when the majority of the 
fish, knowing there is no fly on, take very good 
care not to show themselves, here and there one 
more silly or hungry than its fellows is pretty- 
certain to be found and captured. The only place 
where the fish are both plentiful and keep up a 
good average weight is on the Houghton Club 
water. 
At Longbridge, one mile south of Andover, the 
Anton is joined by the Pill Brook, a little stream 
which rises close to Kimpton, and is nearly as 
long as the Anton itself, but much less in size. 
It was but a poor little stream until the Marquess 
of Winchester undertook the regeneration of it, 
when it flows through his property at Amport, 
and by dint of digging, delving, damming, 
creating artificial falls, widening, and improving 
in every way, made insignificant Pill Brook into 
a fishable stream containing trout upwards of a 
pound in weight. It is worth the while of any¬ 
one contemplating the formation of a trout 
stream to pay Pill Brook a visit at Amport, in 
order to see what can be done for a mere rivulet 
by means of patience, perseverance, and that fin 
de si'eele god. Money. 
Away the river starts from Amport in its 
renovated form, running parallel with the chalk 
downs, past the picturesque entrenchment of 
Bury Hill on the one side and Messrs. Taskers’ 
busy Waterloo ironworks on the other. The 
neighbourhood of Andover must have been a 
very unquiet one in times gone by, for there is 
hardly a hill in the vicinity but can show a 
Roman, Saxon, British, or Danish entrenchment 
on its side or summit; Danebury Hill, Rooks- 
bury, Quarley, Tidbury, Van-dyke, Devil’s Ditch, 
and ever so many more can all tell their tales of 
old, when men were bold and quarrelsome. 
The Waterloo works, though nominally belong¬ 
ing to Upper Clatford, really forms a village of 
itself, almost entirely inhabited by the proprietors 
and their work people. It is quite a model one. 
with schools, workmen’s institute and hall, all 
supported by Messrs. Tasker. The river hero 
is not preserved. There is a pretty piece of 
water, however, just below Taskers’, owned by H. 
Hammans, Esq, who has spared no expense in 
making the most of it. Two years ago he turned 
in twenty-five pounds’ worth of trout from the 
Itchen, whose well-being he watched over with 
the greatest anxiety. But, just as they were 
getting takeable fish, a sad accident oocurred, 
which brought the whole of them to an untimely 
end, with one fell swoop. 
Taskers’ part of the river became much choked 
with mud, and had to be cleaned. Unfortunately, 
I instead of cleaning the mud out on to the banks, 
the workmen as a quicker and easier method sent 
