4 
THE EI81IIXG GAZETTE 
[jANrARY 7, 1893 
as I have, day after day for many years, watched 
from a tree right above them the fish spawning, 
he would probably have another version of the 
matter to give. Always when I have been 
watching, it was the female that digged and 
covered the spawn. After shedding his milt 
alongside the female on the redd, the male fish 
shies off and leaves his partner to do the covering 
and digging operations, which she performs with 
her tail, or perhaps tail and hinder part of 
body.” _ 
About this season there is always a great mania 
for renting, and inquiries innumerable are made 
anent spring salmon angling in Scotland. This 
year is no exception to the rule; indeed, the 
plethora of demands and inquiries seems to be 
greater than usual, if not actually greater than 
over before. Strange that such hosts of keen 
and experienced anglers should every year be so 
late in moving for what they want, and what they 
feel so disappointed and annoyed about if they do 
not get. Over and over again I have enjoined 
the absolute necessity of early application. Good 
fi.shings do not stick in the market nowadays, 
hence it is that this year, as of late years, the 
applicants for fishings that have hung on till now 
before moving are almost all finding themselves 
out in the cold. There is scarcely a single good 
spring salmon fishery now to let for the coming 
season ; many months ago they nearly all—and 
certainly all the very best of them—were snappit 
up. Those who are keenest for them know the 
channels, lie constantly in wait alertly watchful, 
and, w'hen they get the inkling, they rush in and 
secure them with all the velocity of beggars on 
horseback. 
JoHNXiE SrxHERi.AX'i), the celebrated ghillieat 
Durness, writes me : “ I was down last Saturday 
opening up the channel to connect the burn above 
with Loch Cro.'spuil, which contains our famous 
sporting white trout—in appearance like sea trout, 
but not sea trout as I think. The clearance which 
T have made will let the trout far more easily 
forward to spawn : the time when they begin to 
go up is usually about the end of the first week in 
January. The policeman and ourselves are to 
watch tbe burn day and night as long as the trout 
are in it tokeep awaypoachers,whoused regularly 
to lift lots of them off it, many as heavy as Jib., 
41b., and filb. AVe mean to let anglers, not 
poachers, have the big trout in future. Some 
years we have found very few big trout in the 
loch in summer, owing to the poachers having 
done for them during the spawning time. Now 
we are to protect the trout, and, if watching and 
strength will keep off the poachers, they will be 
kept off, let me assure you.” Capital, Johnnie ! 
That’s just what’s wanted. I have written you 
to deal with the “ boys ” in the interests of 
anglers who visit you in summer, and if you 
catch any of them poaching to give them a good 
hindering! _ 
Scotch “far north” rivers, including Thurso, 
Naver and Borgie, open on the 11th, that 
is, AVednesday next. Tay and Loch Tay open on 
the 1.5th, but likely that day, even suppose con¬ 
ditions be all right, will not be made the opening 
by many, as it happens to be Sunday. Mr. 
Harper writes with regard to the “far north” 
rivers: “The prospects for the opening day on 
rivers north of the Ness which open in January, 
are not all right owing to the protracted hard and 
frosty weather. Being small themselves, besides 
now being at lowest water level, and completely 
covered and blocked with ice and snowplush, these 
first to open rivers in Scotland cannot be ascended 
by the fish till there is an effectual break up. 
This may come soon, nr it may not; but we can¬ 
not have many fish up yet. Few ran before last 
spate, and it is not likely that with it numbers 
sufficient to afford good sport went up. Hence, 
even with the rivers open, there cannot be a great 
lead forward on 11th.” For the Tay and Loch 
Tay opening there seem to be much brighter 
|)rospects. 
If you are Interested In Books 
send 28. 6d. In stamps for a copy post free every week for 
;t months of “ The Poblishbes' Oiroolab and Bookskh,er8’ 
Uboosd, " St Uunatan's House. Fetter t.ane, Fleet street. 
l.onloD. 
A CASE OF THAMES TROUT. 
By Bon-le-N.\wor. 
Ai.Tiiour.li it has been my lot to hear and read 
a goed deal about Thames trout and trouters, it 
was not until quite recently that I had the 
opportunity of seeing as grand a case of these 
noble fish as I shall probaOly ever look upon again; 
and when I consider the conditions under which 
they were hooked, played, and landed, and more 
especially the means employed for their capture, 
I can only come to the conclusion that what is so 
often termed luck had nothing to do with success, 
at any rate in this particular instance, but very 
careful study of the habits of trout, their manner 
of feeding, state of water, and the different sorts 
of tackle required for the different weirs, com¬ 
bined with skill of a very high order, were the 
causes of a success so remarkable ; and, as usual, 
when one hears anything phenomenal being per¬ 
formed in this particular line, it is generally 
accomplished by tackle specially constructed, and 
not that usually sold for the purpose; in short, 
to use the tackle often seen exposed for sale would 
be so much waste of time. I may as well men¬ 
tion, in passing, it would be little good to use the 
same tackle at all weirs as one can employ, say, at 
Shepperton. Thus, calling upon Mr. Charles 11. 
AA'^heeley, at AA^eybridge, the other evening, a 
prolonged and friendly chat upon angling in 
general, and Thames trouting in particular, 
brought out the following facts, which 1 hope will 
prove interesting to your numerous readers. 
Fr.SII TAKEN IN 1892. 
The first trout in the large case of four, and to 
which I more particularly refer, was taken at 
Shepperton AVeir on April 21, weight, ifib.; a 
small-headed, beautifully-marked fish. This fine 
specimen fought most pluckily, and was brought 
no fewer than four times within reach of the 
landing-net, but, being a very powerful fish, and 
the landing-place exceedingly slipperyq it rushed 
off again and again, and it was no easy matter to 
land him. No. 2 was taken in Sunbury AVeir in 
the month of ]May, weight, fiUb.; a remarkably 
short, thick fish, but, to my thinking, a very 
handsome specimen, for I hate scraggy things. 
AVater was high, weather rough, with the wind 
blowing half a gale from the .S.AV., with heavy 
showers of rain. IMr. AVheeley ran this fish about 
II a.m.: he scored the bait all to pieces, was 
hard pricked, but, on trying him again about 
4 p.m., ho instantly took the bait and made for 
the deeps. Luckily, as it turned out, Mr. AVheeley 
had unlocked both gates, and, after a good fight, 
killed the fish and brought him up the back¬ 
water, Mrs. AA'heeley netting him at the first 
attempt. Drew, the river keeper, said he never 
saw a better fed fish. No. J was taken at Shep¬ 
perton AVeir, a very pretty little fish, Aveighing 
Ulb. Shortly afterwards, on Thursday evening, 
.Tune 9, he took another splendid six pounder in 
the tumbling bay at Sliepperton. This gentle¬ 
man dashed at the bait three times, and at 
the third attempt, strange to say, he hooked 
himself by a pectoral fin, and those anglers 
who know what a trout can do under such 
circumstances, can imagine the struggle that 
ensued; but, after much care and ])atience, 
he was eventually landed, again by Mrs. AVheeley. 
On the Saturday following he took still another 
trout in the same place, which is set up in a 
separate case, and weighed 4.flb. Boulter, of 
AA^'eybridge, kindly landed the fish, although he 
was engaged at the time with two customers in 
the AVeir, shifting his punt immediately the fish 
was hooked. 
It was on Aug. 18 the last trout of the present 
season, a 7j--pounder, was hooked while Mr. 
AVheeley was barbel fishing during a heavy 
thunderstorm. He had been up to Halliday's 
Hole trying a baited swim, but the weather was 
so bad that he returned lo the boathouse for 
shelter. (An the storm abating, he pushed the 
punt high and dry on the shallows, where the 
AVey joins the Thames; baited the eddy with 
lobs and clay balls, and the instant he threw in 
the worm was taken almost before it had time to 
reach the bottom, and, when he struck, in his 
first mad rush the fish sprang clean out. Seeing 
what he had got hold of, Mr. AA^heeley waded 
doAvn to the edge of the deep hole, Avhero the fish 
remained sulking. A lady and gentleman were 
being ferried to one of Harris’s boathouses ; he 
asked for assistance, and stepped into their punt, 
giving instructions to go down stream. By 
degrees he worked the fish out of his own water, 
although at one time he thought he should lose 
him, as the trout tried to get under the punt; 
this, however, was prevented by a judicious splash. 
AA’hilst ho was playing him the rain came down 
in torrents, and he could only see where the fish 
was by the frequent flashes of lightening, for, by 
the time he w'as landed, it was nearly dark. 
This W’as the only trout he ever took Avhilst 
harbel fishing. 
Casualties .—Besides these he ran a good fish at 
Chertsey, but he did not hook himself properly’. 
He Avas smashed up by another at Shepperton 
tumbling bay round a large stone, and he had a 
bait bitten clean in half by a third. 
On June 1, 1889, he took a trout with a bleak 
at Sunbury AA’’eir, weighing 4.jlb., Avhen the rivei’ 
was in high flood, and the Avater almost chocolate 
colour. 
In June, 1890, he took a 7.*lb. trouc at Sunbury 
AVeir, but it is a much older fish and not in such 
fine condition as most of the others. This fish 
Avas taken in the shallow where the large bush 
now grows; bait, a small dace. He Avas fishing 
with a friend at the time, and on calling to him, 
the AA’eir platform Avas soon full of people, it 
being Saturday. As usual, he received plenty of 
advice, and was very much hampered ; at last one 
of Stroud’s men jumped into a boat with a smart 
boy and rowed up into the AVeir. AVhen the fish was 
quite exhausted, Mr. AA'^heeley floated him care¬ 
fully down, and he Avent into the net beautifully’. 
There are nine fish in all, and Mr. Cooper, of 
Radnor-street, has set them up in his usual neat 
and artistic manner. Mr. AA’heeley has been a 
fisherman ever since he was a child. It is always 
a great pleasure to meet such men and exchange 
ideas, for he is an erjually good bottom angler, 
and has laid heavy toll both on roach and bream, 
more especially in the AVey and Thames. In con¬ 
clusion, the trout caught in the thunderstorm 
when barbel fishing, the one captured in the 
highly-discoloured water, and trout No. 2 only 
proves that neither the baits nor the elements 
have little influence on these fish when they really 
mean feeding, and may sometimes be caught under 
conditions that, to many anglers, would seem 
simply absurd. 
ANGLING IN TORBAY. 
Bv Teaipo. 
Anglers who appreciate beautiful scenery, 
combined with a rather warm climate, should pay’ 
a visit to Torquay, which has justly been termed 
“ the queen of AVestof England watering places.” 
In the autumn months nearly all kinds of fish are 
to be caught in the bay. Dabs, pollack, mackerel, 
mullet, smelt, and conger are plentiful, Avhilst 
whiting pout may be had at nearly every cast of 
the line. Fishing from the pier-head with a rod 
and line it is possible to get seven or eight dozen 
fish per day. This, however, is considered a good 
day’s sport, the average “catch” being about 
four dozen. Successful sea fishing principally 
depends upon the state of the weather, and 
Torbay is no exception to the rule. If a strong 
easterly wind is blowing, and the sea is rough, the 
prospects of the angler are poor indeed ; but Avith 
a smooth sea and the Avind from the south oi’ 
south-west there is every chance of getting a good 
basket of fish. The pier is close to the town, and 
a charge of one penny’ a day is made. The 
angler should choose the inner or harbour side of 
the pier to fish, as it is more sheltered. The rod 
should be rather stiff', and the line of oil-plaited 
silk of fair stoutness, with a gut bottom, and two 
or three hooks. At the end of the gut a 2t'Z. 
lead (barrel shape) should be used, and the best 
possible bait is the sand-worm, which can be 
easily procured when the tide is Ioav. If the 
angler has not time to dig for his worms he cati 
obtain any quantity of mussels, w’hich is the next 
best bait, from the boatmen on the quay. Jlussel-i 
should be put on the hook whole ; the angler will 
not then be troubled with the smaller fish. The 
best time to commence operations is when the 
tide is just on the ebb or flow, the latter for pre¬ 
ference. 'J’he line should not be cast from the 
rod, but allow’ed to hang perpendicularly, the lead 
