SUPPLEMENT TO THE FISHING GAZETTE 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1893. 
Ipcovincial Botes 
FROM BIRMINGHAM AND DISTRICT. 
To the Editor of the Fishing Gazette. 
It cannot ho said that the Severn Fishery Board have 
been extravagant during the past year in their outlay 
for restocking the river. According to the annual 
report the small sum of .£10 only was devoted to the 
purpose above indicated, and I think that the board 
should devote a little more of the income derived from 
the sale of the shilling trout licences for the purpose of 
restocking the river. When we take into consideration 
that the sale of the shilling licences amounted to 
je414 13s. last year, all will agree that a larger sum than 
that mentioned should have been expended in the 
restocking of the river. The I'eport also goes to show 
that the trout fishing during the past year has been very 
bad ; but still the board should do something in order 
to remedy this state of things, or they will find a falling 
off in the sale of the licences. There are clubs on the 
Severn who do much more for the restocking of the 
river than the fishery board. For instance, the Shrews¬ 
bury society are constantly turning large quantities of 
trout into the river, and, if it were not for this society, 
trout fishing in the Severn would be very bad. I also 
see by the list of water bailiffs that there is a vacancy in 
the Stourport and Bewdley district. This leaves some 
miles of the most important part of the river open to 
the poacher, with which the neighbourhood abounds. I 
hope this will meet the eye of those who can remedy the 
evil, and place a bailiff over this portion of the river as 
soon as possible, as the close season will soon be upon 
us, and great harm may be done in this district if it 
remains unprotected. 
The scheme proposed by Mr. C. Holloway, of the Bir¬ 
mingham Piscatorials, for the purpose of preserving 
specimen fish taken by the members of the Birmingham 
Association, is worthy of the consideration of the 
members. The purport of the scheme is that each 
member of the association pay the sum of twopence 
per annum to a fund for the purpose indicated. The 
scheme, when it is brought forward, will meet with a 
great deal of opposition, but I think that if Mr. 
Holloway would include in his motion that prizes should 
be given to the members taken the specimen fish, it 
would perhaps have a little more weight with the 
members and cause them to look more favourably upon 
the matter and perhaps give the idea a trial. 
The Sattley Society have intimated their intention of 
giving a donation towards the fund for the establishing 
of a challenge cup for the Birmingham Association. 
This is very encouraging, but the special general meet¬ 
ing will have to decide upon the question before any 
further action can be taken. 
The Belmont Society held a smoking concert at the 
Brunswick Hotel, Lancaster-street, on Tuesday evening 
last, the object of the concert being to provide a prize 
fund for the purchasing of prizes to be competed for at 
the club’s annual contest. The concert was exceedingly 
well patronised, and something like £4 will be the pro¬ 
ceeds of the venture. The singing during the evening 
was of a first-class character, and everyone was delighted 
with the entertainment placed before them, and great 
praise is due to the secretary, Mr. D. Currie, for the way 
in which he worked to bring about the success of the 
concert. 
All prospects of angling are, as these notes leave me, 
out of the question. At the beginning of the week the 
hopes of the Midlanders went up with a joyous bound, 
but alas the few fine days have been followed with sleet 
and rain, and our rivers and pools are now bank high. 
This state of things and the close season upon us goes to 
show that the coarse fishermen will have to put their 
tackle on one side and wait patiently until June comes. 
In the meantime those who go in for fly-fishing will be 
able to get their tackle in order, as I hear from authentic 
sources that trout fishing this year will be better than 
it has been for some years, especially on the Severn and 
its tributaries. 
The monthly meeting of the committee of the Bir¬ 
mingham Angling Association will be held at the head¬ 
quarters, on Thursday evening next, March 2, chair 
taken at 8.30, when important business will be trans¬ 
acted. 
FROM DERBYSHIRE. 
To the Editor of the Fishing Gazette. 
Trout fishing in the larger tributaries has not com¬ 
menced, but in some of the sme-ller brooks, where the 
fish spawned earlier, a few good fish have been taken 
with the worm— one angler last week, in a brook near 
Eggington having a brace, weighing 31b. These fish 
were in wonderfully good condition, all things con¬ 
sidered, and were quite worth retaining. It will, how¬ 
ever, be some considerable time before the Derwent, 
Dove, and Wye fish will be worth looking after. Anglers 
who come up at Easter will, I am afraid, find matters in 
rather a backward condition this season. The grayling 
season may be said to be practically over. Fish have 
been numerous, but the variable state of tbe water has 
done much to spoil sport. 
At the Nottingham Borough Court on Wednesday a 
man was fined 403. (or fourteen days) for night-netting 
some time ago in the Colwick district, and two men were 
fined 15s. for a similar offence committed higher up. 
These cases were carried through by the Notts and 
Nottingham Angling Association with the assistance of 
the Trent Board, and it is very gratifying to be able 
to record the success which has attended the efforts of 
the Association, whose traducers were apt to accuse it 
of being fonder of words than deeds. Personally, I 
know that the association is in earnest in these matters, 
but the conduct of prosecutions is e. rather expensive 
undertaking. However, the association deserves the 
thanks of local anglers for its enterprise. The nets in 
both these cases were forfeited, and both they and the 
fines go to the Board. Poaching is without doubt very 
prevalent about Nottingham, and must be put down 
with the strong hand. The nets used are all of the 
same pattern. One of those forfeited was a very pretty 
piece of workmanship, and belonged, I believe, to the 
man who makes nets for all the other delinquents in this 
respect. They are essentially bank nets—small mesh 
of very fine material, about 20ft. long, and mounted on 
two long thin poles, curved into a point, V-shaped in 
fact. They do not seem to take any great quantity of 
fish at a time, but as there seems to be any number of 
them in existence, the aggregate damage, apart from 
the question of principle involved, must be considerable. 
It is to be hoped that these convictions will have a 
deterrent effect upon this class of poachers as a whole. 
One peculiarity of both cases should be noted. They 
are the first prosecutions arising out of the powers 
apparently conferred by the 13th section of the Fisheries 
Act, 1891, which section was inserted with a view to 
counteracting tbe deci.sou in Anderson v. Ramlin 
(G3 L. T. Eep. N. S. 168, Q. B. Div.) The section 
apparently gives any one the power to prosecute 
offenders against the bye-laws of any board of con¬ 
servators, but I am afraid that this is not its real mean¬ 
ing, and it is advisable for all intending prosecutors of 
such offenders to seek the co-operation of the board. 
I fear there will be a good deal of grumbling amongfst 
private anglers by reason of the Wellington having 
taken over the Shardlow reach, but the taking of the 
water will undoubtedly benefit the river, as the reach 
has not of late received anything like justice, and it is 
for all round excellence unsurpassed, for salmon it 
certainly has no equal. ___ 
FROM FEN DISTRICT (LINCOLNSHIRE). 
To the Editor of the Fishing Gazette. 
There is little to report this week. On Saturday most 
of the regular fen fishermen between Boston and Bourn 
were out on the Forty-foot. The weather was charm¬ 
ingly fine, and gave hopes of an early spring, but, once 
more, the fickleness of the English climate has been 
exemplified. An 81b. pike, by Mr. Casswell, was the 
best fish reported on Saturday, but others, weighing 
61b., 51b. 7oz., Sjlb., 41b., lloz., and smaller ones, were 
captured by Messrs. W’inter, Pearson, Heath, and Bard- 
ney. On Monday Mr. March got a brace weighing 141b., 
and Mr. Smith captured one of 61b. The weather has 
checked operations on the Witham, for, with the excep¬ 
tion of Mr. Barnes getting three on Saturday, weighing 
191b., near Bardney, and Mr. Scott two of 111b., near 
Tattershall, I have received no reports from this river. 
Anglers should be out early after the flood has subsided, 
as the pike are sure to be on the move, and, with more 
genial weather, there should be some good captures 
during the next few days. 
FROM HAMPSHIRE AND DISTRICT. 
To the Editor of the Fishing Gazette. 
The salmon season has opened fairly well in this dis¬ 
trict. Many fine fish are to be observed in these 
streams, but for all that, the “ happy hunting grounds” 
do not yield as they used to in years gone by, for at o ne 
time salmon were very plentiful, particularly in some 
parts of the Itchen. 
The salmon fishing has also begun well in the River 
Test. T. Lewis, of 1, High-street, Totton, landed a 
brace of nice fish on Monday last, weighing 251b. and 
221b. respectively. 
The fine salmon caught last Wednesday, near Christ¬ 
church—the 46-pounder—was a splendid specimen, and 
recalls many a battle spent with rod and line along the 
same waters in years gone by. 
West Hasting Pool, which drains some of the Hants 
waters, possessed in 1872, what local papers chronicled 
as the largest carp then known in the whole country, 
viz., a 241b. fish. In 1892, when the pool was being 
drained another monster was found—a 29-pounder— 
which was noticed in the Zoologist at the time. This 
fish was carefully handled, and replaced in its former 
home. But it has received very bad treatment from 
boys, or perhaps from rodents, for a week or so ago it 
was discovered dead upon the surface of the water, and 
from its appearance many a family of rats had dined 
upon its body. 
One of the pair of pretty wild ducks, which have of 
late been seen disporting themselves upon the waters in 
the Abbey Gardens, Winchester, has been killed—it is 
supposed by rats. 
The weather has been extremely wet for a couple of 
weeks, and the rain has been accompanied by strong 
south-westerly winds. ____ J. E. W. 
FROM THE LAKE DISTRICT. 
To the Editor of the Fishing Gazette. 
Coming events cast their shadows before them. 
Angling commences generally in this county next week 
end, and already there is a stir amongst the fraternity 
in anticipation of opening day. A meeting of those 
interested in angling was held at Ambleside on Satur¬ 
day last to take into consideration the advisability of 
forming an association; and, after some discussion, a 
committee, consisting of Messrs. H. Hartley, R. 
Satterthwaite, and Battersby, was appointed to ascertain 
from farmers, through whose land the different streams 
flow, whether facilities could be obtained for members to 
pass over such ground, &c., and the meeting was 
adjourned pending a report by the committee on this 
and other matters. 
Committee meetings of the English Lake District 
Angling Association and other societies have been held, 
and the annual gathering of the Kent Angling Associa¬ 
tion will take place in a few days. Everything, except 
the weather, points to an early resumption of sport, 
though with flying showers of snow .and easterly winds 
only the most enthusiastic anglers will care to turn out. 
FROM LANCASHIRE. 
To the Editor of the Fishing Gazette. 
An extraordinary amount of activity amongst coar.se 
fishermen exists at the present moment, and there 
appears every indication of an extremely busy year if 
we may judge by reports already to hand of prospective 
arrangements for club contests to be decided before the 
end of the present season in March. No loss than three 
clubs are noted for matches within the next three weeks, 
viz., the King’s Head, the Moss Side Socials, and the 
new club flourishing under the title of the Mill Sawyer’s 
Society, who fish their initial match in the Worsley 
Canal on March 4. The first executive for this club is 
as follows : President, Mr. P. Leonard ; vice-president, 
Mr. Atherton; treasurer, Mr. Fleming: secretary, Mr. 
Edward Johnson, 14, Green-street, Chester-road, Man¬ 
chester ; and committee, consisting of Messrs. W. 
English, J. T. Leonard, Blake, and S. Taylor. The 
Board of Management for the Worsley Canal Fishery 
are noted for a meeting at the Crown Hotel, Man¬ 
chester, on March 1, at 6,30, and this meeting will be 
followed by one of the council interesting themselves in 
trying to secure facilities for anglers in railway tickets. 
Another new angling society at Longsight will in the 
next few days be formed, the preliminary meeting has 
just been held at the Church Inn, the landlord of which 
is an enthusiastic and well-known angler. The preli¬ 
minary meeting was presided over by Mr. R. Goddard, 
and an apology was received from Mr. Councillor 
Wilson for non-attendance. In all probability Mr. 
Wilson will be the first president. A provisional com¬ 
mittee, consisting of Messrs. Kershaw, Lord, and 
Broomhall, was appointed to draft a scheme for guidance 
in the constitution of the society. Mr. Wm Broomhall 
is secretary pro tern. If many more new societies are 
formed the question of the ” survival of the fittest” is 
sure to come prominently to the front. We hear even 
now of some clubs having a shortened roll-call and 
others becoming extinct, and in all probability we shall 
soon have upon us a state of things bordering on a 
“battle of the clubs.” The Manchester district of 
affiliated clubs will be interested in the capture 
of two specimen pike from the Whaley Bridge 
Reservoir, by Mr. H. Gregory, of Derby, weighing respec¬ 
tively 13Jlb. and 17ilb.; surely this is worth a, Is. 
per day. A second consignment of good fish obtained 
by the energy and enthusiasm of a few work¬ 
ing men anglers from Manchester, were safely 
transferred to the Worsley Canal Fishery on the 20th, 
and if those put in by the same party on the 13th are 
added to this lot, a valuable addition can be counted 
upon to the already existing stock. In the coming 
season, if we mistake not, a few single-hair anglers will 
experience a difficulty in landing fish of 31b. to 41b. 
The annual dinner of the Levenshulme Society wa.s 
held on the 18th inst., and was a great success, the 
presence of the ladies being a pleasing feature of the 
evening’s arrangements. 
All the clubs in Lancashire must do their duty la 
respect to the circulars sent to them dealing with the 
question of railway privileges, for it is only by united 
energy that a bold front can be shown, and any im¬ 
pression made on autocratic railway companies. 
FROM NORFOLK, 
To the Editor of the Fishing Gazette. 
The grand angling weather of the pa.st three weeks 
has passed and gone, and now we are having some snow 
(Wednesday). However, I have pleasure in recording 
the capture of some very fine fish, altogether a total 
which I venture to say no other county in England wiU 
be likely to eclipse either in number and weight. 
On Thursday last two gentlemen, angling in private 
waters, took a grand lot of pike, twenty-two fish in au, 
weights from 41b. to 201b. The 201b. fish was a pretty 
one of 3ft. 2in. long. Another gentleman had three fish, 
131b., 151b., and 191b. each. Athird party of two anglers 
had six fish, from 41b. to 91b. each, while two other 
ties of ar glers had very nice baskets of fair killable fish. 
Those fish I saw the bulk of, and a splendid lot they 
were, but they were put somewhat in the shade on 
Friday by Mr. Geo. Cubitt, of Norwich, who, angling in 
private waters, took agrand fish (among others)of 
Measurements—length, 3ft, tJin. : girth, 2ft. On Frid^ 
Mr. Jimpson killed another good fish, which weighed 20Ib. 
On Wroxham Broad some fair pike have been taken ; 
one of 101b. by Mr. Deuchar. 
In Hoveton long reach, on the Bure, a gentleman took 
a nice basket of perch, total about 141b. 
Roach, too, have been biting well, particularly on the 
Yare. On Thursday week a gentleman took thirty-five 
nice roach with worm in tbe reach at Brundall, and 
on Tuesday last another angler had fifty very nice roach, 
some of them over lib., near Buckenham. 
I can strongly recommend any gentleman, who can get 
permission for any of our private broads, to do so at 
once The above report of the capture, in three days, 
of about ten fish of 101b. to 271b. each, needs no further 
addition on my part that the sport to be anticipated will 
fully repay the Louble of a visit. 
