274 
THE PISHING GAZETTE 
[April 15, 1893 
fost of your association to join tlie P.A A. would 
1)6 about .t'7; this would include the cost of 
sending our representatives to Bolton to explain 
the workings of the association to your committee 
or to the general body of your members. You 
would also receive travelling cards and stamps 
for the L.N.W. and G.W.Il. railways, &c.” I will 
leave the readers of the Fishing Gazetts to judge if 
this is an extortionate price for an association 600 
strong. 
In reply to the vulgar question as to when the 
I’.A.A. was made the mouthpiece of the railway 
companies, I beg to state that the G.W.R. eranted 
the concession to the I’.A.A. on Aug. 11, 1888, 
and the L.N.W. on Dec. 19, 1892, with power to 
extend it to the branches affiliated. As to the 
P.A..\. not being known or heard of, 1 beg to 
inform your correspondent that the association 
was formed on Oct. 29, 1887—this is a long time 
before the Northern Association was thought of. 
In answer to another question re refusing to 
co-operate with the N.A.A., this I have not done, 
nor have I included the northern area in our 
applications to the railway company only in 
instances such as Liverpool and Warringion, 
where associations have thought proper to 
join us. 
The secretary of the Manchester branch wrote 
me for a copy of our rules, but I was instructed 
by the committee not to forward them for certain 
reasons, and I think they were justified for 
so doing, as it was suggested at the meeting that 
they should make their own railway rules and not 
pirate those of my association. 
In answ^er to the last question of when our rules 
were printed, &c.. I beg to say that the first code 
was printed on Dec. 3,1887. and the second code, 
now in use, was printed in June last. 
I think this will answer the whole of your 
correspondent’s questions ; if not, I shall be most 
happy to comply to any request that he may 
choose to make. And, in conclusion, I again 
wi.sh to say that we are still open to treat with any 
association in the North that desires the various 
railway concessions, and I hope that the northern 
associations will not allow themselves to be led 
astray by certain persons who profess to have the 
interests of the association at heart, yet at the 
same time they would throw the main body on one 
side to suit their own selfish ends.—Yours 
respectfully, Ch.vrles White, 
Sec. P.A.A. 
42, Tenby-street, North Birmingham. 
TROUT FISHING WANTED. 
Dear Sir. —I would strongly recommend “Fly 
Rod ’’ to come over to the Westmeath lakes about 
May 20. If the weather be suitable the fishing 
will be good. I have no interest whatever in the 
master beyond being an ardent angler. 
Nice accommodation can be had near the lake 
for £T per week with cooking and attendance, self 
sujiplying nrovisions to own fancy. Boats from 
Z>3. to 7s. 6d. per day as per agreement.—Yours 
truly. _ T. J. W. 
Sir. —The writer of the letter under the above 
head last week would probably find Lake Vyrnwy, 
North Wales, all that he desires.—Yours 
obediently, _ [W. E. F. 
Dear Sir, —If “ Fly Rod ” or any other readers 
of the Gazette will communicate with me, I shall 
be happy to put them in the way of obtaining 
some of the best trout fishing in Ireland; also 
good salmon and grilse fishing in the Shannon, 
at Killaloe. 
Very rapid journey from England. Charming 
river, lake, and mountain scenery'. Correct tips 
as to flies. &c.— Yours faithfully. 
Abbey View, Killaloe. S. J. Hurley. 
A REALLY EFFICACIOUS “ANTI-FLY” 
MIXTURE WANTED. 
Dear Sir, —1 should feel much obliged if one 
of your many readers would let me know of 
something efficacious to keep off flies, Ac , which 
are most annoying when fishing in the northern 
parts of Norway. I have tried combinations of 
oil, tar, carbolic, and camphor, but with no good 
result; in fact. “ the cure was nearly worse then 
the disease.” Hoping for answer through your 
columns,—Yours truly. Sentry. 
I We begin to doubt if there is any antidote for 
this lly pest.—E d.] 
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR OF “THE 
BOOK OF THE BLACK BASS.” 
Dear Mr. Marston, —I received to-day a 
marked copy of your valuable paper, containing 
an extract from my “ Book of the Black Bass ” 
on casting the minnow. As surmised by your 
printer, the descriptions of the cuts were wrong 
in the first edition, and should be reversed. 
This error, however, is evident upon referring to 
the text. 
I hope that the black bass transported to Eng¬ 
land have multiplied to such an extent as to 
warrant a study of the style of angling referred 
to. 
I am confident that the large-mouthed black 
bass would do well in the broads and ponds of 
England, to which it is, in my opinion, admirably 
suited ; on the contrary, the small-mouthed bass 
(the species heretofore introduced into England) 
is not at all adapted to such waters, and I 
am not surprised that the results have been so 
discouraging. 
I hope to see you at our big fair in Chicago this 
summer. With kindest regards,—I am, yours 
very truly, J. A. Henshall, 
In charge Angling Pavilion, 
Chicago Exhibition. 
CANADIAN WOOD DUCK FEATHERS—AN 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT. MR. PRITT— 
AN APOLOGY. 
Dear Sir,—W ill you permit me through your 
columns to thank a gentleman from across the 
Atlantic who has sent to me through you a wel¬ 
come batch of Canadian wood duck feathers, and 
other feathers suitable for fly dressing, with 
some very kind expressions about my contribu¬ 
tions to the Fishing Gazette on the subject of 
fly-dressing, but who has modestly concealed his 
name and address. He is good enough to express 
a wish that the papers should be resumed. I 
should have been glad to go on with them, but in 
October last I had a severe attack of influenza 
from Avhich I have never fully recovered, and in 
a few days I shall be starting on a long sea trip 
in search of health, which will prevent me from 
devoting too much time to my pen. 
May i take this opportunity of presenting my 
apologies to Mr. Pritt, for an undeserved reflec¬ 
tion on his “ North Country Flies,” to which I 
inadvertently committed myself in my “ Fytte of 
the Blues” on the 25th March. Ic had escapeff 
me that the Waterhen Bloa is described in his 
work. I had previously mentioned the pattern in 
the article, and a very few lines above my unfor¬ 
tunate reference to Mr. Pritt. I hope he will 
forgive me.—Yours, &c. Val Conson. 
THE THAMES—A CORRECTION. 
Sir,—I was very much surprised to see in your 
issue of the 8ch inst. a statement from your 
Windsor correspondent that I had received in¬ 
structions to summon anyone found fishing in the 
Thames between Monkey Island and Surly Hall. 
There is not a shadow of foundation for the 
statement; and, when it is considered that there 
is not a more energetic supporter in the county 
of all kinds of field and river sports than my 
worthy landlord, Mr Van De Weyer, such a state¬ 
ment is the more objectionable. 
I beg you will insert this letter in your next 
issue in order that my fishing friends may be put 
at their ease, and that they may know that they 
are not to be deprived of an opportunity of in¬ 
dulging in their favourite sport in the old and 
familiar waters near Monkey Island.—I am, sir, 
your obedient servant, R. Plumaier, Sen. 
Monkey Island, Maidenhead. 
i2ih April, 1893. 
[We wish correspondents would be more careful 
in making statements.— Ed ] 
DACE IN THE SURREY CANAL. 
Sir, —I have known the Surrey Canal nearly 
forty years, but I have neither seen nor heard of 
a dace being taken. In days of yore I have 
carried carp up to lllb., also several fine golden 
tench, also pike, silver bream, good roach, 
medium sized perch, good fat, homely gudgeon, 
and splendid eels out of a basin that was emptied 
near the canal bridge. Old Kent road. 
I do not think I should try at Deptford if I 
were “ Goosequill,” he might get a dead cat or 
dog; but if he is bent on capturing a Hampshire 
“pig” (whatever that may mean), then let him 
try the reach bordering the New Church-road, 
Camberwell, opposite Jenkins’ Whiting Factory, 
either very early or very late, for it would appear 
the chalk and lime have a fine clarifying influence, 
and the roach knew it on this portion of the 
canal. Bait, fine fat liver or fish gentles and 
paste as white as possible—the latter for choice. 
The state of the canal from the bridge in 
Commercial-road towards High-street, Peckham, 
is simply disgusting in the extreme.—I am, &c., 
M. A. 
THE GRANNOM “ UP ” ON THE TEST. 
Dear Sir, —I sent a note yesterday saying I 
had seen the grannom on the Test. This fact 
tempted me to try that fly to-day at Mottisfont. 
There was a much stronger and colder N.E. wind 
blowing than we have had lately. Getting on 
the water by 11 am., I found a fair rise of fish. 
The grannom did not appear in any quantity, but 
for about half an hour there were a few struggling 
with the down stream wind; and also a sprink¬ 
ling of large olives. While this lasted the fish 
went on rising. Fishing was not easy, the wind 
being very trying. I picked out what I con¬ 
sidered the best fish rising, and after two or three 
casts (the first two casts he missed thefly) I hooked 
him, and made sure it was a trout, as this fish 
made some most vigorous rushes, going away up 
stream, and that in very swife water. Not until 
I actually had the net under him did I realise it 
was only a grayling. The fish was slightly over 
two pounds and had the grannom well back on its 
tongue. I suppose this fish had just been spawn¬ 
ing, but there he was, busily rismg in a swift 
stream, having taken up one of the best berths 
in the river for flies, and giving as much play as 
a trout would this time of the year. It is my 
opinion that the habit grayling have of con¬ 
stantly feeding in season and out keeps them 
nearly always in condition, and makes these fish 
dangerous rivals to trout in the same waters, 
more or less crowding the latter fish out. 
There were a few swallows on the water this 
morning, but the first I saw this year was on 
Good Friday, when I counted six and two sand 
martins.—^Yours faithfully, Clayton R. Leslie. 
GRAYLING IN THE EXE AT DULVERTON. 
Dear Sir, —It may interest you to hear that 
the portion of the Exe at Dulverton, below the 
junction with the Barle, is likely to become a 
grayling river before long. The proprietor of 
the Exe Valley breeding establishment put in 
500 fry three or four years ago. which appear to 
have done very well. Many have been caught 
this year already, some over lib. each, and 
returned. The trout in the two rivers, I allude 
to the Carnarvon Arms water, seem to have 
grown larger than they used to be, but though 
there is still an enormous quantity of them, 
they have, I tliink, somewhat decreased in 
numbers. Rain is very badly wanted; and not 
much was done at Easter, though an old habitue 
of the Carnarvon Arms got a trout of lib 2oz. 
on the 30th., and bags of twenty-four, nineteen, 
fifteen, and fourteen were brought in on Good 
Friday and April 1. There are marks of oMers 
along the batiks, and the hounds should be brought 
there.—Y^ours truly,_ C. A. 
COFFEE FOR CONNOISSEURS. 
Dear Sir, —The poet Pope has well said : 
“ Coffee, which makes the politician wise. 
And see through all things with his half-shnt eyes.” 
Realising the poet’s profound wisdom, we have 
to-day, in view of t he great debate in the House 
of Commons to-morrow, posted to each of the 
670 members of Her Most Gracious Majesty’s 
Lower House, a half-pound tin of our freshly- 
roasted pure coffee, in the hope that the morning 
cup will help to realise the poet’s fancy, and 
assist our politicians to “ see through all things 
with half-shut eyes.”—We are, dear Sir, yours 
faithfully,' 
For the Mazawattee Ceylon Tea Comi-any. 
49 and 51, Eastcheap, E.C., April 5 1893 
P.S.—We beg your kind acceptance of enclosed 
sample tin of our coffee of coffees. 
[We can say with Bacon that this delicious 
drink “ Comforteth the brain and heart, and 
helpeth digestion.” If only our Mnglish cooks 
knew how to brew it.— Ed.] 
