Good boats and every accommodation are to 
be had in abundance, and a day on the lake 
iirespective of fishing is a treat of no ordinary 
kind. The lake is about three miles long by 
something like a mile and a half in width at 
its broadest part; it is of an oval form, and 
IS surrounded by mountains. There is a charm 
about Derwentwater, with its well-wooded islands, 
when once visited that never fades from the 
recollection. Near the foot of the lake, the Greta 
nowing out of Thirlmere joins the Derwent, 
which after a course of five or six miles runs 
into Bassenthwaite. Both Greta and Derwent 
contain some good fish, and tickets are granted 
at a moderate rate. From Wantendlath Tarn 
runs a stream which forms the famous Falls 
Godore, and both tarn and stream are 
well stocked with fish, especially during a fresh. 
Buttermere and Crummock Water are reached 
by taking the road up to Borrodale, through the 
village of Rosthwaite, then keeping to the right 
over Iloniston Pass, by the Slate Quarries and 
down the valley to the little hamlet of Buttermere, 
which lies between the two lakes. The trout in 
Gruramock Water average ^Ib., they are fond of 
sombre coloured flies, and May and June are the 
best months. Some very fine char are taken in 
this lake, but they seldom rise at the fly. There 
IS a very comfortable inn here where good 
accommodation is to be had at a cheap price. The 
River Cocker flows from the north end of Crum- 
and joins the Derwent at Cocker- 
mouth. The Cocker abounds in trout, especially 
in the autumn months ; capital baskets are often 
made in the Derwent in its five miles course from 
Its outlet at the foot of Derwentwater to its 
junction with Bassenthwaite Lake. Bassen¬ 
thwaite is a fine sheet of water some four miles 
long, and some good pike and perch fishing are 
to be had in it. Sea-trout are plentiful, and 
salmon and grilse in the autumn. Ullswater, one 
ot the larger lakes, nine or ten miles long, supplies 
{^od fishing, and a boat of course is necessary for 
the purpose. Here again the scenery is of that 
charming order which almost defies description. 
Good sport can also be had in the Rivers Eamont 
and Lowther, in the vicinity of Pooley Bridge, and 
in Hawes Wafer by permission of the Earl of 
Lonsdale. Hawes Water is not over-fished, and 
lies in a lovely country. Other streams and lakes 
exist in what is called the Lake Country 
beyond those I have mentioned, but the subject 
IS too big for a single article ; indeed, this is'my 
third try, and I am as far off as ever in my attempt 
to do justice to the theme. All I can do at pre¬ 
sent 18 to convey to readers a general idea of what 
the fascinating district is like, and what its 
prosp^ts promise to be under the auspices of the 
Lake District Angling Association. ’Twill be a 
glorious day for the votaries of the gentle craft 
when the entire Lakeland is under the sway of the 
association, and all the lakes of Cumberland and 
Westmoreland are well-stocked with the right 
kind of fish. How anglers from all p^rts will 
fiock to wild Westmoreland and rocky Cumber¬ 
land remains to be seen. Anyhow, I’ll hazard the 
prediction that the Lake Country will hold its 
ownin a few years with the most favoured spots 
Isles. What is there to prevent it ? 
ihe district is now well peopled by visitors in the 
summer months, but when another attraction is 
lent to the fascinating locality, where is the 
angler who will not long to “ gallop to those 
beautiful 1 alleys and glens like a deer, over a 
hundred heathery hills, to devour the dark rolling 
river, or the blue breezy lake ? What heart will 
Tu s thunder of the nearing water- 
tail i- lis captivating and irresistible; lo, yonder 
flows the long, dim,shallow, rippling,hazel-banked 
line of music among the broomy braes, all astir 
with back-fins on its surface; and now the feed ia 
cn teeming with swift-shooting, bright-bounding, 
and silver-shining scaly life, most beauteous to 
behold, at every soft alighting of the deceptive 
lure, captivating and irresistible even among a 
shower of natural leaf-born flies a-swarm in the 
mountain woods.” Thus or nearly 
thus did old Kit Lorth address the most remark- 
of a shepherd, 
and the Shepherd said it was Verra guid, but he 
aye considered the English lakes awfu’ sma’ 
potatoes when compared to some wee bit lochs in 
bcotland he could mention, and crack up if he 
iEotes anlr 
-A-. Fisher, of Shrewsbury, tcok a 
14 jib. salmon, a 41b. salmon, and a 21b. trout last 
week. Mr. F. has had seven Severn salmon this 
season already. 
liiE Reported Closing of a Stretch of the 
Thames by the Duchess of Sutherland.— In the 
Times of Tuesday last—and substantially in the 
Baiiy Telegraph on Wednesday—appeared the 
following paragraph : “ The stretch of the Thames 
Monkey Island and Boveney, near 
Windsor, has, it is stated, been closed to anglers 
by the riparian owner, who has issued instruc- 
tions to his keeper to summon anyone fishing 
within those limits in the future. The water 
holds a good stock of fine roach, chub, and pike ; 
and in the past has offered to London anglers 
considerable sport and recreation.” With refer¬ 
ence to the purport of the above paragraph we 
pleased to say there is not one word of truth. 
How the rumour came to be set about is not 
exactly known ; but undoubtedly it obtained 
publicity through the correspondence of an expert 
and usually reliable fishing authority at Eton, 
who went so far into detail as to say that Mr.’ 
Plummer, jun., of Monkey Island, had been 
appointed bailiff to preserve the fishery rights 
of Her Grace the Duchess of Sutherland, 
Naturally the announcement has created some 
dismay amongst local anglers, as among those ot 
the London fraternity, and it is gratifying to be 
able to announce that the grounds of alarm are 
entirely imaginary. Not only has Mr. Plummer 
contradicted the statement that he has received 
any such appointment, but the Duchess, who has 
been interviewed on the subject, has declared 
that the statement is altogether without founda¬ 
tion or the slightest authority .so far as she is 
concerned.— Windsor and Eton Gazette, April 15. 
that a caddis had got him tightly in his death 
grip, and could only be made to let go by my 
giving him his own death squeeze. In order to 
satisfy ourselves of this remarkable revolt from 
the natural order of things, we carried several of 
the grubs up home, and I placed them in a breed¬ 
ing tray where several thousands of trout fry 
were. For several days I have watched results 
very carefully and seen many battles; but the 
specimen sent was seized, killed, and partly eaten 
under my direct observation, so that I can vouch 
for the accuracy of it. The Colonel (who is not 
only, an excellent fisherman and a constant reader 
of the Fishing Gazette, but a keen observer of 
natural things) suggested that I should send an 
account to you, as being likely to interest your 
readers, and perhaps to throw some new light 
upon the well-known voracious feeding habit of 
these embryo forms of fish fly.” 
SHAD. 
[A correspondent in Spain asked for some 
information about Shad, and Mr. Willis Bund 
very kindly gives us the following note.— Ed. 
F. G.] 
May-FLY Fishing in Ireland.— I inclose an 
extract from my fishing record of last year, the 
perusal of which may be of interest to some of 
your readers medifating a visit to Ireland during 
the approaching May-fly season. The extract is 
a summary of twenty-two days’dapping with the 
natural May-fly on Lough Sheelan, viz., from 
]>lay 21 to June 11, 1892, but the record inay 
practically be said to refer to twelve days only, 
as there were ten days of dead calm, during 
which no dapping could be done. I may add 
that the fish were the most perfect beauties as 
regards shape, colouring, and marking that lever 
saw, and one of the nine-pounders played for an 
hour and ten minutes, during which time the 
boat drifted exactly a mile. There were three 
rods altogether, and the grand total amounted to 
sixty-one fish, weighing 1741b. Our individual 
takes were as follows: I took two fish of 61b., 
four of 41b., five of 31b., seven of 21b., and two of 
lib., making altogether twenty fish weighing 
691b.; my friend had one of 7lb., one of 51b 
three of 31b., eight of 21b., and eight of Hb.^ 
total, twenty-one fish weighing 4510; and the 
boatman accounted for two of 91b., one of 81b. 
one of 71b., one of 41b., five of 31b., eight of 21b.,’ 
and two of lib., or twenty in all, weighing 701b! 
—Salmo S., in the Field. 
Trout Fry and Larv.a. —Mr. F. S. Perkins 
writes from Tenby : “ I have sent you up speci¬ 
mens of the intermediate form (the larva one) 
of one of our fish feeding flies, and should be glad 
it you could name it, be it “stone,” “cinna¬ 
mon, “ alder,” or other. Please also find an 
emaciated trout fry coated over with glycerine. 
curious thing happened the other day 
which IS, I think, not generally known, i.e., the 
prey rounds upon the enemy and consumes him, 
thus reversing the order of nature altogether. 
In company of a gallant Colonel V., neighbour of 
mine, I turned out several thousands of trout 
try into a tributary of our trout water here. 
Directly the first batch was let go, the Colonel 
noticed that one of them was in difficulties, and 
showed evident signs of distress, being fast to 
something by the head and lashing about 
furiously with his tail the while. I discovered 
'■ The alice shad was never very abundant, but 
considerable numbers were taken in the Severn 
estuary, and occasionally some quantites are taken 
now. The twait shad, however, used to be most 
abundant, and ran up the Severn before the 
weirs were put in as far as Shrewsbury; stragglers 
still get up to Worcester, but within the last 
twelve years or so the number has greatly 
decreased, and it has become a rare fish instead 
of a very plentiful one. In the month of May and 
June, the twait run up to spawn, and while in 
the rivers are the most restless of fish. In the 
day-time they lie in the deep pools, but in the 
evening and at night they rush about from pool 
to pool as if possessed. While in the fresh-water 
they give very good sport with a rod and line— 
an ordinary fly-rod with plenty of line and suit¬ 
able grayling grasshopper tackle, only the grass¬ 
hopper several sizes larger is the best bait. You 
“ sink and draw ” through the deep pools, work¬ 
ing against the stream, and if the shad are in a 
humour to take they will come at the bait as fast 
HS you can throw it in. They are a strong, active 
fish, but very tender mouthed, and any pulling at 
them at once breaks the hold. As soon as hooked 
they usually srart down stream with a rush, then 
jump out of the water, then double back, out of 
I he water again, and you never know what is the 
next move. Until you get used to it you lose a 
number, but if they are inclined to take it does 
not matter, for as fast as you lose one you get 
hold of another. Suddenly they leave off taking, 
and you may go on fishing your very best and will 
never get a touch. Then they will begin again, and 
while it lasts the fun is fast and turious. The 
shad run from about half a pound to three pounds, 
but the usual size is from one to two pounds. I 
have caught, some years ago, over a hundred iti 
a day. The season only lasts about a week 
or a fortnight, and now I should think a 
dozen a good bag. Whitsuntide is the time 
they are usually about, and unless there is 
a heavy water in the third week in May 
we never see them. I only know one or two 
places where the fishing can be had, all on 
private property and all strictly preserved. Per¬ 
haps the Powick water on the Teme is the best, 
but this may be because I know it best. The falling 
off in numbers is usually attributed to sewage ; 
that no doubt has something to do with it, but 
netting has more. During the time the twait 
are about, the fishermen use a smaller meshed 
net on purpose to catch them. Another reason 
is the weirs. A shad has a serrated fin on 
the belly, and it is said that this prevents him 
swimming up. There are other causes and 
reasons that might be mentioned, but this is 
already too long for your space. It is, however, 
pity that one of the gamest of our fish is being, 
if it is not quite, destroyed. Shad when caught 
are of no use as an article of food, indeed, as they 
come up to spawn, they are not in a condition 
for the table. I should add, to avoid disappoint¬ 
ment, I regret to say I am not able to give, and 
do not quite know how anyone can get any shad 
fishing. J. w. Willis Bund. 
