April 29, 1893] 
THE FISHING GAZETTE 
313 
WINDERMERE AND THE LAKE 
DISTRICT. 
Deae Sir, —I have read “ Gilnockie’s ” de¬ 
lightful article on “ Windermere and Lake 
District ” with the greatest interest. He drifts 
over every lake and tarn, whips this river and 
that, takes an odd cast in almost every beck and 
mountain burn, but makes, what is to myself, a 
great omission—he drops not one solitary fly on 
the bosom of the Craik, which tumbles the waves 
of Coniston down to the sea. Is its reputation 
as a fishing stream so had ? 
I ought to have been a born angler, for I was 
born on its banks. My dad held two livings 
which lay along its course—e contra —I am a 
novice with the angle, and an old novice, too—all 
“ along of ” that delicious river. 
The pater was an accomplished angler, dressed 
his own flies, could make his own tackle, and had 
the river almost at his door for fourteen years, 
then left all its charms for a better living, where 
never a trout could swim or even stream could 
flow. Many a time, as a boy and man, I found 
myself wandering among the lakes and their 
streams, but only with a sketch-book and a staff, 
for I loved not my father’s old recreation. I 
lived on the banks of Derby’s Derwent for years, 
but never swished a rod; I resided for years 
amidst some of the choicest lakes and rivers of 
Co. Kerry, but never cast a line—all “ along of ” 
that dearest of all rivers, to me, the Craik—for 
my dad used to rehearse the articles of his fishing 
creed to us boys, but in such oracular sayings as 
effectually defeated their object, and shut out the 
delights of fly-fishing. 
Some few of his articles I well remember still, 
and can now as well interpret: ‘‘you must tie 
your own flies.” “ You must have patience to fish 
in a bucket of water all day.” “ You must be able 
to cast a fly into an egg cup.” “ You must make 
your fly float.” “You must keep out of sight.” I 
despairedof attaining to suchnecessary perfection, 
and declined their temptations utterly till over 
forty, but am now the keenest of all keen anglers. 
Two years ago I visited the old scenes, after 
years of interval, with new feelings, and out came 
the cat. There before my eyes lay the fatal 
secret—the pater had to fish one of the most 
pellucid streams that ever held a trout. Even 
then, a day or two after excessive rain, which 
had put the Lune, as I was rushed over it, into 
the meadows, its waters were so clear pins could 
have been seen in the bottom of its deepest pools. 
Then I learned the foundation of his creed. 
Hence my wasted life! Hinc illce lacrimce ! I 
have by me some of my father’s old flies and 
tackle after forty-eight years’ rest. Some of the 
flies are mouldering, but how fine the gut, how 
long the horse hair ! 
1 am planning literally to follow in his foot¬ 
steps. Will “ Gilnockie ” kindly say a good word 
for the Craik as a trouting river it he can ? for, 
though having taken my “rise” so near, I kno?v 
nothing of its present capabilities. 
Old Novice. 
PROVINCIAL ANGLING ASSOCIATION. 
Dear Sir, —Your Lancashire correspondent, 
after venting his prejudices against the Provincial 
Angling Association, goes a little further and 
charges me with discourtesy to certain persons 
in the North to whom I refused to forward a 
code of our rules and bye-laws. Some eighteen 
months ago I received a letter from Mr. Smeeth, 
of Manchester, asking me for a code of rules, 
but, owing to my committee not sanctioning me 
sending them, I replied and stated that I would 
give him any information he required, and at the 
same time I asked the gentleman if he required 
the rules for the purpose of laying them before 
his association with a view of their joining the 
Provincial Association. In the course of a day 
or two I received a reply to the effect that the 
Manchester Association were quite strong enough 
to manage their own affairs, and as I refused to 
forward the rules asked for, the correspondence 
to be closed. Yet I offered to give Mr. Smeeth 
any information that he required. I also received 
what your correspondent calls a code of the so- 
called Northern Association rules, which chiefly 
relate to restocking waters, &c., with nothing 
bearing upon the rules for the governing the 
railway privileges like our own; and I quite 
agree with my committee in withholding the 
rules from any association unless they are satisfied 
that the association applying for them intend 
joining us. On the face of this I cannot see how 
I can be termed discourteous. 
I must now again refer to the Bolton Associa¬ 
tion, which, in my opinion, is one of the very 
best associations in the North, and I see by their 
last balance sheet that they are in no way con¬ 
nected with the N.A.A. I was applied to by 
the Bolton secretary for particulars as to the 
cost of joining us, and in my reply I gave a 
rough guess at the cost; but now find, upon going 
carefully into the matter, and as they require 
only the privilege to travel on one line only, that 
the total cost for the present year, including 
subscriptions, cards, stamps, a small code of 
rules for each member, and visiting fee, will be 
under £10. After this, as I have pointed out 
before, the cards and stamps are issued free of 
charge, and the subscription of 2d. per member 
every six months is all that is asked; and if in 
the course of time the association can see its 
way clear to lower this charge of 4d. per annum 
they will only be too pleased to do so. 
The answer to the question raised again by 
your correspondent, re the dispensation of the 
privilege, is this, that the railway companies 
have found out, after careful consideration, that 
the privilege should be worked from one centre, 
and that one association should be responsible 
for the safe keeping and guarding of the privilege. 
The Great Western have adopted this plan, and 
it has worked so satisfactory with them and the 
Provincial Association that they not only recog¬ 
nise this association only, but have recommended 
us to the other companies. 
With respect to the latter part of your corre¬ 
spondent’s letter, in which he mentions the claims 
of I don’t know how many anglers—Oh, 50,000, 
that’s it—I must, until I hear more from the 
North, say that they exist in his own sweet 
imagination, but as your correspondent is an 
angler, we won’t cavil over about 40,000, as all 
anglers speak the truth when it suits them, but I 
may say that if there were, I will say, about 5,000 
only, how is it that they are not more united ? 
In conclusion I beg to differ with your corre¬ 
spondent upon our selfishness as he chooses to 
call it. We are not selfish, and it is the object of 
the Provincial Association to help those wbo are 
unable to help themselves, by the way of obtain¬ 
ing of cheap travelling privileges, and also by 
other means—preventing pollution and destruc¬ 
tion of fish life in our rivers. We have certain 
privileges in our hands, and we wish all bond fide 
anglers to share these concessions with us, and I 
am open to correspond with secretaries of associa¬ 
tions with a view of becoming affiliated. All 
associations joining will be placed on terms of 
equality, and at the proper time may make any 
alterations they may think fit in our rules and 
bye-laws. 
I am at all times open to give all information 
required, and I hope that the associations requir¬ 
ing information will not allow themselves to be 
misled by what has been published against our 
association by persons who are entirely in the 
dark as to the work done in the past and what 
we intend doing in the future.—Yours truly, 
Charles White, Gen. Sec. P.A.A. 
42, Tenby-street, North Birmingham. 
INSABULUM, OR SAND PROOF WADER. 
Sir, —Will any of your readers kindly inform 
me if an Insabulum, or Sand-Proof Wader was 
not brought out many years ago, and named 
Insabulum, by the Rev. T. J. Prout, of Oxford?— 
I am, &c., 0. O. D. 
[We have referred to this in a note.— Ed—] 
WELLINGBOROUGH ON THE NUN. 
Dear Sir,— Will you kindly inform me through 
the next issue of the Ganette — 
1. Whether Wellingborough, in the county of 
Northamptonshire, is within the district of any 
board of conservators, if so, what board ? 
2. Whether any angling society, having waters 
under their own control, can legally allow their 
members to angle in their waters between the 
16th of March and the 16th day of June.—I 
remain, yours faithfully, J. T. Hardy. 
[Wellingborough is not in a fishery district. 
There is nothing to prevent anyone angling in a 
private fishery between 16th of March and 16th of 
June. The Act only applies to public waters.—E d.] 
THE FLY-FISHER’S ENTOMOLOGY. 
Dear Sir, —Although the changes in the life 
of the Ephemeridce are known and mentioned by 
all writers on the subject of aquatic flies, the 
general mode of their metamorphosis seems 
scarcely to have been sufficiently clearly laid 
down by anyone. 
It is therefore much to be desired that some 
competent observer should undertake the task of 
describing and painting the commonest flies, a 
classification of which, in accordance with most 
of the authorities with which I am acquainted, 
would take the following shape, somewhat after 
Mr. F. Halford’s illustrations of the May-fly, 
Plate XVII., in “ Dry Ply Pishing in Theory and 
Practice,” or the plate in Mr. Poster’s catalogue: 
Blue Drake (Cock Tail). 
Order, &c. 
Sub-Imago. 
Male. Female. 
Bluish smokey. Larger and lighter. 
Spinner or Imago, immediately after casting 
its skin. 
Leather-coloured with Yellowish olive, 
slight greenish tinge. 
Spinner or Imago, after two or three days 
and until death in about six days- 
Red Spinner. Rich Yellow Spinner. 
If I may mention the March Brown, I think 
careful observation would class the various forms 
of that fly as follows :— 
March Brow'n (Dun Drake). 
Order, &c. 
Sub-Imago. 
Male. Female. 
Ashy brown. Larger and lighter, 
with mottled wings. greenish tinge, &c. 
Spinner or Imago, immediately after casting 
its skin. 
^^''’chSkTi^g^'''’'® Checkwing. 
Spinner or Imago, after two or three days and 
until death in about six days. 
Great Red Spinner. Amber Drake. 
Each figure being described after the manner 
adopted by Mr. Alfred Ronalds and Mr. P. 
Walbran, with measurements, and such notes 
upon its natural history, and notices of the effects 
of hot and cold weather upon its colours as can 
be afforded, showing the difference between the 
male and female sub-imago, the appearance of 
each fly immediately after changing its skin into 
the spinner or imago state, and the gradual 
change into the Red Spinner, Jenny Spinner, or 
other final state, as the case may be. 
My observations lead me to think that each fly, 
male or female, only casts its skin once, changing 
from the sub-imago to the imago state, thus 
having three distinct appearances. The change 
from the first imago colour to the final colour 
being a gradual change, extending over two or 
three days, up to some six days; which gradual 
change not only gives the three absolute states, 
but the various intermediate shades, which are 
visible, but, I may venture to say, indescribable. 
For the purposes of the fly-fisherman, what a 
relief to the confusion in which we now live 
would it be to have a clear knowledge of the 
various changes in the lives of the May-fly, 
March Brown, Blue Drake, and Iron Blue. 
I think you will find the above remarks in 
accordance with the “Fly-Fisher’s Entomology.” 
by A. Ronalds, and also with pages 34 and 35 
of “ British Angling Flies,” but at variance with 
some other passages in that very excellent work; 
for the correctness of which Mr. Walbran is non 
responsible, they being the opinions of the original 
writer of the book.—Yours truly, C. E. R. 
A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE DAMPING BOX. 
Dear Sir, —I have discovered a capital and 
convenient substitute for the tin damping box 
now in common use for carrying spare gut casts. 
Dip the cast in water, and then place it in an ordi¬ 
nary indiarubber tobacco pouch. It will very 
quickly become thoroughly soaked, and will remain 
soft and pliable for several days without further 
attention.—Yours faithfully, Fred. Hoavard. 
Ha/.elwood House, Loddeswell, near 
Kingsbridge, April 24. 
