Mat 20, 1893] 
THE FISHING GAZETTE 
367 
the foot of a spur of Moel Siabod. There is a 
road to these lakes from Eoman Bridge station, 
the distance being about the same as to Owen 
Parry. They are about a mile and a half in cir¬ 
cumference, and divided by a narrow channel. 
The lakes are almost hemmed in by mountains, 
and tbe scenery all around is very grand and 
wild. I have frequently spent a whole day in 
these solitudes without seeing a human being. 
The Dyw’eunedd lakes are leased by the pro¬ 
prietors of the Gwydyr estate, but permission to 
fish will be granted to any fair angler on applica¬ 
tion to the lessees. There is a boat on the lakes, 
which persons having permission to fish are 
allowed the use of. When the writer first knew 
these lakes, ten years ago, the fishing was very 
good, and a couple of dozen trout averaging half 
a pound, and amongst them a few of a pound or 
larger, was a fair average basket; but during the 
last few years the sport has fallen oif, owing 
principally to poaching with otters and cross-lines, 
this lake having been patronised more than any 
other in this district by illegal fishermen. Thanks, 
however, to the efforts of the present lessees, who 
have restocked the water, and checked the ottering 
by means of floats, the fishing has considerably 
improved, and there is no reason why it should 
not be as good again as of old. The fish average 
from six to eight ounces, but much larger ones 
have frequently been taken; the writer has 
caught several, ranging from a pound to a 
pound and a half, and others have landed bigger 
ones than this. The Dyweunedd trout ai-e 
very game, and excellent eating. June is by 
far the best month. In July the fishing is 
very poor; it improves again later in the season, 
but is very uncertain even then. Medium-sized 
fl ies are the best for these lakes; those used for E Isi, 
mounted on rather smaller hooka, will do well here, 
and Cock-y-bun-dhu is particularly good in June. 
A few rods below the first lake are some deep 
pools formed by the stream issuing from the lake, 
and known as “The Deeps.” These pools can 
only he fished by wading, and there are some 
boggy places which must be avoided. There are 
lots of trout in the deeps, and some large ones too ; 
as a rule they average about a quarter of a pound. 
When there is a stiff breeze excellent sport may 
sometimes be had, though not so good as in 
former years, when the fish were less shy. 
Unfortunately weeds are numerous in these holes, 
and through their aid many fish escape before 
they can be introduced to the landing-net. Small 
flies like those 1 recommended for Owen Parry 
are the most killing. 
High up in a recess on the east side of Moel 
Siabod the little lake of Llyn-y-Foel lies snugly 
hid. This lake may be reached from Bettws-y- 
Coed or Dolwydellen, but in either case the walk 
is Iona: and laborious, and a lot of stiff climbing 
has to be done before one gets to the lake. There 
are a good many trout in Llyn-y-Poel; they run 
from two ounces to three-quarters of a pound, the 
average being four or five to the pound. Good 
baskets are made here sometimes. I have not 
often fished the lake but have done fairly well on 
the occasions that I went to it, and generally 
returned with a few half-pounders. Unfortu¬ 
nately, it is impossible to fish a great part of the 
lake on account of its being very boggy and 
weedy, and there is no boat. In the few places 
where wading can be safely done, the casting is 
fairly good, and if the fish are rising well, one will 
have better sport than might be expected from 
the small area of water which can be reached. 
Small flies are also best for Llyn-y-Foel; I found 
the Black Gnat particularly effective in the latter 
part of the season. Owing probably to the 
muddy nature of the lake, the fish are soft on the 
lake and below the usual standard of mountain 
trout. A person who likes a long walk and wild 
mountain scenery, and is satisfied with moderate 
sport, may spend an enjoyable day in fishing 
Llyn-y-Poel, but it is a resort for only good 
pedestrians. On a future occasion I hope to say 
something about a few other lakes in this section 
of North Wales. 
A Yorkshire branch of the British Sea Angler’s 
Society, with headquarters at Scarborough, has 
been formed. It promises to be a great success. 
Full particulars in next issue. Our Yorkshire 
friends have the advantage of us in the south in 
having first-rate sea fishing almost at their doors. 
iEotes anir itutries 
An English salmon angler, who fishes regularly 
in Norway, writes, “What an understanding 
contributor you have in Mr. Murdoch. I find no 
fishing articles anywhere at present that show, 
as his do, acquaintance with the ‘ hawbits o' 
the saumon.' ” 
United Action Against Poachers.— Quite a 
new move has taken development in the north, 
which may yet be fraught with grand results to 
anglers on free fishings. His Grace the Duke of 
Richmond and Gordon has for years granted long 
stretches of the Deveron and Bogie free to 
anglers to fish for both .salmon and trout with the 
rod. This boon is free to all visitors and natives 
alike. Of recent years a considerable amount of 
poaching has been carried on, nets and other 
illegal instruments being freely used. An asso¬ 
ciation has just been formed with Mr. Mellis, 
Battlehill, Huntly, as president, called the 
“ Huntly Free Fishings Protection Association,” 
the objects of which are (1) To preserve and 
improve all the free fishings in and around 
Huntly ; (2) To prevent illegal and unfair fishing ; 
(3) To increase the stock of fish in the rivers. 
Watchers are to be placed on the river, and the 
Duke has promised to prosecute on evidence 
being submitted to him. A circular bearing on 
these points has been issued, and inciting sub¬ 
scriptions from those interested. 
The Solway Rivers and their Tributarie.s. 
—The Carlisle Patriot says that the authorities 
on the Scotch side of the Solway desire to extend 
the system of fixed engines or nets along the 
northern shore. Sir Herbert Maxwell’s Bill, 
which has been introduced into the House of 
Commons, and which substantially gives effect to 
the recommendations of a committee who recently 
inquired into the subject, proposes to empower 
the Dumfriesshire Fishery Board to issue as 
many licences as it thinks proper to take white 
fish by means of paidle nets. The only precau¬ 
tion has respect to the neighbouring salmon 
fisheries, which are not to be injured. The paidle 
net, like the stake net used on the same coast 
to take salmon, is a “ fixed engine; ” in other 
words, it is attached to the soil, and during the 
currency of his licence the person using it will 
en-joy a “ several,” or exclusive fishery. By the 
law of England such implements are illegal, 
because here the fishing is declared “ free ” to all 
persons alike, which of course it cannot be if any 
one appropriates a portion of the shore by estab¬ 
lishing a net upon it. The Cumberland fisher¬ 
men, it appears, have to capture fish with hand 
nets, while their rivals on the northern side of the 
border sweep them in by machinery operating day 
and night. Sir Herbert iMaxwell’s Bill deals with 
the Solway alone, which he defines as “that portion 
of the said Firth which extends along the shores 
of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Wigtown, as 
far west as the Mull of Galway.” Sir G. Tre¬ 
velyan’s Bill excludes the Solway entirely. 
Consequently the long standing feud with regard 
to the Solway, in the interests of the numerous 
salmon and trout rivers, which find their way into 
that famous estuary, will be resumed again by 
Sir H. Maxwell single handed, with an opposing 
force leaning towards the welfare of the river.i 
Nith, Annan, Esk, and Eden, and the numerous 
smaller rivulets which feed those well-known 
angling resorts. Without diving into the ins and 
outs of this vexed and long pending question that 
has now existed between the Scots on the one side 
of the border, and the Cumbrians on the other, 
one cannot help thinking, and knowing too, that 
the subject has never yet been tackled in Parlia¬ 
ment by a man who thoroughly understands the 
subject, or who, if he did understand its various 
ramifications, had his mind free and untrammelled 
in relation to the vexed and complex subject. 
With regard to the Eden, it is not only suffering 
from the excessive drought and running low, but 
below Carlisle the river is simply an open sewer. 
In the Witheral and Warwick stretches some 
salmon have been caught, and trout are rising 
to the fly, but not eagerly. The Eden Fishery 
Board has a wide field in front of it. 
A RESIDENT on the Itchen encloses a May-fly 
in a letter written to us on Monday last, and says, 
“ The fly will be on in three or four days.” 
We beg to call the attention of our readers to 
an error we made in our notice of the “ Angler’s 
Diary’' for this year, on page 327 of our issue of 
May 6th. We said the book would be forwarded 
post free for Is. 6d., whereas it should have 
been Is. 8d. 
Mr. F. Wilkinson, of Barnes, and Mr. 
Wheeley, fishing at Shepperton Weir on Monday, 
the 8th inst., landed a brace of trout, the first- 
named gentleman taking a magnificent young 
fish, in splendid condition, weighing 6.Ub., Mr. 
Wheeley securing a little beauty of 3r>lb. This 
is good fishing, as the water was like glass. 
The Newfoundland Seal Fishings. —A New¬ 
foundland telegram states that the seal fishing 
has been a failure this season. The total catch is 
under 100,000 seals, the lowest yet known. The 
cause of the failure was that the herd had passed 
south before the arrival of the steamers. The 
“Esquimaux” has 900 old and 800 young seals, 
equivalent to 3000 young seals, which will yield 
only about 3-5 tons of oil. Last year her catch 
was 650 tons of oil. The other two Dundee 
vessels, the “ Aurora ” and the “ Terra Nova,” 
have reached St. John’s with catches much shorter 
than the average fishing. The “ Terra Nova ” has 
4800 young and 2700 old seals, equal to 120 tons 
of oil, while the “ Aurora ” has 7100 young and 
6-iO old seals, equal to 100 tons of oil. The three 
Dundee ships have only 12,700 young and 42-50 
old seals, being a decrease of 21,500 young and 
19,1-50 old seals and 725 tons of oil over last year’s 
catch. The “ Aurora ” and the “ Esquimaux ” 
will at once refit and proceed to Davis Straits 
whale fishing, while the “ Terra Nova ” comes 
home to Dundee Avith the season’s returns. 
Creeper and Stone-Fly Fishing. —Since my 
remarks on creeper fishing, I have received a 
good many letters from readers of the column, 
asking how the stone-fly itself must be fished. 
Well, now about the stone-fly,—after the creepers 
have rusticated under the stones at the water’s 
edge until inclination leads him or her to seek 
pastures new, they crawl out of their subaqueous 
fastnesses on to the dry land, on to boulder stones, 
moss-clad rocks, under the edges of banks, &c. 
Here the heat of the sun causes the film to burst, 
and the stone-fly proper arrives on the scene; 
the mature fly is not much given to aerial flights, 
but being a large insect the breeze carries them 
out on to the surface of the stream, where they 
are promptly sucked down by the expectant 
trout. An excellent practical article, entitled 
“ The Creeper Taking,” appeared in last Satur¬ 
day’s Fishing Gazette. I quote the following 
from it, and can thoroughly endorse the truth of 
the writer’s words :—“ The creeper only moves by 
slow degrees to the side, usually in the hottest 
part of the day, and it is at such times the most 
deadly as a bait. In a late season it is not over 
before June 20th ; as a rule, it is not on before the 
beginning of May, and this year’s experience of a 
take of trout with it on April 6th is unpre¬ 
cedented. The stone-fly moreover is seldom seen 
in numbers before the middle of May, but has 
already appeared on the banks of the Eden, six 
weeks earlier than last year.” The same tackle 
exactly as I recommended for the creeper is 
applicable to the full-grown fly, but the latter is 
even more difficult to throw than the larvm, and 
in low, clear water a line double the length of 
your rod, which should be a 12ft. one, must be 
cast, up-stream,of course. The fly, with its four 
big wings outspread, comes fluttering doAvn on the 
surface of the crystal water. Suddenly the 
angler’s watchful eye sees, as it were, a shadow 
come between his line of vision and the fly; then 
immediately he must drop his hand, or there will 
be a pluck, and the fly gone. Count one, two, 
three,and tighten your wrist; abending rod and 
a tight line proclaims the rest. More exciting 
form of fishing there is not, but as a well-known 
medical man remarked to me the other day, “ You 
must have the nerve to do it.” Either in natural 
minnow or stone-fly fishing a strike at the same 
time that the fish comes at the bait is fatal to 
success.—“ Halcyon,” in Weekly Edition of Leeds 
Mercury. 
