WEED CUTTING.
ALL dry fly anglers owe a deep grudge to modern sub-soil drainage,
which hurries, helter skelter, all the rain that falls into the
river, thus doing away with the former gentle soakage into the soil,
which served to feed our springs and keep up an even flow and an even
head of water. Now we have but alternations of flood and emptiness;
the millers, moreover, suffering from these alterations, and sadly
lacking water in most seasons, cry out loudly against any obstacle
in the river-bed; consequently the river weeds are ruthlessly and
unscientifically cut away. The weeds, the natural nurseries of
fish food, being thus reduced in quantity, the supply of food is
seriously compromised, holts for the fish are destroyed, bare areas
of river bed--on which moving one fish means possibly the moving of
scores--afford neither refuge nor shelter, and become practically
impossible to fish. All fish need shelter in the hot weather from the
summer sun, all need refuges to which to resort if scared; take these
away and the result must be deplorable.
Those amongst us who have had the privilege of fishing in waters
where the cutting of the weeds has been scientifically and wisely
performed will have realised the difference this point alone can make
to a fishery. All the details of weed and water-farming have been so
exhaustively treated by Mr. Halford in his various works on "Dry fly
fishing," that they need not be described here. No better mentor could
be chosen. But some of the chief points that ought to be had in mind
may be touched upon. The chief desiderata, where there is an ample
supply of weed, are, to put the matter very shortly, to cut in the
deeper parts of the river lanes along both banks some ten feet wide,
and in the shallower parts to cut bars or lanes across the water at
right angles to the banks. At the same time lanes should, also, be cut
parallel to the banks, to encourage the bank fish. Where weed is not
in abundance recourse must be had to artificial shelters, or hides,
under which the fish can obtain the shelter that they require. Stakes
driven into the river bed soon attract a clinging mass of floating
weed, the only drawback to their being used is that hooked fish may be
lost through their bolting for and round them. Piles driven into the
shallows afford a welcome rest to fish, and it will be found that a
trout will nearly always take up his position behind them. Similarly,
big stones placed in the shallows will have a beneficial effect.
The constant and irregular cutting of weeds has, moreover, a very
trying effect both upon the sport and the temper of an angler. Huge
masses of weed floating down, just at the moment when the hatch of fly,
so patiently waited for, is in full swing, and the fish in the mood
to take them, will sorely tax our powers of self-control. How often
has such a state of things extracted from us a "swear word"! These
very weeds may, nevertheless, be made to serve a useful purpose. There
is a fine fish lying a yard or so from the opposite bank; the stream
between us is heavy and quick; over the fish is an oily glide of water,
the pace of the stream being checked by friction with the river bank.
On this the duns float steadily, led by the stream into its embrace.
Our friend the trout knows this full well, and therefore persistently
takes up his station at that spot. We have often tried for him, but the
pace of the stream between us, stand where we will, has always beaten
us: no sooner has our well-cocked fly sailed into the head of the
glide than it is hurried across it, leaving a most unnatural trail, or
wake, behind it such as no living insect ever made. This trail of the
serpent, or "drag" as it is called, is one of the greatest difficulties
that we have to cope with in angling with the floating fly. It is,
like the poor, always with us. But the very weeds we have been so
persistently abusing may be brought into our service to overcome it.
Watch a mass of floating weed that is about to be carried over the
position of your fish, throw your fly so that the gut lies on the
advancing weed; the fly, with some inches of free gut, should rest upon
the water in front of the weed; the rest of your cast, being supported
by the weed, will be freed from the drag of the stream, and the fly
will float proudly over the fish. Unsuspecting he rises, sucks the fly
down in absolute confidence, and at last he is yours. Backwaters may
be overcome in a similar manner, and to this slight extent the curse
of the floating masses of weed may be converted into a real boon. This
slight advantage cannot be considered as counterbalancing the drawback
of indiscriminate weed cutting, it is merely an attempt to turn to our
use an otherwise unmitigated evil.
Proprietors of valuable fishing rights are strangely unappreciative of
the advantages of scientific weed cutting and weed growing; they seem
to be inclined to let matters take their course, and in consequence
suffer considerably, and until they realise what this carelessness
means to them things will be allowed to go on in the old groove.
[Illustration]