The Severn has long been celebrated for the excellency of its
fish—salmon, pike, grayling, trout, perch, and many others. The votaries
of the “Gentle Craft,” if not always gratified with excellent sport, or
the finny tribe should sometimes not be disposed “to bite,” may find
pleasure in the contemplation of the scenery around.
It must however be mentioned, and with regret, that the fishing of the
river near the town has of late years been almost ruined by the daring
excess of poaching with illegal nets, so as to threaten, as it were, the
annihilation of the piscatory race, unless the laws are put in force for
their defence. Some of the lesser streams near the town, however, afford
a tolerable supply of good trout.