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215

FISHING ON THE NORFOLK BROAD

Sir, - I read with much interest the account of "Three Days amongst
the Broads of Norfolk," by your correspondent Greville F., in last week's
impression, and trust you will allow me, as one most intimately
acquainted with these watery wastes, and deeply interested in the
important subject which is alluded to both in the letter itself and your
editorial note, to add a few supplementary remarks.

Greville F.'s experience of the Pleasure Boat at Hickling entirely
corresponds with my own. For such an humble establishment the charges
are most exorbitant, and the living far from luxurious. For instance,
when myself and friend stayed there about three months ago, we found,
to use Greville F.'s own words, the quarters clean and the attendance
active and cheerful ; but, with the exception of some fish of our own
cathcing, which were, I must admit, cooked by the landlady in a very
excellent style, it was our fate to subsist for three days on tough beef-
steaks, which we were previously obliged to order to be sent by the
buthcer at Stalham. Again we were regaled with a vile compound which
was called tea, but could not obtain a drop of milk wherewith to improve
it, if that were possible.

But it is time that I attended to the practical part of your corre-
spondent's letter, and I will commence by stating that Irstead Broad,
mentioned by him, is a first-rate pike water ; I consider it far superior to
Hickling in that respect. On the 26th of September last myself and
friend took twelve pike here in a few hours, weighing from 3 lb. to 12 1/2 lb.,
besides a number of smaller ones, which we, of course, returned to their
native element. The surmise as to Oliver Broad being a likely place is
quite correct ; it is full of pike ; and the angler has the same chance of
taking a 20 as a 5-pounder there. Indeed, it is quite exceptional to
catch one of less weight than the latter ; but leave is rather difficult to
obtain, and the water is so overgrown with weeds as to render it
unfishable till the season is well advanced. Hickling Broad is - or
perhaps it would be more proper to say was - about the best perch water
in Norfolk. The great drawback here, however, consists in the cockle-
shell boats, which the angler must content himself with. The fact of
entering one is of itself by no means pleasant ; but when I tell you that
sometimes two persons have to work a trolling rod from one, the effect
may be better imagined than described. At other places more com-
modious boats are generally supplied ; in some cases, too much so. I
remember a day on Barton Broad when I was unable to obtain any other
than an immense object, commonly used by the broadsmen for
conveying rushes. On this occasion I was obliged, single-handed,
and in a strong wind, to manage an unwieldy craft, and spin
from it ; but it was a consolation, I need hardly say, that great
exertions were rewarded with success in killing some very good jack
and perch. To return to Hickling Broad. Here I have taken some
truly splendid specimens of the perch tribe. On the 1st of October, 1870,
I caught fourteen in one afternoon, weighing from 1/2 lb. to 3 1/2 lb. ; the
two largest of 3 lb. and 3 1/2 lb. were preserved in a most admirable manner
by Mr. Ward, of Vere-street, Cavendish-square. This year I only took
two of any account at Hickling - viz., 2 1/4 lb. and 1 1/4 lb. The gamekeeper
told me he had seen perch up to 3 3/4 lb. taken out of the broad, but never
one of 4 lb. Of late these fine fish have disappeared ; to use the keeper's
own words, he could not tell me where the "great perch" had got to. I
think a very little consideration will suffice to unravel the mystery. In
the first place great havoc amongst the finny tribe is caused by the
"trimmers," better known in Norfolk as "liggers," involving, I think,
a considerable amount of cruelty to animals. Several hundred of these
instruments of torture are laid out on a broad, baited with a live roach
or other small fish, which must remain in agony till its existence
is happily ended by the formidable jaws of somne voracious pike, which,
should it be so unfortunate as to swallow the bait, must in turn suffer
the most excruciating torture till the ligger is taken up by the fisher-
men. But then that individual will perhaps allow it to escape his notice,
so that clearly one of two results must follow. If no pike swallows the bait,
the latter must linger out its life in pain and suffering, and a similar
fate awaits the pike entrapped by one of the unnoticed liggers. Both
Greville F.' s letter and your editorial note appear to suggest the idea
that the fishermen themselves are solely to blame in these transactions ;
but I assure you such is not the case, for the proprietors are guilty to
an equal or greater degree. One of these gentry, who once enter-
tained us most hospitably at his house, caused three large sacks of
liggers to be carried down to his broad for our use, and never shall I
forget his look of astonishment when I said we should prefer to do
without them.

I must now mention another practice prevalent in this neighbourhood,
which, though fraught with far less cruelty, is equally unsportsmanlike
and destructive. I allude to the use of the drag net, and understand
that one of the proprietors is in the habit of constantly sweeping
the broads with one of these deadly contrivances ; it measures a
quarter of a mile in length, the spoils which it enmeshes being perfectly
shocking to the mind of the honest angler. The [bona fide, in italics] poacher takes
care to carry on his operations with secrecy, but the day on which the
ligger or drag net is employed is celebrated by the Norfolk proprietor
almost as a festival. How, then, is it surprising that fish decrease in
the broads? A very few years ago it would have been next door to
an impossibility to work a spoonbait or otter across one of them without
having a run with a jack or perch ; but now there is only the bare
possibility.

I cannot but think Greville F. has been misinformed as to the size of
rudd and bream commonly taken here. According to my experience, the angler who takes a rudd of 2 lb. is singularly fortunate, and the capture
of a 4 lb. bream is nearly as rare. Undoubtedly there are shoals of both
2 lb. rudd and 7 lb. bream, which an inspection of the contents of the drag
net will constantly prove ; but it is by no means usual to catch them of
that weight while angling. The Norfolk anglers affirm that bream do not bite on the broads, though they do so freely in the rivers. I believe
this theory to be quite correct, and recommend the bream fisher to try
Horning Ferry, on the Bare, where, with plenty of groundbait, a favour-
able tide, and propitious weather, he may be sure of good sport. At the
ferry house, kept by Mr. Crowe, will be found thoroughly comfortable
quarters, good fare, and strictly moderate charges. I took numbers of
bream here in August last weighing from 1 lb. to 3 1/2 lb.

In speaking of bream not biting on the broads, it must not be under-
stood that I mean the white bream, which may be caught almost any-
where, but the golden bream.

I fear that Greville F. has chosen the wrong time of year for visiting
the Norfolk broads, from whence I returned at the end of October
last, having then spent three months in those localities, and feeling sure
that the weather was becoming too uncertain to justify a longer stay.
I hope to visit Norfolk about the end of February, when there will
be no weeds to impede the spinning bait, and I trust I shall be able,
under such favourable circumstances, to secure some heavy pike and
perch.

SPINNER.