A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE presence there would be a far greater number of trout in the rivers, and where care is taken to kill as many pike as possible, the trout have greatly increased in numbers. In ancient times, before there were facilities for obtaining sea water fish, what are now called ' coarse ' fish were highly prized and fed in ponds and rivers ; more especially in the ponds and rivers owned by the monks and abbots of St. Albans, Westminster and Ely. Sir Francis Bacon constructed the considerable series of ponds which are still called the pond- yards at Gorhambury, close to the Redbourn road. Here he bred and fed and caught carp and other coarse fish which were at that time looked upon as excellent eating. Cardinal Wolseley, whose country residence was Moor Park, Rickmansworth, also often occupied his leisure hours in fishing in the river Gade. An interesting case was tried in James II.'s reign as to whether the right of fishing in the river, which was at that time called the Quick but is now known as the Colne, belonged to the lord of the manor. In the year 1688 Algernon Earl of Essex sent five farmers ' armed ' to fish and carry away fish from the Quick river. Thomas Kilby brought an action against them that on the first day of September, 1688, they broke the close called Ware eight, the close called Seize eight, also Long eight and Lagershott eight in the parishes of Watford and St. Stephens and did fish and carry away 1,000 pickerells, 1,000 tenches, 1,000 carpes, 1,000 roaches, 200 pykes, 200 pearches and 200 trouts, and trod down the grass to the great damage, etc. The five farmers set up a plea that the Earl of Essex was seized of the manor of Meredin or Morndon in his demesne as of fee and that the Earl of Essex from time immemorial had the sole right of fishing in the Quick river, and that the damage to the grass was unavoidable in fishing the river. Thomas Kilby denied the Earl of Essex's claim and himself claimed the exclusive right of fishing there. Tried at Hertfordshire assizes before two judges and a jury, a verdict was given for Thomas Kilby, the jury having found that the Earl of Essex had not as lord of the manor the right of fishing in all the river Quick. Several of the rivers in the county were preserved for the kings of England, and sometimes only the trout were reserved for the king notably at Kings Langley and Bushey. Cormorants were kept at Theobalds by King James I. for catching fish, and also by successive Lords Salisbury at Hatfield. A large pike was caught at Totteridge in 1797 which weighed 40 Ib. and measured 3^ feet long and 2 feet in circumference. Inside this pike was found a tench weighing 4 Ib. In 1839 Wants Inn, Broxbourne, was well known as the principal fishing station with the largest subscription club near the metro- polis. At the present time the only fish in the Hertfordshire rivers that is really prized is the trout, and to a less extent the grayling. The beautiful and highly scientific branch of fishing for trout which is yearly coming more into favour is the fishing with the dry fly, that is, watching for a rising fish and then casting a dry fly above the fish and letting the fly float down over the fish, instead of the old method of submerging the fly and guiding it across the current, as is usually done in the more rapid rivers. The streams of this county are wonderfully prolific in insect life, and besides the number- less flies which breed in our rivers, there are large numbers of larvae, shrimps and water snails. With so large a choice of food our river trout are much more dainty feeders than the trout that inhabit the mountain rivers, and are therefore much more difficult to tempt with the artificial fly, and it is only when the trout are rising freely at the natural fly that the dry fly fisherman can hope to make a good basket in the Hertfordshire rivers. Mr. Halford, who is the greatest living authority on dry fly fishing, and who has often fished the principal Hertfordshire streams, thus describes the modus operandi. ' The angler selects his fish, gets behind him (that is below him), and prepares for a cast up stream. Then taking two or three false casts in the air to judge the distance the fly is thrown with the intention of making it fall gently a foot or two above the rising fish and exactly in his line. The slightest clumsiness on the part of the angler is fatal and puts the fish down for the next half hour.' Thus not only is great skill required in casting, but great knowledge of entomology is also re- quired, which the fisherman can only acquire by his own habits of observation. In most of the chalk streams in Hertford- shire the mayfly, which belongs to the family Epbemeridte, is present, and where there are large numbers of these insects the best sport is always to be had. The trout during the ten days or fortnight that this fly is on the water eat them with great avidity, and also freely take the artificial fly when skilfully cast. So greedy are the fish when the fly is numerous, that they are apparently unable to distinguish colour. Sir Herbert Maxwell, when fishing in the Gade at Cassiobury in 362
