Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-24
CONTESTS OF FISHERMEN
PRIZES OFFERED BY ENGLISH
SOCIETY OF ANGLERS.
From Tit


There are doubtless members OF a GER
tain Bedfordshire club who recall to this
day a match on the Ouse with a South
London angling society. when first prize
was offered for the heaviest fish caught
and a second prize for the greatest num-
Der of fish. while the side which had the
least aggregate catch had to pay for din
ner on both sides, for although there were
twelve men on a side and they fished all
day, the entire board was swept by a man
who lured an eight-and-one-half-o
victim to its doom.
An even worse fate befell Nottingham
fishing society some little time ago, when
fifteen members worked hard-or as hard
as is possible when pursuing the gentle
art-for two and half hours and not a
single fish was hooked
Some fishing competitions attain enor-
nous dimensions Thus in aid Of the An
glers Benevolent Society some little time
ago 600 fishermen assembled at st. Mar
garet's on the Sea, while to compete for
prizes valued at ESQ ten miles of anglers
have settled down on the banks OF the
Leeds and Liverpool canal.
At Tewkesbury.
At Tewkesbury, again, 1,2S1 anglers
have sat down to work from 10 till 2 on
the same day. and steamers have had TO
be requisitioned to take them to their
places and bring back the catches, the
outside man being about fourteen miles
away from the angler drawing the pre-
mier place.
Tewkesbury, however, is famous as a
place where BrObdignagian fishing par
ties can be entertained, and only last
year, when 1900 enthusiasts from the
midlands spread themselves along the
bank. some twenty miles of river front
age were occupied by the ardent anglers.
whose most successful member captured
ten roach weighing pounds 51a ounces.
which was, however, more than three
times the avoirdupois that won the An
glers Benevolent Society's first prize In
the competition held early this year.
Some of the Anglers Benevolent So
ciety's contests have brought about very
peculiar results. Thus, the first prize in
the competition in the Lea early in 1903,
that attracted over 800 fishermen, fell to
a catch of 2 pounds 81 ounces of roach,
as compared with 8 pounds ounces when
l, 500 excursionists from Birmingham de-
scended upon Abingdon-on-Tham In 1904
to fish for prizes worth f1OO, and many
of the prizes could not be awarded; al
though the proud captor of dace of III
ounces succeeded in obtaining one. Nor
is the Lea the only river responsible for
similar diSappointmentS, for II is not so
long ago that 400 anglers met at Twicken-
IldIH anu llSIltu III ScfCIdl iOui ., viii
the result that 300 returned with empty
creels and the hundred that did effect
captures merely secured go pound weight
|of fish, a result recalling the efforts of six
teen members of the Kingston Piscatorial
Society, who engaged in a three-day
roach competition in 1906 in the Thames
and only one caught fish.
Reason for Small Catches.
AS a matter Of fact experts have sug-
gested the possibility of the vibrations Of
the bank caused by several hundred per-
sons walking along 1t alarming the fish,
very plausible explanation, that ac-
counts in great measure for the fact that
ffty-guinea challenge cup and a first
prize fell to Birmingham angler recently
whose catch of 2 pounds 81 ounces beat
that of any other angler present, and
there were more than 1 200 engaged in
the task Of alluring--or attempting to
ure-the finny inhabitants of the Severn
to their doom.
Although rods. cups and shields are
usually the guerdons Of victory in this
form Of competition, occasionally there
Is a pronounced breaking away from con-
vention. Thus shortly before Christmas
it not infrequently happens that the Lea
and Thames are thronged with fishermen
who are out for blankets, turkeys, and
even live pigs. while the prizes Of the
Anglers Benevolent Society, which in
1904 attracted $50 enthusiasts, ranged
from case Of whisky to a pair Of
boots.