The Handbook to the Rivers and Broads of Norfolk & Suffolk Part 10

TAKING SMELTS.-RIVER WAVENEY.

7. No person shall, within the limits of the above Act, use, or attempt to use, in the River Waveney, above the Burgh Cement works, any Net for the purpose of taking Smelts, except between the 10th day of March and the 12th day of May, both days inclusive, and then only at the places and by the means hereinafter mentioned, viz., between Rose Hall Fleet, and the Boat-house Hill, near Beccles, and in the pen of Shipmeadow Lock, by a Cast Net or Drop Net not exceeding 16 feet in diameter, and if any such Net be used between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise, the same shall be used with a light or flare, and not otherwise.

TAKING SMELTS.-RIVERS OUSE, NAR, AND NENE.

8. No person shall, within the limits of the above Act, take or kill, or attempt to take or kill, Smelts in the Rivers Ouse, Nar, or Nene, between the 1st day of April and the 31st day of August, both days inclusive.

9. No person shall, within the limits of the above Act, use or attempt to use, in the Rivers Ouse, Nar, or Nene, for the purpose of taking Smelts, any Net having a mesh of less dimensions, when wet, than five-eighths of an inch from knot to knot, measured on each side of the square.

TAKING SMELTS.-BREYDON WATER.

10. No person shall, within the limits of the above Act, use, or attempt to use, in the water known as Breydon Water, for the purpose of taking Smelts, any Net in the months of May, June, July, and August, or any Net between the 1st day of September and the 30th day of April, both days inclusive, having a mesh of less dimensions, when wet, than five-eighths of an inch from knot to knot, measured on each side of the square.

TAKING BAIT.-NAVIGABLE RIVERS.

11. No person shall, for the purpose of taking Bait in any navigable river within the limits of the above Act (except in the River Ouse below Denver Sluice, and in the River Nene below Wisbeach Bridge), use any Net other than a Cast Net, or any Cast Net having a mesh of less dimensions, when wet, than five-eighths of an inch from knot to knot, measured on each side of the square.

TAKING BAIT.-ALL WATERS.

12. No person shall, within the limits of the above Act, use, or attempt to use, any Cast Net exceeding twelve yards in circ.u.mference, between the 11th day of October and the 1st day of April in each year, or any Cast Net exceeding eight yards in circ.u.mference at any other time of the year, or any such net, having a sack, or purse exceeding fourteen inches in depth, when extended, for the purpose of taking Fish for Bait; and the word "Bait" shall mean Roach, Rudd or Roud, Bream, Dace, Ruff or Pope, Gudgeons, and Minnows, measuring less than eight inches from the nose to the fork of the tail.

13. No person shall, within the limits of the above Act, Net for Bait at any time on a Sunday; and no person shall, within such limits, Net for Bait at any time on a week-day except between one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset, nor unless such Bait is for use in angling, or trolling, or taking Eels within the limits of the above Act.

TAKING EELS.-RIVERS YARE AND WENSUM, ABOVE HARDLEY CROSS.

14. No person shall, for the purpose of taking Eels in the Rivers Yare and Wensum, above Hardley Cross, do any of the following things:- 1. Use or attempt to use in the months of April, May, and June, a line with a hook or hooks, except in connection with a rod used for the purpose of Angling.

2. Use or attempt to use any Net in the months of April, May, and June.

3. Use or attempt to use at any other time of the year, a Line, whether fixed or not, with more than one hook, except in connection with a rod used for the purpose of Angling.

4. Use or attempt to use any Net other than a Skim or Skein Net.

TAKING EELS.-ALL OTHER WATERS.

15. In all other waters within the limits of the above Act, lines with one hook only, whether fixed or not, and fixed Nets, but no others, may be used at any time for taking Eels only.

16. No person shall use or attempt to use, in any water within the limits of the above Act, a Dag or Spear, for the purpose of taking Fish other than Eels.

ALL WATERS.

17. Any person, within the limits of the above Act, taking any Fish except Smelts, Eels, or Bait in any Net allowed by the Bye Laws to be used for taking Smelts, Eels, or Bait respectively, shall immediately return such first-mentioned Fish to the water without avoidable injury.

18. The foregoing Bye-laws shall not apply to any other than fresh-water Fish, or to the water known as Breydon Water, except as to Smelts, as hereinbefore provided.

_I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true Copy of the Bye-laws made by the Board of Conservators under the above Act, and that such Bye-laws have been approved by one of Her Majesty's Princ.i.p.al Secretaries of State, and have been duly advertised as approved Bye-laws in newspapers circulated in the Counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, and have been otherwise published as the Board directed._

_Sealed by order of the Board._

TABLE OF RIVER DISTANCES.

FROM CARROW BRIDGE.

YARE.

_Miles_.

To Trowse Hythe ,, Thorpe Second Bridge 1 ,, Whitlingham Ferry 2 ,, Corby's d.y.k.e 2 ,, Postwick Grove 3 ,, ,, Hall 3 ,, Wood's End 4 ,, Wilde's Cottage 4 ,, Surlingham Ferry 5 ,, Coldham Hall 7 ,, Walpole's Reed Bush 9 ,, Buckenham Ferry 10 ,, Ha.s.singham d.y.k.e 10 ,, Langley d.y.k.e 11 To Cantley Red House 12 ,, Devil's House 13 ,, Hardley Mill 14 ,, ,, d.y.k.e 14 ,, ,, Cross 15 ,, Norton Staithe 15 ,, Reedham Ferry 15 ,, ,, End of New Cut 17 ,, Upper Seven Mile House 18 ,, Berney Arms 20 ,, Burgh Flats 21 ,, Yarmouth Drawbridge 25 ,, Gorleston Pierhead 27 FROM REEDHAM BRIDGE.

WAVENEY.

To Herringfleet Bridge 3 ,, Somerleyton Bridge 4 ,, Oulton d.y.k.e 7 ,, ,, Broad 8 To Mutford Lock 9 ,, Lowestoft Bridge 11 ,, ,, Pierhead 11 FROM YARMOUTH BRIDGE.

YARE.

To Berney Arms 4 ,, Reedham Town 8 ,, Norton Staithe 9 ,, Hardley Cross 10 ,, Cantley 12 ,, Buckenham Ferry 15 ,, Coldham Hall 18 ,, Surlingham Ferry 19 ,, Bramerton Wood's End 21 ,, Postwick Grove 22 ,, Whitlingham 23 ,, Carrow Bridge 25 WAVENEY.

To Burgh Cage 4 ,, St. Olave's Bridge 9 ,, Mouth of New Cut 9 ,, Somerleyton Bridge 12 ,, Mouth of Oulton d.y.k.e 15 ,, Carlton Share Mill 16 ,, Seven-Mile Corner 17 ,, Six-Mile Corner 18 ,, Worlingham Staithe 20 ,, Aldeby Staithe 20 ,, Beccles Mill 21 ,, Sayer's Grove 22 ,, Beccles Bridge 23 ,, Nine Poplars 24 To Dawson's Dip House 24 ,, Barsham's Boat House 25 ,, Mouth of Oulton d.y.k.e 15 ,, Horse Shoe Point 16 ,, Oulton Broad 16 ,, Mutford Bridge 17 ,, Lowestoft Bridge 19 ,, Length of New Cut 2 BURE.

To Three-Mile House 3 ,, Runham Swim 5 ,, Six-Mile House 6 ,, Seven-Mile House 8 ,, Stokesby Ferry 10 ,, Acle Bridge 12 ,, Fishley Mill 12 ,, Thurne Mouth 15 ,, St. Benet's Abbey 17 ,, Mouth of Ant 17 ,, Horning Ferry 21 ,, Horning Point 22 ,, Wroxham Broad 25 ,, Wroxham Bridge 27 ,, Belaugh 31 ,, Coltishall Bridge 34 ,, Aylsham Bridge 45 THURNE.

To Thurne Mouth 15 ,, Potter Heigham Bridge 19 ,, Candler's d.y.k.e 19 ,, Hickling Staithe 22 ANT.

To Mouth of Ant 17 ,, Ludham Bridge 18 ,, Mouth of Barton Broad 21 ,, End of Barton Broad 22 ,, Stalham 23 ,, Stalham Staithe 24 From Yarmouth Bridge to Runham Swim 5 ,, ,, ,, Six-Mile House 6 ,, ,, ,, Seven-Mile House 8 ,, ,, ,, Stokesby Ferry 10 ,, ,, ,, Acle Bridge 12 From Acle Bridge to Fishley Mill ,, ,, ,, Thurne Mouth 3 ,, ,, ,, St. Benet's 5 ,, ,, ,, Mouth of Ant 5 ,, ,, ,, Horning Rectory 7 ,, ,, ,, ,, Ferry 9 ,, ,, ,, ,, Point 10 ,, ,, ,, Entrance to Wroxham Broad 13 ,, ,, ,, Wroxham Bridge 15 From Wroxham Bridge to Belaugh 4 ,, ,, ,, ,, Coltishall 7 ,, ,, ,, ,, Aylsham 18 From Yarmouth Bridge to Wroxham Bridge 27 ,, ,, ,, ,, Coltishall 34 ,, ,, ,, ,, Aylsham 45 From Thurne Mouth to Heigham Bridge 3 ,, ,, ,, ,, Kendal d.y.k.e 4 ,, ,, ,, ,, Hickling Staithe 7 From River Ant to Ludham Bridge ,, ,, ,, ,, Mouth of Barton Broad 4 ,, ,, ,, ,, End of ,, ,, 5 ,, ,, ,, ,, End of Stalham Broad 6 ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, Staithe 6

TIDES.

h. m.

It is high water at Lowestoft 0 43 later than at Yarmouth Bar ,, ,, ,, ,, Cantley 3 0 ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, Coldham 4 0 ,, ,, Hall ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, Oulton 4 0 ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, Horning 4 0 ,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

The Tide flows and ebbs in the Bure one hour later than at Yarmouth Bridge.

Springs. Neap.

The rise at Yarmouth is 6 feet 4 feet ,, ,, ,, Lowestoft ,, 6 ,, 5 ,, ,, ,, ,, Cantley ,, 2 ,, 1 ,, ,, ,, ,, Oulton ,, 2 ,, 1 ,,

The Tides, however, vary according to the strength and direction of the wind and the quant.i.ty of flood water in the river.

FISHING GENERALLY.

In the rivers it is customary to fish in 10 to 14 feet of water, and the shortness of the swims necessitates the line being heavily weighted, in order that it may sink rapidly. The floats are necessarily large, particularly when used for the lower reaches, where there is a considerable tidal current. The boats are moored in a line with the stream, not across it, as on the Thames, and the swims are thus very short. For the upper and clearer waters, the Nottingham system of angling might be advisable, but in the more turbid lower reaches the Norfolk style is practically the best. Worms are used for bream, and paste for roach. Worms are procurable at some of the tackle shops, but anglers will do well to provide them for themselves if possible.

Boats are charged for at the rate of from 1s. to 2s. a-day, but are rather rough concerns, except at Oulton.

Ground-bait, consisting chiefly of meal and clay, is largely used, but a place is rarely baited beforehand. As there is ample choice of stations, always moor so that the wind is at your back, and you will thus have smooth water in front of you.

Small roach as bait for pike, are procurable at most of the waterside inns, at 1s. to 1s. 6d. a score, but to get the best sport obtain fish from other waters, particularly dace and gudgeon.

Pike are, of course, the chief fish in Norfolk, and are plentiful everywhere. In the rivers they do not run very large, a ten-pound fish being considered a good one, but in a few years' time, with the freedom from netting the rivers now enjoy, we may expect some very large ones to be caught in the rivers. In private waters there are veritable monsters, but the stranger is not likely to make acquaintance with them.

Live-baiting and spinning with a spoon, or artificial bait trailed behind a boat, are the usual modes of fishing for pike in Norfolk. Trolling with a dead gorge, and spinning with a dead bait by casting, as in the Thames, are comparatively rarely practised, although I believe that in some portions of the rivers these methods would "pay." I have seen fly-fishing for pike practised with success here, and I firmly believe that on some of the shallower Broads it would be very deadly.

[Picture: Ormesby Broad-Landing stage]

Perch are only locally common wherever there is a suitable bottom for them, as at Irstead Shoals and Hickling, and in some portions of the Bure and Waveney, but they run to a large size, and are sometimes caught between three and four pounds in weight.

Bream are most common of all, and may be caught by hundreds and the stone weight. They run up to five and six pounds in weight, and a take by two rods in a day of 150, averaging half-a-pound apiece, is not a rare event.

Roach are very numerous and large, many running close to two pounds in weight.

Rudd are beautiful game fish, common in some of the Broads, particularly Ormesby, and give rare sport if you get among a shoal of them.

Eels are, of course, present in any number, and "babbing" for them, with a bunch of worms threaded on to worsted, is not a bad way of pa.s.sing a warm night.

Tench are common, but are not often caught with a rod and line. They are taken in bow nets, and run very large. In hot weather, in June, they may be taken by the hand as they bask in the shallow water among the weeds.

Some fishermen are very skilful in this particular mode of catching them.

Carp are caught sometimes, but not often, although there are plenty of them.

Dace and gudgeon are not so frequently caught in the navigable waters as other fish.

Chub and barbel are unknown in the Broad District.

The bream are so excessively abundant that they spoil the fishing for other fish, notably for perch, and I think it would be an excellent thing if the different preservation societies would set apart a few days each year for systematic netting to thin the bream, replacing the other fish, and selling those retained. What is the good to anglers of catching thousands of small bream? Are not a score over a pound weight each better than ten-score fingerlings? Judicious thinning out, under proper supervision, would have a most beneficial effect on the size of the fish generally.