Railroads and Fly Fishing

One wouldn’t normally make the connection, but no doubt the advent of railroads in Britain changed the angling landscape forever and probably helped turn fly fishing into a “popular” sport. Andrew Herd says as much on his wonderful Fly Fishing History site: “Leisure travel was becoming possible for ordinary people, and the railway was to play a crucial role in the development of fishing in the UK. The first track was laid in Britain in 1825, and by 1870, the country had 13,500 miles of railway open.” (Thanks to reader Zach Matthews for this link.)