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ALBERT R. MANN 
 LIBRARY 
 
 New York State Colleges 
 
 OF 
 
 Agriculture and Home Economics 
 
 AT 
 
 Cornell University 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 
 WILLARD A. laCGINS, JR. 
 
 in memory of his father 
 

 DATE DUE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 V, ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 GAYLORD 
 
 
 
 PRINTED IN U.S.A. 
 
 ,jl^j^^^ 
 
 CorneK University Library 
 SH 439.S86C 1853 
 
 The angler's companion to the rivers and 
 
 3 1924 003 448 424 
 
,^v- 
 
 ' "^y 
 
 U 
 
 A 
 
 A 1^' 
 
The original of tliis bool< is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003448424 
 

THE 
 
 ANGLER'S COMPANION 
 
 TO THE RIVERS AND LOCHS 
 OF SCOTLAND 
 
 THOMAS TOD STODDAET 
 
 SECOND EDITION 
 
 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SON^ 
 
 EDINBURGH AND LONDaN 
 
 MDCCCLIII 
 
 "-W 
 
 K 
 
SH 
 sue 
 
 360644 
 
JOHN WILSON, JUN., ESQ., 
 
 AS A MAEK OF BBGABD, AND IN COMMEMORATION OF 
 
 OUB MANY WANDEBINOS TOGETHEE 
 
 BY LOCH AND STEEAM, 
 
 ON THE MOUNTAINS AJND IN THB VALLEYS OF 
 
 OTTE FATHERLAND, 
 
 BY HIS SINCERE FRIEND, 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
ADVERnSEMENT TO THE SECOND EDITION, 
 
 The present edition of the Angler's Companion has been 
 subjected to a thorough and careful revision. In many 
 portions of the treatise the author has thought it necessary 
 to make extensive alterations. With those chapters which 
 relate to the practice of the art, he has dealt as an increase 
 of experience suggested to him ; unhesitatingly, when re- 
 quired, applying the pruning-knife, or reinforcing them in 
 turn with new and useful matter. To the remainder of 
 the volume — that part in which the Eivers and Lochs of 
 Scotland in their angling qualifications are treated of — he 
 has also paid particular attention, using every endeavour 
 to render the information contained in it not only interest- 
 ing, but of fi:e$h date and unimpeachable correctness. As 
 regards the waters of the north and north-west coasts t)f 
 Sutherland, which are now, since 1850, let solely as rod- 
 fishings, minute information, collected from the best sources, 
 is embodied for the first time. The list of angling streams 
 and lochs throughout Scotland, and of flies adapted for 
 them, has also been considerably augmented, and much 
 additional matter relative to the Scottish Salmon- Fishings, 
 along with suggestions for their improvement, will be 
 found scattered throughout the volume. 
 
 Keiso, March 6, 1853. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 ISTEODUOOaON, ... ... XV 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FRESH -WATEB TBOUT. 
 
 Introductory Remarks ; Astonishing Variety of the Species — 
 Instances in point — Effect of Tran^erence on this or that Breed 
 — Cross Breeds -^ Food and Habits — Growth and Size affected 
 by Quantity and Quality of Sustenance, Range of Water, Breed- 
 ing Acconunodation, &c. — ^Loch Trout — River ditto. — Size of 
 Tweed Trout — IlluBtraiion of the Effects of Superior Feeding — 
 Leet and Esk contrasted — Growth of Trout during the First, 
 Second, and Third Years — The Gillarroo or Gizzard Trout — The 
 Salmo Ccecifer; Salmo J?(Sroa>— SwaUow-smolt, . . .1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 TACKLE, &C. &0. 
 
 Silk-worm Gut — Its Manufacture — ^Recipes for Dyeing, &c. — Tackle 
 that belonged to Sir W. Scott, and mislaid along with the 
 Warerley Manuscript — Making up of Casting Lines — ^Anglers' 
 Knots — Improved Construction of the Reel or Winch — Rods^ 
 General Remarks — Woods employed in their Manufacture — The 
 Ferrule — Hooks — Varnishes — Wax — Angler's Equipment, 
 Wading Boots, Pocket Book, Tin Box, Pannier, &c. . .25 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FLT-DRESSIKO. 
 
 Comparative inutility of written instructions on the subject — List 
 of materiala required — Feathers, Dubbings, and Tinsels — Dyeing 
 of Wool and Feathers. — Trout Plies— Author's method of Dress- 
 ing them — General remarks on the Dressing of Scotch and Irish 
 Salmon-flies— Professional Fly-Dressers— Mr Forrest's Flies- 
 Looped heads on Salmon-flies — Horizontal or flat Wings ; pro- 
 jecting or upright ditto, . . . . • .47 
 
Vm CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 TBOUTINQ-rlJES. 
 
 Page 
 
 Fastidiousness of Anglers in respect to tliem — Author's Limitation 
 —Ground-work of a Killing Stock— The Hackle— Spider Fly- 
 Hooks, round and Irish bends ; their adaptation in point of size 
 to the Season, State of Water, &c.— Fly-fishing Months— March, 
 April, May— Water Insects, &o.— June and July— Night Lures 
 — The Stone Fly— Bum-fishing in Summer— Loch Fhes, twelve 
 approved varieties — Fly-hooks employed in August and Sep- 
 tember — Condition of Trout during these Months — Concluding 
 remarks, . . . . . ■ . .60 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 TBOUTINO WTPH THE SLY, 
 
 The Fly-cast ; fixing on of the droppers — Captain Clarke's rapid 
 Stream Tackle — Double and single-handed Trouiang Eod ; their 
 Comparative Merits — Instructions as to Throwing, Management 
 of the Line, &c. — Angling anatomised, or the Secret of its 
 Delights unfolded, . . . . . . .76 
 
 CHAPTEE VL 
 
 ON WOEM-HSHINQ FOE TROUT. 
 
 Worm-fishing in turbid Waters — Ditto in clear Water — Eod and 
 Tackle suitable — Adjustment of the Leads — Earth-worms ; 
 Method of procuring the best Sorts — Hart's-hom Moss — Pre- 
 paration of Worms; Scouring, Toughening, and Beddening 
 Processes — Season, TWe of Day, and State of Water — Where to 
 Angle, How to Bait, Manage the Tackle, &c. — ^Various Advices 
 and Precautions — Striking, Landing, &c. . . .84 
 
 CHAPTEE Vn. 
 
 THOUTIMQ WITH THE MINNOW AND PAER-TAIL. 
 
 Introductory Observations — Eod, Fitting up of Tackles — Ap- 
 proved Method of Attaching the Lure — the Parr-tail ; Shaping 
 of ditto — Various other Tackles — Arrangement of Leads and 
 Swivels — Selection of Minnows — Methods of taking them, &c. — 
 When to Fish with the Minnow — When and where to use the 
 Parr-tail — ^Playing the Lure, Edging aud Striking — Live, Diving, 
 and Ground Minnow-tackles — Imitations — Rolling for the 
 Salmo Ferox, . . . . ' . . .102 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ANGtmO WITH THE SALMON-ROE. 
 
 Use of this Bait in Salmon Rivers vindicated — Its Extraordinary 
 Properties — Disapproved of in Streams purely Trouting — 
 
CONTENTS. IX 
 
 Page 
 Various Modes of Preparation —Curing of the Leaf — Mixed Paste 
 — Fine Paste— Bead Eoe — Salt attractive to Animals— Method of 
 Angling with the Eoe on Tweedside — ^Author's System — Season, 
 Condition of Water, &o. — Use of Eoe and Worm conjointly — 
 Concluding Eemarks, .,,.., 127 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE SALMON. 
 
 Its position among Fishes — distinguishing points — Marine and 
 Fresh- water Existence — Internal Colour — Effects of Eioh Feeding 
 on Trout and Charr — ^Marine Food of the Salmon ; its Voracious 
 Habits — Digestive Powers — Opinions of Naturalists — Marine 
 Feeding-grounds of the Inver and the Laxford contrasted' — 
 The Shrimp — Breeding of Salmon — Experiments of Shaw and 
 Young — ^The Parr state ; its continuance — ^Migrations of Salmon- 
 fry — Confined Smolts — Curious Specimen — Sea-trout Fry — 
 Marine growth of Salmon — Bapid transition of the Black-Fin 
 into the Grilse — Habits of Salman at Sea ; its Instincts — Size of 
 SaJinon— The "Grey Sohule" — Salmon Leaps, . , .139 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SEA-TROUT. 
 
 The Eriox or Bull-Trout; its size, strength, &c. — ^Abounds in 
 Tweed — Its Instincts and Voracity — Distinguished from the 
 Salar — The Whitling ; error with reward to it — The Finnook ; 
 its habits — Silver- white of Tweed— Herlings and BUls— Bull- 
 Trout of Tarras — Norway Salmon — Increase of the Eriox in 
 Tweed, &o 160 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 SALMON-FLIES. 
 
 Power of the Salmon to distinguish the Colours of a Fly-hook pass- 
 ing over it — Its Caprice and Fanciful Tastes — ^Irish Fly-hooks on 
 Scottish Elvers — Modem Eefinement in regard to Salmon-flies 
 — Lists of approved Salmon-flies, adapting them to difierent 
 Rivers, , . . . . . • .166 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SALMOH-i'ISHINe WITH THE TLT. 
 
 Salmon-fishing considered as a Manly Sport — Its Practice on 
 Tweed — Salmon Rivers — Casts and Resorts of the Fish— Attrac- 
 tive Nature of certain Rocks and Places of Shelter — Advice 
 to the Angler — Throwing of the Line, Working ditto, &c. — 
 Depth and Distance from which Salmon will come to the Lure 
 — Rule to be observed on Raising a Fish — Change of Fly — 
 Management of a hooked Fish— Landing, Gaffing, &o. . . 176 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 SALMON-nSHING WITH PAEB-TAIL, MINNOW, AND WORM. 
 
 Page 
 
 Tackles, Leads, &e.— Where and when to Fish— DireotioM how to 
 extricate TaoMe when foul run — Worm-fishing for Salmon; 
 when available— Approved Tackle ; Leading; Baitmg of Hook 
 — Eule to be observed as respects the Winch-hne— Metiiod ot 
 Fishing— (Note on the Power of Sahnonto Expel its Food)— 
 Seizureofthe Worm by the Fish— General Kemarks, . . liW 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 PIKE AND PIKE-EISHING. 
 Pike-fishing in Teviot— Ravages committed by Pike among Sal- 
 mon Fry and Trout — Pike Tackle; Gorge Hook; Mode of 
 Baiting— Spinning Bait and Tackle- Pike Fly— Peculiar Dis- 
 position of the Fish— When in Season— Superiority of the Teviot 
 Breed, &c. — Weather and state of Water suitable for Pike- 
 fishing— Approved Method of Despatching large Fish — Perch- 
 
 ■Moda of taking Eels, &e. . . . -209 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 COOKING OP SALMON, ETC. 
 
 A Tweedside Kettle — Directions for the boilihg of Salmon, Grilse, 
 or Sea-Trout, as pursued in Berwick-upon-Tweed — The Curing 
 or Kippering of Salmon — Berwick Mode — Pickled Salmon — 
 Method of roasting Salmon at Killamey — Recipe for the Potting 
 of Charr, Trout, &o. — A simple way of Cooking a Whitling or 
 good Trout by the river-side — -The Conjuror — RemEirks on the 
 nTing of Trout, boiling and baking of Pike, &c. . . 222 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 TWEED AND ITS TBIBTJTARIES. 
 The Angling Streams of its Upper Districts — Biggar Water, the 
 Lyne, Manor, &c. — Tweed betwixt Peebles and Galashiels — The 
 Ettrick, Yarrow, St Mary's Loch, &o. — Salmon-Casts near Mel- 
 rose ; the Pavilion, Drygrange, and other Rod-fishings — Leader 
 Water — Mertoun, Rutherford, Makerston, and Floors Rod- 
 fishings — The Teviot and its Feeders — Teviotdale Angling Club 
 — Sprouston, Hendersyde, Birgham, Carham, Wark, and Lees 
 Rod-fishings- The TiU, Whitadder, and Blackadder, &c.— Ellem 
 Fishing-Club, Tweed Salmon-fishings ; Suggestions in respect to 
 them— The Eye and Tyne, &c. . . . . .230 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 FORTH AND IIS TRIBUTARIES. 
 
 Its Sources and general Character as an Anghng River — The 
 Salmon-fishings near Stirling — The Teith — Lochs Voil, Lubnaig, 
 Katrine, and Vennacher — Salmon-oasts on the Teith — The 
 
CONTENTS. Xi 
 
 Keltie— Lochs Chon, Ard, Arklet, Dronkie, and Menteith — The 
 Allan Water — Stirlingshire Fishing-Club — The Devon— Gart- 
 morin Dam— The Streams of West and Mid Lothians— Fifeshire 
 Elvers— Loch Leven— The Queichs, . . . .266 
 
 CHAPTER XVm. 
 
 TAT AND ITS TElBUTAErES. 
 
 Dochart and Loohay — Mode of catching Salmon near Killin, Loch 
 Tay— The Lyon Watei^-Ths Tay above togierait— The Tummel 
 — The Garry — Looh Broom and the DowaUy Lochs — The Braan, 
 Isla, Bricht, and Dean Waters — ^Angling Casta — SaJmon-fishing 
 near the Liim of Campsie — The Almond and Barn — The Euohil 
 — Looh Turret — May Water — Artificial Ponds near Crieff— 
 Salmon-fishings on the Tay, ..... 272 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 EIVEBS OF ANGUS AND ABEEDEENSHIEE. 
 
 The North and South Esks with their Tributaries — Salmon-fishings 
 — Lunan Water — ^the Bervie, Carron, and Towie — The Dee and 
 its Tributaries — Salmon-fishings, Angling Stations, and Casts ; 
 Flies— The Don and the Ury— The Ythan ; its Pearl Fisheries ; 
 its high repute among Anglers — The Ugie and Rathen Bum, 285 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 BIVBKS OF THE MORAY HETH. 
 
 The Spey ; its Sources and Angling Qualifications — The Dulnain 
 and Aven Waters — The Fiddiohand Dullen — Salmon-fishings at 
 Spey-mouth — Spey Fly-^Ravages of the Water-ouzel among 
 Salmon Spawn — The Findhom — Lochs Moy and Bruach, — 
 Salmon-fishings — Mode of catching Salmon at the Ess or Fall— 
 Flies for Findhom — ^Angling Stations — The Doveran and its 
 Salmon-fishings — The Lossie — Nairn Water— Loch Behvat — 
 The Ness ; its Salmon-fishings ; Flies— Loch Ness — Rivers and 
 Lakes in the vicinity of Inverness, .... 292 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE BEAULET AND CONAN. 
 
 The Beauley — The Glass, Farrar, and Cannioh Rivers — Lochs 
 Gorm, Bruiach, &o. — Falls of Kilmorack— AngUng Stations — 
 The Conan — Locbs Ledgowan, Achnanault, and Luichart — 
 Falls of the Conan and Meig — The Black-water — Loch Garve — 
 Falls of Rogie — Lochs Achilty, Neoh Beann, Kinellan, and 
 Ussie — The Orrin— Cruive-dykes — Angling Stations — Alness and 
 Balnagowan Rivers— Loohs Glass and Moir, . . .303 
 
Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 ETVEBS OF THE DOBNOOH TIRTH. 
 
 Page 
 
 The Oikel, Cassley, and Banaig ; their Sahnon-fishiugs, Angling- 
 casts, and Flies— The Carron— Loohs Chorr, Culrain, and Mig- 
 dale— Inns— Loch Shin ; its Salmo J'«roa:— Lairg; Maokay's 
 Inn, Boatmen — Loohs Craggie and Doulas — The Kiver Shin ; 
 its Palls, Angling-oasts, and Salmon-fishings— Mr Young's 
 arrangements—Flies — Angling on Shin — Feats of Anglers — 
 The Fleet— Sea-trout — Salt-water Salmon-cast below the Mound 
 — The Brora : its Salmon-fishings- Lakes near its sources — The 
 Helmsdale — Lakes of Kildonan, . . . . .311 
 
 CHAPTER XXin. 
 
 EIVEBS OP CAITHNESS. 
 
 Langwell and Berriedale Eivers — ^The River Wick — Loch Watten 
 —Water of Wester— Loohs— The Thurso River; its Salmon- 
 fishings — Mr Dunbar; his Angling arrangements — Major G. 
 Cumming's Flies for the Thurso— The Fores— Loohs Shurery, 
 Heitill, &c. 319 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV, 
 
 BIVERS OF THE NORTH COAST. 
 
 The Halladale ; its Angling Casts — Loohs Balligill, &c. — The 
 Strathy — Melvich Inn — The Naver — Discontinuance of Bag-net 
 and Cruive Fishing in the North and North-west Districts ; its 
 Effect — Increase of Salmon — Improved Angling — Angling on 
 the Naver, Mallart, &o. — Loch Naver — The Borgie — Lochs 
 Laoghal, Slam, and Cra^e — Einloch Water — The Hope and 
 Strathmore Rivers — The Dionard or Grudle River — Lochs Dio- 
 nard, Borralie, and Crosbole, &c. .... 324 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 BIVEES OF THE KORTH-WEST COAST. 
 
 The InchardEdver — Lochs Garbet, More, and Beg — Sea-trout and 
 Salmon Fishing — Rhioonich Inn — The Laxford River ; its 
 Angling-casts — Loch Stack ; its Sea-trout — Favourite' Flies — 
 Increase of Salmon — Chain of Lakes stretching across and con- 
 nected with Loch Shin — Soowrie — Lochs of Edderachillis and 
 Streams — Glendhu and Altmaldie Rivers — Kylesku — Lochs and 
 Rivers of Assynt — Loch Assynt — The GiUarroo Loch — The Inver 
 — Trout and Salmon Fishings on the Inver — ^The Kirkaig — 
 Lochs Fewn, Teyattie, Cama, Urigill, and Boarlan — Innisna- 
 damph, Altnagealach, and Loch Inver Inns — The River Ewe — 
 Looh Maree — The Gruinyard and Torridon — The Carron — 
 Angling in Lewis and Harris — Rivers of Eintail — The Shiel and 
 Croe, &C. . . . . . . , . I 
 
CONTENTS. XIU 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 thb awe, ahd eiveb8 and lochs os the west coasi. 
 
 Page 
 The Awe — Loch Awe — ^The Urohay ; its Salinon-fisMngs — Angling 
 Stations— Flies for Loch Awe — The Etive and Streams of Looh 
 Etive — Rivers and Loohs in the vicinity of Oban — ^Ditto near 
 Kilmun — The Goldie of Looh Eok— Rivers bf the Appin and 
 other districts — ^The Lochy, Spean, and Loch Laggan — Angling 
 in Bute, Arran, and Jura, ...... 3iO 
 
 CHAPTER XXVn. 
 
 THE CLYDE, AND STREAMS OE THB SOUTH-WEST. 
 
 The Tributaries of Clyde, and their Angling Qualifications — 
 Sahnon-fishings on the Clyde^Salmon or Sea-trout occasionally 
 captured above Bennington Linn — Angling Stations — -Lochs in 
 Lanarkshire — ^The Kelvin Water — The Leven in Dumbarton- 
 shire — Loch Lomond and its Feeders — The Rivers of Renfrew- 
 shire — The Carts — ^Lakes of Heams and Eaglesham — ^The Gar- 
 nock, Lrvine, and Ayr Waters — The Doon, -Loch Doon, and 
 Loohs of Straiten — The Girvan and Stinohar, &c. . . 346 
 
 CHAPTER XXVm. 
 
 THB BIVEEa OF THE SOLWAT FIRTH, 
 
 The Nith— The Cluden— The Annan— Mofiat Water— Loch Skene 
 — Lochmaben Loohs — Salmon Fisheries — The Eska and their 
 Tributaries — The Dee ; its Salmon-fishings — Fly for the Dee — 
 The Ken — Loch Ken — Immense Pike — The Lochs of Balna- 
 clellan — The Rivers of the Stewartry— The Cree, Fleet, Mmniok, 
 and Urr — Cree Fly — Lochs Dee, Trool, Loohinvar, &c. — The 
 Luce and Bladenoch — Salmon-fishings on the Dee — ^Angling 
 Statistics, ........ 351 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 I. A Dai's Fishikg. (From an original Piotore by James 
 
 Giles, E.S.A.) 
 II. The Tweed near Kelso. 
 
 III. LooH Awe. 
 
 IV. Tweed Flies. 
 
 V. Map oe Scotland. 
 
INTEODUCTION, 
 
 There is no river in Great Britain which affords so 
 many facilities to the angler, for the pursuit of his art, 
 as the far-famed Border stream. Taken in connection 
 with its tributaries, it includes a range of water suffi- 
 cient, throughout the season, to engage the skill and 
 assiduity of thousands of the gentle craft ; and this 
 it does, without giving occasion for a single dispute, 
 on the ground of interference with his sport, to any 
 one individual of the whole number. Extending ujJ- 
 wards of one hundred miles, the Tweed itself furnishes 
 sufficient elbow-room for the daily plying of at least 
 
XVI INTEODUCTION. 
 
 twice that number of rods ; and when I include along 
 with it the Ettrick and its twin sister Yarrow, the 
 Gala, Leader, Teviot, Till, and Whitadder, not to 
 mention the streams of the upper valleys, and the 
 countless rivulets swarming with trout, from which 
 one and all are supplied, I have expressed in the 
 ahove statement no overdrawn estimate of the re- 
 sources, ia point of amusement, which this river 
 comprehends. 
 
 Of all our Scottish waters, from its fojMktain-head 
 to the sea, Tweed is unquestionably the most amply 
 stocked with river-trout ; it is frequented afeo, through- 
 out the greater part of the year, by different specaes 
 of the migratwy sahnonidce—^Hm ^alar, the eriox, 
 and sahno alhus: these distribute themselves, on 
 their ascent from the ocean, over a large proportion 
 of the main river ; they occupy, for a long course of 
 nules, its pools and shelter-places ; at certaiu seasons, 
 they push up in great numbers into the smaller 
 feeders ; and although, to the wandering brother of 
 the angle, not always afifording the same measure of 
 successful sport that he meets with on some of our 
 Highland streams, yet their presence and taking 
 humour are more to be relied on, they continue 
 haunting the fresh water throughout a much longer 
 period of the year, and are more independent of rains 
 and temperature, while, by their distribution over a 
 large extent of current, they yield, what is the case 
 on few of our northern rivers, abundance of exciting 
 recreation for a whole host of salmon-slayers. 
 
 But while such are the general features of Tweed 
 as an angling river, its individual superiority in this 
 respect wUl be more clearly exemplified, when I limit 
 
INTRODUCTION. xvil 
 
 my observations to the particular portion of its course 
 which, extending five or six miles upwards, and as 
 many in an opposite direction from Kelso, may be 
 said to lie in the vicinity of that town. In this 
 stretch of water are embraced, unquestionably, some 
 of the finest salmon-casts, as far as rod-fishing is con- 
 cerned, in Great Britain. Spring, summer, autumn, 
 and winter all furnish their fresh-run supply of the 
 scaly tribe. The clean, firm-set, eye-delighting fish of 
 March and April is succeeded, during June and July, 
 by the whitlings and early grilses ; these again, 
 throughout the remainder of the season, are followed 
 Ijy others of older growth intermingled with breeders 
 of every description ; while, to erovm all, the " grey 
 schule," cleaving undauntedly the December torrent, 
 brings up the rear : nor is it until they have escaped 
 the perils of the net and coble, and found their way 
 through the arches of Coldstream bridge, that these 
 — the migratory fish of Tweed, — discover much ap^ 
 petite for the baits of the angler, or seem inclined to 
 come, right venturesomely, towards his tinselled lures. 
 Here it is, in the stretch of water alluded to, that they 
 most freely exercise their capricious tastes, and here 
 they are found in more abundance and perfection than 
 in the upper portions of the river. 
 
 Nor, while Tweed, in the vicinity of Kelso, excels 
 as a salmon-stream, is it less famed as affording, along 
 with its tributaries, Teviot and Eden, the choicest of 
 sport to those preferring the humbler but not less 
 delightful branch of the art — trout-fishing. There, 
 at all seasons, and in all varieties of ways, has the 
 angler an opportunity of showing his address. He is 
 not, as on some of our northern rivers, liable to 
 
 b 
 
XVUl INTEOnUCTION. 
 
 become surfeited with an over-abundance of rapacious 
 and unwary fisli, ot tired with the uniformity in point 
 of size and appearance which these present to his 
 eye ; on the contrary, he has to deal, as , befits him, 
 face to face, with craft and caprice ; — while there is 
 this, moreover, to excite and interest him in the pur- 
 suit, that there are ever and anon hovering, within 
 cast of his line, trout which, on being hooked, will 
 not submit without a struggle, and, when captured, 
 cannot fail to call up those feelings of exultation 
 which none but anglers comprehend. 
 
 A long residence on Tweedside, and in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the town alluded to, together with the 
 further experience of two or three seasons on the 
 banks of salmon-streams in the north of Scotland, 
 have naturally enough, since the publication of my 
 Scottish Angler in 1835, contributed in a large mea- 
 sure to deepen my acquaintance with the practice of 
 the art. During the whole of this period I have pur- 
 sued it with a measure of enthusiasm little inferior 
 to that which actuated my boyish years ; and were I 
 to relate instances in order to prove my attachment 
 to river-side recreations, I should only excite the 
 wonder of many " grave and reverend seigniors," who 
 draw their life and enjoyment from very different, 
 but, by me, unenvied sources. 
 
 Located on Tweedside, I have had, besides those 
 already mentioned, various facilities afforded me for 
 bettering my information on points connected with 
 rod-fishing. I have been brought, for instance, much 
 into contact with able and intelligent craftsmen — 
 have listened to the exposition of their notions as 
 regards the tastes and habits of fish, the attractive 
 
INTRODUCTION. Xix 
 
 nature of such and such a lure, as well as the adyan- 
 tage to be derived from this or that form of tackle. 
 The opportunity also has often presented itself of 
 ■witnessing their feats and good fortune ; and I have 
 frequently, with the solemn delight of a child, drank 
 in the wondrous exploits of some river-enchanter — 
 credulous while I listened, and willing, in spite of 
 reason, to be credulous still. 
 
 Surrounded with these advantages, and encouraged 
 by the solicitations of numerous friends, I have ven- 
 tured to throw together the following chapters. They 
 involve, all of them, plain matter-of-fact subjects, 
 which are dealt with in a corresponding style. I 
 have avoided, as much as possible, dressing them up 
 for favour, expunging, where it could be done con- 
 sistently, whatever savoured of the superfluous ; and 
 although impelled, now and then, to embellish my 
 remarks with a dash of the ideal, I have resolutely 
 disclaimed its assistance in the relation of all matters 
 of fact and experience. 
 
 The first portion of the volume is taken up princi- 
 pally with what relates to river-trout, and the various 
 methods of capturing them, as pursued on Tweedside 
 and elsewhere. My treatment of this subject I have 
 not allowed to interfere, except in a corrective and 
 elucidatory form, with what lies embodied in my for- 
 mer treatise. The views presently under submission 
 are the result of more extended practice and enlarged 
 information. They present, it is true, little or no 
 claim to originality ; but, as the cuUings of yesterday, 
 from a new field of experience, may possess, perhaps, 
 freshness enough in their details to attract and inte- 
 rest the angling enthusiast. 
 
XX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 On the subject of trouting with the fly, as well as 
 the method of dressing fly-hooks, I have dwelt briefly 
 and generally. So many treatises have been written 
 upon these matters, that no room remains for their 
 further exposition ; and when I behold the catalogue 
 replete with entomological science, which forms-the sine 
 qua non of the modem angler's pocket-book, I shrink 
 to confess my own unpardonable ignorance in regard 
 to them. On the practice of worm-fishing in clear 
 waters, minnow and parr-tail spinning, the employ- 
 ment of the salmon-roe as a bait, &c., I have entered 
 into circumstantial details. The two first-mentioned 
 branches of the art are considered by all anglers of 
 experience to rank as highly as the pursuit of the fiy- 
 fisher. They are certainly, although a degree more 
 troublesome, as exciting; and they require, even 
 under the most favourable circumstances, a greater 
 exercise of skill and judgment in order to command 
 success. 
 
 With respect to that chapter which comprehends 
 the natural history of the salmon, I have in the pre- 
 sent edition thought it proper to steer clear, in a 
 great measure, of questions of controversy, and sub- 
 mit myself, although on certain points with some 
 degree of reserve, to the opinions and discoveries of 
 experimental science. The subject is one which has 
 lately excited much study and attention ; but I am 
 not, on this account, prepared to say that the history 
 of the salmon stands free of all obscurity. Its marine 
 habits, the food it partakes of, the wanderings it 
 indulges in during its ocean sojoumings, remain as 
 yet matters of pure speculation. 
 
 In that portion of the volume which treats of sal- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 mon-fishing, I have drawn out lists of the most ap- 
 proved flies for our Scottish rivers, especially Tweed. 
 These have been extended by me considerably beyond 
 what, to my own idea, forms, in point of material, an 
 efficient stock or variety, under ordinary circum- 
 stances ; and my inducement to swell the number fur- 
 ther than what seems absolutely requisite, has pro- 
 ceeded simply from a wish to include every favourite 
 and tried hook. In selecting the fly-stock described 
 in these lists, I have received considerable assistance 
 from various quarters ; and, indeed, throughout the 
 remaining chapters of the volume, and much of the 
 foregoing matter, I stand indebted to the friendly 
 aids and suggestions of more than one intelligent 
 angler. 
 
 But while drawing liberally upon the oral commu- 
 nications of others, and from those sources which my 
 own experience has opened up, I have not neglected 
 the sinewing of a large portion of my work with 
 details and quotations from written authorities. In 
 doing this, however, I have taken especial care to 
 avoid pressing heavily upon the original matter of the 
 volume, or interlarding it with extracts which, although 
 confessedly to the point, are not in critical demand. 
 The great bulk of these details has been taken from 
 statistical sources, and stands incorporated in the con- 
 cluding chapters of the work. It consists, indeed, of 
 facts, already recorded, which are at ithe service and 
 within reach of every one who has leisure and incli- 
 nation to seek out and arrange them. This portion 
 of my task I have found to be more laborious than I 
 at first anticipated ; but the principal difficulty lay, 
 not in the mere collecting of materials, but in con- 
 
XXU INTRODUCTION. 
 
 « 
 
 densing and putting these together, so as to form a 
 summary of correct and useful information. 
 
 I have endeavoured, in this portion of the volume, 
 to give an accurate account of our first-class rivers 
 and their tributaries, , embodying, to the best of my 
 knowledge, all that relates to their salmon-fishings in 
 the way of produce, rental, &a Along with these 
 matters I have comprehended, as respects Tweed, a 
 detail of the various salmon-casts and stretches of 
 water reserved chiefly for rod-fishing. To specify and 
 describe, in a similar manner, the numerous trouting- 
 streams and lakes with which Scotland is intersected, 
 would be quite superfluous. I have, accordingly, in 
 regard to them, selected for special observation a few 
 of the most productive, those particularly where large 
 trout are to be found ; at the same time, I have at- 
 tempted, in a general way, to describe the angling 
 qualifications of others, less noted, arranging the whole 
 according to the districts of country where they flow 
 or are situated. In regard to the county of Suther- 
 land, where the rivers are at present solely devoted 
 to angling purposes, and where the best rod-fishing 
 for salmon in Scotland can be obtained on reasonable 
 terms, I have taken pains to embody the most correct 
 and newest information. The concluding chapters, 
 •also, will be found to embrace the names of those 
 places where the angler may expect to meet with good 
 or tolerable accommodation. 
 
 I fefel it unnecessary to add anything further in the 
 shape of introductory matter. What remains to be 
 done is to discharge simply an act of duty. It is to 
 express my acknowledgments to more than one indi- 
 vidual for the encouragement as well as assistance I 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Lave received while penning these pages. This means 
 of excitement withheld, I should have ventured to the 
 task with a much greater measure of diffidence than 
 has been cherished by me throughout its performance. 
 There are many, I feel assured, on Tweedside, more 
 qualified to have engaged in it than myself — ^many, 
 at least, not less enthusiastic, and who have attained, 
 as anglers, to a much higher degree of excellence. I 
 have been bold enough to take possession of their 
 vantage-ground — inconsiderate enough, it may be 
 said, to unfold some of the secrets of their proficiency; 
 but it shall not be added, that, in doing so, I have 
 neglected to tender my acknowledgments, and give 
 expression to my obligations. 
 
 lX:CIt AWE. 
 
THE ANGLER'S COMPANION 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE PEESH-WATEE TROUT. 
 
 What is a river, a Scottisli river, without its trout 1 What 
 is the ocean without its navies 1 What are the heavens 
 without their stars ? There is scarcely a scene or land- 
 scape, in Highlands or Lowlands, with which this fish is 
 not in some rdeasure associated. Climb yonder hill, and 
 gaze around and before you. See there an earl's proud 
 mansion, his parks and pleasure-grounds. See there trees 
 of twice a century's growth, 
 
 " Whose very shadows 
 Are histories on which to legislate ; 
 The veteran boughs are hung with oracles 
 And legendary song." 
 
 But mark ! seemingly at your feet, the life-blood of the 
 picture, a broad, shining, rejoicing river ! Gaze in turn 
 up along the valley : yonder, as if from a huge cavern in 
 the distance, you behold it issuing ; you catch with your 
 eye' the gleam of its progress ; now, at the base of a green 
 ascent or sheep-walk ; further on, amid pastures and 
 corn-fields ; now, skirting a forest ; now forming, as it 
 were, the moat of a tower or castle; and, again, at 
 yonder point, gathering in fresh tribute from a silvery 
 stream. How it progresses ! like the everlasting march of 
 a king — music at every step — homage and increase at 
 
 A 
 
2 THE PRESH-WATBB TROUT. 
 
 every turn. See, now it winds onward below us. The 
 sward freshens where it flows ; the flowers are more varied 
 and abundant. It laves the walls of a town. It glides 
 under a bridge of many arches. It pursues far on, far as 
 the eye can stretch, its radiant and welcome course. 
 
 And this river, one of the noblest of our streams, would 
 it be the same — ^would it be equally endeared to us an- 
 glers, — were it a Ashless, unpeopled water, devoid of the 
 " mottled par," the star-sided trout, the glittering salmon 1 
 What a blank, dreary aspect it would have, unassociated 
 with these ! What chasms there would be in the mind 
 and memory — in the forethought and expectation of the 
 beholder ! Not the landscape, not the lore, not the min- 
 strelsy, not the warble of birds, not the chiming of the 
 sunlit river itself, could fill them up. Unpeopled ! deso- 
 late ! The fortunes of a thousand rills are woven here. 
 The dew of the mountain, the overfill of the lake, the up- 
 welling of the spring, the boon of the cloud, have met and 
 are mingled in this one great artery. Its material is life, 
 its flow is life, its sound life ; the shadows that fleet over 
 it are all life, and yet — imagine it, ye that can — it is an un- 
 peopled river. No anglers' festivals are held here ; no 
 fisher moves along the bank ; no wily nets are cast across 
 the pool ; no torch-light reveals the secrets of its channels. 
 It is an unpeopled river ! The salmon is a stranger to its 
 fords and strongholds ; the water-fly sports unharmed on 
 its surface; the otter refuses to frequent it ; the heron 
 over its own shadow languishes and dies. 
 
 Visionary ! there is no such stream in broad Scotland. 
 The chemist's art, the bleaoh-field, the paper-mill, the rail- 
 way, acids and vitriol, gases, lime, sheep- washing, manures, 
 and machinery combined, have not yet produced this re- 
 sult as respects a single rivulet. Our very mill-runs stiU 
 contain trout — our lakes and rivers abound in the scaly 
 tribe. Eamble with me from shire to shire, and I warrant 
 thou wilt ouU from each a measure of sport, ample enough 
 to satisfy a man of moderate wishes. Art thou otherwise, 
 I have no key to thy humour ] in these times, alas ! of 
 exclusion and selfishness, I have no power to assist thee. 
 But there are trout enough for all, for the sport of the 
 peasant as well as that of the peer ; and a malison seize 
 the churl who would grudge to the labouring man his 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 snatch of pleasure, or deny him, although obtained through 
 his own skill and industry, the naorsel that economises or 
 adds life-prolonging zest to his homely and every-day fare. 
 
 Unquestionably, there exists no species of fish, which, 
 judging of it by the external marks, holds claim to so many 
 varieties as the common fresh-water trout. In Scotland, 
 almost every lake, river, and streamlet possesses a breed 
 peculiar, in outward appearance, to itsdf. To prove and 
 illustrate this, I do not require to go farther than the dis- 
 trict in which I reside. Within a circle of about twenty 
 miles from Kelso, I find embraced the following streams 
 and rivulets: — Tweed, Teviot, Ettrick, , Leader, Ale, Jed, 
 Kale, Eden, Blackadder, Whitadder, Leet, Coquet, Till, 
 CoUedge, Bowmont, Gala, Eule, all trouting waters ; yet, 
 strange to say, there is not one of the whole number but 
 lays claim, as far as regards the point of distinction in 
 question, to its own variety of trout ;, and this is the more 
 remarkable, that, with the exception of Coquet, all the 
 streams I have mentioned have connection with the Tweed, 
 or ultimately contribute to it. 
 
 To describe, within reasonable compass, the marks and 
 features which characterise and distinguish each of these 
 varieties is utterly impossible ; and the task, happily, is not 
 required. They consist, generally speaking, in the size, 
 number, disposition, and colours of the beads or spots ; in 
 the formation of the head and tail ; in the shape and pro- 
 portions of the fish ; its tendency to become thick, deep, 
 or round ; to fatten, or remain lank ; in the tints also, 
 changeable as seasons and even states of water will render 
 them, which most frequently pervade the skin. Nor, in 
 fact, is it to be wondered at, when we consider the almost 
 infinite number of changes which even the size, disposition, 
 number, and colours of the beads alone will effect in the 
 external appearance of the trout, that the breeds or varie- 
 ties thus judged of should baffle all power of computation. 
 
 But in regard to the waters above mentioned, (and I 
 have omitted none, within the limits assigned, of any note,) 
 the trout peculiar to each are distinguished, not merely by 
 their external features, but by another point of character 
 as well ; to judge of which, .in relation to so many different 
 streams, may be esteemed a matter of some difficulty. I 
 allude to their edible qualities, the flavour and degree of 
 
4 THE FRESH-WATER TROUT. 
 
 curd and richness they possess, when in season. Now, in 
 regard to this feature or point of character, I can safely 
 affirm that it is almost as varied as the outward marks 
 which distinguish the fish of one river from those of an- 
 other. I make this observation, not merely upon my own 
 judgment, although I have exercised it oftener than once, 
 as regards the produce of all of the streams in question ; 
 but I do so on the authority of others, and there are many 
 such, who can attest as to the truth of what I have stated. 
 In Kelso itself, there is scarcely an inhabitant but what 
 can at once, by the exercise of his palate and organs of 
 taste alone, distinguish betwixt a Tweed, a Teviot, and an 
 Eden trout, or the produce of the main river and its two 
 tributaries that flow in the vicinity of the town. Exter- 
 nally, the legitimate breed of each is unmistakably 
 marked, (there occur, I allow, mixed varieties or crosses, 
 frequenting in common all the three waters, and the pre- 
 sence of which may be accounted for in various ways ;) 
 but, more than this, the very colour and consistence of 
 the flesh when cooked, the flavour and richness it exhi- 
 bits, are all severally unlike. The true Eden trout, for 
 instance, is a deeply-shaped fish, small-headed, and of dark 
 complexion on the exterior. The stars or beads are by no 
 means numerous, but they are large and distinctly formed ; 
 those on either flank being of a deep crimson or purple 
 hue, and encircled with a whitish ring or halo. Its flesh, 
 when in season, on being cooked, is of a fine pink colour ; 
 the flakes interlayered with rich curd. At the table, it is 
 highly esteemed for its firmness and general excellence. 
 
 The Teviot trout, externally, is a more beautiful fish 
 than that of the Eden. The back is finely curved; and the 
 head small. It wants depth, but possesses considerable 
 breadth of form. The spots, which are large; stand well 
 out, and engage the eye. They are generally of a purple 
 colour, inclining to crimson. A fine gold or orange tint 
 pervades the exterior of the fish, which, towards the belly, 
 fades away into pearly whiteness. In its edible qualities, 
 the Teviot trout is certainly somewhat inferior to that of 
 Eden. When beyond half-a-pound in weight, it cuts red 
 and possesses considerable richness of taste. What are 
 caught in the lower parts of the river, from Oxnam down- 
 wards, are much superior, both in size and flavour, to those 
 
ITS NUMEROUS VARIETIES. 6 
 
 taken higher up ; and I have noticed that in certain pools, 
 they are firmer and better shaped than in others. 
 
 As regards the proper Tweed trout, it is quite easily 
 distinguished from those of Teviot and Eden. The gene- 
 ral shape of this variety is by no means faulty. Its head, 
 except in the case of overgrown individuals, or such as are 
 found in the rooky parts of the river, is moderate-sized. 
 Its paunch alone has the appearance of being out of pro- 
 portion to the rest of the body. This receptacle is cap- 
 able of holding a large quantity of food, and is usually 
 met with much distended, or in a loose flabby state. 
 
 In Tweed, the cross breeds are very numerous, and they 
 all, in some degree, grow to partake of the peculiarity I 
 mention. The true stock, however, is easily distinguished. 
 It inhabits the river from its very sources, as far down, I 
 may say, as Norham. The cross breeds, on the other 
 hand, are severally, according to their varieties, found in 
 the neighbourhood of such tributaries as contribute to 
 their production : for instance, in the Tweed below where 
 Teviot discharges itself, trout are frequently met with 
 which unite the characteristics belonging to the fish of 
 both rivers. 
 
 The trout of Tweed — I allude to the pure honaflde breed 
 — is plentifully decorated with stars or spots. Of these, the 
 most attractive are of a vivid crimson hue. The general 
 colour or outward complexion of the fish is yellow J its 
 back having an olive, frequently a grey shade or tint. In 
 its edible qualities, it is much inferior to an Eden or 
 Teviot trout, and unless cooked shortly after being taken, 
 becomes soft and curdless. It is, however, when in season, 
 quite sweet and palatable, and in some parts of the river, 
 where there is good feeding-ground, acquires a consider- 
 able degree of richness. 
 
 I have described the trout of these three streams, all 
 running within a short distance of each other, in order to 
 exemphfy the existing varieties of the species in question. 
 The most careful investigation of the subject has led me 
 to conclude that every lake, river, or streamlet, possesses 
 its peculiar breed of trout; and all I shall do to draw 
 further regard to this fact, is to mention, in general terms, 
 a few additional localities where it has fallen most strik- 
 ingly under my own observation. I take the neighbour- 
 
6 THE FRESH-WATER TROUT. 
 
 hood of St Mary's Loch, in Selkirkshire. The loch itself 
 is contiguous to that of the Lowes, and united with it by 
 a small run, not a hundred yards in length. The two 
 sheets of water contain distinctly-marked varieties of trout. 
 Of streams connected with these lakes, there are the 
 Chapelhope and Corsecleugh burns, the Summerhope 
 burn, the Meggat water, with its tributary Winterhope 
 burn ; Yarrow, with its feeders ; Douglas bum and Altrive 
 lake, — every individual water possessing its own peculiar 
 breed of fish. Extend the range to Ettrick, and the same 
 observation holds good. The main stream, the Back burn, 
 Faa-hope burn, Rankle burn, Timah, &c., all have their 
 own varieties. Go to Dumfriesshire, to Loch Skene, Moffat 
 water, the Annan, the Esk, the Liddle, and the case is 
 exactly similar. Ascend the rivers of Perthshire — the Tay, 
 the Earn, the Almond, the Isla, the Tummel, and the Garry; 
 or its smaller streams, such as May, Ruchil, Eroohty : 
 visit Lochs Tay, Earn, Tummel, Freuchie, Broom, Turret, 
 and Laggan ; pass on to Lochs Awe, Ness, and Garry, or 
 retire, still northward, to the rivers Conan and Black- 
 water, Brora, Inver and Thurso ; to Lochs Luichart, Led- 
 gowan, Garve, Achilty, Shin, Assynt, Stack, LoyaJ, Watten, 
 and you will find in eveiy individual range of water men- 
 tioned, its own peculiar breed, or variety of the fario. 
 
 In entering into the above details, it may be asked what 
 purpose I have in view ; or, in other words, does the fact 
 of there being such numerous varieties of the fresh-water 
 trout assist in forming any conclusions beneficial to science % 
 I leave this to be judged of and considered by others better 
 adapted for the task than I am. One or two observations, 
 however, I venture to make relative to the varieties in 
 question ; and first, I hold that trout, on being transferred, 
 whether by accident or otherwise, from their parent stream 
 or lake to another range of water, rapidly undergo a great 
 change ; one, however, that does not affect their external 
 marks or embellishments, which features I therefore regard 
 as best denoting the breed or variety. 
 
 For instance, the trout of Teviot carried accidentally 
 into Tweed, lose, in fact, after a few weeks, many of those 
 distinctive points which the superior feeding of the first- 
 mentioned stream afforded them. They lose their redness 
 of flesh, their strength, liveliness, ifec; but in no case can 
 
EFFECT OF TRANSFERENCE. 7 
 
 it be pro'ved that the change has so affected their outward 
 appearance as to alter the character and arrangement of 
 the stars or maculte. These they retain as the indices of 
 their origin; and they are as essentially theirs in this 
 character, as are its spots the distinctive property of the 
 leopard. With regard to the general colour or complexion 
 of the fish, that is quite another matter. Nothing is so 
 readily operated upon, even within the precincts of its own 
 parent stream, as the skin of the trout, in relation to 
 colours. In this respect, it is like that of the chameleon. 
 During a top-flood, when the river is clayed or thick, and 
 fish are only to be captured by the pout, hand-net, or some 
 such contrivance, they present a white, I might almost say 
 sickly, look. On the water becoming brown or porter- 
 coloured, they assume a fine yellow, healthy, and inviting 
 . appearance ; and on its recurring to the ordinary size, 
 they are again transformed, and partake of a complexion 
 agreeing to that of the stream itself The character of 
 their retreats also, the nature of the stones or banks they 
 lurk under, influence, not unfrequently, the general com- 
 plexion I speak of, and sometimes lend a parti-coloured 
 appearance to the fish, quite independent, however, of its 
 fiied decorations in the shape of stars, &c. 
 
 I have stated that fresh-water trout, on being trans- 
 ferred from the parent stream to another range of water, 
 are capable of undergoing great changes. To what extent 
 these, in any instance, will take place, must depend upon 
 the nature of the transference. I have mentioned very 
 cursorily the effect upon a Teviot trout when shifted to 
 Tweed ; but, in respect to such a case, the transference is 
 far from being violent. Besides the relation that exists 
 betwixt the two rivers, as the tributary and its recipient, 
 there are other accommodating circumstances which pre- 
 vent the occurrence of any great change in the size, appear- 
 ance, and flavour of the trout. For instance, the action 
 and qualities, nay, in some measure, the feeding capacities 
 of Teviot, become difinsed on its junction through Tweed ; 
 then there is the similarity of climate ; the fact, also, that 
 both rivers abound in trout of a similar size — all of which 
 circumstances operate as I have stated. 
 
 In order, therefore, better to illustrate my position, I 
 shall assume the transference to be one of more violent 
 
8 THE FRESH- WATER TROUT. 
 
 character. I shall take the produce of a small stream, 
 say up to the number of four or five dozen trout. The 
 breed or variety inhabiting this stream, I shall suppose, 
 seldom attain the length of nine inches, or weigh more 
 than half-a-pound ; as food, they are of inferior quality ; 
 in point of shape, they offer nothing attractive. These 
 individuals I transfer to a pond, or lake, hitherto devoid 
 of fish, and occupying a space of several acres. Its soil or 
 bottom I shall suppose to be composed of marl, or some 
 such feeding substance. It is provided with ample shel- 
 ter, and every requisite that can encourage the growth of 
 trout. Well, what will be the effect of this change upon 
 the character of the fish in question 1 It wiU, not alter 
 the setting or arrangement of their stars or distinguishing 
 marks ; but it will, and that most materially, improve, in 
 in a short space of time, their size, shape, and edible quali- 
 ties. A single season itself would, in all probability, suf- 
 fice to fatten them up to thrice the weight which it was 
 possible for these trout to attain to in their own native 
 stream. They will acquire more seemly and captivating 
 proportions, and derive, firom Hberal and luxurious feeding, 
 a corresponding richness of flavour and firmness of flake. 
 That these latter results are frequently accompanied by a 
 heightening of the internal colour — a change from its 
 pristine whiteness to pink or red, I do not deny. Where 
 there is shell marl, or abundance of insect food, this trans- 
 mutation is likely to occur ; but it is by no means, even 
 under these circumstances, an infallible result of the trans- 
 ference. I am acquainted with a natural sheet of water, 
 forty or fifty acres in extent, and stocked, as I have de- 
 scribed, from a small streamlet, or hiU burn, where, while 
 the trout acquired large dimensions, and improved both in 
 shape and flavour, they still retained the original white 
 colour. Nor is redness in the flesh always an indication 
 of superiority, as respects the edible qualities of the fish. 
 I have partaken at table of trout distinguished for their 
 high colour, and yet, in point of taste, they were soft, rank, 
 and mud-flavoured ; while, on the other hand, I have met 
 with white-fleshed trout, firm, curdy, and good. 
 
 In regard to this matter of redness, peculiar to the flesh 
 of salmon, trout, and charr, I am led more naturally to 
 refer to it in a future chapter : it is, therefore, at present, 
 
CROSS BREEDS. 9 
 
 quite unnecessary to expatiate on the subject. Nor, in 
 renewing my remarks relative to the transference of trout 
 from one range of water to another, need I multiply 
 instances. What has already fallen from me will suffice 
 to bring out and illustrate some points in the natural his- 
 tory of the fish hitherto unrecorded. Their astonishing 
 variety, every lake and river possessing its own distinct 
 breed — the effect of change of circumstances on their 
 appearance — the chameleon-like transitions in point of 
 hue, undergone by them during a flood, and while it con- 
 tinues to abate — their shape, growth, and edible charac- 
 teristics, have all cursorily been brought under view. 
 
 Of the food and habits of the trout, however, I have said 
 comparatively little ; nor have I called direct attention, 
 while treating of their varieties, to what may be termed 
 the cross breeds, in contradistinction to the true or origi- 
 nal breed, peculiar to each stream or lake. This last- 
 mentioned subject I shall dismiss with a very few observa- 
 tions ; and, first of all, I may notice, that the cross breeds 
 to which I refer are simply those which have their origin 
 in varieties of the common trout {fario) brought into con- 
 tact with each other at the breeding season, and do not 
 implicate the questionable produce, or mule breed, arising 
 from any hap-hazard connection betwixt the fa/rio and 
 bull-trout, or whitling ; a connection altogether discoun- 
 tenanced by nature, and not likely to take place. I may 
 also remark that, although cross varieties may, for a sea- 
 son, or term of seasons, rival in number the true breed 
 belonging to this or that stream, and threaten to extirpate 
 it altogether, yet there is no fear or likelihood of such a 
 result ; the peculiar nature and qualities of the water, 
 aided by the remaining original stock, always tending to 
 reinstate the breed. 
 
 Thus, for instance, it has happened in the case of the 
 upper part of Eden, above Stitohel Linn, where, owing to 
 the accidental escape of considerable quantities of another 
 variety of trout from enclosed water at Mellerstain, the 
 stream itself became the haunt, and continued so for three 
 or four successive years, of a cross breed, which vied in 
 numbers with the proper stock, and appeared, during the 
 greater part of this period, as if it would ultimately sup- 
 plant, them altogether. This breed, however, and its after- 
 
10 THE FRESH-WATER TEOUT. 
 
 crosses, have nearly disappeared, and the original trout 
 are resuming, in point of numbers, their old position- — I 
 cannot add in point of size. In this respect there is a 
 mai-ked falling off, attributable, no doubt, to drainage and 
 various agricultural improvements, which have been car- 
 ried on at the sources and along the banks of the stream. 
 
 The trout is unquestionably a voracious feeder. It con- 
 sumes, in proportion to its size, a greater quantity of sus- 
 tenance than other fresh-water fish ; nor, in respect to the 
 quality of its food, is it quite so scrupulous as is g;enerally 
 imagined. Look, for instance, at the variety it indulges 
 in, according as the seasons, hours of the day, and state of 
 the water or atmosphere prompt and direct it. In this 
 variety are embraced the whole of the insect tribes, winged 
 or otherwise — frogs, leeches, worms, slugs, snails, maggots, 
 cad-bait, every sort and size of fly, beetle, and moth, the 
 water-spider, &c. ' Then there are fish — the smaller ones 
 of its own species, parr or fingerlings, minnows, loaches 
 and sticklebacks, along with the roe or ova of salmon ; 
 and I doubt not even young birds and water-rats are occa- 
 sionally made prey of by hungry river-trout. Examine 
 the stomach, and you will generally find a large mass com- 
 posed of insect-remains in a partly digested state, and 
 superadded sometimes to these, the remnants of a parr, 
 loach, or minnow. The carp, the tench, the perch, are 
 not more ravenous or varied in their feeding than the 
 common fresh-water trout. Even the pike itself, aithough 
 a fearless, vindictive, and rapacious fish, is less gluttonous 
 iu its habits, and in its tastes infinitely more simple and 
 congruous. 
 
 What is it then, it may be asked, that renders the trout 
 difficult of capture? Its greedy propensities, one might 
 imagine, would naturally allow little room to the angler 
 for the exercise of skill and judgment. But experience 
 has taught otherwise, and the simple reason of this is, that, 
 with these propensities, the trout unites epicure habits, 
 caprice in its hours and seasons of feeding, cunning, shy- 
 ness, and watchful distrust. As an epicure, it battens one 
 day upon surface or winged food, and the next upon ground 
 sustenance. Sometimes the minnow will attract it, some- 
 times the worm ; sometimes, turning from both with dis- 
 like or satiety, it will amuse its palate with delicacies of 
 
FOOD AND HABITS. H 
 
 the minutest description — the larvae of water-insects or 
 pellets of ova, picked up with address and assiduity from 
 among the interstices of rocks and stones, from the foliage 
 or roots of water-plants, or while floating past it in the 
 descending current. And this caprice as to its food, while 
 it tests the skill and experience of the angler, is assisted in 
 doing so by the cunning and natural mistrust of the fish ; 
 its quick vigilant eye; its keen distinguishing sense of 
 smell, and similar instinctive endowments and perceptions. 
 
 The wariness and caution observable in trout frequenting 
 certain localities are often, in fact, the result of circum- 
 stances, and indicate the existence of memory and other 
 reflecting powers. It is not necessary, however, that a 
 trout be pricked with the hook, in order to give so uncom- 
 mon a degree of acuteness to its faculties, and render it 
 more than ordinarily circumspect; the circumstance of 
 its being frequently disturbed by the apparition of an 
 insect clumsily imitated, or tackle of any other description, 
 win of itself produce this efiect. The disposition, also, of 
 light and shadow near its haunt, the description and quan- 
 tity of sustenance yielded within its feeding range, all sub- 
 serve to create or banish distrust, to add to its wariness, 
 or luU its suspicions. On the other hand, the pricking of 
 the hook, unaccompanied by any exposure of the angler's 
 contrivance wherewith the pricking was effected, will often 
 fail to excite alarm. 
 
 I could relate, were it necessary, many occurrences, met 
 with from time to time, which prove that trout, although 
 pricked, and actually retaining the hook in their lip or 
 jaw, are not necessarily excited to distrust or suspicion, or 
 thereby, through the continued irritation, deterred from 
 feeding. Such instances, however, although frequently 
 met with, are not to be held as hostile to my prior state- 
 ment, that the river-trout is of shy, cunning, and capri- 
 cious habits ; that it is a fish wary and vigilant, possessed 
 of much natural discernment and strong instincts. They 
 only show how circumstances will render these defensive 
 qualities of little or no avail ; and how, on certain occa- 
 sions, its very instincts endanger their possessor. 
 
 I am not possessed of any authentic information with 
 regard to the greatest size attainable by the fario, or what 
 is erroneously termed the parr-trout. The largest indivi- 
 
12 THE FEESH-WATER TEOUT. 
 
 duals are undoubtedly to be found in our lochs, where 
 they batten most securely and luxuriously. There is one 
 fact, however, to be urged in respect to the size of the 
 trout, namely, that it depends entirely upon the quantity 
 and quality of food yielded to it, whether from channel or 
 surface, and not upon the age of the fish. The range of 
 water, also, is a matter to be taken into consideration in 
 connection with its growth; for, let a single trout be 
 planted in a spring well, and tamed to such a degree as to 
 take its food from one supplying it regularly and abun- 
 dantly, still it will not increase much, if at all, in weight ; 
 and this is owing solely to the circumstance of its being 
 confined, and not at liberty to choose its aliment according 
 to the caprice of the moment : whereas in localities where 
 the food varies with the seasons, and where there is choice 
 at aU times, and room for exercising it without challenge 
 or interruption, trout will grow rapidly, and to a great 
 size. 
 
 In aU lochs characterised by good feeding-ground and 
 abundance of shelter, trout have a tendency to acquire 
 large dimensions. This tendency, however, is frequently 
 counteracted by the breeding accommodation in the shape 
 of streams or feeders, which afford great facility for spawn- 
 ing. Under such circumstances, the stock, instead of 
 attaining to great size, become numerous, as is the case in 
 many of our lochs, where the feeding-grounds are both 
 extensive and of good quality. The introduction of pike 
 into such lochs aids, no doubt, in improving the dimen- 
 sions and quality of the trout, but has not always this 
 efifect. 
 
 For instance, St Mary's Loch, in Selkirkshire, contains 
 pike and perch in considerable abundance, and yet the 
 trout continue comparatively numerous, and are not dis- 
 tinguished on account of their size, seldom exceeding a 
 pound in weight, and averaging little more than half-a- 
 pound. The breeding waters, consisting of Meggat, Yar- 
 row, and five or six hill burns which help to people the 
 lake in question, are, in this instance, quite sufficient to 
 keep up the supply, notwithstanding the ravages presumed 
 to be committed by the fresh-water tyrant — which fish, I 
 may mention, infests only the weedy portions of the loch, 
 and is not found equally distributed, as is the case in Loch 
 
GROWTH AND SIZE. 13 
 
 Leven, and many of our Highland sheets of water^ around 
 the margin. Were it so — were every point of aooess to 
 the shallows held in keeping by pike, most assuredly 
 the trout would decrease in number ; and, should a fair 
 proportion of their feeding-grounds remain at the same 
 time accessible to them, they, as certainly, would increase 
 in respect to size. We have illustrations of the fact 
 afforded us by what has been noticed in a number of our 
 Highland lochs : for instance, in Loch Tummel, in Perth- 
 shire ; in Loch Vennachar, near Callander ; also in Lochs 
 Garve, Achnanault, and Ledgowan, in Eoss-shire, as well 
 as the Migdale loch, near Bonar bridge, in Sutherland- 
 shire. In all these expanses of water the pike are nume- 
 rous, and pretty equally distributed along the margin, 
 having the desirable shelter and accommodation. The 
 trout associated with them are consequently not abun- 
 dant ; but, generally speaking, of large size. They vary 
 in point of weight from one and a half up to six or eight 
 pounds. 
 
 The above observations regarding the size of fresh- water 
 trout hold reference entirely to those contained in our 
 lochs, and to such, no question, the precedence ought to be 
 allowed, for undeniably they excel our river-trout in many 
 respects. Not only do they attain a greater size, and that, 
 considering their advantages in point of shelter and feed- 
 ing-ground, naturally enough, but in general, also, they 
 possess a finer quality, and bear away the palm with regard 
 to external beauty. Kiver-trout, however, although infe- 
 rior in aU these respects, command to a larger extent the 
 esteem of the angler. They afford him sport of a more 
 varied and delightful character than that which he obtains 
 from the exercise of his art over lakes and fish-ponds. 
 The passing from stream to stream — from rough water to 
 smooth — from shoal to deep — from rock to weed and 
 gravel, is of itself enjoyment, and increases one's zest for 
 the pastime ; whereas in loch fishing there is a certain 
 degree of tameness and monotony, arising from the circum- 
 stance of there being no great essential change in the posi- 
 tion of the angler. Whether the surface be calm, gently 
 rippled, or wrought into foam-covered waves, still, be it 
 from boat or marge, he has to ply on, without relief, in 
 the same uniform style. No wonder, therefore, that he 
 
14 THE FEESH-WATBR TROUT. 
 
 attaches more consideration to the trout of the stream than 
 to those of the lake, and holds in higher repute a three- 
 pounder captured with gossamer tackle out of some wan- 
 dering rivulet, than one of twice that weight — a lumber- 
 ing, wiry-jawed, disheartened monster, hauled by main 
 force through a medium whose resistance, at the best, is of 
 a sluggish and passive nature. 
 
 I am unable to state accurately the largest size to which 
 trout, bred and nourished in our Scottish rivers, have beeji 
 known to grow. It is probable that individuals, purely of 
 the river sort, have attained the weight of ten or twelve 
 pounds. In the Aberdeen Journal, September 1833, one is 
 made mention of, caught by the gamekeeper at Haughton, 
 in the Don, with rod and line, which weighed eleven 
 pounds, and measured in girth seventeen inches. On 
 Tweed, they have frequently been captured in the cairn- 
 nets, and otherwise, upwards of six pounds ; and more 
 than once, above eight pounds in weight. In the spring 
 of 1850, on the Eutherfurd casts, near Kelso, a trout was 
 taken with the fly by Professor Low of Edinburgh, weigh- 
 ing seven pounds ; on the river Till, in 1849, one of seven 
 and a half pounds was caught by a Mr Davidson from 
 Berwick ; and on Teviot in 1848, Eichard Denniston, Esq., 
 killed one of six and a half pounds. At Loch Inver, in 
 Sutherlandshire, in 1 8.50, 1 saw the skin of a yellow trout 
 taken with the fly on the river Inver, by Mr Dunbar, 
 which weighed fifteen and three quarter pounds, but it is 
 highly probable that this fish had descended from Loch 
 Assynt, and was not, properly speaking, a river trout. 
 The trout in Tay occasionally grow to a large size, but I 
 am not aware that any surpassing in weight the biggest 
 ■found in Tweed have of late years been taken from this 
 river or its tributaries, those excepted which have made 
 their way into its streams out of the loch above Kenmore, 
 Loch Tummel, or some other sheet of water bearing the 
 same relation to it, and containing trout of consider- 
 able weight. 
 
 Sluggish streams, that traverse a rich soil, or have a 
 marly channel, are greatly favourable to the growth, I do 
 not say the increase, of trout. Of this sort are several of 
 the Fifeshire waters — the Orr, the Leven, and the Eden. 
 In all these, river-trout were wont to be caught of a large 
 
THE LEET. IS 
 
 size, excelling, in point of shape and quality, those of our 
 more notable streams. Machinery, drainage, and other 
 agricultural improvements, have, however, contributed 
 greatly to thin the breeds in question, and in their 
 place, pike, perch, and eels, hold to a certain extent the 
 ascendancy. 
 
 Of all streams that I am acquainted with, the Leet, 
 which discharges itself into the Tweed above Coldstream, 
 was wont, considering its size, to contain the largest trout. 
 During the summer season, it is a mere ditch ; in many 
 places, not above four or five span in width, and where 
 broadest, still capable of being leapt across. The run of 
 water is, comparatively speaking, insignificant, not equal- 
 ling in the average a cubic foot. This, however, as it pro- 
 ceeds, is every now and then expanded over a considerable 
 surface, and forms a pool of some depth : in fact, the 
 whole stream from head to foot, pursuing, as it does, a 
 winding course for upwards of twelve miles, is a continued 
 chain of pools, fringed during the summer on both sides 
 with rushes and water-flags, and choked up in many parts 
 with pickerel weed, and other aquatic plants. The channel 
 of Leet contains shell-marl, and its banks, being hollowed 
 out beneath, aflFord, independent of occasional stones and 
 tree-roots, excellent shelter for trout. JNot many years 
 ago, the whole course of it was infested with pike, but the 
 visit of some otters, irrespective of the angler's art, has 
 completely cleared them out, and thus allowed the trout, 
 which were formerly scarce, to become more numerous. 
 
 On the first occasion of my fishing Leet, which happened 
 to be early in April 1841, before the sedge and rushes had 
 assumed the ascendancy, I captured with the fly twenty- 
 six trout, weighing in all upwards of twenty-nine pounds. 
 Of these, five at least were two-pounders, and there were 
 few, if any, small-sized fish. In 1842, on the 2d day of 
 June, the weather being bright and hot, I killed with the 
 worm, out of the same stretch of water, betwixt Castle- 
 law and Boughtrig, forty-two trout, weighing upwards of 
 twenty-three pounds ; also, on a similar day in June 1846, 
 betwixt ten and two o'clock in the forenoon, I managed to 
 encreel three dozen and five fish, the largest of which was 
 a three-pounder, and there were at least twelve others 
 that weighed a pound a-piece. The gross weight, on this 
 
16 THE FEESH-WATER TROUT. 
 
 occasion, I neglected to take note of, but it certainly 
 approached two stone. 
 
 I mention these facts, not by way of recounting any- 
 thing extraordinary achieved with the rod, but simply in 
 order to show that the size of trout does not depend greatly 
 upon the size of the stream they inhabit, but to a large 
 degree upon the superiority of the feeding, and the accom- 
 modation, or shelter afforded them. As a contrast to the 
 above-mentioned rivulet, I may name the Esk, in Dum- 
 friesshire, a river entitled, from its width and discharge, to 
 be reckoned among our second-class waters. The trout 
 which this river contains, seldom attain the weight of half 
 a pound. They are also, comparatively speaking, thinly 
 scattered throughout its streams ; and these circumstances 
 are owing, partly to the scarcity of food, and partly to the 
 inconvenient nature of the shelter which is furnished, not, 
 as in Tweed or Teviot, throughout the course of the chan- 
 nel, but only here and there, in irregular pools, among 
 ro6ks and shifting gravels. It is the same on the Dee, and 
 other rivers of a similar character j while streams, wholly 
 insignificant in point of dimensions, often produce large 
 and well- conditioned trout, or, what is equivalent, an 
 abundance of small and middle-sized ones. Leet, Eden, 
 Kale, Bowmont-water, are instances of this sort, in my 
 own neighbourhood ; in Perthshire, the May-water ; in 
 Selkirkshire, the numerous burns that fall into Ettrick, 
 and so on. 
 
 The trout, if well fed, grows with astonishing rapidity ; 
 under any circumstances not absolutely hostile to its ex- 
 istence, it acquires, in the course of four or five months, 
 dimensions which entitle it to a place in the angler's creel 
 —at any rate, in the frying-pan. Its growth, in point of 
 fact, is not greatly disturbed by lack of food, during the 
 first season of its existence ; and, accordingly, in almost all 
 rivers it attains a certain size, I do not say condition, in 
 the same extent of time. This is easily accounted for. 
 During what may be termed its infancy, it requires little 
 nourishment, and this, the quantity it requires, the most 
 barren streams can afford ; whereas, to a fish of more ma- 
 ture growth, such waters are quite inadequate to furnish 
 it in the requisite sufficiency. Accordingly, in streams of 
 this nature, trout seldom or never attain to a large size. 
 
STAGES OF GEOWTH. 17 
 
 They naturally become dwarfisli and ill-conditioned, 
 obliged as they are to subsist upon a measure of food not 
 a whit more ample than what they had the power of ob- 
 taining, and actually did engross, without either craving 
 or surfeit, during the first year of their existence. 
 
 In the generality of our Scottish rivers, for example the 
 Tweed and Teviot, furnishing an ample, but not extraordi- 
 nary, supply of food, the growth and age of the trout inha- 
 biting them may be reckoned as follows. The fry, I presume, 
 have been hatched in the month of April. They continue 
 growing, during the iirst year, as long as a regular supply 
 of ground and surface food is afforded them, until the lat- 
 ter end, probably, of October. By this period, they have 
 acquired a length of six or seven inches, and a correspond- 
 ing weight of from two and a half to three and a half 
 ounces. Feeding precariously during the winter, they 
 gain no additional weight, but rather the contrary, until 
 the spring months. About the latter end of March, the 
 river-flies making their appearance, they begin to feed 
 regularly, and, as a consequence, recommence growing. 
 By the time the supplies have again become stinted, they 
 have acquired an accession to their length of about a couple- 
 of inches, and weigh from five up to seven ounces. A con- 
 siderable proportion of the trout of this, the second year's 
 grQwth, are in spawning trim during September, and 
 others part with their milt a few weeks later j but a great 
 number there are among them which do not arrive at 
 breeding condition until the autumn and winter following. 
 The trout of the third year's growth form the generahty 
 of those captured by the angler with fly about the end of 
 April and beginning of May, averaging, as they do, from 
 seven to nine ounces each, and occupying at that period, 
 to the exclusion of smaller fry, (which still hold to the 
 pools and deeper portions of the river,) the main streams 
 and currents. 
 
 During the first showers of March-browns, these, the 
 trout of the third year's growth, are generally foremost on 
 the feed, interspersed, however, with a few of their seniors 
 — the survivors of a former generation. Of this latter 
 description are those approaching to or upwards of a pound 
 in weight— a stage of growth, on reaching which, I believe 
 that many of our river-trout cease progressing. Others, 
 
 B 
 
18 THE FBESH-WATER TROUT. 
 
 however, which have taken up a convenient haunt or post 
 of attack, and instinctively prefer coarse and abundant 
 feeding, attain to a much larger size. A few individuals, 
 also, the inhabitants of the rivers I speak of, owing, in the 
 same manner, to the advantages they possess in acquiring 
 food of a finer quality — locating themselves, for instance, 
 under a range of alders, or at the mouth of a feeder — reach, 
 without any loss of proportion, more than the average 
 weight of full-grown trout. These latter subsist, almost 
 entirely, upon ground and surface food, and only occasion- 
 ally, as a change, and when the other is scarce, resort to 
 the minnow or parr. 
 
 The above remarks bear reference, as I have already 
 stated, to the trout frequenting a large number of our 
 Scottish streams, both main rivers and their tributaries, 
 and, with such modifications as are imposed upon them 
 through some peculiarity in the feeding afforded by this 
 or that water, may be held as of general application. When 
 the feeding suppHed by a stream or burn falls — I am talk- 
 ing of quantity only — below the average, trout seldom 
 attain to more than a quarter of a pound in weight. They 
 may abound in numbers, but these, in general, are lank, 
 large-headed fish, that give little or no sport. Many of our 
 Highland streams are of the description above mentioned. 
 They have no winter supply of food at all. They travel, 
 at least half their course, over rocks. Their banks have 
 xmdergone little or no tillage. They are incapable of re- 
 ceiving it. Here, like the channel itself, they are solid 
 rock ; there, they are the debris of the torrent ; sometimes 
 they present to the eye a fringe of heather ; sometimes a 
 miry swamp; sometimes a forest nurtured by its own 
 sheddings : seldom do they give indication of being sup- 
 plied, during a flood, with loam or rich soil, yielding in- 
 sects and their deposits ; but, on the contrary, the occur- 
 rence of a winter spate only despoils their courses of such 
 unappropriated aliment as found lodgment therein during 
 the summer months. Such, along the greater portion of 
 its career, is the Dee ; such are the Coe and the Spean ; 
 such, also, are many of the mountain feeders in Perthshire, 
 Inverness-shire, Aberdeenshire — in fact, throughout the 
 northern Highlands of Scotland. Hence we find the trout 
 iphabiting them dwarfish in size, lean, and unhealthy. 
 
EFFECTS OF GOOD FEEDING. 19 
 
 Even in the course of summer, when insect food is toler- 
 ably abundant, they make little improvement, and seldom 
 do we see them encroached upon by varieties from neigh- 
 bouring streams or lochs, unless with the intent, on the 
 part of larger trout, to assail and devour them ; or, it may 
 be, when forced by circumstances to deposit their spawn. 
 
 Should the feeding, however, greatly exceed the average 
 — I still speak in respect to quantity— although it rarely 
 does so without the implication also of a superior quality 
 of subsistence, trout will not only attain to a weight ex- 
 ceeding what I have mentioned to be that common to a 
 full-grown Tweed fish, under ordinary circumstances, but 
 they will arrive at it in a far shorter period of time — in the 
 course, it may be, of two, or at most three years ; whereas 
 the Tweed trout needs four to acquire its sixteen ounces, 
 and then ceases growing. Thus, in Leet or Eden, a trout 
 of the second year's growth is as heavy as a three, or even 
 a four years old fish pastured among the channels of Tweed 
 or Ettrick ; and were the trout of these insignificant waters 
 suffered undisturbed to reach their full size, which there 
 is no question they would do in the course of five or six 
 years, numbers would be found among them, as was the 
 case not long ago, weighing severally upwards of two 
 pounds. Thus, also, in respect to many lakes, fish-ponds, 
 and old marl-pits, into which the fry of trout have been 
 put. As long as these possess a superabundance of both 
 ground and surface food, the young fish will thrive as- 
 tonishingly, and arrive, in an incredibly short space of 
 time, at dimensions exceeding those of average-sized river- 
 trout. 
 
 But without enlarging any further upon this subject, I 
 shall conclude, with a single observation, all that is essen- 
 tial to be said in regard to the growth of fish — namely, 
 that as sheep and cattle will not fatten and thrive on 
 stinted pastures, or barren, exposed moorland, so neither 
 will the finny tribe, be the stream ever so pure and abun- 
 dant, acquire size and condition, unless sufficiently shel- 
 tered and amply and regularly provisioned. On the other 
 hand, possessed of these advantages, they have all that is 
 required in order to do them justice; while breeds or 
 varieties of fish, hitherto pronounced shapeless and im- 
 practicable, will, when transferred to such favoured loca- 
 
20 THE FEBSH- WATER TROUT. 
 
 lities, become seemly in their proportions, active in their 
 dispositions, and relishable, if not rich-tasted, as food. 
 
 Besides the Salmofario and its countless varieties, there 
 are three other species of fresh-water trout, held by seve- 
 ral naturahsts to inhabit our Scottish lakes and rivers. 
 These are the Gillarroo or Gizzard trout, the Sahno ccecifer 
 or Levenensis, and the SaJmoferox. 
 
 The Gillarroo. — Of our numerous Scottish lakes, a 
 great proportion of which has been investigated by na- 
 turalists, one only is affirmed, with any degree of positive- 
 ness, to contain this species of trout. It is a small tarn 
 or loch, situated on a shoulder of Ben More, in Suther- 
 landshire, about three miles from Innisnadamph, named 
 Mulaoh Corry. I visited it in August 1850, under some- 
 what unfavourable circumstances, during the occurrence 
 of a snow-fall and when the loch was partially frozen, but 
 succeeded, both with worm and fly, in securing a few speci- 
 mens, none of which, however, exceeded in weight half a 
 pound. In the shape and appearance of those fish I was 
 much disappointed, nor did their edible qualities approach 
 the reputation given them. They were very inferior in 
 all respects to the trout of Lochs Awe and Assynt, situated 
 a short way below them ; nor did the stomach, when ex- 
 amined, differ so essentially in its muscular conformation 
 as to induce the conclusion that they were a distinct 
 species of trout. The giUarroo, in fact, of Mulach Corry, 
 which is situated upon a limestone rock, I have every 
 reason to think is nothing more than the /an'o or common 
 trout j and that the gizzard or indurated portion of the 
 stomach which distinguishes it, is entirely the result, not 
 the occasion, of its peculiar feeding. This is true at least, 
 that all fresh-water trout engross some measure of testa- 
 ceous food ; and when the opportunity offers, will greedily 
 devour and abundantly thrive upon small shell-fish and 
 horny substances. These, as well as grains or pellets of 
 gravel, I have frequently found in the stomachs of common 
 river trout, mixed with their ordinary fly sustenance ; and 
 I have reason to believe they are taken in order to assist 
 digestion. 
 
 ■ This species of trout, I have been told, was discovered in 
 Loch Garve, in Eoss-shire, by the late Sir Humphry Davy. 
 In his Salmmia, however, he states distinctly, that "ex- 
 
THE SALMO CCECIFBR, OR LEVENENSIS. 21 
 
 cept in Ireland, he never fonnd a, gillarroo trout." The 
 Loch Garve trout, of which I have caught many fine speci- 
 mens, axe, I may mention, very unlike, in aU respects, those 
 of Mulach Corry, and, previous to the partial drainage of 
 the lake, had few rivals in point of shape, beauty, and 
 flavour among the finny tribe. 
 
 Salmo Cceoiper, or Levenensis. — The far-famed trout 
 of Loch Leven are distinguished, I understand, many of 
 them, fi:om the common fresh-water trout, by the numeri- 
 cal superiority of their coecal appendages. Although these, 
 in their numerical relation, are insisted upon by Dr Par- 
 nell and others, as characteristics of the species, I see no 
 reason why they should be relied on as such ; and when I 
 find that what have been described as the distinguishing 
 features of the Loch Leven trout are, to my certain know- 
 ledge, held in common by the finny inhabitants of many 
 of our Highland lochs, I certainly feel entitled to question 
 the correctness of this mode of deciding upon the species. 
 The following is an extract from an article published in 
 the "Transactions of the Koyal Society of Edinburgh," 
 (Trans, vol. xiv. pp. 9 and 10;) with regard to the Salmo 
 Levenensis or Gcecifer, by Richard Parnell, Esq, M.D., 
 F.R.S.E., &c. :— 
 
 " This species of trout, which is well known to many 
 persons as a delicious article of food, is considered by most 
 naturahsts as a variety of the Salmo fario, or common fresh- 
 water trout, the redness of its flesh depending on the na- 
 ture of its food. I consider it, however, not only as distinct 
 from the Salmo fario, but as one of the best defined and 
 most constant in its characters of all the species hitherto 
 described. It is at once distinguished from the common 
 fresh-water trout, by the number of its coecal appendages, 
 which vary from seventy to eighty ; whereas, in the Salmo 
 fario, they are never more than forty-five or forty-six in 
 number. Its tail is crescent-shaped at all ages, and the 
 body has never the vestige of a red spot. The tail of the 
 common trout is sinuous and at length even at the end, 
 and its body is always marked with red spots, besides its 
 flesh being always of a white appearance." 
 
 This latter assertion certainly proves Dr Parnell's ac- 
 quaintance with the trout of our lakes and rivers to have 
 been extremely limited. 
 
22 THE FRESH-WATER TEOUT. 
 
 Salmo FERpx.— This species of the Salmonid<B is met 
 with in various lakes in the Highlands of Scotland. It is 
 well known to inhabit Loch Awe in Argyllshire, where its 
 discovery has been attributed to a Mr Morrison, from Glas- 
 gow, nearly seventy years ago. The inhabitants of the 
 district, however, must have been well acquainted with its 
 existence, long prior to that period. The ferox has also 
 been captured, along one of the chains of lakes which en- 
 compass part of the Grampian range, that comprehending 
 Lochs Voil and Lubnaig. A ti-out belonging to this species, 
 the skin of which I have seen, was taken in 1846, by my 
 friend Charles Ker, Esq., from the lake last mentioned. 
 It weighed, when newly captured, fifteen pounds and a 
 half. At the sources of the Tummel, in Lochs Kannoch 
 and Lydoch, as well as Loch Ericht, large trout, possessing 
 the characteristics of the ferox, are frequently taken. Of 
 these, no fewer than twenty- five were, I have been told, 
 captured with trolling tackle, in the course of a single 
 season, (1849,) by Major Cheape, on Rannoch Loch. 
 
 This fish exists also in many of the Sutherlandshire 
 lakes, and is troUed for throughout the year on Lochs Shin 
 and Assynt. It is met with also in the chain of lakes 
 superintending the Kirkaig river. These consist of Lochs 
 Boarlan, near Altnagealach, Lochs Drigill, Gama, Veyatie 
 and Fewn. Also, in Lochs Laoghal and Craggie, from which 
 the Borgie descends, the ferox is well known to abound. 
 
 Of the Salmo ferox of Sutherlandshire, there are two 
 distinct varieties. The one is a coarse-looking fish, having 
 a huge head furnished with rapacious jaws. The tail is 
 broad and square-formed. Its external markings are nu- 
 merous, and irregularly distributed. The colour of its skin 
 is not inviting. It wants freshness and transparency. Of 
 this breed, I saw three specimens at Lairg in 1850; the 
 largest eleven pounds in weight. I also captured one of 
 about six pounds on Loch Assynt. The other variety in- 
 cludes fish of captivating build, deep in the flank, with 
 curved backs and small heads. The macule are few in 
 number, but large, and distinctly formed. The teeth, 
 more than the size and structure of the mouth, announce 
 them to be of predatory habits. These are strong, sharp, 
 and set in separate lines along the upper jaw. Its flesh 
 is redder than even that of the Salmo salar, although by 
 
THE SWALLOW-SMOLT. 23 
 
 no means so relisliable. I caught an individual of this 
 variety, weigMng six pounds, on Loch Shin. Both descrip- 
 tions of trout are also, it may be mentioned, met with on 
 Loch Awe ; the latter, however, is properly the Salmo ferox, 
 and corresponds with the great lake trout, or Buddach, of 
 Loch Neagh in Ireland. Of the size attained by this fish, 
 various accounts have reached me. There is no ques- 
 tion but that individuals have been caught exceeding 
 twenty pounds in weight. I have seen specimens, said to 
 be those of trout, bordering upon that figure ; and the late 
 Mr Maule, a persevering and successful frequenter of Loch 
 Awe, has, I am assured, taken them half a stone heavier. 
 In the spawning season, when numbers of these fish push 
 down to the outlet of the loch, they may be tempted to 
 rise at the salmon lures ordinarily used on the river Awe ; 
 but, at other times, they are only to be captured by trolling 
 for them from a boat, at a considerable depth and with 
 strong tackle, the bait employed consisting of a trout of 
 five ounces in weight, fortified with well-tempered hooks. 
 The ferox is a more powerful fish than the Sabmo solar, but 
 not quite so active ; still, it often manages to make its 
 escape when hooked, and will ensconce itself securely 
 among weeds, leaving to the angler no remedy but to 
 break and part company. 
 
 The Swallow-Smolt of Tweed. — Allied in some respects 
 to the ferox, is what, in the lower districts of Tweedside, 
 has been designated a Swallow-smolt. It forms, I am in- 
 clined to think, not a mere variety of the common fario, 
 but a distinct species of trout. I am not, indeed, aware 
 that the swallow-smolt, or any breed of river trouts at all 
 resembling it, is to be found, except in Tweed itself. This 
 fish is of highly predatory habits, and will seldom, if ever, 
 rise at the common trouting-fly. It is caught generally 
 by means of the parr-tail tackle, about the latter end of 
 May and beginning of June, when the last of the smolts 
 are on their way seaward. Its appearance resembles, in 
 some respects, that of the bull-trout ; the head is large, 
 the teeth particularly strong, the maadx irregularly but 
 profusely distributed ; the whole formation that of a power- 
 ful and rapacious fish. As regards its edible qualities, it 
 is at all times coarse and rank-flavoured. The swallow- 
 smolt, when on the outlook for prey, frequents the hings 
 
24 THE PEESH-WATBB TEOUT. 
 
 or breaks at the head of strong, rough water, and is fre- 
 quently taken, by rod and cairn net, from the rockiest 
 portions of the river, such as the turbulent eddies and 
 foam-runs of the Trow Crags. Its average weight is from 
 two to four pounds, but individuals have been caught that 
 weighed nearly half a stone. Were the production of a 
 breed of hybrids betwixt the fwrio and eriox a thing of 
 likely occurrence, I might possibly have fixed upon the 
 Bwallow-smolt as the issue; questioning, however, the 
 existence of such a production, I cannot help regarding it 
 as a distinct species of the Salmonidce. 
 
25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 angler's tackle and equipment. 
 
 Gut, a material so useful to the angler, is a preparation 
 from the entrails of the silk-worm. It is fabricated, prin- 
 cipally for our British market, in various parts of Spain, 
 Portugal, Italy, and Sicily. Spanish gut is, unquestion- 
 ably, in higher repute than any other ; its quality either 
 being intrinsically finer, or more attention is paid to its 
 manufacture and getting up. It is not nearly so long as 
 some of the SiciUan article, which evidently is produced 
 from a larger variety of silk-worm. This advantage, how- 
 ever, in the latter, is counterbalanced by the coarseness of 
 its texture, as well as by the want of roundness and 
 equality in the thread or fibre. Good useful gut is always 
 distinguished by the possession of these two properties. 
 It should also be quite transparent, not lacteous in its 
 appearance, and free withal from flaw, film, and flossy 
 matter. In Syria, also, a considerable quantity of this 
 article is manufectured and used by fishermen on the clear 
 waters of the Mediterranean. I was presented with several 
 parcels of it lately, one or two of which, containing some 
 hundreds of threads, are really excellent, almost as strong 
 and round as the best Spanish gut, and of fully twice the 
 length. Attention, I understand, has recently been directed 
 to its manufecture in that quarter ; and we may hope, ere 
 long, for supplies of an article greatly superior to any at 
 present in use. The descriptions of gut most difficult to 
 procure, are those used for fine trouting and for salmon 
 fishing. What intervenes betwixt the above-mentioned 
 sorts is abundant enough, and very excellent hanks of this 
 accommodating description may be picked up now-a-days, 
 
26 
 
 ANGLERS TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT. 
 
 at a small expense. Still it is desirable that the angler 
 have a larger choice of the qualities above mentioned j 
 and I think a little trouble on the part of those importing 
 it would secure an ample supply of both. The following is 
 a recipe I have copied from a small anonymous treatise on 
 Angling, relative to the manufacture of silk- worm gut : — 
 " Take the largest and best worms you can procure, just 
 when they begin to spin. This may be known by their 
 refusing to feed, and by their having a iine silk thread 
 hanging from their mouths. The worms must be kept in 
 strong vinegar, and covered close over for twelve hours, if 
 the weather is warm ; if not, two or three hours longer 
 will be necessary. When taken out, they must be pulled 
 asunder, and you will see two transparent guts of a yellow- 
 ish green colour, as thick as a straw, bent double, the rest 
 of the inside resembling boiled spinage ; you can make no 
 mistake. If you find the guts soft, or break upon stretch- 
 ing them, you must let the worms lie longer in the vinegar ; 
 when fit to draw off, you must dip one in the vinegar, 
 and stretch it gently with both hands to the proper length. 
 The gut thus drawn out, must be stretched out on a thin 
 piece of board, by putting each end in a slit therein, and 
 placed in the sun to dry. This is the real gut, and the 
 mode of dressing it is the cause of its ends being cramped." 
 
 BOARDS USED FOR STRETCHING GUT. 
 
 I am of opinion, from experiments made by me at 
 various lipieis, that it is advantageous for the angler to 
 
DYES, HORSE HAIR. 27 
 
 employ stained or dyed gut, in preference to the material 
 m its natural state. I have ascertained also, that there 
 are two colours, or rather tints, that take the precedence 
 over all others, in producing the desired effect; that is, in 
 concealing or rendering it invisible to the eye of the trout 
 or salmon, as well as the observation of the onlooker. 
 With regard to the experiments in question, they were 
 made, some at the bridge below Coldstream, and others at 
 Teviot Bridge, near Kelso ; a party on each occasion being 
 stationed to report, on the key-stone of one of the arches, 
 and immediately superintending the cast underneath. The 
 conclusion I have come to is, that the walnut leaf, or brown 
 dye, is best calculated for the purpose required ; although, 
 on a bright day, and in clear water, a bluish or neutral 
 tinge is perhaps more desirable. The former of these 
 colours is obtained simply from a decoction of walnut 
 leaves, or bark, using two handfuls to a quart of water. 
 Into this liquid, when in a cool state, the gut should be 
 placed, and allowedj to soak for two or three hours j or it 
 may be immersed, for a few seconds only, in the hot fluid, 
 and then rinsed well in cold water. 
 
 As to the bluish dye : This is obtained from a decoction 
 of shavings or dust of logwood, a handful to the quart of 
 water. BoU these for about a quarter of an hour, and 
 throw in a small piece of alum, about the size of a horse 
 bean. On removing your pan from the fire, dip the gut 
 in while the liquor is still hot, allowing it to remain half a 
 minute or so, according to the thickness and quality of the 
 threads, and then transferring it, as before, to cold water. 
 After you have washed it, shake off the superfluous mois- 
 ture, and allow the hank to dry thoroughly, before laying 
 it by. Silk-worm gut, I may here remark, when in the 
 hank or considerable quantities, should be wrapt up length- 
 wise, in a piece of chamois leather, which keeps it in much 
 better trim than paper does. 
 
 Horse Hair, Lines, &c. — Before the introduction and 
 general use of silk-worm gut, I can readily understand 
 how valuable a really good selection of this article must 
 have been to the angler. Indeed, judging from the speci- 
 mens that, from time to time, have comesinder my notice 
 of the fishing-tackle used by our forefathers, I am led to 
 the opinion that there is no horse-hair to be obtained, in 
 
28 angler's tackle and equipment. 
 
 our modem days, which, in point of roundness, length, 
 and power, at all approximates to what was employed by 
 them. This is owing partly to the practice,' now in vogue, 
 of docking our stallions before the tail has had time to 
 acquire its full strength, and partly, also, to the care and 
 attention formerly exercised in the selection of the article. 
 One of the finest specimens of good horse-hair I ever 
 remember to have met with, was presented to me, along 
 with a bait hook and some red hackles, by the late Mr 
 William Laidlaw, the friend and factor of Sir Walter 
 Scott. This and its accompaniments were part and parcel 
 of the identical fishing-tackle discovered along with the 
 mislaid MSS. of Waverley, and alluded to by Sir Walter in 
 the General Preface to his Novels. I make no doubt, but 
 with the single hair in question, I could have managed, 
 provided my rod was a pliant one and my reel-line ran 
 easily, a salmon of ten or twelve pounds in weight ; not 
 indeed in such water as the Trow Crags, or any of the 
 rocky straiks and chppers that afford facilities for fish to 
 cut or wear through the line ; but in an open, unobstructed 
 cast or pool, where the salmon could show no cunning, 
 and, at the same time, exert its full strength and speed. 
 The hair aUuded to, I may mention, was white, clear, 
 and long, not of the coarse, black description, which 
 even now-a-days is common enough, and possesses, 
 without question, strength to capture the largest of our 
 river fish. 
 
 As to colour, however, the natural chestnut is preferable, 
 especially for casting-lines. With regard to the reel or 
 winch-Une, it is of little or no consequence what colour of 
 hair is put into requisition. A mixture of black and 
 white is most commonly employed in its manufacture, 
 and perhaps, next to good chestnut hair, is really best 
 adapted for the purpose. I ana not partial to pure white 
 hair, either for casting or running lines ; but my objec- 
 tion rests chiefly on the circumstance of the material, 
 as found in the market, being, in nineteen cases out of 
 twenty, bad or unequal. Casting-lines, especially, should 
 always be formed of choice hairs. These should be 
 selected to correspond one with the other, and ought to 
 possess, as essential properties, length, roundness, and per- 
 fect equality. 
 
CASTING-LINES. 29 
 
 The upper casting-line, generally used by salmon fishers, 
 and requisite as an assistance in throwing the fly, is com- 
 posed of three or four links, and extends, when these are 
 joined, to about six feet. Each link contains from eighteen 
 to twelve hairs, according to the strength and thickness of 
 the winch-line to which it is intended to be attached. The 
 upper casting-line ought also to tapet gradually, so as to 
 admit of the lower or gut one forming, when looped on, a 
 continuation with it, in point of thickness. This is 
 managed by diminishing the number of hairs in every 
 successive fink ; that is to say, supposing the uppermost 
 length is formed of eighteen hairs, the one following should 
 contain fifteen, and so on, down to twelve and nine. 
 
 In the making up of casting-lines, great attention should 
 be paid to the knotting and tying, as well as twisting, 
 which some prefer executing solely with the hand, in pre- 
 ference to the machine. I can affirm, however, from ex- 
 perience, that the machine answers the purpose better, not 
 only in point of expedition, but it produces more equal 
 and trustworthy work. Take care, however, not to over- 
 twist the links, and see that the hair, which ought pre- 
 viously to be washed with soap and water, is quite dry. 
 Silk-worm gut, on the contrary, when spun up into cast- 
 ing-lines, ought to be soaked in lukewarm water, and 
 attached to the machine while wet, and before losing its 
 pliancy. And as to gut casting-lines, they ought always 
 to be constructed of long, choice gut, carefully assorted. 
 Every separate length should consist of three threads, 
 equal in thickness, I mean as regards that individual 
 length ; for, to regulate the tapering of the line, lengths 
 of various thicknesses are required to be spun, and a care- 
 ful selection made from them before joining. 
 
 The triple gut casting-line ought to extend fully six or 
 seven feet, and is intended either to succeed the hair cast- 
 ing-line, in salmon fishing, or to be appended immediately 
 to the winch-line, by the trout fisher. Linked to it, is the 
 single gut casting-line, composed of three or four succes- 
 sive strands of picked material, carefully knotted, and, if 
 intended for large fish, tied over at the joinings with silk 
 thread. Of course, by salmon fishers, this addition is 
 dispensed with, when triple gut is found necessary or more 
 useful. In fine waters, on the contrary, it is often expe- 
 
30 angler's tackle and equipment. 
 
 dient to add to the length of this portion of the casting- 
 line, as well in salmon as in trout fishing, in order to keep 
 up the deception and not alarm the fish. 
 
 But I think it unnecessary further to enlarge upon the 
 subject of lines, in the present chapter, as various instruc- 
 tions respecting them lie interspersed throughout the 
 treatise ; and as to the knotting together of the threads or 
 strands, I deem it proper merely to mention one or two of 
 the most approved methods of joining. 
 
 The Water Knot, Single and Double. — This knot is 
 completed, simply by laying the ends of the two threads, 
 links, or strands, required to be joined, alongside of each 
 other ; then, doubling the one round the forefinger of the 
 right hand, and passing one of the links and its corre- 
 sponding end through the loop thus formed, draw all 
 tight. Should the material be silk-worm gut, allow the 
 knot to soak a moment in the mouth before drawing. In 
 making the double knot, pass the lengths twice through, 
 instead of once ; this will give greater security to the line, 
 and prevent all possibility of the ends slipping. The 
 double water-knot should always be adopted in making 
 up fine or single tackle for salmon, but gives a clumsy 
 appearance to the trouting line. After the knot is com- 
 pleted, clip away the useless portions of the lengths, but 
 not too closely ; and, in the case of casting-lines, tie over 
 what is left with fine silk thread. I seldom tie over the 
 knots of the single gut or foot-line in this manner, unless 
 at such a distance from the hook that they do not gene- 
 rally come into contact with the water, and are thus ren- 
 dered liable to be mistaken for flies. The water-knot is 
 unquestionably the simplest and most expeditious, if not 
 the safest, knot used by the angler ; but there is another 
 mode of joining lengths of single gut, occasionally prac- 
 tised on Tweedside, and which it behoves him to become 
 acquainted with. This is executed by laying the ends of 
 gut intended to be joined side by side j form a simple knot 
 over each, with the other, thus : — 
 
 Draw the knots tight, and pull them together. They will 
 
THE REEL, OR WINCH. 
 
 31 
 
 hold fast, in the right direction, but can be separated, so 
 far, without trouble, by simply drawing them asunder. 
 In affixing bobs or droppers, this mode of joining together 
 the lengths which compose the foot-line has its advantages 
 — the bob or dropper requiring no loop, but simply a small 
 knot at the head of the gut it is attached to. When 
 inserted betwixt the closing ends above described, this 
 knot, on their being drawn together, will prevent the 
 dropper from slipping off; at the same time, it can readily 
 be disengaged, and another, at the option of the angler, 
 substituted in its place. 
 
 The Ebel, oe Winch. — A great improvement has of 
 recent years taken place in the form and construction of 
 the reel, or winch. By reducing the length of the barrel 
 and pillars, and enlarging the diameter of the brass plates 
 between which they are confined, the line can be wound 
 up with much greater speed and regulaarity than when the 
 plates used were narrow, and the distance betwixt them 
 considerable. 
 
 The catch, also, or rack, is generally abolished, although 
 some anglers naturally enough retain a prejudice in its 
 behalf. This appendage, however, and all machmery 
 intended to assist the winding up, can beneficially be dis- 
 pensed with. The simpler, in fact, in these respects, the 
 reel is, the better ; it not only lets off the line more 
 readily, but is less liable to become deranged in its action. 
 
 Among other improvements recently made upon the reel 
 or winch, are those which relate to the handle. This. is 
 
82 angler's tackle and equipment. 
 
 now constructed so as to fold over or be readily detached, 
 according to the pleasure of the angler, and thus facilitate 
 the carrying or packing up of the machine. Checks, also, 
 have of late years been introduced, and the mode of affix- 
 ing the reel to the rod altered and improved. A still 
 more recent improvement consists in the substitution of a 
 thick hollow barrel for the slender sohd one commonly in 
 use. The advantage of this contrivance is twofold. First, 
 the air confined in the tube or hoUow.barrel assists to dry 
 the line and preserve it free from rot. Again, should a 
 large active fish threaten to exhaust the contents of the 
 reel, the improved barrel will give off freely to the end, 
 and recover with the desirable speed and regularity ; 
 whereas, in the case of the winch ordinarily in use, the 
 extreme end of the line, at such a crisis, is generally at 
 fault in its movements, yielding, if at all, with constraint 
 and hesitation, and occasioning, on its being wound up 
 again, considerable delay, at the moment, too, when expe- 
 dition is most required. 
 
 The Eod. — Caprice and custom regulate largely the 
 fancy of individuals in respect to this implement. One 
 holds stiffiiess as a requisite, another pliancy ; one prefers 
 the single-handed, another the double-handed rod ; some 
 use a butt piece of hiccory, some of ash, and others of fir- 
 wood ; this angler, again, in the matter of the top-piece, 
 esteems lance — that bamboo ; and, as to the ferrule, I 
 meet with one who commends the plain joint and socket 
 — another who countenances the Scottish screw — and a 
 third who disclaims the use of brass joinings altogether, 
 and stands up in behalf of the tie system. In short, there 
 is no termination to the variety of tastes and prejudices on 
 the subject of fishing-rods. The rings, the colouring, the 
 varnish, the lower fittings, all fall, as matters of dispute, 
 within the contentious circle ; nor, indeed, do the observa- 
 tion of many years, and the most ample and unprejudiced 
 testing of rods of every description — stiff and pliant, light 
 and heavy, single and double-handed — enable me so deci- 
 sively to pronounce an opinion upon one and all of these 
 matters, as even to approach an adjustment of differences 
 in respect to them. 
 
 I can only state, from personal experience, that a very 
 few days' practice wiU frequently suffice to reconcile one 
 
THE FISHING-EOD. 33 
 
 to the use of a rod which, at the first handling, he felt 
 somewhat dissatisfied with. I do not say that it discovered 
 any glaring fault in the build or material — for these are 
 matters requiring strict scrutiny and attention — ^but it 
 wanted a particular virtue, which he imagined the imple- 
 ment he was accustomed to use possessed j it could not, in 
 fact, heave out the line so satisfactorily, or drop the fly 
 with so much nicety, or assist in hooking the fish on rising ; 
 perhaps it exhausted the wrist or arm sooner ; there was 
 about it, in fact, some vice — ^it might be an indescribable 
 one — and yet, on a succession of trials, this vice or defect 
 completely vanished. It had been got the better of by 
 practice ; nay, in reality, it was not a fault in the rod, but 
 a pre-existing prejudice on the part of its possessor, which, 
 as it arose through habit, could only become extinguished 
 under the same influential dominion. 
 
 I have made these remarks as a prelude to this subject, 
 because I consider that many anglers lay a great deal too 
 much stress upon, and are fancifully exact as to the length, 
 the pliancy, the weight, the balance, even the colour of 
 their fishing-rods, not to speak of rings, &c. At the same 
 time, I allow that the purpose for which a rod is made — 
 whether for salmon-fishing, for trolling with minnow, or 
 for trouting with the fly — for streamlet, lake, or broad 
 river — ought to regulate, not merely its proportions, but, 
 in certain cases, its material, number of lengths, and 
 description of finish. The salmon-rod most in use on 
 Tweedside is three-pieced. Its average length is eighteen 
 and a half feet. It is commonly fitted up with one or two 
 spare tops of different degrees of pliancy. In trouting 
 with the fly, a two-handed rod of sixteen feet is frequently 
 used ; but as much and neater execution is done with a 
 single-handed weapon of thirteen or twelve and a half feet. 
 For worm and minnow fishing, a light two-handed rod of 
 seventeen feet will be found by far the most serviceable. I 
 shall now treat very shortly of the kinds of wood best 
 adapted for rod-making, their peculiarities and advantages. 
 
 The material in general used for the butt-piece, both of 
 the salmon and trouting-rod, is ash. For hollow butts, 
 most rod-makers employ saplings, .or young trees, of six or 
 seven years' standing, well dried and seasoned. These, of 
 course, possess a core or inner growth of tender wood, the 
 
 
 
34 angler's tackle and equipment. 
 
 extraction of which does not greatly impair the main 
 strength' of the piece, while there is this additional advan- 
 tage, that it can be performed more in accordance with 
 the lie, run, or grain of the material, than were the opera- 
 tion attempted on a portion of plank or sawn tree, out of 
 which solid butts are constructed. Hollow butts, when 
 formed out of plank wood, which they sometimes are, 
 require to be bored with an instrument termed a pMppk 
 bitt. The boring may advantageously be enlarged by a 
 tool of the same description, only smaller in size, as that 
 used by the cooper in the formation of bung-holes. It is 
 called in Scotland a schulop. It would be an improvement 
 in the manufacture of the hollow-butt piece, were the 
 lower or root end of the ash sapling made to receive the 
 ferrule, instead of the upper extremity, which is less 
 tough and consistent, consequently more apt to break 
 or split. 
 
 I am of opinion that Memel fir, although not generally 
 used in rod-making, is an excellent substitute for ash, in 
 the construction of the solid butt-piece for a small salmon 
 or grilse-rod. It has the advantage over it in respect of 
 lightness, while, if judiciously selected, there can be no 
 question as to its strength and durability. I have used it 
 for many years, in preference to any other wood, and find 
 that it stands the test thoroughly. Indeed, with regard 
 to three rods manufactured by Mr Forrest of Kelso, under 
 my own directions, some years ago, the butt-pieces of which 
 are made of the wood in question, 1 can safely affirm that 
 they have stood the test of rough and frequent usage bet- 
 ter than any fishing-rods I ever had in my possession; 
 and that stiU, although I have killed with each of them 
 scores of pike and salmon, as well as creel-loads of river- 
 trout, the lower lengths are sound and trustworthy as ever. 
 An objection occasionally urged against the Memel fir is, 
 its want of pliancy. That it does not possess this virtue 
 in the same measure as the ash does, I allow. It is, cer- 
 tainly, a little stiff, and fails in communicating to the 
 hand, with agreeable rapidity, the swaying motion of the 
 upper pieces; but I am not convinced that this defect 
 influences the throwing powers of a salmon-rod to any 
 serious extent— certainly not to that extent which a friend 
 of mine, who has fancies of his own on many matters con- 
 
WOODS USED FOE RODS. 35 
 
 neoted with the gentle art — what angler is without them 1 
 — attributes to it. 
 
 Hickory-wood, on account of its heaviness, is seldom 
 employed in the construction of butt-pieces; but the 
 middle divisions of the generality of fishing-rods are made 
 of it. Of hickory there are several kinds ; the most ser- 
 viceable of which, for the purpose of rod-making, is the 
 red. White hickory, however, is a tougher and more 
 durable material, only it warps when cut up into lengths. 
 Hickory-wood is brought principally from North America, 
 in biUets of the thickness of a man's leg and upwards. 
 
 Lance-wood is closer-grained and somewhat heavier than 
 hickory. It is a native of Cuba and other West India 
 islands. For top-pieces it is reckoned invaluable, possess- 
 ing a spring and consistency, together with a capability of 
 being highly wrought and polished, not found in any other 
 wood. The great objection to lance-wood is its weight, and 
 consequent tendency, when used as a top-piece along with 
 different woods, to injure or discompose the just and 
 desirable balance of the rod. In order to obviate this, 
 rod-makers are now in the habit of constructing the top- 
 lengths, partly of lance-wood and partly of bamboo. The 
 bamboo portion consists of a thin slit or slits detached from 
 one of the jointed divisions of the cane. This is rounded 
 off, and otherwise cut and planed, so as to admit of being 
 accurately glued on to the lance-wood section of the 
 intended top-piece, the parts thus annexed being after- 
 wards strengthened by a wrapping of waxed thread and 
 coatings of varnish. Kods constructed almost entirely of 
 bamboo are in use in some parts of England, but they do 
 not suit our Scottish rivers, being possessed of little throw- 
 ing power, and adapted more for troUing with and the 
 pitching out system, peculiar to some localities where pike 
 are fished for. Of other woods used by rod-makers, I may 
 mention log and purple-wood, which are frequently em- 
 ployed in the construction of the angler's weapon by Irish 
 artists. They are not, however, much appreciated in 
 Scotland. The colouring of fishing-rods is generally 
 effected by an appHcation, with the paint-brush, of nitric 
 acid or vitriol to the wood, when a light brown is required 
 — and of log-wood or Brazil-wood when the taste of the 
 manufacturer or purchaser is in favour of a dark colour. 
 
36 anglbe's tackle and equipment. 
 
 A coating of vinegar, in which steel filings have lain for a 
 few hours, will change the rich purple of the log-wood into 
 a deep black ; but many manufacturers prefer the natural 
 colour of the ingredient, assisted by a small quantity of 
 copperas. 
 
 The Fberulb. — In my younger days, I preferred to 
 any other the Scotch screw-joint, as a mode of affixing 
 the lengths or parts of a fishing-rod. I am now con- 
 vinced that the English system is a better one — namely, 
 that of simply introducing the lower end of each lengQi 
 into a corresponding sheath or socket in the division it 
 surmounts. This socket is fenced round with a project- 
 ing portion of brass tube, which accords in thickness to 
 the end or joint it is intended to receive. A fastening of 
 small twine or thread is then required to make all secure, 
 for which purpose there are affixed hooks or projections of 
 brass wire on each length, immediately above and below 
 the place of conjunction. 
 
 I am by no means partial, however, to an innovation 
 lately introduced — namely, the coating with brass of that 
 portion of the inserting joint which comes into juxtaposi- 
 tion with the tube or ferrule. This is done with the view 
 of counteracting the petty annoyance which is liable to 
 occur during wet weather, or in case of the accidental 
 submersion of the rod; an annoyance arising from the 
 swelling of the confined part of the joint, and that fre- 
 quently to such a degree as to render it impossible for the 
 angler, by means of mere manual exertion, to separate the 
 pieces. That the brass coating in question does, to some 
 extent, obviate the evil, I allow ; but the remedy, and a 
 partial one it is, has its own very objectionable points. 
 These, also, proceed from a similar cause, the alternate 
 action of drought and moisture, which action, while it but 
 temporarily affects the wooden joint, produces a more 
 lasting and injurious result upon the brass one; for, in 
 the latter case, by its operation upon the coated portion of 
 the joint, it subserves, in a short time, to slacken and dis- 
 turb the overlapping metal, and thus the adaptation of 
 length to length, as well as the general firmness and 
 entirety of the rod, becomes materially impaired; whereas, 
 when the joint is used in its simple or naked state, the 
 slight contraction or expansion of the wood resulting from 
 
THE FEHHULE. 37 
 
 drought or moisture, occasions no such injurious effect, 
 inasmuch as there is no necessity, when fitting in the 
 lengths, to be over nice or exact about the point of con- 
 junction. 
 
 It is proper, however, especially in the prospect of en- 
 countering rain, to grease that portion of each length 
 which is intended to be enclosed. By so doing, you pre- 
 vent in some measure the swelling of the wood below the 
 ferrule, and render comparatively simple the disengaging 
 of the several divisions. In event, however, of this opera- 
 tion having been neglected, should the angler find it im- 
 practicable, by the exercise of a moderate degree of manual 
 strength, to effect the taking down of his rod, he ought 
 by no means, on the instant, to press his object, so as to 
 render possible the racking or injuring of the wood or 
 ferrule ; nor should he, if he can possibly avoid doing so, 
 resort to the application of strong heat, in order to reduce 
 the expansion of the wood. I would recommend him to 
 take home the implement in its undetached state, and if 
 convenient, to lay it by for a few days, either in an upright 
 or recumbent position, until the wood has become so 
 thoroughly dried that he can readily, without much effort, 
 unfix the lengths. When necessitated, however, to apply 
 heat, let him employ a pair of nippers or common fire- 
 tongs made red-hot at the extremities. In using these, 
 one must be careful to seize hold of the ferrule or brass 
 tube at or near the centre, so as not to interfere with the 
 waxed wrappings which secure the lower fastening-pin. 
 A very few moments will suffice to communicate the 
 requisite heat equally throughout the joining ; the mois- 
 ture confined in the wood will gradually find vent in 
 steam along the edges of the ferrule, and as it does so, the 
 extrication of the joint from its socket may be accom- 
 plished without difficulty. 
 
 As a guard against the injury done by rain, &c., many of 
 the Irish rods are constructed with the ferrules inverted — 
 that is, with the tube or socket fixed on the lower end of the 
 length, so as to cap or lie over its corresponding joint. 
 In this case, the rain or moisture" trickling towards the 
 butt is prevented from insinuating itself, by the crevices 
 of the joining, into the wood below. This alteration in 
 the position of the ferrule will also, there is no question. 
 
38 angler's tackle and equipment. 
 
 give additional stability to the hollow butt-pieee, and ma- 
 terially favour its construction. The butt-pieces, however, 
 I may mention, of the Irish rods, are generally made solid. 
 
 Rings.— Stiff or fixed rings I have always held in dis- 
 favour, and decidedly condemn them, as appendages to 
 the fly-fishing rod. They are employed, I am aware, by 
 many anglers, in preference to loose or movable ones ; 
 and it is asserted that, in trolling, they possess a marked 
 advantage over these, in regard to the facility of escape 
 they give the line. 1 cannot say, for my own part, that I 
 perceive it ; on the contrary, they are apt, I think, greatly 
 to embarrass its movements, and often occasion its entire 
 stoppage. 
 
 In point of weight and size, the rings of a rod ought 
 severally to correspond with its power and dimensions. 
 Regard also must be paid to the thickness and material 
 of the winch-line which they are intended to give escape 
 to. In order to maintain this regard, it is not necessary, 
 however, to sacrifice proportion in any great extent. The 
 reel line itself is of faulty thickness, should such sacrifice 
 to its accommodation be found needful. In fact, the two 
 ought so to suit each other that the rings on the taper or 
 light portion of the rod will admit the passing through 
 of the line in a looped state, or even when a single knot 
 occurs. 
 
 Hooks. — I have tested, during a long course of practice, 
 hooks of all sorts, shapes, and sizes, and have come to the 
 conclusion that there are few to be met with in the market 
 excelling those of Philips and Adlington — ^the former being 
 a Dublin maker, and constructing his wire, ?S{to the bend 
 and temper, on the Limerick or Irish system, while the latter 
 chiefly manufactures what is well known under the name 
 of the round-bend hook. I may mention, however, that 
 there are many other makers throughout the kingdom 
 who vie with them, to a certain extent, in the fabrication 
 of this article. For instance, of Irish hook-makers, there 
 are Martin Kelly of Dublin, and the O'Shaughnessys in 
 Limerick ; Holyoake and Bartleet also, needlemakers in 
 Redditch, hold claim to public support. 
 
 I like, however, Philips' hooks and those of Adlington 
 better than any in use ; the former as adapted for all 
 sorts of large flies, from those used in spring troutiug up 
 
HOOKS. 39 
 
 to the biggest salmon ones — the latter, as suited for the 
 smaller kinds of trout-flies, also for bait-hooks and min- 
 now-tackles. 
 
 The round-bends are assorted numerically, from 00, 
 the smallest midge, up to 20, the largest salmon size. 
 Philips' hooks are classed in a different way : the trouting 
 ones by letters, the salmon ones by figures — thus, FE 
 represents the smallest Irish trouting fly, F the next, 
 then FF, and next to it FFF ; after which follow C, 
 double C, B and double B, which letter, from C upwards, 
 have their half sizes. BB, the largest of the lettered or 
 trouting descriptions, being frequently used as a grilse 
 hook, is admitted also among those which rank by num- 
 ber, and stands at the foot of the salmon sizes as No. 9. 
 Above it follow 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4, the last being the largest 
 size manufactured for salmon fishing. All the numbers 
 have their half or intervening sizes. The Eedditch hooks 
 range as follows: — Salmon sizes from 1 to 7; trouting 
 descriptions from 7 down to 16, the smallest. 
 
 I would recommend the purchaser of hooks, in any 
 quantity, always to test their strength. This is easily 
 done, by pressing the point into a piece of wood, and 
 exerting a due degree of force on the bend and other 
 portions of the wire, the shank of the hook being firmly 
 held betwixt the thumb and forefinger. Nothing can be 
 more annoying to the angler than to find himself, on a 
 fishing excursion, equipped with an assortment of worth- 
 less wire; and yet, as regards trouting flies, how frequently 
 this occurs. I think, however, the hooks of Adlington 
 and of Philips may be safely commended, in their sepa- 
 rate style#^of manufacture, as among the best in the 
 market. 
 
 Vaenish. — No angler, as part of his equipment, should 
 neglect having a small phial containing spirit varnish. It 
 is serviceable to him in many respects ; it strengthens and 
 improves the appearance of all worm and minnow tackles; 
 it mayjse applied with advantage at the finishing point of 
 fly-hooks, the head or tail ; in the construction, also, of 
 ■ casting-lines, where the ends require to be tied over with 
 silk thread, its employment is beneficial ; but that part of 
 the angler's stock to which its application from time to 
 time is most needed, consists of the rod itself. When the 
 
40 angler's tackle and equipment. 
 
 upper portion of the top-piece is manufactured of bamboo 
 silts, it should be apphed, as far as these are concerned, 
 frequently, and in layers or coats of moderate thickness. 
 Eods in much use ought to be varnished over at least 
 twice or thrice during the season, and always at its close. 
 This rule attended to, they will be found to last much 
 longer, and retain their springiness in its early perfection. 
 Of varnish so employed for rods and tackle, the most 
 generally useful consists in a solution of various gums 
 among spirits of wine. Copal varnish is also made use of, 
 but, in comparison with the other, dries slowly. The best 
 mode of laying on the preparation is by means of a small 
 paint-brush or hair-pencil. 
 
 EECIPES FOB MAKING SPIRIT VARNISH. 
 
 TRANSPABENT. 
 
 Sandarac, . . 4 oz. I Elemi, (true,) . 1 oz. 
 Fale seedlac, . . 2 oz. { Alcohol, . . 1 qrt. 
 
 Digest with agitation till dissolved, then add Venice turpentine 2 oz, 
 
 BROWN VARNISH. 
 
 Seedlac, . . 1 oz. | Alcohol, . . 3 oz. 
 
 Digest as above. 
 
 The simple preparation last mentioned will be found 
 highly serviceable. A small quantity of gum sandarac 
 ought to be added. Elemi is preferred by some. In var- 
 nishing rods and tackle, do so in a dry room, and near a 
 fire or stove, otherwise the varnish is apt to assume a 
 white appearance. 
 
 The Gaff, or Landing-Hook. — This implement is ex- 
 ceedingly useful to the salmon-fisher. It consists of a 
 large hook, fastened upon or screwed into a shaft or handle, 
 varying in length from three to five or six feet. It is much 
 used in the neighbourhood of Kelso, and facilitates greatly 
 the capture of a tired fish, economising the time of the 
 angler, and lessening the hazards which are frequently in- 
 curred by an attempt to land or bank it. In using the 
 gaff-hook, the person employed should take care not to 
 come into contact with the line, and keep well out of sight, 
 until an opportunity occurs of stretching his weapon over 
 the fish. He should then jerk the point into its body, no 
 matter what part of it, and haul in rapidly. Some gaff- 
 
WAX. 41 
 
 hooks are furnished with a small scythe or pruning-blade, 
 which is intended for cutting through any weeds or 
 branches that may happen to interfere with the tackle in 
 landing. This appendage will be found of more service in 
 pike than salmon-fishing. Instead of the gaff, a small 
 hoop-net is sometimes used to take in exhausted fish. It 
 is especially of advantage in anghng for trout fi^om a boat, 
 or even when wading in a broad stream, where, without its 
 assistance, one has to march to shore with every half- 
 pounder he hooks, or else to incur the increased risk of its 
 escape, should he attempt to haul it up within grasp. 
 
 Wax. — A good transparent wax, useful for dressing flies 
 and other purposes, may be made as follows : — 
 
 Dissolve over a slow fire, in a pipkin or other suitable 
 vessel, 2 oz. of the best light-coloured yellow resin. Let 
 them simmer for ten minutes, then add 2i drachms of 
 white pomatom, and allow the whole to simmer a quarter 
 of an hour longer, constantly stirring it. Pour the ingre- 
 dients, thus mixed, into a basin of clean cold water, and 
 they win assume a thick transparent consistency ; knead 
 the wax well, while yet warm, by drawing it out with the 
 fingers tiU cold. The last operation gives it toughness and 
 silvery opacity. Another useful dressing wax may be made 
 fi:om the following ingredients : — 
 
 Black pitch, . . 1 oz. I Diachylum, . 1 oz. 
 
 Bees' -wax, . . 1 oz. | Pine resin, . . 2 oz. 
 
 I do not think it necessary to enter into further details 
 regarding tackle, &c., in this chapter. What remains to 
 be said is treated of more appropriately as I proceed. 
 
 Angler's Equipment. — There is no material that I am 
 acquainted with more suitable, as respects colour, warmth, 
 and durability, for the general dress of the angler, than 
 properly manufactured Scotch plaiding. It has this ad- 
 vantage to boot, that it dries, quickly, after immersion in 
 water or exposure to rain ; and from the varieties of pat- 
 tern it embraces, there is always sufficient scope for a dis- 
 play of taste on the part of the selector. 
 
 I would recommend that the coat and trousers be usu- 
 ally fabricated of this article. In the spring season, how- 
 ever, a dress of warmer texture is often found essential ; 
 and there are fifty stuffs, suitable for cold weather, on the 
 
42 angler's tackle and equipment. 
 
 shelves of every clothier, which the most fastidious of our 
 fraternity could not object to wear. But I have no design 
 to interfere with the taste or tailor of any man, and shall, 
 therefore, refrain from entering into details upon this mat- 
 ter, or giving directions as to how a fishing-jacket ought 
 to be made and furnished, or what description of head- 
 covering the angler should use. With regard, however, 
 to what, strictly speaking, forms the equipment of our 
 craft, apart from rod and tackle, I think it requisite to 
 offer a few observations. First of all, then, as to an article 
 which, in many localities, it is almost essential for the 
 angler to possess — I mean 
 
 Wading Boots. — It is quite true that, in my younger 
 days, I regarded these a cumbersome and unnecessary part 
 of my equipment, and so they would prove in all pedes- 
 trian excursions, undertaken by juvenile anglers, in the 
 heyday of health and vigour j but as one becomes sobered 
 down, and more chary of his exertions, he not only recon- 
 ciles himself to their use, but actually feels out of place in 
 their absence. To a salmon-fisher who has no boat at 
 command, and who, to obtain sport, requires to plunge 
 knee-deep in the element, during the months of March and 
 April, as well as October, in seasons, in fact, when the 
 temperature is by no means high, they are absolutely ne- 
 cessary ; and even to the trout-fisher, in May and June, 
 who is liable to suffer from habitual exposure to wet, they 
 constitute a desirable means of protection. I need not, 
 therefore, to recommend them as an article of expediency, 
 the more especially as the various inventions and improve- 
 ments of the age render them of easy acqidsition, and that 
 at a cost more moderate than a rheumatic attack, or even 
 a twinge of toothache, coupled severally with doctors' and 
 dentists' fees. 
 
 It would be quite superfluous were I to enumerate the 
 different descriptions of India-rubber wading boots, which, 
 from time to time, have been submitted to my inspection. 
 I am not partial to wares fabricated of such slender mate- 
 rial as the generality of these happen to be, and prefer in- 
 stead a sturdy, workman-like pair of leg-defenders, such 
 as are worn by the Berwick fishermen and those of our 
 principal salmon rivers. There is no necessity, however, 
 that wading boots of this description, to last well, and 
 
FISHING-BOOK. 43 
 
 answer all the purposes of the angler, should be nearly so 
 coarse and heavy as those manufactured to resist damage 
 from salt-water and incessant usage. They ought not, in 
 fact, to weigh more, when properly ironed, than eight or 
 nine pounds. To maintain leathern wading boots in good 
 order, it is necessary they should be used every now and 
 then, or fiUed with water, and allowed to stand an hour or 
 two in this condition. The leather also ought to be kept 
 soft and pliant, for which purpose I recommend the use 
 of the following mixture — the materials named to be melted 
 together above a slow fire, and applied, when cool, by 
 means of a paint-brush or rag to the surface : — 
 
 1 pint of neat's-foot oil. 1 2 qz. of yellow wax. 
 
 2 oz. of turpentine. | 1 oz. of Burgundy pitch. 
 
 ' Before pulling on the boots, draw a large-sized worsted 
 stocking over the trousers. 
 
 The above recipe is of tried value ; but as neat's-foot oil 
 is not always easily obtained, I subjoin another prepara- 
 tion : — 
 
 1 pint of linseed oil. 
 4 oz. of bees' -wax. 
 
 2 oz. of spirits of turpentine. 
 
 Melt all slowly together. 
 
 2 oz. of best tar. 
 
 2 oz. of Burgundy pitch. 
 
 Curriers' dubbing, also, is sometimes employed. For 
 summer fishing, Macintosh's waterproof stockings may be 
 recommended. Attention to the thorough drying of these, 
 inside as well as out, after use, cannot be too strictly 
 paid, otherwise they will quickly rot and become unser- 
 viceable. 
 
 Fishing-Book. — It is astonishing what fancies some 
 anglers entertain in respect to their tackle. They accu- 
 mulate hank after hank of gut, gross after gross of flies, a 
 whole bolster charge of feathers, and an anchor weight of 
 hooks, without for one moment considering the damage 
 done by age, moths, and corrosion, and the unlikelihood 
 of their ever existing to employ all this amassed hoard of 
 fishing gear. No doubt, these whimsical enthusiasts draw 
 a world of satisfaction from the review of their varied accu- 
 mulations, and love to expatiate upon the merits of this or 
 that contrivance ; the shade of a hackle, or the shape of a 
 hook, forming with them sufficient subject of discourse 
 
44 angler's tackle and equipment. 
 
 for more time than they have spent in testing the adva-^'- 
 tages of either the one or the other. I confess I hayebut 
 little sympathy with men of this humour, and have always 
 met with the most efficient and sterling anglers in those 
 who possess a simple but select stock, intermixed with 
 nothing doubtful or new-fangled in the shape of tackle — 
 the gut hank fresh and clean— the hooks free from rust — 
 the lies recently dressed — the pocket-book ample in size, 
 yet not crowded in its contents — everything having elbow- 
 room, and being in its proper place. 
 
 The angler's trouting-book, in order to give suitable 
 accommodation to the tackle required, should measure at 
 least eight inches in length, by five and a half in breadth. 
 The number and arrangement of the divisions and cases 
 are pure matters of taste, upon which no remarks need be 
 oflfered. For salmon flies, I would recommend a pocket- 
 book of still larger dimensions, and instead of vellum, let 
 there be introduced divisions of flannel moderately fine. 
 These, in fact, should be glued on, or otherwise af&xed to 
 strong parchment, and the rest, in stitching up, disposed 
 of betwixt them. By the adoption of this plan, the salmon- 
 fisher is enabled to arrange a large stock of fly-hooks, one 
 by one, over a comparatively small space ; he can distri- 
 bute them, according to his fancy, equally throughout the 
 various divisions, so that this portion of the pocket-book, 
 when closed, shall not press too heavily upon that, and 
 thus tend to injure the wings or general dressing of the 
 flies : moreover, he has access, at a few glances, to the 
 whole collection, and when induced to substitute one hook 
 for another, does not require to consume time in ransack- 
 ing his cases for the necessary fly, but can detect and extri- 
 cate it without the slightest delay. The introduction of 
 a square of chamois leather, formed into two leaves, is re- 
 commended as a usefiil addition to the pocket-book of the 
 salmon-fisher. It is intended to receive fly-hooks when 
 wetted, and, by absorbing the moisture they contain, de- 
 prive the wires and tinsels of all tendency to contract rust 
 or other injury. 
 
 Tin Box. — Although not generally so convenient as a 
 pocket-book, an oblong or circular box of tin is better 
 adapted, in some respects, to hold tackle, especially trout- 
 ing flies made up into casts, salmon hooks, the wings of 
 
PANNIER, WEIGHING-MACHINB, &0. 45 
 
 which are otherwise liable to be crushed, and casting lines 
 of all descriptions. 
 
 This box may be constructed to open with a hinge on 
 both sides. If circular, it should measure four and a half 
 inches in diameter ; if oblong, as many in breadth, the 
 depth, in either case, being two or two and a half inches. 
 Shps of white paper, fitted to shape, ought to be placed 
 in the interior, for the purpose, as they are required, of 
 dividing the contents. 
 
 Of the remainder of the angler's equipment, it is un- 
 necessary to say much. With regard to the creel or pan- 
 nier, few improvements, that I am aware of, have recently 
 taken place. More attention perhaps, than formerly, is 
 now paid to its shape, which has been considerably elon- 
 gated, the depth reduced, and the curve behind increased, 
 so as to fit close to the back of the wearer ; but in point of 
 material, no changes have occurred. It is essential to the 
 enjoyment of the trout-fisher, that this pai't of his equip- 
 ment be kept always clean. During summer, a few hand- 
 fuls of moist grass, or a wet cloth, will aid, both to effect 
 this object, and to preserve, until the expiry of his day's 
 sport, iJie fine tints and fresh appearance of the fish 
 captured. 
 
 The angler, for his own satisfaction, ought to provide 
 himself with a patent spring weighing-machine. This 
 instrument is now made so small, that it can be carried, 
 without giving any inconvenience, in one's waistcoat 
 pocket ; at the same time, it will indicate the weight of 
 fish captured with great exactness. 
 
 Among the usual necessary preparations for a fishing 
 excursion, the following articles, in addition to those which 
 fall under the denomination of fishing gear, may be enu- 
 merated :— A pocket-knife, having two or more blades, 
 several yards of good twine or cord, a piece of dressing 
 wax, silk thread, one or more floats, several leads or spUt 
 pellets of shot, a- pair of small scissors, a point or needle, 
 all of which may be packed into a small compass, and 
 carried without causing the smallest inconvenience. A 
 spirit-flask also takes its place among the items essential 
 for such an occasion, well primed with what all fishers know 
 to be a potent preventative of colds, rheumatisms, and 
 other maladies— namely, good whisky. To haters of ardent 
 
46 angleb's tackle and equipment. 
 
 spirits, Oxley's essence of ginger may be recommended as 
 an excellent substitute. 
 
 As a general advice, in concluding this chapter with 
 regard to tackle, the angler, before committing lines and 
 flies to his box or poctet-book, should always take care 
 that they are properly dried ; for which purpose it is re- 
 commended that he dispose of them about his hat or hat- 
 band, on changing his tackle or leaving the river. He 
 ought also, especially if it be a salmon one, and, in conse- 
 quence of rain, soaked to the centre, to unwind his line 
 from the reel or winch, and lay it up, in loose coils,. over 
 the back of a chair or peg, until thoroughly freed from 
 moisture. Mixtures of hair and silk retain the wet much 
 longer than lines manufactured of hair alone, and in con- 
 sequence, they will rot more readily, on the above precau- 
 tion being neglected or but partially acted upon. 
 
47 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FLY-DRESSING. 
 
 I FIND it impossible, by means of a few cursory directions, 
 to make the art of fly-dressing sufSciently intelligible to 
 the reader. In order to become an adept, he requires to 
 be instructed, not by book, but by practice j nor should he 
 trust slavishly to the method of this or that artist, but 
 allow room for the exercise of his own taste and ingenuity, 
 especially in the selection of feathers and dubbing for 
 salmon hooks. Before venturing to describe the process 
 generally followed in dressing the artificial fly, I shall jot 
 down, as a matter of course, the materials useful to the 
 general dresser, enlarging upon them here and there, as I 
 think it expedient. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS AETICLES. 
 
 1. Hooks, Philips and Adlington, of all sizes. 
 
 2. Gut dyed and of its natural colour, both salmon and trouting de- 
 
 scriptions. 
 
 3. Nippers, of thick wire, brass or iron. 
 
 4. A pair of fine scissors, curved at the points. 
 
 5. Silk threads of various degrees of fineness, colouf, and shade. 
 
 6. Floss silks to correspond, wound up on small bobbins. 
 
 7. Phial of fine spirit varnish. 
 
 8. Wax. 
 
 9. Dubbings, pigs-wool, mohair, wools and worsteds of all shades and 
 
 colours, muscle sUk, hare-lug, water-rat skin, combings of cow- 
 hair, &c. &c. 
 
 1 0. Tinsels, gold and silver, flat, corded, and fretted, of various breadths. 
 
 11. Wing-divider or point. 
 
 12. Feathers for trout flies, among which may be principally men- 
 
 tioned — 
 
48 
 
 FLY-DRESSING. 
 
 FEATHERS FOR TROUT PLIES. 
 
 Wings ofWoodcock. 
 
 ,, Landrail. 
 
 „ Snipe. 
 
 „ Thrush. 
 Lark. 
 
 „ Starhng. 
 
 „ Blackbird. 
 
 J, Dotterel, 
 
 ^, "Wren. 
 
 „ Eedwing. 
 
 „ Bunting. 
 Feathers of Groiise. 
 
 Feathers of Grey-hen. 
 
 Pheasant. 
 
 Partridge (hackles and 
 tail.) 
 
 Mallard (back and breast.) 
 
 Teal. 
 
 Starling (hackles.) 
 
 Golden plover. 
 
 Lapwing (crest hackles.) 
 
 Wren (used as hackles.) 
 „ Ostrich (hackles.) 
 Hackles of the barn-door cook. 
 
 FEATHERS FOR SALMON FLIES. 
 
 Turkey, all Tarieties, including 
 
 White and double-white tops 
 from rump. 
 
 Duns and dun-white tops. 
 
 Mottles, streaks, and pure white. 
 
 Silver pheasant, male and female, 
 tail and wing feathers, pen- 
 cilled and mottled. 
 
 Golden pheasant, crest, tippet, 
 and tail. 
 
 Argus of Sumatra. 
 
 Jungle cock. 
 
 Jay, blue feathers on the wing. 
 
 .Blue lowrie of Australia. 
 
 Blue and buff macaw, tail, &c. 
 
 Green ditto. 
 
 Parrots, for tail tufts, red and 
 yellow, &c., parroquets. 
 
 King-fishers. 
 
 White top from mallard wing. 
 
 Swan. 
 
 Snipe, pencilled feather under 
 
 vring. 
 Salmon-tailed gledd. 
 Capercailzie. 
 
 Mallard and teal feathersmottled. 
 Domestic drake, white tops from 
 
 wing, &c. 
 Eaven. 
 Guinea-fowl. 
 Wood-duck of America. 
 Bustard. 
 Heron, male bird, pendant breast 
 
 feathers, &c. 
 Ostrich. 
 Java dove. 
 Cormorant. 
 Bittern. 
 Peacock. 
 Common pheasant, (hackles from 
 
 neck and sides.) 
 Domestic cock. — &c. &c. 
 
 In addition to the above stock, the fly-dresser ought to 
 provide himself with a good and ample selection of hackles 
 from the head, neck, and side of the l)am-door fowl, the 
 male bird especially. Black, dark brown, red, dun, yellow, 
 white, grizzled, ought to be included in this selection; and 
 along with hackles of natural colour, an assortment of dyed 
 ones may judiciously be kept. These should embrace all 
 the brilliant colours, orange, flame-red, fine yellows, pur- 
 ples, blues and greens of every description, as well as such 
 of the more sombre hues as are not possessed by the 
 natural feather. 
 
DYEING OP WOOL AND FEATHERS. 49 
 
 Dyeing of Wool and Feathers. — In dyeing wool or 
 feathers, use an earthen vessel or crucible, as metaUio pans 
 have a tendency, especially when metallic or earthy mor- 
 dants are employed, to injure the quality of the colour. 
 Make use, also, of soft river-water, and stir with a piece 
 of clean wood. 
 
 Of earthy mordants employed in dyeing, the simplest 
 and most useful is common alum. Acetate of alumina, 
 a double decomposition of alum and sugar of lead, is also 
 in high esteem ; but the metallic mordants, especially the 
 oxide of tin or proto-chloride, are more valuable. The 
 last-mentioned ingredient, in fact, is quite essential for 
 the fixing of fine scarlets and other bright colours. 
 
 Wool or mohair, before dyeing, should be well scoured 
 in equal parts of urine and water. 
 
 Bldb Dye. — Dissolve one part of indigo in four of 
 concentrated sulphuric acid. Add one part of dry carbo- 
 nate of potash, and dilute with eight times its weight in 
 water. The wool ought previously to be boiled in a solu- 
 tion with alum and tartar. 
 
 Yellow Dye. — The colouring matters used in dyeing 
 yellow, are weld, fustic, quercitron bark, and annotto. For 
 fine yellow, employ oxide of tin as a mordant, instead of 
 alum. Fustic and oxide of iron yield a drab colour ; and 
 a little tartar added to the colouring matter produces a 
 greenish hue. If orange is required, add a little cochineal. 
 In dyeing feathers, the spirituous tincture of turmeric will 
 impart a fine yellow, and that of any depth required ; to 
 brighten the colour, use a little lemon juice. 
 
 Buff colours are produced by adding to a little pearl- 
 ash, a decoction of annotto in water. 
 
 Ked Dyes. — Of these cochineal is the most valuable ; 
 but many other drugs are used by dyers, such as logwood, 
 Brazil wood, madder, archil, kermes, &c. In order to 
 obtain a fine scarlet, first dye the wool yellow, and then 
 immerse it in a vessel containing cochineal with tartar and 
 chloride of tin. Common crimsons may be produced from 
 alum and cochineal ; and if required of a pale caste, a 
 little madder ought to be added. To obtain purple, make 
 an infusion of logwood, one handful of shavings to the 
 pint of water; and after the wool has been boiled in it 
 
 D 
 
60 FLY-DRESSING. 
 
 half an hour, put in a tea-spoonful of carbonate of potash, 
 also a small piece of copperas the size of a pea. 
 
 Black Dyes. — These are produced from red oxide of 
 iron and tan ; logwood being used as an auxiliary. Boil 
 the wool two hours in a decoction of nut-galls, and allow 
 it to simmer the same space of time in a vessel with log- 
 wood and sulphate of iron at a scalduig, not boiling heat ; 
 frequently exposing it to the air for the purpose of absorb- 
 ing oxygen. The proportions of the ingredients are — 
 
 Gall-nuts, . . 1 part. I Logwood, . . 6part3. 
 
 Sulphate of iron, . 1 do. | "Wool, . . 20 do. 
 
 Brown Dye. — The best ingredient, and one requiring 
 no mordant, is walnut rinds. A handful of these, along 
 with a small quantity of logwood, boiled together for half 
 an hour in a pint of water, will give out a good brown 
 colour. A piece of copperas the size of a small nut boiled 
 in a pint of water with red hackles, will much improve and 
 darken their appearance. 
 
 Green, orange, purple, and ohves, are, properly speak- 
 ing, compound colours. 
 
 Green is produced by mixing blue and yellow ; orange, 
 by mixing red and yellow ; purple, by mixing red and 
 blue : for instance, cochineal with sulphate of indigo. 
 Olives are produced by mixtures of blue, red, and yel- 
 low. To obtain greys and duns, dye with oxide of iron 
 and use quercitron, or sumach, to give them a yeUow 
 tinge. 
 
 In dyeing wools, the time they require in boiling is 
 regulated by the strength and nature of the dyeing ingre- 
 dients and mordants. In some cases, two hours are neces- 
 sary in order to fix the colours ; in others, twenty minutes 
 ■will suffice. After boiling, rinse the material in cold water 
 and spread it out to dry. In connection with the dyeing 
 of feathers, it is worthy of observation, that feathers 
 damaged by crumpling will, when immersed in hot water, 
 completely recover their original beauty. 
 
 In pressing Trouting Hooks, I pursue the following 
 method. My intention, for instance, is to complete a 
 dozen fly-hooks. Accordingly, in commencing anrange- 
 ments, I select from a hank of fine gut, twelve choice 
 threads. These I prepare by clipping off with a pair of 
 
THE WINGS. 51' 
 
 fine scissors the ragged extremities, and by straightening 
 the lengths with my fingers ; I then place them together on 
 a table before me, and proceed next to lay out, and at hand, 
 an equal number of hooks of the sizes intended to be 
 dressed, along with nippers, resin, &c. ; after which, I cut 
 and wax a dozen portions of fine silk thread, varying in 
 length, according to the size and description of the fly- 
 hook in contemplation, say from eight to fourteen inches. 
 The colours I prefer are orange, yellow, straw-tinted, and 
 crimson ; but as to this matter I am more indifferent than 
 with regard to the quality of the silk, which cannot, if it. 
 possesses sufficient strength to take on the wax without 
 giving way, be too fine. 
 
 I now open my repository of feathers and hackles, 
 placing before me the required number of the latter or a 
 small quantity of prepared dubbing instead. My next step 
 is to make ready and lay out, in convenient order, the 
 wings of the intended fly-hooks. In detaching these from 
 the feather, I do not, like many fly-dressers, use knife or 
 scissors, but generally strip them off by means of my 
 thumb and forefinger. Such, I allow, is not the most 
 economical mode of procedure, but it embraces this advan- 
 tage, that it preserves to the fibres or strips of feather 
 composing each individual wing, their co-adhesive power, 
 so that, on tying on the wings, less derangement or sepa- 
 ration of the parts is liable to take place ; for although 
 the fibres of some feathers are naturally linked to each 
 other all along, to the very rim or extremity, others, espe- 
 cially those of the mallard and birds of soft and oily 
 plumage, have but a small measure of this peculiarity, and 
 depend, as the principle of their connection, chiefly upon 
 the roots or lower ends of the fibres in question. 
 
 Having assorted and paired ofi' the wings, as well as 
 arranged, and made ready the hackles, dubbing, &c., I 
 proceed forthwith to accomplish the dressing. This I com- 
 mence, by lifting one of the hooks with the thumb and 
 forefinger of my left hand, and applying at the same time 
 to its shank the requisite length of gut. These, by means 
 of one of the waxed silk-threads, above mentioned, I firmly 
 unite together, commencing about the centre of the shank, 
 and turning the silk over them, at least four or five times, 
 in an upward direction, towards its head or extremity. I 
 
52 FLT-DEESSING. 
 
 then fasten with a single hitch-knot. The hook, &c., will 
 appear thus : 
 
 Having cut off the superfluous gut, I now proceed to fasten 
 on the wings. These, which lie paired before me, I lift 
 together, their heads pressed close betwixt the thumb and 
 forefinger of my right hand, and the inner sides of the 
 feather of which each happens to be formed, turned face 
 to face. 
 
 I then place them in their proper position, over the 
 head and shank of the hook, substituting, as I do so, the 
 corresponding fingers of the left hand, in order to keep all 
 fast. This done, I take up the portion of waxed silk hang- 
 ing below, and give it two, or at most three turns, over the 
 root of the feathers, gut, and wire-shank ; then, without 
 fastening, bring it over, betwixt the intended wings (which, 
 if pressed together during one of the above operations, so 
 as in a manner to adhere to each other, I divide with a . 
 fine point, such as that of a needle or penknife), and 
 running it below them, fetch it up again, in the form of 
 
 In making large fly-hooks, when it is desirable that the 
 wings stand well apart from each other, I sometimes re- 
 peat this part of the process, recrossing the silk thread 
 betwixt them. Having cut off the superfluous ends of 
 feather, I now form the head. This is done simply by 
 continuing to wrap the silk over the extremity of the 
 
THE HACKLE AND DUBBING. 63 
 
 hook shank, above the -wings, until what remains of the' 
 fag portions or roots is concealed and made secure. I 
 now bring down the thread and fasten it, with a simple 
 hitch-knot underneath. 
 
 The wings being finished, I have only to complete the 
 fly, by the affixing and laying on of the hackle or dubbing j 
 these materials sufficing, either in their separate or joint 
 capacity, to represent both the legs and body of the insect. 
 In the case of simply attaching and running on a hackle, 
 I require, first of all, to lift one of the assorted feathers of 
 this description previously placed within reach, and laying 
 the root end towards the bend of the hook, so that the 
 fibred or unstript portion has its position in immediate 
 conjunction with the wings at the point of fastening, 
 to cast round it the dressing thread already employed, 
 having carefully re-waxed it for the purpose. I then con- 
 tinue the wrapping so far down the shank of the hook as 
 it is my intention to bring the hackle. This done, I take 
 hold with my nippers of the fine end of the feather, and 
 commence, close under the wings of the fly, to wind it on. 
 Four or five turns generally suffice to fetch it down to the 
 desired point, when, having cast the silk thread round it 
 twice for security, I either twitch off the tip with my 
 nippers, or cut it close with the scissors. A succession of 
 hitch-knots, or, what is preferable, the common whip 
 festening, concludes the process. 
 
 Hackles, in the case of the trouting fly, may either be 
 carried down nearly the whole length of the shank, to 
 where the turn of the wire commences, or else, for variety's 
 sake, confined immediately under the wing, so as to re- 
 semble only the legs of the insect. When so applied, it is 
 expedient, in some cases, to complete the body by the 
 addition, either of a little floss silk or of dubbing taken 
 from a hare's ear, water-rat skin, &c. In putting on dub- 
 bing, take care to twist it well up with the dressing thread, 
 by means of the thumb and forefinger, before commencing 
 to form the body. It should be applied, as well as the 
 hackle, very sparingly. I cannot reconcile myself to the 
 taste for bushy flies, exhibited by some anglers. As imita- 
 tions of the natural insect, they are caricatures at the best, 
 and although not refused on general occasions by hun^y 
 and hasty fish; are nevertheless ill adapted, from the cir- 
 
54 FLT-DEESSING. 
 
 cumstance of the barb of the hook being choked and 
 muffled up, to strike and secure them. 
 
 No trouting flies, used purely as such, on most of our 
 Scottish rivers, are a whit the better of tinsel. To adopt 
 an intermixture, however, of gold and silver thread in the 
 body of loch flies is generally advisable, on those lochs 
 especially, such as Loch Tummel, Ledgowan, Ness, &c., 
 where the trout are of a large description. Tinsel, I may 
 also state, is a favourite addition to the materials of sea- 
 trout, whitling, or finnock fly-hooks. This is not, be it 
 remarked, a general rule ; for the fish alluded to, in clear 
 waters, will often prefer a plain dark-hackled fly of small 
 dimensions, to one that is gaudy, or seemingly apportioned 
 in size to their weight and feeding powers. 
 
 Although the method of dressing a trouting fly above 
 described is the one I generally adopt, and such as for 
 many years I have found to be at once expeditious and 
 satisfactory, still there are artists of great skill and merit 
 who fashion their lures upon quite a difierent system ; nor, 
 in fact, does there exist any fixed scroll of regulations for 
 the fly-dresser to hold by. No doubt, it is quite allowable 
 for him to experimentalise a certain length, and vary, not 
 merely his materials, but his mode of putting them to- 
 gether : for instance, instead of finishing ofi' at the body or 
 tail of the insect, he may do so, more tastefully, at the 
 J head or with the wings ; he may also, by way of change, 
 leave the wings undivided, or append them so as to turn 
 over, and thus maintain a more upright and life-like posi- 
 tion when drawn along the water's surface. 
 
 But while conceding, in this respect, to the fly-dresser, I 
 must maintain that there is no real service done to the 
 angler, as regards trouting flies, by a multiplication of 
 their names and varieties, or by useless disquisitions upon 
 certain virtues peculiar to this or that imitation; nay, 
 further, I regard as unessential and elaborately trifling, the 
 attempts made by many theoretical writers on the subject 
 of angling, to sort out and classify, according to the month, 
 the different ephemeral and water insects which they think 
 it necessary should be included in the stock of the fly- 
 fisher. I am of opinion that, with a hare-lug, a brown 
 and a black hackle — these three — it being a matter of 
 indifference whether the wing adapted to them is formed 
 
SALMON-PLIES. 65 
 
 of the brown mallard, the woodcock, landrail, or grouse 
 feather, or, indeed, whether the hackles are provided with 
 wings at all — I express my belief, founded on the expe- 
 rience of nearly thirty years, that, with the three simple 
 fabrications above mentioned, accommodating them in 
 point of size to the season and state of water, trout can be 
 captured, and that as readily as by means of the most 
 slavish and subtle imitation of the natural insect, from 
 any river or loch throughout Scotland. In my chapter 
 upon trouting flies, these observations will be found cpnsi^ 
 ■derably enlarged upon, explained, and applied. 
 
 It now remains for me to say something relative to the 
 dressing of salmon flies. This is a subject involving such 
 a variety of practice, and so much detail, that to attempt 
 the discussion of it in full is quite beyond my intention. 
 The task, fortunately, is not required, and I shall therefore 
 confine myself to a very few remarks, which, if they do 
 not bear so immediately upon the matter in question as to 
 expound and illustrate it, may, nevertheless, be admitted 
 to possess some connection therewith. 
 
 First of all, as to the dressing of the Scotch salmon-fly. 
 It is generally imagined that, because of its sober, if not 
 homely look, the fabrication of this lure is a matter of no 
 difficulty in comparison with the fabrication of an Irish 
 killer, such as the Doctor, or any other well-known mag- 
 net. I admit the materials are not so costly, nor, in many 
 cases, nearly so numerous ; still there are points in the 
 dressing of the former, which, in order to make it please 
 the eye, require more nicety of execution, as well as the 
 exercise of more taste and discrimination than are neces- 
 sary to be employed in the construction of the latter. 
 Among these is the proper adaptation and tying on of the 
 wings, the selection of the hackles and dubbing, the har- 
 monising of the colours, the meting out and apportioning 
 to its special purpose the quantity of each material. True, 
 all these matters command considerable attention on the 
 part of the Irish fly-dresser, but he is relieved by the 
 showiness of floss, feather, and tinsel, from the necessity of 
 exercising anything like that degree of taste which the 
 working with dull and sombre colours calls forth ; and in 
 the case of the wings, he is not hampered with one tithe of 
 the difficulty which attends the neat adjustment and fixing 
 
56 JFLY-DRESSING. 
 
 on of these appendages, severally and without break of 
 fibre, all of which is requisite in regard to most of the 
 Scottish salmon flies. 
 
 Still, in either capacity, whether as a dresser of Irish or 
 Tweed flies, it is essential, if aspiring to excellence, that 
 the artist be endowed with a tasteful and correct eye — the 
 eye, in some measure, of a painter, who can understand 
 the arrangement and mutual relation of colours to each 
 other ; he must also possess the ready use of his fingers, so ' 
 as to be able to execute delicate and minute work, to give, 
 as it were to a spider's thread, the sufficiency of a strong 
 cord, to conceal and varnish over all breaks and finishes, 
 so that the entirety of the performance may, in a manner, 
 challenge or defy question. 
 
 I could introduce by name to the reader a great num- 
 ber of excellent fly-dressers, as well amateurs as profes- 
 sional hands, but shall confine myself to the mention of 
 two or three among the latter, the superiority of whose 
 style of dressing, as regards salmon-hooks, is well known 
 and appreciated by the frequenters of our Scottish rivers. 
 Among these stands foremost Mr Forrest of Kelso, a most 
 able and ingenious artificer in every department relating to 
 angling, and one whose stock of materials, gut, wire, wood, 
 feathers, &c., can be relied on as fresh, and of the best 
 description. As a manufacturer of salmon rods, Mr F. 
 is unsurpassed. His fly-hooks are fabrications which 
 merit special notice. I do not hesitate to place them on 
 a level with the best productions of Blacker and Evatt. 
 They are characterised by a display of great taste, and, 
 when required, an extreme attention to detail in what 
 may be termed minor points ; at the same time, they can 
 be relied on for durability beyond any in the kingdom. 
 I recently handled a fly-hook dressed by Mr F., after 
 the Childers pattern, which in the hands of the late Lord 
 W. Beresford had actually lured. to bank, in a Norwegian 
 river, thirty salmon ; and yet, notwithstanding its hard 
 service, the dressing remained unimpaired, not a thread or 
 fibre loose or broken — ^the feathers, hackle, dubbing, tin- 
 sel, all as sound to appearance as ever. 
 
 Being a practical fisher, Mr Forrest is not dependent, 
 like many crack artistes, upon the pattern; at the same 
 time, his original conceptions are always trustworthy, and, 
 
SETTING OF THE WINGS. 57 
 
 were they collected together, would form a valuable addi- 
 tion to the fly stock of the general salmon-fisher. His 
 sons, and James Wright of Sprouston, also deserve honour- 
 able mention, as excellent fly-dressers belonging to the 
 district. At the Great Exhibition, in the fishing-tackle 
 department, the fly-hooks which bore the palm were those 
 dressed by Eoderick Anderson, fishing-tackle maker in 
 Dunkeld, and his daughters. They were very creditable 
 productions, and greatly excelled those of London manu- 
 facture. 
 
 As regards the salmon-fly, one great improvement, of 
 recent date, consists in the substitution, as a mode of 
 attaching it to the line, of a small loop or eyehole of gut at 
 the head or shank-end of the hook, instead of a full length 
 of the same material. This loop, as in the case of the 
 length in question, may be formed either of triple or of 
 single gut, according to the size of the wire. It is of ad- 
 vantage in at least two respects : first, its adoption renders 
 an assortment of salmon-flies capable of being carried with- 
 out crushing or disarranging their plumage ; and again, 
 while hooks tied on the length or strand are apt to become 
 chafed or weakened at the neck, or to crack off altogether, 
 the substitution of the loop prevents this evil — for, should 
 the strand it was originally fitted to appear worn or 
 damaged, one has only to remove it and attach a new one 
 in its stead. The loop in question ought, on every occa- 
 sion, to be made as small as possible, just sufficient to 
 admit the passing and repassing of a triple or single gut 
 length through the eyehole. 
 
 In the dressing of Scottish salmon-flies, there are two 
 modes of laying on the wings, before fastening. They may 
 be set either horizontally, the one with the other, as they 
 are placed in the moth, the bee, common house-fly, and 
 various other insects, or in such a manner that they shall 
 correspond, in point of position, with the wings of the 
 butterfy and of the generality of water ephemerse — that is, 
 with their inner sides turned face to face, at a considerable 
 angle of elevation from the body. The mode first described 
 is, I find, preferred to the other by many salmon-fishers, 
 becaiise, say they, the horizontal position of the wings 
 asfflsts in giving buoyancy to the hook, enabling one to 
 hang it with more elFect over the fish, especially in currents 
 
68 FLY-DRESSING. 
 
 of sluggish rate, or in dead water under an uncertain breeze. 
 At the same time, to set the wings so as to retain this 
 position requires greater address and attention on the part 
 of the fly-dresser, "and is, in fact, a good test of his skill and 
 proficiency. In tying on the wings of a salmon hook, 
 care should be taken not to break or disarrange the slips 
 of feather of which each wing is separately composed. 
 Some feathers, such as the brown mottled ones taken from 
 the back of the mallard, are less adhesive than others, and 
 consequently more liable to become disarranged. The 
 hold which the slips in question possess seems, in this 
 feather, to exist merely at the root ; the portion in demand 
 therefore for the formation of the wing requires to be 
 stript away from its support with the thumb and fore- 
 finger, whereas, in the case of a turkey or silver pheasant 
 tail-feather, the wing may be cut off and shaped with more 
 neatness and economy by means of a sharp pen-knife. 
 Kump-feathers — those of the turkey especially — and some 
 tail and breast ones taken from other birds, admit of being 
 readily shaped out into connected pairs, so as to form 
 horizontal wings, corresponding accurately together in 
 point of colour, mark or mottle, and length of slip or fibre. 
 These, in the tying on, give the dresser less trouble than 
 when he has to work with detached slips. 
 
 Of mixed wings in Irish fly-hooks, all that is necessary 
 to be said I have incorporated in my chapter on salmon- 
 flies, among tlie general observations appended to a list, 
 there introduced, of Irish favourites. The dubbing, hackle, 
 tinsels, &o., employed in the construction of our standard 
 
blacker's teeatise. .59 
 
 killers, are also treated of in the same chapter, and I shall 
 not at present fatigue the reader by enlarging upon 
 these subjects. 
 
 To enthusiasts in the art of fly-dressing, I would recom- 
 mend the perusal of a small volume by Blacker of London, 
 well-known as a proficient in the tying of hooks. It enters, 
 I think, fully into every branch of the subject, and the 
 illustrations which accompany it are executed with great 
 spirit and fidelity. 
 
60 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TEOUTING FLIES. 
 
 The fastidiousness of many anglers with respect to their 
 trouting flies has always occasioned me astonishment. 
 How frequently, in my fishing excursions, do I meet with 
 those who, exulting in the possession of five or six dozen 
 varieties of insect imitations, consume the primest portion of 
 the day in testing their attractive powers, now unlooping 
 one, because it is, they opine, a shade too dark, now another 
 on account of its want of tinsel, attaching in turn the 
 latest m-ban conceit redoubted as a killer, the fail-me-never 
 of some sporting parson or half-pay hero. 
 
 What, I naturally ask, are the notions of such anglers 
 with respect to the tastes, or, it may be, the optics of the 
 trout ? Do they suppose this fish, in regard to its surface 
 food, so singularly capricious as to refuse all others but the 
 insect of the day, so whimsical as even to resist the claims 
 of hunger itself, unless wrought on by the appearance of 
 some peculiarly streaked water-fly ? Do they fancy it dis- 
 criminative of every shade or hue in the wing, body, and 
 feelers of its prey 1 — ^keenly sensible of the smallest devia- 
 tion in colour, more so than of a defect in shape, from the 
 natural insect 1 If such their conclusions, I cannot help 
 affirming that they give credit to the fish in question for 
 possessing a power of discrimination, not less than a degree 
 of daintiness, altogether extraordinary. I am not, how- 
 ever, denying that to a certain extent their conclusions 
 are correct. The error lies in their being over-drawn. The 
 trout, confessedly, is a capricious feeder, circumspect in its 
 habits, and possessed of great quickness of eye, as well as 
 
author's simplification. 61 
 
 an acute sense of smell ; but that it holds these properties 
 in such measure as to require not only the utmost skill, 
 but the greatest choice and variety of fly-tackle, in order 
 to capture it, is a position, with regard at least to our 
 Scottish rivers, altogether untenable. 
 
 The experience of nearly thirty years has led to the con- 
 viction, on my part, that a stock consisting of three, or at 
 most four, diversities of trouting flies, is quite sufficient to 
 insure success at all seasons on any of our lakes and 
 streams. I am talking of diversities, and, in doing so, 
 allude to the colour, shape, and material of the imitation 
 employed, not at all to ite size ; that I leave to be regulated 
 wholly by circumstances, such, for instance, as the season 
 of the year, the low or flooded state of the water, calms 
 or winds, &c. 
 
 The fly-stock of the trout-fisher may then, I opine, in 
 point of colour, be restricted without detriment to : — 
 
 1. The red or brown hackle, with or without wings. 
 
 2. The black hackle, ditto, ditto. 
 
 3. The hair-lug or water-mouse body, with wings. 
 
 These, as noted down, are essentially the groundwork of 
 a killing fly-stock. They are the elements most requisite 
 in the construction of those lures which pedant authors on 
 angling have chosen to dignify with entomological names, 
 and, by the addition as well as substitution of other nlate- 
 rials, increase and vary to such a degree, that all count of 
 what really is a taking and trustworthy fly is overwhelmed 
 in their teeming and bulky store page. 
 
 The above simplification, however, of a fly-stock, is not 
 introduced by me, as one which I propose to be adopted or 
 even to run greatly counter to general ideas on the sub- 
 ject. It is an enumeration, merely, of certain constituent 
 elements in the construction of the lure, which, whenever 
 used, I have found to be inviting. Indeed, I may safely 
 affirm that, on every Scottish stream and loch, one or 
 other of the flies above specified may, in the absence of 
 others, be employed with a fair measure of success ; the 
 sizes, of course, as before observed, being regulated by the 
 condition of the water, the state of the season, weather, 
 and other influences. 
 
62 TfiOUTIING-FLIES. 
 
 And as to the wings which, at option — for they are not 
 absolutely necessary — may be used as appendages to the 
 hackle flies, I would recommend them, in the case of the 
 brown or red hackle, to be taken from the snipe, starling, 
 or brown-speckled feather found on the back of the mal- 
 lard ; in the case of the black hackle, to be constructed 
 of grouse, woodcock, landrail, or speckled breast-feather 
 either of the teal or wild drake. When used on lochs, in 
 dull windy weather, a streak of tinsel or gold thread wound 
 over the body of the lure will be found, in regard to the 
 larger descriptions of hackle flies, of some little service, 
 especially where good-sized fish abound, or when there are 
 chances of obtaining sea-trout. 
 
 The silk thread employed in the fabric of the fly should, 
 on general occasions, be pretty freely exposed, especially 
 below the hackle, and as it approaches the bend of the 
 hook. It may be used of various colours ; but by far the 
 most accordant and captivating, when exposed, are yeUow 
 and orange. Crimson, blue, green, and even white thread 
 can be employed, however, without detriment to the sport, 
 on many occasions ; while dull, mixed hues are seldom or 
 never rejected. 
 
 And now, with regard to the hackle itself. This I con- 
 sider a matter of some little importance, not as concerns 
 its exact tint or shade of colour, (for, along with what is 
 unquestionably black or unquestionably brown, regard 
 may be paid justly enough, though in a less degree, to 
 those more dubious hues denominated by anglers, ginger, 
 chocolate, dun, grizzle, (fee.) but with respect to its shape, 
 fibre, and quality. These points I cannot help reckoning 
 worthy of some measure of consideration. Disregarding 
 them, the neatest-handed fly-dresser will produce but a 
 clumsy piece of craft-work, uninviting to the eye of the 
 angler, and thereby, as a matter of consequence — seeing it 
 will be used with distrust — unlikely to do much execution 
 among trout. 
 
 The selection of the hackle, then, requires considerable 
 care and knowledge. Not one cock in ten, walking the 
 farmyard, yields feathers of this description, truly avail- 
 able to the angler. They are generally found to be too stiif 
 and long in the fibre — seldom prettily tapered — and, when 
 colour is brought into consideration, perpetually at a dis- 
 
HARES EAR AND SPIDER PLIES. 63 
 
 count. The annexed is a sample of what may be reckoned, 
 in point of shape, a good troutiug haclile. 
 
 Birds yielding such feathers, although infrequent, may 
 alwa3"s, with a little exertion on the part of the. fancier, be 
 picked up and purchased. The hackles themselves ought 
 to be selected about or after the middle of winter, before, 
 at least, any symptoms of moulting take place. Those 
 pulled from an old cock are often too wiry and stiff for use. 
 Herls from the plover's crest, and the neck of the male 
 starling, will be found excellent substitutes for the hackles 
 of the barn-fowl in the manufacture of small dark-coloured 
 flies ; indeed, feathers of many descriptions, and from a 
 great variety of birds, are useful for this purpose. The 
 ostrich and peacock furnish, in their way, valuable herls ; 
 but an admirable resemblance to the legs, feelers, and body 
 of the insect may be constructed, by lovers of variety, from 
 the neck-feather of the partridge. 
 
 Having thus treated of those lures in which the hackle 
 forms an important item, I proceed to notice the hare's- 
 ear fly, commonly, in Scotland, denominated the hare-lug. 
 The virtues possessed by this imitation have long been 
 known, and are generally appreciated. For my own part, 
 as a purely trouting-fly, I hold it in higher regard than I 
 do the hackle itself. On waters much thrashed, and where 
 the fish have become shy and cunning, it is infinitely more 
 sei-viceable ; on the Tyne, for instance, in East Lothian, 
 &c. &c. ; also, during summer, on lochs and rivers slightly 
 reduced by drought. The wing used with it may, as in 
 the case of the hackle, be varied according to taste. I 
 prefer that formed of the woodcock feather, when dressed 
 on a good-sized hook ; but the snipe, landj-ail, and brown 
 mallard furnish excellent substitutes. 
 
 A very killing lure for trout may also be fabricated, by 
 surmounting a twitch of the hare's-ear with the hackle of 
 the partridge or grouse, taking care that the fibres of the 
 latter be of moderate length, just exceeding that of the 
 hook itself. This, by some anglers, is termed the spider- 
 
64 TROUTING-FLIES. 
 
 fly, and should be used as a stretcher at the extremity of 
 the hne. . On gleamy days at the commencement of June, 
 when trout, in our southern rivers, are apt to prove lazy, 
 I have found it very successful, especially on the lower 
 parts of Tweed, near Kelso. 
 
 A good hare-lug will provide body-material for several 
 dozens of flies, and that of various shades and complexions, 
 from a swarthy black on to a dingy white. The back or 
 furry part of the ear, however, is that which, in point of 
 colour, is most acceptable to the fly-dresser. Excellent 
 moth or night flies are also fabricated from its lighter 
 portions. 
 
 Classed with this material, so valuable to the angler, I 
 may mention the furs of the water-rat, the mouse, weasel, 
 squiiTel, monkey, opossum, combings of a red cow, &c., all 
 of which are made use of in fly-dressing. As to their 
 attractive qualities, however, there is no, necessity for say- 
 ing much. I certainly hold in some esteem the pile of 
 the first-mentioned animal ; but its equivalent may always 
 be discovered in the substance just treated of, which, 
 although differing equally in colour and texture, wiU be 
 found, in the same state of water, quite as effective. 
 
 I shall now treat shortly of the description of hooks 
 most serviceable to the fly-fisher, their sizes, and the 
 adaptation of these to the humour of the fish, the forward- 
 ness of the season, and state of water. And first, as to the 
 description of wire best adapted for hooking and securing 
 trout. I have already, in a former chapter, approached 
 closely to this subject, while discussing, in a general man- 
 ner, the merits of the article, as manufactured in various 
 parts of the kingdom. Without giving the absolute supe- 
 riority to either, I have, in the place alluded to, divided 
 my recommendations pretty equally betwixt what is caUed 
 the round-bend, and that adopted by Philips, or the Irish 
 form of hook. The former — the round-bend — I prefer 
 using for all sorts of bottom and under-surface fidiing ; 
 for worm, roe, and minnow tackles of every description. 
 But I do more : I aUow^ it the preference also, and that 
 decidedly, as a ground-work for the smaller kinds of flies ; 
 not that it possesses even half the strength of a properly- 
 tempered Irish hook, but, in shape, it is much better 
 adapted than the other, both to fasten upon the lip of the 
 
lEISH AND ROUND BENDS. 65 
 
 fish, and, what is of as much importance, when fastened, 
 to retain its grasp. All trouting-flies, therefore, from the 
 size 00 up to No. 5, I recommend to be dressed upon 
 hooks of the above description. At this point, however, I 
 find it advisable to substitute the Irish bend ; the turn of 
 the wire being now sufficient to allow a ready admission to 
 its barbed portion through the cartilaginous parts of the 
 fish's mouth; which accomplished, everything else, as 
 regards the hook itself, is in favour of the substitution. 
 It possesses, for instance, to a greater extent, the virtues of 
 temper and durability, is more retentive of its colour, and 
 less liable to become corroded or rust-worn. These re- 
 marks, be it observed, have no reference to the many 
 spurious imitations of the hook in question, which crowd 
 the general market ; they are confined entirely to the best 
 descriptions of manufactured wire, such as proceed from 
 the hands of Philips, O'Shaughnessy, Martin Kelly, and 
 Bartleet ; and, in the case of round-bends, those made 
 by Adlington, and other well-known Kendal manufac- 
 turers. 
 
 On quitting this subject, namely the form of hooks most 
 serviceable to the fly-fisher, I have only to add, that the 
 Kirby sneok-bend, and other numerous innovations upon 
 the two established shapes above recommended, may be 
 held as faulty. They possess, at any rate, no certain 
 advantage over them, and, in point of temper, are gene- 
 rally inferior. 
 
 I am now brought to treat of the adaptation of the diffe- 
 rent sizes of books to the season of the year, state of the 
 water, and humour of the fish. Upon this subject a very 
 great deal might be said ; indeed, to handle it with efiiect, 
 and at the same time bring it within the desirable compass, 
 is altogether impracticable. It would be otherwise were I 
 to confine my observations to a single stream or locality ; 
 but, in extending them to the whole range of lochs and 
 rivers in Scotland, they must necessarily prove defective, 
 frequently misplaced, and, if not reaUy inaccurate, liable 
 at least to be thought so. I shall therefore avoid running 
 into this error, by venturing merely a few general remarks 
 on the subject. 
 
 Fly-hooks used early in spring ought to be of full size 
 and body on all our main or first-class waters and many 
 
66 TEOUTING-FLIES. 
 
 of their branches, especially those which contain large 
 trout, and are accessible to marine fish. On riyers like 
 the Tweed or Tay, I recommend the use of a whitling- 
 hook, as the trail-fly or stretcher, during March and April. 
 This may be exchanged for one of smaller size and duller 
 colours, during mild weather, and when the waters run 
 low and clear. On a casting- line made up with three flies, 
 use generally the red hackle at the extremity, attaching 
 the others as bobs or droppers. The distance betwixt each 
 ought to vary with the length of the rod and the width 
 and condition of the stream. On an average, there ought 
 to be four lengths of small single gut, carefully knotted, 
 betwixt the trail or stretcher and the hook immediately 
 above it; while three of the same material are sufficient to 
 divide the droppers. 
 
 Always, in making up the fly-cast, attend to proportion. 
 As regards the gut, this advice is particularly necessary, 
 but it is not less so when applied to the arrangement of 
 the hooks. The heaviest wire ought invariably to form 
 the trail -fly; that which is lighter being disposed of, at 
 due distance, as a bob or dropper. Attention to this rule 
 will greatly facilitate the management of the line and 
 tackle. 
 
 Reverting to the matter in hand — namely, the adapta- 
 tion of fly-hooks, in point of size, to the seasons, state of 
 water, &c., I have to remark, that the use of large hooks, 
 dm-ing the early portion of spring, is on many rivers 
 absolutely expedient. Trout in Scotland seldom rise 
 freely before the middle of April, until, in fact, the appear- 
 ance of what are termed, not very .appropriately, the 
 March-browns. These insects — which, it is well known, 
 have their prior state of existence at the bottom of the 
 streams and pools, and assume the winged condition only 
 when acted on by a certain warmth of temperature — 
 create, on their appearance, the earliest natural cravings 
 in the fish for surface food. Accordingly, before this 
 event takes place, the trout has no inducement to rise, 
 except what is afforded it by the angler in the shape of an 
 artificial fly ; nor is it easily provoked from its retreat by 
 a single imitation or two, and that unseasonably small, of 
 what, at the proper period, it is accustomed to have ofiered 
 it in amplest abundance. It is therefore in a manner 
 
MAECH-BBOWNS. 6T 
 
 necessary, by way of bribe, to present a large-sized fly — 
 taking care, however, that no violence is done to nature in 
 this or any other respect. The shape, colour, and propor- 
 tions of the lure ought respectively to be considered. 
 Sometimes, it is true, in the season referred to, trout, and 
 those of ordinary dimensions, are taken on the huge gaudy 
 flies used for kelts and spring salmon ; but to angle with 
 such, exclusively for the purpose, and in a purely trouting 
 stream, were absolute folly. On the occasions in question, 
 the fish evidently seize the lure, as they do a minnow or 
 parr-tail, not as an insect, or anything resembling one. 
 
 While recommending the use of good-sized fly-hooks 
 diuing March and the early portion of April, I allow that 
 there are several of our Scottish streams where the trout, 
 from natural shyness and other causes, repudiate or disre- 
 gard them ; yet when efiective, as on most lochs and rivers 
 they imquestionably are, one great advantage they have 
 over the lesser sizes of wire lies in their superior capacity 
 to retain fish when hooked — a matter which some anglers 
 affect to make light of, but one, in reality, of very con- 
 siderable consequence when the contents of the creel have, 
 at the close of the day's sport, to pass muster. 
 
 Advancing from the middle of April into the months of 
 May and June, considerable changes, regulated chiefly by 
 weather and state of water, wiU be found to take place 
 with respect to the size of their surface food, in the tastes 
 and inclinations of our river trout, especially in the southern 
 districts of Scotland. The fish, during this period of the 
 year, having left the still, deep places, betake themselves 
 towards the streams and rapids, not yet, however, be it 
 observed, into the true shallows and thinnest portions of 
 the water, which they do about the middle of summer, 
 when minnows, small-fry, and ground-bait of various sorts 
 become abundant. Here, in the resorts first mentioned, 
 at the necks of pools, they watch the passing of the March- 
 browns and other flies, snatching now and then, in the 
 intervals, at a stray insect wafted in advance of the general 
 shower or body. The ample supply of this sort of food, 
 now afforded them, naturally induces a measure of satiety. 
 They begin, ere long, to play the epicure, picking and 
 choosing only such individiials of the winged horde as 
 suit their fancy, and rejecting with disdain those maimed 
 
68 TEODTING-FLIBS. 
 
 imitations wherewith the angler attempts to dazzle and 
 ensnare them. 
 
 All this has been over and again observed by expe- 
 rienced fly-fishers, and it certainly is in some degree tan- 
 talising to be approached, almost to within rod's length, 
 by numbers of feeding trout, andyet find one's-self unable to 
 secure even half a dozen of the smallest. How then, the 
 question occurs, is this to be obviated ? Fully and effici- 
 ently it cannot, but in a certain measure I have reason to 
 think it may, and that by the adoption of a difierent size 
 and species of fly from the one astir. Instead, for instance, 
 of an artificial March-brown, let the angler use a dark- 
 coloured hackle or hare-lug, dressed upon No. 4 Kendal 
 wire. On Tweed, the brown or red hackle is generally 
 more killing; but one or, other of the three flies already 
 recommended I have found, on many occasions, a suitable 
 remedy under the crcumstances above detailed. In truth, 
 it is but natural in the trout, half gorged by a super- 
 abundance of one species of insect, to prefer for the 
 moment what it conceives to be a rarer and more delicate 
 variety. Sated with and grown indifierent to the former, 
 it is only in accordance with its instinct to resort to the 
 latter as a novelty, or, it may be, a provocative. 
 
 On many of our streams, those especially which flow 
 south of the Grampian range, May, as far as the fly is 
 concerned, is the principal angling month for trout. I 
 make no reference, at present, to loch fishing, which may 
 be pursued with success during the whole of the summer 
 quarter. The beginning of the above-mentioned month is 
 generally, like the latter weeks of April, distinguished by 
 the prevalence of the March-browns and other ephemeral 
 insects, of what may be termed gregarious habits. These, 
 floating on the surface in occasional swarms, influence 
 very considerably, as I have already stated, the movements 
 and inclinations of the fish. Among other results omitted 
 to be mentioned, they induce them to frequent certain 
 localities, and by their crowding into these pell-mell, the 
 range or extent of cast becomes, in some rivers, very 
 materially lessened. As the month, however, proceeds, 
 the birth of the ephemeroe is rendered less dependent on 
 vernal gleams and sunbursts; the days are longer, and the 
 weather more steady and genial. Consequently, river 
 
THE MAT-FLT. 69 
 
 insects of various sorts burst into winged existence— not, 
 as before, in simultaneous swarms, (the effect, to boot, of 
 their long thraldom during winter,) but in gradual and 
 almost imperceptible succession. The deeper portions of 
 the stream are also moved by the sun to yield their 
 measure of sustenance. Into these, and throughout the 
 whole course and current, trout accordingly distribute 
 themselves. Now they select, apart one from another, 
 places of ambush — the covert of a rock, stone, bank, or 
 tree-root, where, concealed and defended, they may watch 
 for their fluttering victims : nor are the exposed and open 
 channels left altogether unfrequented. Thither, too, as 
 the day advances, resort the bolder and greedier iish, less 
 eager after fly food than aliment of a more substantial 
 nature, yet not unwilling, during the month we speak of, 
 to gratify their epicurism upon such tiny and delicate 
 morsels as from time to time are borne towards them by 
 the current. 
 
 The sizes of hook adapted for fly-fishing throughout 
 May are in general smaller than those used in April. 
 They vary, of course, in different waters. On Tweed and 
 Teviot, I have found Nos. 2 and 3 answer well; while on 
 other streams, less, or it might be larger sizes, proved 
 more successful. 
 
 There is one rule respecting the artificial fly the angler 
 ought always to hold in regard. It is applicable to every 
 season and to all waters, and is simply this. Never use 
 small hooks when larger ones serve the purpose, and prove 
 equally enticing. It is plain that a small wire can never 
 have the same hold on a fish that one of greater size has. 
 The latter, being proportionably thicker, is less apt, in 
 playing the trout, to cut through the fleshy or grisly part 
 of the mouth ; its barb also enters deeper, and is not easily 
 detached or thrown out by any sudden spring or exertion. 
 
 As to the imitations of what is termed the May-fly — a 
 fly, by the by, which, like the March-brown, makes its 
 appearance on our Scottish waters fully a month later than 
 is indicated by its appellation — I never reckoned them 
 very deadly. They look well enough cased up among 
 other fancies and curiosities in one's pocket-book, but it is 
 seldom that an experienced angler will put them to the 
 test, knowing as he does that their chief virtue lies more 
 
70 TROUTING-FLIBS. 
 
 in the name than in anything else, and that, with all their 
 acknowledged resemblance to the natural fly, in reality, as 
 a river lure, they are, comparatively speaking, worthless 
 and inefficient, attractive chiefly on Highland lochs, and 
 among waters frequented by sea-trout or whitlings. 
 
 June and July are not in general, on our larger streams, 
 greatly esteemed as fly-months. On warm nights, how- 
 ever, trout, and these frequently of great weight, are 
 taken by the angler using this lure. It is not necessary 
 for night-fishing that the artificial fly should have any 
 definite colour, or that it be made, as many suppose, to 
 resemble a small moth. I have found black, brown, and 
 hare-lug flies equally as efiective as white and yellow ones. 
 Trout at night roam more freely than during the day, 
 often forsaking the lower portions of the pool for the head 
 and stream, and vice versa. They also frequently indulge 
 in a cruise among the shallows, and, although thus exposed, 
 are not so ready to take alarm, as one from their general 
 caution might conjecture, when approached by the wader. 
 Indeed, I have captured them, in more instances than one, 
 close to where I stood, in water agitated altogether by my 
 own movements. 
 
 In night-fishing, two flies are sufficient to form the cast, 
 a greater number being very apt to perplex the angler, 
 without insuring him any accession to his sport. These, 
 in general, should approach in their sizes to the spring 
 hooks, and be dressed upon tried gut. During the months 
 in question, trout, on fine evenings, immediately before 
 and after sunset, are generally observed to rise freely at 
 the natural fly. On such occasions, a very small black 
 midge. No. 00, will be found attractive. 
 
 The large flesh-maggot, previously toughened in a little 
 oatmeal, and used at night as a fly, is reckoned very 
 deadly. The hook employed should be No. 4, 5, or 6, 
 and have a long shank, at the bend of which is attached a 
 piece of gut or bristle, pointing upwards, so as to prevent 
 the bait, when run over it, from slipping back. A single 
 turn of a fine red hackle at the head of the wire, will be 
 found an improvement. Flesh -maggots, during the 
 months of July and August, are much used in some 
 localities, and fished with, both as surface and ground 
 bait. I recollect, many years ago, finding them very 
 
PLY-FISHING IN HILL BUBNS. 71 
 
 eifective on the Allan water, near Dunblane, at times 
 when the trout rose shyly and undecidedly at the artificial 
 fly. On these occasions, I simply pointed the stretcher 
 and droppers with the baits in question, which, no doubt 
 acting on the strong perception of smell possessed by the 
 trout, lent an additional attraction to the flies. In using 
 the maggot as a ground lure, it is the practice with some 
 anglers to bait, several hours before commencing opera- 
 tions, the stretch of channel intended to be fished over, 
 and thus give an opportunity for the trout to quit their 
 lurking-places in the vicinity, and assemble in numbers at 
 the scene of action. 
 
 Dipping with the natural insect is also appropriate to 
 the summer season, but is not much pursued in Scotland. 
 On calm water; overhung with wood, I have killed oc- 
 casionally large trout by this expedient. The stone-fly, 
 or a couple of them, fixed on a small bait-hook, with pro- 
 jections of gut or bristle set by the tyer along the shank, 
 to keep the insects on and in their proper position, I also 
 know to be very deadly; but lures of this description 
 have always their substitute in the worm itself, and are, 
 moreover, scantily met with on many of our rivers most 
 suited to their employment. 
 
 Although, as I have stated, the months of June and 
 July afford but indifferent sport to the fly-fisher frequent- 
 ing our larger streams, it is otherwise among hill burns 
 and on Highland lochs. The former, during this portion 
 of the season, and especially after a summer flood, are 
 generally at their prime ; and many of the latter also, but 
 not all of them, claim regard from the angler. One in- 
 ducement to fish at this period, is the fine condition and 
 appearance of the trout. It must be admitted, indeed, 
 that'even still, when captured in certain localities, they are, 
 at their best, but soft and tasteless fish — yet such occasions 
 are comparatively rare ; for in general, throughout Scot- 
 land, and more especially in our Highland lochs, they ac- 
 quire, when in season, a colour, flavour, and curdiness, 
 which the salmon itself has no pretensions to. 
 
 The fly-hooks best adapted for hill-bum fishing, are in 
 general small, varying from No. 1 to No. 5, round-bend. 
 After great rains, larger ones may be used advantageously. 
 On a narrow stream, the banks of which are overgrown 
 
72 TE0UTIN6-FLIES. 
 
 ■with reeds, brushwood, heather, or long grass — anything, in 
 fact, that is apt to interfere with the management of the 
 line — I would recommend the angler to employ only two 
 flies, and these set at a shoi-t distance from each other. 
 
 Loch flies for trout I have as yet only alluded to, nor 
 is a great deal required to be said upon this subject. In 
 common with river flies, they are capable of being reduced 
 to two or three varieties. These, in their simple state, 
 are, as before mentioned, the black hackle, the red or 
 brown ditto, and hare-lug fly. A division however, so very 
 primitive, when applied to loch flies is apt, I am aware, to 
 be ridiculed and sneered at by pedants in the art ; nor in 
 fact do I intend it, in practice, to be pushed to the ex- 
 treme. It is only tasteful and becoming to admit variety 
 into the fly assortment, provided this variety be placed 
 under proper control. When I allude therefore to the 
 hackles in question, as forming along with the hare-lug 
 the only flies required by the angler, I wish it to be 
 understoo'd that the fundamental, I do not say requisite, 
 portion of the dressing consists of the material after which 
 the hook is named. It cannot be denied that, in the case 
 of the hackle fly, the wing, tinsel, and dubbing, whether of 
 silk or wool, possess, on many bccasions, an attractive in- 
 fluence over trout, nay, even a combination of these with- 
 out hackle at all may constitute a taking lure ; but what 
 is proved by all this but that iish are allured, not on ac- 
 count of the close resemblance which the artificial hook is 
 designed to have to particular insects appropriate to par- 
 ticular months and seasons, but from other causes of a 
 different nature? These are size, motion, form, and colour ; 
 the latter qualification being the one upon which, by in- 
 troducing certain well-tried standards, my classification, as 
 regards the artificial fly, has been conducted. 
 
 I shall not, however, pursue this matter any further, but 
 proceed to mention, irrespective of my own theory regard- 
 ing them, the sizes and sorts of hooks best adapted for 
 loch fishing. In the spring months and early portion of 
 summer, large wires. Philips' C, CO., B., BB., or Adlington's 
 8, 9, 10, are most serviceable. Indeed, in some lochs, they 
 continue so throughout the season. One, on an occasion, 
 may employ even larger sizes than those mentioned, 
 but their effect depends much on the place, the sort of 
 
LOOH FLIES. 73 
 
 trout frequenting it, and the nature of the weather. Of 
 what are esteemed, among anglers of my acquaintance, 
 killing flies, on our Scottish lakes, I subjoin the following 
 list :— 
 
 LOCH FLIES. 
 
 1. Wings : light mottled feather, from breast of mallard. — Body and 
 
 legs : black hackle over black silk, or mohair : orange tip, silver 
 twist. (St Mary's Loch.) 
 
 2. Wings : ditto. — Body : a dark-brown hackle closely wound near the 
 
 head, the lower part formed of pink or light crimson wool ; no 
 tinsel. (Lochs Ard and Chon.) 
 
 3. Wings: grouse feather. — Body: ginger hackle over dubbing of 
 
 hare-lug : yellow tip touched off with a single turn of gold tinsel. 
 (Lochs Ard, Vennaohar, &c.) 
 
 4. Wings : dark grouse feather. — Body : purple mohair ; black hackle, 
 
 silver twist. (Loch Tummel.) 
 
 5. Wings : mottled feather from bustard. — Body : ginger hackle over 
 
 orange mohair. (Loch Awe.) The tail-feather of the common 
 pheasant is also made use of in forming the wings of this fly. 
 
 6. Wings : mottled brown feather from the mallard. — Body : brown, 
 
 or black hackle wound close under the shoulder over yellow 
 floss silk ; two fibres of the wing used as tail tufts. This, the 
 Professor, so termed after Professor Wilson of Edinburgh, is a 
 well-known and much esteemed fly, and has been used with suc- 
 cess on almost every Scottish lake and river. 
 
 7. Wings : white tip from wing of the mallard, or rump feather of 
 
 turkey. — Body : black hackle over dark-coloured dubbing : silver 
 tinsel, orange tail tuft. (A killing fly on lochs frequented by 
 sea-trout.) 
 
 8. Wings : woodcock feather. — Body : reddish, dark brown silk, red 
 
 or brown hackle, two or three strands of the same for tail. 
 (HofSand's fancy.) 
 
 9. Wings: mottled tail feather. — Body: black hackle over purple 
 
 dubbing, silver twist. 
 
 10. Wings : dim-coloured feather from wing of landrail. — Body : dark, 
 
 with black or deep brown hackle. 
 
 11. Wings: brown mallard feather. — Body: orange mohair, fine red 
 
 hackle, gold tinsel. 
 
 12. Wings : black feather from raven. — Body : dark-coloured floss or 
 
 mohair, black hackle, orange tip : with or without tinsel. 
 
 These, the larger or spring sizes of loch flies, may, I ob- 
 serve, one and all of them, be employed with success in 
 angling for sea-trout or whithngs ; indeed, when inclined 
 to rise, there is almost no variety of hook, provided it be 
 of fitting dimensions, which the fish spoken of will positive- 
 ly refuse. That they possess, in common with the fario, 
 humours and caprices, there is little doubt; but these, I 
 have noticed, extend rarely to a matter which many 
 anglers think highly important, viz., the prevailing colour. 
 
74 TROUTING-FLIES. 
 
 of the fly. I have caught them, in their seasons, with 
 lures of every hue, — brown, black, white, crimson, blue, 
 green, purple, grey, dun, yellow, and orange ; nay, more, 
 with combinations of two or several such colours, and ad- 
 mixtures, to boot, of all varieties of tinsel. Their tastes, in 
 fact, with respect to this matter, resemble more those of 
 the salar or proper salmon than those of the trout, although 
 exercised generally in a state or condition of water some- 
 what different. 
 
 During summer, and in weather comparatively calm, 
 loch trout may be taken more readily with a small than 
 with a large fly. On such occasions, the sizes and kinds 
 of hooks already recommended for stream fishing, will be 
 found sufficiently available. 
 
 In connection with fly-fishing for trout on our Highland 
 lochs, I may mention that during windy weather, when 
 the water is much agitated, the angler fishing from the 
 shore wiU often observe lines or ribbons of foam formed, 
 with some degree of regularity, over the surface, not far 
 from the margin. Under these the trout, when in feeding 
 humour, take up their position, for in such yeasty forma- 
 tions are naturally found maimed and drifted insects in 
 most abundance. The fly-fisher ought, therefore, to direct 
 his hooks, so as to alight on, or cross over these temporary 
 and shifting resorts of the fish, rather than beat the water 
 at random or thrash it over, inch by inch, as it is some- 
 times expedient to do, especially when he is an utter 
 stranger to the loch and its favourite casts. 
 
 To continue the matter necessarily deviated from in 
 these observations, I proceed, having treated of June and 
 July in respect to their qualifications as fly-fishing months, 
 to extend my line of remarks to August and September, 
 or the concluding portion of the trouting season. It has 
 been pretty well ascertained with regard to the river trout 
 of Scotland, that it is in prime or first-rate condition during 
 the middle of summer, and that, subsequent to the latter 
 end of July, it gradually loses curd, bulk, and firmness, 
 the red-fleshed varieties becoming pale, flabby, and ill- 
 flavoured. Some individuals, it is true, retain their edible 
 qualities for a month or two longer, and the small fish of a 
 season's growth, along with parr or fingerlings, continue as 
 sweet as ever, until late in October. 
 
WINTER FLY-FISHING. 75 
 
 Trout, during the months of August and September, 
 often rise freely, especially after floods and in dark-coloured 
 waters. To the sportsman who is not a mere pot-hunter, 
 they of course afford amusement, and occasionally, not- 
 wiiistanding their declining condition, test freely the 
 strength of his tackle. I have found the red or brown 
 hackle more killing in these months than any other fly, I 
 mean when the waters were in high order ; for if clear and 
 reduced, trout wiU prefer the harg-lug and dark-coloured 
 hook. Spring sizes also are commendable in autumn, on 
 some of our rivers, those especially that axe frequented by 
 whitlings and bull-trout, — fish which, I find, frequently 
 give the preference to a common trouting fly over the 
 highly-bedizened lures employed against them by many 
 anglers. 
 
 To pursue this subject into the months of October and 
 November is quite unnecessary. Angling with the fly 
 loses, on the approach of winter, many of its recommen- 
 datory properties. It becomes stripped, as an amusement, 
 of half its interest. One can neither wade nor expose him- 
 self to damp feet with any degree of safety. The trout, in 
 general, are poor, lank, and uneatable. They rise badly, 
 and when hooked, afford httle or no sport. The streams 
 and gathering spots are strewn over with dead leaves. 
 There are no pure southern breezes, smelling of verdure, 
 to delight the senses — to cheer and invigorate the heart. 
 In fact, as nature with regard to all other recreations hath 
 appointed, so also in regard to angling. It owns, in com- 
 mon with them, its fltting and appropriate season, when 
 the heart's readiness is linked with the hand's energy, the 
 humour of the fish with the inviting and cheerful disposi- 
 tion of wind and water, sun and landscape ; when bank 
 and meadow lie starred and enamelled with flowers ; when 
 the trill of the song-bird issues from every thorn ; when 
 all sounds and all prospects are joyous and exhilarating, 
 and the cloud itself sleeping high in the arch of heaven, is 
 as the bannered presence of some benevolent watcher ; — 
 
 " One of the spirits iinwithdrawn, 
 TJiat, erst the fall, were charged to minister 
 To the earth's gladness, and continually. 
 Out of their ample and unfailing horns. 
 To pre-endow the advancing tracks of men." 
 
76 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 ON TEOUTING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 So many full and excellent treatises have been written 
 upon the subject of fly-fishing, that it would really be a' 
 work of supererogation on my part, were I to enter very 
 minutely into its discussion. I shall, therefore, as much 
 as possible, avoid running into what may be termed fine- 
 spun detail, while endeavouring to supply the reader with 
 the requisite amount of information on this department of 
 the gentle art. In the preceding chapter, I have suffi- 
 ciently exposed to view my theory respecting the artificial 
 fly, disclaiming the common notion, that it is quite im- 
 perative .to construct it after a fixed natiu-al model — to 
 adapt it to hours and seasons, or, except in the matter of 
 size, to extend the variety beyond a very limited and 
 clearly defined range. I have also described, to a certain 
 extent, the making up of the fly-cast, and referred, while 
 treating of tackle, to the gut strands, and their prepara- 
 tion — how knotted, &c. It remains, for me, however, to 
 complete the subject, and this I shall do very briefly. 
 
 Trouting-flies, when fished with, are used, according to 
 the caprice of the angler, in pairs, threes, or fours, seldom 
 singly. In small waters, two hooks are sometimes thought 
 sufficient. I seldom, under any circumstances, employ 
 fewer than three. How these are appended and put 
 together, the annexed illustration will render evident. 
 
APPENDING OP THE DROPPERS. 77 
 
 The trail, stretcher, or lowermost fly, is here indicated by 
 the letter A ; the bobs, or droppers, by the letters B and 
 C. Betwixt A and d, where the shorter bob is fastened, 
 extend three or four threads of fine picked gut, forming, 
 in connection with the one upon which the hook has been 
 dressed, a distance varying- from three and a half to five 
 feet. The interval between the two droppers — that is, 
 from d to e — is similarly occupied, but it is not necessary 
 to extend it beyond three feetj and should another bob- 
 fly be added higher up, the same regulation holds in force. 
 
 Many anglers have their droppers dressed upon short 
 gut, and append them to the main casting-line by loops, 
 so as to be removed or exchanged at pleasure. This, the 
 ordinary way of making up the fly-cast, answers well 
 enough with those who are more fastidious about the 
 description of flies employed by them than the fineness of 
 their tackle. But, though convenient in this respect, 
 it gives a clumsy appearance to the fly-cast, and is not 
 adapted either to improve its lightness or better its 
 proportions. Loops also, unless they draw or sit well, 
 are apt to catch and disturb the water, so as to alarm the 
 fish. I recommend them, in the construction of all trout- 
 ing tackle, to be employed as sparingly as possible. The 
 bob or dropper, in the making up of the fly-cast, ought, 
 if the length of the gut it is dressed on will admit it, to 
 form, in the first instance, a continuation at the letter a, 
 with the main line, and then be made to branch off or 
 depend from it, by the knotting on, at the proper point, 6, 
 of a new thread. 
 
 ' ' N. 
 
 In the formation of the fly-cast, always commence at 
 the stretcher or trail-hook, allowing the droppers to 
 incline upwards. To connect the casting-line, properly 
 so called, with the uppermost bob, employ three or four 
 threads of good picked gut ; and in fine fishing, if thought 
 necessary, increase the number. 
 
 In a small publication upon fly-fishing, by Captain 
 
78 ON TROUTING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 Clarke, R.N., a new method of making up the fly-cast is 
 introduced under the name of the rapid-stream tackle. 
 It consists simply of dressing the upper flies over the 
 joinings of the difierent lengths of gut, instead of ap- 
 pending them at fixed intervals as droppers, — conse- 
 quently they wUl be ranged along the lower casting or 
 foot line, at a distance from each other averaging fifteen 
 inches; and should the above-mentioned portion of the 
 throwing tackle measure ten feet, they wUl amount in 
 number, inclusive of the traU-hook, to seven or, eight. 
 This tackle, the author of the treatise in question re- 
 commends as highly serviceable when employed on rapid 
 streams or under a strong wind; and he mentions having 
 accomplished a feat with it in the neighbourhood of 
 Coldstream, which certainly is without precedent in the 
 annals of trout-fishing. 
 
 For trouting with the artificial fly, the rod used may 
 either, according to circumstances, be single or double 
 handed. In casting the line, after drawing off the requi- 
 site quantity from your reel or winch, lift the flies well 
 up from the surface of the water, and observe that you 
 do so without any jerk or undue violence, at the same 
 time employing some degree of rapidity in the execution 
 of the movement. When the rod has been sufficiently 
 thrown back to accomplish this object, allow it a single 
 moment of suspense, and then, by a natinral turn of the 
 wrist and arm, cause the line to describe a circle above 
 your head, after which, the flies having been brought 
 fully round, urge them immediately from you towards 
 the spot where you wish them to alight. This advice is 
 especially applicable in throwing from the left shoulder. 
 It is not always so as respects right shoulder or back 
 casting, which may be managed, when the space behind 
 is quite clear and level, without checking the line, but, on 
 the contrary, allowing it its full swing or play directly in 
 rear of the angler. 
 
 Such instructions hold good, equally in regard to throw- 
 ing with the double and with the single handed rod. 
 There is, however, in other respects, a considerable differ- 
 ence as to the manner of using them, betwixt the two 
 implements, and they both possess different capabilities. 
 
SINGLE AND DOUBLE HANDED RODS. 79 
 
 In trouting -witli the double-handed rod, there is this 
 advantage, that it commands a much greater space of 
 water than the other, and, in consequence, is more 
 adapted for using over lochs and broad rivers. The 
 BUigle-handed rod, on the other hand, excels not so much 
 as a weapon of power as one of craft and plianicy. Its 
 superiority, where fine throwing and quick striking are 
 required, is unquestionable. Armed with it, the prac- 
 tised angler may impel his fly with the most wonderful 
 precision and nicety of calculation : he may command it, 
 in fact, to drop seemingly over the very snout of a feed- 
 ing fish, and that as lightly as if it were a snow-flake or 
 the natural insect which had fallen instead. When the 
 trout is hooked, also, and there is danger, arising from the 
 smaUness of the wire, or any other cause, of its escape, a 
 pliant single-handed rod possesses this great advantage — 
 namely, that by means of it the angler can play his fish 
 with singular delicacy, not requiring, in order to control 
 its movements, to lay stress on his tackle. At once, 
 assisted by this yielding quality in the implement, he can 
 humour every caprice and effort to escape, whUe, at the 
 same time, he outwearies and subjugates his victim, ren- 
 dering its capture, in cases even where the hook has taken 
 very slight and unsatisfactory hold, a matter of common 
 occurrence. 
 
 It is otherwise, however, in trouting with the double- 
 handed rod. Its general stiffiiess operates greatly to its 
 prejudice, while playing and' landing a badly hooked fish. 
 The angler, also, in handling, has a very limited notion 
 of when to concede and when to employ pressm-e. He 
 wants in a great measure the nice, regulating powers which 
 a good, flexible, single-handed rod invests him with. 
 
 I am referring, be it remembered, in these remarks, 
 solely to trouting, and that with small flies and fine tackle : 
 they cannot be said to apply to any other department of 
 angling, least of all to salmon-fishing or trolling with the 
 minnow. As a general rule bearing reference to this sub- 
 ject, all streams manageable from bank to bank, and such 
 lochs as are frequented bytrout under a pound in weight, and 
 do not require the use of a boat, shoidd be fished with the 
 single-handed rod. As to the degree of pliancy requisite 
 
80 ON TROUTING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 I say nothing, but leave that to be regulated by the dis- 
 cretion of the angler; indeed, practice will not unfre- 
 quently reconcile one to the use of a rod which, at the first 
 handling, he thought much too stiff, or, it might be, much 
 too flexible. The double-handed rod may be used with 
 advantage on broad rivers, and where the sea-trout — a fish 
 which in clear water holds the small trouting fly in esteem 
 — are abundant ; also in lochs where large fish exist, and 
 where long throwing is necessary. 
 
 In the preceding chapter, by indicating the resorts of 
 trout during the fly-fishing months, I have sufficiently 
 informed the angler when and where to expect sport. I 
 have also attempted the adaptation of fly-hooks in point 
 of size, to the condition of the water, the progress of the 
 season, (fee, &c. It is therefore unnecessary to re-enter 
 upon these subjects, and the more so that, in the course 
 of my Appendix, I have thought proper to apply many of 
 my remarks to individual streams and localities. There 
 is a single matter of experience with respect to fly-fishing 
 in clear streams, and among cunning trout, which I feel 
 induced to speak of. It involves, I may mention, not the 
 least important of the himdred secrets of the art. Every 
 practical fly-fisher must have met with instances where 
 the first cast of the day proved the most successful one : 
 at any rate, it is by no means uncommon, at the very 
 start of a forenoon's sport, to raise and capture a good 
 trout, after which feat, for a long space of time, not a 
 single fin will stir towards the fly. This, on many occa- 
 sions, is the result of accident ; but it may be accounted 
 for, on others, by the fact that the artificial fly, before the 
 feathers of which it hasbeenmadeup have imbibed moisture, 
 is more likely to attract a watchful trout towards it than 
 when these have been soaked through, and deprived of 
 their original lightness. It descends, when properly hove, 
 to the surface of the stream or pool like the natural insect, 
 and appears almost to disport itself in the same manner ; 
 whereas, when thoroughly wetted, its descents and motions, 
 although artistically managed, are wanting in that degree 
 of gossamer waywardness, which is more enticing, on some 
 occasions, to cimning trout than are the more regarded 
 requisites of size and colour. Under such circumstences. 
 
EMOTIONS OP IHB ANGLER. ^1 
 
 therefore — ^that is, where the fly-fisher has to deal -with 
 subtle trout, in clear, glassy streams — it is not an unusual 
 practice, on recovering the line, and before recasting, to 
 describe a figure of eight, twice or thrice successively, in 
 the air with the fly-cast, in order to relieve the plumage 
 of the hooks of the moisture imbibed. Upon this practice, 
 or " dodge," as some might choose to term it, a good deal of 
 stress is laid by the fishers of certain rivers both in Eng- 
 land and Wales. I may mention, however, that, in the 
 adoption of it, only one fly-hook is generally used ; a light 
 single-handed rod is necessary, and the line should be of 
 extreme fineness, and neatly tapered off'. 
 
 Fly-fishing, considered as a branch of the angler's 
 art, possesses peculiar advantages. As an exercise, it is 
 healthy, and just to the proper degree exciting. It 
 braces the muscles, enlivens the spirits, gives rise to an 
 agreeable alternation of hopes and fears ; calls into acti- 
 vity the judgment as well as the fancy, the good taste 
 and discrimination of the artist, not less than his ideal 
 and creative powers. It affords room, also, as has often 
 been remarked, for the display of elegant motions and 
 graceful attitudes — impersonations of earnestness and 
 intense enthusiasm, of hope, of anxiety, of joy, of disap- 
 pointment, of admiration, of pity, of content, of love, of 
 holy feeling, and of crowning felicity. 
 
 Is it not, for instance, in the attitude of hope that the 
 angler stands, while in the act of heaving out his flies 
 over some favourite cast ? Of hope increased, when he 
 beholds, feeding within reach of his line, the monarch of 
 the stream 1 But now, mark him, he has dropt the hook 
 cautiously and skilfully just above the indicated spot ; 
 the fish, scarcely breaking the surface, has seized it. A 
 fast, firm hold it has, but the tackle is fine, and the trout 
 strong and active. Look ! how the expression of his 
 features is undergoing a change. There is still hope, but 
 mingled with it are traces of anxiety — of fear itself. His 
 attitudes, too, are those of a troubled and distempered 
 man. Ha ! all is well. The worst is over. The strong 
 push for liberty has been made, and failed. Desperate as 
 that summerset was, it has proved unsuccessful. The 
 tackle — knot and barb — is sufficient. Look now at the 
 
82 ON TROUTING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 angler. Hope with him is stronger than anxiety, and 
 joy too beams forth under his eyehds ; for, lo ! the fish 
 is showing symptoms of distress. No longer it threatens 
 to exhaust the winch-line ; no longer it combats with the 
 rapids ; no more it strives, with frantic fling or wily 
 plunge, to disengage the hook. It has lost all heart — 
 almost all energy. The fins, paralysed and powerless, 
 are unable for their task. So far from regulating its 
 movements, they cannot even sustain the balance of the 
 fish. Helpless and hopeless it is drawn ashore, upturn- 
 ing, in the act of submission, its starred and gleamy 
 flanks. The countenance of the captor — his movements, 
 (they are those which the soul dictates,) are all joyous 
 and self-congratulatory. But the emotion, strongly 
 depicted though it be, is short-lived. It gives way 
 successively to the feelings of admiration and pity — of 
 admiration, as excited on contemplating the almost in- 
 comparable beauty of the captive, its breadth and depth, 
 the harmony of its proportions, as well as the richness 
 and variety of its colours — of pity, as called forth in 
 accordance with our nature, — an unconscious, uncon- 
 trollable emotion, which operates with subduing effect 
 on the triumph of the moment. 
 
 And now, in their turn, content and thankfulness reign 
 in the heart and develop themselves on the countenance 
 of the angler ; now haply he is impressed with feelings of 
 adoring solemnity stirred up by some scene of unlooked- 
 for grandeur, or the transit of some sublime phenomenon. 
 I say nothing of the feelings of disappointment, anger, 
 envy, and jealousy, which sometimes find their way into 
 the bosom, and are portrayed on the features even of the 
 worthiest and best-tempered of our craft. Too naturally 
 they spring up and blend themselves with our better 
 nature ; yet well it is that they take no hold on the 
 heart, scorching it may be true, but not consuming its 
 day of happiness. 
 
 Hence it is, from the very variety of emotions which 
 successively occupy the mind, fi-om their blendings and 
 transitions, that angling derives its pleasures ; hence it 
 holds precedence as a sport with men of thoughtful and 
 ideal temperament ; hence poets, sculptors, and philoso- 
 
ANGLING AN INTELLECTUAL PTJESDIT. 83 
 
 phers — ^the sons and worshippers of genius, have entered, 
 heart and hand, into its pursuit. Therefore it was that 
 Thomson, Burns, Scott, and Hogg, and, in our present 
 day, Wikon and Wordsworth, exchanged eagerly the grey- 
 goose quill and the companionship of books, for the taper 
 wand and the discourse, older than Homer's measures, of 
 streams and cataracts. Therefore it was that Paley left 
 his meditative home, and Davy his tests and crucibles, 
 and Chantrey his moulds, models, and chisel-work, — each 
 and aU to rejoice and renovate themselves ; to gather 
 new thoughts and energies, a fresh heart and vigorous 
 hand, in the exercise of that pastime which is teemii^ 
 with philosophy. 
 
84 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ON FISHING WITH THE WORM FOE TEODT. 
 
 To a perfect novice in the art of angling, nothing appears 
 simpler than to capture trout with the ■worm, provided 
 the water be sufficiently muddled to conceal the person 
 and disguise the tackle of the craftsman. A mere urchin, 
 with a pea-stick for a wand, a string for his line, and a 
 pin for his hook, has often, under such favourable circum- 
 stances, effected the landing of a good-sized fish. But to 
 class performances of this description among feats of skill 
 were quite ridiculous, and they are just, to as small an 
 extent, samples of successful worm-fishing. It may per- 
 haps startle some, and these no novices in the art, when I 
 declare, and offer moreover to prove, that worm-fishing for 
 trout requires essentially more address and experience, as 
 well as a better knowledge of the habits and instincts of 
 the fish, than fly-fishing. I do not, be it observed, refer 
 to the practice of this branch of the art as it is followed 
 on hill bums and petty rivulets ; neither do I allude to it 
 as pursued after heavy rains in flooded and discoloured 
 waters : my affirmation bears solely upon its practice as 
 carried on during the summer months in the southern 
 districts of Scotland, when the rivers are clear and low, 
 the skies bright and warm. Then it is, and then only, 
 that it ought to be dignified with the name of sport ; 
 and sport it assuredly is, fuUy as exciting, perhaps more 
 so, than angling with the fly or minnow.- In the hands 
 of a skilful practitioner, indeed, there is no mode of cap- 
 turing well-conditioned fish with the rod more remimera- 
 tive ; I say weU-conditioned, for in the spawning months, 
 
MAKING UP OF THE TAOKLB. 85 
 
 lean, lank, and unhealthy trout may be massacred in any 
 number by means of salmon-roe, or pastes formed from 
 that substance. 
 
 In the present chapter, I shall attenipt to make plain 
 the principal points to be attended to by tlie worm-fisher 
 desirous of success. These I class under the following 
 heads : — 
 
 1. The rod and tackle to be employed. 
 
 2. The kind of worm, and how prepared. 
 
 3. When and where to fish. 
 
 4. How to bait and mange the line. 
 
 First, then, with regard to the rod and tackle. The 
 former I have already alluded to in a preceding chapter, 
 and shall only repeat, that it ought to be a two-handed 
 one, and in length approaching to seventeen feet — the 
 butt light, formed of weU-seasoned Memel fir — the top- 
 pieces somewhat stiff, and fashioned of lance or hickory- 
 wood — a rod, in fact, siiph as would please the minnow- 
 troller, or give general satisfaction on a Highland stream 
 among sea-trout and small grilses. 
 
 And now, with respect to the tackle. This merits very 
 strict attention. Of the reel liUe I need say nothing. A 
 common trouting one wiU serve the purpose better than 
 any other. That for casting, however, should be fine, 
 long, and well tapered — the lower portion of it composed 
 of at least seven lengths of single gut, tinged rather than 
 dyed with the ordinary decoction of logwood and alum. 
 These lengths, I need scarcely say, should be knotted 
 together with care and accuracy, but not whipped over at 
 the joinings with silk-thread, an operation to be confined 
 solely to the upper strands of the line. They ought, 
 moreover, to be of picked material, roimd, clear, and fine, 
 without flaw or fretting. 
 
 As to the hook itself, I recommend above all others the 
 common round-bend, sizes 10, 11, and 12, according to the 
 dimensions of the stream, its condition, and kind of trout 
 inhabiting it. Before attaching, nip or file off a part of 
 the shank, which is generally too long, and apt, in striking, 
 to interfere with the mouth of the fish. This I strongly 
 recommend to be done. An application of, the file is 
 necessary also, in order to round off a new head and 
 
86 ON PISHING WITH THE WORM FOR TROUT. 
 
 render the remainder of the shank capable of retaining 
 the wrappings. In attaching worm hooks to the gut or 
 foot-strand, use fine silk thread of a crimson colour, and 
 see that it be well waxed, carefully lapped round and 
 secured, according to the approved mode of fastening I 
 have elsewhere referred to, commonly called the whip- 
 knot. A touch of spirit varnish adds greatly to the com- 
 pactness and durability of the tying. Some worm-fishers 
 of celebrity adopt a small projection of gut or bristle, as 
 in the tackle used for fishing with the stone-fly, &c. 
 
 In preparing worm-tackle, the adjustment of the leads 
 or sinkers is a matter of considerable importance. The 
 accommodation of these to the state or nature of the cur- 
 rent requires on the part of the angler both tact and nicety. 
 He must always proceed to work provided with a suffi- 
 ciency of split shot, BB or No. 1, in his waistcoat pocket 
 — a dozen at the fewest. Through means of these it is 
 that he has to regulate the pace of his worm through the 
 water, as well as to keep it sufficiently near the bottom, 
 close to which, on the outlook, feeding trout lie. As to 
 the pace or rate of travelling in question, it should, I am 
 of opinion, neither be quick nor yet very slow, approaching 
 to that of the current itself, which, from the motion given 
 to the line by the angler, (who, as I shall shortly demon- 
 strate, ought to pitch his hook up against the stream,) it 
 is apt to exceed. One, two, three, or even foTir leads of 
 the sizes recommended may be required to effect this. 
 These should be placed either together, at a fiaied distance 
 from the hook of not less than fifteen inches, or sepa- 
 rately, at considerable intervals along the casting line. 
 I prefer greatly, however, the former mode of leading, 
 although several able anglers of my acquaintance adopt 
 the latter, under the idea that it assists or improves the 
 travelling of the worm. Leads formed of shot are fre- 
 quently drilled through, instead of being slit. The pro- 
 cess is more tedious, and renders them, when required to 
 be shifted or displaced, less handy, although there is no 
 question but that they give greater satisfaction to the eye, 
 and if intended to-be permanent are perhaps preferable. 
 I may here repeat, that, in the making up of tackle for 
 worm-fishing, loops are strongly to be condemned, and at 
 
EARTH-WORMS. 87 
 
 no time should they be permitted to head the strand or 
 gut on which the hook is dressed. The very nearest ought 
 to be kept at double arm's-length from the bait. 
 
 I am now brought to treat of the kind of worm best 
 adapted for trout-fishing, and the preparing of it for use. 
 It is not my province, however, while on this subject, to 
 discuss the natural history of the worm under the five 
 classes into which it has been divided by Linnseus. I 
 shall confine my observations solely to the different kinds 
 of earth-worms {intestina), frequenting our soils and em- 
 ployed by the angler. Of these there are at the fewest 
 six or seven species, with their varieties. 
 
 1st. The large Sand-Lob or Lugg-Wobm, employed by 
 the fiBhermen on our coasts in the capture of flounders, 
 haddocks, and other salt-water fish. It is easily discover- 
 ed, at ebb of tide, on almost all sand-stretches, by the small 
 hill or coil of refuse bearing its own resemblance, and 
 backed, at the distance of ten or twelve inches, by a corre- 
 sponding hole or sink, of diameter sufficient in some 
 instances to admit the entrance of one's little finger. 
 Betwixt these indications, at a foot's depth from the surface, 
 the worm lies, and is readily dislodged by means of a com- 
 mon sand-fork. I have heard it asserted that sea-trout at 
 the entrance of rivers will'take this bait greedily, and that 
 salmon also have been known to seize it. It is not, how- 
 ever, a worm to be held in much esteem by the angler, 
 being thick, flabby, ill-coloured, and not readily purged or 
 toughened. 
 
 2d. The Earth-Lob, or Dew-Worm; sometimes, but 
 improperly,' divided into two separate species. This is 
 found in almost all cultivated soils, where the earth, 
 naturally light, has been enriched by the application of 
 manures. It frequents especially gardens and grounds 
 wrought with the spade, concealing itself in the daytime 
 at a considerable depth, and when the weather is mild 
 rising about sunset to the surface, where, after a shower, it 
 may be discovered at listless length stretched in proximity 
 with others of its kind, and lapping, as it were, the new- 
 fallen moisture. On such occasions, large quantities of 
 this innocuous reptile may be captured with little ad- 
 dress, requiring only the use of a ready eye and hand. 
 As a trout-bait, it is not greatly valued by the angler, on 
 
88 ON FISHING WITH THE WOHM FOR TEOUT. 
 
 account of its size and the difficulty experienced in toughen- 
 ing it. It forms, however, when properly strung, a favourite 
 morsel with eels, chubs, and other ravenous fish ; and on 
 night lines may be used to some purpose as an enticement 
 even to trout themselves, and these the largest and most 
 wary. The virtues of the lob-worm as a bait for salmon 
 are well known to all frequenters of Tweedside. 
 
 3d. The third species of earth-worm I bring under the 
 ' angler's notice is the Black-Head, or Button-Worm. 
 This latter is no doubt a local term, confined chiefly to the 
 south of Scotland, but descriptive, in some measure, of the 
 habits and appearance of the animal, whose nature it is, 
 during the summer months, to coil and knot itself up in 
 the form of a ball or old-fashioned button. Under this 
 shape it is found nearly dormant, in light gravelly soils, 
 frequently among rich dry garden mould, but most abun- 
 dantly among the roots and massed fibres of old meadow 
 grass. Of all the earth-worms, it is the kind best suited 
 for the angler, possessing the very qualifications he most 
 desires, in a trouting worm. Its general length and thick- 
 ness — the one seldom exceeding six or seven inches, the 
 other that of a small goose-quill — its colour and natural 
 toughness, and the capability of being improved which 
 these qualities possess, all combine to render it an object 
 of considerable value to the sportsman. One variety of it 
 there is, termed the maiden-worm, which possesses the 
 peculiar advantage of being free from what is called the 
 knot — a development well known to naturalists, as em- 
 bracing the generative organs of the reptile, and not much 
 relished by anglers on account of its unseemliness, and the 
 broken, distorted appearance it gives to the bait. The 
 button-worm is dark-headed, but of a lively red lower 
 down ; although frequently, during summer, found in the 
 coiled state, it more generally comes under our notice, as 
 most worms do, possessing its share of life and activity, 
 and may be brought to the surface by any agitating pro- 
 cess, such as the rapid stirring of a spade or dibble inserted 
 into the mould it inhabits. This, by the instinct of the 
 animal, is evidently mistaken for the subterraneous move- 
 ments of the mole, its principal enemy. This is a much 
 better method of obtaining worms, in some localities, than 
 digging, inasmuch as it brings them within hand-reach in 
 
THE BRANDLING. 89 
 
 a more purged condition, and inflicts, in the case of gai-den 
 ground, little or no injury to plants or vegetables in the 
 vicinity. A solution of lime or salt in water, moderately 
 strong, and dashed from a pail over the surface, I have 
 seen used with effect on old grass land, when the blade is 
 parched and short, otherwise the worms raised are apt to 
 escape the eye. Those taken in this manner ought to be 
 washed immediately in fresh water, a precaution rendered 
 necessary by the prejudicial nature of the agents above- 
 named. 
 
 4th. The Marsh-Worm. — This species of reptile is 
 found commonly in damp, mossy ground, often under 
 stones, in cow-dung, and among quicken heaps which are 
 partially decayed. It resembles, in some respects, a small 
 dew or lob worm, but is much more delicate in the texture. 
 Trout, I know, especially in hill burns, are fond of it,: but 
 it is many degrees too soft for angling with in sizeable 
 streams, where one requires to pitch the bait to a distance ; 
 nor is it readily rendered tough by keeping, like most 
 worms. Still, if handled tenderly and dropt with caution, 
 it is not a despicable lure when employed either in narrow 
 rivulets or among feeding trout, in still, deep, closely- 
 shaded water. 
 
 5th. The Brandling — A worm held in great esteem by 
 anglers of the old school. It is, however, no favourite of 
 mine, possessing, as it does, aU the faults of the marsh- 
 worm, and none of the virtues. Equally soft and frangible, 
 it wants entirely the fresh sweetness of the other, and is 
 fiUed instead with a yellowish matter, which, oozing on the 
 slightest touch from various parts of the body, is, as regards 
 odour and appearance, particularly offensive. The brand- 
 ling is found only in certain localities, by the sides of 
 ditches, and in rank ground artificially kept moist. Trans- 
 ferred, however, to old rich dung or leaf compost, it will 
 thrive admirably, and in warm weather breed with aston- 
 ishing rapidity. The brandling, to look at, before hand- 
 ling, is, on the whole, a beautiful worm, being ringed over 
 with aitemate circles of crimson and white. Its shape, 
 however, is somewhat flat, and contributes, along with the 
 defects already mentioned, to lower it considerably in my 
 opinion as an angling bait. 
 6th. The Ebd-head. — The finest variety of this worm 
 
90 ON FISHING WITH THJB WORM FOR TROUT. 
 
 is found associated with the one above mentioned, or in 
 soils of the same nature and degree of richness. It inha- 
 bits also some farmyards, and an inferior sort is found 
 plentifully enough in many fields and gardens. When 
 cleansed, it is of one hue throughout, namely, a lively pink 
 or red colour, not possessing the dark head of the button- 
 worm, next to which species, as an angling bait, it deserves 
 without question to be ranked. The principal faults I find 
 with it are, the clearness or pellucid nature of its skin, and 
 the more than ordinary power it has of elongating and con- 
 tracting its body, thereby, in the one case, occasioning a 
 disclosure of the hook underneath, and in the other, an 
 aptness in the worm to work itself partially off the wire, 
 and thus render inevitable the protrusion of the point or 
 barb. A smaller description of hook, say No. 9, would, I 
 think, suit better the size of the red-head than that used 
 for the button-worm. 
 
 7th» The Gilt-tail. — A small, sluggish worm, having a 
 green or yellowish appearance in the lower extremity. 
 This is found in places rank with the decay of vegetable 
 matter, where turnips have been fed off, among rubbish 
 heaps, &c. It is capable of being purged so as to part 
 with much of its natural colour, and assume a tendency to 
 redness. The gilt-tail also is easily toughened, and during 
 a scarcity of better, the angler will find it a tolerable bait 
 for trout. 
 
 Having thus attempted to specify the different kinds of 
 earth-worms bred in our soils, and to describe their quali- 
 ties as angling baits, I proceed to say, in few words, how 
 they ought to be prepared or made ready for use. In the 
 preparation of worms three ends are desirable, and these 
 are to be attained only by an equal number of processes, 
 conducted either severally or conjunctly. The requisites 
 in question embody, first, the purging or cleansing ; next, 
 the toughening ; and, lastly, the reddening of the worm. 
 
 On being dug or captured, all worms not intended for 
 immediate use, with the exception of those found in the 
 button state, should be placed, for the space of three or 
 four minutes, in a vessel containing water ; some recom- 
 mend the addition of a little salt, in order to divest them 
 as thoroughly as possible of any earthy matter attached to 
 their outward coating. The further effect of this immer- 
 
MODE OP TREATING THE WORMS. 91 
 
 sion is, to cleanse partially the entrails of the reptile, occa- 
 sioning it to throw off what imparts to the skin a dingy 
 and ill-favoured appearance. Thus washed, the worms 
 should be allowed to crawl about for a short time on a 
 ckan, dry board, with the view of ridding them of all 
 superfluous moisture. When this is sufficiently accom- 
 plished, transfer them into a large eartheijware jar, filled, 
 or nearly so, with hart's-horn mossv 
 
 The hart's-horn is a species of moss, well known to the 
 northern angler. It is found chiefly on moorland, and in 
 ^'ogSy places surrounded by heath. Externally, on the 
 exposed parts, it possesses a reddish tinge ; the stalks and 
 lower foliage are of a pale colour, approaching to yellow. 
 Like many other mosses, it is found in considerable clumps ; 
 the texture possesses great softness, and, when handled, is 
 agreeable to the palm. Although, in highly cultivated 
 districts, difficult to procure, the extreme lightness and 
 abundant nature of the plant, in places favourable to its 
 growth, render it easy of acquisition. When dry it keeps 
 for years, and the worm-fisher ought, unquestionably, al- 
 ways to possess a stock of it. He will find the common 
 fog generally used in England much its inferior, although 
 at a pinch not to be rejected. Before using the hart's- 
 horn moss, let it be well washed : the hard and whitish 
 stalks ought to be twitched oif, and the red soft portions 
 retained. 
 
 The worms, on their transference to the moss-jar, still 
 undergo the process of scouring, but along with it is con- 
 joined that of toughening, and, should it be thought neces- 
 sary, the further one of reddening. This last, I confess, 
 for my own part, I have always deemed fanciful ; but as it 
 is my purpose in this present treatise as much to propound 
 the practice of others as to put forward my own notions, I 
 shall not omit describing it. The drier the moss is among 
 which the worms are placed, the quicker they become fit 
 for use; at the same time, be it remembered, their natural 
 juices are the sooner exhausted, and if kept beyond a cer- 
 tain period without moisture, they soon lose all liveliness, 
 pine away, and die. The dryness of the fog ought, there- 
 fore, to be regulated by circumstances, by the state of the 
 weather, the temperature of the apartment or cellar where 
 the jar is placed, and the time when its contents are 
 
92 ON PISHING WITH THE WORM FOR TROCT. 
 
 required to be used. As to the reddening matter spoken of, 
 which some anglers mix up with the fog when in a moist 
 condition, it is a species of high- coloured earth, reduced to 
 a fine powder, and resembhng brick-dust. This may be 
 purchased at any druggist's, under the name of Bole Arme- 
 nian. It is supposed the worms consume a portion of it 
 as their food, being deprived of other natural sustenance, 
 in the shape of earth, and that they actually fatten upon 
 it, imbibing, at the same time, its alluring colour. Nor is 
 it always administered to them mixed up slenderly with 
 fog, but sometimes employed in larger quantities, moist- 
 ened with water, and mingled with a little sweet cream. 
 So much for the preparation of earth-worms as angling 
 baits. The essential matter is to have them red and lively, 
 possessing, at the same time, some measure of toughness, 
 so as not to break upon the hook, and thereby expose to 
 view a portion of its shank or barb. While undergoing 
 the processes above naentioned, it is requisite to keep them 
 in a cool shady place ; for, altliough naturally retentive of 
 life when maimed or broken, they are not proof against 
 great atmospheric changes, being easily sickened by heat, 
 and killed by extreme moisture. I would advise anglers, 
 who happen to be located in favourable situations, and 
 have the command of a garden, field, or court-yard, to 
 keep up a breeding stock of worms of the best sorts. To 
 effect this, nothing further is necessary than to lay in a 
 quantity of leaf-mould, or the rakings of such parts of a 
 road or highway as, during the early portion of winter, are 
 enriched by the droppings from trees and hedges. This 
 may be mixed up advantageously with cow-dung, in the 
 proportion of one part of the latter to three of the former, 
 and the whole laid out in small heaps, not above two feet 
 in height. In these heaps, if left undisturbed, the best 
 sorts of fishing-worms will breed rapidly. The mixture 
 recommended can be used afterwards as manure, its fer- 
 tilising properties being of the highest order. In breeding 
 the brandling-worm, use a larger proportion of animal 
 manure, as the temperature of the mixture requires to be 
 considerably heightened. An application of salt or quick- 
 lime, made with the view of improving the fertilising pro- 
 perties of the compost, wiU infallibly, be it noted, injure, 
 if not eradicate, the whole stock. 
 
SEASON AND TIME OP DAY. 93 
 
 Having treated of the several sorts of earth-worms used 
 in angling, and the mode of preparing them, I am brought 
 now, as was proposed in pursuing the subject of worm- 
 fishing, to ms^e some observations upon the season of the 
 year suitable for this kind of sport, the time of day, and 
 description of weather ; and, lastly, the places or portions 
 of water best adapted for its practice. On Tweedside, 
 worm-fishing seldom commences until the latter end of 
 May, or beginning of June, when the main stream and its 
 tributaries are in ordinary seasons considerably reduced. 
 The trout, in a certain measure, require to be sated with 
 fly-food before having recourse to any coarser aliment ; at 
 any rate, some change seems to be effected in their tastes 
 and habits, virtually inexplicable, but yet dependent upon 
 the instinct implanted by nature — an instinct which, as 
 regards many animals, has in all ages baffled, perplexed, 
 and silenced the minutest inquiry. Before trout take the 
 worm freely, it is necessary also that the temperature of 
 the water should be at a state of considerable elevation, at 
 least fifty degrees of Fahrenheit, and, moreover, that it be 
 acted upon at the time by a fair proportion oif sunlight ; 
 indeed, a bright hot day is not at all objectionable, the air 
 being calm, or but slightly agitated. Such a condition, 
 both of water and weather, often occurs during the month 
 of June, and its occurrence is, indeed, frequently protracted 
 throughout July. These, in fact — June and July — added 
 to the latter half of May, constitute, as regards the south- 
 ern districts of Scotland, our best worm-fishing months. 
 Be it noted, however, by way of repetition, that I am not 
 at present alluding to the simple and coarse practice of the 
 art pursued among starved and unwary fish in mountain 
 rividets, nor do I refer to worm-fishing in flooded and dis- 
 coloured streams ; but I treat of it solely as respects clear 
 waters, inhabited by cunning, cautious trout, and, in con- 
 sequence, as a method of angling which requires of the 
 craftsman great skill, and no stinted amount of prudence. 
 With regard to hill-bum fishing, undoubtedly it is more 
 in season during August and September, when rains are 
 frequent, than in June and July; and in discoloured waters, 
 trout may be captured with worm throughout the whole 
 year, no one month excepted. 
 
 Connected with the branch of the art properly under 
 
94 ON FISHING WITH THE WORM FOR TROUT. 
 
 notice, and the time of the year suitable for its practice, I 
 may here mention the fact that, in the months above 
 named, trout are invariably in their best condition, strong, 
 active, plump, and firm — a recommendation that weighs 
 much with the honest angler, who is always epicure enough 
 to know and admire the good points of a fish, and who 
 dislikes, very pardonably, to burden his pannier with such 
 as are ill-shaped, villanously complexioned, soft, rank, and 
 useless, affording on the hook no play, to the eye no plea- 
 sure, and at the table no nourishment. 
 
 As to the time of day when trout take the worm most 
 largely, that depends not a little upon the state of the 
 atmosphere. In warm, tranquil weather, they are some- 
 times met with in feeding humour shortly after sunrise, 
 and continue to be so until one or two o'clock, p. m. 
 Generally, however, they do not commence to bite fireely 
 before eight or nine, a. m., and leave off in the course of 
 five or six hours. During this period, short intervals of 
 relaxation frequently occur, when the fish refuse to feed, 
 and as often there are climaxes when they seize the worm 
 with more than usual alacrity. These, however, happen 
 chiefly on variable and unequal days, when warm glimpses 
 mingle with dull and cloudy weather. 
 
 I proceed now to a description of those portions of water 
 where success is generally met with by the worm-fisher ; 
 and, be it noted, that such are not the usual haunts of 
 trout when in quest of insect and surface food. They are, 
 on the contrary, the very places which an experienced fly- 
 fisher would look over and avoid. Instead of the central 
 current or foaming eddy, they consist of shallows, off- 
 streams, and nooks of water ; thin, fordable, gravelly 
 stretches, and that smooth but not tardy flow, which in 
 large rivers frequently heads a more troubled descent or 
 rapid. 
 
 I say not that the main stream is altogether to be 
 neglected, for, under long-continued droughts, it is fre- 
 quently, from the nature of the channel or ahem, the only 
 portion of water where fish can be taken ; but, in the 
 general experience of all able worm-fishers, the largest and 
 finest trout are found feeding among the shoals and de- 
 tached runlets, in places frequently, which, at first glance. 
 
BAITING THE HOOK. 95 
 
 one is led to imagine are not of sufficient deptli to cover 
 and conceal them. Here they lie in watch for their 
 expected prey, under the shelter sometimes of a large 
 stone or jut of rock, and in its absence, breasting immov- 
 able the gliding current. 
 
 In swollen waters, I need scarcely inform the angler 
 that trout, during summer, take the worm eagerly at what 
 is termed the tail of a stream, in places that are neither 
 calm nor turbulent, small eddies, &c. Among hill burns, 
 no one can mistake where to drop his bait ; indeed, in 
 many of them, every imsh of water ought to be fished, and 
 so it should be as respects the appropriate feeding gpots 
 in large rivers. No likely haunt or ripple ought the 
 angler to pass over, no indication of shelter for trout 
 should he regard with indifference : his eye, hand, and line, 
 must always be kept active ; his heart and its hopes always 
 up and alive. 
 
 A few instructions as to baiting the hook and managing 
 the line shall, as proposed, conclude this chapter. I pre- 
 sume the angler to be provided with a quantity of prepared 
 worms. If he intends devoting to the sport the best part 
 of an entire day, let his supply of these be ample. On no 
 such occasion ought he to ventiire on a river where trout 
 abound, without five or six scores. Nothing is so pro- 
 voking as to rim short of bait at a time when fish are in 
 the taking humour ; and yet how frequently does this 
 happen even with experienced fishers? The worms, I 
 further presume, are confined in a flannel bag ten or 
 twelve inches in depth, and of width sufficient to admit 
 readily the hand of the sportsman. Along with them has 
 been placed a quantity of hart's-horn fog, moistened or 
 otherwise, according to their condition. The bag, for 
 convenience, should be appended to a button or button- 
 hole at the side of the angler. In addition to the bag, 
 some use a tin box affixed to a belt or leather strap, which 
 is buckled on round the waist.' To this the best and 
 liveliest worms are transferred, free of moss, so that they 
 can be taken out at once, and without injury. 
 
 In baiting, let the operator hold the hook either in his 
 right or left hand, betwixt the thumb and forefinger ; and 
 having extracted with the other, from its place of confine- 
 
96 ON FISHING WITH THE WORM FOR TEOUT. 
 
 ment, a worm of suitable dimensions, let him, beginning 
 not far from the head of the reptile, thrust ipto it the 
 point of the wire. He must then continue to run it along, 
 over bend and shank, until the entire hook and nearly 
 half an inch of the gut surmounting it be completely 
 covered, taking great care not to break or further injure 
 the body of the bait, and nowhere to expose the instru- 
 ment of capture underneath. This latter advice is parti- 
 cularly to be attended to as respects the barb or point, 
 the smallest protrusion of which is sufficient to alarm and 
 warn off fish, and these always the primest and best-con- 
 ditioned. 
 
 I have not hitherto said a great deal as to the size of 
 the worm. It is difficult to procure any large number 
 exactly of equal length and thickness, nor is any such 
 correspondence as to their proportions at all necessary. 
 The button-worm, which, as it is generally found, mea- 
 sures about six or seven inches, and is as thick nearly in 
 the upper part as a small quill, may be taken as the 
 standard in point of size. Smaller worms are often as 
 deadly, perhaps in some waters more so; but on Tweed 
 and Teviot, I for my own part prefer a large bait. It is 
 less apt to be assailed by parr and insignificant trout, 
 and without question, attracts more readily the eye of 
 big watchful fish — of the roving swallow-smolt, and some- 
 times of the salmon itself. 
 
 Keverting to the matter in question — namely, the bait- 
 ing of the tackle — it often happens, the worms being im- 
 equal, that the angler finds it difficult to accommodate 
 some of them to the dimensions of the hook. Should the 
 bait be a little over-sized and lively, and he deem it not 
 worth his while substituting a larger description of hook 
 for the one in use, I would recommend him, after rim- 
 ning on the worm about half its length, to force through 
 it the barb, and, omitting a small portion of the body, 
 re-enter the point of the wire and continue the running 
 on, bringing, as he does so, the wounded parts into contact 
 immediately over the bend of the instrument, and thereby 
 furthering its entire concealment. Nearly one-third of 
 the worm should, on all occasions, be left to move about 
 as it wills, beyond the point of the hook. This serves as a 
 
BAITING OF THE TACKLE. 97 
 
 lure to attract fisli, and does not, as some imagine, inter- 
 fere with the seizure of the tackle ; for no trout, however 
 cautious and wary, ever engrosses its prey otherwise than 
 head-foremost. Accordingly, on taking the worm, it al- 
 ways assails the thicker extremity, and at no time wastes 
 its attack on the tail or lower end of the bait. Considering 
 this, and the liability which, in consequence, the upper 
 portion runs of returning to hand broken and disabled, 
 should the striking prove unsuccessful, some anglers, in- 
 stead of inserting the hook below, actually do so through 
 the mouth or orifice of the head itself. Another reason 
 brought forward in support of this mode of baiting is, that, in 
 the ordinary plan, the mere casting of the line serves, not 
 unfrequently, to break or injure what they term the neck 
 of the worm — namely, that part of it where the hook is first 
 inserted. This, I allow, is an objection of some weight, 
 but it acts as a meagre set-off to the bad effect of their 
 practice, which is no less than to curtaU at an early stage 
 the life and action of the worm, thereby destroying its 
 efficacy as a lure or provocative, and rendering it, in fact, 
 a mere piece of dead matter. 
 
 While on this subject, let me caution the angler to pay 
 close attention to the condition of his worm ; indeed, 
 every two or three unsuccessful casts he ought strictly to 
 examine it, in case it has either become partially disen- 
 gaged from the hook, or is in any degree maimed and rup- 
 tured, not to say water-logged and motionless. A maimed 
 bait few trout worth captiiring will snatch at. It has 
 attractions only for parr and small fry ; and as for a 
 dead worm, they would as soon think of attacking a 
 mutton chop — which, by the way, I understand, is the 
 favourite bait of the river cod in some of the Australian 
 rivers. 
 
 I shall now, as undertaken by me, wind up this chapter 
 on worm-fishing, with a few instructions as to the manage- 
 ment of the line. Although recommending to the worm- 
 fisher the use of a light double-handed rod, I do not insist 
 upon it as absolutely essential. It gives him, however, a 
 power or facility over his line, especially if a long one, 
 which no single-handed implement can ever possess. 
 Both in waters that require to be waded, and the smallest 
 
 G 
 
98 ON PISHING WITH THE WOEM FOft TEOUT. 
 
 description of rivulets, it is of eqasl advantage. Em- 
 ployed on the one, the angler, without atiy strain, jerk, or 
 extra impulse, which very frequently chafes and injures 
 the worm, is enabled to heave out his bait to the required 
 spot; he possesses, moreover, fuU command in recovering 
 his tackle for a new throw, and, as the occasion happens, 
 can strike his fish with readiness and considerable cer- 
 tainty. Employed on the other, he can drop his worm 
 unsuspected, softly as a snow-flake, behind stone or shel- 
 ter fence, under banks and below boughs, keeping himself 
 and his shadow concealed and at a distance. Such advan- 
 tages, as far as concerns worm-fishing, the one-handed rod 
 can have no pretensions to. The leads and weight of the 
 worm are great drawbacks to its power. These it caii 
 neither sufficiently heave out nor recover. In the striking 
 of fish, also, it is of little avail, except when stiffish and 
 used with a short line. 
 
 I introduce, it may be thought by some, the above 
 observations respecting the kind of rod best adapted for 
 worm-fishing a little out of place; but when it is con- 
 sidered that the proper management of the tackle de- 
 pends not a little upon the implement employed, they 
 will be allowed to be quite preliminary to the subject 
 under treatment. Let me presume that the angler 
 is armed, as I have recommended, with a light double- 
 handed rod, and that he has gained the scene of action, 
 trimmed his tackle, and affixed his bait ; his eye also is 
 in command of a likely piece of water, which, as generally 
 happens during summer, in large streams like Tweed or 
 Teviot, can only be fished with much success by the 
 wader. In he steps courageously, but with due caution, 
 below the place specified, lengthening line as he does so 
 in the usual manner — that is, with the assistance of his 
 hand, and by a slight jerking movement of the top-piece 
 of his rod along the surface. When he has unwound as 
 much as he can conveniently heave out and recover with- 
 out injury to the worm, let him ventm-e his cast. This he 
 may do, either over the left or right arm, as best suits his 
 position, and the side of the river he angles from. He 
 ought not, however, as in fly-fishing, to perform the fuU 
 sweep round his shoulders, but to substitute for it that 
 
MANAGEMENT OP THE LINE. 99 
 
 mode of throwing the bait which consists of heaving or 
 pitching it forward — a plan which very little practice will 
 make him proficient in, and one that both saves the worm 
 and canses it, on its fall, to break, without undue disturb- 
 ance, the surface of the water. 
 
 As I have already had occasion to remark, aJI able 
 worm-fishers invariably cast the line up the stream, taking 
 their stance below where the trout are presimied to lie, 
 and never allowing the bait, as it is carried down by the 
 current, to pass beneath them. This practice of theirs 
 embodies two separate advices, both of which respectively 
 demand attention. In heaving the bait up against the 
 course of the stream, more than one advantage accrues to 
 the angler. He is, first of aU, kept better concealed from 
 the wary eye of the trout, which, as is well known, always, 
 when resting, fronts the current ; and although possessed 
 of visual organs sufficiently prominent to detect objects 
 above or on either side of it, can descry but very partially 
 what takes place in its rear. Again, from his position, 
 he can strike with greater eifect. In this particular he 
 acquires a very decided advantage over the old-fangled 
 mode of worm-fishing — that, namely, of casting down the 
 stream ; adopting which system the angler, when striking, 
 is more apt to puU his hook fairly out of the mouth of 
 the fish without even pricking it, than, as when he throws 
 against the current and strikes downward, to bring it, 
 bend and barb, into direct contact with the open jaws of 
 the biter. A third advantage obtaiaed by the mode of 
 casting I am recommending is, that the water is less dis- 
 turbed ; the unavoidable plunging of the wader afiiecting 
 only those portions of it that lie below him, and which 
 he has either thought proper to omit as useless, or has 
 abeady ransacked. 
 
 The other advice conveyed by the practice of able 
 worm-fishers is, never to allow, the bait, which is carried 
 down with the current, to pass below you. Lift it always 
 before it comes into line with the opposite bank of the 
 river. In permitting it to descend fiirther, you not only 
 angle without much hope of success, throwing away time 
 and labour, but you frighten ofi" more good trout than 
 you are actually aware of. A fish, for instance, has just 
 
100 ON PISHING WITH THE WORM FOR TROUT. 
 
 caught a glimpse of your bait, as it travels home towards 
 you ; he follows it, but by the time he can give any indi- 
 cation of his approach, it is carried down, either among 
 your feet or to a short distance on one side of where you 
 stand. Still he pursues it, but is all at once made aware 
 of your presence, becomes alarmed, and bids you for that 
 forenoon, at least, farewell ; whereas, had you lifted your 
 worm in sufficient time, you would have left him above 
 you on the outlook, and readier than ever to seize it when 
 again pitched in beyond him. 
 
 I shaU append a single instruction as to the striking of 
 fish. Upon this matter the question naturally suggests 
 itself — when ought a trout to be struck ? Whether 
 directly on its first attack or after repeated assaults, at a 
 crisis when it is presumed to have pouched or swallowed 
 the worm ? As in everything else, so in this matter, there 
 exists a medium, and to hit that happy and just degi-ee 
 is all that is desirable* Now, for my own part, I am op- 
 posed, out and out, to the dilatory system of giving the 
 fish its own time ; neither am I an advocate for immediate 
 striking. In the one case you afford opportunity for the 
 trout to detect the nature of your lure, which, in three 
 cases out of four, it assuredly will do ; then, moreover, 
 should you secure it after all, you are put to the disagree- 
 able and time-wasting task of extricating the hook from 
 its stomach, instead of simply disengaging it from the 
 lip, jaw, or tongue. In the other case you act in igno- 
 rance of the habits of the fish, whose primary attack is 
 upon the life of the worm — an attempt merely to deaden 
 its movements, and render it capable of being engrossed 
 more at leisure and without detriment. Accordingly, as 
 is well known, trout always assail the head or most vital 
 part ; and it is not imtU this has been rendered inert, 
 which it generally is after one or two vigorous bites, that 
 it attempts to engross the entire bait within its jaws. This 
 is the moment for striking, and it is distinguished more 
 satisfactorily by the running away of your line from the 
 spot where the attack commenced, towards the retreat of 
 the fish. In performing the movement, do so steadily 
 and with firmness, not by means of a jerk, which is apt 
 either to snap the gut or tear away the barb of the hook 
 
STRIKING AND LANDING. 101 
 
 from the part entered. Hold the rod well up, and always 
 incline your pull downwards, or as little as possible at 
 variance with the flow of the river. When a fish is 
 hooked, land it without delay : if a small one, it is not in 
 many cases worth the wader's while dragging it to shore ; 
 if large, or even moderate sized, the safe rule is to do so, 
 unless you happen to be provided with the inconvenient 
 convenience of a landing-net. Always keep the line 
 tight. Should you, from distrust of your tackle, be afraid 
 of overstressing it, the blame lies originally with yourself, 
 and you deserve to become the sufferer. 
 
102 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 TROUT-PISHING WITH THE MINNOW AND PARR-TALL. 
 
 Evert branch, of the angler's art requires its separate 
 measure of address, observation, and practice. All the 
 departments are not equally fine, and, of course, do not 
 make the same demands upon the skill and experience of 
 the craftsman. Trouting with the worm and salmon-roe, 
 for instance, in discoloured water, is a coarser and at the 
 same time simpler and less ingenious manner of fishing 
 than trouting by means of the artificial fly ; and if we 
 descend to bring into the comparison such branches of the 
 art as are pursued with float and set-line, and those which 
 have for their object the capture of the less cautious sorts 
 of fish, such as pike, perch, eels, &c., the distinction 
 becomes still more evident. 
 
 Allowing, then, the above assertion to be correct, what 
 place, in the consequent arrangement, ought I to assign to 
 that division of the art now under treatment ? Shall I 
 class it among the subtle, more refined, and difficult 
 departments ? — or shall I allot it room with those which, 
 comparatively speaking, are coarse and inelegant, requiring 
 little exercise of judgment, small experience, and no great 
 stretch of attention ? Now, although not willing to allow 
 it the very highest position, as a branch of our craft, I 
 make no hesitation in saying, that, as far as regards the 
 display of skill and science, it stands on a level little inferior 
 to any other. Placing foremost the able fly-fisher, I would 
 rank, hand in hand, in my group of anglers, such as are 
 adepts in the art with worm and minnow; nor must the 
 position thus assigned to the last mentioned be ignorantly 
 
MINNOW TACKLE. 103 
 
 held a questionable one; for if injustice, by this arrange- 
 ment, has been done at all, the worm-fisher is, in truth, 
 the party injured — a matter in evidence of which I refer 
 to the preceding chapter. Independently, however, of its 
 position in point of skill as a branch of angling, fishing 
 with the minnow has its interests and excitements. It is 
 truly a sport of winning and enlivening character. None 
 is there, for my own part, that I love better to practise — 
 none that acts with liveher influence on the hopes and 
 fancies of the angler. 
 
 In handling this subject, I shall adopt a similar course 
 of division to that already pursued in my chapter on 
 worm-fishing. First of all, it is my design to treat of the 
 rod and tackle best adapted for the minnow-troUer. On 
 bums and waters of no great width, such as the Yarrow, 
 Ettrick, and upper portions of Tweed, he wiU find suffi- 
 cient for his purpose, a single-handed rod thirteen feet 
 and a half in length, provided with stiffish tops, and 
 indeed, throughout, less limber than the generality of fish- 
 ing-wands. On a stream, however, that cannot be com- 
 manded without deep wading, on lochs frequented by large 
 fish, and in all places where pike are likely to interfere 
 with the bait, I woidd recommend a double-handed instru- 
 ment, lighter in material, and in its dimensions a trifle 
 shorter than that employed by salmon-fishers. With this, 
 the reel and its provision ought in all respects to corre- 
 spond. 
 
 Eegarding the correct fitting-up of the minnow-tackle, 
 and the proper size, number, and arrangement of hooks to 
 be employed in it, great difierence of opinion exists. Some 
 contend in favour of many, some of few hooks; some prefer 
 large ones, some small, while others advise the use of both 
 conjoined. I shall not, however, perplex the reader with 
 arguments for and against one and all of the sorts of 
 minnow-tackles in vogue. My duty is to submit to him 
 the most approved models; and this I do, in the confidence 
 that, if an angler at all, he will be able to recognise thei;r 
 merits, and allow them the superiority they claim over a 
 whole armoury of crude and fanciful contrivances, palmed 
 ofi' on the public, under the title in question. 
 
 The simplest and most kUling form of minnow-tackle I 
 
104 
 
 ON MINNOW AND PARR-TAIL FISHING. 
 
 am acquainted with, is that dehneated in figure No. 1, and 
 consists of two hooks, Nos. 12 & 10, tied on, as represented. 
 
 This is the tackle in its medium size, but it may either 
 be enlarged or lessened, according to the proportions of the 
 minnow employed: that is to say, shoidd the minnow 
 exceed the usual and favourite length of two inches and a 
 half, a tackle of corresponding dimensions becomes requi- 
 site ; and the same, when the bait is undersized. 
 
 Of the advantages of this description of tackle, I require 
 to say httle. They are apparent to all who are in the 
 custom of using it, and arise, in no small, degree, from its 
 great simplicity. This mainly it is that renders the 
 process of baiting or attaching the minnow at once speedy 
 and neat. It can, in fact, be performed in a few seconds, 
 and is generally free from such imperfections as either 
 offend the eye or affect the spinning. With respect, 
 indeed, to its qualification of spinning well, there is, in the 
 size and arrangement of the hooks, those very requisites 
 that enable it to do so. 
 
ATTACHING THE MINNOW. 105 
 
 In attaching the minnow, enter the large or lowermost 
 hook at its mouth, and run the fish, in the same manner 
 you would a worm, along over the bend and shank, taking 
 care not to rupture its skin or belly. When about a quarter 
 of an inch from the tail, bring through the barb, allowing 
 it to protrude freely, until, in fact, the tvtrn of the hook is 
 almost exposed — ^the minnow, which presents necessarily a 
 curved form, covering the remainder. This done, and 
 presuming that the length of the tackle is justly propor- 
 tioned to that of the bait, the smaller hook is in a position 
 to admit of being readily thrust through its lips, both 
 under and upper — an operation which, by effectually closing 
 them, greatly assists the spinning. Should the portion of 
 gut interveniug betwixt the hooks prove slightly too long, 
 the angler has it always in his power to shorten it, by 
 simply giving it a turn over the upper wire, before closing 
 up the mouth of the minnow. His great care should be 
 j)roperly to adjust the bait and regulate its curve. With- 
 out attention to this matter, the spinning, at its best, will 
 only prove lame and unattractive. 
 
 Should he, for instance, exceed the mark and double up 
 the body of the minnow, until forming nearly a circle, not 
 only wiU it turn iU, but present, to boot, an unnatural and - 
 deformed appearance, acting as a scare-away rather than 
 a lure or inducement. On the other hand, also, when the 
 minnow is made to retain its natural straightness, it loses 
 on the tackle almost aU approximation to a living, and 
 consequently wholesome fish, being rendered incompetent 
 either to spin at aU, or so wretchedly as to expose the art 
 of the angler, and render abortive all his attempts to induce 
 trout to seize it. And here, upon these points, I may 
 assert that the tackle now recommended by me proves its 
 superiority; for there is nothing more accommodating to 
 the desired curve in the minnow than the bend of the 
 larger or lower hook. It conforms, indeed, with the greatest 
 exactness, to that very portion of the bait where the curve 
 or turn is required. This hook also, from its comparative 
 weight and other evident causes, operates most beneficially, 
 as a help or occasion to the minnow to spin freely. It is 
 not, however, generally so killing as the upper wire, 
 which, entering the lips of the bait, is more liable to come 
 
106 ON MINNOW AND PABB-TAIL PISHING. 
 
 into contact with the jaws of the trout, seeing that, as I 
 have already mentioned, all fish, if possible, seize their 
 prey by the head or most vital part. 
 
 The tackle No. 2 is, in all respects, similar to the one 
 above spoken of, only that it is provided, in addition, with 
 a side hook, of the same dimensions as the upper one. It 
 is baited also exactly in a similar manner ; the supernu- 
 merary hook not being entered into any part of the 
 minnow, but allowed tji(|hang loose, by its own joining, 
 alongside of the bait. I have classed this among the above 
 illustrations, as a variety of the minnow-tackle, simply 
 because it is employed as such by some able anglers. Its 
 conformation, however, renders it better adapted for parr- 
 tail fishing, and it is, properly speaking, the parr-tail 
 tackle of Tweedside. Another modification of it will be 
 found exhibited in No. 3, the difference betwixt the two 
 lying merely in the mode of appending the lower hook, 
 which, in the one arrangement, is performed as usual; 
 whUe in the other, a considerable portion of the shank-end 
 is left exposed, for the purpose, in baiting, of its being 
 inserted below the skin of the tail. 
 
 And here, seeing I have classed minnow and parr-tail 
 fishing under one head or chapter, although in truth, as 
 branches of the art, they vary in several particulars, it 
 will be proper to introduce some instructions as to the 
 modelling or preparation of the bait in question, and the 
 affixing of it to its appropriate tackle. The parrs or smolts 
 fittest for use are those above four and under six inches in 
 length. If of a smaller size, they may, as occasion offers, 
 be employed entire, like the minnow, on suitable tackle; 
 larger, I cannot well recommend them, unless as a troUing 
 bait on lochs inhabited by pike and the salmo ferox. The 
 cutting of the parr-tail for stream fishing is an operation 
 which requires some nicety and attention. It is one, also, 
 very imperfectly understood away firom Tweedside : indeed, 
 even there, I have encountered anglers, (whose experience 
 in the other branches of the art was beyond challenge,) 
 bungling it most effectually. The main error of all such 
 lies in the notion, that because it is natural for fish to 
 swim head-foremost, or with their tails in the rear, they 
 only act with discretion when they allot the same position 
 
ATTACHING THE PARR-TAIL. 
 
 107 
 
 to their bait — that is, when appending it to the tackle with 
 the tail lowermost ; whereas in tlie proper, economical, and 
 killing method of fishing, it is attached quite the reverse 
 way. Accordingly, in shaping and cutting out the bait, 
 let the following instructions be strictly attended to. 
 
 Divide the parr or smolt with a sliarp pen-knife, in the 
 direction of A B. Cut off all the fins, closely and care- 
 fiiUy, not excepting the caudal or tail ones. These, indeed, 
 should be neatly rounded off. 
 
 and caution used not to break the contiguous skin. This 
 process of shaping the parr-tail may be performed, in the 
 course of a few seconds, either at the water-side, or by the 
 wader on the lid of his creel. No. 2 of the above illus- 
 trations exhibits the figure of the pan--tail, as ready for 
 use. In No. 3, it is represented as affixed to the tackle, C 
 forming the head or foremost poi-tion, and D the other 
 extremity of the bait. Now, the advantages of this mode 
 of attaching it are very evident. To satisfy himself with 
 respect to them, let the angler, by way of experiment, 
 adopt what is seemingly the more natural method of bait- 
 ing ; let him retain the finny portions of the tail, and place 
 the end denoted by the letter D, foremost. The first cast 
 taken by him may, not improbably, as regards the spinning 
 of his lure, prove pretty satisfactory ; and should the stream 
 run strong, those immediately succeeding it may still meet 
 his expectations. In a short time, however, he begins to 
 find aU going wi-ong — the bait refusing, in spite of two or 
 
108 ON MINNOW AND PARR-TAIL FISHING. 
 
 more box-swivels, to spin at all, or spinning only by fits 
 and starts, awkwardly and inefficiently; its appearance, 
 moreover, totally altered, the skin loosened, the fleshy parts 
 flabby and worn away by the action of the water, which 
 they come into violent contact with, and, in fact, the possi- 
 bility of a trout seizing it utterly at an end. Let him, how- 
 ever, by way of change, adopt the mode of baiting above 
 recommended. The advantages derived from it will quickly 
 discover themselves. Not only, indeed, will the parr-tail 
 spin with more freedom and regularity, its heavier portion 
 being lowermost, but it will last, to boot, for a much greater 
 length of time, and frequently subserve to capture two or 
 thi-ee fish. All this is owing to the narrow and protected 
 part being attached foremost ; consequently the opposing 
 current is confined in its action upon the bait to the lower 
 and expanding extremity — a circumstance greatly favoTir- 
 ing the spinning, while, at the same time, in conjunction 
 with the natural toughness of the advanced end, it pre- 
 vents that other portion of the parr-taU from becoming 
 worn and fretted. 
 
 I have been thus particular in my description of this 
 and the first-mentioned tackles, because experience has 
 taught me to consider them as unsurpassed, in their sepa- 
 rate adaptations, by any other combination of hooks. It 
 is very true, however, as I have already hinted, that many 
 able and accomplished anglers give the preference to more 
 compound and perplexing devices, some using five, some 
 seven, and others as many as eleven hooks, variously sized 
 and arranged. Of these tackles, however, I shall say little. 
 Without holding them in absolute disregard, I cannot 
 help thinking they are constructed upon an unsound prin- 
 ciple, as far, at least, as relates to the spinning of the 
 minnow or parr-tail — (a point the most essential, con- 
 nected with this sort of fishing ;) and although seemingly, 
 from their armed and horresoent appearance, better adapted 
 to take good hold of a trout than the simple forms of 
 tackle above recommended, yet in reality they are not a 
 whit more so. 
 
 While on the subject of minnow and parr-tail tackle, I 
 find it requisite, having specified to the best of my ability 
 the most approved and useful sorts, to say a few words as to 
 
WEIGHTING THE LINE. 109 
 
 the disposition of tlie leads and swivels. I presume that 
 the hooks, whatever their number or arrangement, are 
 invariably tied on fine round gut. Of this article, four or 
 five lengths, forming a continued stretch of as many feet, 
 are in general sufficient to use singly or in connection 
 with the casting-line, which, on all occasions, shotdd be 
 formed of the same material, triple-spun or made up. 
 Immediately above the lowermost length, or that to which 
 the hooks are attached, I would fix the leads or split shot, 
 sizes B B, or No. 1, varying them in number according to 
 circumstances. In minnow-trolling, for my own part, I 
 prefer the line heavily weighted : others, I know, do not ; 
 nay, I am acquainted with one gentleman, an excellent and 
 successful angler, who uses, during the summer months, 
 no leads at all, but fishes with the minnow as with the fly, 
 almost on the surface of the stream — a manner of plying 
 the lure which only great practice can render remuner- 
 ative. The advantages, however, of leading heavily con- 
 sist of improved spinning, greater likeUhood of attracting 
 the eye of the fish, and a much better chance of hooking 
 them. In this latter respect, the superiority over light or 
 surface fishing is unquestionable. The trout or salmon, 
 when pursuing the minnow, is generally out of sight, and 
 you are first made aware of his presence at seizure — that 
 is, a moment or two previous to the time when you ought 
 to strike; whereas, in the other mode spoken of, you per- 
 ceive the fish on his approach to the bait, and are liable, 
 three times out of four, either to strike too soon, or put 
 him on his guard by altering the course of the spinning, 
 checking the line, or jerking away the minnow. It is very 
 true, notwithstanding, that with tackle barely weighted, 
 you can always, on throwing, command a greater stretch 
 of water ; yet the advantage of doing so in minnow or parr- 
 tail fishing is exceedingly doubtful, and if desired for the 
 purpose of escaping detection from the trout, perfectly 
 unnecessary : for when rivers are in trim for these sorts of 
 angling — tha,t is, either large and discoloured, or perfectly 
 clear and small — in both cases, the fish, in their appropriate 
 haunts, are eager and fearless, not readily deterred from 
 their purpose, even within arm's-length of the angler 
 himsel£ 
 
no ON MINNOW AND PARE-TAIL FISHING. 
 
 And as to heavy leading, it is, in salmon-fishing, with 
 the minnow or parr-tail, quite indispensable j for the fish 
 in question, when inclined to take the spinning lure, do 
 not, like trout, change ground on the rove or feed, but lie 
 close to the bottom, in their favourite places of resort, 
 and are only roused to seize it by the bait, in a par- 
 ticular temperature and state of water, passing near or 
 before them. 
 
 For trouting, the ordinary number of leads of the sizes 
 mentioned, which a minnow or parr-tail tackle requires, 
 ranges from two to four. In heavy water, more, if neces- 
 sary, can readily be added j but I would avoid deep lead- 
 ing, over a weedy or rocky bottom. Some anglers, instead 
 of attaching the shot a short way above the tackle and all 
 at one spot, distribute it, at difierent intervals, along the 
 gut-lengths and casting-line itself — ^a practice I do not 
 think commendable. 
 
 The box-swivel is a very necessary part of the minnow 
 tackle. Its material use is not so much to assist the spin- 
 ning of the lure, which it does to an ample extent, as to 
 prevent perplexity to the line, a mishap always consequent 
 upon its omission. In trouting with the minnow, two, 
 sometimes three swivels, are employed by anglers. The 
 lowermost of these should be fixed at the head of the gut- 
 strand third from the hooks, or at a distance of nearly 
 three feet from the bait. Another ought to have its posi- 
 tion immediately below the higher casting-line, and in 
 connection with the uppermost length of single gut. A 
 third, if reckoned of use, may find place a yard beyond it, 
 about the centre of the line alluded to. I have met with 
 those who differ from me very materially as to the above 
 disposition of the swivels, and who, among other sugges- 
 tions, recommend that the lowermost one should be 
 attached immediately over the hooks at the. head of the 
 minnow itself; and insist that, under this arrangement, 
 the spinning of the tackle will be greatly improved. Pos- 
 sibly, to some little extent it may; but I have generally 
 experienced that the spinning depends far more on the 
 fineness and roundness of the gut on which the hooks are 
 dressed, as well as the fixing on of the minnow and leads, 
 than upon the swivels themselves, which, as I have already 
 said, help chiefly to prevent perplexity to the line. The 
 
SIZE AND KIND OF MINNOW. Ill 
 
 size of the swivel ought, of course, to be regulated by its 
 position and the description of tackle it is employed to 
 assist. Very small ones, I find, are apt to become rusted 
 and stiff in the axis. They are not so secure or perfect as 
 those of the medium size, which, in addition to their other 
 advantages, subserve as leads or weights, in default of a 
 sufficiency of these requisites. 
 
 Having exhausted all that at present is necessary to be 
 said with regard to the tackle used in angling with the 
 minnow and parr-tail, I proceed, before giving instructions 
 as to the manner of employing these baits, to acquaint the 
 reader with the kind and size of minnow reckoned enticing, 
 its substitutes, and the simplest methods of procuring this 
 favourite lure. Early in the season — ^that is to say, during 
 the months of March and April — trout, in swollen or partly 
 discoloured waters, provided these are not greatly impreg- 
 nated with dissolved snow, are in nowise averse to dart 
 even at the largest and least captivating description of 
 minnow ; but at the period alluded to, it is both against 
 the habits of true sportsmen to angle for them, seeing that 
 they cannot be expected to have acquired as yet anything 
 like condition, and also, there is but a thin sprinkling that 
 have left their winter resorts, and begun to frequent the 
 shoals and streams, best adapted for the spinning lure. In 
 May, June, and July, the principal trouting months, they 
 become, in most rivers, more dainty and capricious. Large 
 and Ul-favoured minnows are viewed by them with suspi- 
 cion, and it is needful for the angler to oppose craft to 
 craft, and fastidiousness, in his choice of a proper bait, to 
 their fastidiousness in the selection of food. Accordingly, 
 it behoves him to pick out the best and fittest of the penk 
 or minnow tribe ; those, namely, which, being of a small 
 or medium size, are well-shaped and silvery. All the 
 spawning and unhealthy ones, unless in an hour of pres- 
 sure, ought to be rejected ; also all stickle-backs, and, I 
 may add, loaches— although, when no better are to be had, 
 they prove a tolerable enough substitute for the lure in 
 question. During the month of July, when the river runs 
 low and clear, minnows and small fry of a very minute 
 size, accommodated to tackle of corresponding fineness, 
 will be found much more killing than those of ordinary 
 dimensions. I have taken many good trout, and on one 
 
112 OS MINNOW AND PAEE-TAIL PISHING. 
 
 occasion recently, an excellent salmon with a spinning 
 lure not more than an inch in length, attached to a tackle 
 made up with a couple of undressed fly-hooks — Nos. 6 and 
 7, Adlington. 
 
 And as to the capturing of minnows for bait, this may 
 be accomplished in a variety of ways. It may be done 
 during a rising or fully-flooded water, by means of a small 
 pout or bag net, used among petty eddies, submersed tufts 
 of grass, and various nooks and shelter-places which the 
 current may happen to form with the banks. In these it 
 is that this tiny fish finds natural refuge from the violence 
 of the swollen stream ; and the net in question, when 
 worked low and with the current, I have generally found 
 pretty effectual as a means of obtaining it in considerable 
 quantities. Indeed, during the spring months, when the 
 minnow is in demand for salmon-fishing, the pout-net 
 forms on Tweedside the readiest contrivance for procuring 
 a supply. 
 
 The hoop-net also, when the waters are clear and small, 
 may be employed with great advantage against the minnow 
 tribe. It is used most successfully in by-waters, where 
 the fish in question are observed in large shoals, and con- 
 sists simply of a ring or hoop, at least three or four feet in 
 diameter, and formed of thick wire, to which a net has 
 been suspended. This is attached by. cords converging 
 from the circumference, to a staff or pole two or three 
 yards in length, by the assistance of which the net is laid 
 cautiously down, in the shallow resort or piece of byT 
 water alluded to. The fish, by means of small fragments 
 of worms or other bait, are then invited to feed over it, 
 and when drawn in sufficient numbers towards the centre 
 of the bag, the whole is suddenly lifted by the person em- 
 ployed to capture them. Minnows may also be procured, 
 in places where they abound, by the following very simple 
 and rapid process. The performer has only to watch the 
 fragments of rock under which they take shelter, more 
 especially those which project toward or beyond the sur- 
 face of the by-pool, and procuring a large stone, dash it 
 violently against them. The fish, stunned by the blow, will 
 rise helpless to the surface, and may be seized without any 
 difficulty. On the same principle, many streams and 
 rivulets are poached during summer by persons armed 
 
TREATMENT OF LIVE MINNOWS. 113 
 
 merely with a sledge-hammer. The vigorous application 
 of this implement to the stones under which trout are pre- 
 sumed to lodge, has the eifeot above mentioned. 
 
 A third method of capturing minnows for bait is with 
 the hook and line. CJpon this expedient there is no need 
 of enlarging. Those who have recourse to it should, how- 
 ever, always remember to employ tackle properly propor- 
 tioned to the size of the fish. Let them use one or -two 
 hooks, as they think desirable, of sizes 2 or 3, round-bend. 
 A small fragment of worm will suffice for the bait, the 
 upper half of a trouting rod or a branch cut from some 
 neighbouring willow, for the wand ; and I would recom- 
 mend, moreover, the use of a small float, which not only 
 prevents the hook from coming into contact with the 
 bottom, but notifies to the angler the exact time when 
 to strike. 
 
 Minnows, immediately on being captured, should be 
 transferred to a jug or pitcher half-fiUed with water. 
 This, shoidd the angler happen to be detained for any 
 length of time at the river side, ought to be every now and 
 then emptied of its contents, and again replenished, other- 
 wise the fish, if numerous, are apt to sicken and die. A 
 few changes of water, however, invariably reconcile them 
 to their new situation. When not for immediate use, let 
 him, on reaching home, commit them to some cool and 
 roomy recipient, such as a ^tone-trough, or large tub or 
 pail. He will require to supply them with fresh water, 
 at least once a week in the spring season, and oftener 
 during summer. I find it is not necessary to use exclu- 
 sively what is drawn from a stream or lake, but well and 
 even rain water answer the purpose quite as satisfactorily, 
 provided they are administered, at the first, in limited 
 proportions. To such as have the command of a pond or 
 small rivulet, the keeping of minnows during the greater 
 part of the season presents no difficulty. They have only 
 to enclose them in a deal box, perforated throughout wiii 
 gimlet-holes. This, by means of a few heavy stones or 
 weights placed inside, is conveyed to the bottom of the 
 piece of water in question, or by-pool formed from it, and 
 there kept sunk until its finny contents are in demand. 
 When minnows are to be used, I know of no better mode 
 of conveying them to the place of action, than by means of a 
 
 H 
 
114 ON MINNOW AND PAER-TAIL PISHING. 
 
 common soda-water bottle. This, when about two-thirds 
 filled with water, will contain conveniently upwards of a 
 score of these fish; and if at intervals — on affixing, for in- 
 stance, a fresh bait— the element natural to them be changed 
 by the angler, they may be kept alive during the whole 
 day. The cork accommodated to this vessel ought to be 
 provided with an air-hole, either driven through its centre, 
 or nicked out at the side. Minnows, when carried in a 
 dead state, if fresh, should be deposited among moss or 
 grass slightly moistened; if salted, they may be placed 
 for convenience in a tin box similar to what is iised in 
 worm-fishing, and suspended in the same manner, by a 
 belt round the waist of the angler. I may mention, by 
 the way, that I have no great opinion of the salted min- 
 now. It is a troublesome bait to deal with, readily torn 
 and disfigured in fastening, dull in the eye and colour, and 
 an uncertain spinner. 
 
 I have thus, at some length, discussed two or three of 
 the most important matters connected with this branch of 
 the art, and shall now offer some instructions as to the 
 time when, the places where, and the manner how, it 
 ought to be pursued. And first, as to the time and season 
 adapted for minnow and parr-tail fishing. I have already 
 stated that large hungry trout may be taken as early as 
 March or even February ; but in these months., the gene- 
 rality of them have not yet begun to frequent the beats 
 and shallows, although, during mild weather, invited into 
 them by the appearance of surface food. Floods also, 
 then as at other times, compel trout to be active and aban- 
 don their places of refuge ; and it is on the first subsiding 
 of these that the minnow-troUer generally meets with 
 success. 
 
 I may mention here, however, that although, in my 
 younger years, eager to capture individuals of the finny 
 tribe whenever I could, be it in the middle of Christmas 
 or on one of the dog-days, I am now content to limit my 
 trouting expeditions, in a great measure, to the season in 
 which these fish are fit for use ; indeed, to slaughter them 
 indiscriminately, during all the months of the year, as may 
 be done by the use of the salmon-roe and pastes made from 
 it, I consider wrong, and inconsiderate. Holding such 
 views, and recommending the same to every honest and 
 
TIME AND SEASON. 115 
 
 high-minded angler, I exclude, in accordance with them, 
 from my trouting calendar, that portion of the year pre- 
 ceding the 15th April, and also the months following 
 August, during which interval the fario or common trout, 
 with a few exceptions, is out of condition, and unfit to be 
 used as human food. Angling with the minnow, then, being 
 thus limited, along with the other branches of trout-fish- 
 ing, in point of season, it is only proper for the craftsman 
 to take every advantage which weather and the state of 
 the rivers afford, to pursue his amusement. This may be 
 done, either, as I have already remarked, when the water 
 after a heavy flood has begun to subside, and is verging 
 upon a dark porter colour, or when it is clear and small, 
 imder a bright sun. Also, during warm summer nights, 
 the minnow, as weU as the fly and lob-worm, is a sure and 
 deadly bait, enticing to large trout which have their haimts 
 throughout the day in deep, still water. On such oc- 
 casions, too, the parr-tail will be found effective ; but of 
 this bait the true season is what on Tweedside is known 
 as the smolt period, viz., those weeks of the year in which 
 the parr, having assumed its silver coating, makes descent, 
 in numerous shoals, towards the salt-water. Then it is 
 that all the large trout of our salmon rivers are out and on 
 the watch, marking with cunning eye the bands as they 
 pass them, if so be they can detect a wounded, worn-out, 
 or incautious straggler; for on such it is, not on the 
 healthy and alert pilgrims, they generally expend their 
 vigour. The usual period for such emigrations is the 
 latter week of April and first fortnight of May ; but fre- 
 quently they commence sooner, and terminate, as in an 
 occurrence of droughts, much later. May and June, how- 
 ever, I esteem to be the best months for parr-tail fishing, 
 although what is termed the swaUow-smolt — a coarse 
 rapacious species of the salmomidm — is more on the move 
 during the first-mentioned month. 
 
 The parr-tail, I may remark, is often used as a com- 
 panion to the worm, and proves most killing in a similar 
 state of water, and the same sort of day, described in a 
 previous chapter as suitable for the worm-fisher. Indeed, 
 one pursuing that branch of the sport, in rivers frequented 
 by large trout, ought always to have parr-tail tackle along 
 with him, and employ it also, on procuring the requisite 
 
116 ON MINNOW AND PARR-TAIL FISHING. 
 
 bait, in places adapted to its use. These, he will rind, 
 seldom interfere with his worm-ground, being rapid and 
 broken water, often the central current, sometimes, indeed, 
 seething eddies and detached strips of the river, whitened 
 over with foam : nor are racing shallows, less than the 
 breaks and necks of streams, to be despised, glassy and 
 exposed though they be, for there large trout love, on sus- 
 pended fin, to sun themselves, and hold on the outlook 
 for prey. Such localities, too, as I have described, are, 
 in the size and state of river referred to, well adapted for 
 the spinning of the minnow. After a flood, however, in 
 discoloured water, this bait must be fished with among 
 casts of a different character. The trout, then, except in 
 the smaller description of rivers, descend to less turbulent 
 places of resort. They move off more into the silent shal- 
 lows, sometimes to the very foot of streams, into diversions 
 from the main current, not unfrequently into what, in 
 the usual state of the river, is smooth and seemingly mo- 
 tionless water. They are found, indeed, should the flood 
 happen to be a large one, scattered about in all places of 
 comparative shelter, close below banks, among side-runs 
 and small whirls — in fact, everywhere, except in central 
 and violently-agitated currents. 
 
 I am now brought (having specified when and where 
 this branch of the art ought to be pursued, to add some 
 instructions as to the manner of pursuing it with success. 
 The movements of the minnow on its appropriate tackle, 
 and under swivel traces— spinning, as it is made to do, 
 with great rapidity, and often in the teeth of a strong 
 current — are allowedly unnatural, nearly as much so as are 
 the vagaries forced on the artificial salmon-fly. How, 
 then, the inquiry arises, are trout, the wariest of all the 
 finny tribes, deceived hj them? This is a question of 
 which it is vain to attempt giving the satisfactory solution. 
 It is evident, however, that if trout regard the bait in 
 question as a minnow at all, they do so under the notion 
 that it is a sickened or- injured one — an individual sepa- 
 rated from its resort, and unable, through weakness or loss 
 of instinctive consciousr^ess, either to regain it or to take 
 refuge elsewhere. As a proof of this, I may mention that 
 not unfrequently, when drawing the lure referred to 
 through a host of live minnows, I have been surprised by 
 
THROWING THE LINE. 117 
 
 the appearance of a good trout darting suddenly at my 
 bait from some shelter stone, in the very centre of the 
 spot — preferring it seemingly, because (notwithstanding its 
 mangled and fettered condition) an easier prey, to any 
 individual of the shoal among which it dwelt. On the 
 sa,me principle it is — namely, the comparative facility 
 with which they are captured — that vermin (carrion-crows 
 and beasts of prey) search out and assail wounded and 
 stray animals, while they watch, with apparent indiffer- 
 ence, the movements of such as are healthy and banded 
 together. I do not, of course, mean to assert that trout 
 will forbear attacking the minnow in its active state, in 
 the same manner as, when hard pressed, the creatures 
 mentioned attack their game or quarry ; on the contrary, 
 they are well known to do so, and often, as the contents of 
 their maws testify, very successfully. But every angler, I 
 think, must coincide with me in opinion, that a spinning 
 bait takes their fancy in a wonderful degree; to account 
 for which, I am perfectly justified in making the assump- 
 tion with respect to it above set forth. 
 
 The angler, then, must bear in mind, that it is folly and 
 over-refinement to attempt approximating the movements 
 of his bait to those of a healthy minnow. Such an effect, 
 by any known process, he cannot produce. His sole 
 object should, therefore, be to hide and disguise the tackle, 
 and it is solely by rapid spinning he can accomplish this. 
 The quick and equaJ spinning of the lure is, in fact, the 
 one thing most essential to be studied and understood in 
 fishing with the minnow. This attained, what remains to 
 be known and done is, in many respects, comparatively 
 easy; for instance, the throwing of the line. All that the 
 angler requires to pay attention to, over and above the 
 instructions I have given upon that matter, in my chapter 
 on fly-fishing, is, that he does not injure or tear the bait — 
 a misfortune to be avoided chiefly by care, and by not 
 attempting to cast the minnow farther than is requisite. 
 Except in angling for salmon, indeed, I never experienced 
 the necessity of throwing a long line, when using this lure; 
 and often, instead of casting it like the fly, I adopt the 
 expedient of heaving or pitching it forward— sometimes, 
 under certain circumstances, of merely dropping it from 
 the end of the rod. 
 
118 ON MINNOW AND PARE-TAIL FISHING. 
 
 As to the proper mode of playing or working the 
 minnow, I require to say little. It should be submitted, 
 in fact, to every test and variety of movement; these, 
 however, being made dependent upon the nature of the 
 current it is cast into. Sometimes, like the salmon-fly, it 
 ought to be urged along by short, measured jerks; some- 
 times drawn steadily against the stream, in one continu,ed 
 pull; sometimes made to descend for a little way, and 
 then re-operated on by the angler. Now, on being cast 
 across, it should be brought back in a curve to his feet, 
 and again allowed merely to dip near some stone or ledge 
 of rock; in short, provided the spinning movement is kept 
 up, and all collateral instructions already given attended 
 to, there is no possible mode of playing this bait which 
 may not prove successful in attracting trout. I have, a 
 short way back, professed myself in favour of deep fishing, 
 and enumerated one or two of the advantages derived from 
 it. These, I may again state, are connected chiefly with 
 the spinning of the minnow and hooking of the fish ; and 
 it is in this latter respect, as an assistance to the striker, 
 that I now once more recommend the adoption of heavy 
 leads. The angler using them is not put to the necessity 
 of constantly watching his lure, but detects the presence 
 of an assailant by the hand oftener than the eye. This, 
 of course, he cannot do untU the fish has fairly made 
 seizure of the minnow, whereas in surface spinning the 
 case is difierent. Accordingly, each method requires from 
 the craftsman its peculiar manner of treatment as regards 
 the striking. 
 
 When the fish, as generally happens in deep spinning, is 
 felt instead of being seen, the angler has only to slacken 
 the line for a second or two, and then, with a slight jerk 
 of the rod upwards, recall it. He will find, in three cases 
 out of four, (unless the trout, being over-fed, through a 
 long continuance of flooded water, bite shyly,) his fish 
 hooked. Again, in the other case, should he descry the 
 assailant on its approach towards the minnow, he ought 
 by no means either to suspend, quicken, or alter the 
 spinning, until its intentions are further completed by the 
 seizure of the bait. And here, as in salmon fishing, lies 
 the difficulty, at least to a beginner in the art, who is apt, 
 immediately on perceiving the trout, either to strike, and 
 
STRIKING OF THE FISH. 119 
 
 in doing so jerk from it the lure, or else to check too 
 rapidly its motion, and thus undeceive and alarm his 
 prey. Against both these errors it behoves the angler to 
 be on his guard, and, at the same time, to use such pre- 
 ventives (of which, in fishing with the minnow, I know of 
 none better than heavy leading) as will act against their 
 occurrence. 
 
 It very frequently happens that a fish, which has 
 followed this bait for some distance below the surface 
 unawares to the angler, will make no attempt to seize it, 
 until brought close to bank or the margin of the stream. 
 Accordingly, great caution ought to be exercised by the 
 craftsman in the lifting of the minnow. He should always 
 exhaust or complete his cast. On no account ought he to 
 break it off abruptly or in midway. The sudden and 
 uncalled-for abstraction of the bait, before edging, loses 
 him many a good trout. This, at the time, is not always 
 made evident, but it is not the less an undoubted fact. In 
 the case of bolder fish, like the pike, it is better manifested. 
 These, when trolled for with a spinning lure, withhold 
 their attack, four times out of five, until it is within a foot 
 of the margin; nay, I have been a witness to instances of 
 their actually running aground in pursuit of the bait. 
 Trout, also, I have seen so earnest in the chase, as with 
 difficulty to regain their way back from the shallows into 
 deep water; but this is of rarer occurrence with them than 
 with the fish above mentioned. On the contrary, they 
 often exhibit no sign of their presence, and are passed over 
 unawares by the careless and hasty angler, whose bait 
 they had actually puj-sued, and would in all probability- 
 have taken hold of, had he not abruptly withdrawn it 
 from their vision. 
 
 While on fishing with the minnow, I may take notice 
 (having exhausted most of the points connected with it, as 
 a spinning lure for trout) of two or three other methods of 
 using this bait, practised occasionally by the angler. One 
 of these is live-minnow fishing. This branch of the art is 
 little cultivated, and very imperfectly understood in Soot- 
 land. For my own part, I do not pretend to any acquaint- 
 ance with it, and, in consequence, refer the reader desirous 
 of gaining information on the matter to Blaine's " Diction- 
 ary of Rural Sports," a very useful work in the main, but. 
 
120 ON MINNOW AND PAEB-TAIL PISHING. 
 
 on the subject of fishing, rather too comprehensive and 
 exhausting. It embraces, in fact, upon that science, a 
 medley of theories, adopting, as its own guide or creed, no 
 individual one. It somewhat, involves and perplexes the 
 reader with the multiplicity of its divisions, the variety of 
 its information, and complex nature of its arrangement. 
 On the whole, however, it is a book eminently instructive, 
 and one which ought to be in the hands of every lover of 
 sport. 
 
 From this digression I pass on to describe the diving 
 minnow-tackle, the way of baiting, &c. The tackle men- 
 tioned consists of a single hook, No. 10 or 11 — Adlington, 
 having a long, leaded shank, looped at the head. This, by 
 the assistance of a needle, or small wire having a groove at 
 one end, is passed through its jaws along the body of the 
 minnow, the barb of the hook being left, as in baiting with 
 the single gorge-tackle for pike, to protrude from one side 
 of the mouth. Thus trimmed out, the lure is intended to 
 descend rapidly towards the bottom of deep, still portions 
 of water, resorted to by large trout, and accessible from the 
 bank to the angler. What may be termed the bend of a 
 pool, especially if shaded over with wood, is likely ground 
 for this kind of sport. It is, in fact, only a variety of dip- 
 ping, and may be pursued in places somewhat similar. A 
 considerable depth of water is, however, essential. The 
 diving minnow requires to be fished under swivel traces ; 
 for, although not intended to spin, but only to dart down- 
 wards, yet, on recovery, it is very apt to do so, and, in con- 
 sequence, to perplex the line of the angler. A fish, when 
 seizing this bait, generally does so on its descent, and at 
 the moment it reaches the bottom. It is detected, of 
 course, by the hand, and requires to be struck without 
 much parleying. This mode of fishing is generally most 
 successful early in spring, before trout have quitted the 
 pools and still places. It is on no occasion, however, even 
 then, very remunerative. 
 
 Akin to it is a mode of fishing with the dead minnow, 
 in streams and during the summer season. Here a simple 
 worm-hook. No. 10, is employed, not leaded on the shank 
 like the former, but attached in the usual manner to a 
 thread of fine gut. To bait this tackle, one may either 
 employ, as before detailed, the grooved wire or needle, or, 
 
ARTIFICIAL MINNOWS. 121 
 
 in absence of it, let tim insert Ms hook not far from the 
 lower extremity of the minnow, and, passing it along as 
 through a worm, bring it out at the mouth. He should 
 then, in order to sustain the bait in its proper position, 
 hitch the gut over the tail — some recommend two hitches 
 — and draw all firm. Thus baited, I fish almost in the 
 same manner as when using the worm, and in a condition 
 of water somewhat similar, the streams being low and clear, 
 the skies bright and warm. 
 
 Of artificial minnows and imitations of small fish I re- 
 quire to say little. They are not, as far as I am acquainted, 
 held in much esteem by tried and able anglers. In the 
 whole course of my experience and inquiry, I never heard 
 of a single wonderful feat having been achieved by any of 
 them, although the qualities and virtues of not a few have 
 been expatiated upon, in my presence, over and over again. 
 One imitation of the minnow, reckoned very deadly, has, 
 as the seat of its attractive qualities, a coating formed from 
 the belly-skin of the salmon ; others are made of mother- 
 of-pearl, horn, whalebone, gutta percha, &c. ; and an addi- 
 tional sort of lure, introduced to Tweedside some years 
 ago, under sanguine hopes of its proving successful, con- 
 sists of a piece of crystal, shaped like a small fish, and set 
 in metal. This last-mentioned artifice, when brought to 
 the test, possesses, I understand, a certain degree of merit, 
 that, namely, of attracting the notice of the fish, and bring- 
 ing them towards the tackle. Invariably, however, they 
 refiise to seize it, turning tail when within arm's-length of 
 doing so, and only, instead of rewarding, provoking the 
 patience of the angler. The Archimedean-screw minnow, 
 a still later invention, is worthy of being classed in the 
 same catalogue. Imitations of small fish, I can readily 
 believe, may prove tolerably successful during a stiffish 
 breeze, when trolled with in some Highland lOch ; but on 
 rivers, at least on those of the south of Scotland, and I am 
 convinced our northern ones also, they assuredly do not 
 answer. They want a very important essential, and that 
 is, smell or flavour, the sense of which in trout is, as fishing 
 with the salmon roe demonstrates, most exquisite. 
 
 In this article on minnow trouting I have omitted, in its 
 proper place, to allude to the Enghsh system of capping 
 the head of the bait, a plan which, when adopted in con- 
 
122 ON MINNOW AND PAEE-TAIL FISHING. 
 
 nection with certain combinations of hooks, materially, I 
 allow, assists the spinning, but one the advantages of 
 which are completely done away with by the use of such 
 tackle as I have recommended. There are also two evils 
 resulting from the adoption of it, apparently unregarded : 
 one is, that it interferes with the protrusion of a hook from 
 the very part of the minnow, namely, the head, whereby 
 trout generally seize it ; and the other, that it disguises in 
 some measure the conformation of that section of the lure, 
 more especially the eyes, which I esteem to be of a very 
 attractive nature. 
 
 Trolling for the Salmo Ferox. — In connection with 
 this chapter, I am led to introduce a few instructions upon 
 the art of trolling for the salmo ferox, or great lake trout. 
 Our most-frequented trolling-grounds are. Lochs Awe, 
 Eannoch, and Shin ; and, accordingly, the means of 
 accommodation, in the shape of boats and rowers, as well 
 as the conveniences afforded by good inns, are most readily 
 obtained in their vicinity. The boats generally used are 
 strongly built, and made to draw a considerable depth of 
 water. The cobles or shallops, so suitable to Tweed, are of 
 much too light a construction to do service on our Highland 
 lochs, and in a breezy day would prove quite unmanage- 
 able. It will be found expedient to employ two men, or 
 at least a man and a boy, in order to work the boat pro- 
 perly, and assist the troUer when required. A knowing 
 hand or two ought, if possible, to be secured for this occu- 
 pation — one that is acquainted with the haunts of the fish, 
 and more especially with the soundings of the lake, its 
 bays, creeks, and the position of its feeders. The sport of 
 the day frequently depends upon the acquirements of your 
 attendant ; but these, be it borne in mind, are not to be 
 trusted to on all occasions, and will be found very fre- 
 quently at fault, or mixed up with unreasonable prejudices. 
 I would advise the troUer, therefore, if not altogether a 
 novice in the art, now and then to make use of his own judg- 
 ment, even although he be an entire stranger to the place. 
 
 The general equipment of a trolling-party consists of 
 two rods, each eighteen feet in length, provided with stout 
 stiff tops, full-sized rings, and a winch or reel of large 
 dimensions, containing not less than eighty or ninety 
 yards of the best hand-wrought line. 
 
THOLUNG-TACKLB FOE THE SALMO FEEOX. 123 
 
 In making up trolling-tackle, the dimensions of the 
 trout or parr to be used as bait must be taken into consi- 
 deration, and made to regulate the size and setting, if not 
 the number, of hooks, employed. In some localities it is 
 difficult, at aU seasons, to command an adequate supply of 
 small trout, and the troller is often obliged to use baits of 
 a larger description. At times, also, it is desirable to 
 vary the size of the lure, and, in doing so, to substitute a 
 tackle of corresponding dimensions. Indeed, when two 
 rods are used, baits of different sizes ought to be tried 
 together at the outset, and that size which proves success- 
 ful adopted during the J'est of the day. Accordingly, the 
 troller ought to be provided with tackles of various sizes, 
 and, I may add, also, of various descriptions ; for, although 
 not an advocate for large and perplexing assortments, I 
 cannot too strongly impress upon the angler the necessity 
 of being fully equipped and prepared at all points. 
 
 There are two sorts of tackle which I recommend to the 
 notice of the troller. The first is simply the parr-tail form 
 already described, consisting of three hooks, the wires of 
 which should be of extra thickness. In making up an 
 ordinary-sized trolling-tackle of this description, a round- 
 bend. No. 20 Adlington, or one of Philips' No 6, should be 
 tied on lowermost. Round-bends Nos. 14 or 15, or Irish 
 hooks of corresponding sizes, will answer the purposes of 
 lip-hook and hanger. The best triple-spun gut traces, 
 guarded with brass or copper wire to the extent of three 
 inches above the lip-hook, ought to be employed. Gut, 
 now-a-days, is more esteemed by accomplished trollers, on 
 account of its strength, durability, and other properties, 
 than silk gimp, which at one time was generally preferred. 
 
 When large baits are used, this form of tackle will be 
 improved by adding another tier of hooks, two in number, 
 tied back to back; one intended to project from the 
 mouth of the spinning lure, and the other to serve the 
 purpose of lip-hook. In this case the fixed hook of the 
 middle tier should be inserted into the body of the bait. 
 
 The second form of trolling-tackle recommended is that 
 used by Major Cheape, one of the most successful trollers 
 for the salmo ferox in Scotland. It is still simpler in its 
 construction than the parr-tail tackle, consisting, like it, 
 of only three hooks — a main one, which, in my original 
 
124 ON MINNOW AND PARR-TAIL FISHING. 
 
 specimen, is of Kedditch manufacture, 5-0 Bartleet, corre- 
 sponding to No. 6 Philips — and two upper ones, 3-0 Bart- 
 leet, corresponding to No. 8 Philips. The upper hooks 
 are tied on together immediately over the lower one, at an 
 angle of about thirty-five degrees — the shank end of the 
 latter coming almost into contact with the point of junc- 
 tion forming the angle. To the size of tackle described, 
 no bait can be adapted better than a parr or smolt of 
 ordinary length ; indeed — although trout exceeding a 
 quarter of a poimd in weight are often held in preference 
 by troUers, and reckoned more attractive to large fish — I 
 have every reason to believe that greater execution will 
 be done, in the long run, with baits of small dimensions, 
 well shaped, and silvery in the exterior. 
 
 In weighting the troUing-tackle, attach the leads to the 
 traces at the distance of two feet from the bait. A large 
 box-swivel should be fixed immediately above them, and 
 another at least two yards higher up, at the junction of 
 the triple-gut casting-line with the winch-line. Split 
 buck-shot, from iovn to eight in number, according to the 
 depth of lake trolled in, are frequently used as plummets ; 
 but it is advisable to substitute for these small tubes of 
 lead, shaped so as not to interfere with the spinning of the 
 lure, which large round pellets of metal, by resisting the 
 pressure of the water in advance, are apt to do. These 
 ought to be made of various weights, not, however, exceed- 
 ing two ounces. 
 
 When baited and ready for action, the angler takes up 
 his position at the stern of the boat, which I shall suppose 
 to be now fairly launched into deep water, and moving 
 forward under oars at the rate of one and a half miles per 
 hour. One of his rods is laid down carefully at his side, 
 or held by an attendant, while the bait of the other is 
 dropt overboard, and line let out by the hand to a distance 
 of not less than twenty-five, or greater than forty yards. 
 This accomplished, the butt-end of the rod is fixed at 
 the bottom of the boat, in such a manner that the upper 
 portion wiU project over it, at an angle with the stern of 
 thirty degrees. To effect this properly, it will be found 
 convenient to have the rim of the boat, where crossed, 
 perforated to receive an oar-pin, the contact of which with 
 the rod will both help to maintain it in its correct posi- 
 
TROLLING FOR THE SALMO PBROX. 125 
 
 tion, and relieve the angler of much useless trouble and 
 anxiety. 
 
 In setting the rod, see that the line is free, and ready to 
 leave the reel the instant an offer occurs. It is the prac- 
 tice of some trollers to draw out a portion, and confine it 
 under a small stone at the bottom of the boat, or on one 
 of the benches. When a fish makes its seizure, the stone 
 is jerked off, and summary notice given to the expectant 
 sportsman. 
 
 One rod having been set in the way described, the 
 troller should lose no time in putting the other to use in 
 a similar manner on the opposite side of the boat. The 
 tackle plying nearest the shore, being more apt to come 
 into contact with the bottom, ought to be less weighted 
 than the other, or kept under tow with a more stinted 
 supply of line. In event of such a casualty taking place, 
 and it does so frequently, before attempting to disengage 
 the fixed hooks, and whUe ordering the boat to be backed, 
 the troller, with all possible expedition, should secure the 
 safety of his remaining tackle. I know of nothing in 
 trolling more awkwardly annoying than a double fix ; but 
 it is one of those scrapes which the angler has to thank him- 
 self for ; and should he escape from it without a smashed 
 rod, as well as damaged gear, he may be considered toler- 
 ably fortunate. When a fish is hooked, similar advice ought 
 to be acted upon, and tho other rod committed without 
 delay to the charge of one of the rowers, whose duty it 
 is, as speedily as possible, to wind up line, and afford clear 
 space for the play of the feroa. Always, when it is con- 
 venient, on getting hold of a large trout, make for the 
 shore, and there select a landing-place. It is a much 
 safer practice than to attempt taking him in with the 
 hoop-net from the boat itself in deep water, as, should he 
 not be completely exhausted, you run the hazard of his 
 darting under the keel, perhaps causing your line to run 
 foul of the planks, and in this way making his escape. 
 A salmo ferosc wiU sometimes follow the bait a long way, 
 making a succession of offers, all of which may be dis- 
 tinctly marked by the strain upon the rod, as well as the 
 extraction of line from the winch, yet continue to avoid 
 coming into contact with the hooks. A fish, in this wary 
 and undecided mood, cannot be calculated upon, but there 
 
126 ON MINNOW AND PAER-TAIL FISHING. 
 
 can be no harm in recrossing the ground he occupies with 
 a fresh bait of smaller dimensions. 
 
 A practical lesson or two, in the company of an expe- 
 rienced boatman, cannot fail in making one an adept in 
 the art of trolling, and so rendering any instructions 
 which might be added by me quite superfluous. 
 
 The sahno ferox may be taken by the troUer at aU 
 seasons. It is known, indeed, to be very capricious as 
 regards its feeding-hours, but that these correspond to 
 some extent with those of the fario admits of no question. 
 It must not, however, be held as a rule without its excep- 
 tions, that when the common loch-trouts are active in 
 search of food, the ferox is abroad on the outlook. 
 Frequently, when surface provision is very abundant, and 
 the fly-fisher meets with great success, the troUer, although 
 he has carefully proved the best beats, fails in getting an 
 offer. At other times, when the fly-fisher can show but a 
 sorry pannier, he succeeds in producing his brace and a 
 half or two brace of magnificent feroces. A bright cloud- 
 less day, when the loch is calm or but slightly ruffled, will 
 often prove more fortunate than one Qiat is dull and 
 breezy ; and cold cheerless weather, an easterly wind pre- 
 vailing, will, on occasions, bring sport, when a succession 
 of fine genial days has failed to do so. The afternoon and 
 evening are generally looked forward to as the best por- 
 tions of the day. Fly-fishing with a single-handed rod 
 may agreeably be combined with troUing. It can be 
 practised from the stem of the boat, without interfering 
 to any serious extent with the sport of the day, and may 
 often help to keep up a proper degree of excitement 
 during the long interval which, even on a successful 
 occasion, is likely to occur betwixt the starting of the 
 boat and the capture of the lake leviathan. 
 
127 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 FISHING WITH THE SALMON-KOE. 
 
 Although fishing with the salmon-roe is considered, and 
 perhaps with reason, by many anglers, as allied to poach- 
 ing, and in consequence is frequently tiraded against, with- 
 out pause or forbearance, I do not think I should be doing 
 justice to what is designed to be a full exposition of the art 
 and science of angling, were I to exclude all notice of it 
 from these pages. The wonderful property, possessed by the 
 bait in question, of attracting trout, is of itself a subject 
 demanding the attention and investigation of the natural- 
 ist. To what sense or instinct inherent in the fish it is 
 attributable, remains still, in some measure, a matter of 
 dispute ; whether, in fact, it is dependent upon the exqui- 
 siteness of their taste, or that subtle power of discernment 
 which not unfrequently is connected with the organ of 
 smell. For my own part, I am inclined to believe it de- 
 pends upon' the exercise of both senses, although chieily 
 upon the latter. That the use of the salmon roe in its 
 prepared state, as employed by anglers, possesses the virtue 
 I speak of to a truly singular extent, a very few instances 
 falling imder personal experience may suffice to prove; 
 and from these, I undertake to make a few deductions in 
 fevour of occasionally, and in certain localities, employing 
 it as a bait for trout. Its wholesale use, however, without 
 respect to river and season, I utterly condemn, in common 
 with all lovers of fair sport; and although, on the occa- 
 sions to be made mention of, some may deem that I 
 advance far towards transgressing upon the principle I 
 profess to hold, they wiU find, if I mistake not, in my 
 argument, a good and sufficient apology. 
 
128 PISHING WITH THE SALMON-EOE. 
 
 The first instance I shall bring forward with respect to 
 the attractive power of this bait, I find jotted down in my 
 angling note-book as occurring on the 24th of November 
 1837. The piece of water fished on was the lower ex- 
 tremity of a short side-stream on the Teviot, about a mile 
 from Kelso, a spot which, in the summer season, was wont 
 to be clear and shallow, and, in consequence, not plen- 
 tifully stocked with trout. Immediately below lies a 
 succession of rapid streams, extending onwards above 
 two hundred yards, and then terminating in a large pool 
 or dam. 
 
 Having taken up my sta.nd at the margin of the small 
 snatch of water above described, I commenced operations 
 about two hours before noon, concluding them a short 
 while after three o'clock, during which moderate interval 
 I captured no fewer than eleven dozen of trout, many of 
 them about a pound in weight, and along with these a 
 clear bull-trout weighing about five pounds. Nor, on 
 leaving off, had I nearly exhausted the apparent contents 
 of the spot ; I say apparent, for it was evident to me, both 
 from their scarcity at the commencement, and the gradual 
 increase of the trout in number as I continued to fish on, 
 that they approached the bait, as it were, by a trail, from 
 various quarters farther down ; some from the rapid 
 streams immediately below, but the greater part undoubt- 
 edly from the pool in which these terminated, and which, 
 at that advanced season of the year, formed, unless in- 
 duced to leave it by some exciting bait like the one then 
 employed by me, their natural haunt. 
 
 Another instance, of later date, which I shaU mention, 
 occurred at Teviot-foot, not very far distant from the 
 scene of action already spoken of, on the 16th of October 
 1844. The water, on this occasion, was only slightly 
 swollen, and far from that state which is generally held in 
 estimation by roe-anglers ; nor, indeed, was the paste used 
 by me of the best quality, being fabricated, not from the 
 roe of the salmon, but that of the bull-trout, and in conse- 
 quence very inferior, both as respected colour and flavour. 
 I commenced angling precisely at eight o'clock a.m., and 
 left off, my bait being wholly exhausted, at ten minutes 
 before one, the whole period of time occupied by nfe ex- 
 tending to nearly five hours. The number of trout cap- 
 
APOLOGY FOB ITS USE. 129 
 
 tured was in all two hundred and twelve, several of them 
 weighing a pound and a half. I hooked and played also 
 two bull-trout, or large whitlings, but, owing to the under- 
 size of my hooks, or some other cause, they made their 
 escape. As on the former occasion, the fish, when I was 
 compelled for want of bait to abandon the sport, were still 
 in feeding humour, more eager, indeed, and ravenous than 
 during any other portion of the forenoon. The spot I 
 occupied, on the above-mentioned day, lies at a distance of 
 thi-ee hundred yards from the junction of the Teviot with 
 Tweed; and as the varieties of the common or parr trout 
 inhabiting the two rivers are quite distinct, the one from 
 the other, in external appearance, I was at no loss to 
 specify and assort them. I came accordingly to the con- 
 clusion that, at the fewest, two-thirds of the fish captured 
 by me belonged to Tweed ; and that these, owing to the 
 attractive qualities of the salmon-roe, had traced their way 
 up to the bait, some of them, I have no doubt, out of 
 Maxwheel pool, situated at the distance of half a mile 
 from the spot in question. 
 
 It were easy, did I choose it, to inflict upon the reader a 
 detail of similar occurrences, all tending to prove the won- 
 derful virtues possessed by the salmon-roe in gathering 
 and concentrating trout, but the two instances above 
 related are quite enough for my present purpose. They 
 demonstrate the instinct of the fish to pry out its favourite 
 food ; they disclose to us that, for this end, it is gifted by 
 nature with the most delicate perceptions ; and mpre, they 
 make us aware of the great extent of damage done, during 
 the spawning season, to the deposits of the salmon, by the 
 depredations of the common trout. It is solely upon this 
 last-mentioned ground that I take my stand, when pal- 
 liating the use of the salmon-roe as an angling bait, in 
 certain rivers and seasons. I am of opinion, that in large 
 waters frequented by salmon for the purpose of spawning, 
 and also on their tributaries, the moderate employment of 
 it, in a salted state, acts powerfully in diverting the atten- 
 tion of more than one species of prowler from the natural 
 ova or deposit, a very large proportion of which is every 
 year consumed, as well upon the redd of the fish itself as 
 when carried down below it. 
 
 But while thus palliating the use of the roe as an ang- 
 
ISO PISHING WITH THE SALMON-EOE. 
 
 ling bait, on rivers frequented by salmon, I would strictly 
 set face against its employment on purely trouting waters. 
 Upon these, if of small width, the injury it is possible to 
 inflict with it might, for a season at least, prove very 
 serious. Let me suppose, for instance, that it is brought 
 into play, under favourable circumstances, on the Eden or 
 Blackadder, two highly reputed streams in Berwickshire. I 
 believe it practicable for one well versed in the use of it to 
 strip, in the course of a few hours, to the extent of half a 
 mile, either water mentioned, of three-fourths of the 
 primest fish inhabiting it; and were he to pursue this 
 system of devastation throughout, he would, in the course 
 of a short time, nearly depopulate the whole range of 
 pools, leaving only the pricked fish and a few dozen of 
 stragglers to replenish them. Such extreme butchery 
 would, of course, not only be condemned as unsportsman- 
 like, but as an outrage upon common sense and feeling ; 
 whereas the destruction of a few hundreds of mischievous 
 fish, in a broad and plentifully stocked river, not only 
 effects little injury to the trouting, but, as regards the 
 protection of salmon spawn, confers an acknowledged 
 benefit. I confess quite freely that the trout, immediately 
 before and during close-time, are, with very few exceptions, 
 rank and uneatable ; but that is a matter with which the 
 sport of capturing them has nothing at aU to do. A 
 kelted salmon affords sport in its own way ; and I have 
 seldom met with the angler who, on account of its being 
 out of condition, despised running one. 
 
 The Curing op Saimon-Roe. — There are two or three 
 ways of doing this peculiar to Tweedside. It is either 
 cured entire — that is, as it is taken from the fish, in the form 
 of what is provinciaUy termed the waim ; or it is reduced 
 into a paste ; or else it is converted to single particles, 
 termed beads. 
 
 The first object of the curer is to obtain what is reckoned 
 an available supply of roe. Much of the ingredient met 
 with under that name is next thing to useless, the seed or 
 ova being too small in the particle, or else, through an 
 injury done to the fish firom which they were taken, largely 
 transfused with blood. In either case, and under other 
 circumstances readily recognisable, it ought to be rejected. 
 The roe best adapted for curing is found in what is called 
 
VARIOUS MODES OF CUEING IT. 131 
 
 the ba^ffit fish, or ripe spawner— that is, a salmon on the 
 eve of depositing its ova. It is most readily obtained on 
 Tweedside at the commencement of the open season, 
 although often to be procured, in a state of sufficient 
 maturity, in the month of October. The beads or pellets 
 should, unless intended to be cured in the way first men- 
 tioned, have attained their full size, equalhng that of a small 
 pea or swan-shot. They ought, moreover, to be distinct 
 and easily separated, as well as of a high pink or brick 
 colour. 
 
 In every preparation of this bait, the first step of the 
 process is to cleanse the leaf, that is, to remove from it the 
 clotted blood and other impurities which it may happen 
 to have contracted. In some cases, when the roe is 
 designed to bej cured in the leaf, this may be done simply 
 by the application of a cloth or towel. The natural juices 
 are thus kept intact in their primitive condition. But it 
 seldom happens that the leaf is so pure and undamaged as 
 to allow of such a superficial mode of cleansing. Accord- 
 ingly, in most cases, it is found essential to wash' and pick 
 it. To do this properly, use water slightly warmed, and 
 mixed with a small quantity of milk. Perform the opera- 
 tion in a large hand-basin, and transfer, when cleansed, 
 each leaf, layer, or fragment to a sieve or cullender, by 
 means of which the superfluous fluid will most readily be 
 drained off. Thus cleansed and strained, the roe is made 
 fit for one or other of the processes of curing already 
 alluded to. 
 
 The preparation of this bait in the leaf is very simple. 
 The operator has merely to place the entire layers of ova 
 in a small jar, sprinkling over them a handful or two of 
 salt. He must then cover the vessel, so as entirely to ex- 
 clude the air, with a piece of skin or leather. After re- 
 maining in this state for a day or two, if intended for early 
 use, the roe, or any quantity of it, should be wrapt care- 
 fully up in a piece of flannel, (the foot of an old worsted 
 stocking is often employed for this purpose,) and exposed 
 to a slight pressure and some measure of heat, not exceed- 
 ing in general 80 or 90 degrees. By this means, in the 
 course of a few hours, it is rendered sufficiently tough for 
 use; and when required to be prepared in a shorter period, 
 the operator has only to expose it to a higher pressure and 
 
132 FISHING WITH THE SALMON-EOB. 
 
 a greater degree of heat. In curing roe in the leaf, salt- 
 petre is spmetimes employed, with the view of heighten- 
 ing its colour. I would recommend, however, that this 
 ingredient be used very sparingly, as its flavour is by no 
 means palatable to the fish, nor, indeed, are its effects 
 in improving the natural colour of the bait otherwise 
 than doubtful. 
 
 There are two modes of preparing pastes from the 
 salmon-roe. The one I generally adopt is the least tedious, 
 and although the ingredient produced from it is not so 
 equal or thoroughly mixed up and broken as that of the 
 other, it possesses all, and to spare, of its attractive virtues, 
 being a compound of the bead and paste, and on this 
 account insinuating itself into the good graces of bull- 
 trout and whitling, which species of fish, I have generally 
 experienced to be the case, give a preference to unbroken 
 over finely reduced roe. The following is the method I 
 observe in preparing it : — After cleansing, I proceed to 
 break down the leaf, separating, as I do so, the beads and 
 pellets from the films to which they are attached. I then 
 throw over them a quantity of fine salt, in the proportion 
 of three or four ounces or upwards to every pound of roe, 
 and, stirring the mixture with the hand, incorporate all 
 thoroughly. I also squeeze together, and occasion to burst, 
 several handfuls of the beads, in order that, thus expressed, 
 their adhesive contents may operate in binding and giving 
 consistency to those left intact. This process concluded, I 
 transfer the whole mass to a tin cullender, there to remain 
 under cover for some hours, during which time a consider- 
 able quantity of oily matter becomes separated and drained 
 off, the juices of the pellets being acted upon by the salt 
 to this effect. When the draining has ceased, the paste is 
 ready for use. If intended to be kept for some time, 
 remove it into small pots, pressing it well down with 
 the hand in filling, and running over it a little melted 
 lard. 
 
 The other preparation of roe-paste alluded to, undergoes 
 up to a certain stage the same process as the one above 
 described. After the beads, however, have been separated, 
 place them in a jug or deep jar, and by means of a small 
 wooden shaft or pestle, bruise, mix, and stir them up vigo- 
 rously, until every individual pellet has become broken 
 
SINGULAB PROPBETIES OP COMMON SALT. 133 
 
 and dissolved, and the whole forms a thick, creamy-look- 
 ing substance. During this operation, which is somewhat 
 of a tedious one, and will occupy the person engaged in it 
 at least an hour, a handful of salt ought from time to time 
 to be added, as the dissolution of the particles proceeds. 
 When all has been thoroughly incorporated and mixed up 
 together, pour boiling water upon the mass, and it will 
 instantly harden, and become formed into a solid lump of 
 paste, capable of being removed by the hand. The water, 
 be it again remarked, must be quite hot, and poured into 
 the jug or basin containing the roe, not applied to it 
 externally. This is the true secret of preparing salmon- 
 roe paste. 
 
 Of the curing of this ingredient in the bead state I re- 
 quire to say little : it consists simply in the drying and 
 packing up of the separated pellets, and requires no pro- 
 cess beyond that of submitting them to the action of air 
 and heat until sufficiently toughened, and then committing 
 them to earthenware pots or small jars. In curing salmon- 
 roe for bait, the preservation of its natural colour should 
 always be kept in view. The sweetness of taste, also, is a 
 matter upon which some English anglers lay great stress. 
 If by that is meant freedom in the flavour of the roe from 
 salt, I take the liberty of differing with them ; for there is 
 no doubt that, independent of the properties of the roe 
 itself, that substance possesses qualities of its own, highly 
 attractive in their nature. These, in regard to wild ani- 
 mals of various kinds, are well known. They are exem- 
 plified in the instance of what is termed by the American 
 hunter a salt lick, or moist spot of ground highly impreg- 
 nated with the minei-al in question. To this deer and 
 game of all descriptions repair from great distances, lured 
 by the inviting nature of the salt. 1 am of opinion, there- 
 fore, that the flavour of this substance is very agreeable to 
 trout, in common with other animals, and that a measure 
 of the success met with by the angler in fishing with sal- 
 mon-roe is owing to its liberal use. I may mention, that 
 the prepared milt of the kipper, or he-salmon, is said to 
 be, equally with the roe of the spawner, an inviting bait 
 to river-trout. In connection with its use as such, one 
 singular circumstance has been observed, namely, that 
 while the latter ingredient attracts chiefly male fish, (this 
 
134 FISHING WITH THE SALMON-ROE. 
 
 I know to be the fact',) the former possesses an irresistible 
 iniuence over the females. The employment of the sal- 
 mon-roe as a bait, seeing that it operates chiefly in thin- 
 ning the number of maJes, which are supposed unnecessa- 
 rily to haunt the breeding-places, may, therefore, as well 
 as for the reasons already mentioned, be regarded as bene- 
 ficial. I may state, however, that the same sexual discri- 
 mination is not exhibited by the eriox, or any of the sea- 
 trout species ; the females of which prey as greedily upon 
 the salmon-roe as the males do. 
 
 I shall now very briefly direct the attention of the reader 
 to the tackle best adapted for roe-fishing, interspersing a 
 few instructions as to the proper mode of angling with this 
 bait. The hook commonly used on Tweedside is a single 
 one, No. 9 or 10, round-bend, tied on a good strong gut, 
 as if for worm-fishing, in the coarse, orc^nary style. A 
 pair of these are frequently employed at one and the same 
 time, fastened to the foot-line, at the distance of a yard 
 from each other, the angler occasionally appending a 
 worm instead of roe to the upper one. The salted leaf is 
 what is generally made use of along with this description 
 of tackle, and a small quantity of wool reckoned essential, 
 in order to fix and secure the bait. 
 
 Such I observe to be the usual practice and contrivance 
 of Tweedside fishers, in respect of the hook and manner of 
 baiting. Mine is difierent, and, coupled with the plan I 
 adopt when using this line, much superior. I always, for 
 instance, employ a double hook — that is, two hooks. No. 6, 
 7, or 8, tied back to back, and pressed forwards, by means 
 of the finger and thumb, so as to lie at right angles with 
 each other. These serve sufficiently to retain or secure 
 the bait, without reporting to wool or cotton fibres. The 
 proper application of a small file to the shanks of each wire, 
 will greatly contribute to strengthen the tying on, and fix 
 the hooks in a desirable position. Leaf-roe I seldom fish 
 with, preferring the mixed paste already described. I also 
 employ strong, round gut, and weight or lead my line 
 largely, in order to keep the bait from progressing too 
 rapidly. In fishing with the salmon-roe, the general prac- 
 tice is to do so in bands or small companies, including 
 three or four persons. A piece of water, held in repute 
 from year to year as a rowan cast, is pitched upon and 
 
WHEEE AND HOW TO USE THIS BAIT. 135 
 
 baited with leaf-refuse, or loose particles of the ingredient. 
 This range or beat generally extends from ten to thirty- 
 yards, the depth being from two to five feet, the bottom 
 gravelly and free from impediments, and the current gra- 
 dual. Each fisher, in his turn, commences at the head of 
 the cast, follows his bait as it is carried onward by the 
 stream, withdraws it at the agreed point of termination, 
 and then repairs, as quickly as possible, back to the starting- 
 post. This mode of fishing has certainly the attraction of 
 being very sociable, but I have seldom observed it to prove 
 productive. The trout are held by it over too large an 
 extent of water, or, in other words, they are not sufficiently 
 concentrated so as to insure ready or rapid sport. There 
 are, besides, too much hiury and excitement created through 
 the number of parties engaged ; in fact, there exist at 
 least half-a-dozen circumstances connected with this man- 
 ner of fishing, all of which operate to its prejudice. I 
 confess, however, that the habits of the bull-trout render 
 it tolerably effective in the capture of that fish, the high 
 impregnation of a considerable space of water with roe 
 acting powerfully upon the senses of the species of trout in 
 question, while on its way up the river. 
 
 As embodying a more approved method of fishing with 
 the sahnon-roe, I recommend the following instructions. 
 Let the angler, provided with a stiffish single-handed rod, 
 and the tackle already described, sally forth, either alone, 
 or consorted at most with one companion in arms. He 
 may either betake himself to one of the accustomed beats, 
 if not previously occupied by another party, or pitch upon 
 some untried piece of water, which, although of limited 
 range, possesses the same qualities of depth, speed, and 
 bottom. Near the head of this he ought to select his 
 stance or post, on a dry and unexposed portion of the bank. 
 There is no necessity, on commencing operations, that he 
 should bait the spot. This, in the course of a few throws, 
 wiU be done quite sufficiently, without occasioning, as the 
 other practice does, the gorging and repletion of a portion 
 of the fish farther down. In throwing, the angler should 
 generally employ a short line, not much exceeding his rod 
 in length, and occasionally a good deal shorter. He can 
 always, in that highly-discoloured state of water in which 
 the salmon-roe is most efiective as a bait, entice his spoil 
 
136 FISHING WITH THE SALMON-EOE. 
 
 to within a yard's distance from the margin. Accordingly, 
 he loses no advantage by employing the description of line 
 I have recommended, and in the j^ matter of striking ac- 
 quires a very important one. Sometimes, however, in 
 certain localities, and when bull-trout or whitlings are 
 observed moving in his vicinity, it "may be expedient to 
 increase tie length of his cast or throw ; also, in brown 
 or fine waters, it is essential to do so. 
 
 In baiting with the mixed or other paste, let the angler 
 extract a small portion, equal in size to a horse-bean, from 
 the pot or jar. This may be done readily, by means of an 
 old pocket-knife or other sharp-pointed instrument. He re- 
 quires then to insert the bait in question betwixt the pro- 
 jecting barbs of his hooks, in the angle formed by their 
 junction. A slight pressure of the forefinger will assist 
 greatly in attaching it, but it is not necessary to conceal, as 
 in worm-fishing, every portion of the wire. When casting, 
 the angler ought to be extremely cautious lest, by excess 
 of force, he should occasion his bait to drop off. He wiU 
 find it preferable to pitch it out gently from him, instead 
 of throwing the line over his shoulder. This, in general, 
 he requires to do partially up and against the stream, not 
 forward, and at right angles with the bank, as is practised 
 under the ordinary style of roe-fishing. He must then 
 allow the bait to sink rapidly, and travel at a measured rate 
 along the bottom or channel. When checked without any 
 apparent reason, he ought to consider it as seized by a fish, 
 and on such occasions to act as if it were so, striking home 
 in the direction of the current. Commonly, however, the 
 bite or nibble of the trout is unmistakable, although sel- 
 dom, except in the case of parr and small fry, very vigorous. 
 The attack by a good fish upon this kind of bait is quite 
 distinct from what it is upon the worm. He appears, in 
 general, rather to suck at it than seize it — to roll it about 
 in his mouth, as one would a comfit, not to bite or rend it. 
 His instinct, in fact, occasions him to regard the salmon- 
 roe as inert, unresisting matter, while all other substances 
 he is wont to prey upon possess life, motion, and the power 
 of escape. 
 
 In the mode of fishing recommended, the angler, as 
 already hinted, ought to restrict his operations to a single 
 spot in the range or beat occupied by him. Doing so, he 
 
STATE OP THE RIVER. 137 
 
 will most effectually concentrate the feeding trout, and 
 render available a great proportion of his casts. He should 
 on all occasions keep his line taut, sounding, as it were, 
 the bottom with the leads attached to it, and holding on 
 the alert, in case of any sudden strain or stoppage arising 
 from the interference of a fish with his bait. On favour- 
 able days, this will happen in the course of every cast or 
 throw taken by him, and he has only to strike at the proper 
 moment in order to secure the trout. It is scarcely neces-' 
 sary for me to add further instructions upon this subject. 
 A practical lesson or two will avail, beyond all written 
 advice. I shall, accordingly, do little more than append 
 a single remark as to the condition of water and state of 
 the atmosphere best adapted to the kind of fishing under 
 notice. 
 
 October and November being unquestionably the most 
 suitable months, — a flooded river during one or other of 
 them is the sure index of sport. The proper moment for 
 commencing operations is when the water, on its decrease, 
 has begun to assume a yellow or light-brown appearance — 
 the particles of sand and soil being still, to some extent, in 
 an unsettled state. From this period, until it merges into 
 the deeper-brown or black consequent upon most autumnal 
 floods, the salmon-roe may be successfull;^ fished with. 
 Bull-trout and whitHngs are aptest to take it during their 
 ascent from the sea, and at an early stage in the de- 
 crease of the river ; in fact, when its waters are too thick 
 and large for the common fresh-water trout. Calm, frosty 
 weather immediately succeeding a flood is favourable for 
 roe-fishing. If jresh and warm, the sport is generally in- 
 diiferent, the fish seldom, on such occasions, displaying 
 much avidity. They appear also to congregate with greater 
 tardiness, their appetites and perceptions being apparently 
 duller. Eels, however, form an exception to this rule. 
 Even in the depth of winter, when they are supposed by 
 many naturalists to have deserted their fresh-water abodes 
 and betaken themselves to the sea, they may be enticed 
 from their sloughy covers, on mild sunny days, by the 
 scent of salmon-roe. I recollect, some years ago, killing 
 several with this bait in the beginning of January, and, had 
 I been disposed, might easily, on the same occasion, have 
 filled my creel with them. I have also caught chub iii the 
 
138 FISHING WITH THE SALMON-EOE. 
 
 middle of winter, as well as in other seasons of the year, 
 with the roe preparation. 
 
 After ransacking a beat or cast with this bait, it is ad- 
 visable, on some occasions, to have recourse to the worm, 
 in order to pick up, if possible, one or two of the shy or 
 gorged fish that are likely to remain on or near the spot. 
 By adopting this plan, I have more than once hit upon a 
 bull-trout, the only one of the day ; which fish, on such an 
 occasion, I always found replete with the roe-bait. This 
 it managed to pick up on the trail of my hook, or possibly 
 detach from the wire by its own exertions, A combination 
 of the roe and worm is, as I have already stated, frequently 
 resorted to in the ordinary mode of practice on Tweedside. 
 It is sometimes also put in force in the summer season, in 
 small clear waters, the roe being used in the bead form, not 
 actually as a bait, but as an incitement. In fact, at such 
 times it is employed as a mere appendage to the worm, 
 being supposed to attract the trout to the spot, and give 
 them an opportunity of seizing the latter or live bait. 
 Before concluding this chapter, I think it proper once more 
 to disclaim all partiality in behoof of the salmon-roe as an 
 angling bait, beyond the favouring of its occasional use in 
 rivers and streams frequented by the salmon tribe. To 
 these solely it ought to be restricted. I would, on the 
 other hand, most strenuously discountenance its employ- 
 ment on purely trouting waters, urging it as the duty of 
 every true lover of our stream-side recreations to do so 
 likewise. 
 
139 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE SALMON. 
 
 Its Stages.— Parr ; Smolt or Black Fin ; Grilse ; Salmon. 
 
 Pin-bays.— Dorsal,' 13; Pectoral, 12; Ventral, 9; Anal, 9; Caudal, 
 19.— Vertebrce, 60. 
 
 G-ENERio Charactebs. — Head smooth ; body covered with scales ; two 
 dorsal fins, the first supported by rays, the second fleshy, without 
 rays ; teeth on the vomer, both palatine bones, and all the maxil- 
 lary bones; branchiostegous rays varying in number, generally 
 from ten to twelve, but sometimes unequal on the two sides of the 
 head of the same fish. — Yarrell, vol. ii. p. 1. 
 
 Among objects closely associated with the sublime and 
 beautiful, I cannot help classing the noble fish, of which 
 it is my purpose to treat in the following pages. The 
 elegance of its form, the justness of its proportions, its 
 ghttering and gorgeous apparel, all entitle it to rank loftily 
 in the scale of beauty ; while its size and noble bearing, 
 its strength and velocity, the rocks, torrents, and whirl- 
 pools among which it ghdes famihar, unite in some degree 
 to elevate its pretensions, and give it place withal amid 
 creations of sublimity. That it stands unrivalled among 
 the variety of fishes, extending to many hundreds in 
 munber, which inhabit the flood, there can be little 
 question. The dolphin, famed in poetry, whose glowing 
 surface may be termed the pallet of nature, the muUet, 
 the opah or king-fish, the carp, dorie, and sturgeon, aU 
 yield before it the submissive palm. Nor is it undis- 
 tinguished, independent of its shape and beauty, by certain 
 instincts and properties, which elevate it stiU higher above 
 the rest of the finny tribes. 
 
 One of these, the foremost in rank, is the freedom it 
 possesses of transporting itself from the saline abysses of 
 
140 THE SALMON. 
 
 ocean into rivers and lakes; the capability, in fact, of 
 existing and enjoying its existence within two distinct 
 media, differing from each other in taste, in gravity, in 
 motion, and in produce. Certain fish, it is true, such as 
 sturgeon and mullet, eels and flounders, forsake, like the 
 salmon, their sea-haunts, and betake themselves into fresh 
 water. Yet never do we hear of these, or any others, 
 penetrating far inland, and overcoming the strong currents 
 and rapids, with which many rivers abound in the upper 
 districts. To the salmon alone this capacity belongs, and 
 is exercised by its several species, in degrees apportioned 
 to their strength and inclinations. For instance, the 
 eriox or bull-trout, one of these species which, although 
 seldom attaining the size of the full-grown salar, is on the 
 whole a more powerful and venturesome fish, becomes led 
 by its instincts to the very heads and sources of the rivers 
 it fi-equents, and is sometimes found shedding its spawn 
 in feeders where it is scarcely able to turn itself 
 
 Its internal coloub. — Among those peculiarities which 
 distinguish the salmon tribe (salmonidce) from other fishes, 
 I shall also take notice of the pink or reddish colour of its 
 flesh — a distinction which, to the best of my knowledge, 
 it holds in common with none of the finny creation, the 
 tunny excepted. Several naturalists ascribe this colour or 
 complexion to the description of food upon which it sub- 
 sists in the salt water. Dr Knox holds that it is derived 
 from the ova of various kinds of echinodermata, and some 
 of the Crustacea. Others again affirm that it is induced by 
 a species of sea- weed, although they prudently forbear con- 
 descending any further upon the matter. Without alto- 
 gether rejecting such opinions as incorrect, I cannot help 
 asking how it happens that, in absence of all marine suste- 
 nance whatsoever, trout and charr (themselves, it is true, 
 belonging to the same family, but inhabiting fresh-water 
 lakes and streams) acquire, in many instances, the hue 
 referred to. That it proceeds, in their case, as well as that 
 of the marine salmon, from some virtue or peculiarity in 
 the food supplied by them, is very possible. To all who 
 have studied the habits and nature of the fario, or common 
 fresh-water trout, it is well known that its internal colour 
 is largely affected by the quality of its subsistence, and 
 that this fish, when taken from a river or streamlet, (where, 
 
ITS INTERNAL COLOUR. 141 
 
 if suffered to remain season after season, it would assume 
 no tinge of redness whatsoever,) and transferred to a lake 
 or pond containing marl or other rich food, speedily 
 acquires the high complexion in question, independent of 
 other changes, elsewher^ dilated on. — (See chap, i.) 
 
 This is true ; but is there nothing connected with the 
 transformation spoken of to be traced to the fish itself — no 
 inherent tendency, analogous to that which flowers possess, 
 to disclose, under certain circumstances, a particular hue 
 or tinge of colour 1 They, too, (flowers,) depend, to some 
 extent, for their tints and richness of bloom on the suste- 
 nance they are supplied with, or, what is the same thing, 
 on the soils and climates, the manures and moistures, 
 which nourish and refresh them. Still this sustenance is 
 in no case the direct occasion of any particular hue dis- 
 closed by the blossom; otherwise, in plants that live on the 
 same chemical substances, and are reared together on the 
 same soil, the tints and colours unfolded would always be 
 the same, without the possibility of their varying ; whereas 
 it is well known this is not the case, every plant possessing 
 a virtue of its own, which is the secret or origin of its 
 colour, although acted upon in many instances, as florists 
 inform us, by change of circumstances. What I have 
 stated in respect to flowers holds good also as regards 
 trout and salmon. The kind and quality of their food 
 contribute, no doubt, to bring out or exclude the colour 
 spoken of; but this colour is one that really appertains to 
 the fish, and is by no means derived frem the sustenance 
 taken by it. Were such the case, perch and other fresh- 
 water fishes, subsisting on the same kinds of food that 
 trout do, would frequently, like them, acquire the pink or 
 red colour spoken of. 
 
 Of whatever force these observations are, as respects the 
 question at issue, one thing is clear, that the salmon pro- 
 per, whether they derive their high colour from marine 
 sustenance or not, are possessed of it in common with 
 fresh-water trout and charr — ^fishes that have no access to 
 the aliment mentioned by Dr Knox and other naturalists. 
 I may also state a fact weU known on Tweedside, and 
 bearing upon the matter in hand, namely, that although 
 salmon, after their entrance into fresh water, do undoubt- 
 edly, after a time, lose a portion of their high colour, in 
 
142 THE SALMON. 
 
 the same manner as trout and charr do, on becoming 
 what is tedinically called foul ; yet, as is well known, this 
 property is, to some extent, recovered by them after 
 parting with their spawn or milt, before returning to the 
 sea as kelts. 
 
 In reality, however, this question is one of no great 
 esteem or consequence, and may be regarded only as a 
 groundwork for the views of some naturaUsts, in respect 
 to the marine food of the salmon. 
 
 Its food. — That the salmon has, like many other fishes, 
 ' the power of sustaining existence upon minute particles of 
 food — nay, that it is very possible for it to acquire its 
 bulk and delicate richness from aliment, to our ideas so 
 scant and precarious as marine animalculse — cannot be 
 denied ; still, before positively deciding the matter, and 
 leaping to a conclusion, the sole basis of which is vague 
 and fictitious, there can be no harm in demanding one 
 moment's investigation of those parts in the structure of 
 the fish, which are adapted by Providence for the seizure 
 and ingulfment of its prey. 
 
 The salmon, as is well known, is furnished with strong 
 jaws or mandibles — a mouth somewhat capacious, and 
 armed, as well as the tongue, with sharp teeth. It pos- 
 sesses, moreover, a broad gullet, capable of passing at one 
 gulp no inconsiderable quantity of food. Provided with 
 these powers and functions, it is at least reasonable to sup- 
 pose that the inclination to use them is not withheld from 
 their possessor. The fact, however, and it is certainly a 
 singular one, that in few instances on record, food of a 
 corresponding description has been discovered in the sto- 
 mach of the salmon proper, has led to the conviction, on 
 the part of several naturahsts, that it subsists almost en- 
 tirely on marine insects and ova, too minute for the naked 
 eye to distinguish. To get rid of this difficulty, it has been 
 affirmed by some that the stomach of the fish acts upon 
 the food absorbed with a rapidity resembling that of fire. 
 Others, again, assert that the salmon is wont, when in 
 danger of being captured by net or rod, to disgorge what 
 it has swallowed, relieving itself by this process of whatever 
 might help to impair its speed or paralyse its energies. I 
 have remarked that the pike, when hooked, often parts with 
 the contents of its stomach. On one occasion, a large fel- 
 
ITS DIGESTIVE POWEBS. 143 
 
 low which I had hold of, and eventually secured, shot out, 
 while in the act of taking his most desperate spring, a 
 couple of eels, each of them at least sixteen inches in length ; 
 but it is quite possible that in this case, as well as in others 
 which have fallen under my notice, the result mentioned 
 may have been caused solely by the irritative working of 
 the hook, and not in obedience to any law of instinct im- 
 planted in the fish. To discover what occurs with respect 
 to the salmon, under similar circumstances, would require 
 a faculty of perception in the visual organs few are pos- 
 sessed of. I am not, however, 1 confess, disinclined to 
 believe that a fish which engages discussion by the contra- 
 dictory appearances it presents, namely, that of its being 
 furnished with voracious jaws and teeth, as well as an ex- 
 pansive gullet, while the stomach, on almost every occa- 
 sion, is found void and inactive, must be possessed of extra- 
 ordinary resources; nor am I altogether incredulous in 
 respect to what has been related of the power of the diges- 
 tive organs in some fishes, and the celerity with which these 
 consume the food intrusted to them. I have in my pos- 
 session two hooks — one, an Irish tempered bait-hook, taken 
 from the inside of a small trout, the other a large double 
 gorge hook, extracted from the stomach of a pike, both of 
 which present the appearance of their having been sub- 
 jected to some powerful corrosive. The state of the smaller 
 one along the shank has actually been reduced into a black 
 substance, which, betwixt the pressure of finger and thumb, 
 crumbles into powder; whereas the larger piece of wire has 
 been rendered completely attenuated, and is figured over 
 with streaks or water-lines, the entire hook having been 
 exposed to the action of the stomach. The power of the 
 gastric juices in both these instances has been fuUy de- 
 noted, and finds further exemplification in the facihty with 
 which river trout of an insignificant size can digest shell- 
 fish and horn-coated insects of various sorts. With such 
 proofe before me, I feel little hesitation in yielding to the 
 opinion that the digestive organs of the salmon proper are 
 of such power as to account in part for the seeming anomaly 
 which the voracious character of its jaws and gullet, when 
 contrasted with the void condition of the stomach, present 
 to the eye of the examiner. 
 
 It may be held, then, as established, that the usual food 
 
144 THE SALMON. 
 
 of the salmon — that upon which its growth and richness 
 principally depend — is in harmony with its predatory struc- 
 ture. According to eminent naturalists, Mr Yarrell, Dr 
 Fleming, Sir W. Jardine, and others, its favourite food 
 consists of small fishes, among which the sand-eel is parti- 
 cularly mentioned. Sir W. Jardine says, " In the north of 
 Sutherland a mode of fishing for salmon is sometimes suc- 
 cessfally practised in the firths, where sand-eels are used 
 as bait ; a line is attached to a buoy or bladder, and allowed 
 to float with the tide up the narrow estuaries. The salmon 
 are also said to be occasionally taken at the lines set for 
 haddocks, baited with sand-eels." 
 
 While on the north coast of Sutherland, in 1850, I met 
 with more than one party, who mentioned to me having 
 captured salmon and grilses in the manner above described. 
 Besides the sand-eel, the young of the herring, or what is 
 commonly termed in Scotland " the sile," may be held as 
 favourite food with the salmon. I recollect on one occa- 
 sion, 10th June, 1836, on the Nairnshire coast, seeing a 
 fine fish captured by the net, along with some dozens of 
 sea-trout, which had been feasting upon the firy in ques- 
 tion, three specimens of which lay enthralled within its 
 jaws. The sea-trout were crammed with prey of the same 
 description. Another kind of fish esteemed as food by the 
 salmon is the shrimp. This is a peculiar favourite ; and 
 I have heard it asserted, that in the rivers connected with 
 estuaries, where the shrimp is abundant, salmon are more 
 numerous than in those, although they happen to be con- 
 tiguous, which have no such feeding-ground below them. 
 Perhaps this remark holds good rather in relation to sea- 
 trout than salmon ; and curious instances of its truth in 
 that respect may be adduced in regard to several of the 
 Sutherlandshire rivers. I shall confine myself, in illustra- 
 tion, to one of these instances. I take the rivers Inver and 
 Laxford, on the west coast of the county, and running 
 almost parallel to each other, at a distance, as the crow 
 flies, of not more than twenty miles. They convey to the 
 sea about an equal quantity of water, and although their 
 courses differ a little in length, that of the one being about 
 five miles, while the other does not exceed three, there is 
 this stronger feature of resemblance about them, that both 
 proceed from lakes of considerable magnitude, the one 
 
MARINE FEEDING-SKODNDS. 145 
 
 from Loch Assynt communicating higher up with Loch 
 Awe, and the other from Loch Stack, which also has its 
 eommxmioation with an upper range of water. Both the 
 Inver and Laxford hold a reputation as salmon streams ; 
 that acquired by the latter approaching, among rod-fishers, 
 to renown, while the former surpasses mediocrity ; but it 
 is with regard to the proportion of sea-trout respectively 
 haunting their pools and sources that the contrast betwixt 
 the two rivers is most strikingly exemplified. In favour 
 of the Laxford and Loch Stack, this proportion may be 
 stated at ten to ongj when set off against the Inver and 
 Loch Assynt ; indeed, in Loch Assynt it is a rare thing to 
 capture a sea^trout at all, although this splendid sheet of 
 water appears in every respect as well qualified, if not more 
 so, to afford shelter, sustenance, and breeding-ground to 
 the salmo trutta as Loch Stack. The ascent to it, also, is 
 easy, and, I would say, more conformable to the pushing 
 propensities of the fish. It is solely, however, to the dif- 
 ference in the marine feeding-ground at the mouths of the 
 respective rivers that I attribute the disproportion spoken 
 of. In the case of the Inver, this feeding-ground is con- 
 fined to a narrow space ; there are few patches suited to 
 afford a constant supply of nutriment in the shape of sand- 
 eels, shrimps, &c., the prevailing bottom being formed of 
 rocks, stones, and wave-washed tangles; whereas the mouth 
 of the Laxford is accommodated with a large surface of 
 beautiful pasture, in the shape of sandy creeks or bays, 
 which are shallow, and admirably protected from the agi- 
 tation of the Atlantic, so that they afford, at all seasoiis, 
 and in liberal measure, a supply of the sustenance I am 
 referring to. 
 
 With regard to the shrimp, as forming part of the cus- 
 tomary marine food of the salmon, I have heard anglers 
 allege that the jerking motions frequently given to the 
 artificial fly by the rod-fisher, ' bear a close resemblance to 
 those of this little shell-fish ; in short, to this pecuUar play 
 of the lure they attribute, more than to any other cause, 
 the readiness of the salmon to approach and seize it. With 
 this opinion I am not inclined to coincide ; but, as it is 
 held by a sportsman of great celebrity, I think it proper 
 to notice it. 
 
 The food and feeding instincts of the salmon, during its 
 
H6 ON THE GROWTH OP THE SALMON. 
 
 stay in fresh water, have been pretty accurately ascertained. 
 Fish that ascend solely for spawning purposes are naturally 
 enough less intent upon feeding than those which visit the 
 river, as the spring or clean salmon do, for a different ob- - 
 ject. The latter, accordingly, seize with greater avidity 
 the lures presented to them, whether in the shape of fly, 
 parr-tail, minnow, or lob-worm ; so also do the kelts, or 
 spawned fish, during their descent in the spring season ; 
 and, with respect to fish ascending for spawning purposes, 
 which all grilses and salmon, running, after the month of 
 June, up to the close of the season, are presumed to do, 
 those nearest maturity are, generally speaking, least in- 
 clined to feed : I do not say, however, that they will not, 
 even when at the eve, or in the act, of spawning, accept on 
 occasions the baits of the angler ; aU I affirm is, that fish, 
 heavy with roe or milt, are less intent upon feeding than 
 those which are not so encumbered. 
 
 The BEBEriNG op Salmon. — The natural history of the 
 salmon has of recent years engaged' largely the attention 
 of the public. As the produce of our British rivers, an 
 article of food and commercial speculation, held in the 
 highest esteem both at home and abroad, no wonder this 
 royal fish should engage inquiry in various quarters. By 
 no other preliminary means, indeed, than a careful inves- 
 tigation into its habits and instincts, can we expect to see 
 carried, in regard to it, such a course of enactments as 
 will both prevent all likelihood of its extirpation, and secure 
 to the public a fixed and seasonable supply of so invaluable 
 a commodity. 
 
 Every experiment ventured for the purpose of unravel- 
 ling its history ought to be looked upon with interest, 
 every discovery made with respect to it hailed with satis- 
 faction ; nor, in default of such discoveries, should disre- 
 gard be paid to opinions, based upon observation and a 
 knowledge of the comparative habits of animals. 
 
 Among the discoveries of the day, pertaining to the 
 salmoh, those which relate to its breeding, the ripening 
 and hatching of the ova, the growth of the smolt, and its 
 identity with the parr or fingerling, are not the least 
 remarkable. The disclosures made upon these points are, 
 it is almost unnecessary to state, the result of experiments 
 conducted by Mr Shaw, Drumlanrig, and Mr Young, 
 Invershin. I cannot sufficiently praise the motive which 
 
CONFINED SMOLTS. 147 
 
 induced such gratuitous labours in behalf of this depart- 
 ment of science, nor shall I withhold my testimony to the 
 extreme, I would almost say fastidious, care and attention 
 which distinguished the experiments I refer to. 
 
 Several of Mr Shaw's specimens, the actual produce of 
 the Drumlanrig ponds, were submitted some years ago to 
 my inspection ; and I had the pleasure, in 1850, of exa- 
 inining, step by step, the entire collection of preserved 
 ovicles, illustrative of the hatching and breeding processes, 
 as they were conducted at Invershin. With regard to the 
 hatching of the ova, it has been ascertained that it is com- 
 pleted within a period ranging from ninety to a hundred 
 and thirty-five days, according to the temperature of the 
 water in which the pellets happen to be exposed. When 
 at 45°, the young are hatched within ninety days ; but 
 should the mean height of the thermometer not exceed 
 36°, a hundred and fourteen days and upwards are re- 
 quired. On the young fish emerging firom the external 
 membrane, the remains of the yolk continue attached to 
 them, and are not completely absorbed until the expira- 
 tion of four or five weeks, during which period they act in 
 the place of nourishment. The period occupied in the 
 hatching of the ova, as well as that taken up in the con- 
 sumption of the bag or membrane, is differently stated, I 
 may mention, by the two observers ; but the variance in 
 the result of their experiments may, according to Mr 
 Shaw's own showing, be easily accounted for, and was due, 
 no doubt, to the dissimilarity of temperature to which the 
 ova were subjected in their respective localities — a dis- 
 similarity which may have affected as much the absorp- 
 tion of the external membrane, as it did the bringing to 
 life of the ova themselves. . 
 
 A much more important subject of difference in the 
 observations of Mr Shaw and Mr Young, is as regards the 
 period during which the parr, or infant fish, continues in 
 our rivers, before assuming its migratory dress. Mr 
 Young holds that this period is limited to a twelvemonth; 
 Mr Shaw extends it over two years. For my own part, I 
 lean strongly to the opinions expressed by Mr Young, 
 who, it may be observed, has a thousand opportunities for 
 one that Mr Shaw, on the banks of the Nith, (a very indif- 
 ferent salmon-river,) is afforded, for observing the habits 
 and instincts of the fish in its free state. The views 
 
14S ON THE GROWTH OF THE SAIMON. 
 
 expressed by Mr Shaw are grounded plainly upon es.^^- 
 ments made in the Drumlanrig ponds, where the fry, 
 having been cooped up within artificial embankments, 
 and deprived of all the advantages which, over an open 
 stretch of river, they would otherwise have received, 
 become, to a certain extent, altered as to their habits and 
 instincts. In corroboration of which opinion, I may 
 remark, that after the general descent of the Tweed 
 smolts, (which is accomphshed, in ordinary years, before 
 the middle of May,) there are found in the river and its 
 tributaries, along with the infant fry, of two inches in 
 length, a hmited number of parrs, evidently the product 
 of the same year, or cotemporaneous with the smolts 
 themselves, but which, from some cause or another, had 
 not assumed the migratory garb, and were indisposed to 
 quit their fresh-water abode. With these stragglers anglers 
 on Tweedside are well acquainted. They often form matter 
 of discussion betwixt them, and at one time were produced 
 in support of their theory, who affirmed that the parr 
 was a distinct species or variety of trout. The limited 
 number and large size of such fish (I have seen them of 
 the weight of 5J oz.) preclude the idea that they form 
 anything but exceptions to the general law, which un- 
 doubtedly is, that parrs of a year's growth assume the 
 migratory garb, and quit the rivers in shoals or masses. 
 As to the causes which delay the assumption of the silver 
 scale, as well as their descent to the sea, on the part of these 
 stragglers, I do not hesitate to affirm that they approxi- 
 mate closely to those causes which influence the Drum- 
 lanrig parrs. Mr Shaw and his supporters will probably 
 say that such exceptions as I am referring to are parrs of 
 the third year. If so, what has become of those a twelve- 
 month behind them ? For, in the months of May and 
 June, you find in Tweed no other class of parrs sufficient 
 in point of size to take the lures of the angler ; nor can 
 you discern, or capture with the hand-net, any, save the 
 infant fry themselves, at that time seldom exceeding two 
 inches in length ; whereas, according to Mr Shaw's belief, 
 the river ought to swarm with one-year-old parrs, of 3J 
 inches and upwards.* 
 
 * My friend Ephemera draws a distinction, in his Handbook of the 
 Salmon, betwist the " parr " and the proper fry of the sahnon. The 
 
MiaRATION OP SALMON PET. 149 
 
 Having seen it stated lately in a weekly newspaper, 
 that this point of difference betwixt Mr Shaw and Mr 
 Young had been satisfactorily arranged, I take the freedom 
 of introducing the following extract from "a letter, dated 
 " Invershin, 24:th January 1853," in which the opinion of 
 the latter observer on this subject is consistently main- 
 tained : " The fry remain in the river one whole year, 
 from the time they are hatched to the time they assume 
 the silvery coat, and take their first departure for the sea. 
 All the experiments we have made on the ova and fry of 
 the salmon have exactly corresponded to the same effect, 
 and none of them have taken longer in arriving at the 
 smolt than the first year." 
 
 Migration op Salmon Fet. — In connection with the 
 growth of the salmon fry, it may be mentioned, in order 
 to account for the diversity of sizes in the Tweed parrs 
 and smolts, compared with what, in that respect, distin- 
 guishes the infant fish of our Highland rivers, that the 
 spawning season on our Border streams extends from 
 October to the end of April. I have caught, on more 
 occasions than one, unspawned grilses in the beginning 
 of May, many of whose compeers were in as highly 
 an advanced state during the middle of the preceding 
 autumn, or nearly eight months back. In no one season 
 that I can recollect of, during a residence of sixteen years 
 on Tweedside, have the active breeding months fallen 
 short of five or six — a stretch of time quite sufficient to 
 account for that diversity in the sizes of the parrs and 
 smolts to which attention has been frequently called. It 
 is during the migrations of the fry especially that- this 
 diversity attracts notice ; and I have often been asked to 
 explain why the migrating smolts, passing Kelso in April 
 or May, are of smaller size, and more numerous, than the 
 parrs of the bygone October were in the same locality 1 To 
 this inquiry, my invariable answer is : " These smolts, now 
 descending in large bodies, are from the upper part of the 
 river and its tributaries, which, if you take the trouble 
 to proceed to and investigate, you will find at present 
 nearly vacated. They are the accumulated produce of 
 
 proper fiy of the salmon is, and from time immemorial has been, the 
 " parr or garrat" of Tweed, the parr of Tay, Teith, and all om: Scottish 
 rivers. Why change the designation ? 
 
150 ON THE GROWTH OF THE SALMON. 
 
 a late succession of fish, which the floods of winter had 
 assisted to carry up to the higher spawning-grounds, and 
 were hatched, in all probability, a twelvemonth ago, from 
 deposits of ova cast in January, February, or March ; 
 whereas the local parrs were, in some measure — I do not 
 say altogether — the produce of an earlier succession of 
 fish, those that ascended during the autumnal months, 
 and spawned in the lower parts of the main river. Of 
 these latter, it is only reasonable to suppose that a large 
 proportion have already gone down to the sea in advance 
 of the main body, and that they commenced doing so, 
 while the migratory dress was still incomplete, in the 
 beginning of March, or even February. This early de- 
 scent of smolts, not being accompanied by any accu- 
 mulation of numbers, but carried on gradually without 
 show, may have escaped notice ; but that it takes place in 
 Tweed and other rivers, there can be little doubt : indeed, 
 how otherwise are we to account for the appearance of 
 grilses in the months of May and June, in some instances 
 not three weeks after the descent of the general body of 
 salmon fry 1 " 
 
 Confined Smolts. — Salmon fry may be kept alive in 
 fresh-water ponds for three, four, or even six years. It 
 cannot be expected that, during this state of confinement, 
 their condition wiU greatly improve, or that the change 
 from the smolt stage to that of the grilse will be charac- 
 terised by a rapidity of growth corresponding, in the 
 slightest degree, to what accompanies the same process 
 of transition when undergone in salt water. A change, 
 however, does take place, and the fry eventually assume 
 all the features which distinguish the proper grilse. I 
 was favoured, in the spring of 1850, with a package con- 
 taining several specimens of young salmon, newly cap- 
 tured, which had been transferred as parrs, four years 
 before, from the Yarrow to a pond at Bowhill, the seat 
 of His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch. These specimens 
 of imprisoned smolts were aU pretty much of the same 
 length, eleven inches and upwards. They were as plenti- 
 fully coated with silver scales as newly-run grilses. A 
 fine sea-green colour pervaded the back, and they uni- 
 formly displayed, in the bearing of the head and tail, as 
 well as the disposition of their fins and macuke, the 
 
SEA-TEOUT PRY. X51 
 
 Characteristic markings of the species they belong to. 
 The effects, however, of the restraint they had undergone 
 were manifest in their lank state of body. As regarded 
 breadth, depth, and girth, they were shrunk to half their 
 dimensions ; and instead of exceeding a pound, as from 
 its length might have been expected, the heaviest of them 
 all weighed short of seven ounces. On cutting two of them 
 up with my penknife, I foimd the flesh to be of a beautiful 
 salmon colour, and the roe-leaf, in both, small but per- 
 fectly formed. 
 
 On the 13th of June 1851, I had an opportunity of 
 angling in the pond from which these had been taken, and 
 where a considerable number of their fellow captives stUl 
 remained. They probably do so to this day. One of these 
 I was not long in securing, and a singular specimen it pre- 
 sented (as can be testified by Mr D. Robertson of Kelso, 
 and Mr James Kerss, head gamekeeper at Bowhill, Mho 
 were with me on the occasion) of a salmon fry acted on by 
 lengthy restraint. A she-fish it was, on the eve of getting 
 rid, if practicable under the circumstances, of a complement 
 of diseased ova, along with which were discovered, on ex- 
 amination, the lobes of roe requisite to form an ulterior 
 deposit. The diseased peUets, although belonging to a fish 
 not so large as an ordinary-sized hemng, were, one and 
 all of them, bigger than a sweet pea — in fact, approached 
 individually the size of matured grilse ova. The number, 
 of course, was limited. With respect to the after-growth, 
 each lobe was fully an inch and a half in length, and con- 
 sisted of particles as large as turnip seed. 
 
 Sea-teout Fet.— The identity of the bl9,ck-fin smolt 
 with the parr or fingerling having been established beyond 
 all doubt, there remains a question for which, among the 
 discoveries of the day and the opinions of eminent natu- 
 ralists, I have in vain sought a solution ; and this question 
 is connected with the appearance during the smolt season 
 of another species of fry, commonly called the orange-fin, 
 or young of the sea-trout. These, during the month of 
 April, are found in incredible numbers haunting most of 
 our Border rivers, and associated with the masses of black- 
 fins on their descent to the sea ; but the strange thing is, 
 that, although invariably they are larger, and apparently of 
 greater age than the others, there is no indication of their 
 
152 ON THE GROWTH OP THE SALMON. 
 
 existence in the parr state, or at any other period, except 
 what is termed the smolt season, in the streams I refer to. 
 That they hold no relation to the true parr whatsoever, is 
 at once acknowledged by all who have seen them. The 
 markings on the gill cover are quite different, and the re- 
 moval of the scales or smolt plumage revels nothing at aU 
 resembling the blue finger-marks which distinguish the fry 
 of the salar. Is it possible, I ask, that they are the produce 
 of the bygone spawning season ? If so, their dimensions 
 at the age of two or three months (the generality of them 
 cannot be older, seeing that the great bulk of sea-trout 
 ascending our Border river for spawning purposes does not 
 make its appearance until the latter end of October, when 
 the net-fishings are suspended) exceed those of the black- 
 fin smolt upwards of a year, Mr Shaw would say upwards 
 of two years, old — a circumstance certainly strange and 
 inconsistent, but one which we are necessarily forced to 
 admit, until, from what are supposed to be entirely the fry 
 of the common river-trout, we can separate a portion bear- 
 ing the specific markings of the seartrout, and justly entitled 
 to be considered as their parrs or yearlings. In the salt 
 water, the orange-fin smolt is not distinguished by any re- 
 markable celerity of growth. While resident at the mouth 
 of the Moray Firth, in 1836, 1 had several opportunities of 
 ascertaining this fact. During the summer evenings, six 
 or seven weeks after the general descent of the smelts 
 belonging to the Nairn water, I occasionally, when the 
 tide was full, took a few throws with the fly, in hopes of 
 capturing a sea-trout or two, hundreds of which were 
 crowding in along the line of coast, and leaping almost 
 within rod's-length of the beach. Although not very suc- 
 cessful in securing fuU-grown specimens, I invariably 
 caught a number of orange-fins, none of which struck me 
 as distinguished by much increase of size, or even change 
 of external appearance, on account of their stay in the sea. 
 There might, indeed, be a trifle more of fulness in their 
 proportions — and I think they displayed a thicker and 
 firmer set coating of scales, although upon these points I 
 pretend not to accuracy; still there was nothing about 
 their growth to favour the idea that they could possibly, 
 during that season at least, acquire the dimensions of the 
 whitling, or even the full-grown finnock. I may mention, 
 
MARINE GROWTH OF THE SALMON. 163 
 
 however, that in July I caught fish, evidently of the same 
 hatching, in the Nairn water, on their ascent in the shape 
 of small finnooks, none of which exceeded half a pound in 
 weight. 
 
 Marine Growth of the Salmon. — ^This comparatively 
 speaking tardy transition of the orange-fin into the finnock 
 or sea-trout, teken in conjunction with its imaccountable 
 appearance as a smolt in bur rivers, and rapid growth 
 while there, is not less singular than are the facts ascer- 
 tained as to the celerity with which the black-fin of three 
 or four ounces is converted into the grilse of five or six 
 pounds. Experiments on various rivers, and by various 
 parties, have been made, which bid fair to establish, if 
 they have not already done so, this point of importance in 
 the natural history of the salmon. The Duke of Atholl, 
 Messrs Hogarth of Aberdeen^ Mr Young of Invershin, and 
 others, have all and severally contributed to give verifica- 
 tion to what has long been the prevailing opinion of 
 fishermen as to the rapid conversion of the black-fin smolt 
 into the grilse. Their experiments also prove the identity 
 of the grilse with the salmon, and the corresponding 
 celerity with which this ulterior stage of transition becomes 
 effected under marine influences. In a pamphlet pubhshed 
 in 1848, on The Natural History and Habits of the Salmon, 
 Mr Young states: "We have, marked the smolts with 
 various marks, and for a twofold purpose — first, to ascer- 
 tain if they actually returned to the same rivers; and 
 secondly, to ascertain how long they remained in the sea 
 before they returned to the rivers. From these repeated 
 experiments and observations, we have arrived at the 
 facts of their actual habits. First, we marked the smolts 
 by a perforation in the caudal fin. This was done by par- 
 ticular nipping irons, expressly made for the purpose, and 
 the markings took place at different times during the 
 months of April and May. In the course of the months 
 of June and July following, we caught them returning to 
 the rivers beautiful grilses, varying fi:om three to eight 
 pounds, the difference being entirely regulated by the 
 length of time they had remained in the sea, and none of 
 them being found but in the rivers where they were 
 marked. Again, in the following months of April and 
 May, we marked a number of the descending smolts by 
 
164 ON THE GROWTH OF THE SALMON. 
 
 cutting the odipaBe or dead fin clean off the back, and we 
 found them returning to the rivers where they were 
 marked with the same punctuality as the others had done 
 which had the perforated marks. Although it is unneces- 
 sary to particularise all the repeated markings and return- 
 ings, aU of which tended to the same facts, we may men- 
 tion that specimens of these may be seen in the Eoyal 
 Society's Museum in Edinburgh, with an exact account of 
 their goings and returnings, all of which show the length 
 of time they remain in the sea, as well as their pimotuality 
 in returning to the rivers where they were bred." 
 
 In the same pamphlet Mr Young quotes a singular 
 instance of the rapid increase of weight which salmon are 
 capable of acquiring while in salt water. " Among many 
 others, in March 1845, in the river Tay, near Dunkeld, 
 his grace the Duke of Athol caught a spawned salmon ten 
 pounds weight, which he then marked with a zinc ticket. 
 No. 129, and returned it to the river, and, of course, very 
 soon afterwards it had gone down to the sea. In the 
 short space of five weeks and three days, the same salmon, 
 with the ticket attached to it, was caught returning from 
 the sea on a fishing station at Pitfour ; and when caught, it 
 weighed twenty-one pounds and a quarter, being an in- 
 crease of eleven pounds and a quarter in the short space of 
 five weeks and three days ! " 
 
 An opinion prevails at present on Tweedside that the 
 smolts remain a year and upwards in the sea, before 
 ascending as grilses. A marked smolt of 1851, it is 
 alleged, was captured as a grilse in 1852. On this subject 
 Mr Young, in explanation, writes : " As the result of all 
 our experiments, th6 smolts that go down to the sea in the 
 spring are the grilses of that season. I have seen smolts in 
 February, and have caught grilses in April. We have 
 always a number of smolts going down in March, and a 
 number of grilses in May. We have the great throng of 
 smolts descending in April and May, and the principal 
 throng of grilses ascending in June and July. This only 
 takes place in regard to rivers where the fish are allowed 
 to have their natural course, and not at ail in regard to 
 such as the Tweed, where they destroy the principal 
 breeders before the netting is closed : any fish left in such 
 rivers are entirely thrown out of the regular course ap- 
 
ITS MIGRATIONS. 155 
 
 pointed by nature, and these fish, of course, can neither 
 have a natural feeding-time nor lareeding-time. In all our 
 marking of smolts, and that was done frequently, we never 
 yet had the fortune, or rather the misfortune, to get one 
 grilse, as a grilse, the second year after marking." Again, 
 " Spawned salmon and grilses, when marked in their foul 
 state, have .never been known to remain at sea much more 
 than two months." 
 
 The black-fin smolt, after its descent into the salt-water, 
 until the period when it ascends as a grilse, does not, I 
 have reason to believe, wander to any great distance from 
 the breeding river. The limit of its peregrinations coast- 
 wise extends, in the average, to ten or twelve miles ; but 
 where there is a firth, such as that of the Forth or Moray, 
 its range is much greater. The grilses of July and August, 
 which ascend in shoals, proceed from localities very near 
 the mouth of the breeding stream, where they are naturally 
 more crowded. The late-running fish of this description 
 are chiefly stragglers from a greater distance, or such as 
 are kept back by the presence of stake-nets at the entrance 
 of the river. These, during calm, clear weather, they 
 readily detect, and, until discovering a free passage, will 
 continue in their vicinity, often for weeks together. 
 
 Salmon at no stage, except in regard to their fresh- water 
 excursions, are migratory fish. They very rarely leave 
 our coasts, but not unfrequently, in their wanderings, lose 
 reckoning of their native stream, and ascend other rivers. 
 Thus, a Forth salmon is sometimes found in Tweed, a Tay 
 fish in Forth, and so on. It is quite ridiculous to talk of 
 their Arctic voyages. I do not believe that even the her- 
 ring travels far from where it is captured. It only retires 
 from the surface, to which, at certain seasons, it rises in 
 great shoals ; and this is proved by the fact that, in the 
 west coast of Scotland, many of the lochs or estuaries pos- 
 sess severally their peculiar breed of this fish, which breed 
 or variety is never captured at a distance from its native 
 arm of the sea, either entering or returning. As illustra- 
 tions, I mention the herrings of Loch Broom, Loch Torri- 
 don. Loch Carron, and Loch Fyne, each of which saltr 
 water estuaries contains its distinctly marked breed or 
 variety. 
 
 While touching on this subject, I may state, that not 
 
156 ON THE GROWTH OP THE SALMON. 
 
 only every main salmon-river throughont Scotland pos- 
 sesses a breed of its own, quite recognisable by the expe- 
 rienced eye, but even the tributaries of those rivers, such, 
 of course, as are frequented by breeding fish, give birth to 
 a peculiar variety. There ascend Conan, for instance, four 
 varieties of the salmon : its own, and those of its three 
 principal feeders, the Kasay or Blackwater, the Orrin, and 
 the Meig. The breed peculiar to one river is also capable 
 of being transferred to another, while in the condition of 
 ova or unhatched spawn. Mr Buist of Perth, and Mr 
 Young of Invershin, have proved this by various experi- 
 ments. 
 
 It has been asserted, that, in order to spawn, salmon do 
 not require to enter the fresh water at all, and that hun- 
 dreds efifect that object along the line of coast, in bays, 
 creeks, and marine lochs. 
 
 That salmon, or even sea-trout, ever deposit their ova in 
 salt-water, is a mere conjecture, unconfirmed by a single 
 fact or incident falling under the observation of those that 
 form it. It is, moreover, a conjecture rendered greatly 
 improbable, when the ascertained habits of that species of 
 fish which is most closely allied to the salmon are held in 
 view — I mean the common fresh-water trout. These, the 
 fresh-water trout inhabiting all lakes or ponds fed by 
 streams or even rills of insignificant depth, breed freely ; 
 but where there are no such feeders, nor any regular escape 
 of water in their place, they are well known to be incapable 
 of spawning. They require, in fact, to leave their still 
 abodes, and enter the sluices or currents, in order to ac- 
 complish this process. It is thus, also, I maintain, with 
 salmon and sea-trout. They are quite as incapable of 
 spawning in the sea as the others are in lakes or even deep 
 pools ; and this is shown very forcibly in the strenuous 
 efforts they make, at certain seasons, to ascend our rivers. 
 They will steer their way circumspectly through a laby- 
 rinth of stake-nets to the mouth ; pushing onward, they 
 will risk the manifold hazards of the seine or long-drag ; 
 these escaped, they will glide along, through pool and 
 stream, under terror of new contrivances — the cairn-net, 
 the spear or leister, and angling lures of aU descriptions ; 
 now they will stem the rapid, now cleave the whirlpool, 
 and, dashing onwards, work up, with exposed fin, along 
 
SIZE OF SALMON. 157 
 
 the shallows. No barrier but they strive to surmount ; 
 even the crashing, thundering, and impracticable waterfall, 
 headed and hemmed in with rocks, is not left untried by 
 these adventurous explorers. And why all this persevering 
 ardour — this scorn of danger 1 Surely not for the purpose, 
 as some affirm, of getting rid merely of a few parasitical 
 insects? Why but, in obedience of their powerful instincts, 
 to accomplish those duties which Nature hath made urgent, 
 in order to maintain and propagate the species 1 
 
 These instincts, it is evident, lead the fish in question 
 to push far inland in order to deposit their spawn, and 
 imply, on their part, a dread of salt water, as prejudicial 
 to the hatching of the ova. How can it be otherwise 1 Is 
 it on the space betwixt low and high water mark that the 
 ova are presumed to be deposited, alternately left bare and 
 covered over by the retreating and flowing tides — subject, 
 even if careftdly buried, to be raked up by the billows, 
 and thrown resistlessly upon the beach, deprived of the 
 protection of the parent fish, and exposed to hazards of a 
 hundred descriptions ? The idea is quite irrational. Is it, 
 then, beyond tide-reach, in water comparatively deep? 
 Even in rivers, salmon, while spawning, resort to the 
 shoals, instinctively by doing so courting for their deposit 
 the action of solar heat, in order to vivify and hatch it ; 
 and it is plain, from the size and nature of the pellets, 
 compared with those of other marine fishes, such as cod, 
 &c., that they require this action. 
 
 That salmon do not, as alleged by some, breed in salt 
 water, may also be inferred from the circumstance that 
 they are seldom or never met with on those coasts where 
 the breeding streams are not of sufficient size to admit of 
 their ascent. Along the shores of Great Britain and the 
 sister island, where there are so many contiguous streams 
 and firths, it may be difficult to adduce a single instance 
 in illuBtration of this fact. I have ascertained, however, 
 that around the Shetland Islands, where there are numbers 
 of small streams sufficient in run to favour the breeding of 
 sear-trout, these fish are proportionably abundant; but 
 that the true salar, which the rivulets referred to are un- 
 able to accommodate, is not known in their vicinity. 
 
 Size of Salmon. — I shall conclude what I have here to 
 say upon the salmon, by adducing one or two facts relative 
 
158 ON THE GROWTH OF THE SALMON. 
 
 to the size which this fish occasionally arrives at oh our 
 British coasts, coupled with a few remarks as to its power 
 of surmounting cascades, &c. 
 
 The largest salmon on record is perhaps that made men- 
 tion of by Mr Yarrell as in the possession of Mr Groves 
 of Bond Street in 1821. It had attained the extraordinary 
 weight of eighty-three pounds. That this specimen, how- 
 ever, was a native of our British rivers, I have not ascer- 
 tained. I think it probable that it was a Continental fish, 
 of Dutch or Norwegian origin. Pennant states that he 
 has heard of a salmon seventy-four pounds in weight. Mr 
 LasceUes, in his "Letters on Sporting," refers to one caught 
 with the fly in Scotland, weighing fifty-four and a half 
 pounds. A still larger fish, sixty pounds in weight, was 
 captured in the Wye by J. Evans, Esq., and presented to 
 the Duke of Beaufort. Of late years, the largest of our 
 British salmon secured by means of the rod and fly, was 
 taken 6th of November 1849, on the Tweed opposite Kelso, 
 at a cast called the Putt, by — Prescott, Esq. It weighed 
 thirty-six pounds, and was, I am informed by the fisher- 
 man Walter Stevenson, a well-conditioned and beautifiiUy 
 built fish. At the LandsteU station, Tweedmouth, a salmon 
 weighing forty-three and a half pounds was captured by 
 the net in 1850. Two or three of still greater size have 
 since been captured both on Tweed and Tay. Fish ranging 
 fi-om twenty to thirty pounds are not uncommon, but the 
 lower figure mentioned is still much above the average ; 
 indeed, except in the Tay and Forth, the majority of Scotch, 
 salmon — I do not speak of grilses — are under a stone in 
 weight. 
 
 What is designated by fishermen, in some localities, the 
 "grey schule," is the largest and most compactly built 
 order of the salar or salmon proper. The fish so called 
 ascend, for the purpose of spawning, late in the year, 
 seldom before the last week of October, and continue 
 leaving the sea as stragglers until February. They are 
 evidently, from their make, fish of greater age than the 
 general run of salmon, varying from these, in the same 
 proportion, in respect to external appearance, as th^ do 
 from the grilses. 
 
 In its grilse stage, the salmon has been known to attain 
 the weight of sixteen pounds. I have frequently seen 
 
SALMON-LEAPS. 169 
 
 grilses taken in Tweed weighing eleven or twelve pounds. 
 The minimum weight of the fish, in its grilse stage, is as 
 low as half a pound ; that of the matured salmon less 
 than three pounds. I have taken them several times of 
 these respective weights — and that on their ascent, not as 
 kelts. 
 
 The power of the salmon, in surmounting cascades and 
 waterfalls, has frequently been discussed. Mr YarreU 
 states that its highest leaps are fi'om eight to ten feet. At 
 the falls of Rogie, on the Blackwater in Ross-shire, as well 
 at the Shin faUs and those of the Kirkaig, I have had fre- 
 quent opportunities of observing this fish attempting to 
 overcome a high natural barrier ; and my impression is, 
 that Mr Y.- slightly underrates its maximum power. The 
 falls first mentioned, at the part where the salmon generally 
 endeavour to ascend, are divided by an intermediate pool 
 or cauldron into two portions, the lower of which appears 
 easily scrambled up when the river is at all swollen, but the 
 upper one is perpendicular, and requires to be sprung over 
 at once. Their leap before surmounting this latter ob- 
 struction, I am inchned to think, requires to exceed 
 twelve feet. 
 
 In ascending cauld dykes and falls not exceeding four 
 feet in height, salmon, unless under peculiar circumstances, 
 seldom emerge from the water, but steer their course up- 
 ward, as if the headlong nature of the current presented 
 little or no resistance. When the overshoot, however, is 
 shallow or broken, and discharges itself into a pool or 
 guUy of considerable depth, affording facilities for the fish 
 to take its spring, it generally does so. 
 
 The upper falls at Kilmorack, on the Beauley, are said 
 to be twelve feet in height, and those of Tummel eighteen 
 feet. The former, as is well known, are frequently sur- 
 mounted by salmon j and, above the latter, this fish has 
 been captured oftener than once. To meet with its fry, in 
 the spring season, above Loch Tummel, is a matter of com- 
 mon occurrence. In 1847, a fine salmon was taken, by 
 means of the rod, in the loch itself, several miles above the 
 falls' I have alluded to. 
 
IGO 
 
 CHAPTEK X. 
 
 SEA-TROUT. 
 
 Under the general term sea-trout, are included the salmo 
 erJoa;, or bull-trout ; the saZmoirMto, or sahnon-troutj and 
 the salmo alius, a designation given by Dr Fleming to the 
 Finnock or Herling. The salmo eriox, or bull-trout, is a 
 fish well known to Tweed anglers. It attains occasionally 
 a large size. I once saw an individual, taken out of the 
 river Carron, in Eoss-shire, which weighed upwards of 
 twenty-four pounds. They have been caught in Tweed a 
 stone weight, and I have frequently, when rod-fishing, 
 kiUed them weighing eight pounds. They ascend in scanty 
 numbers during the spring and summer seasons, but are 
 then in excellent condition. On the whole, however, they 
 are a coarse fish, when compared with the solar, or salmon 
 proper. They want the same richness of taste ; and the 
 internal colour of the flesh is much fainter and less inviting. 
 Still there is no fish that I know of which afibrds, on being 
 hooked, such sport to the angler. In proportion to their 
 size, they are much stronger and more wayward in their 
 movements than the salmon, and test to a greater extent 
 the sufficiency of the tackle. Although, as I have men- 
 tioned, comparatively scanty during the spring and sum- 
 mer seasons, they ascend the river, on the occurrence of 
 a flood, in enormous quantities, at a later period of the 
 year. Betwixt the middle of October, when the net-fishings 
 close, and end of November, I have no doubt that, in 
 ordinary seasons, fully a million of these fifih enter Tweed,- 
 and push upward to the very sources of its tributaries and 
 their feeders. I have seen them, weighing five or sis pounds, 
 
THE BDLL-TBOUT. 161 
 
 taken by means of the leister, out of insignificant bums 
 close to Mosspaul ; I have known them to be captured by 
 the score in the upper portions of the main river, of Lyne, 
 Manor, Gala, Yarrow, Ettrick, and Leader, sometimes in 
 mere threads of water connected with these streams. They 
 frequent the Ale^ Kale, and Oxnam running into Teviot. 
 They ascend the Till and Whita4der, wending their way 
 around the bases of Cheviot and into the heart of the Lam- 
 mermuirs. 
 
 During these journeys, which are undertaken for the 
 purpose of spawning, the bull-trout, unlike the salmon, is 
 not content to fast as it proceeds. It is evidently a fish 
 of great voracity, but endowed with strong instincts and 
 perceptions. In the very heat of its process, it may be 
 enticed readily to the hook by means of salmon-roe em- 
 ployed as a bait, especially on a cold day, and when the 
 water is large and discoloured. Its sense of smell, in com- 
 mon with that of the river-trout and whitling, is so delicate 
 as to occasion the detection of the above-mentioned bait at 
 the distance of many yards, and in a favourable state of 
 water it wiU seldom refuse it. I have known of as many 
 as twenty fish of this description, weighing on the average 
 three poimds a-piece, having been taken, by means of a 
 single rod, and in the course of a few hours, from Tweed, 
 aU of which were on the run upwards, as, on occasions of this 
 sort, is indicated by their coming to the surface every now 
 and then. At the period referred to, although frequently they 
 exhibit an attractive appearance externally, the buU-trout, 
 with few exceptions, are very inferior as food, and contain 
 large quantities of roe. The kipper fish, however, being in 
 a more backward state of maturity, are sometimes pre- 
 sentable enough. 
 
 The bullrtrout is distinguished fi:om the salmon by the 
 number oi^'^aculce on its gill cover— -the salmon or grilse 
 seldom exhibiting above one or two spots on that part of 
 the head. It is also more plentifully strewn with spots on 
 the back, shoulders, and upper portion of the flaiij the 
 teeth are long and strongly formed; the tail square and 
 expansive; aii,d the scales, which are much smaller in pro- 
 portion thafll those of th§ salar, adhere tenaciously to the 
 skin. 
 
162 SEA-TEOHT. 
 
 Mr Yarrell says that, during its second year, it is termed 
 a wMtling in the Tweed. By many fishermen it certainly 
 is so, but quite erroneously. What I have always regarded 
 as a whitling, and what others in common with myself hold 
 as such, diifers in many respects from the bull-trout. It 
 agrees, in fact, more with Mr Yarrell's description of the 
 scdmo truUa. . Its tail is forked, its mouth tender and 
 armed with small teeth ; the spots on the gill cover are 
 silvered over, or but faintly marked in comparison with 
 those of the eriox; the ones on the back, shoulders, and 
 upper portion of the flank are few, and occupy a lighter 
 ground ; while the scales, in proportion, are much larger, 
 and less tenacious. The true whitling, which seldom ex- 
 ceeds three pounds in weight, ascends Tweed in June and 
 July — the run of bull-trouts during the above months 
 being comparatively scant. Quantities also make their 
 appearance after the removal of the nets, and I have fre- 
 quently captured, by means of the salmon-roe, whitlings 
 and bull-trout on the same occasion, the former equalling 
 the latter in point of size. There is another distinguishing 
 peculiarity in the whitling, namely, that its flesh is much 
 redder and better flavoured than that of the eriox. It 
 occasionally, also, like the latter fish, attains large dimen- 
 sions, without losing any of its characteristic features, 
 except, as in the case of the grilse on becoming a salmon, 
 the tail acquires more squareness, its central rays lengthen- 
 ing as the fish advances in age. 
 
 The finnock or herling is included by Dr Fleming among 
 the diiferent species of sea-trout, under the designation of 
 salmo attttbs. I have been fortunate enough to have had an 
 opportunity of capturing this fish, or one answering in some 
 degree to its description, in various rivers in difierent parts 
 of Scotland. I have taken it in Ross-diire, in the Conan 
 and the Carron; in Sutherlandshire, in the Laxford, Loch, 
 Stack, Inchard, Fleet, Brora, &o. I have caught it over 
 and over again, in the Nairn, the Ness, as weU as in the 
 Findhorn. I have also angled for it successfully in the 
 Lochie, and other streams in the Western Highlands ; and 
 I have taken it, under another denomination, from Tweed, 
 and the Esk above Langholm, in which two last-mentioned 
 rivers it is severally designated the silver-white, and the 
 
THE HEELING OR FINNOOK. 163 
 
 herlih, whiten, or bill — a bill being the term applied to it 
 when in breeding condition. 
 
 That the finnock of the north of Scotland is the same 
 fish, at an earlier stage of existence, as the whitling or 
 salmo trutta, there can be little question. Every feature 
 in its external appearance assists to prove this; and I am 
 quite satisfied, from what I observed some years ago while 
 residing on the Moray Firth, that such is the case. The 
 habits of the finnock on the Nairn water, near which I 
 lived, disclosed to me, however, one peculiarity which dis- 
 tir^iahes it in some measure from the herling or biU of 
 the' Dumfriesshire rivers, not certainly from the silver- 
 white of Tweed, which, in the point I aUude to, greatly 
 resembles it. It was this, that a large proportion of these 
 fish entered the river and remained there for weeks with- 
 out spawning, or even discovering any tendency or fitness 
 to do so. In 1837, 1 caught several of them in good edible 
 condition, as early as the first of February, at a period 
 when the river swarmed with kelts of all descriptions, and 
 continued to take them throughout that month, as well as 
 March and April. They had entered the fresh water, many 
 of them, I have reason to conclude, the previous autumn, 
 and seeing they had done so not as breeding fish, had 
 retained, in a large measure, their condition and edible 
 properties. I may mention, however, that I seldom caught 
 them in this state above three miles from the river's mouth, 
 so that it is possible enough, during the months I refer to, 
 they had ascended direct from the salt water, or kept 
 moving to and fro betwixt it and the river, as tides and 
 floods assisted them. This, however, is mere conjecture, 
 for I am rather inclined to think they had located them- 
 selves in the Nairn during the previous season, preferring 
 it as a harbour of shelter in winter to the furious billows 
 of the Gterman Ocean. 
 
 The silver-white of Tweed also, which is closely assimi- 
 lated in external appearance to the finnock, I Imve cap- 
 tured in good condition during the Spring season, and 
 when the river abounded in kelts. The silver-white is by 
 no means an abimdant fish in Tweed, in comparison at 
 least to the finnock in our northern waters. They are 
 more numerous, however, some seasons than others. In 
 
164 SEA-TBOUT. 
 
 1846 this was particularly the case. They exceeded in 
 numbers that year what I ever recollect them to have 
 been; and I frequently, in the month of October, captured 
 four or five in a forenoon. These were aU in good con- 
 dition, lively on the hook, red-fleshed, and well-flavoured 
 'at table. 
 
 Early in November, in the same year, I had occasion to 
 pay a visit to a friend in Dumfriesshire, who resided on 
 the Esk, some mUes above Langholm, and within a stone- 
 cast of the river. Wishing to test the attractive power of 
 the sahnon-roe in that stream, I sallied out one forenoon, 
 rod ia hand, to a spot oaUed the Maiden Pool, and had the 
 gratification, in the course of two or three hours, to capture 
 several skeUies or chub — one of great size — ^above two dozen 
 fresh-wa,ter trout, and seven or eight bUls or foul herlings. 
 Next day, with the salmon-fly, I caught three more of 
 these last-mentioned fish. Of all the bills taken by me, 
 not one weighed half a pound, and without a single excep- 
 tion they were kelted females. Externally, a few of them 
 were black, and of loathsome appearance, but the gene- 
 rality, although lank, large-headed, and loose in the scale, 
 retained their silvery coating. The question naturally 
 occurring to me on the capture of those fish was, Are the 
 bUls or herlings of common species with the finnock or 
 silver-white 1 Here they were, at the same period of the 
 year, in very different condition from the latter. (What 
 the finnock is, in this respect, at the season referred to, I 
 never had a fair opportunity of ascertaining, the close-time 
 of our northern rivers commencing on the 14th of Septem- 
 ber ; but judging from what I have related, as occurring 
 early in Spring, on the Nairn water, I draw the inference 
 that many of this tribe retain their Condition during Win- 
 ter.) On examining them minutely, I descried two dis- 
 tinct varieties, one plentifully spotted on the back, shoul- 
 ders, and flanks, like the bull-trout; the other, the true 
 herling, having the maculoe thinly distributed, the scales 
 silvery and easily separated from the skin, the head small 
 and delicately formed. 
 
 Although the bills, on a small scale, may be held to 
 resemble them, the Esk contains no fish answering the 
 description of the Tweed bull-trout ; and I make no ques- 
 
NORWAY SALMON. 165 
 
 tion, judging from this circumstance, that the far-fe,med 
 bull-trout of Tarras, a tributary of the Esk, were merely 
 bills, and when " ta'en in season," herlings or whitens, the 
 latter being another local name for the same description of 
 fish. This is certain, that Tarras, in the present day, is 
 not resorted to by sea-trout of any magnitude, while its 
 fresh-water breed lays claim to no manner of superiority. 
 The eriox or bull-trout proper is not, however, a stranger 
 in the Solway Firth. It ascends Annan, where it is called 
 a round-tail.by the fishermen. Mr Yarrell mentions, that 
 it is to this species " tliat the names of Norway trout and 
 Norway salmon are believed to refer, as used occasionally 
 in Tweed and some of the northern parts of Scotland." I 
 recollect recognising the bull-trout, a few years ag6, in 
 Edinburgh, as forming the bulky part of an importation of 
 what were termed kippered Norwegian salmon. 
 
 As some have conjectured the bull-trout to be a hybrid, 
 or breed betwixt the salmon and common river-trout, (a 
 supposition which the feet of its possessing the generative 
 power in aU. its completeness sufficiently disposes of,) I may 
 mention that it is, comparatively speaking, a recent in- 
 vader of our Border river. The old fishermen affirm that, 
 thirty years ago, it was looked upon as a rare fish; this 
 being the case at a period when both salmon and river- 
 trout were fuUy as abundant as at present, it requires no 
 further proof in order to set aside the conjecture, as far- 
 fetched and irrational. 
 
166 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 SALMON-FLIES. 
 
 I BECOLLECT, Several years ago, meeting with a well-known 
 landed proprietor in the north of Scotland, and the pos- 
 sessor on both sides of a noted salmon-river, who, being 
 an angler in his own time and way, took it into his head 
 to use no flies in salmon-fishing but such as were made up 
 with materials of a white colour. This he did upon the 
 advice, or in approval of the theory, of a celebrated opti- 
 cian, who affirms that the position of the fish underneath, 
 with regard to a fly traversing the siu^ace, prevents it 
 altogether from distinguishing the colour of the insect, its 
 visual organs in this respect being acted upon by the 
 superincumbent light of day, and so contracted in power 
 as to be able merely to recognise the shape of its prey. 
 That this theory is correct, I am very much inclined to 
 doubt; and so I think would most anglers be, whether on 
 Tweedside or elsewhere. Still, the individual alluded to, 
 notwithstanding his whimsical assortment of flies — one and 
 aU, though varying in respect of magnitude, being com- 
 posed of snow-white dubbing and hacldes, silver twist, and 
 portions of the pencilled wing feather taken from the 
 silver pheasant — ^was no unsuccessful angler ; and although 
 occasionally competed with by one of the ablest craftsmen 
 in the district, whose notions regarding the visual percep- 
 tions of fish were perfectly different, and who actually took 
 pleasure in using flies of the opposite colour, managed 
 generally to bear off' the palm. 
 
 Now, independent altogether of the views taken by the 
 gentleman in question, and of the reasons assigned by him 
 
FANCIFUL TASTE OF THE SALMON. 167 
 
 for his capricious usage, I hold this fact to be worthy of 
 some attention, — ^the more especially as certain deductions 
 from it, which I shall immediately set forth, are fortified 
 by other occurrences in the history of fly-fishing, as singu- 
 lar, and in some respects more inexplicable. These addi- 
 tional facts may be aU clumped together in one statement. 
 They consist of the proofs daily recurring in the experi- 
 ence of salmon-fishers, with respect to a fanciful taste as 
 regards flies, naturally possessed by the fish, or inherent 
 in it. A general instance of this develops itself in the 
 well-known circumstance that salmon, in the lower parts 
 of Tweed, are not now to be allured with any degree of 
 readiness by means of the same colours and descriptions of 
 flies as those successftilly employed against them twenty 
 or thirty years ago. At that not very distant period, they 
 were wont to be taken only by a limited variety of hooks ; 
 on few occasions did the angler venture to experimentalise 
 with any others; he repudiated, above all, those gaudy 
 lures which are now found to be so killing, and looked 
 with strange distrust upon any Irish innovation — concoc- 
 tions of foreign feathers and highly-stained hackles. Nor, 
 as some of this passing school continue to assert, were the 
 fish themselves a whit less capricious, but shared to a tittle 
 the prejudices and suspicions of the angler, refusing the 
 rich yellow of the golden pheasant, the orange of the 
 toucan, the csenJean of the blue lowrie, the green of the 
 trogon, the crimson of the parroquet, and even those 
 magical fibres which gleam on the much prized tail-feather 
 of the blue and buff macaw. 
 
 Salmon were then, like our sage and grey-haired fore- 
 fathers, of sober tastes and simple habits — content with fare 
 of the homeliest description, and scomftd of newfangled 
 delicacies, gilded tit-bits, and savoury provocatives. They 
 esteemed the speckled feather or white tip of some strut- 
 ting turkey, the dun plume of the gledd or buzzard, select 
 filchings from the maldrake, teal, or widgeon, along with 
 twitches of home-dyed wool, rough barn-fowl hackles, and 
 the threads of an old service-worn epaulette, better than the 
 combined luxuries of Mexico, the Indies, and New Holland. 
 
 Thou, silver-headed angler! canst tell of these better 
 and less degenerate days. Thy feats are all registered 
 
168 SALMON-FLIES. 
 
 within thee, and that lack-lustre eye regains its olden fire 
 when, with hand outstretched, thou recountest the capture 
 of some goodly fish, the sojourner once of yonder pool, 
 whose runs and careerings are to-day as deeply traced on 
 thy memory as if the sward that bears thee were stUl red 
 and moistened with its blood. Answer me — Where in 
 thy day was the Doctor ? where the Parson 1 where the 
 Butcher t where the Childers t — ^where, ia short, all those 
 prismatic rarities that stock so amply the tin and vellum 
 of a modern salmon-fisher ? You possessed them not. It 
 was neither your wish nor your interest to employ them. 
 They were harmful to the salmon in so far only as they 
 alarmed and annoyed it; and if, now and then, in the 
 hands of a stranger, they should chance to draw blood, a 
 dolt of a kelt was at best the only Tictim. 
 
 I am only, reader, stating a well-known fact, when I 
 affirm that, ia the time I allude to, the salmon-fishers on 
 Tweedside not only held what is called the Irish fly in 
 absolute ridicule, but actually forbade the use of it on 
 those portions of the river they individually rented ; and 
 this they did, not because they deemed it too deadly for 
 everyday use, but solely because they conceived it acted 
 as a kind of bugbear to the fish, scaring them from their 
 accustomed haimts and resting-spots. And, indeed, it is 
 only gradually that, in the lower part of the district I 
 allude to, a complete change has been efiected in the mat- 
 ter of flies. Not absolutely discarding the old standard 
 and local lures, modem anglers have introduced into their 
 stock at least a thousand-and-one other varieties, all digni- 
 fied with the name of kiUers, yet no single fly-hook re- 
 sembling any known insect, bird, or other animal. For 
 every season and month, for all hours of the day, for all 
 changes of weather, for waters low, flooded, or in mid 
 state, sunned or clouded, deep or shallow, streamy, wind- 
 ruffled or still, icy-cold or at blood-heat, black or clear, 
 leaf-strewn or otherwise^ they have a peculiar and favour- 
 ite lure: nay, were it possible, by some adaptation of 
 phosphorus, to cause hooks to reveal their trimmings in 
 the dark, no doubt a nocturnal assortment would become 
 added, possessed, as became it, of all the powers of dia- 
 blerie and witchcraft. 
 
FASTIDIOUSNESS OP ANGLERS. 1Q9 
 
 I go back to ask, What are the deductions to be drawn 
 from all I have' instanced ? Was the bygone school of 
 salmon-fishers a humbug? Is the modern one less so? 
 Can the disciples of either unfold anything which was not 
 as well known in the days of Agricola as it is now? Seri- 
 ously speaking, are the tastes and habits of the salmon, as 
 some assert, of a revolving nature? Is the fish, too, so 
 capricious, that a single fibre wanting in the lure, a mis- 
 placed wing, a wrongly assorted hue, will discompose and 
 annoy it? Such questions I leave to be answered by 
 wiser anglers than myself. They search too deeply into 
 the philosophy of the art to obtain their reply from one 
 so imperfectly versed in it; nor does it render the task less 
 arduous were I to comprehend them all under the single 
 query — Can the principle upon which salmon, in certain 
 wa,ters, accommodate themselves to certain colours in the 
 fly, be regulated or explained 1 
 
 From this dark, insoluble, and thoroughly speculative 
 subject, it is high time to retire. My apology for intro- 
 ducing it at aU, rests on the desire I have to discover, to 
 those who make of it a matter of argument, the absurdities 
 they are hable to run into. There is, I cannot help think- 
 ing, a great deal of prejudice, self-conceit, and humbug 
 exhibited by sabnon-fishers generally, with respect to their 
 flies — ^a monstrous mass of nonsense hoarded up by the 
 best of them, and opinions held, quite at variance with 
 reason and common sense. I wUl not go so far as to assert, 
 in relation to salmon-flies, that it would be expedient 
 greatly to reduce their number, or establish, as I have 
 recommended to be done in regard to trouting-hooks, any 
 Umit to their variety. An innovation of this sort, if pro- 
 posed, would, I well know, be treated with ridicule. StUl, 
 I have reason to believe that the salmon is not quite so 
 finical in its tastes as many anglers represent it to be; 
 that the fastidiousness is more on their part; and that, 
 through carrying it on occasions to an extreme length, they 
 frequently accomplish the very thing they are desirous of 
 avoiding — that is, they alarm instead of alluring the fish. 
 This is exemplified very often on the raising of a grilse or 
 salmon with a particular fly. A great many anglers with 
 whom I am acquainted, make it a practice never immedi- 
 
170 SALMON-PLIES. 
 
 ately to cast 6ver the same fish with the same hook, but, 
 havmg started and missed their game, at once to substi- 
 tute another size and description of fly. Now this I hold 
 is all well enough, when a second oflfer of the lure, due 
 time being granted, has been made and refused; but to 
 present to the eye of the fish, after a few moments occu- 
 pied in making the change, a hook of difierent, perhaps 
 opposite colours, must now and then inevitably excite 
 suspicion. As far as my own experience has led me to 
 judge, I generally find tl^t a grilse or salmon, if incUned 
 to rise a second time, is as ready to do so at the fly first 
 ofiered it, as at any other; nay, I have even, on more 
 occasions than one, raised the same fish, before hooking, 
 four or five times in rapid succession with the same identi- 
 cal lure. Of course, my doing so was more a matter of 
 chance than good guidance ; and I should not, on general 
 occasions, were I fishing carefully, have encountered the 
 risk my perseverance was likely to incur of disheartening, 
 if not disgusting, the salmon. 
 
 I am of this opinion, however, talking more generally 
 on the subject, that if one only knows how to adapt the 
 size of his hook to the state of the water and season, and 
 is acquainted with two, or at most three, approved-of local 
 flies, he wiU find it not only quite unnecessary, but posi- 
 tively disadvantageous, to experiment upon the tastes and 
 fancies of the fish with others of a doubtful and untried 
 nature. The only occasions on which he has an excuse 
 for doing this, are when the pools have been well thrashed 
 over before him by resident anglers; nay, even then, he 
 will find it expedient, in selecting a hook, not to deviate 
 very largely from the discovered likings or prejudices of 
 the salmon frequenting this or that locality. He seldom, 
 acting otherwise, can fish with any proper measure of con- 
 fidence; and that very fact only renders his experiment 
 the more precarious. 
 
 I shall now proceed, without further remark, to draw 
 out hsts of the most approved Scottish salmon-flies, adapt- 
 ing them severally to their appropriate rivers. I shall also 
 introduce into the proposed classification a Hmited number 
 of Irish fly-hooks, such as gradually, of late years, have 
 been adopted by our fishermen, and become of common 
 use throughout Scotland. 
 
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176 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ON SALMON-FISHING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 Allowing to the recreations of fox-hunting and deer- 
 stalking all they lay claim to as manly and exciting pas- 
 times, I cannot help preferring to either of them, indeed 
 to any of our national amusements whatsoever, the noble 
 sport of sahnon-fishing. The others, it is true, have their 
 moments and intervals of extreme, it may be thrilling 
 pleasure ; even their blanks and disasters scarcely, on some 
 occasions, deserve the name of disappointments or cala- 
 mities. But there is wanting that indescribable something 
 which gives its zest to the sport lam treating of, rendering 
 its pursuit throughout more equably delightful, and yet 
 offering no hindrance to higher and intenser occasions of 
 enjoyment, created, for instance, by the play and capture 
 of some vigorous and magnificent fish. 
 
 When I speak thus, however, of salmon-fishing with the 
 rod, I am inclined to exclude from a large share in my 
 panegyric, the system on which it has hitherto been con- 
 ducted, under that name, on certain portions of Tweed. 
 To those who live at a distance from this river, the feats 
 of its frequenters, as they are from time to time recorded, 
 appear, no doubt, highly creditable to the parties engaged. 
 To the spectators of them, they are, in many instances, 
 next thing to farcical, quite undeserving the name and 
 character of feats of skfll; and, in reality, no more the 
 achievements of those professing to execute them, than 
 Punch and Judy is the veritable unassisifed performance 
 of a set of wooden puppets. 
 
 Much of the detriment to the sport, and undue exulta- 
 
THE KILLING OF KELTS.- l77 
 
 tion of the mere novice in angling, in the parts of Tweed 
 I allude to, arises, no doubt, from the nature of the casts 
 or pools, and the necessity of fishing them from a boat, 
 imder the guidance of the local fisherman. The aid of an 
 experienced hand is thereby called into operation — one 
 intimately acquainted with the haunts of the fish, and able 
 to judge, from the state of the river, how, and with what 
 flies or lures, it ought to be traversed. To this auxiliary, 
 it is impossible to refuse a large share of the credit for 
 .skill and craft claimed by the rodsmen who intrust them- 
 selves implicitly to his directions. He is, in fact, the 
 mainspring of their amusement, by the assistance of whom 
 the veriest bungler, beyond whose capacity it lies to cap- 
 ture a single trout, may, on the first essay, hook, play, and 
 haul to shore, half a score of salmon. Instances of this 
 sort, indeed, are far from being rare on Tweedside. I could, 
 did I choose to do so, enumerate many of them ; but it 
 will suffice to show to what extent the success of the 
 salmon-slayer from a boat depends upon his companion, 
 when I mention that two of the largest fish taken by the 
 rod in Tweed, within these few years, were respectively 
 hooked and brought, to bank by boys under ten years of 
 age. StUl, the employment of the boat, andrttie assistance 
 afforded by its rower, although they facilitate greatly the 
 c^t-ures effected by the angler, and detract from their 
 merit, as performances requiring skill, observation, and 
 self-reliance, are, after all, necessary drawbacks to the plea- 
 sure of salmon-fishing on the lower parts of the Tweed. By 
 some anglers, indeed, they are not considered to take away 
 from its attractions, and are looked upon as a relief, if not 
 a contribution, to the amusement. What I reprehend, how- 
 ever, in the system alluded to, has its root in the provisions 
 of the Tweed Fishery Act, which admits of the killing of 
 kelts and baggits, fish which have newly spawned, or are on 
 the eve of spawning, indiscriminately with clean salmon. 
 This indulgence, which is not granted in the general act 
 applicable to our northern rivers, has always been largely 
 taken advantage of, as regards our Border stream. It is, 
 I allow, difficult to separate the capture of these fish, in 
 Tweed, from that of the clean salmon, during the spring 
 months. This is the pnly apology which those who vindi^ 
 
178 ON SALMON-FISHING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 cate the taking of kelts and foul fish are justified in offer- 
 ing; and I feel surprised that the genuine lover of sport 
 should think it consistent with "his pretensions to resort to 
 any other. Apart from the question of injiu-y done to the 
 salmon-fishings, by the destruction of spawned fish, I would 
 ask, Is the capture of such, with the rod, to be placed on 
 anything like a footing with the capture of those which are 
 well-conditioned 1 Are the same feelings excited, the same 
 degree of satisfaction and amotmt of triumph experienced, 
 by the slaughter of a dozen lank and hungry kelts, that 
 enliven the angler who has just mastered a prime newly- 
 run salmon ? On the contrary, are not the sensations 
 of the kelt-slayer, on occasions of great success, akin to 
 those of satiety and disgust 1 The appearance of the fish, 
 when caught, and the consciousness that they are totally 
 unfit as food for human use — ^retaining neither the internal 
 curdiness, nor rich taste of properly conditioned salmon — 
 are quite sufficient, of themselves, to induce such sensations. 
 Nor has the play generally aiforded by the kelt much of 
 an exciting character. It consists, no doubt, in the case 
 of a heavy fish, of long sullen pushes, but is seldom varied, 
 like that of the grilse or clean salmon, by the introduction 
 of lively evolutions. Its motions, in fact, more resemble 
 those of a log of wood, swayed by the wind and current, 
 than of an animate creature combating for its life and 
 liberty. 
 
 For my own part, I would rather capture in spring a 
 single newly-run salmon than a whole boat-load of kelts. 
 Yet these, and no others, are the fish firequently boasted of, 
 as afibrding, under the name of salmon, amusement to some 
 pet of fortune — some adept by purchase, not skill, in the 
 art of angling. For, let me ask what all the science dis- 
 played by this sort of salmon-slayer consists of? Is he 
 versed in the mysteries of rod and tackle, taught by expe- 
 rience what fly to select, when, where, or how to fish ? Is 
 this amount of knowledge at all necessary ? Nothing of 
 the kind. The performer has no will or say in the matter. 
 In every act, in the choice of his fly and casting-line, in 
 the position and management of the boat, he is under con- 
 trol of the tacksman. By him he is directed where to 
 heave his hook, and, if a novice, how. Nothing is left to 
 
ITS PRACTICE ON THE RIVER TWEED. 179 
 
 his own fancy or discretion. He has forfeited all freedom 
 of action. Nay, more, he is fettered with the presence of 
 his griping task-master. Enough it is that he pays, and 
 that handsomely, for the sport, so termed, of hauling within 
 reach of the gaff-hook a miserable kelt or two, ■which, when 
 secured, he sees no more of, and is unable, unless by pur- 
 chasing it, to exhibit to his friends as a trophy of his 
 prowess — enough, methinks, this measure of endurance, 
 without adding to it the annoyance in question. 
 
 Angling and butchering fish I consider as two totally 
 different occupations. The true angler I would describe 
 to be one who follows the art as a science, who cultivates 
 it, not by usurping the experience of others, not by be- 
 coming the mere slave to precept, but by fond and zealous 
 assiduity in the practice of its various departments, by 
 carefully studying the habits of the fish he wishes to cap- 
 ture — ^their food and feeding hours — ^their customary and 
 occasional haunts — ^the effects of different states of weather 
 or sizes and colours of water upon their tastes — ^together 
 with a hundred other matters essential to be known, before 
 he can venture to claim for himself the reputation of an 
 adept in the craft. I do not say he is to refuse the instruc- 
 tions of others ; far from it. These he should receive and 
 treasure up with due gratitude ; but let him do so only 
 after they have been weighed and examined — ^when the 
 occasion and benefit of them are ascertained and under- 
 stood. 
 
 That salmon-fishing, as practised from the boat on 
 Tweed, is upon the whole a very agreeable recreation, 
 affording exercise and some measure of joyous excitement 
 to the person engaged in it, I do not mean to deny ; but 
 it is not, to my mind, nearly so pleasurable or satisfectory 
 a sport as when pursued on foot. Give me a stream which 
 I can readily command, either from the bank or by means 
 of wading — a dark, hill-fed water, like the Shin or the 
 Findhom, full of breaks, runs, pools, and gorges — give me 
 the waving birch-wood, the cliff and ivied scaur, tenanted 
 by keen-eyed kestril or wary falcon — ^more than this, give 
 me sohtude, or the companionship, not less relishable, of 
 some ardent and kindred spirit, the sharer of my thoughts 
 and felicity — give me, in such a place, and along with such 
 
180 ON SALMON-PISHING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 an on-looker, the real sport of salmon -fisliing^ — ^the rush of 
 some veteran water-monarch, or the gambol and caracol 
 of a plump new-run grilse, and talk no more of that 
 monotonous and spiritless semblance of the pastime which 
 is followed by the affluent, among the dubs and dams of 
 our Border river. The two modes of anghng, with their 
 attendant circumstances of place and companionship, are 
 not for a moment to be compared. They, in fact, no more 
 resemble each other than does the stroll of the sportsman 
 through a preserved park, under guidance of the keeper or 
 his assistant, to whom every brood, covey, and form is as 
 well known as are the denizens of the dog-kennel them- 
 selves. They difier as widely as does this strait-jacketed 
 method of cramming a game-bag differ from the free march 
 along moorland and hiU-side, through heather and fern, 
 over a domain well plenished but not wedged with birds, 
 where you are at liberty to follow or keep in check your 
 highly-trained setter, and, without taunt or ridicule, can 
 miss with either or both barrels some prodigy of a black- 
 cock, or a hare which in size, and length of ear, resembles 
 some veritable donkey. 
 
 I shall now proceed to give shape and arrangement to 
 such instructions and matters of knowledge, • in relation 
 to the subject of this chapter, as I think will prove of 
 advantage to some of my readers. And first of all, as to 
 the places or portions of a salmon-water frequented by 
 the fish, and where, in the common phrase, they are 
 most likely to take the hook. This is a question I have 
 already, to some extent, treated of in my observations 
 upon rivers, but it is one that lays claim, in the present 
 chapter, to more ample notice. 
 
 In all rivers there are certain pools, and portions of 
 pool or stream, to which salmon naturally resort, and, 
 under ordinary circumstances, are inclined to favour the 
 angler. Nor are these always to be discovered by the eye 
 even of the most experienced and able fisher on a water 
 to which he is a perfect stranger. It is only through 
 actually testing or having them pointed out to him by 
 some resident angler, that he can acquire an intimate 
 knowledge with respect to the different casts.; whereas, 
 in the case of a purely trouting stream, his own practised 
 
KESORTS OF THE SALMON. 181 
 
 eye is sufficient to direct him where to throw, and will 
 detect at once, without fail, the likeliest feeding-grounds 
 and places of resort. 
 
 As a general rule applicable to salmon-streams, the 
 fish, on the subsiding of the flood or swell, which forces 
 them either from the sea itself, or higher up the river, 
 take refuge, in their healthy state, among rocks or large 
 stones, both of which are to be found in marked abun- 
 dance in all well-reputed salmon-rivers. It is not, how- 
 ever, every rock or large stone that the salmon will' 
 choose to frequent ; nor does the seeming convenience 
 of this or that place of shelter always prove attractive to 
 it. As in respect to its food, so in respect to its accom- 
 modation, the fish is royally fastidious, passing over, on 
 occasions, what seems, in point of structure, to be adapted 
 for its concealment and habits, and selecting instead what 
 to our fancy is less in unison with them. Thus, for in- 
 stance, in a long stretch of water, to all appearance the 
 most inviting, being fall of breaks and gorges, walled 
 with rocks and teeming with places of retreat and 
 security, have I failed, times without number, to stir a 
 single fin ; while at,its neck, where the river widens up, 
 and at which the only appearance of shelter is a dimly- 
 discernible slab of stone, half-imbedded among gravel, I 
 scarcely ever heave a fly without doing execution. Nor 
 do I state this circumstance as a solitary one, seeing I 
 could point out on various rivers many such positionSj 
 taken up and held in retention by salmon, apparently 
 out of sheer caprice, but no doubt from some reason 
 which their natural instinct leads them to have respect 
 to. What this reason is I shall not stay to inquire. It 
 may stand connected with the accommodation or shelter, 
 the feeding, the fiicility of removal in case of a sudden 
 flood, the sensation of the fish, its state of pregnancy, or 
 all or several of these matters combined ; but be this 
 as it may, to trace out the exact motives which direct 
 salmon to particular spots in preference to others, appa^ 
 rently as advantageous, is a task not to be ventiured upon 
 with materials purely speculative. As I have said, I 
 could point out many such spots, even in large broad 
 waters like the Tweed, near Kelso j as the Bed Stane 
 
182 ON SALMON-FISHING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 below Makerston; the Prison Eock, at Sprouston Dub, 
 ifec. &c., each of which is, as it were, a magnet for the 
 attraction of salmon ; so much so, that it has been proved 
 in regard to them, that should one of the occupant fish 
 happen to be abstracted by the angler, its place will, even 
 when the river is at its average height, become, in the 
 course of two or three hours, supplied by another. 
 
 Having thus briefly described the likeliest resorts of 
 the fish in a salmon-river, and alluded to their caprice in 
 selecting this or the other point of shelter in preference 
 to one seemingly as accommodating, I am brought to 
 treat of what is more pertinent to the matter in hand, 
 namely, the question, how ought salmon to be angled for ? 
 
 I shall, first of aJl, set forth a few instructions as to the 
 best method of capturing this fish with the fly, and then 
 proceed to explain how it may be taken, most readily, by 
 means of the worm, minnow, or parr-taU. As I have 
 already, in former chapters, described the tackle gene- 
 rally used by the salmon-fisher, it is quite unnecessary 
 for me to make any further mention of it at present. 
 Let me urge, however, upon the angler a single advice 
 in regard to it. On no occasion, while fitting it to his 
 rod, should he neglect examining into its sufficiency. 
 Every knot, strand, and length of the entire casting-line 
 ought to be separately scrutinised, and, to a due extent, 
 tested. The fly-hooks, also, which are intended to be 
 made use of, require close investigation. It may happen, 
 for instance, that the barb is deranged or broken, th6 
 hackle loose, the eye or neck of gut fretted and weakened. 
 There may, in fact, be half a score of matters connected 
 with the fly-hook that need to be looked into, nor is the 
 requisite investigation accompanied with much trouble or 
 loss of time : at any rate, what trouble it costs or time it 
 involves is made up for by the measure of risk avoided, 
 and the confidence acquired. 
 
 The Casting of the Line. — In fly-fishing for salmon, 
 the casting of the line is generally managed, first of aU, 
 by raising the rod back over the left shoulder. This part 
 of the operation requires to be done slowly and delibe- 
 rately, with a slight increase of speed or force on the part 
 of the performer as he proceeds. He will thus, if manag- 
 
THROWING THE LINE. ]83 
 
 ing properly, raise the dipping or employed portion of the 
 line above and behind him, so that, by further elevating 
 the rod and bringing it round over his head, both hands 
 being employed in the exertion, he shall cause the tackle 
 in question to describe, as it -were, a sort of semicircle or 
 horse-shoe figure in the air. He must then, at the mo- 
 ment when the sweep in question is completed, and the 
 rod has attained its highest elevation, direct his fly for- 
 ward, by a rapid impulse, towards the spot where he 
 wishes it to alight ; and this should be done without any 
 accompanying jerk or violent movement, but solely by a 
 firm continued exertion of strength, as in the " putting " 
 or laimching of a large stone or cannon ball. 
 
 This is the left-shoulder method of throwing the salmon- 
 line, and is commendable, not so much on account of its 
 being more easily managed than the other, but chiefly 
 because of the advantage it gives the angler when under a 
 bank or in advance of shrubby ground, where his hook, 
 were it sufiiered to fly back, instead of being kept aloof, 
 over his head, would frequently find its anchorage behind, 
 and thus endanger the safety of rod and tackle, as well as 
 try the patience of the thrower. But there is no reason 
 why, under favourable circumstances, right-shoulder or 
 back casting should not be resorted to. I think, for my 
 own part, that the fly hove from the right shoulder gene- 
 rally alights on the stream surface with greater lightness, 
 and can be directed with more accuracy towards the de- 
 sired spot. The sweep or circle is, in this case, described 
 over the arm or shoulder, and not over the head as in the 
 other mode of throwing. The fly, consequently, during 
 its performance, is held more aback, and occupies a 
 less elevated range. On this accoimt it is extremely 
 apt, should the angler prove too liberal of his line, to 
 come into contact, as already mentioned, with the bank 
 behind him. 
 
 I have frequently heard salmon-fishers argue upon the 
 matter of distance to which a fly may be hove, one boast- 
 ing that he can discharge so many yards of line ; another 
 that he can master a still greater surface of water ; and a 
 third, who ridicules the exploits of both, asseverating that 
 he can lay his fly with dexterous precision across the broadest 
 
184 ON SALMON-FISHING WITH THE FLT. 
 
 stream in Scotland. Does it never, I ask, occur to those 
 who make the casting of some twenty or thirty fathoms a 
 matter of moonshine, to inquire what of actual power the 
 lever they employ possesses, which enables them, as they 
 fancy, to lift or recover such an extraordinary outlay of 
 line 1 Giving even the advantage of a rod twenty feet in 
 length, and allowing moreover that its wielder is fully sis 
 fee't in height, with a proportionate extent of arm, and that 
 he stands elevated above the surface of the stream not less 
 than a foot, I maintain it to be impossible for him, apart 
 from the assistance which a favourable breeze may happen 
 to supply, to lift in or recover, so as to effect a second dis- 
 charge, more line than will measure four times the length 
 of his salmon-rod : I do not of course include what is con- 
 fined within the rings of that implement. 
 
 In' fact, without adopting the heaving or pitching system 
 practised on Thames and other English rivers — a mode of 
 throwing not adapted to fly-fishing — it is impossible for the 
 angler to command a range of cast exceeding thirty-five 
 yards from the spot whence he plies his hook. It is, I 
 admit, quite practicable for him. An the act of throwing, 
 to let out a yard, or even two, of line more than he is able 
 to lift or recover ; but, by doing so, he only imposes upon 
 himself the necessity of taking it in again, either with his 
 hand or by means of the reel, before repeating his cast. 
 
 I might readily, were I so inclined, dilate upon this 
 subject with more order and ceremony, but I have no 
 wish to treat of it in a plenary or philosophical manner, 
 by disquisition or diagram, as if it merited the special 
 attention of the angler. All I desire to be observed is — 
 and the fact bears its own explanation among the axioms 
 of mechanical law — that the length of the lever or lifting 
 power comprised in the rod and its wielder, regulates to 
 aU intents and purposes the distance to which the fly can 
 be hove. The action of the arm and muscles, the weight 
 of the line, the make and pliancy of the rod, and the pro- 
 pelling or repelling virtue of the air when in motion, its 
 resistance, and many other causes, act, there is no doubt, 
 to the advantage or prejudice of the cast taken ; but the 
 lever power, when used as a power of recovery, is affected 
 by them to an extent easily calculated on ; and, on the 
 
WORKING OF THE SALMON-PLY. 185 
 
 •wiiole, they can only act as very subservient aids or 
 drawbacks to the exercise of that power. 
 
 The Woeking of the Line and Fly. — In what are' 
 properly called pools — that is, the terminations of streams,, 
 or sluggish water that can only be fished over with effect 
 when rippled by wind — it is generally expedient to direct 
 the fly across, almost at right angles with the bank, and 
 allow it to sweep or sail round, so as to catch the current 
 and bring the line to its full natural tension. To do this 
 invitingly, the angler must ply his rod, gradually lower- 
 ing it as the fly beats round, until the point has declined 
 to within two or three feet of the water's surface. The 
 plying motion consists of a measured and gentle working 
 of the line, so as to impart a life-like appearance to the 
 lure, causing it, as it were, to amble and sport leisurely 
 in the stream, opening and shutting its wings, and giving 
 opportunity to the fish to pursue and seize it. This 
 motion also assists to keep the line in sufficient stretch, 
 and to disguise all the unattractive, exposed, and suspi' 
 cious points of the fly and tackle. 
 
 In fishing streams, (I use the word as one differing in 
 signification firom pools, and referring to those portions 
 of a river which are of rapid movement,) the line, instead 
 of being directed across at right angles with the bank, 
 ought to be thrown more in accommodation with the run 
 of the cmrent, say at an angle of 45°, so that the fly, in 
 describing its sweep or curve, may not come round too 
 rapidly and escape the notice of the fish. In rapid water, 
 such as the necli of streams, straiks, and eddies, the ply- 
 ing and working of the hook is not always recfuisite ; at 
 any rate, one should have resort to it as a secondary 
 measTire, allowing every chance to be given to the fish 
 rising, at the juncture which takes place on the completion 
 of the curve, or what is termed the moment of hing. This 
 failing, the salmon-fisher advisedly may finish off im cast 
 with the process in question, which, if it do not prove 
 irresistibly attractive to a pursuing fish, may be the 
 means of stirring up to the scratch one hitherto dormant. 
 
 Those parts of a stream or pool, which are known to 
 afford favourite shelter to salmon, cannot be angled over 
 with too much care. A single cast or two wiU, in most 
 
186 ON SALMON-FISHING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 instances, be sufficient to determine the presence or 
 humour of a fish, in places where the shelter is limited, 
 or, it may be, doubtful, such as a single stone or projec- 
 tion of crag ; but with a range of water underwrought 
 with rocks and retreats, the angler should deal prudently 
 and circumspectly. A cover of this sort it will not answer 
 to beat in quick, slovenly style, forwarding one's-self within 
 ken and survey of the game, as some do, who, from their 
 eagerness to be in medias res, plunge waist-deep into the 
 primest portions of the stream, scaring right and left the 
 liers in wait, whose plunges in the distance are mistaken 
 for sober, matter-of-course movements, indicative not of 
 alarm and excitement, but of readiness to favour the 
 adventurous and impatient rodsman. 
 
 It is here, on such a range of water, that the salmon- 
 fisher should exercise caution and employ method. He 
 ought to work progressively and with deliberation, com- 
 mencing above the extreme head or foot of the range in 
 question, and compassing the whole, I do not say inch by 
 inch, but in such a manner that no opportunity shall be 
 given for any one fish to avoid seeing the fly. He should 
 also beware, if possible, of disturbing the water already 
 experimented on, as, by doing so, he not only destroys the 
 charm of a yet untried hook, but, in frequent instances, 
 so alarms the fish as to cause them immediately to shift 
 their quarters. Sometimes, also, when thus disturbed by 
 the approach of one's person too near their haunts, they will 
 grow sullen and suspicious ; and this effect is not always 
 readily worn ofi) but wiU continue influencing them for 
 days to come. 
 
 How far off a salmon can discern the transit of a fly 
 from its retreat, it is not easy to ascertain ; and it would 
 require a good deal of particularising to take away from 
 the general nature of the question. This, however, is well 
 known, that fish lying in a depth of water exceeding ten 
 or twelve feet seldom, if ever, rise at the artificial fly. It 
 is true there are many gullies, both in Tweed and other 
 rivers, of nearly twice the depth above specified, where 
 salmon are known to rise freely, but such fish are not at 
 the bottom. They rest merely on the craggy sides and 
 ledges which wall in the water. In some localities, they 
 
DEPTH AT WHICH THE FISH WILL RISE. 187 
 
 hold their look-out from a sunken fortalice of rook, the 
 fissures of which afford them ample and secure accom- 
 modation. 
 
 That a fly-hook, say of the largest spring size, may 
 catch the observation of salmon at a still greater depth 
 than twelve feet is possible enough ; but it is quite true 
 that, if so, it loses all attractive effect, and a fish would as 
 soon think of leaping at the moon as bestir itself for a 
 mouthful so remote. So much as to sheer depth of water, 
 when considered as distance betwixt the salmon and the 
 fly ; but let me take the case of a iish lying in a shallow 
 break. How far off, in this instance, would the hook 
 operate as a lure? For my own part, I think it would 
 require to pass within four or five feet of the spot where 
 the salmon holds watch ; and I am led to think so, in some 
 measure, from experiments made, at the end of July 1845, 
 at Coldstream bridge, where, during the grilse season, in a 
 fine water, there is every opportunity for one stationed 
 above to observe the natural powers and instincts of the 
 fish, both as regards the matter in question, and in respect 
 to their likings and aversions manifested towards the 
 colours and sizes of artificial flies. 
 
 Salmon, be it noted, are a duller fish, by many degrees, 
 than common river-trout, and by no means so sharp-eyed as 
 bull-trout and whitlings. These frequently take the hook 
 well in waters considerably discoloured, and refuse it when 
 the streams have resumed their ordinary size and transpa- 
 rency. It is otherwise with salmon, whose visual organs'are 
 generally, under such circumstances, unable to detect the 
 teansit of the fly over currents comparatively shallow ; 
 nor wiU they attempt to seize it or look out for prey until 
 the flood or fresh 1ms very much subsided, and the floating 
 particles of opaque matter, resulting from the disturbance, 
 are entirely at rest. But although I have every reason 
 to believe that the salmon is not quite such a quick or 
 sharp-sighted fish as some give it the credit of being, and 
 that even in the clearest water, it is unable to detect the 
 passing of the fly at a depth and distance from its retreat 
 exceeding twelve feet, yet should the lure employed hit its 
 fancy, it wiU, if inconvenient to attempt seizing it, owing 
 to the rapidity of the current or other cause, follow the 
 
188 ON SALMON-FISHING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 hook round over a space of many yards, until a position 
 and diminished rate of speed have been acquired by the 
 latter, which either encourage the endeavour to take hold 
 of it, or lead to the detection of its nature as a guile or 
 artifice. This, however, is a mode of procedure on the 
 part of the fish by no means invariable ; for salmon wUl 
 often make for the fly the moment it is perceived — nay, 
 in some instances, the instant it alights on the surface ; 
 besides, there are many casts or salmon-throws which do 
 not admit of travelling the hook at all, such as tlie narrow 
 heads and hings which frequently preface deep, ragged 
 Water, also confined places, formed by break-waters and 
 cairns, (fee. &c. Into water of this description the fly 
 should be heaved with care and lightness, so as not to 
 alarm the fish. As to its primary movements, allow the 
 current in some measure to conti-ol them, but do not give 
 it the full sway. Always recover the hook upwards or 
 towards yourself after allowing it to drop, and do this by 
 gentle impulses, not urging it into a gallop or hasty pace, 
 but guiding it at an amble, so as to appear more life-like and 
 natural, whether taken as an insect or as a small fish. 
 
 In salmon-fishing, never allow the hook itself to plough 
 or ruffle the surface of the water. By the trout-fisher, 
 whose lures are, in point of size, comparatively insignificant, 
 this may be done occasionally without any bad result ; but 
 a salmon-fly thus worked will generally occasion distrust 
 or terror, and seldom prove inviting. On the other hand, 
 however expedient it is to keep the fly well simk while 
 travelling it, one must avoid falling into the error of allow- 
 ing it to sink too far. It is into this extreme that many 
 of our best salmon-fishers are apt to run. They employ 
 frequently, when there is no occasion for it, too much 
 throwing line, and at the same time, while working it, 
 lower the point of the rod beyond all due proportion. 
 Consequently they are often obliged to gallop in order to 
 sustain the fly; and should a fish incline to take it, in two 
 cases out of three they ai;e left without any indication of 
 its attempt : nay more, in the event even of a marked and 
 well-directed rise, where the presence of the fish could not 
 fail of being detected, a very long line is incapable, from 
 its want of sufficient pressure, to insure the planting or 
 
THE HOOKING OP THE WSH. 189 
 
 fixing of the barb in the mouth of the salmon. It acts as 
 too distant and too loose a method of commimication be- 
 twixt the angler and his spoil. It makes it necessary for 
 him to attempt hooking the fish by striking — a mode of 
 operation, in respect to salmon, which is certainly repre- 
 hensible. In the case, however, of a strong current, or 
 when the angler is highly elevated above the water, as on a 
 bridge or rock, the employment of a long travelling line is 
 quite expedient, and in no respect falls within compass of 
 the objections above stated. 
 
 Eecommendations how to act on baising a pish. — 
 When fly-fishing for salmon, the angler requires to have a 
 general notion of where his hook is, and how it traverses 
 the stream or pool; but this is all. To watch it minutely 
 is not necessary. By doing so, the eye is frequently brought 
 into inopportune contact with the fish itself when rising. 
 It detects its presence before the salmon has seized the fly, 
 and, as a natural consequence, the rodsman, in the surprise 
 or flutter of the moment, is very apt either to draw away 
 his hook by a sudden or violent jerk, or else to check its 
 progress for the moment, and allow opportunity for the fish 
 to discover the deception. In trout-fishing, with the fly, 
 we can scarcely, in the event of a break on the surface, 
 strike too rapidly. It is difierent in salmon-fishing. Here', 
 one should not alter the motion of the hook until he is 
 actually made sensible of the presence of the fish, by feel- 
 ing his weight on the line ; nor even then is there any act 
 of exertion required on the part of the angler, further than 
 the simple raising of his rod, in order to fix the hook. 
 When force is applied, or any motion approaching to a 
 jerk made use of, the chances are, that either the line itself 
 or jaw of the fish gives way : whereas, a hne of mere ordi- 
 nary strength, and the tenderer parts of the mouth, will 
 always sufficiently resist the slight impulse which is re- 
 quired in order to hook salmon. But I need not to say 
 more on this matter, for it will become natural to one 
 practising on a salmon-river, and travelling the fly pro- 
 perly, to strike, as it were, with efiect, and also to make 
 the most of such rises, or attempts on the part of the fish 
 to seize the hook, as indicate something faulty in its humour 
 or vision. 
 
190 ON SALMON-PISHING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 All occasional salmon-fishers have, in their experience, 
 met with, blank and adverse days ; and of these, the most 
 tantalising happen when the fish are plentiful, when they are 
 inclined, moreover, to look at the hook, to follow it, and even 
 break the surface above or near it without making any real 
 attempt to take hold. What, it will be asked, is to be done 
 by way of remedy on an occasion of this sort 1 The prac- 
 tice of experienced anglers has been to change the fly over 
 the fish ; and, indisputebly, it is the correct one. It must 
 not, however, be presumed that there is, to meet all cir- 
 cumstances, a great deal of efficacy in this resort, and that 
 one, after experimenting to a certain extent, may hit upon 
 what he chooses to term the killing fly of the day. It 
 generally happens, when fish are in the capricious humour 
 I speak of, (affected possibly by atmospheric causes, often 
 by the state of the water, and as often by the action of 
 solar light,) that they remain so for a considerable time — 
 for the space, at least, of three or four hours, sometimes 
 nearly a whole day. The operation of a change of fly made 
 imder such circumstances is almost always limited to an 
 individual fish ; were it otherwise, there could be no reason 
 to complain ; but I doubt much, unless in the event of a 
 change of weather, or state of water, that salmon, having 
 shown a degree of partiality to the three or fom- flies first 
 used by rising at them, would, on the exhibition of a 
 fifth or sixth, all at once discover towards these a peculiar 
 fondness which induces them, without reserve, not merely 
 to show face, but greedUy to 'take hold. In the case of an 
 individual fish, this is, I allow, possible enough to happen ; 
 but I cannot bring myself to behove in the influence of any 
 particular hook used under such circumstances over the 
 . tastes and caprices of the general body. 
 
 For my own part, I am commonly content to find out 
 a killing fly in the one which induces fish to rise j and the 
 reason I have for substituting another, should a salmon 
 merely break the surface without taking hold, is not that I 
 expect the substitute to prove a whit more enticing, but I 
 would do all in my power to prevent the distrust and 
 alarm possibly consequent upon a repeated transit of the 
 identical lure. This distrust, however, be it noted, is only 
 a possible event as regards the fly-hook in question; and 
 
CHANGING THE HOOK. 191 
 
 the substitution of another, so far from acting as a counter- 
 charm, may, on the contrary, operate strongly to my pre- 
 judice, occasioning, or confirming the very alarm I am 
 endeavouring to suppress. 
 
 The expediency, therefore, of changing the fly imme- 
 diately, over a grilse or salmon, on the failure of its attempt 
 to take hold, is very questionable ; nor, although occasion- 
 ally acting on it, am I a slave to the practice. If led to 
 believe that the fish has missed his aim, less from shyness 
 than over-keenness, or it may be owing to the inconvenience 
 of place and position, the rapid nature of the current, 
 improper management of the line, or other such cause, 
 most assuredly I would not change the fly over him until 
 convinced that he had no inclination to rise a second time : 
 even then I should be chary of bestowing a new hook with- 
 out allowing him an interval of rest not shorter than a 
 quarter of an hour. In'passing, however, the first fly over 
 him a second time, I would use little or no delay. The 
 humour he is in for rising at it has already been tested, 
 and there is some possibility of its subsiding, should the 
 opportunity be given. If convinced, however, that the fish 
 started came towards the hook in a dubious, distrustful 
 mood, I would then allow him a reasonable respite of some 
 minutes, and, at the same time, substitute a fly-hook of 
 smaller dimensions — I do not say less gaudy in appearance, 
 but rather the contrary ; for it is well known, in respect 
 to Scottish rivers, that the Irish fly, with all its glitter, is 
 often most killing imder a clear sky, and on low limpid 
 water; while the Scotch one, sober in hue, developes its 
 attractive powers in dull windy weather, and not unfre- 
 quently when the streams are of a deep porter colour, the 
 delight of the trout-fisher's eye. This refused, I wotdd 
 experiment, according to the state of the river, with a 
 larger one ; and finally, as a last resort, recur to the hook 
 first employed. 
 
 Perhaps all this extreme fuss and trouble about a single 
 fish may be looked upon as unnecessary, if not ridiculous. 
 It is so, I allow, in certain rare positions ; and there are 
 those who, being placed in such, laugh at the idea of 
 bestowing more than mere brachial exertion in the capture 
 of salmon with the rod. Such, having their will and wont 
 
192 ON SALMON- PISHING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 of a well-reputed stream, are less dependent for sport upon 
 the caprice of the fish, and take less care to exhibit craft 
 and science in the securing of them than others, whose 
 range is limited and unprotected. These latter, however, 
 be it imderstood, form the better salmon-slayers. They 
 may be unable to boast of many captures in proportion, 
 but it is not because they are deficient in skill or practice. 
 What honour is due, as a sportsman, to the ranger of a well- 
 fitocked preserve ? Is he necessarily a truer shot — ^keener- 
 eyed — steadier handed — more active — more enduring — 
 abler in the management of his kennel — ^than one who has 
 to toil over hiU and dale, through marsh and stubble-, in 
 search of a broken covey or solitary hare ? With the for- 
 mer, to miss his bird is a matter of small consequence. He 
 can afibrd to do so, while the other cannot. He can afibrd 
 to pass it over altogether — ^to forgive his dogs a careless 
 point, or a run in. He requires to take no pains, and 
 encounter no fatigue. The game rises at his feet ; the bag 
 can be filled at all events. It is differefiit with the latter. 
 He cannot afford the throwing away of a single chance. 
 One act of misconduct on the part of his setter — a too 
 hasty or too dilatory pull of the trigger — an error in the 
 fielding — a miss from over-exeitement, or any other 
 cause — ^the escape of a wounded bird — each of these cir- 
 cumstances by itself tells hard against him, and is fre- 
 quently an occasion of lament and grievance. Such 
 occurrences, however, produce their advantageous effect, by 
 encouraging the endeavour to avoid them for the future. 
 Being felt as matters of importance, and treated as such, 
 they aU act towards making the sportsman. They incul- 
 cate prudence, decision, vigUaace, the study also of natural 
 history, as &x as relates to the habits of his game. They 
 make him careful, frugal, active, and earnest — superior, as 
 respects his occupation, to the slayer of hand-fed pheasants, 
 as is the wild deer in strength and fleetness to the bloated 
 venison of some palace park. 
 
 And thus it is with the true angler. He is not made 
 out of thick and manifold, but out of few and scattered 
 resources. The science of his art is acquired in a rigid and 
 exacting school. He has to reconcile himself to disap- 
 pointments, to practise self-denial, to encounter hardships. 
 
MANAGEMENT OP THE PISH. 193 
 
 He requires to study devotedly, perseveringly, to neglect 
 or omit nothing. With subdued expectations, he ought 
 never to despond. His motto should be of bright letter — ■ 
 the banner-word of a conqueror. 
 
 How TO MANAGE A Salmqn WHEN HOOKED. — On hooking 
 a fish there remains often much to be done before he is 
 secured. About one-third of hooked salmon escape j some, 
 through sheer carelessness or want of experience on the part 
 of the angler; others, by reason of the fish being slightly or 
 insufficiently fastened; and a few owing to uncontrollable 
 circumstances which occasion, without choice or remedy, 
 the snapping or wearing through of the line. Thus, for 
 instance, a strong fish, on being hooked, may betake itself 
 in a direction down or across the river, while the angler, 
 his stock of line being run out, is, from the na,ture of the 
 banks, or the breadth of the pool, unable to pursue ; or 
 it may, having its lair among sharp-edged rpcks, exert 
 itself with success to wear through the gut which holds it 
 — a manifestation of cunning, on the part of an old fish, 
 by no means imcommon, although it is seldom met with, 
 when the salmon is fresh-run, and relies for escape upon the 
 exertion of its strength aijd fleetness. 
 
 On hooking a fish, the first thing to be done by the 
 angler is to raise his rod to a proper height — ^to throw the 
 point of it well back over his abpulder, or, in technical 
 language, show the butt to his prisoner. To do this pror 
 perly, one does not require to use force, or, in the smallest 
 degree, strain his rod ; nor should he, in all cases, act with 
 extreme gentleness, but accommodate his firmness of hold 
 to the strength of his tackle and size of hook employed. 
 At the same time, he should be prepared to allow line, 
 and that freely, in case the fish choose to exert its speed. 
 
 It is not always, on hooking a salmon, that the angler 
 can immediately form a just opinion as to its size. Fish, 
 under the control of the rod, often acquire dimensions very 
 difierent from those which, at first start, were attributed 
 to them, and as frequently they fe.U short of what is con- 
 jectured. It sometimes happens, for instance, that a 
 powerful salmon makes reserve of its strength, and by its 
 movements, passionless and confined, appears, for the space 
 of several minutes, little better than an uuresisting inani- 
 
194 ON SALMON-FISHING WITH THE PLY. 
 
 mate mass; nor until irritated by the continued pressure, 
 I say not pain, resulting from the rod and tackle, does it 
 give vent to its fury in grand impetuous bursts, which, as 
 they shake and agitate his rod and line, stir also and 
 agitate the heart of their wielder. 
 
 On the other hand, a comparatively small fish wiU some- 
 times, on being hooked, exert on the instant an unex- 
 pected degree of strength and velocity. It wLQ dart 
 Upwards or across the stream with railway speed, and 
 conclude each heat with a succession of somersets, which, 
 although they exhaust rapidly the power of the performer, 
 are severally, as they occur, fraught with danger. In this 
 case the salmon quickly betrays its size, and can be dealt 
 with accordingly ; stiU there is always a necessity for the 
 exercise of extreme caution, for the more volatile in dis- 
 position the fish shows itself, the greater are the chances 
 of its escape. When deeply hooked, it is generally imable 
 or unwilling to indulge the eye of the angler with antics 
 of the above description, but will confine its manoeuvres to 
 its natiural element, merely breaking the surface on emer- 
 gencies, (on the termination, for instance, of some powerful 
 sally,) and frequently betaking itself to a different mode 
 of action, suited as readily to snap the line or detach the 
 barb from its mouth. The following instructions, as to 
 playing or managing a salmon with the rod, will be found 
 useftd. 
 
 Always, in running a fish, keep well up to, or, if pos- 
 sible, at right angles with its head. In the event of its 
 taking across the current, instead of stetnming or descend- 
 ing it, give the butt without reserve. In the case of a 
 plunge or somerset, slackeh line as quickly as possible, but 
 use no delay in recovering it when the danger is over. 
 
 , When fish are plentiful and in humour to take the fly, it 
 is better to risk the loss of an indifferent-sized individual 
 which you happen to have hooked, than to allow a long 
 range of unfished water to become disturbed through its 
 capricious movements. In this case, stint the hne and 
 hold on obdurately, but not beyond the presumed strength 
 of your tackle. During the grilse season, there are many 
 portions of water, on Tweed especially, where it would be 
 absolute folly in the angler, were he to humour the fish to 
 
MANAGEMENT OP THE PISH. "196 
 
 its heart's content. A lively new-run grilse may occasion 
 more alarm among its kind than one is aware of, especially 
 if the water be of the transparent hue it generally bears 
 during the smnmer or autumnal months. In event, how- 
 ever, of the salmon being few or rising shyly, I would 
 advise that some degree of care and ceremony be taken 
 with what fortune brings to the hook; and that, on such 
 occasions, more regard be paid to the management of the 
 fish under control than to the non-disturbance of a few 
 yards of stream, where the chances of adding to one's suc- 
 cess are, at least, extremely doubtful. 
 
 In these circumstances, avoid using undue violence. 
 Should the fish escape, the consciousness of your having 
 done so wiU only add to the disappointment. There is 
 one precaution partictJarly to be attended to in respect to 
 a newly-run fish — and that is, immediately on hooking it, 
 use a moderate degree of pressure. The salmon wiU then 
 brave or stem the current, and direct its course upwards ; 
 whereas, on tightening the reins, it wiU frequently do the 
 reverse, and thus not only may a portion of the water in 
 prospect become disturbed, but there is considerable 
 chance, and in some places an absolute certainty, of the 
 fish, if a large one, making its escape. 
 
 ' Baggits and kelts have often a strong inclination to de- 
 scend, instead of pushing upwards; but little danger, on 
 their doing so, accrues to the line, owing to the nature of 
 the places they frequent, their style of rvmning, and other 
 caiises : moreover, the loss in their case is less felt or re- 
 gretted than when good wholesome fish make off with the 
 tackle. 
 
 The Landing op the Fish. — On Tweedside, a gaff-hook 
 or deih is generally made use of by salmon-fishers, in order 
 to expedite the landing of the fish. I have remarked 
 that, in some parts of Scotland, a small hoop-net is also 
 employed for this purpose. In respect that it is not 
 liable to abuse or injure the appearance of the salmon, the 
 latter implement may be considered the preferable one. 
 The cleik, however, is more convenient, and may be re- 
 sorted to in places and at distances where the hoop-net can- 
 aot be made available. The employment of a landing ap- 
 ipliance at all — certainly not its advantage — ^may be con- 
 
196 ON SALMON-FISHING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 sidered, in a sporting view, as questionable. I have heard 
 it insisted on that the angler ought always to play his, fish 
 to bank, and secure him entirely by his own management, 
 and with his own hand. To this I do not entirely assent, 
 but I certainly think that there are occasions when the 
 gaiT-hook is brought into play quite inopportunely, when, 
 in fact, it acts, along with its wielder, a part in the cap- 
 ture of the fish that can scarcely be esteemed secondary 
 to that engaged in by the rodsman himself. 
 
 In expert hands, this implement is unquestionably of 
 great advantage in seciu-ing partially-exhausted fish. At 
 the same time, it curtails what many consider a portion 
 of the sport ; and I have seen it put into requisition at a 
 stage altogether premature : the fish, on being hooked, and 
 before its strength was nearly worn put, having way wardly 
 edged in, so as to give the opportunity referred to. I am 
 well aware that there are some salmon-fishers who hold 
 the playing and landing of the fish as very inferior con- 
 siderations, and who reckon the whole art and amusement 
 to consist in the raising and hooking. With one gentle- 
 man I am acquainted, an able and eager sportsman, who, 
 after the first burst, was accustomed to resign the rod into 
 the hands of his attendant, in order to rid himself of what 
 he considered a slavish or supplementary task. To such 
 individuals, the employment of the gaJff-hook is a matter 
 of perfect indifference ; but I cannot reconcile myself to 
 their cramped and petted notions on the subject of what 
 forms a most essential constituent of the amusement. 
 The playing and landing of the fish are unquestionably 
 act and part with the raising and hooking, and when 
 separated, aU interest on the part of either performer is 
 diminished ; the capture of the fish becomes a disputed 
 matter, achieved betwixt both parties, and claimed accor- 
 dingly. 
 
 In absence of an assistant, the salmon-fisher should 
 always be careful to select the best landing-place within 
 view — one to which he can readily lead his fish when ex- 
 hausted, and where he has no occasion to exert further 
 strength than he has aU along been using, in order to draw 
 it ashore. Gravel banks partly covered with shoal water, 
 flat rooks similarly circumstanced, or any level spot where 
 
THE TWISTINGS OF THE OASTING-LINE EXPLAINED. 197 
 
 the salmon may naturally turn over at once, -without 
 power of recovery, on his broad side, are well adapted for 
 the purpose in question. In case of no such convenient 
 landing-place being at hand, I would, rather than risk the 
 loss, of a good fish, guide him to some distance down the 
 river, until, in fact, I fall in with a desirable port. Do 
 not, however, be induced to haul a salmon up against the 
 stream, with the view of landing it on some jut of sward, 
 sand, or rock, that engages your fancy at the moment. 
 Should the fish press or incline to be guided towards it, 
 good and well ; but on no occasion resort to force, when 
 force may be avoided. The fish being grounded, shorten 
 line to the extreme, and, holding back your rod with one 
 hand, step forward, and with the other grasp the salmon 
 tightly above the tail. A glove or cotton njitten wiU be 
 foimd of great service at this juncture. You may then 
 toss or carry it to the bank above, and, by a blow or two 
 on the head, immediately despatch it. In case of your 
 line being too long to permit you to seize the fish without 
 quitting hold of the rod, then do so — only act with rapi- 
 dity when you approach to make your seizure. 
 
 When the fish has been despatched, be careful, on extricat- 
 ing the hook from its jaws, lip, or tongue, that no imdue 
 force be appHed to the bend or barb, and attend more espe- 
 cially to the wings, hackles, and body-gear, which are liable 
 to be torn through and disfigured. In aU cases, when the 
 steel is firmly fixed, use a small knife, in order to free the 
 hook; and, washing it, dress up the feathers before you 
 recommence fishing. After a long run, as every salmon- 
 fisher must have observed, the tackle frequently comes to 
 hand encumbered with numerous twists. These it is 
 common to attribute to the workings and writhings of 
 the fish, imder sway of the rod and its wielder; but they 
 proceed, in reality, from the action of the main or winch 
 line, which, when run out, is apt, being in nine cases out 
 of ten over-spun, to untwist itself upon the casting portion 
 of the line, and thus occasion the perplexity I have de- 
 scribed. Under such circumstances, the angler ought 
 always to revise his tackle, and ascertain that it has 
 escaped injury. 
 
 I wotdd recommend all anglers who are in the habit of 
 
198 ON SALMON-FISHING WITH THE FLY. 
 
 fishing salmon imattended, to carry along with them a 
 short gaff or landing-hook, not exceeding in length of 
 handle two or three feet — such, in fact, as may be slung 
 conveniently from, or placed inside of the pannier. This 
 wiU be found, on many occasions, greatly to facilitate the se- 
 cxiring of a tired fish, and is not intended, as is the ordinary 
 gaff-hook, for striking with, but merely for inserting below 
 the gill-cover of the salmon, and dragging it to the bank. 
 
 In the com'se of the above instructions, I have touched 
 upon most of the points worthy of notice, in connection 
 with the subject of salmon-fishing. To extend further 
 my line of observations, I feel to be more simple than 
 satisfactory. The matter is fe,r from being exhausted, 
 but I doubt much that I could add anything of avaU or 
 interest to what I have already stated or set forth. I 
 shall not, therefore, hamper my code of instructions, 
 however faulty or deficient, with any additional advice, 
 or obtrude into a region of facts what is purely theoreti- 
 cal in connection with saJmon-fishing. A great deal that 
 might not unappropriately have been placed under this 
 head will be found in the chapter upon Salmon-flies, and 
 in other parts of the volume. By no arrangement of 
 subject that might have been entered upon, could I have 
 avoided distributing through several portions of the work 
 what professed to belong entirely to one j nor, indeed, 
 apart from this restraint, could I wish, for the mere sake 
 of isolating or giving separate distinctness to the different 
 parts, to break in upon the connection that naturally 
 exists betwixt them. 
 
 Considering, therefore, the entirety of the work as 
 more essential than the entirety of each of its parts, I 
 make no apology for what may be reckoned a loose and 
 scattered treatment of this or that subject ; the more 
 especially, as I am shut up, without remedy, to the course 
 before me. A reference then, as at present, from this to 
 that chapter, being an interference with the subject-matter 
 of either, must be held as showing the connection or in- 
 timacy already spoken of, and without which the entirety 
 pf the volimie could not exist. I now proceed, in a 
 separate chapter, to treat of Salmon-fishing as practised 
 with the Parr-taU, Minnow, and Worm. 
 
199 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 SALMON-FISHING WITH THE PARR-TAIL, MINNOW, AND WORM. 
 
 In Chapter vii., I have described, at some length, the 
 parr-tail tackle, the way in which the bait or lure ought 
 to be cut, how attached to the hooks, &c. &o. My obser- 
 vations upon these matters, although made in reference to 
 trout-fishing, comprise, when applied to salmon, nearly 
 aU that can be said upon the subject. Almost the only 
 additional instructions I can give the angler refer to the 
 weighting of the tackle. In this respect, he requires to 
 be liberal of his leads or plummets ; and in spinning the 
 lure, careful that he keeps it well sunk — ^in fact, close to 
 the bottom of the pool or stream. Salmon, when at all 
 inclined to take the parr-tail, will do so in water compa- 
 ratively still, as well as at the head of streams and rapid 
 places. They seldom pay any regard to it when the river 
 is discoloured or beyond its ordinary spring size, although 
 bull-trouts, especially kelted fish of this description, will 
 seize it greedily. It is esteemed by some surest as a bait 
 at the latter end of May ; but a clean fish wiU take it, as it 
 does the minnow, throughout the spring months. 
 
 In very cold weather, during March, and when the 
 water is most xminviting to the eye, having that greenish 
 tinge which indicates the presence of snow at its sources, 
 I have known the parr-tail, in common with the minnow, 
 to be a killing bait. Nay, amid thick slabs of ice, and 
 when the air is so frosty, as in the course of a few minutes 
 to stiffen the wetted line, and render it unfit for work, 
 this bait will be found for the moment, if cast where 
 
200 SALMON-FISHING 
 
 salmon are, of almost certain avail. Under circumstances, 
 of course, such as I have last mentioned, there would be 
 much difficulty, after hooking the fish, in securing it, as, 
 unless forcibly dealt with, it would certainly make for 
 shelter under the ice, and in all likelihood cut or wear 
 through the line against its sharp edges. 
 
 In fishing with the minnow for salmon, observe the 
 same direction as when fishing with the parr-tail. Play 
 the lure near the bottom, and more leisurely than you 
 would do were river-trout the object in view. Use a 
 minnow of large size, and tackle to correspond. The 
 parr-taU. tackle of three hooks may be substituted advan- 
 tageously for the common minnow-tackle of two. Bright 
 frosty days in March and AprU are much preferable to 
 duU windy ones, when the minnow is used ; and should 
 the streams be clear or in a dwindled state, most salmon- 
 fishers would look forward with certainty to obtaining 
 sport. 
 
 In the spinning of the parr-tail and minnow, as it is 
 practised for salmon — ^that is, with heavy leads and close 
 to the bottom of the cast or lair — there is great danger 
 of the tackle running foul below of rocks and other 
 impediments. Sometimes, in playing, it will become 
 locked in betwiKt two stones ; sometimes one of the hooks 
 catches against a sunken tree or mass of turf, and in 
 either case the angler finds himself what is termed fast. 
 On such occasions, (and they frequently happen to those 
 even who have an accurate knowledge of the ground they 
 fish over,) the angler having, without success, made every 
 attempt at extrication which ordinarily suggests itself, 
 ought, as a final expedient, to give out line liberally with 
 his hand — say three, four, or five yards beyond what was 
 made use of ; he should then cast out from him, as if with 
 fly tackle, in the direction taken immediately before 
 running foul; and finally, this done, recover line quickly. 
 I know of no surer method than this of liberating fast 
 tackle. The experiment, as detailed, may and ought to 
 be repeated at least a dozen times, without despair of 
 success. Indeed, ujiless the looking of the tackle hap- 
 pened to be an involved or desperate one, I never saw it 
 faO. 
 
WITH THE PARR-TAIL, MINNOW, AND WORM. 201 
 
 I proceed now, having thus briefly disposed of these 
 methods of salmon-slaying — ^not, h'owever, because they 
 merit small regard, but chiefly, as I have already, in a 
 former chapter, engrossed aU that appertains to either 
 subject— I proceed to describe the manner of fishing for 
 salmon with the worm, as practised on Tweedside. I am 
 not aware that in any one of our large northern rivers, 
 the Tay, Dee, Spey, Findhorn, Ness, or Shin, the mode of 
 angling I am about to treat of has been more than very 
 occasionally tried; and I can easily comprehend why such 
 occasional experiments, although made by those instructed 
 in the art at the feet of old Father Tweed himself, have 
 generally proved failures. 
 
 On these rivers, to give the experiment full justice, the 
 experimentalist would require not only an accurate know- 
 ledge of how he is to conduct the whole process, but he 
 must have besides a most intimate acquaintance with the 
 stream he is angling in, and be able at a glance to ascer- 
 tain from its size, colour, and temperature in what humour 
 the fish are ; for in worm-fishing for salmon there is this 
 peculiarity, that it cannot be indulged in as a common or 
 eVery-day sport, but is dependent more closely upon cir- 
 cumstances than any other branch of the gentle art I am 
 acquainted with. Thus, to insure success, one must have 
 the water at a certain reduced state to act upon ; he re- 
 quires to be favoured in general with a clear sky, none 
 the worse of there being a disposition in the air towards 
 frost. The streams, also, to which he has access must 
 possess that degree of depth and rapidity which are 
 necessary both to conceal the fish and assist the play of 
 the bait ; moreover, it is essential that, notwithstanding 
 one and all of them may have been angled over repeatedly 
 with the salmon-fly, they shaU not previously, during the 
 decrease of the river, have been disturbed with the worm 
 itself; if so, should the angler impatiently have resorted 
 to it before they were in order, every fish then descrying 
 it would, at its reappearance on a favourable occasion, 
 hold it in distrust. 
 
 The more simple description of tackle made use of in 
 angling with the worm for salmon, consists of a large hook 
 of the round-bend shape, Nos. from 16 to 18 of Adling- 
 
202 SALMON-PISHING 
 
 ton's. It requires to be tied upon picked salmon-gut, 
 fresh and round; the shank-end of the wire, in tying, 
 ought to be left bare to the extent of nearly a quarter of 
 an inch — ^thus 
 
 The single gut or foot line, from the hook upwards, should 
 extend at least six feet, and terminate with a loop, so as 
 to allow of its being readily annexed to the higher cast- 
 ing-line. It should also be furnished with a box-swivel 
 fixed below the uppermost length. 
 
 With regard to the leads or plummets, these ought to 
 be placed at a distance of eighteen inches from the hook, 
 and should consist of at least five or six pellets of large 
 shot, B. B. In all cases, the tackle in question requires 
 to be heavily shotted, but in regulating the quantity of 
 weight, it is quite necessary that attention be paid to the 
 power, depth, and swerve of the cast or stream fished in. 
 
 As to the worms best adapted for salmon-jBshing, I 
 require to say little. The lob or large dew-worm is 
 esteemed the favourite, (see Chapter vi.) Besides the lob- 
 worm, the large button-worm is sometimes used,, and 
 possesses this advantage, that it is easily scoured, and 
 becomes tougher and redder than the other. 
 
 In baiting the hook, two, sometimes three, worms are 
 made use of These are attached in the following way : 
 Holding one of them betwixt the thumb and forefinger of 
 the left hand, insert the point of your hook a short way 
 below the head of the worm, which, I shall suppose, 
 measures in length eight or nine inches ; run the bend of 
 the wire carefully along through the bait, to the full 
 extent of an inch, in the direction of the tail ; bring the 
 point out again, and passing over an equal portion of the 
 worm, re-enter it ferther on, drawing up, as you do so, 
 what has already been transfixed, along the shank of the 
 hook J then, as before, bring out the point an inch lower 
 
WITH THE PAEE-TAIL, MINNOW, AND WOEM. 20S 
 
 down. Repeat this proceeding a third time, and at its 
 completion pull tlie worm up quite free from the hook to 
 the gut above. Select a second worm, and insert, as 
 formerly, the barbed wire below the head ; run it along 
 underneath, imtil the shank, bend, and point are com- 
 pletely concealed J then, with your finger and thumb, 
 press down the first bait close against the shank, so as to 
 hang over in small loops or folds. 
 
 In the event of a third worm being thought necessary, 
 string on the one preceding it in the manner I have 
 already described, and use the worm in question to cover 
 the hook. 
 
 Another description of tackle used in worm-fishing for 
 salmon consists of two hooks, Nos. 18 and 15 Adlington. 
 Of these, the larger is tied on lowermost, and in the 
 manner already described ; the other, as in the minnow- 
 tackle, being placed, its shank similarly exposed, a short 
 way higher up the gut. The baiting is managed by run- 
 ning on one of the lob-worms over the wire of the lower 
 hook, the point of which is entered at the head, and 
 brought out near the tail of the bait. The worm is then 
 drawn up, and run over the smaller hook, for which pm-- 
 pose the point of the latter is forced round, and inserted 
 at the same perforation. It is brought out, however, in 
 this case, near the middle of the worm, about an inch of 
 which ought, on its being again drawn up, to occupy 
 the gut above. In attaching the next worm, enter the 
 barb of the lower wire near its middle ; and, having rim. 
 it up as before, thrust in the other hook at the same 
 perforation, directing it through the loose portion of the 
 bait. With the third worm cover the lower hook, enter- 
 ing it near the head, and drawing it up so as completely 
 to conceal the wire. 
 
 I shall now describe the most approved way of angling 
 with the worm for salmon. The performer requires to 
 use a long, stif&sh rod, eighteen feet and upwards, such as 
 is employed for pike-trolling. The rings should be large, 
 allowing the line to pass through them without the small- 
 est restraint, and the reel itself ought to be facile in the 
 extreme, having neither catch nor multiplicator. With 
 regard to the quantity of line employed in casting, it 
 
204 SALMON-FISHING 
 
 should not greatly exceed the length of the rod itself. 
 Considering the manner in which it is weighted, and the 
 mode of using it I am about to point out, it is difficult 
 to manage more. 
 
 Having baited his hook, let the angler take his place at 
 the head of the cast or salmon-stream he intends fishing. 
 Immediately on commencing operations, there is a matter 
 of observance to which he mtist pay particular attention. 
 It forms, in fact, to some extent, the secret of the success- 
 ful worm-fisher, and is embodied in this simple piece of 
 instruction — ^viz.. Let him draw out with his hand, over 
 and above what he uses in casting, a yard or so of line 
 from off the reel, allowing the same to hang loosely down 
 towards the but-end of his rod. The intention of this is, 
 that he may afford instant and unresisting compliance 
 with the movements of the fish, on first seizing the bait. 
 Should the least check occur in the running off the line, 
 the salmon will, in most cases, quit before gorging. 
 
 I have now placed the angler at the head of a cast or 
 salmon-stream. Let him heave his bait across, and in 
 some measure with, the current, which I take to be so 
 heavy or rapid as to bring round the weighted line, at a 
 deliberate rate, until it attains its fuU stretch or tension. 
 It is necessary, during this circuit, that the worm travel 
 deep, in contact almost with the channel of the river, 
 otherwise it will not prove attractive to the fish. On 
 completing its range, the angler should allow it to hing, 
 as it were, for a few seconds in subjection to the current, 
 and, as he recovers it, use considerable caution. 
 
 When a check occurs, no matter from what cause it 
 may, on the instant, be imagined [to proceed, he ought at 
 once to give line, not merely exhausting what he has in 
 preparation, but dealing out ungrudgingly a further supply 
 from his reel, and this by means of the hand, so that it 
 may run off easily, and, as it were, humour the move- 
 ments of a supposed fish. The check itself may very 
 possibly be occasioned by collision of the plummets with 
 some stone or jut of rock, or it may proceed from the 
 interference of a trout or eel ; but this being quite 
 uncertain, the angler has himself to blame, if, by treating 
 it as such, he gives opportunity for a good fish to escape. 
 
WITH THE PARR-TAIL, MINNOW, AND WORM. 206 
 
 In general, however, I may remark, a mere check or stop- 
 page is not the usual indication of a fish having seized the 
 worm. What takes place has more the nature of an 
 attack, quick and vigorous as is that of the pike on a 
 rimning bait. The progress of the hook downwards is 
 disturbed by a violent jerk or pull, sometimes in the 
 direction of the current, but as frequently to the side, 
 towards the lair or retreat of the salmon. Should this 
 attack on the bait be met with unresistingly by the 
 angler, and sufficient line allowed on the occasion, it will 
 generally, after a short pause, become repeated, with less 
 violence, indeed, but with more earnestness and effect. In 
 the interval between the charges, however, care must be 
 taken to sustain and give an animated appearance to the 
 worms. If allowed to drop to the bottom, the salmon 
 will no longer assail them. Accordingly, recover hne 
 with the hand, and be a little more chary than at first of 
 yielding it when the fish renews the attack. At this 
 point it is that a slight measure of resistance wiU act as a 
 provocative; previously, its effect was to alarm and beget 
 suspicion. 
 
 The salmon will now, after two or three successive 
 assaults, bolt the bait ; and his doing so may be inferred 
 from a peculiar strain upon the line, more fixed and con- 
 tinued in character than any it had yet been subject to 
 during the attack. The resolute and quick elevation of 
 the rod wiU suffice to fix the hook deep among the entrails 
 of the fish, and nothing further is left to be done but to 
 &tigue and land him. 
 
 Such is the method of capturing salmon with the worm 
 pursued in the neighbourhood of Kelso. It can be prac- 
 tised with success only when the river is clear and small. 
 A slight degree of frost is also favourable, sharpening 
 wonderfully the appetite of the fish. 
 
 It i^ not generally known, even by experienced salmon- 
 fishers, that the worm may be angled with successfully, 
 during the autumnal months, in a stretch of water per- 
 fectly stOl and clear, where salmon happen to be pent up 
 by drought or other causes. I shall here relate what 
 occurred to me in September 1848, as a proof that this 
 fish, generally so nice in its feeding, and distrustful in its 
 
-206 SALMON-FISHING 
 
 habits, may occasionally be captured by a method of 
 angling for it seldom if ever practised. 
 
 At the distance of nearly three miles from Kelso, a por- 
 tion of the Teviot consists of a pool called Gogram, or, 
 more properly, Heaton Mill Cauld. Here, should salmon 
 happen to be in the river at aU, they are generally found, 
 the range of water being considerable, and shelter, in the 
 form of rocks and large stones, abundant. On the occa- 
 sion I speak of, the stock was comparatively small, 
 amounting probably to about a dozen fish, salmon and 
 grilses, most of which had been in the fresh water about a 
 month, and tad acquired a slight tinge of copper on the 
 
 This number I conjecture to have been the correct one, 
 from the fact that the heat of the day, and the restlessness 
 induced by their long confinement to a particular portion 
 of the river, had occasioned them to move about in a 
 shoal from one end of the pool to the other — at such a 
 short distance, too, from the surface, that no individual 
 could escape detection. On fishing up towards this por- 
 tion of Teviot, although several rods had preceded me, 
 and the river was in a very low, unpromising state, I 
 captured with the worm a beautiful new-run grilse of sis 
 pounds' weight, at a cast called the Thorntree Nick. The 
 sun was at that time out in its full pride, and my moving 
 upwards towards Heaton MUl, the fish having been secured, 
 was actually unaccompanied with the slightest idea of 
 further success, as regarded salmon. However, reaching 
 the pool in question, I encountered a gentleman, rod in 
 hand, endeavouring, by various means, to work upon the 
 likings of the imprisoned fish, which, as I have already 
 stated, were sailing up and down the pool, near the surface, 
 and within a rod's cast of the north side of the river. 
 They had refused fly, minnow, as well as parr-tail, and he 
 was about to give up all attempts at a capture, when I 
 suggested a trial of the worm. A hook was accordingly 
 baited in the approved style, and dropt softly in advance 
 of the moving shoal, the operator standing behind a tree, 
 out of sight of the fish. Almost instantly, four or five of 
 the number made a rush towards it, but as quickly retired, 
 frightened seemingly by the appearance of the rod which 
 
■«?ITH THE PARR-TAIL, MINNOW, AND WORM. 20? 
 
 superintended the worm. To obviate this effect, I attached 
 
 to my own line a small float or piece of cord, just sufiicient 
 
 in size to keep the bait up, at the depth of water which I 
 
 judged the shoal moved in. I was enabled thus to hold 
 
 back the point of my rod, and allow rest to the lure in a 
 
 spot where the salmon were certain ere long, to observe it. 
 
 Having pitched in the worm with due caution, I took 
 
 up my station behind an alder tree on the bank, in order 
 
 to wait the result. Almost instantly, out sailed the float 
 
 at a steady pace, and having humoured it for a few 
 
 seconds by letting off line with my hand, I struck home 
 
 into the heart of a noble grilse, which, in the course of two 
 
 or three minutes, I had the satisfaction of bringing to 
 
 land. The hook, I may mention, was an Adlington, No. 
 
 17, baited with a couple of large lob-worms. This is not 
 
 the only fish of the true salmon-breed I have taken with 
 
 the worm in calm, clear water. On the 12th of October 
 
 1842, when fishing for eels with a mangled worm in Tweed, 
 
 on the KiQmouth Pool, below Makerston, I captured a 
 
 nice grilse at a depth of water exceeding twenty feet — a 
 
 circumstance which I am inclined to believe is one of 
 
 extreme rarity. 
 
 Although the true salmon (Salmo salar) will seldom, in 
 a fuU or swollen state of the river, show regard to bait of 
 any kind, yet it does so occasionally. On the 24th of 
 October 1838, I killed a newly-run grilse, eight pounds 
 in weight, , with the salmon-roe, when the Tweed was 
 large and thick. BuU-trout and whitlings take it fireely 
 on such occasions, {vide Chapter viii.) On the Nairn 
 river, in 1837, I captured with the worm a small clean 
 salmon, the water being brown and full ; and I have 
 frequently on Teviot seen kelted fish taken, by means of 
 the minnow or parr-tail, under similar circumstances. I 
 recollect with the former bait enticing a newly-run salmon, 
 of above nine pounds' weight, out of the same river, (17th 
 February 1844,) under circumstances not at all favourable 
 for the angler, the streams running large, and, although 
 not absolutely dirty, being highly impregnated with snow- 
 water. As to buU-trout or whitlings, they will snatch at 
 a worm, minnow, or parr-taU without much ceremony — 
 I do not say freely or at all times, but with many 
 
208 SALMON-FISHING WITH THE PABE-TAIL, &0. 
 
 degrees less fastidiousness than the salmon, during floods 
 or while running. Cold weatlwr also appetises them 
 wonderfully j but when the river is clear and small, they 
 become a shy, distrustful fish. As kelts, however, they 
 are, in all states of water, voracious, and wiU dash equally 
 at bait and fly with the fearlessness and avidity of the 
 pike itself. 
 
209 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PIKE AND PIKE-FISHINa. 
 
 Pickerel: Jack; Pike; Lace; Gedd. 
 
 Pin-rats.— D. 19 ; P. 14 ; V. 10 ; A. 17 ; C. 19. 
 
 Gbnebic Chaeactebs. — Head depressed, large, oblong, blunt ; jaws, 
 
 palatine bones and vomer furnished with teeth of various sizes ; 
 
 body elongated, rounded on the back ; sides compressed, covered 
 
 with scales ; dorsal fin placed very far back over the anal fin. — 
 
 rarrell, vol. i. p. 383. 
 
 Although, in common with most anglers, I esteem salmon- 
 fishing and the capturing of trout, whether with fly, min- 
 now, or worm, pre-eminent among river sports, the trolhng 
 for pike also, in places where they are known to attain great 
 size and are tolerably abundant, is an amusement by no 
 means uninteresting. 
 
 ' Not many years ago I practised this branch of the art 
 with great success, my principal scene of action being the 
 river Teviot, or, in fact, two or three pools belonging to it, 
 which lie in the vicinity of Eoxburgh, a small village 
 situated about three miles from Kelso. As these pools, or 
 the portions of them where pike lay, (for they were not all 
 throughout equally infested by this species of water-pirate,) 
 are neither extensive nor numerous, I generally managed 
 to test them, quite sufficiently for the day, in the course of 
 an hour or little more. In a brown water, and when the 
 fish were in taking humour, I sometimes confined myself 
 ' to a single hole or haunt, from which, ere the elapse of 
 twenty minutes, I have managed, over and over again, to 
 abstract a large creel-load of fish, Tar3ang in point of 
 numbers from two to sis, and in point of weight from ten 
 to two pounds. The period of the day I commonly, on 
 
210 PIKE AND PIKE-FISHING. 
 
 these occasions, devoted to pike-trolling, ranged from one 
 to five in the afternoon, and often succeeded a morning 
 spent in trowting, when I was well supplied with fresh and 
 proper-sized baits. In their edible qualities, the Teviot 
 pike were the finest I ever tasted. They cut firm and 
 white, had little or none of that slimy flavour which this 
 fish generally possesses, and in their formation were 
 comparatively small-headed, deep-flanked, and broad- 
 shouldered. 
 
 The breed are said to have been introduced into the 
 river by the late Marquis of Lothian, along with a stock of 
 perch of a valuable description, attainii^ individually the 
 weight of three or four pounds. It seems more probable 
 that they found their way into Teviot by the Ale water, 
 one of its tributaries from Alemoor Loch, which they have 
 been long known to inhabit. 
 
 Betwixt the years 1838 and 1846 I captured about 
 one hundred and fifty pike out of Teviot alone, five-sixths 
 of them with the rod, and, as has been already mentioned, 
 chiefly during spare hours, and on my return from some 
 trouting excursion. Of these the largest was a male fish, 
 and weighed about seventeen pounds. I caught one with 
 the minnow and single gut line, on the 8th of March 1845, 
 weighing fourteen pounds, and I have not unfrequently 
 taken others approaching to twelve pounds. That there 
 existed until lately in the Heaton-mill cauld several fish 
 heavier than any I have named, cannot be questioned. I 
 once hooked and played one, apparently a twenty-pounder, 
 until quite exhausted, and had I been accommodated with 
 a gafi'-hook or convenient landing-place, would certainly 
 have secured him. As it turned out, in the absence of 
 either, I was compelled to use more than ordinary force in 
 order to bring him within reach of my hand. The tackle, 
 being formed of single gut, accordingly broke, and the 
 fish, after lying motionless for some minutes on the surface 
 of a bed of thick weeds, made his escape. A pike weigh- 
 ing nineteen pounds was killed, some years ago, with the 
 leister, a little way below Ormiston-mill. This, perhaps, 
 was the largest, actually secured, of Teviot pike. 
 
 The introduction of these fish into the principal tribu- 
 tary of Tweed, conduced, there is no question, very mate- 
 rially to injure the salmon-fishings ; nor, as may be sup- 
 
HAVOC AMONG THE SALMON-SMOLTS. 211 
 
 posed, did the common trout remain wholly unscathed. 
 With regard to the ravages committed among the fry of 
 the salmon, I may mention that almost every pike cap- 
 tured by me during the months of April and May con- 
 tained in its stomach, or disgorged on being landed, the 
 remains of one or more smolts. These frequently were 
 quite entire — to all appearance, indeed, newly killed ; they 
 were sometimes also in a partly-digested state, and on 
 other occasions presented to the eye little more than was 
 sufficient to distinguish them as having been small fish. 
 I have taken five or six salmon-fry, in the stages above 
 described, out of the stomach of a single pike. Two, three, 
 or four, were a matter of common occurrence. Such being 
 the case, and if it be true, what many ichthyologists affirm, 
 that fish dissolve their food' with such astonishing rapidity 
 as to rival, in some instances, the action of fire — nay, 
 allowing that the stomach of the pike occupied a couple of 
 hours in completing the digestive process — the amount of 
 havoc committed by this ravager on Teviot, during the 
 smolt season, must have been very considerable. Confin- 
 ing my calculation within very moderate bounds, I shall 
 presume that each pike, on the average, as his daily meal, 
 during the months already referred to, engrossed four 
 salmon or bull-trout fry. This, in the course of sixty days, 
 gave an allowance to every individual in Teviot of two 
 hundred and forty smolts : and supposing there were, 
 from Ancrum-bridge downward, a stretch of water nine or 
 ten miles in length, not more than one thousand pike, the 
 entire number consumed by these, in less than one-sixth of 
 the year, must have amounted to two hundred and forty 
 thousand, or nearly a quarter of a milhon of salmon-fry^ 
 a greater number, there is no question, than is killed 
 during the same extent of time by all the angling poachers 
 in the district put together. 
 
 I describe a work of devastation among the salmon- 
 fry, which really, as far as Teviot was concerned, looked 
 serious. Up to the autumn of 1846, the pike of that 
 river being plentiful breeders and of quick growth^ 
 were rapidly on the increase. Portions of the water 
 hitherto exempt from their presence had become occu- 
 pied by them. Among others, the choicest salmon and 
 trout cast — that opposite Heaton-mill — literally for a 
 
212 PIKE AND PIKE-FISHIKG. 
 
 season swarmed with these invaders. I lost one day in it 
 four minnow-tackles in succession, all of them having been 
 bit through directly above the hooks by these rascals, and, 
 on attaching my bait to a gimp set, secured two of the 
 gang. In some pools — for instance, the one on which 
 Eoxburgh boat-house is situated — the river-trout had 
 become nearly extirpated, and there was reason to fear 
 that every succeeding year would add to the number and 
 extend the ravages of these ferocious freebooters. Fortu- 
 nately, however, for the character of the lower portion of 
 the river as trouting water — one it has long maintained, 
 and which, I trust, may long pertain to it — early in August 
 1846, a flood, unparalleled in the memory of the oldest 
 inhabitant in Teviotdale, took place, and one effect of this 
 extraordinary overflow of the valley was to break up the 
 Jiarbours of the pike in Teviot,'and temporarily dislodge 
 and carry off their inhabitants. Since then, however, as 
 I anticipated, they have gradually increased in number, 
 although happily not to a very alarming degree. Of their 
 resuming their former mastery over the pools I am under 
 no apprehensions, as they are now regularly fished for, 
 and appreciated as food in the district. 
 
 I shall now proceed to make a few general observations 
 relative to pike-fishing, and the ordinary modes of pursuing 
 it. The pike-rod ought invariably to be long, stout in the 
 material, and stifBsh in the make. It should be provided 
 with a reel or winch of corresponding dimensions, and line 
 to suit. Of pike-tackles there are in common use three or 
 four descriptions. The simplest, and in certain seasons 
 and places the most deadly, is the gorge-tackle. This con- 
 sists of a double hook, having a detachable arming formed 
 of brass wire. 
 
 The lure commonly employed on the gorge-tackle is a 
 small trout or parr, but it is capable, from its construction, 
 of being baited in various ways, and with divers delicacies 
 and attractions — such as frogs, morsels of bacon, &c. &c. 
 In baiting with the trout or any other small fish, enter the 
 detached end of the wire-arming through the mouth, and, 
 passing it along under the skin of the fish, bring it out 
 again, avoiding the vent, as near as possible to the tail or 
 caudal fin. Draw all tight, and observe that the hooks 
 protrude freely on either side of the .mouth. The tail, if 
 
THE GORGE-HOOK. 213 
 
 thought requisite, may be fastened with thread or small 
 twine to the wire-arming, in order to keep the bait in 
 shape, and allow of its being gorged more easily. 
 
 In angling, either pitch the bait forward by means of the 
 rod, or heave it from yoii with the hand. Allow it, if in 
 deep water, to sink well, before commencing to fetch it 
 home. Do this by degrees, impelling it towards the sur- 
 face in short urgent movements, and then, just as yon 
 catch a glimpse of it, relaxing your'puU, and thereby occa- 
 sioning it to drop again towards the bottom. Repeat, 
 unless prevented by weeds or other obstacles, this mode of 
 drawing home the bait, until you bring it to the water's 
 edge. As to the manner in which pike usually attack the 
 gorge-bait, no one that has ever felt it-r-for it can be judged 
 of only as a sensation — can easily forget it. It is not, as 
 might be expected from the character of the fish, a bold, 
 eager, voracious grasp ; quite the contrary — it is a slow, 
 calculating grip. There is nothing about it dashing or at 
 all violent ; no stirring of the fins, no lashing of the tail, 
 no expressed fury or revenge. The whole is mouth-work 
 — calm, deliberate, but bone-crashing and merciless mouth- 
 work. You think, at the moment, you actually hear the 
 shutting, the clanging sound of the assailer's jawbones — ' 
 the compression and racking of the supposed victim 
 betwixt them. Always give the pike time to swallow. If 
 he is disposed to take them, allow him five, or even tea 
 minutes. A slight measure of resistance generally, how- 
 ever, provokes him to be more expeditious, and even a 
 prick from one of the projecting barbs of the gorge-hook, 
 casually inflicted upon him, has often the same effect ; but 
 I would, in most cases, be careful how I use much freedom 
 with the rascal, for the boldest fish are sometimes shy and 
 distrustfiil beyond expectation. When a large pike has 
 fairly swallowed the bait, he soon gives intimation of it, 
 and even a small one makes his chain ring. 
 
 The running-tackle for pike I recommend to be made 
 up of three hooks, like the parr-tail tackle, on a larger 
 scale, (vide Chapter vii.,) and dressed upon good gimp 
 traces with a pair of box swivels, the lower one fastened 
 about eighteen inches above the hooks, and the uppermost 
 at or near the junction of tJ^e casting and reel lines. Bait 
 with a small trout or parr^ ind according to the directions 
 
214 PIKE AND PIKE-FISHING. 
 
 already given in my chapter on minnow and parr-tail fish- 
 ing, when treating of the spinning Inre. Should the trout 
 be too large to be employed entire, cut it, as there instructed, 
 into two parts, using the lower one, divested of its fins, tail- 
 foremost. See that the bait spins freely, and let the strik- 
 ing of the fish command your particular attention. Never 
 attempt this operation until he has fairly turned with the 
 lure betwixt his jaws, and you actually feel his weight ; 
 then, knowing the strength of your tackle, drive the barbed 
 hooks smartly across his mouth, and he is fastened to your 
 heart's content. 
 
 In loch-trolling from a boat, it is common, where pike 
 are plentiful, to crowd the tackle with hooks. The advan- 
 tage of this practice is very doubtful. Certainly, it does 
 not in the shghtest degree assist or improve the spinning ; 
 and as to rendering the getting hold of the fish more cer- 
 tain, experience has led me to believe that the parr-tail 
 running- tackle is, if properly managed, as sufficiently efiec- 
 tive as any other combination of hooks in use. 
 
 It may be from prejudice, but I must confess that, with 
 regard to the form and making up of pike and trolHng- 
 tackles commonly used by English anglers, they appear to 
 me to be, many of them, shop contrivances — mere fancy 
 articles, made to please the eye of the purchaser. In 
 several cases, also, they are the produce of a whim or spe- 
 culative notion on the part of some angler who, no doubt, 
 can expatiate largely on the virtues and marvellous facili- 
 ties of his invention — ^perhaps can enumerate instances of 
 its successful application, and bids defiance to the possibi- 
 lity of its being excelled or outrivalled. But there is a great 
 difference, mark me, betwixt the actual and the possible — 
 betwixt t-ackle tried by experiment, and contrivances whose 
 recommendatory points are only in the brain of the inven- 
 tor. To the former, there is due a fixed degree of appre- 
 ciation ; to the latter, little more than the regard called 
 forth by an object which excites our curiosity. 
 
 Of snap or spring hooks for pike I shall say nothing, 
 holding them, as I do, quite superfluous ; neither shall I 
 venture to describe the live-bait tackle, never having used 
 it. I have no doubt, however, that angling for pike with 
 the live bait is, in certain places, a very deadly mode of 
 fishing ; but the want of bleak, roach, and dace in our Scot- 
 
VARIETIES OF TACKLE. 215 
 
 tish waters, or of any good substitute for them — the min- 
 now and loach being, in point of size, too insignificant — is 
 a great drawback to its practice. Set lines and trimmers 
 I have employed, in many places, successfully. With the 
 latter, on a favourable day, excellent sport may be obtained 
 on many of our smaller lakes. A boat, of course, will be 
 required, along with a competent hand to arrange and 
 drop the bait. I have assisted, on several occasions, in 
 taking upwards of a dozen pike by this means, in the 
 course of two or three hours. Where the fish are plenti- 
 ful, the management of eight or nine trimmers will fre- 
 quently give ample employment to the parties occupying 
 the boat ; one of whom, during the progress of the main 
 sport, may, without detriment to it, wage further war with 
 the trolling-rod. 
 
 With regard to fly-fishing for pike, I used to practise it, 
 many years ago, with tolerable success, in a shallow loch 
 in Fife. I have also tried it in Perthshire ; but the result 
 of my several e:speriments "with the pike-fly is, that I am 
 convinced it is not a lure at all attractive to large or even 
 middle-sized fish j that, in fact, few of a greater weight 
 than three or four pounds are ever tempted to seize it, and 
 these do so only in shoal water, and during dull, windy 
 days. Pike-flies ought to be big and gaudy, the wings 
 formed each of the eye of a peacock's tail-feather, — the 
 body plentifully bedizened with dyed wool, bright hackles, 
 and tinsels. Bead-eyes, also, are held in estimation, and 
 gimp or wire arming is of course essential. 
 
 The pike, although a bold, vindictive fish, careless of 
 the angler's presence when in pursuit of its prey, is never- 
 theless sulky in its disposition, not to be tempted, at times, 
 by any bait, although dropped immediately before its snout. 
 It is liable, also, to be operated upon by the weather, more 
 so even than the trout is ; and, moreover, in many places, 
 has its feeding hours, apart from which it is loth, unless 
 under very favourable circumstances, to follow the bait. 
 As regards seasons, however, I have caught it in Teviot 
 throughout aU the year, but the pike of this river may 
 possibly form one of several exceptions to the general rule; 
 for in the Loch of the Lowes, in Selkirkshire, as well as in 
 certain lakes in Koss-shire, where I have, over and over 
 again, exerted my utmost skill, during the spring months; 
 
216 PIKE AND PIKB-PISHING. 
 
 to secure a single fish, I never could accomplish my object 
 sooner than the month of May ; and even then, the dis- 
 position of the pike to take freely was very questionably 
 manifested. 
 
 Out of Till, which is an early river, and swarms with 
 pike, I once took several of these fish during spring, and 
 havfe no doubt they may be captured there at any season. 
 Their spawning months, in the south of Scotland, are 
 March and April ; and they are considered by many epi- 
 cures as finest in condition when full of roe. For my own 
 part, with regard to the Teviot pike, at no season did I 
 ever capture one which was not highly relishable, being 
 firm, white in the flesh, and well tasted. Those of the 
 Loch of the Lowes possess the same qualities ; but it is 
 very different with the pike of Yetholm Loch, of Earn, 
 Tay, and twenty other places where I have taken them. 
 On the contrary, the fish of these waters are, with few ex- 
 ceptions, soft and shmy — in fact, positively disagreeable to 
 the smell and taste. It is a great improvement to the fish 
 to have it crimped, immediately on its being taken, at the 
 water-side. I have seen grilses and salmon also treated 
 in this manner, and it brings out the curdy firmness of 
 the fish amazingly in boiling. After cleansing, wrap up 
 the pike in a cloth brought for the purpose, and transfer 
 it to your pannier. The directions for boiling it are simi- 
 lar to those I have elsewhere given for the boiling of sal- 
 toon ; only it is advisable, first of all, to immerse the fish 
 for a minute or two in hot, scalding water, and thereby 
 render easy the removal of the scales by means of a knife 
 or scraper. A pike of about eight pounds in weight, when 
 baked or roasted, forms an excellent dish. It is, of course, 
 much improved by various sauces and stuffings ; but it is 
 not, as some affirm, mainly indebted to these for its edible 
 qualities. 
 
 I have not as yet attempted any description of the 
 places generally resorted to, and held in defence by the 
 pike or jack. They consist, in lochs, of all shoal and 
 weedy parts, of bays and covert places, such as are formed 
 by a projecting wall or sunken tree. In rivers, they 
 include the by-water, and such spots as are not much 
 operated on by the ordinary current. Dam-heads, more- 
 over, or the pools superintending them, are favourite 
 
THE WEATHER AND STATE OF WATER SUITABLE. 217 
 
 haunts with this fish ; the rich mould which settles and 
 remains in many of them, after floods, conducing to the 
 growth of various kinds of water-weeds, such as the 
 pickerel, &c. — the varied depth, also, and limitation of 
 currents, being in accordance with its tastes and habits. 
 
 Some naturahsts af&rm that the pike is a solitary fish. 
 This I hold to be quite a mistake. They are, at certain 
 seasons, as gregarious, if not more so, than the trout. 
 True, liiey do not swim exactly side by side like perch, 
 but, as accords with their size and rapacity, maintain 
 a wider range; and when on the bask, or in sunning 
 humour, distribute themselves along the margin or plot of 
 floating weeds, at short distances, each seemingly having 
 its own lurking-place apportioned to it. I have captured 
 frequently five or six pike, one after the other, out of the 
 same hole, and from the same stance ; although, in ex- 
 perimenting previously, for the space of an hour over the 
 cast, I was unable to detect the presence of a single fish. 
 None, in fact, I am convinced, were at that time upon 
 the spot, and they had evidently, in the interval, taken 
 possession of it as a body, not as individuals. 
 
 As to the weather and state of water best Suited for 
 pike-fishing, the former I esteem most when dull and 
 warm, there being at the time a breeze from the south 
 or south-west. Sunny glimpses, now and then, are not 
 unfavoui-able. and the approach of thunder, so inimical 
 to the hopes of the trout-fisher, may be held auspicious. 
 On cold days, however windy, pike seldom bite well, 
 although in Teviot, during the Spring season, I have met 
 with exceptions. In this river, also, 1 have noticed that 
 these fish were in high humour for taking immediately 
 before a flood, and when the water was just beginning 
 to swell. This was owing, no doubt, to the anticipations 
 entertained by them, through instinct, of being deprived 
 for some length of time of their usual food, which, during 
 a thick, muddy water, they were unable to discern and 
 secure. They, moreover, bit freely when the river was 
 of a deep brown colour, and I have caught them in pools 
 highly impregnated with snow ; in fact, there was no 
 state of water, actual floods excepted, during which the 
 river-pike I allude to might not have been induced to 
 take. 
 
218 PIKE AND PIKE-FISHING. 
 
 A single advice as to the mode of despatching pike 
 when landed, and of extracting most readily, and with 
 least danger, the gorge-hook, may not be reckoned super- 
 fluous. The quickest, simplest, and most effectual way 
 of killing the fish, is by urging a sharp instrument, such 
 as the strong blade of a pocket-knife, through the spinal 
 marrow at its junction with the brain, a spot at once 
 ascertained, from its being situated immediately behind 
 the skull ioone. The pike being thus despatched, open 
 the gill-cover, and, cutting through the gills themselves, 
 allow them to bleed freely. This done, take hold of the 
 wire-arming of the gorge-hook, and, drawing it tightly 
 up, you will discover your hook lodged fast among the 
 entrails of the fish. You have then only to cut it out 
 with your knife, and, detaching it from the wire, draw 
 the latter, along with the bait, through the lifeless and 
 unresisting jaws. 
 
 The pike infests a large number of our Scottish lakes, 
 and is found also in some of our principal rivers, the Tay, 
 Spey, and Earn included. It abounds in the upper parts 
 of Loch Lomond, in Lochs Ness, Tay, Earn, Tummel, Awe, 
 Vennacbar, Katrine, Leven, &c., &c. ; in St Mary's Loch, 
 Lochs Maben, Ken, and the numerous lakes of Wigtown- 
 shire and Kirkcudbright. It also inhabits some of the 
 Eoss-shire lochs — Garve, Achnanault, Ledgowan, and 
 Ussie ; but is, comparatively speaking, a stranger in 
 Sutherland and Caithness — the only sheet of water where 
 it holds sway, in the first-mentioned county, being the 
 loch of Migdale, to which it was introduced some years 
 ago by Mr Dempster of Skibo. ■ The policy of its intro- 
 duction into lakes stocked with trout has very properly 
 been held questionable. An instance of the detriment 
 done by heedlessly promoting the extension of this ruth- 
 less and powerful fish, may be cited as regards Loch Awe, 
 where, I am informed, the depredations carried on by it 
 of late years have been of the most serious nature, largely 
 affecting, in the estimation of the fly-fisher, the former 
 -high character of the lake. 
 
 Perch. — With the pike or " gedd " is naturally asso- 
 ciated the perch — a fish which, although it abounds in 
 the Lowlands of Scotland, and is met with in Loch Awe, 
 and several of the Perthshire lakes near Dunkeld, has 
 
THE PERCH AND EEL. 219 
 
 not yet been introduced to any extent beyond the Gram- 
 pians. Being a good, edible fish, and not offensive in its 
 disposition — one, withal, retentive of life, which may be 
 transferred without cost or trouble — it might, I think, 
 be made the subject of experiments by many of the large 
 landed proprietors in the north of Scotland. In several 
 of the lakes in Sutherlandshire, for instance, where there 
 is an overstock of small valueless trout, its introduction 
 would prove beneficial. It is possible enough, however, 
 that, as in the case of the pike or minnow, all efforts to 
 naturalise and propagate it may prove unsuccessful ; the 
 asperity of the climate, and want of adequate food, acting 
 as drawbacks to its health and increase. 
 
 The perch is a simple fish, and easily captured during 
 feeding hours. A boy armed with very indifferent fishing 
 gear — a hazel wand, a string, a bait-hook, a cork, and a 
 handful of earth-worms — may, without the slightest exer- 
 cise of skill or wariness, in some places, fetch them out as 
 fast as he can drop his bait. Large-sized perch, however, 
 are not so easily provoked to bite as the small fry, and 
 will frequently despise the worm or maggot, so acceptable 
 to their juniors. To these saucy epicures, no greater deli- 
 cacy can be presented than a live minnow ; and the man- 
 ner of baiting the hook with this lure is extremely simple, 
 although, I confess, somewhat tinged with cruelty. It 
 consists merely in running it, from side to side, through 
 the backbone below the dorsel-fin. When this is pro- 
 perly done, and the minnow gently projected forwards to 
 the spot which the perch are presumed to occupy, it will 
 be found to retain life for some time, and, while struggling 
 at the requisite depth, by support of the float, prove 
 irresistible to the wariest and daintiest fish. But I have 
 no intention to enlarge fiirther upon the subject of perch- 
 fishing. Proficiency in capturing this simple fish is easily 
 acquired ; and the few instructions which contribute to 
 its speedy attainment, are to be met with in almost every 
 treatise upon angling. 
 
 The Eel. — This well-known fish, which is found more 
 or less in every river and lake throughout the British 
 empire, and abounds even in some of our ditches, is held 
 in great abhorrence by many anglers ; nor, in Scotland, is 
 it relished to the degree it deserves as an article of food. 
 
220 PIKE AND PIKB-FISHING. 
 
 On Tweedside, for instance, a few years ago, not one per- 
 son in a hundred would have ventured to taste it when 
 cooked ; and this prejudice, although to a certain extent 
 removed, still exists. I would not have introduced any 
 mention of the eel into these pages, had it not been to 
 describe a method of capturing it not generally known. 
 Arm yourself with a rod or sapling the thickness of your 
 forefinger, and measuring in length from three and a half 
 to five feet. An ordinary-sized walking-stick will suit the 
 purpose. Cut a notch at the smaller end, then take two 
 or three yards of strong cord, to one extremity of which 
 attach a large bait-hook, No. 15 Adlington. Procure some 
 minnows or lob-worms, and run one of them over the 
 exposed part of the wire. If a minnow, do so tail fore- 
 most, covering the barb with the head. Thus baited, 
 ' apply the bend of the hook to the notch in the stick, then 
 grasp the handle or thick end of this implement along 
 with the cord, which, when doing so, must be drawn tight 
 up, so that the baited hook will retain its position on the 
 notch. By this means one may insinuate, without diffi- 
 culty, the worm or minnow into any small hole or crevice 
 where an eel is presumed to lurk. Cairns, dam-dykes, and 
 embankments of turf or stone, generally afford the desired 
 facilities. On the introduction of the bait, should an eel 
 be present, it will instantly seize hold. Wh^n this hap- 
 pens, the angler is required to slacken the cord and 
 withdraw his stick. The eel will then, in most cases, 
 retire with the bait to the extremity of its haunt, drawing 
 a foot or two of the line along with it. No opposition 
 must be given to its movements for two or three minutes, 
 in the course of which time, if a large one, it will have 
 pouched the bait. A little exertion is then necessary to 
 draw it out, and I have seen a very strong cord broken 
 through the resistance offered by the fish under these 
 circumstances. On favourable ground, one may manage to 
 capture a dozen or two of eels in this way within a short 
 space of time. 
 
 In regard to eels, it is well known that what are termed, 
 on Tweedside, cairns— or heaps of stones raised by the 
 tacksman of salmon-fishings in some parts of the river, for 
 the purpose of inveigling running fish into a certain de- 
 scription of net attached to them — afford shelter to large 
 
INSTINCT OF THE EEL. 221 
 
 numbers of these fish, which, if the grilse or salmon, 
 happening to become entangled, is allowed, through neglect 
 or otherwise, to continue two or three hours in this state 
 of thraldom, will, forcing an entrance through the gill or 
 mouth, speedily disencumber it of its entrails ; nay, if 
 allowed to pursue their work of molestation unchecked, 
 absolutely hollow it out, until little remains but a sack or 
 skinful of bones. 
 
 In the holes and crevices with which these cairns 
 abound, I have seen the method of eel-fishing above 
 described very successfully practised, the river being ex- 
 ceedingly low and the day bright and hot. 
 
 I may mention, in regard to eels, that their perception 
 of smell is wonderfully acute. To test this faculty, I have 
 frequently, from a bridge or high bank, dropt my hook 
 baited with a worm over a bed of sand or mud, the entire 
 extent of which was covered, to the depth of five or six 
 inches, with clear running water. Although, at the time 
 of my doing so, not an eel was to be seen astir on the sur- 
 face of the bed, yet, after the lapse of a couple of minutes, 
 during which period my bait lay distinguishable below me 
 on the spot where it had been originally dropt, I invariably 
 observed, when making the experiment, a sHght movement 
 begin to take place in the mud or sand in front of the 
 worm, and at a distance often of six or seven feet. This 
 movement was always speedily succeeded by the appear- 
 ance of an eel, sometimes two, which, on leaving the bed, 
 leisurely directed its way towards the bait. On arriving 
 within four inches of the worm, it invariably halted for a 
 single second, and then, darting suddenly forward, seized 
 hold of its supposed victim. I have taken five or six eels 
 in succession, under the circumstances described, in the 
 course of half an hour. On withdrawing the bait, at the 
 approach of the eel, the disappointed fish will generally 
 hunt about, like a hound at fault, over the whole bed, 
 before it betalies itself to its place of concealment. 
 
222 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 COOKING OF SALMON, ETC. 
 
 I SHALL conclude these chapters with a few culinary 
 observations on the dressing of salmon, trout, and other 
 fresh-water fish. The method of cooking salmon on 
 Tweedside differs in many respects from that practised 
 elsewhere ; but it is not, on this account, without its 
 recommendations, and by one who has enjoyed in perfec- 
 tion what is termed a fisherman's "kettle," the Metropolitan 
 mode of dressing the king of fishes stands a chance of 
 being resolutely decried in future. Our Border epicures, 
 it is necessary to state, are in general good judges of 
 a proper fish. Unlike the inhabitants of Leeds or Bir- 
 mingham, they can distinguish at a glance the kelt, spring- 
 spawner, or bull-trout, from the clean or new-run salmon. 
 They can pronounce, also, without hesitation, upon the 
 length of time a fish has been kept, whether taken from 
 the sea or river ; and if from the latter, how long ago it 
 left the salt water. In all these matters, I grant, they are 
 not only well versed, but somewhat fastidious, and regu- 
 late their cooking accordingly. 
 
 Boiling op Salmon. — It is essential that a salmon 
 intended for boiling should have been newly caught ; the 
 fresher it can be procured the better, and a fish trans- 
 ferred from the net or gaff-hook to the pan or kettle is 
 always sure to give the most satisfaction. The way of 
 treating a salmon, under one or other of these circum- 
 stances, is as follows : — Crimp the fish, immediately on its 
 being killed, by the water-side, making the cuts slantwise, 
 and at a distance of two inches from each other ; separate 
 also the gills, and, holding it by the tail, immerse its body 
 
A TWBEDSIDE "KETTLE. 223 
 
 in the stream for the space of three or four minutes, 
 moving it backwards and forwards, so as to expedite the 
 flowing off of the blood. In the mean time, give orders, if 
 you have not previously done so, to have the fire briskened 
 and the pot or cauldron filled, or nearly so, with spring 
 water, set on to boil. The fish, after being crimped and 
 bled as I have directed, must now be conveyed to a table 
 or kitchen-dresser, and there thoroughly cleansed inside. 
 This done, divide it through the backbone into cuts or 
 slices, of the thickness already indicated in the crimping, 
 • throwing these into a large hand-basin as you proceed. I 
 shall presume, by this time, that the water is at the boil- 
 ing point. If so, convey to it a large bowlful of kitchen 
 salt; do not scrimp the material, or you ruin the fish. 
 Allow the water, thus checked, again to bubble up, and 
 then pop in the cuts of salmon, head and all. Several 
 minutes will elapse before the liquid contents of the pot 
 once more arrive at the boiling point; when they do so, 
 begin to note the time, and see, as you measure it, that the 
 fire is a brave one. For all fish under nine pounds weight, 
 allow ten minutes brisk boiling ; and when exceeding nine 
 pounds, grant an extra minute to every additional pound. 
 When ready, serve hot, along with the brine in which the 
 fish was cooked. This is salmon in perfection, and consti- 
 tutes the veritable kettle of Tweedside, such as frothed 
 and foamed in the days of the merry monks of Melrose 
 and Kelso, and what, no doubt, has been feasted on in a 
 less civilised age than ours, by the crowned heads of rival 
 kingdoms within the towers of Eoxburgh, Wark, and 
 Norham. Who knows, indeed, but some sturdy Eoman 
 imperator has tickled his palate at a fish-kettle on Tweed- 
 side, and taken home to the seven-hilled city, and the 
 gourmands of the senate-house, a description of the primi- 
 tive banquet 1 
 
 A fresh salmon, thus cooked, is remarkable for its curd 
 and consistence, and very unlike the soft oily mass gene- 
 rally presented under that designation. Even when it has 
 been kept a day or two, this method of boiling will be 
 found to bring out more equally the true flavour of the 
 fish than if it had been placed entire, with a mere sprink- 
 ling of salt, in the fish-pan. Under these circumstances, 
 melted butter is preferred by some to the simple gravy 
 
224 COOKING OF SALMON, &C. 
 
 above mentioned ; but no true fish-eater can tolerate the 
 substitute. 
 
 Through the kindness of Thomas White, Esq., solicitor, 
 Berwick-on-Tweed, I have been favoured with another 
 much approved of recipe for the boiling of this dehcious 
 fish:— 
 
 " Cut off the tail oi the salmon, grilse, or sea-trout, 
 about four inches above the fin, then split the fish in two 
 halves along the bone, and, after removing the entrails, 
 cut it across into pieces of about two and a half or three 
 inches in breadth, or a little broader if required. Remove 
 aU the blood from the bone, and wash the cuts perfectly 
 clean in cold water. Hard water, both in washing and 
 boiling the fish, is to be preferred. The scales ought not 
 to be scraped off. 
 
 " The water in which the fish is boiled ought previously 
 to be made nearly as salt as to float an egg ; and the cuts 
 should be put into this salt-water or pickle when boilingj 
 with the skin uppermost. The quicker they boil the 
 better. 
 
 " If the fish weighs twenty pounds, let it boil twenty 
 minutes; if fifteen pounds, eighteen minutes; if ten pounds, 
 fifteen minutes ; and if five pounds, ten minutes. While 
 the cuts are boiling, the pickle ought to be continually 
 and carefully skimmed, and when sufficiently boiled, the 
 cuts cannot be too speedily taken out of the pickle. Dish 
 quickly, skin uppermost, with a quantity of the pickle in 
 which they are boiled." 
 
 The CufiiNG oe Kippering of Salmon. — Kippered sal- 
 mon is a weU-known article of food, and in high esteem 
 for its relishable qualities, at the breakfast-table ; but it is 
 generally met with in a faulty state, either too hard or too 
 salt. 
 
 The salmon best adapted for kippering are large fish, 
 averaging from fourteen pounds to thirty pounds in weight ; 
 the smaller ones and grilses make, however, excellent green 
 kippers, to be eaten when soft and juicy. Such kippers 
 as are intended for winter use should be prepared in the 
 month of October, immediately before close-time. Although 
 the term " kipper," signifying a he-fish, is likewise applied 
 to salmon cured in a particular way, it is really a matter 
 of indifference whether the male or the female be used for 
 
KIPPBRBD SALMON. 22S 
 
 the purpose in question. It so happens that, in the kip- 
 pering season, the generality of males captured are of a 
 coarser, if not larger, description than individuals of the 
 other sex ; the market price also is, in consequence, some- 
 what lower, and they are generally preferred as fitter to be 
 operated upon. 
 
 In kippering a salmon, the first etep taken is to lay the 
 fish on its broad side on a board or table, and by means of 
 a sharp knife cut it up from tail to head, close along the 
 backbone, taking care not to injure the belly or keel by 
 inserting the blade too far. Disengage and throw away 
 the entrails and gills ; also wash the fish well, removing 
 and pressing out every bloody particle from the inside. 
 Take out the eyes, and insert a pinch or two of salt in their 
 place ; also cut away the vent. This done, sprinkle a 
 handM or two of brown sugar over the inside, and above 
 it the same quantity, or rather more, of common salt. The 
 latter will occasion the sugar to penetrate, and help to im- 
 prove the flavour of the salmon, better than if the mate-' 
 rials had been previously mixed up together. Some recom- 
 mend the rubbing in of salt and sugar, by means of the 
 hand, against the scales of the fish externally, as well as' 
 over the inside ; but this is not at all necessary. After 
 the application in question has been made,' lay the salmon 
 flat upon a board, the inside turned uppermost; cover with 
 a cloth,, and allow it to remain twenty-four hours, or, if 
 preferred saltish, thirty-six hours, in a cool place ; after 
 which, give it a slight wash, in order to inlprove its ap- 
 pearance, and arrange two or three wooden pegs or skewers 
 along the interior, from flank to flank, to keep it stretched ; 
 then hang it up to dry in a place neither too hot nor too 
 cool. Should the weather prove fine, an hour or two of 
 exposure to the sun and air will conduce to accelerate the 
 curing process, and render it less liable to be injured by 
 dust and smoke. Salmon, on being kippered, are subject 
 to a considerable loss of weight ; for instance, a fish that 
 originally weighed sixteen pounds will, when cured, not 
 exceed eleven. In broiling kipper, it is a great improve- 
 ment to wrap up the cuts, which ought not to be made too 
 thin, in white paper. This will prevent them being 
 smoked, or becoming too hard externally. Fresh salmon. 
 
226 COOKING OF SALMON, &C. 
 
 broiled in the same manner is delicious, and made to retain 
 its flavour in full perfection. 
 
 The gentleman already mentioned has also favoured me 
 with an account of the modes of kippering and pickling 
 salmon adopted at Berwick, and communicated to him, 
 the one by a fish salesman, and the other by a celebrated 
 salmon-curer in that town. 
 
 " Kippered Salmon. — Split the fish in two halves, along 
 the bone, from the tail to the head, but without separating 
 the two halves, and after removing the entrails and all the 
 blood from the bone, wash the fish perfectly clean in cold, 
 hard water. The scales ought never to be scraped ofi". 
 
 " Eub a little dry salt upon the outside, of the fish, 
 against the scales, from the tail to the head, and throw 
 some loosely upon the inside, without rubbing. Lay the 
 salmon or grilse, when thus salted, upon a flat table or 
 board, and cover with another piece of board or thin deal ; 
 let it remain so covered for forty-eight hours or twenty- 
 four hours, according to the size of the fish. A salmon of 
 from ten pounds to twenty pounds requires to lie in this 
 state for forty-eight hours ; a grilse requires twenty-four 
 hours only. Three or four plaster laths or hoop sticks 
 must then, to keep it flat, be placed across the fish, which 
 should afterwards be hung up by the tail to dry. 
 
 " The fish is in perfection, as a kipper, after it has been 
 dried about twenty-four hours ; and it will "keep, thus 
 kippered, for many months, though apt to get too salt, and 
 require steeping in cold water, before use." 
 
 " Pickled Salmon. — Allow the fish to lie twenty-four 
 hours in winter, or twelve in summer, after being caught. 
 It will not take the salt when quite fresh. Then split, 
 wash, and cut into junks, .as directed in boiling salmon. 
 Boil these in a very strong salt pickle, allowing to a fish 
 of eight pounds weight mine minutes; one of twelve 
 pounds, fourteen minutes ; one of fifteen pounds, seventeen 
 minutes ; and one of twenty pounds, twenty-five minutes. 
 A number of salmon boiled together, of ten pounds weight 
 each, require fifteen minutes. The time must, in all cases, 
 be calculated from the moment the water returns to the 
 boiling point, and not from that in which the fish are put 
 into it. 
 
 " When the salmon has boiled the proper time, take it 
 
POTTED CHARB. 227 
 
 out of the pickle as expeditiously as possible, put it on a 
 drainer, and allow it to cool for twenty-four hours, in sum- 
 mer. It should tfien be packed, skin uppermost, in kits 
 or jars, and completely covered with cold vinegar and a 
 small quantity of the pickle or liquor in which it was 
 boiled. To exclude the air effectually, the kits or jars in 
 which it is placed should be run over, on the top of the 
 vinegar, Avith a little boiling lard, and the whole secured 
 by a tin or earthenware cover. Jars are preferable to kits, 
 as the air can be more readily excluded from the fish. 
 Care must be taken, on the exhaustion of the vinegar, to 
 add a fresh supply. Salmon, in this state, will remain 
 good for months." 
 
 Cured salmon was at one time a great article of trade 
 of Scotland. We find frequent allusion to it in old acts of 
 parliament, which define the binde or size of the barrel to 
 be employed in the packing of it, and enforce strict penal- 
 ties against all who infringe the regulations. 
 
 The method of cooking or roasting salmon at the lakes 
 of Killarney, in Ireland, is pretty generally known ; but as 
 the recipe is an excellent one, and I have seen it acted on 
 in Scotland, with this difference, that the skewers employed 
 were cut from the juniper bush instead of arbutus, I shall 
 insert it. 
 
 " The salmon, as soon as caught, to be cut into slices, 
 which are split, and a strong skewer of arbutus run through 
 each as close to the skin as possible. These skewers are 
 then stuck upright in a sod of turf, before a clear wood 
 fire, and constantly turned and basted with salt and water ; 
 the fish, when sufficiently roasted, is served up on the 
 skewers, which are supposed to communicate a peculiar 
 aromatic flavour." 
 
 Recipe for Potting Chabr and Trout. — The following 
 are the ingredients required, in order to pot a stone-weight 
 of fish : — 
 
 3 tea-spoonfuls of ground black pepper. 
 
 3 „ ,, allspice. 
 
 2 „ „ mace. 
 
 1 ,, „ cloves. 
 
 1 „ „ nutmeg. 
 
 i „ >. cayenne. 
 
 Keep these carefully corked up in a small phial, and 
 add, when employing them, a little salt. 
 
228 COOKING OF SALMON, (fec. 
 
 Cut open the fish, and clean well with a dry cloth. 
 Eemove the heads, tails, and fins, along with the back- 
 bones. This done, apply the mixture, transferring them 
 as you do so to a baiing dish. Cover well with fresh 
 butter, and place the dish in a slow oven, allowing it to 
 remain there until the bones of the fish become dissolved ; 
 drain off the butter, and remove the charr or trout into 
 potting dishes ; press them well down, and pour fresh 
 butter over them. Trout treated in this manner ought to 
 be red-fleshed, and not exceed three-quarters of a pound 
 in weight. If well selected and in good season, they will 
 be found not a whit inferior to the best charr. 
 
 Simple Recipe for cooking a Whitling or good Trout 
 BY THE river SIDE. — Kindle a fire of dry wood. Take 
 your fish when just out of the water ; fill his mouth with 
 salt; roll him up in two or three folds of an old newspaper, 
 twisting the ends well together. Immerse all in the water, 
 until the paper has become thoroughly saturated. Then 
 lay the fish among the embers of your fire. When the 
 paper presents a weU charred appearance, the trout is 
 properly done, and will prove a savoury and acceptable 
 morsel. The fish, I may observe, must not be cut open 
 and cleaned. During the firing process, the intestines and 
 other impurities will draw together, and not in the shghtest 
 degree injure the flavour of the trout. 
 
 The well-known cooking utensil called the conjuror, 
 will be found serviceable to anglers on the banks of our 
 Highland streams, and give opportunities to the epicure of 
 enjoying a trout or charr feast, while the fish is in its 
 freshest condition. 
 
 The Frying of Trout. — Preparatory to frying ti-out, it 
 is common in Scotland to enwrap the fish in a coating of 
 oatmeal. I am not national enough in my tastes to 
 approve of this mode of concealing its flavour, and I 
 certainly prefer, if the fish is to be encrusted at all, the 
 adoption of bread-crumbs and the yolk of an egg. Good 
 red-fleshed trout, however, require no disguise on being 
 fried, and simple lard or butter is sufficient for the pur- 
 pose. Trout upwards of haJf-a-pound in weight ought to 
 be split open by the backbone, and placed flat in the pan, 
 whigh should previously be well heated over a clear fire, 
 and elevated when the fish are laid on. Small trout and 
 
THE ANGLERS REPAST. 229 
 
 parr make a delicious dish, if properly fried ; and tlie 
 addition of a few button mushrooms, freshly gathered from 
 the meadow at the river-side, and cooked in a similar 
 manner along with them, cannot be questioned as an 
 improvement. 
 
 Boiled and Baked Pike. — Pike and eels are fish not 
 much relished in Scotland, at least on Tweedside. 1 hold 
 both, however, in high esteem as articles of food. The 
 former, if intended for boiling, ought to be crimped when 
 caught, and treated in the same manner as I have described 
 the salmon to be by Tweed fishermen. A baked pike, 
 with bread stuffing, is excellent, and oysters form a great 
 improvement. The scales, or even the skin, of this fish, 
 ought always to be removed, the flavour resulting there- 
 from not being the most agreeable. This is done by 
 plotting the pike in hot water, and thoroughly scraping or 
 flaying him. Pike associated with trout, whether taken 
 from a river or loch, are always better tasted than those 
 which feed on eels and frogs. 
 
 Angler ! that aU day long hast wandered by sunny 
 stream, and heart and hand plied the meditative art, who 
 hast filled thy pannier brimful of star-sided trout, and 
 with aching arms, and weary back, and faint, wavering 
 step, crossed the threshold o^ some cottage-inn — a smiling 
 rural retreat, that starts up when thy wishes are waning 
 into despondency — how grateful to thee is the merry song 
 of the ftying-pan, strewn over with the daintiest of thy 
 spoils, and superintended by a laughter-loving hostess and 
 her blooming image ! And thou, too, slayer of salmon ! 
 more matured and fastidious, what sound, when thy reel is 
 at rest, like the bubbhng and frothing of the fish-kettle 1 — 
 what fare more acceptable than the shoulder-out, snowed 
 over with curd, of a gallant sixteen pounder ?— and where 
 in the wide world is to be found wholesomer and heartier 
 sauce, to the one as well as to the other, than a goblet, 
 generously mixed, of Islay, and piping hot i Stretch thy 
 hand over thy mercies, and be thankful. 
 
230 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 TWEED AND ITS TEIBUTAEIES. 
 
 Op our Scottish rivers, Tweed imquestionably ranks next 
 to Tay. This stream, as is well known, has its origin 
 fifteen hundred feet above the level of the sea, in a smaU 
 spring or well situated at the base of a hill, on the confines 
 of Peeblesshire, and within half a mile of the counties of 
 Lanark and Dumfries. From the same hill issue also the 
 Clyde and Annan — the three rivers intersecting the south 
 of Scotland in different directions, and each maintaining 
 the lead, in point of size, over its particular division. The 
 course of the Tweed has been estimated at more than a 
 hundred miles. Its breadth at Kelso is four hundred and 
 forty feet, and it drains an extent of country exceeding 
 sixteen hundred and eighty-seven square miles. 
 
 The tribute which Tweed receives, before accomplishing 
 many miles of its course, is indicative of its after amplitude. 
 On one side, it is increased by the Core, the Menzion bum, 
 the Fruid, and the Tala, as well as numerous streams of 
 less magnitude ; on the other side, it is supplied by a 
 hundred rills, many of them during summer mere threads 
 of water, but when swollen by melted snows, impassable 
 torrents. A small loch termed Gameshope, abounding in 
 trout, is the source of the principal feeder of Tala. On 
 reaching the Crook Inn, Tweed presents every appearance 
 of being an excellent trouting stream, and, as such, is justly 
 appreciated in its upper as well as its lower districts. 
 Salmon, or rather bull-trout, (there often mistaken, on 
 account of their size, for the true salar,) find their way up 
 almost to the sources of the river, and are kiUed, few 
 indeed by the rod, but in considerable numbers by means 
 
BIGGAR WATER, LYNE, MANOR, 231 
 
 of the spear or leister. The burn-trout are very abundant, 
 but, except in the main river, seldom attain the weight of 
 half-a-pound. After passing Crook, and pursuing its way 
 down to Rachan and Drummelzier, Tweed is joined by the 
 Biggar water — a stream well known to the angler, con- 
 taining trout of considerable size, and excellent in point of 
 flavour. One of six pounds weight, and beautiful sym- 
 metry, was taken in 1852 from this water. Near its 
 junction with the Biggar water, Tweed is six hundred and 
 fifteen feet above the level of the sea. After proceeding 
 seven miles it is entered by the Lyne — a considerable 
 stream, much frequented by the fly-fisher. The Tarth^ 
 its tributary, where not injured by cuttings, contains 
 abundance of small trout. During this portion of its 
 course, the main river has descended sixty-five feet. Ita 
 average declivity from Tweedsmuir is about twelve feet 
 per mile. After Lyne, Tweed, passing through Peebles- 
 shire, successively receives the Manor water above Neid- 
 path Castle, the Eddleston at Peebles, the Quair at Tra- 
 quair, Leithen at Innerleithen, not to mention several 
 other petty feeders. All these, more particularly the 
 Manor water, swarm with small trout j while the main 
 river, on the occasion of large floods, is visited, during 
 autumn and winter, by the migratory salmonidae. 
 
 It is not however, until it reaches Ashiestiel, several 
 miles below Innerleithen, that Tweed is looked upon by 
 salmon-fishers with much regard. Higher up, the fish 
 killed with the rod are comparatively few, and these, most 
 of them, in execrable condition. It is very seldom that 
 what are termed clean salmon push so fer without halt or 
 stay, during which they lose altogether their fine external 
 appearance. Should large floods, however, occur in the 
 months of August, September, and October, they generally 
 bring up to that stretch of water lying betwixt Holy-lee 
 and Caddon-foot a fair sprinkling of grilses. The flies 
 used there are mostly sombre in hue. Hooks dressed in 
 the Irish style are not found nearly so killing. The fish- 
 ings belong principally to Lord Elibank, Mitchell Innes, 
 Esq. of Stow, Sir James Russel of Ashiestiel, and J. Pringle, 
 Esq. of Torwoodlee. At Cloven-ford, on the Caddon 
 water, about half a mile distant from Tweed, there is an 
 excellent inn, much resorted to by anglers. On the hiU 
 
232 TWEED AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 
 
 above lies a small lake or pond, stocked with trout. After 
 receiving the Caddon water, the river takes an abrupt 
 bend, and passing below the bridge at Yair, is joined, two 
 miles further down, by the Ettkick. This stream has its 
 rise on the borders of Dumfriesshire, and occupies a course 
 of about thirty miles. Its principal tributaries are the 
 Timah, Kankle-bum, and Yarrow. Ettrick abounds in 
 nice trout, weighing on the average a quarter of a pound ; 
 but I have killed them occasionally, below Thirlestane, 
 upwards bf a pound, and recollect seeing one taken there 
 nearly three times that weight. From the burns which 
 empty themselves in the upper districts, I have known 
 toy friend, John Wilson, Esq., to capture with the worm 
 twelve dozen in the course of a forenoon. Sea-trout, both 
 of the whitling and bull species, ascend the Ettrick in 
 November, sometimes in great numbers. As many as 
 three score have been slaughtered, by means of the leister, 
 in one night out of a single pool. Salmon also show a 
 strong propensity to frequent ite waters. The lets hitherto 
 in their way of doing so have been numerous ; but his 
 Grace the Duke of Buccleuch is making laudable exertions 
 to remove them. Poaching also with the spear is strictly 
 suppressed on this portion of his vast estates. Were he to 
 mark as strongly his disapprobation of it in another 
 quarter, a great benefit woidd be conferred upon the 
 angling community. 
 
 Yarrow enters Ettrick a short way above Selkirk. It 
 proceeds from St Mary's Loch, the upper part of which is 
 situated nineteen miles from the town referred to. As an 
 angling stream it is in good repute, and contains nice 
 trout, weighing from one and a half pound downwards. 
 Near the loch the average is about half a pound, and I 
 have frequently taken two or three dozen of that weight. 
 The woodcock wing and mouse-fur body form a favourite 
 fly. Minnow, also, during summer, is highly attractive in 
 some of the streams. The lower parts of the Yarrow are 
 strictly preserved, but it is open above Broadmeadows. 
 In Douglas burn, one of its feeders, are numbers of small 
 trout ; and it is remarkable that in winter this insignificant 
 stream is the choice retreat, for spawning purposes, of 
 salmon and sea-trout. These, of course, are seldom per- 
 mitted to conclude their operations undisturbed, but 
 
ST MARTS liOOH. 233' 
 
 become, whenever an opportunity offers, the prize of the 
 poacher, whose merciless spear is in most frequent opera- 
 tion during the fence season, when fish are out of con- 
 dition. 
 
 St Marz's Loch, from which Yarrow makes its escape, 
 is well stocked with trout, averaging in weight half a pound, 
 I have often, however, killed them a great deal heavier, 
 and recollect on the Bourhope side encreehng a yellow 
 trout that measured nearly twenty inches in length. 
 Such an occurrence, however, is extremely rare. Besides 
 trout, St Mary's Loch contains pike and perch : the former, 
 of late, are much on the increase. Twenty years ago, 
 when I first angled in Selkirkshire, this rapacious fish 
 was confined in a great measure to the Loch of the 
 Lowes, a sheet of water lying immediately above the 
 other, and connected with it by a stream not fifty yards 
 in length. At that period no trout frequented the upper 
 lake. They are now met with on its south side in con- 
 siderable abundance, and of a size and quality superior 
 to those found in St Mary's. In an edible point of view, 
 the pike of the above lochs are very superior to the fish of 
 this description generally met with, and attain to a great 
 size. I recollect killing one that weighed nineteen pounds. 
 My implement was a small trouting-rod, , and when I 
 brought the fish to bank, there was only a strand com- 
 posed of three horse-hairs left near the hook to support 
 him, the other two strands of ihe winch-line having given 
 way. St Mary's Loch is in length about three miles. Its 
 breadth is about half a mile. The Loch of the Lowes 
 extends nearly a mile. 
 
 Discharging themselves into these lochs are several 
 streams, the largest of which is the Meggat water, an ex- 
 cellent summer trouting river, where I have caught fish 
 upwards of two pounds in weight. At the foot of Meggat, 
 close to where it enters St Mary's Loch, I recollect, on the 
 occasion of a flood, killing with the fly three panniers-ful 
 of trout, each containing a stone-weight and upwards, in 
 the course of a day. Another large capture made by me on 
 this stream took place while in company with the Ettriok 
 Shepherd, and the creel-fuls we respectively emptied out 
 on arriving at Henderland (we had fished down during a 
 small flood from the head of Winterhope burn, a course of 
 
234 TWEED AND ITS TEIBUTABIES. 
 
 four or five miles) would have astonished even a Tweed- 
 side adept. 
 
 The Chapelhope burns and Gorse-cleugh, which enter the 
 Loch of the Lowes, also contain numerotis trout. There 
 are plenty of perch in the upper lake, and the lower one is 
 occasionally visited by salmon and bull-trout. I have 
 caught both of these fish with loch-flies from the margin, 
 but never met with one in edible condition. There is ex- 
 cellent accommodation at Mrs Eichardson's (Tibby Shiels) 
 cottage, situated betwixt the two lakes, the rooms being 
 fitted up expressly for anglers. The house is not an inn, 
 but wine and spirits may be obtained from Moffat or Sel- 
 kirk, at a short notice, carriers passing, not far off', several 
 time during the week. The landlady will be found ex- 
 tremely attentive and obliging. There is an inn on Yar- 
 row — the Gordon Arms-^nearly opposite Altrive, the resi- 
 dence of the late Ettrick Shepherd^ and two — ^theTushielaw 
 Inn, and Ettrick-bridge ditto-— between Selkirk and Thirle- 
 stane, on the Ettrick. 
 
 On the high grounds, betwixt where the Eankle bum 
 discharges itself into the Ettrick and the sources of the 
 Ale water, a tributary of Teviot, are situated several lochs, 
 the largest of which are Clear burn, the Shaws loch, and 
 Alemoor. Clear burn abounds in nice trout, averaging 
 half a pound in weight. The others contain pike and 
 perch, and one or two of them good trout. They are not 
 much angled in, lying as they do out of the usual track. 
 
 Eeverting to Tweedside, there are two or three stretches 
 of water occupied as rod-fishings for salmon, not far from 
 where the Ettrick enters the main river. Those above its 
 junction are the Yair fishings, belonging to Alexander 
 Pringle, Esq. of Whytbank, and further down the Faldon- 
 side. Bold-side, and Abbotsford waters, (John Scott, Esq. 
 of Gala House.) The Yair fishings are at present held on 
 lease by a large party of gentlemen, chiefly from Edin- 
 burgh. During the three weeks that precede close-time, 
 should a flood occur, on the removal of the nets, the sport 
 met with in this quarter is somtimes excellent. Kelts also 
 are killed here, in the spring, in considerable numbers ; 
 but throughout the greater part of the open season the 
 salmon-fishing is generally very indifierent, and depends 
 entirely upon the state of the river. 
 
SALMON-FISHINGS NEAR MELROSE. 235 
 
 Not far from Abbotsford, on the opposite side of Tweed, 
 the Gala water effects its junction. From the mouth up to 
 the town of Galashiels, about two miles distant, the bed of 
 this stream is one unseemly ditch blackened with dyes, 
 and containing refuse of various descriptions. Above 
 Galashiels, a branch line of the North British Railway has, 
 of late years, seriously injured the angling on this once 
 celebrated stream. At Torwoodlee, however, there are 
 still some good casts containing trout of respectable di- 
 mensions. Some of the feeders of Gala also, for instance 
 Heriot water, abound in small trout. There is a small 
 loch termed Cauldshiels, on the Abbotsford estate, con- 
 taining perch. 
 
 A little below Galashiels is situated, on the main river, 
 the Pavilion or Melrose water, extending from the mouth 
 of the Gala, as far as the bridge at Melrose or thereabouts. 
 The salmon-fishings on this stretch of Tweed belong to 
 Lord Somerville, and are at present rented by Henry F. 
 Broadwood, Esq. Many of the casts are excellent, and, 
 after a succession of autumnal floods, abound in grilses. 
 
 Next to Lord Somerville's . fishings follow those of 
 Thomas Tod, Esq. of Drygrange, which terminate at the 
 bridge near Leader-foot. They were let recently to one of 
 the Purdies, well-known fishermen in that district, and are 
 held in good esteem by anglers. The Leader is an excel- 
 lent trouting water, but the fish are not large, few exceed- 
 ing a pound in weight. There are several comfortable 
 inns on its banks, — one near the head, at Carfrae-mill, 
 another at Lauder, and a third at the beautiful village 
 of Earlston. 
 
 Below Leader bridge the salmon-fishings on Tweed, as 
 far down as Dryburgh, are connected with different pro- 
 perties on the bank of the river. Gladswood, Old Mdlrose, 
 Bemersyde— each asserts its claim to a separate stretch of 
 water ; and under these are the Dryburgh fishings and 
 those belonging to the heirs of the late Mrs Riddell : also 
 a cast or two, lately under dispute, near Lessuden, the 
 proprietorship of which has been determined to rest with 
 Sir W. Fairfax and the Misses Williamson Ramsay. In all 
 these stretches of water, which taken together extend about 
 four or five miles, the rod-fishings for salmon are of a 
 superior character. The river runs at a tolerably rapid 
 
236 TWEED AND ITS TEIBUTAEIES. 
 
 pace, and takes several abrupt -bends or turns. These are 
 fiivourable to the formation of good salmon-casts, especially 
 in such a channel or alveiis as that which Tweed possesses, 
 during the greater part of its course. The trouting here 
 is also of a first-rate description. 
 
 A little way below Dryburgh, the Mertoun fishings, 
 belonging to Lord Polwarth, commence. They extend two 
 miles, and are then, on the south side, joined below Little- 
 dean Tower, by the Rutherford water, belonging to Sir 
 Edward Antrobus, Bart, and held on lease by Professor 
 Low of Edinburgh, and John Spottiswoode, Esq., London. 
 The Rutherford water forms the commencement of a series 
 of the best rod-fishings for salmon in Great Britain, and afi 
 such, along with the streams that succeed it, deserves par- 
 ticular notice. It consists of a succession of casts or pools 
 of various characters — one stiU and lake-like, another 
 rugged and shallow, a third combining tranquillity with 
 swiftness, and a fourth depth with considerable turbulence. 
 These casts, of course, have all their separate names, 
 descriptive, generally speaking, of their external features, 
 or the uses they are put to. The highest up are the Corse- 
 heugh and Lang-stream, at the foot of which there is a 
 ferry-house inhabited by the fisherman or bailiff of the 
 water, John Aitkin, and containing accommodation for the 
 lessee and his friends during the fishing season. Connected 
 with the Lang-stream is the Dub or Cauld-pool, occupying 
 a great extent of channel — ^more so, perhaps, than any other 
 pool in Tweed previous to its junction with the Teviot. 
 This is the favourite resort or refuge^place of kelts while 
 undergoing the process of mending, and during their des- 
 cent from the upper parts of the river. In 1846, a short 
 time after the expiring of the fence season, no fewer than 
 thirty-seven of these fish were captured in a single day by 
 two gentlemen in this stretch of the river. Below the 
 Cauld-pool lie the Mill-stream, the Damfoot, the Corbie's- 
 nest, and the Clippers, all excellent salmon-casts. 
 
 The trouting on the Rutherford water is superior to any 
 in Tweed. I recollect my friend, John Wilson, Esq., cap- 
 turing with the minnow a oreelful of fish, out of one or 
 two of the pools, among which at least a dozen and a half 
 exceeded in weight one and a half pounds each, and as 
 many more were full pounders. I have more than once 
 
THE MAKBBSTON WATER. 237 
 
 taken trout there with the parr-tail that weighed well on 
 to three pounds. 
 
 As an additional proof of its superiority, as well as the 
 esteem it is held in by anglers on Tweedside, I may men- 
 tion that the majority of the successful competitors be- 
 longing to the Teviotdale Fishing Club have achieved their 
 triumphs within its confines, and that the panniers pro- 
 duced on the occasion of their club meetings from this 
 portion of Tweed, have generally excited admiration on 
 account of the size and beauty of the trout contained 
 in them. 
 
 Below the Clippers of Rutherford water, commences the 
 Makerston range. The salmon -fishings here belong to twa 
 proprietors — those on the north side of Tweed to Sir Thomas 
 Makdougall Brisbane, Bart., and those on the south, to his 
 Grace the Duke of Roxburghe. They were, until lately, 
 rented for a small sum by Robert Kerss, or, as he was 
 familiarly termed, Rob of Trows. There breathed not a 
 finer specimen of his class on Tweedside than our old 
 fiiend Rob — one that never had an enemy of his own 
 making nor cringed to form his friendships — the same in 
 his courtesy to anglers of all ranks and degrees, to a beggar 
 as to a duke. As a rod-fisher for salmon, Rob Kerss had 
 few equals, and, in all matters regarding fishing, was enthu^ 
 siastic beyond measure. To have been in the boat with 
 him, when the fish were in taking humour, was a treat well 
 worth the paying for. He never grudged the escape of a 
 fish, and had always an engouraging or original remark at 
 hand to keep up the spirit of the amusement — too often, 
 as regards salmon-fishing, apt to flag or die away. The 
 salmon-fishings of Makerston, a short time previous to the 
 demise of Robert Kerss, were subjected by those interested 
 in them to a new arrangement, and are at present held on 
 lease by the Duke of Buocleuch and Lord John Scott. 
 
 The Makerston water consists of the following casts, 
 which occupy about two miles of the river ; Willie's bank, 
 Hirple NeUy, the Orchard-heads opposite Makerston house,- 
 the Dark Shore, the Clippers, north and south, the Laird's 
 Cast, Elshie stream. Shot, Red Stane, Side Straik, Doors, 
 Nethem heads, Willie's Ower fa', and passing over some 
 highly impetuous water, the KUl-mouth pool. From the 
 Red Stane downwards, the Tweed is confined betwixt walla 
 
238 TWEED AND ITS TRIBUTAfilES. 
 
 of rock, and hurries along with rapid violence. The name 
 given to that portion of the river is the Trows crags — the 
 word "trows" being the Scotch for troughs, of which vessels, 
 two joined together at one end, used to be employed in- 
 stead of a boat, for the spearing of salmon. I recollect 
 Seeing a pair of them not long since at the village of Den- 
 holm, betwixt Jedburgh and Hawick, which had frequently 
 been put to the test, in night-leistering on Teviot. They 
 consisted of the wooden receptacles, or something of the 
 like construction, out of which cattle are fed, and were so 
 joined that the one formed a sharp angle with the other. 
 In using them, the spearsman kept his legs astride, a foot 
 being placed in each trough, and struck at the fish, through 
 the space formed by the angle. 
 
 I have elsewhere spoken of the Ked Stane and its attrac- 
 tive powers, as a stronghold for salmon; never, in fact, 
 from one end of the year to the other, does it want its 
 occupants : sometimes, in the months of August and 
 September, it is crowded with salmon and grilses which, 
 when the river is low, were wont to be driven into nets or 
 slaughtered with the sanguinary leister. The Nethem 
 heads also form a famous resort for large salmon, and many 
 is the woeful face mirrored by shining Tweed above this 
 cast, when down, at the rate of a racehorse in full speed, 
 rlishes the aroused fish, snapping, like the touch of tire, 
 the tackle of the angler, and carrying with him the dain- 
 tiest fly that the fingers of Forrest ever put wing to — aU, 
 bitt and harness, with high hopes and stirring fancies, into 
 the abysses beneath. 
 
 A little way from Kill-mouth, the lowermost stream of 
 the Makerston range, is situated, on a bank among trees, 
 the cottage lately occupied by our lamented friend, Robert 
 Kerss. 
 
 Below the pool at Kill-mouth commences the Floors 
 water, belonging to his Grace the Duke of Eoxburghe. 'This 
 nobleman possesses the most valuable rod-fishings for 
 salmon on Tweedside, and the largest range of water in the 
 district. On the south side of the river, his right of salmon- 
 fishing extends from the Rutherford water to Carham 
 burn, in the county of Northumberland, a distance of nine 
 or ten miles ; not including Teviot, where he has property 
 of the same nature, from its junction upwards over a con- 
 
THE FLOORS CASTS. 239 
 
 siderable tract of river ground. On the north side, his 
 fishings range from the boundary wall at Kill-mouth, along 
 the policies of Floors, to about a mile below Kelso, a stretch 
 of nearly four miles. 
 
 His Grace is a most enthusiastic and efficient salmon- 
 fisher, and the feats he has frequently achieved are unsur- 
 passed by those of any living angler in Great Britain. It 
 was, before the late years of scarcity occurred, a matter of 
 not uncommon occurrence for him to kill with the rod 
 betwixt twenty and thirty fish, salmon and grilses, in the 
 course of the day, on the Floors stretch of water alone. 
 He has recently much improved the fishing capabilities of 
 this range of Tweed, both by constructing dykes, in order 
 to form pools, and by adding large stones to the channel of 
 the river, so as to induce the salmon to remain within the 
 precincts of the estate. The casts on the Floors water are 
 as follows — the Slates, Blackstane, Weetles, Huddles, Shot, 
 (recently improved and formed into a sort of cauld or dam,) 
 Hedge-end, Shirt-stream, Skelly rock. Coach Wynd, Income, 
 Cobby-hole, Putt, Back Bullers, Maxwheel. Immediately 
 below the Back Bullers, the junction of Tweed and Teviot, 
 unquestionably a meeting of waters unsurpassed by any in 
 the United Kingdom takes place. His Grace's fishings in 
 this quarter are under the superintendence of Mr Steven- 
 son, who has liberty to construct cairns in certain places, 
 for the purpose of netting salmon, and who takes charge 
 of the angling boats, &c. 
 
 Immediately below Kelso commence the Sprouston 
 fishings, rented, along with the ferry, a couple of miles 
 down the river, by Thomas Kerss, a relative of Old Rob's 
 at Trows, for about seventy pounds per annum. These, in 
 connection with the salmon-casts belonging to John Waldie, 
 Esq. of Hendersyde Park, embrace the following streams 
 and pools, Hempside Ford, the Bank, the Grain, Winter 
 Cast, ■^Mill-stream, Mill-pot, Butterwash, Bushes, Scurry 
 (containing the well-known Prison-rock,) Dub, Mill-end, 
 Falls, Eden- water-foot. Mr Waldie's fishings begin at the 
 Mill-stream and terminate at Eden mouth. They are at 
 present held on lease by Charles Balfour, Esq. of Newton- 
 Don, and party. 
 
 The casts above mentioned are, one and all, excellent, 
 and contain a great variety of water. Sprouston Dub is of 
 
240 TWEED AND ITS TEIBUTARIBS. 
 
 large extent, and forms generally, in the event of a breeze, 
 the afternoon beat. During September and October, it is 
 generally well stocked with salmon, and, indeed, at no season 
 of the year wants fish of this description. It has been 
 conjectured, by those competent to judge, that in this pool 
 alone there are often congregated, at the same time, a 
 thousand salmon and grilses. I have witnessed five or six 
 good fish, not kelts, taken out here, in the course of little 
 more than half an hovir — as fast, in fiict, as they could be 
 hooked and played to bank. The fisherman, Thomas 
 Kerss, employed on the HenderSyde water, is nephew to 
 the tacksman at Sprouston. At Birgham, Carham, Wark, 
 Lees, and Tweed Mill, a family of Scotts hold rule ; and 
 about Melrose, in the upper waters, are several Purdies, a 
 name which the author of Waverley has made celebrated. 
 
 Before descending Tweed to the Bii'gham water, I shall 
 recur for a single moment to its principal tributary, 
 Teviot. This stream, in its trouting capacity, is weE 
 worth the attention of the angler. It is not, however, 
 one where sport is at all certain, or where the fish are 
 at any time to be captured without skill. They are more 
 shy and moody, in fact, than in most rivers, and require, 
 in order to allure them, the finest tackle, and a particular 
 size and colour of fly. Dark hackles, or dun-coloured 
 dubbings, are irresistible ; but the hook these are fitted 
 to must agree in magnitude with the condition of water 
 and season of the year, in order to do much execution, 
 and induce large trout to take it. 
 
 The Teviot has its sources at Teviot stone, on the 
 heights which separate Dumfriesshire from Roxburgh- 
 shire. The length of its channel is upwards of forty 
 miles. It receives a great number of tributaries. Those 
 near its head are the Lymy-cleugh and Frostly bums, the 
 Allan and Borthwick waters, after which it is increased 
 by the Slitrigg, the Eule, the Ale, the Jed, the Oxnam, 
 and the Kale. Of these, the last-mentioned stream is in 
 best repute among anglers. Some years ago, in the 
 neighbourhood of Hownam, ten or eleven miles from 
 Kelso, my friend Mr Wilson and myself captured betwixt 
 us thirty-six dozen trout in the course of a day. In 
 the Jed water, trout of excellent quality and respectable 
 dimensions abound ; but the wooded state of its banks 
 
THE TBVIOT. 241 
 
 renders fly-fishing a very laborious pursuit. With the 
 worm, however, during the summer months, an experi- 
 enced hand may readily till his pannier. The Jed trout 
 are pink-fleshed, and well flavoured in point of taste. 
 Ale is a good angUng stream ; and so, naturally, are the 
 other tributaries of Teviot ; but of late years they have 
 all been much harassed by poachers, whose practices the 
 Earl of Minto's Act has not yet succeeded in putting a 
 stop to. I regret, indeed, to say that this trifling piece 
 of legislation has proved in its efiects very injurious to 
 the angling community at large. In addition to the 
 gangs of common poachers — to repress which, by virtue 
 of its provisions, has been found impracticable — it has 
 raised up, in the shape of proprietors, their Mends, and 
 gamekeepers, a host of licensed net-fishers ; parties who 
 previously doubted their right, and with no small reason, 
 to sweep from head to foot, using an undersized mesh, 
 this or that pool or stream belonging to a large public 
 river — like Tweed or Teviot — ^but noW; without hesitation, 
 can point to the Act in question as their authority for so 
 doing. I am not alluding to supposititious cases, or what 
 is likely to occur in consequence of the passing of this 
 enactment, but tp the results which have actually accrued 
 from it ; and were I so disposed, I could instance more 
 than one proceeding partaking of the nature of a whole- 
 sale butchery, where the parties engaged would, under 
 the Tweed Fishery Act, have rendered themselves liable 
 to severe penalties, had not the provisions of that more 
 important measure become to some extent superseded. 
 . The best portion of Teviot, for angling in, lies undoubtedly 
 betwixt Ormiston and Sunlaws mills. I have killed, upon 
 the whole, larger and finer trout in that stretch of water 
 than anywhere else ; and on a favourable day, with min- 
 now or worm, it is of common occurrence to take several 
 upwards of a pound- weight each. 
 
 The rod-fishings for salmon on this river are very 
 precarious ; but, with perseverance, one may manage to 
 capture a good many fish in the course of a season, using 
 the duller varieties of Tweed flies, and making himself 
 well acquainted with the several casts. Here, as on the 
 main river, more salmon are slaughtered by means of 
 the leister than the rod. I do not allude to the practices 
 
242 TWEED AND ITS TEIBUTAEIBS. 
 
 of poachers in close time — which, as respects the killing of 
 salmon, are often ridiculously magnified — but the open, 
 vaunted-of destruction which takes place throughout the 
 rest of the year, whenever the low state of the river will 
 admit of its being resorted to. At Kirkbank, for instance, 
 as many fish are sometimes killed in this way in a single 
 night, as would suffice to exercise the ingenuity and en- 
 courage the perseverance of twenty honest anglers through- 
 out the season. A fishing club was lately organised in 
 the lower districts of Teviotdale, under the name of the 
 TeviotdaJe Angling Club. It comprises upwards of 
 seventy members, and four medals are competed for 
 during the course of the season. These are purely 
 honorary prizes ; but as a further encouragement to com- 
 petition, a sweepstakes or two is generally entered into 
 at each meeting, and the produce expended on a rod, 
 reel, or other fishing gear, to be given to the successful 
 candidate. The produce of the winning creels has on 
 several occasions exceeded seventeen pounds in weight, 
 and trout of two pounds each have frequently been ex- 
 hibited at the meetings which take place — one in May, 
 at Jedburgh and Kelso alternately, and the other in July, 
 under cover of a marquee by the water-side. The hours 
 of competition are of course limited, not exceeding six 
 during the fly-season, and eight in the summer contest. 
 
 About three miles below Kelso, the Eden, a small 
 rivulet, but held in good repute by the angler, enters 
 Tweed. I have abeady alluded, in the body of this 
 volume, to the superior quality of its trout, which are 
 red-fleshed, and deep in the shape. There is a fall on 
 this stream at Newton-Don, below which the true breed 
 of Eden is intermixed with other varieties. May and 
 June are the months when the Eden trout are in highest 
 perfection, and the worm at this period is a deadly bait. 
 The largest trout I ever killed in Eden weighed above 
 two pounds ; and I have frequently taken, among others, 
 a dozen, weighing a pound a-piece. Of late years the fish 
 have greatly decreased in size j but their quality, when in 
 season, is stiU good. 
 
 The Birgham fishings on Tweed commence about half 
 a mile below Eden-mouth, and comprise, along with the 
 Carham water, a number of excellent pools and angling 
 
SALMON-FISHING NEAR COLDSTREAM. 243 
 
 casts, the principal of which are Birgham Dub, containing 
 Bum-mouth, Corbie-nest, Galashan, Jean-my-lady, Cork 
 Stane, after which follow the Burn-stream, Carham-wheel, 
 including Cuddy's-hole, Dyke- end, Long-ship-end, Mid- 
 channel-stream, Flummery, Kirk-end, Dritten-ass, Glit- 
 ters, Bloody-breeks, Under-cairn, the Caldron-hole, Three- 
 stanes, Pikey, Three-brethren, Nether-stream, the Hole- 
 stream, the Hole, Craw-stanes, Lang-craig, Mark's-skelley- 
 head, BeU-stane, Segg-bush, White-eddy, Whinbush-skeUey, 
 Shaw's-mare, Know-head. 
 
 The casts in the Wark water, belonging to the Earl of 
 Tankerville, are the Snipe, the Brae, the Dub, Anna- 
 edge, Cuddy's-hole, Skellie-rocks, Willow-bush, Island-neb, 
 Black-mark, Fa'en-down-brae, Hedge-end, Ked-heugh- 
 stane, Hell's-hole, Mid-hole, Temple, Cauld-end, Coble- 
 neb, Coble-hole, Bulwark. The fishings on the north side 
 of the river belong to the Earl of Home; those on the 
 south, below Carham burn, to the Compton family, Car- 
 ham HaU. Succeeding these are the Wark fishings; and 
 farther down, the Lees water. This range of river extends 
 nearly to Coldstream, where the' Leet, an insignificant 
 stream, but containing trout of considerable size and very 
 superior flavour, discharges itself. The Leet passes through 
 the Hirsel grounds, seat of. the Earl of Home, where there 
 is a fish-pond. In the New Statistical Aecmra it is stated 
 that the late earl, who perhaps killed more salmon with 
 the rod than any angler of his day, captured one in Tweed 
 of the extraordinary weight of fifty pounds ; it is also 
 affirmed that pike have been taken out of the Hirsel 
 loch weighing thirty-two pounds. At Coldstream bridge 
 there is a good cast, which seldom wants its fish, and 
 where, in the grilse season, when the river is clear, one 
 has an excellent opportunity of studying the habits and 
 likings of the salmon in fresh water, what fly is most 
 attractive, &e. &c. The trouting about Coldstream is very 
 superior, but the rod-fishings for salmon, with the excep- 
 tion of the cast above mentioned, are somewhat precarious. 
 Three miles below Coldstream stands Tweed-mill, nearly 
 opposite which the Till enters. 
 
 Although not a Scottish river, yet, as one of the tribu- 
 taries of Tweed, and fed in part by Scottish springs, the 
 Till merits a single moment's attention. It is a deep 
 
244 TWEED AND ITS TELBUTAEIES. 
 
 sluggish water, singularly fantastic in its windings. The 
 fish it contains are pike, perch, trout, and eels ; but the 
 migratory sorts, especially whitlings, enter it freely, and 
 much earlier than they do any other branch from the 
 main stream. Not many salmon, however, are caught by 
 the rod above Etal, their progress being much obstructed 
 by a waterfall in that locality. The sea-trout, on the 
 occurrence of a flood, force their way up into the Glen, a 
 stream entering Till two or three miles below Wooler, and 
 formed by the junction of the Bowmont and CoUedge 
 waters — the one passing Yetholm from Roxburghshire, and 
 the other from the foot of Cheviot. The Glen is in high 
 repute as an angling stream, and contains abundance of 
 small lively trout. There are good inns at and adjoining 
 Wooler, and a small one at Bender. 
 
 On the Tweed, at Till-mouth, there is an excellent cast 
 for salmon; but here, as at Coldstream, the fish are very 
 capricious, and show little inclination to favour the angler. 
 The salmon-fishings betwixt Carham and Berwick belong 
 to various proprietors, among which are the Earl of Tan- 
 kerville; Collingwood, Esq.; Sir F. Blake; Wil- 
 son, Esq. ; Lord Crew's Trustees ; Mrs Shuttleworth ; George 
 Smith, Esq. ; John Grey, Esq. ; Berwick Shipping Company, 
 Berwick Corporation, Duke of Northumberland, Dean and 
 Chapter of Durham, <fec. &c., on the English side of the 
 river; — and on the Scottish, Sir J. Marjoribanks; Earl of 
 Haddington; D. Robertson, Esq.; D. Milne Home, Esq.; 
 
 Macbraire, Esq. ; Sir George Houston Boswell ; Richard 
 
 Ellison, Esq., &c. &c. 
 
 About five miles above Berwick, the Tweed is joined by 
 the Whitadder. 
 
 The Whitadder takes its rise at Johnscleugh, in the 
 county of Haddington, at an elevation of eleven hundred 
 and fifty feet above the level of the sea. After running 
 three miles, it is joined by the Fasseney water at Mill- 
 know. It afterwards, a short way above EUemford, re- 
 ceives the Dye, with its tributary the Watch-burn ; and, 
 on reaching Allanton, is augmented from the West by the 
 Blackadder. Both the main stream and its tributaries 
 abound in trout — in point of numbers, perhaps, there are 
 few rivers in Scotland that surpass them ; and the Black- 
 adder, which has its sources at Wedderlie, nineteen miles 
 
ITS SALMON-FISHINGS. 245 
 
 distant from its junction with Whitadder, is in high repute 
 for the size and excellence of its fish. They resemble, in 
 some respects, the trout of Eden, and when in season are 
 red-fleshed. Sea-trout, it is said, do not ascend the Black- 
 adder, but take freely to the channels of its fairer sister. 
 
 One of the oldest and largest fishing-clubs in Scotland 
 (the Ellem) is connected with the Whitadder, and takes 
 its name from an angling station on this river. It ori- 
 ginated in 1827 or 1828. A handsome rod and reel form 
 the leading prize, and are annually contested for on the 
 first or second week of May. There is also a medal given 
 by George Trotter Cranstoun, Esq., to be held by the captor 
 of the best dozen of river trout ; the rod, along with an 
 honorary medal, the property of the club, being awarded 
 for the greatest weight. The Ellem fishing-club is under 
 the control of a council and secretary, J. TurnbuU, Esq., 
 to whose judicious management, and that of his predeces- 
 sor, the late A. Low, Esq., it owes much of its prosperity. 
 
 The best stations for anglers on the Whitadder and 
 Blackadder rivers are Longformacus Inn, at the junction 
 of the Dye and Watch ; EUemford Inn, six miles from 
 Dunse, and Allanton, at the junction of the Whitadder 
 and Blackadder. 
 
 With regard to the salmon-fishings of Tweed, I am 
 indebted to various sources for the annexed particulars. 
 The rental of the whole river and sea-side fisheries may 
 be estimated at about £6000 per annum. This amount 
 includes what is drawn firom the rod-fishings, a description 
 of property that, to a great extent, may be set down as 
 fictitious. I am correctly informed when I state that the 
 cost of each fish, good, bad, or indifferent, taken through- 
 out the season by parties leasing the angling on the river, 
 has, during late years, exceeded £2, the matter of rent 
 alone being considered. When boats, attendance, watch- 
 ing, tackle, and other expenses are added, this sum becomes 
 greatly increased, and some idea may be formed of the 
 consideration in which the sport of salmon-fishing is held 
 on Tweedside. Were all the rod-fishings on the river dis- 
 posed of at the rate of value set upon them by anglers, 
 the rent drawn from those alone would, there is no ques- 
 tion, approach that which is commanded by the whole of 
 the netting grounds at the mouth of the river. Many of 
 
246 TWEED AND ITS TEIBUTAKIES. 
 
 the best fishings, however, of this description, are retained 
 in the hands of the proprietors. 
 
 In comparing the state of the salmon-fishings on Tweed 
 forty or fifty years ago with their present condition, we 
 cannot help being struck with the disproportion as to 
 rents, (fee, betwixt the two periods. The number of boxes 
 of salmon shipped from Berwick to London in 1804 
 amounted to 13,000. In 1807 the annual rent of the 
 Tweed fishings amounted to £15,766. The number of 
 boxes sent to London was 8445. In 1814 the rental of 
 the river was as high as .£20,000. In 1823 it had fallen 
 to £10,000, the average number of boxes shipped exceed- 
 ing 8000. On one or two years — in 1816 for instance — 
 it extended to 11,000. 
 
 The rents now paid for the river and sea-side fisheries, 
 irrespective of the angling, do not much exceed £5000. 
 In 1846, the assessment from Eden-mouth, about three 
 miles below Kelso, downwards, was made upon a rental of 
 £5358, 2s. The average number of boxes of salmon sent 
 to London, for the ten years previous to 1846, amounted 
 to 4610, the local consumption ranging from 200 to 300 
 boxes, each box containing about ten stone-weight of fish. 
 
 The following table, extracted from a late number of the 
 Edinburgh Review, supplies a tolerably accurate account of 
 the proceeds of the Tweed fisheries during the forty years 
 which preceded 1851 : — 
 
 Table 
 
247 
 
 Prodtjoe op Salmon-Fishinos prom 1811 TO 1850. 
 
 
 Salmon. 
 
 GrUsea. 
 
 Trouts. 
 
 AU kinds. 
 
 1811 to 1815. 
 Quinquennial Totals, . 
 Annual Averages, 
 
 201,484 
 40,297 
 
 340,288 
 68,057 
 
 156,176 
 31,235 
 
 697,948 
 139,689 
 
 1816 to 1820. 
 Quinquennial Totals, . 
 Annual Averages, 
 
 189,690 
 37,938 
 
 435,444 
 87,089 
 
 245,391 
 49,078 
 
 870,525 
 174,106 
 
 1821 to 1825. 
 Quinquennial Totals, . 
 Annual Averages, 
 
 114,660 
 22,938 
 
 283,238 
 57,647 
 
 312,378 
 62,475 
 
 715,266 
 143,062 
 
 1826 to 1830. 
 Quinquennial Totals, . 
 Annual Averages, 
 
 49,020 
 9,804 
 
 279,950 
 55,990 
 
 244,320 
 48,864 
 
 537,290 
 114,658 
 
 1831 to 1835. 
 Quinquennial Totals, . 
 Annual Averages, 
 
 72,082 
 14,416 
 
 325,563 
 65,112 
 
 345,604 
 69,121 
 
 743,249 
 148,649 
 
 1836 to 1840. 
 Quinquennial Totals, . 
 Annual Averages, 
 
 70,746 
 14,149 
 
 261,418 
 52,283 
 
 274,384 
 64,877 
 
 606,649 
 121,309 
 
 1841 to 1845. 
 Quinquennial Totals, . 
 Annual Averages, 
 
 94,231 
 18j846 
 
 406,237 
 81,047 
 
 348,563 
 69,712 
 
 848,031 
 169,605 
 
 1846 to 1850. 
 Quinquennial Totals, . 
 Annual Averages, 
 
 56,372 
 11,054 
 
 274,088 
 64,817 
 
 246,441 
 49,288 
 
 575,901 
 115,169 
 
 The numbers of fish taken at the Berwick Shipping 
 Company's netting stations during the last five years are as 
 follows. I may mention that the produce of the Com- 
 pany's fishings are estimated at about two-thirds of the 
 produce of the whole river. 
 
 Trouts. 
 29,754 
 23,456 
 30,267 
 30,572 
 16,133 
 
 The fluctuations to which property in salmon-fishings 
 stands exposed, are curiously revealed in the above lists ; 
 
 
 Salmon. 
 
 Grilses. 
 
 1848, 
 
 5,376 
 
 51,925 
 
 1849, 
 
 6,468 
 
 30,504 
 
 1850, 
 
 5,766 
 
 20,230 
 
 1851, 
 
 6,387 
 
 11,327 
 
 1852, 
 
 . 4,237 
 
 18,762 
 
248 TWEED AND ITS TEIBUTAEIES. 
 
 one of the most singular features of which is the decrease 
 of the salar, or true salmon, taken into connection with the 
 increase of the eriox, or bull-trout ; for it is this species of 
 the salmmidos, more than the whitling or sea-trout of the 
 north, that is comprehended, at least of late years, under 
 the term "trouts." Whitlings, it is true, fall under that 
 designation, but they are a scarcer fish, by many degrees, 
 than the erioces, in the Border river. 
 
 Of bull-trouts, the numbers captured, or rather destroyed, 
 on Tweed and its tributaries, during close time, are beyond 
 computation, whole cart-loads of these fish being sometimes 
 taken, in the course of a single night, from a comparatively 
 short stretch of water. I have seen boys of ten or twelve 
 years of age, at the sources of Teviot, laden with fish of 
 five or six pounds weight, which they had transfixed in 
 open daylight, with the assistance of no other implement 
 than a potato fork or "graip." Several of the pools, 
 indeed, where these massacres are carried on, become, on 
 the subsiding of a casual flood, so narrow, as scarcely to 
 admit of the fish wheeling about ; others so shallow, as 
 hardly to cover the back fins. Accordingly, to capture 
 them when the streams are in this reduced state, requires 
 a very indifierent amount of skill. The fish thus taken in 
 these smaller tributaries are, it must be admitted, with 
 few exceptions, of the bull-trout species ; and it is very 
 questionable whether or not the protection of such, during 
 the spawning season, efficiently carried out, (which at pre- 
 sent it is not,) would benefit the Tweed fisheries at large. 
 
 The salmon-fishings of Tweed, imder the operations of 
 the present fishery acts, (the 11th of George IV. c. 54, and 
 6th Gul. IV. c. 65,) cannot be said to have improved to 
 the extent at one time anticipated. I may mention, how- 
 ever, that the produce of the ten seasons terminating in 
 1846 considerably exceede(^ that of the ten preceding 
 years. The year 1846 was remarkable for the scarcity of 
 grilses; but salmon, during the summer months, and these 
 exceeding the ordinary size, were more than usually plen- 
 tiful. In 1847, the grilse crop was rather below average, 
 and the fish remarkably small-sized. In 1848, the supply 
 of these fish was very abundant, and no complaint made 
 as to the size, many of them caught in July weighing 
 upwards of six pounds. The succeeding season was one 
 
EEOBNT SCARCITY OP SALMON. 249 
 
 of note in our northern rivers, as regards the grilse ; but 
 owing to the want of rain, and freshets on Tweedside, the 
 Border river, near Berwick, cannot be said to have yielded, 
 on the whole, more than an average crop of fish. Some of 
 the captures, however, were large, and worthy of mention. 
 At the Sandstell station, for instance, on the last week of 
 July, in the course of one tide, there were taken six hun- 
 dred and fifty fish. Two successive hauls of the net, at 
 this station, secured no fewer than a hundred and twenty 
 salmon and grilses. Several of the latter, caught in July, 
 weighed nearly eight pounds — a great weight for Tweed 
 grilses during that month. 
 
 The years 1850 atid 1851 (I may also add 1852) were, 
 without question, among the worst on record, as regards 
 salmon-fishings, throughout the island; our Border river, 
 notwithstanding its peculiar system of regulations, sharing 
 in the general dearth. This scarcity of salmon and grilses 
 in our British streams has been imputed to various causes. 
 I have heard remarks made upon it, and reasons assigned 
 for it, from at least a dozen quarters. In the north-west 
 coast of Scotland, it was considered as a catastrophe brought 
 about by the mode of fishing with bag-nets, cruives, &c. On 
 Tweedside, it was attributed by some to the extensive drain- 
 age carried on along the banks of the river and its tribu- 
 taries, the efiect of which, in the event of a summer flood, 
 is to render the water impure and distasteful ; and on the 
 occurrence of winter spates, to break up the spawning-beds, 
 and injure the infant fry. Some again, in the same quarter, 
 ascribed the failure in question to a deficiency of smolts, 
 caused by the depredations of poachers in the preceding 
 close-time ; others, to the increase of bull-trout ; and a few, 
 to the erection (commenced in 1847 and completed in 
 1850) of the railway bridge at Tweedmouth. The presence 
 of the tunny, porpoise, and other large fish, on the coasts, 
 was also surmised as the cause of the scarcity in some 
 localities; besides which, conjectures were hazarded relative 
 to the migrations of the species, and it was affirmed that 
 unprecedently large bodies of salmon, the produce of our 
 . British rivers, had made their appearance in Newfound- 
 land. In conjunction with some of these alleged causes of 
 failure, it has been predicted that a scarcity of the salmon 
 will continue to prevail (aggravated possibly by a further 
 
250 TWEED AND ITS TEIBDTABIES. 
 
 diminution of the breed) as long as matters remain in^ 
 statu quo, and no remedy is undertaken to be applied, 
 througb the intervention of parties interested, by the legis- 
 lature. 
 
 All the abuses and detrimental causes enumerated, 
 although they may with truth be severally brought forward 
 to account for a gradual decrease of the salmon breed in, 
 this or that locality, are not sufficient, however, to explain 
 the general failure of 1850 ; a failure which extended, not 
 only to the British and Irish rivers, but to those of Nor- 
 way and other parts of the Continent. But although so 
 extraordinary a deficit is to be attributed to causes at pre- 
 sent beyond our powers of intelligence, and may be made 
 up as mysteriously and unexpectedly on a future season, 
 this is no hindrance to us in dealing with those abuses, and 
 that wrongous system of legislation, to which can be 
 traced undeniably a gradual Mling off in the produce of 
 our salmon streams. 
 
 As regards Tweed, there is no river in Scotland where so 
 many of these abuses hold sway, and where so much of 
 that wrongous legislation prevails; and the fact that, 
 in spite of such drawbacks, it still maintains its celebrity 
 as a salmon-river, only makes it the more desirable that 
 full justice should be done to it, and that its facilities for 
 affording an ample supply of fish should be fairly and pro- 
 perly put to the test. 
 
 As a primary step towards securing the protection of the 
 salar or salmon proper, I beg to suggest, that a distinction 
 should be drawn betwixt it and all the inferior species. 
 These, in the Tweed Fishery Act, are bundled up together 
 with the true salmon, as if they were of equal value, and their 
 destruction, while spawning, a matter of equal regret. Were 
 a proper investigation made of the main river and its tri- 
 butaries, during the breeding season, it would be found 
 that the distinction which I propose should be considered 
 to exist betwixt the various species, not only holds good, 
 in respect to what naturalists have restricted it to, but that 
 it is further exemplified by the fish themselves, in the choice 
 of their spawning-grounds and fresh-water resorts. In 
 this respect, a line of separation may be said to have its 
 place, although not yet sought out and registered, betwixt 
 the breeding-grounds of the salmon and those of the sea- 
 
SEPAEATION OP SPAWNING-GROUNDS. 261 
 
 trout. I do not assert, as regards Tweed or any one of its 
 feeders, that the line I speak of is a definite one, and may 
 be accurately laid down, regardless of the season, the state 
 of the river and its channel, and the proportion, in point 
 of numbers, which the difierent species happen to bear 
 one to the other. To some extent, all these circumstances 
 must influence its position ; but that they do so in a 
 limited measure, I have every reason to beheve. When 
 made themselves subjects of calculation, they assist rather 
 to determine this line of demarcation than otherwise. In 
 order to illustrate the matter, I shall fix upon a river, say 
 the principal tributary of Tweed, — Teviot, which is resorted 
 to both by salmon and sea-trout for the purpose of breed- 
 ing; The latter description of fish, it is well known, pene- 
 trates to the fountain-heads of the water. They enter aU 
 its feeders, — ^the Kale, Oxnam, Jed, Ale, Eule, and Borth- 
 wick, and distribute themselves through the course and 
 subsidiaries of those streams. Not so the true salar. I 
 question much if a single individual of this species has, 
 for many years back, been captured in the main river by 
 the rod, above Chesters. With the net and leister, in winter, 
 beyond that point, as far up possibly as Denholm, salmon 
 are no doubt taken in considerable numbers. In the 
 neighbourhood of that village, however, I would be inclined 
 to look out for the terminus to their migrations, and there, 
 without respect to the circumstance that a straggler or two 
 is occasionally captured higher up, draw the line of sepa- 
 ration in question. The river thus divided — that is, the 
 resorts of the salar separated from those of the sea-trout — 
 the watching of spawning-beds during the fence season, 
 hitherto, on account of the great space thought proper to 
 be guarded, a matter of cost and difficidty, may be carried 
 out by the application of a moderate sum, and with a degree 
 of facility, up to this date, considered unattainable. Ascer- 
 tain the principal spawning-grounds of the salmon proper, 
 restrict to these the walk and watching of your protec- 
 tive force, and throw what remains into the hands of the 
 angling community, to be dealt with as they think proper ; 
 and you — I speak to the proprietors of salmon-fishings on 
 Tweedside — will not only do much towards the preservation 
 of the breed at a reduced cost, but by this measure act a 
 conciliatory part towards those who at present harass the 
 
252 TWEED AND ITS TEIBUTARIES. 
 
 spawning-beds with net and leister, and induce thena; on 
 such portions of the river as are left open, to substitute 
 the rod in lieu of other implements of desti-uction. 
 
 To do Tweed and its salmon-fishings, however, full justice, 
 I would further suggest that some arrangement be made 
 betwixt the proprietors in the neighbourhood of Berwick 
 and those higher up, by which the breeding and rearing of 
 the fry may be carried on in artificial ponds or reservoirs 
 constructed to suit the purpose, at convenient distances 
 along the banks of the river. Were such reservoirs formed — 
 and this could be done at a small expense, on the plan of 
 the Drumlanrig ponds — by many of the parties interested 
 in the Tweed fishings, the stocking of them from year to 
 year with abundance of fry might be effected with com- 
 paratively little trouble. An occasional sweep of the trawl- 
 net in the breeding season, made by authorised persons, 
 over a stretch of well-reputed spawning-ground, would 
 command, without doing any sensible injury to the river 
 stock, a supply of ripe baggits and milters sufficient to 
 provide impregnated ova for half-a-dozen such reservoirs. 
 Of the advantages which might with reason be expected 
 to result from this mode of breeding and rearing a salmon 
 stock, I need scarcely speak. Were such auxiliaries to the 
 natural spawning-grounds instituted in sufficient numbers, 
 all of them being properly watched and taken care of, not 
 only might a vast accession be annually administered, on 
 proper occasions, to the body of descending smolts bred in 
 the river and its tributaries, but if, from some cause or 
 another— such as theviolation of the spawning-beds previous 
 to vivifaotion by a winter flood — this body should happen 
 to be a small one, its deficiency in numbers could at once 
 be supplied, and a failure in the grilse crop, to a certain 
 extent, provided against. In such ponds, the risks atten- 
 dant on the hatching of the deposit might, with a httle 
 attention, be completely obviated ; it would be easy to pro- 
 tect both spawn and fry from the attacks of their natural 
 enemies — trout, waterfowl, &c. ; and this further advantage 
 would accrue, that the smolts could be detained in them, 
 not only until a favourable opportunity occurs of their 
 passing unmolested to the sea, but, if thought expedient, 
 for a season or two beyond the usual term of their stay in 
 fresh water. Were a score or two of such nurseries con- 
 
ARTIFICIAL PEODUCTION OP SALMON EEOOMMBNDED. 253 
 
 structed in connection with Tweed and its tributaries, 
 incalculable benefit would, I am of opinion, be done to the 
 salmon-fishings. At Lees, Wark, Birgham, Floors, Maker- 
 ston, Eutherfurd, Mertoun, &o., up as high as Peebles, 
 a little way above which I woiild draw the line of separa- 
 tion already spoken of, such reservoirs might be constructed 
 by the proprietors of salmon-fishings on the main river at 
 a trifling cost. They might also be connected, advan- 
 tageously, with the Whitadder, TiU, Ettrick, and Yarrow. 
 
 The process of vivifaction which the spawn is subjected 
 to in the breeding of fish, can be accomplished, I may 
 mention, within the compass of a trough, a small box, or 
 even a hand-basin. All that is required is to obtain a 
 quantity of roe and milt in their proper state of maturity, 
 to mix these carefully together, and, covering them over 
 with river sand or gravel, allow a continuous discharge of 
 fresh spring-water to travel across and moisten the im- 
 bedded mixture. The experiment, by aid of a small diver- 
 sion from some neighbouring rill, may be carried on within 
 doors. In the course of four months — more or less, ac- 
 cording to the temperature of the water — the fish will 
 ha v^- become hatched, and may be transferred, when the 
 provision-bag adhering to them has b*een fully consumed, 
 to a more commodious receptacle, supplied, as in the case 
 of the breeding-vessel, with an unfailing run of pure water. 
 
 A very small space being required for ponducting the 
 hatching process, it would not be necessary, were it found 
 expedient to assist the stocking of Tweed with salmon by 
 artificial means, to form and provide for more than one 
 spawning-ground, say of the extent of quarter of an acre. 
 Millions of ova can be brought to hfe within a less compass ; 
 and the attendance of a single person to regulate the water- 
 courses in their passage over the beds of deposit, to take 
 jottings of the temperature, and report on the progress 
 of the spawn towards vivifaction, would be found amply 
 sufficient. The process, by good management,- might be 
 accomplished twice in the course of the year, and a double 
 supply of fry effected. 
 
 By those who have read an account recently put forth 
 of the artificial production of fish in France, whereby many 
 rivers where the breed had been nearly extirpated have 
 been re-stockedj and now abound in trout, our suggestion 
 
■ 254 TWEED AND ITS TEIBDTAEIBS. 
 
 will be properly appreciated. The success of Messrs 
 Gehin and Eemy, originally two uneducated fishermen, 
 in replenishing the Moselle and other rivers in the depart- 
 ment of the Vosges, is no matter of fiction. It was ac- 
 knowledged in 1849 by the Academy of Sciences at Paris, 
 which hailed their mode of proceeding as a discoTery of 
 great national importance, and so strongly interested itself 
 in behalf of the experimentalists as to secure for them, at 
 adequate salaries, employment by the French government, 
 " their duties being to stock with fish, by their system, 
 such rivers as should be pointed out to them, and to teach 
 that system to the peasantry." Since entering upon these 
 duties, Messrs Gehin and Eemy have planished with fish, 
 streams and rivers at AUevard, Pontcharra, Sassenage, 
 Veury, ViziUe, Bourg d'Oisans, Eives, Pont-en-Koyans, 
 Paladru, Lemps, St Geoire, Arandon, La Buisse, and Gre- 
 noble, in the department of the Isere ; in numerous places 
 in the department of the Haute Loire ; also in the depart- 
 ments of the Allier, the Los&re, the Meuse, the Meurthe, 
 the Haute Saone, &o. 
 
 In Normandy, also, their system has been adopted with 
 great success, as well as in the vast reservoirs of Hunin- 
 guen ; in Burgundy, in Brie, and in the neighbourhood of 
 Dijon. 
 
 In making the above suggestion, I am weU aware that, 
 even were it favourably received by all parties, it is not 
 likely to become acted upon by the upper proprietors, 
 unless sacrifices are made, on the part of those interested 
 in the lower fishings, equivalent to the benefits they are 
 likely to derive froip such accessions to the natural pro- 
 duce of the river. I may, perhaps, be accused of valuing 
 these accessions too highly, when, in lieu of them, I would 
 propose to confine the days of the week during which, in 
 the open season, the net may be lawfully employed for the 
 capture of salmon, to five instead of six, combining the 
 Saturday along with the Sabbath as a holiday. Indepen- 
 dent of the grounds upon which it is here made, such 
 a proposal is rendered quite defensible, by the fact that the. 
 proprietors of the upper fishings are somewhat cruelly 
 used at the mouth of the river, where a degree of skill 
 and vigilance in the capture of salmon is now exercised, 
 not contemplated at the period when the Crown grants 
 
RESERVATIONS OP FISHINGS BY THE CROWN. 255 
 
 were made. Owing to this increase of experience and 
 assiduity made available by the lower proprietors, a num- 
 ber of ttie upper holders have been nearly denuded of all 
 benefit in the salmon-fishings ; and it would only be doing 
 justice were matters so arranged by legislative enactment 
 as to pave the way for a restoration of their injured pro- 
 perty. Such a measure as is here proposed would not 
 only, I am satisfied, have this effect, but it would enlarge 
 and render mutual the interest that all the holders of fish- 
 ings are presumed to feel in the protection of the breed. 
 
 As an additional day of grace, however, may be consi- 
 dered, by the net-fishers, too large a concession for advan- 
 tages in prospect, I would suggest, by way of an imme- 
 diate solatium, that all capturing of salmon by means of 
 nets attached to cairns, and with the leister, be henceforth 
 abandoned by the upper proprietors, and made punishable 
 by fine, confiscation, or otherwise. It is only, indeed, by 
 large mutual concessions, such as I have pointed out, that 
 the spirit of co-operation needed to improve the Tweed 
 fishings has its chance of becoming engendered. Nor does 
 the power of refusing to apply the proper remedy for 
 abuses which are undeniable, as regards the salmon-fishings 
 of Tweed, lie with this or that set of holders. The public, 
 generally, have a strong interest in the matter ; neither 
 has the Crown divested itself of all right in its original 
 property. I cannot construe the fact of the words, " Cum 
 una nave et aim uno rete," occurring in some of the charters 
 conveying salmon-fishings on Tweed, otherwise than that, 
 by this phrase, a reservation is explicitly made of the 
 main body of the " inter regalia " in question ; and al- 
 though, up to this date, no disposition has been shown by 
 the Crown to restrict to the letter the privileges of any one 
 holder, such forbearance does not debar its doing so when- 
 ever its interests and those of the public require it. A 
 course of legislation different from what has hitherto been 
 maintained, is absolutely necessary for the preservation, 
 not to say the improvement, of our salmon-fishings ; and 
 if, owing to the conflict of opinions which prevails among 
 the proprietors, nothing is attempted to be done that pro- 
 mises to better matters, then it is high time for those to 
 interfere who foresee the ruinous consequences of such 
 inactive rivalry. The mutual concessions required to be. 
 
256 TWEED AND ITS TEIBDTAEIES. 
 
 made will thus be insisted upon, and the spirit of co-ope- 
 ration, which refused to show itself voluntarily, become 
 engendered by force. 
 
 In respect to the control which the Scottish Crown and 
 Parliament thought it expedient to exercise over the 
 holders of salmon-fishings, and in order to give some idea 
 of the limited extent of right which a charter, " cum pis- 
 caiimibm," was held at one time to convey, I have only to 
 refer to the Acts of Parliament passed in the reigns of 
 James I. of Scotland and his royal successors. These Acts 
 may be looked upon as running commentaries upon the 
 abuses to which grants of fishings emanating from the 
 Crown were liable ; but, more than this, they provided 
 rigorously against the occurrence of such abuses: they 
 were interpretations from the highest source of the 
 grantor's intention, and, as such, maintained their ground 
 against all interpretations which favoured the individual 
 holder. In some degree, indeed, they can be recognised 
 as intended to counteract the effect which a profuse and 
 unwarrantable distribution of Crown rights, in favour of 
 monastic institutions, by David I. and several of his suc- 
 cessors, had upon this source of revenue ; but they are all 
 the more, as remedial measures, although tinctured with 
 the barbarity of the age, entitled to regardful considera- 
 tion, and when brought into contrast with prevailing 
 enactments on the matter of salmon-fishings, at once 
 strike us by their brevity, perspicuity, and direct adapta- 
 tion to the subject — qualities which, in the wordy pre- 
 ambles and accumulated clauses of modern legislation, we 
 in vain seek for. 
 
 The present unhealthy condition of our salmon-fishings 
 calls loudly for enactments of the same complexion, in 
 which abuses shall not be left to be dealt with by contend- 
 ing proprietors, but taken up and provided against as 
 national grievances. Until this is done, until the Crown 
 resumes its original position in respect to them, and, 
 promptly investigating the causes of failure, strenuously 
 exerts itself to apply the remedy, it is vain to hope, spring- 
 ing from a contention of petty interests, for the restoration 
 of our salmon-fishings to their legitimate footing. 
 
 The penalties which, by the old Scotch acts, were in- 
 curred by slayers of fish in the forbidden season, the third 
 
EXEMPTION IN FAVOUR OP. 267 
 
 oifenoe being punishable by death itself, give us to under- 
 stand how necessary the protection of salmon while spawn- 
 ing was held by our ancestors. What would have been 
 said or done by King James and the Three Estates on the 
 occurrence of such a massacre as took place near Melrose 
 in 1846, when upwards of three hundred breeding fish 
 writhed and bled on the prongs of a single leister, and at 
 least six thousand, which had escaped the toils of the Ber- 
 wick fishermen, and formed the hope and stay of future 
 seasons of abundance, were cut off by means of the same 
 deadly instrument, along the course of the river ? From 
 the efifeot of this bloody onslaught, Tweed has not yet 
 recovered j still, with shame be it told, there are those on 
 its banks connected with its interests as a salmon stream, 
 who not only defend the butchery on retaliative principles, 
 but announce their intention to re-act it on all practicable 
 occasions. The operations with net and spear against the 
 kelts in the spring of 1852, show that such bravado is not 
 a jest, and do more than make apology for the speedy inter- 
 ference of the Legislature with that system of policy which 
 the present Tweed Act is based upon, and the Tweed Com- 
 missioners are contented to pursue. 
 
 The leistering of salmon received, there is no question, 
 great encouragement on our Border rivers from those Acts 
 of the Scottish Parliament in force before the Union, by 
 which it is declared, in the shape of an exception to the 
 general Salmon Act, "that the waters of Solway and 
 Tweede saU be reddie to all Scottismen all times of the 
 zeir, als lang as Berwick and Eoxburgh ar in the English- 
 mannis hands." These measures of reprisal continued in 
 operation for nearly two hundred years — ^probably for a 
 much longer period. We find, however, the earliest men- 
 tion of this exception in 1430 — (James I., Par. 9, c. 131.) 
 It received the ratification of successive reigns and parlia- 
 ments imtil 1606— (James VI., Par. 18, c. 37.) 
 
 This privilege, granted to our Border ancestors, and so 
 long enjoyed by them, (the rights of chartered proprietors 
 not being so much as condescended upon in any one of the 
 Acts I dlude to, even on the occasion of their repeal,) 
 plainly had its effect in cherishing and rendering hereditary 
 the passion, not yet extinct, for so barbarous an amuse- 
 ment. With what a high hand the Crown dealt on resum- 
 
 B 
 
258 TWEED AND ITS TEIBUTAEIES. 
 
 ing its rights, and for whose benefit, in comparison with 
 that of a few nobles and lairds, the protection of salmon 
 was insisted on, may be inferred from the words of the Act. 
 
 " Act anent the rivrs of Tweid and Annand. 
 
 " Our Sovereigne Lord and estaites of Parliament under- 
 standing that in the act made in his Heighnes Parliament, 
 in the yeare of God ane thousand sex hundreth yeares, 
 whereby the slaying of salmond fishe, in forbidden tyme, 
 or of kipper, smolts, or black fishe at any tyme, was 
 declared to be theift, and the committers thereof were 
 ordeined to be punished for the samine as for theift. The 
 rivers of Tweid and Annand were then excepted, because 
 the said rivers at that tyme jiivided at many parts the 
 bounds of Scotland and England adjacent to them; 
 whereby, by the forbearance upon the Scots part of the 
 slauchter of salmond in forbidden tyme, and of kipper, 
 smalts, and black fishe at all tymes, would not have made 
 salmond ony mair to abound in these waters, if the hke 
 order had not been observed on the English side. Whilk 
 impediment, through the infinite mercy of God, being now 
 removed by the most happy uniting of baith the kingdoms 
 in ane empire, in the royal person of his most excellent 
 Majestic, undoubted and righteous monarch of the samine. 
 Whereby the inhabitants of this haill isle are equally sub- 
 ject to his person and laws ; and the remeed of their harms 
 and the redress of their abuses, punishment of their trans- 
 gressions, and establishment of their universal well-being 
 belongs to his charge. 
 
 " Therefore our Sovereigne Lord and estaites of his 
 Heighnes Parliament, clearly understanding that the cause 
 of the said exception is now removed, ratifies and approves 
 the said Act of Parliament anent the forbidding the slauch- 
 ter of salmond, kipper, smolts, and black fishe in manner 
 above written, and pains of theift and death decerned 
 against the contraveners thereof, and retracts, perpetually 
 annulles and abrogates the said exception of the said waters 
 of Tweid and Annand. And decerns and declares that in 
 all tyme comming, the contraveners of the said Act or any 
 part thereof, in the waters of Tweid or Annand, or any 
 part of the samine, shall underly the paines foresaid of 
 
THE PENCE OR CLOSE SEASON. 259 
 
 theift and death, according to the quality, rank and estaite 
 of the committers thereof, and as if the first act had been 
 general and the said exception had never been contained 
 therein." 
 
 I have not yet made any remarks relative to the expe- 
 diency of shifting the fence season on our Border river. I 
 am called upon, however, to do so, by what was recently 
 in agitation among the upper proprietors, — viz., the exten- 
 sion of the period of liberty enjoyed by the rod-fisher 
 (and which at present stretches from the 15th of February 
 to the 8th of November) over the entire twelvemonth. 
 Were no apology for this agitation to be found in the 
 conduct of the lower proprietors, I would, without scruple, 
 affirm that the folly which looks forward to its success is 
 only surpassed by the selfishness from which it originated. 
 The extension really required, and which in the main-run 
 will favour the true sportsman, is that of the fence season 
 during the spring months. Postpone the opening of the 
 river above its estuary until the middle of March, and 
 what is saved to Tweed, in the way of giving opportunity 
 for the largest description of salmon baggits to spawn and 
 kelts to escape, is beyond reckoning. I recollect well the 
 occasion — it happened about ten years ago — ^when old Rob 
 Kerss of the Trows, at the opening of the fishings in Febru- 
 ary, captured with his nets, in the course of a single night, 
 no fewer than eighty salmon, almost all of which were 
 baggits on the eve of spawning, and would have formed, 
 had they been allowed to remain immolested, a most 
 important addition to the breeding stock. By means of 
 the rod, constant and extensive massacres of those fish and 
 kelts take place during the first four weeks of the season ; 
 and although a clean salmon is occasionally captured, the 
 event is so rare that the local newspapers generally seize 
 upon it as a triumph worth recording.* An extension of 
 
 *The wholesale slaughter of kelts has commenced this year with 
 more than wonted vigour. At Tweed-mill, Twizel, and other netting- 
 stations, hundreds of these fish, and, I have reason to beUeve, included 
 under the same appellation, a large number of kippers and ripe baggits, 
 or unspawned salmon, were captured and slain in the opening week of 
 the season. These, I am told, fetch at present as their market-price, 
 at Berwick, 4d. and upwards per lb. What do they bring in the 
 midland counties of England ? 
 
260 TWEED AOT) ITS TEIBUTAMES. 
 
 the open season, and an enlargement of the privilege of the 
 rod-fishers for salmon, under these circumstances, is not 
 to be dreamt of for a moment. On the contrary, a pro- 
 longation of the fence time, as regards the upper parts of 
 the river, is imperatively called for, by every well-wisher 
 to Tweed and its fishings. It will naturally enough be 
 asked, what arguments are used by those who wish the 
 angUng for salmon to remain an open sport throughout 
 the twelvemonth ? The one on which most weight has been 
 laid, is simply this : That anglers themselves, and their 
 dependants, have always proved the best conservators of 
 the river, which is shown by the fact that, during the open 
 season, no sort of poaching is ever attempted ; whereas, in 
 close-time, they, whether proprietors, their Mends or tacks- 
 men, being deprived, by the present Tweed Fishery Act, 
 of all interest in the salmon which may happen to occupy 
 the stretch of water belonging to them or under their con- 
 trol, poaching of every description is left to be dealt with 
 by a handful of errant baUifis appointed by the Eiver Com- 
 missioners ; and its encouragement forms a natural conse- 
 quence of this transference of power. " But give vs rod- 
 fishers," say they, " our full swing throughout the year, 
 intrust the spawning fish to us, and as long as we are 
 allowed to deal destruction among them with rod and 
 line, and to disturb them on the breeding grounds with 
 our boats, be assured no net shall be wetted or leister dip- 
 ped by gentle or simple, for food or for sport, throughout 
 Tweed and its tributaries." 
 
 With such an argument I shall not pause to deal, but 
 I may ask those who are so anxious to legalise rod-fishing 
 during the fence season, how they are to avoid connecting 
 with this object the legalisation of the sale of salmon ? 
 and what eflFect their doing so would have in arresting 
 poaching practices ? I would also ask : Are they quite 
 serious in their estimate of the small damage likely to 
 accrue fi-om rod-fishing, in comparison with what actually 
 does happen from the employment of the net and leister, 
 on those stretches of the river which they wish to have 
 constant access to? For instance, take Sprouston Dub, 
 or Rutherford Dub, or Birgham Dub, or the Elshie stream, 
 or any other well-reputed expanse of fishing-ground on the 
 main rivej^-is it meant to be affirmed that, in the course 
 
author's suggestions. 261 
 
 of the three additional months and upwards ■which they 
 wish to be included in the open season, fewer fish- run 
 a chance of being captured by the rod, in any one of those 
 portions of Tweed, than actually in the same period fall a 
 prey every year to the devices of poachers ? Once more : 
 Will the extension of privilege in question, if acquired, 
 be acted upon to the hindrance of leistering in those parts 
 of Tweed and its tributaries where it has been immemo- 
 rially followed out, and where its pursuit is more profitable, 
 by many degrees, than rod-fishing is ? 
 
 I am quite prepared, while proposing these questions, 
 to be met with by my own views as to the propriety of 
 legalising the rod-fishing for bull-trout, during the fence 
 season, beyond limits determined and marked out by 
 adequate judges. This is a matter quite distinct from 
 that under discussion, and one which I have given great 
 attention to. The bull-trout I hold to be as marked an 
 enemy to the salmon-fiy as the pike itself, and the in- 
 crease of the species, throughout our British streams, may 
 well be considered a serious evil, for the eradication of 
 which great pains ought to be taken, and great indul- 
 gences allowed. 
 
 With the foregoing declaration of my views as to the 
 extension of the open season, I have not allowed any 
 feelings of sympathy to interfere ; indeed, I entertain 
 none, but rather regard as pseudo-anglers all such as 
 would stretch their season of enjoyment, without break 
 or rest, to the "crack of doom." I cannot be induced 
 to consider the wanton slaughter of kelts andbaggits to be 
 worthy of the name of sport. It, in truth, no more par- 
 takes of that character than does the destruction of game- 
 birds with the fowling-piece dm-ing the pairing and hatch- 
 ing seasons ; and surely no one would take upon him to 
 cIms with manly pursuits an occupation which even in- 
 corrigible poachers hold in fitting contempt. 
 
 Of my views and suggestions relative to the Tweed 
 salmon-fishings, how they may be sustained and improved 
 at a comparatively small cost, the following is a sum- 
 mary : — 
 
 1st, By separating the spawning-grounds of the salar, 
 or salmon proper, from those of the eriox, or bull-trout, 
 and restricting, as much as possible, the duties of the 
 
262 TWEED AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 
 
 river force, during fence time, to those parts of Tweed and 
 its tributaries where the former are situated. 
 
 2d, By the formation of au artificial spawning-ground, 
 in the vicinity of the most favoiuite resort of spawning- 
 fish on Tweed, to which the deposit of breeding salmon, 
 mUt, and ova, in their proper state of ripeness, can be 
 readily committed, and appliances put into force ior the 
 hatching of some hundreds of thousands of salmon-firy — 
 a mode of increase which, it has been proved by many 
 experiments, both in this country and in France, can be 
 successfully resorted to, and may be made to supersede 
 the hatching of the spawn on the natural " redd," which, 
 in the case of Tweed, has, from various causes, of late 
 years been rendered uncertain. 
 
 3d, By the construction of ponds or nurseries in con- 
 nection with the main river or its tributaries, to which the 
 fry, when hatched and sufficiently strong, may be trans- 
 ferred, and therein maintained, until such time as they have 
 acquired the smolt plumage, and may be committed to 
 the river, without risk, to act according to their instincts 
 in finding their way to the sea. 
 
 4th, By restricting the fishing for salmon with nets 
 during the open season, in the estuary of Tweed and 
 along its course, to five days in the week, the Saturday 
 or Monday being included, along with the Sunday, as a 
 fence day. A suggestion to extend the weekly fence-time has 
 also, I perceive, been made by the author of an article in 
 the Ediniurgh Eeview on our "Salmon Fishings." He pro- 
 poses that the additional day of grace should be sub- 
 tracted from the middle of the week ; Wednesday, I 
 think, is the day named by him. To be of proper 
 advantage, however, and assist the fish past what has 
 now become the most dangerous section of the netting 
 stations, (that lying betwixt the Chain Bridge and Tweed- 
 mill,) a combination of the proposed fence day with the 
 Sabbath is absolutely necessary. In regard to this section 
 of Tweed, and that immediately above, a suggestion was 
 recently made to me, well worth the consideration of the 
 upper holders of fishings. I have ascertained that the 
 rental drawn for the net-fishings by the several proprie- 
 tors last year, (1852,) between Coldstream and Norham, 
 amounted to £356, and from Norham to the Chain Bridge, 
 
THE EIVEB ETE. 263 
 
 inclusive, ^£425. Comprising that of the net-fishings at 
 Lees, Wark, Carham, and Birgham, the whole rental for 
 this stretch of Tweed, exceeding eleven miles, is not more 
 than £1000 per annum. Were those most interested in 
 the rod-fishings of Tweed, and its general prosperity as a 
 salmon river, to join together, and, leasing this portion of 
 its stations, in which the chief hindrance to the free ascent 
 of salmon is eifected, convert them entirely into, angling- 
 casts, the benefit which would accrue from this conversion 
 can scarcely be calculated. An abundant stock of salmon 
 and grilses would acquire unrestricted access to the higher 
 streams, and the angling, throughout the whole extent 
 of the river, become improved tenfold. 
 
 5th, By holding as illegal the use of all devices for 
 killing salmon on Tweed and its tributaries, higher up than 
 the recognised netting stations, save and except those of 
 the rod-fisher ; the trawl-net, cairn and pouting nets, to be 
 disused henceforth ; and the employment of the leister, 
 under whatever pretence, to be rigorously suppressed on 
 Tweed and its tributaries, 
 
 6th, By a prolongation of the fence season, which ter- 
 minates at present on the- 14th of February, until the 
 middle of March, the estuary of the river alone, or that 
 portion of it which, comprehending the coast fishings, ex- 
 tends upwards to the chain bridge below Norham, to con- 
 tinue to be fished from the 14th of February. All kelts 
 and foul fish captured with the nets to be set free. 
 
 7th, By the rigorous enforcement of a' clause, render- 
 ing highly penal the adulteration of the river and its feed- 
 ers, through the introduction, from manufactories or other 
 sources, of the refuse of dyes, lime, flax, and all pernicious 
 substances, whereby the spawning-beds and young fry are 
 injured and destroyed, and animal life greatly endangered. 
 
 Lastly, By encouraging the destruction of sea-gulls and 
 the water-ouzel. The mischief done by these birds has 
 never been suf&ciently taken into account by those inte- 
 rested in our salmon-fishings. During the smolt season, 
 hxmdreds of gulls pursue their depredations on the river 
 unmolested, it being a common notion that these depreda- 
 tions are chiefly confined to insects, such as the stone-fly, 
 straw-maggot, and march-browns; whereas the principal 
 objects of pursuit are the infant &y and smolts. 
 
264 TWEED AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 
 
 The Ete, in Berwickshire, was at one time esteemed a 
 good angling stream. It is said, however, in the upper 
 parts, to have been much injured of late by railway opera- 
 tions, but will probably, after a time, regain its former 
 reputation. During the summer of 1848, I kiUed some 
 excellent baskets of trout, betwixt Aytoun and Eyemouth, 
 with the worm. There are few lakes, and those of small 
 dimensions, in the counties of Berwick and Roxburgh 
 Coldingham Loch, containing perch, is the largest natural 
 sheet of water in the former ; and ia the latter, Primside 
 or Yethohn Loch, producing pike and perch ; Hoselaw, 
 where there are perch ; and Essenside, Shielswood, Head- 
 shaw, and Ash kirk, yielding, along with the fish above 
 named, a few trout. The four last are situated in the 
 parish of Ashkirk. In 1848, out of Yetholm Loch the 
 author and a small party of gentlemen took fourteen pike 
 in the coui-se of a forenoon ; none of them, however, were 
 of large dimensions. 
 
 The Ttne, in Haddingtonshire, is celebrated for its con- 
 nection with the case of Fergusson v. Shirreff, the decision 
 on which has so largely affected the interests of the angling 
 community in Scotland, and has left behind it a degree of 
 irritation not easily removed. Its sources are in Middle- 
 ton Moor, and it travels, at a somewhat sluggish pace, up- 
 wards of twenty miles Isefore reaching the sea near Dun- 
 bai\ The trout it contains are of excellent quality, and 
 acquire occasionally large dimensions. I have frequently 
 killed them upwards of two pounds in weight. When in 
 season, they are a shy fish, and refuse the ordinary-sized 
 flies, preferring the midge varieties and dull colours. Min- 
 nows also are in esteem, if properly selected ; and in the 
 streams, when small, the trout take the worm with avidity. 
 Salmon ascend the Tyne as far up as the fall at East 
 Linton, but not in great numbers. The late Sir Thomas 
 D. Lauder, in a well-known and highly interesting series 
 of articles upon our Scottish rivers, alludes to the Tyne as 
 an angling stream : — " The salmon, which are all of them 
 small, do not rise to the fly ; but a number of them are 
 taken by Mr Innes by means of shutting and opening the 
 floodgates of an old miU-run, immediately opposite to the 
 church. The trout are remarkably fine, and are red in the 
 flesh when in best condition. The great piscator of the 
 
TYNE. 265 
 
 Tyne is an old friend and brother officer, Captain Shear- 
 man, who, during the angling season, may be said to live 
 upon the river. The captain's perseverance and skill, to- 
 gether with his complete knowledge of every hole and 
 comer of the stream, enable him to kill more trouts on the 
 Tyne than any other three men that are in the habit of 
 fishing the river. I believe he has made out as many as 
 sis dozen in one day, of which event, we feel convinced, 
 he even was. prouder than of any of his brave achievements 
 while in command of certain levies in the Peninsula, or the 
 well-earned laurels which these acquired for him." The 
 burn of Biel, not far off, contains nice trout ; and the loch 
 of Pressmennan is stocked with the Loch Leven breed, as 
 well as carp and tench. This artificial piece of water is 
 nearly two miles in circumference. The right of salmon- 
 fishing in the Tyne is possessed by the Earl of Haddington, 
 who has also the coast fishings on both sides of its mouth, 
 from the Peffer-burn to within a short distance of the Biel 
 water. 
 
266 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 FOETH AND ITS TEIBUTAEIES. 
 
 The Forth, or Bodotria of the Komans, has its fountain- 
 head on the north side of Ben Lomond, and traverses 
 Stirlingshire for about ten miles, under the name of Duch- 
 ray. Its current, during this part of its course, is sluggish, 
 and the banks, which are formed of black moss, possess no 
 features to attract or interest the tourist. It then enters 
 Perthshire, and receives, near Aberfoyle, a large accession 
 to its streams in a river issuing from Loch Ard. At its 
 junction with this water, it takes the name of Avondow, 
 and, after running five miles in Perthshire, again passes 
 into the county of Stirling, and obtains the name of Forth. 
 Still, until in the vicinity of Stirling itself, it is not much 
 distinguished either for its size or beauty ; and only after 
 having piu-sued a course of thirty-four miles, and receiving 
 accessions from the Teith and Allan waters, does it become 
 entitled to the rank of a first-class river. The surface 
 which it drains, as it proceeds, has been estimated at five 
 hundred and forty-one square miles, and it conveys to the 
 sea about one-fourth of the quantity of water carried down 
 through the channel of Tay. 
 
 In the Forth are found salmon, grilse, trout, pike, perch, 
 sparlings or smelts, along with eels and flounders, and 
 occasionally sturgeon. The salmon-fishings in the vicinity 
 of Stirling belong principally to the town and the estate 
 of Craigforth. The rent of these in 1847 amounted to 
 nearly one thousand pounds. The lower fishings, those 
 betwixt Stirling and Alloa, draw about the same sum. 
 Forth salmon are held in high repute, being large and 
 rich-tasted. Many of them weigh from eighteen up to 
 
THE TEITH. 267 
 
 thirty pounds, and some have been killed as heavy as fifty 
 pounds. There are no net-fishings in this river above ite 
 junction with the Teith, but it contains several good salmon- 
 casts for the angler. The main stream, however, is much 
 injured by the quantities of moss floated down from the 
 upper districts of the county. It yields a considerable 
 number of yellow trout ; but these, in general, although 
 strong and active, are not large. The best salmon-fly for 
 Forth is one having yellowish-dun wings, tipped with 
 white, black body, and black hackle, with silver tinsel j 
 the tail- tuft yellow, aud a little orange dubbing, worked 
 on, at the root of the wings. 
 
 The Tbith, which is by far the largest tributary of the 
 Forth, is a clear, fast-running river, with a good deal of 
 gravel at the bottom, and is much preferred to the main 
 stream by salmon and sea-trout ascending to spawn. Its 
 course firom whence it springs, in the Braes of Balquhidder, 
 to where it joins the Forth, lies entirely iii Perthshire. 
 There are properly two branches that form this river : one 
 from the braes above-mentioned, which takes its way 
 through Lochs Voil and Lubnaig ; and the other passing 
 out of Loch Vennachar, having previously descended Gleu- 
 gyle, and traversed the whole length of Lochs Katrine and 
 Achray. These unite immediately above Callander, and 
 proceed, receiving the Keltic during their progress, by the 
 village of Doune towards Stirhng, a distance of nearly 
 foiirteen miles. All the lochs through which the Teith 
 flows contain trout, and those belonging to the south 
 branch of the river produce pike. This last-mentioned 
 fish has been taken in Lochs Katrine and Vennachar 
 of great size. The trout in Loch Vennachar are of a very 
 superior description, and weigh from one to three pounds, 
 cutting red and firm. In Lochs Katrine and Lubnaig 
 there are a few charr ; and in the latter, trout of enormous 
 weight have occasionally been captured. One belonging 
 to the galmo ferox species was taken, two or three years 
 ago, by my friend, Charles Ker, Esq., a member of the 
 Stirlingshire Fishing Club, weighing fifteen pounds six 
 ounces several hours after its capture ; and a still larger 
 one is reported to have been caught by another party, on 
 a previous occasion. The trout-fishing on Loch Katrine 
 has, I understand, much improved of late years. Loch 
 
268 FORTH AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 
 
 Voil also contains trout of large size. They are frequently 
 killed, -with trolling tackle, of the weight of six or seven 
 pounds. Salmon are sometimes secured by the rod-fisher 
 in Loch Vennachar,and occasionally also in Loch Lubnaig — 
 the falls at the Pass of Leny proving, however,-a consider- 
 able obstruction to their progress. On the Teith, under 
 these falls, there is a tolerable salmon-cast for the rod, and 
 below Callander a succession of pools frequented by the 
 monarch of the tide. 
 
 In some places, the sea-trout fishing, although by no 
 means first-rate, is in its season worth engaging in. The 
 angler, along the lower portions of the Teith, is much 
 incommoded by trees and steep banks, below which he has 
 to wend his way with caution and considerable difficulty. 
 Good yellow trout are taken, by means of the spinning 
 minnow, throughout the course of the river. In the 
 Keltic and Bracklinn-burn, also in Stanck-burn, which falls 
 into Loch Lubnaig, I have met with tolerable sport. There 
 are two ponds on the Braes of Doune containing pike and 
 perch. Lochs Watston and Loch Maghaig. A cruive-dyke 
 extends across the Teith at Doune Castle, fitted with boxes 
 for catching salmon. The rent it draws is a mere trifle. 
 
 Of the streams which enter Forth higher up, the largest 
 proceeds from Lochs Chon and Ard. The trout of these 
 lochs weigh from one to four ponds, and are esteemed 
 equal in flavour to the fish of Loch Leven. They have 
 been captured of the last-mentioned weight by W. Mac- 
 donald, Esq. of Powderhall, in Lochs Chon and Arklet, 
 the latter communicating by a small stream with Loch 
 Lomond. Pike are sometimes caught here, weighing from 
 fifteen to twenty pounds. Loch Dronkie, which empties 
 itself into Loch Vennachar, lies at no great distance. It 
 contains fine red-fleshed trout, half a pound and upwards. 
 Farther down, the Forth is joined by the Goodie water, 
 from the Lake of Monteith. In it, and particularly in the 
 lake itself, sometimes called Inchmahome Loch, fine trout 
 exist. These, however, are not very abundant, and of 
 remarkable shyness. Pike were at one time plentiful here, 
 but are now on the decrease, having been thinned with 
 nets. Loch Rusky, in the neighbourhood of Inchmahome, 
 produces this fish and abundance of perch. There are two 
 
STUEGEON. 269 
 
 or three other small lakes not far oif, but none of them 
 merit the angler's attention. 
 
 A short way above Stirling, on the Perthshire side of the 
 river, the Forth is joined by the Allan Water. This 
 stream runs by Ardoch and Dunblane, entering Stirling- 
 shire at the Bridge of Allan. It contains trout, and in the 
 upper parts a few pike. Occasionally wMtlings enter its 
 mouth, and a stray grilse or two. 
 
 In connection with the rivers and lochs of Stirlingshire 
 a fishing club was recently instituted, comprising upwards 
 of seventy members, and governed by a stringent code of 
 laws. The prizes contended for consist of a medal, fishing- 
 rod, and other appurtenances connected with the angler's art. 
 
 Below Stirling, Bannockbum joins the Forth from the 
 south; and a little way farther down it is increased by the 
 Devon from Clackmannanshire. The main river, from 
 Stirling to Alloa, is deep, sluggish, and winding in its 
 course. It is also, at certain states of the tides, navigable 
 for vessels of considerable burden, and steamers ply regu- 
 larly to and fro. The Devon joins it about two miles west 
 from Alloa. Including its windings, the course of this 
 stream is twenty-six miles ; exclusive of these — that is, 
 taking it in a direct line from its source to its'embouchure — ■ 
 it does not exceed six miles. In the upper parts of Devon 
 I have killed great numbers of small trout, but machinery 
 and other causes have considerably thinned them lower 
 down. A few whitlings and grilses find their way up, 
 during close-time, as far as Dollar. Below Alloa, an 
 insignificant stream, termed' the South Devon, discharges 
 itself It contains some pike, and in its neighbourhood is 
 situated an artificial expanse of water, covering, when full, 
 an extent of one hundred and sixty acres, and designated 
 Gartmorin dam. ■ It was stocked originally with trout 
 from Loch Leven, but these are supposed to have died. 
 Pike were afterwards introduced into it, and I recoUeot 
 one forenoon capturing five or six with the rod, the largest 
 weighing about eight or nine pounds. One was taken out 
 of it, I understand, of the weight of twenty-four pounds. 
 Sturgeon are frequently killed at the mouth of the Forth, 
 and as far up the river as Stirling. In August 1843, I 
 witnessed the capture, in the salmon nets, of two of these 
 
270 FORTH AND ITS TEIBUTAEIES. 
 
 fish. The largest known to have been killed was in 1823, 
 and weighed one hundred and eighty pounds. 
 
 After forming its firth or larger estuary, Forth, on the 
 south side, is supplied with numerous contributions. The 
 Carron, Avon, Almond, Water of Leith, and Esk, succ«s- 
 sively discharge their waters along its shores ; and on the 
 north side it receives the Leven and other small streams. 
 Of these, the Carron contains a few trout and perch ; and 
 in Loch Coulter, which it passes, besides the last-mentioned 
 fish, are found pike. The Avon produces trout, some of 
 considerable size j while the lodis near its sources (of 
 which there are several) yield perch and eels. In the 
 Almond and Water of Leith, I have caught numbers of 
 trout ; also in the Esk and Compensation Pond. Leven, in 
 Fifeshire, and the Orr, its tributary, contained, several 
 years ago, a good many fish, among which were trout of 
 large dimensions, pike, and perch. I think it probable, 
 however, that the first-mentioned fish are now very rare 
 in the Fifeshire rivers, the duhia of the angler having 
 vanished before the utilia of the community. In the 
 Eden, which passes Cupar, there still, I am told, remains a 
 sprinkling of river trout, and a few of the migratory 
 species push up into its waters. 
 
 In connection with the rivers discharging themselves 
 into the Firth of Forth may be mentioned the far-famed 
 Loch Leven, in Kinross-shire. This lake, previous to its 
 late partial drainage, extended to four thousand six himdred 
 and thirty-eight imperial acres. It is now diminished, 
 when in its maximum state, to three thousand five himdred 
 and forty-three acres, or by one-fourth of its extent. In 
 consequence of the drainage, the feeding-grounds of the 
 trout inhabiting it have been greatly reduced in size, and 
 the fishings, according to the calculation of Dr Fleming, 
 prejudiced to the extent of £73 per annum. The present 
 rental is upwards of .£200; and the price of the trout at Kin- 
 ross, one shilling per pound, that of pike twopence, and perch 
 twopence per dozen. Betwixt thirty and forty years ago, the 
 Loch Leven trout were sold there at fourpence per pound. 
 The fishings in this loch commence on the 1st of January, 
 and close on the 1st of September. In my opinion, they are 
 open at least three months over and above what they ought 
 to be. No trout, in any lake in Scotland, arrive at edible 
 
LOCH LEVBN. 271 
 
 condition before the 1 0th of February, and few ought to 
 be eaten later in the season than the middle of August. 
 The fishings of Loch Leven employ two boats and four 
 boatmen, during a considerable part of the season. One 
 of the largest trout captured here weighed nearly eighteen 
 pounds, and they are frequently killed half that weight. 
 In 1822, a pike was caught in this loch, weighing forty- 
 two pounds, Dutch weight. 
 
 The QuBiCHs, North and South, are the principal feeders 
 of Loch Leven, and the streams to which its trout resort in 
 the spawning season. The North Queich, being the larger 
 of the two, was the one preferred for this purpose, but it 
 is now, owing to the removal of the shelter which its banks 
 and channel afforded, little frequented. After a large flood 
 in September and October, many hundreds of breeding 
 fish were at one time killed here during night with the 
 spear, by parties of poachers; and at the dam-dykes 
 belonging to the small mills, high up the stream, whole 
 sackfuls have sometimes been taken out, on a single 
 
272 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 TAT AND ITS TRIBUTAEIES. 
 
 The Tat discharges a greater btdk of water than any other 
 river in Great Britain. As ascertained by Dr Anderson, 
 the quantity which is carried forward, per second, opposite 
 the city of Perth, averages no less than three thousand six 
 hundred and forty cubic feet; while its mean discharge 
 below the junction of the Earn has been calculated by Mr 
 David Stevenson to be two hundred and seventy-three 
 thousand one hundred and seventeen cubic feet per 
 minute. It drains no less than two thousand two hundred 
 and eighty- three square miles of country. This noble river 
 is formed of the various streams which empty themselves 
 into Loch Tay, and, passing through its basin, make their 
 escape, in one body, at the lower end of the lake. Of 
 these, the principal are the Dochart and the Lochay, both 
 of which, especially the former, deserve the attention of 
 the angler. The course of the Dochart, after issuing from 
 Loch Ure, extends above ten miles. It contains excellent 
 trout, some, of which attain the weight of two or three 
 pounds. Salmon also ascend it, but not in large numbers, 
 as they are greatly obstructed by a waterfall of consider- 
 able height, near the mouth of the river, at KiUin. This 
 fall is an object of equal interest to the fisher and the 
 scene-hunter. The former may here practise, if inclined, 
 a mode of anghng for salmon, which, although it does not 
 test the caprice of the fish, or even the skill of the fisher- 
 man, yet affords, under the circumstances of the case, legi- 
 timate sport. The apparatus used is simply a strong rod 
 or stafij to which are appended a cord and heavy plummet, 
 along with a set of large hooks/ tria juncta in uno. These, 
 
THE DOCHAET. — LOCH TAT. 273 
 
 the angler, taking bis position on a rock close to the cata- 
 ract, drops into the foaming water below, the spqt where 
 the salmon generally rest having been pointed out to him. 
 On the plummet coming into contact with the bottom, he 
 merely requires to give a jerk upwards with his rod ; and 
 should a fish, which frequently happens, be in the way, he 
 has every chance of getting hold of it. I have seen the 
 same mode of fishing practised in the Orrin in Ross-shire, 
 and I understand that, in certain states of water, it proves 
 very successful. 
 
 The salmon-fishings in the neighbourhood of Killin are 
 let, on the average, for one hundred and fifty pounds per 
 annum. Besides the falls on the Dochart, there is a 
 splendid cataract on its sister stream, the Lochay, three 
 miles from their junction. Three or four years ago. Pro- 
 fessor Wilson encreeled, in the course of a day's fishing 
 on the Dochart, seven dozen trout, three dozen of which 
 weighed respectively, from three-quarters to a poimd and 
 upwards. Two splendid salmon also, weighing upwards of 
 twenty-five pounds each, were taken with the fly by bis 
 son, John Wilson, Esq., Billholm, on the same river, near 
 Luib, while along with his father on a fishing excursion, 
 the following season. 
 
 Loch Tat contains salmon, pike, trout, and charr. The 
 two former have been captured in it of the weight severally 
 of thirty-six and twenty pounds. A friend of mine, some 
 years ago, caught, while trolling near the head of the lake, 
 a common trout weighing eight pounds. This sheet of 
 water is about sixteen miles in length, and in breadth 
 above a milej its depth, in some places, exceeding six 
 hundred feet. There are excellent inns both at Kenmore 
 and Killin, also a small one at Lawers, and boats are kept 
 for hire at the head of the lake. 
 
 Tay, on issuing from Loch Tay and passing Taymouth, 
 the seat of the Marquis of Breadalbane, receives the 
 Lyon, a considerable stream, which takes its rise from Loch 
 Lyon, at a distance of forty miles from where it enters the 
 main river. I have caught excellent trout in this water. 
 It is also frequented, during floods, by salmon. These are 
 taken chiefly, where the streams are rough and rapid, near 
 the falls of Sput-ban and Moar. Valuable pearls are found 
 both in the Lyon and Dochart rivers. 
 
274 TAT AND ITS TEIBUTARIES. 
 
 After receiving the Lyon water, Tay sweeps on through 
 a highly picturesque country, for a distance of twenty 
 miles, before it becomes again augmented by any stream 
 deserving of attention. There are a few small lochs, con- 
 taining trout on the heights above, which communicate 
 with it as it passes; but none of these merit the regard of 
 the sportsman. As an angling river, during this, or in- 
 deed any part of its course, it is entitled only to a moderate 
 share of praise. Although frequented by salmon in consi- 
 derable numbers, these, generally spealung, are shy of the 
 hook ; nor is the nature of the water and the disposition of 
 rocks and channel such as to encourage them to rise freely. 
 By local anglers, however, well acquainted with their haunts, 
 they are taken occasionally of great weight. The yellow troiit 
 in this portion of Tay are by no means numerous, but they 
 acquire considerable dimensions. The best lure for them is 
 the spinning minnow, and in clear water, a fine red worm. 
 Immediately below Logierait, the Tummbl enters. 
 
 This river, the largest tributary of Tay, forms the drain 
 to a vast extent of Highland territory. It takes its rise 
 properly beyond the moor of Eannoch, on the south side 
 of Glen Etive, not far from Kingshouse, and is there desig- 
 nated the Gauer or Loud Sound. Augmented in its course 
 by numerous hill-bums, it swells out quickly into a con- 
 siderable stream ; and after passing through several smaller 
 lakes, inchiding Batha, a beautiful sheet of water, two miles 
 long, enters Loch Lydoch. The situation of Loch Lydoch 
 is wild and desolate in the extreme, but the lake itself pos- 
 sesses many attractions, being studded with wooded islets, 
 the haunts of the eagle and red deer, and withal abound- 
 ing in trout. Of these, the generality that rise at the fly 
 are not large ; but I understand, from a gentleman who, 
 some years ago, there being no boat, trolled a part of the 
 lake with the assistance of a lath or otter, that it contains 
 trout of great magnitude, upwards of a stone in weight. 
 After leaving Loch Lydoch, which is six miles in length, 
 the Gauer progresses towards Loch Eannoch, a distance of 
 eight or nine miles, and, forming an island at the head, 
 discharges itself, by two entrances, into the lake. I have 
 fished with great success at this point, which is close to 
 George-town, a small hamlet, affording, with its inn, toler- 
 able accommodation to anglers. 
 
LOCH TUMMBL. 275 
 
 Not far from where the Gauer enters Loch Rannooh, 
 the Erocht river also empties its waters, pursuing the 
 latter part of its course with great violence. The loch 
 from which it issues is one of the longest and dreariest 
 expanses of water in Perthshire, extending from the inn at 
 Daiwhinnie, above sixteen miles. It contains plenty of 
 herring-isized trout, and I make no question larger ones 
 are to be obtained by trolling. In Loch Eannoch, trout 
 have been caught of thirty pounds' weight, and upwards 
 of three feet in length. They ascend one of its feeders, 
 the Aid Eithach, about the end of September, for the pur- 
 pose of spawning, and are there killed with the leister by 
 the inhabitants of the district. It is affirmed that no 
 salmon find their way up to this loch, being unable to sur- 
 mount the falls on the Tummel ; but the statement is in 
 part incorrect, for many of these fish are known to over- 
 come the place in question ; and I am inclined to think 
 that some of the large spawning trout referred to are 
 neither more nor less than dun salmon. 
 
 On its escape from Loch Rannoch, the river glides 
 slowly along for some distance, and then, becoming all at 
 once impetuous, receives the name of Tummel. After a 
 course of several miles, it reaches Tummel bridge, where 
 there is a good inn, and every accommodation for anglers. 
 A httle way below this point, the river once more assumes 
 its placid character, and shortly after widens out into 
 
 Loch Tummel. — This sheet of water is well esteemed 
 among anglers, not for the numbers, but for the size and 
 quality, of the trout it yields. These weigh generally from 
 one and a half up to nine or ten pounds, and are taken 
 chiefly by means of the fly. In point of shape and edible 
 qualities, they greatly surpass the far-famed trout of Loch 
 Leven. As many as a dozen of these fine fish are fre- 
 quently, captured by the angler in the course of a day. The 
 fly recommended as most killing is winged with grouse 
 feather, the body formed of purple dubbing, dark hackle, 
 .and silver twist. A boat is easily procured, and there are 
 no restrictions in force against bona fide rod-fishing. 
 
 The falls of Tummel are situated three or four miles 
 below the loch, and not far from the junction of that river 
 with the Garry. Their height is eighteen feet ; but salmon, 
 as I have already said, are known to surmount them, and 
 
276 TAT AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 
 
 have been caught, as well as numerous smolts, farther up. 
 In the summer of 1847, a salmon -weighing thirteen pounds 
 was taken by the rod in Loch Tummel. Yellow trout are 
 abundant on the river below Loch Eannoch; and large 
 specimens, weighing from three up to seven pounds, have 
 occasionally been caught by means of the minnow and 
 parr-tail. 
 
 At Faskally this river is joined by the Garry, or water 
 of the Den, which, issuing from Loch Garry, near Dalna- 
 spidal, maintains a course of above thirty miles, and is 
 increased, successively, by the Erochkie, Bruar, and Tilt, 
 along with numerous smaller streams. The lower parts of 
 Garry, at the pass of Killiecrankie, are visited, during June 
 and July, by grilses and sea-trout, which, in some places, 
 take the fly freely. Good fresh-water trout are met with 
 in the loch from which it derives its name. Those, how- 
 ever, native to the stream, as well as the trout of Glen Tilt 
 and Bruar, are small-sized, seldom attaining half a pound 
 in weight. The rent of the salmon-fishings in Tummel 
 and Garry does not much exceed twenty pounds. On 
 their junction, these rivers proceed amicably together, 
 passing the village of Pitlochrie and inn at Moulineam, to 
 Logierait, and there become absorbed in the waters of the 
 main river — the Tay. From the heights to the left, during 
 this portion of their course, they receive its slender tribute 
 from a small lake famed among anglers for the quality 
 of its trout. I allude to Loch Broom, or the Loch of 
 Showers. 
 
 Tay being thus reinforced by rivers of no small magni- 
 tude, proceeds majestically onwards in the direction of 
 Dunkeld. Not far from where it travels, and on a line 
 nearly with Loch Broom, lies to the left a chain of lakes, 
 all of which eventually connect their waters with the Tiber 
 of British rivers. These are commonly termed the Dowally 
 lochs, and comprise Loch Ordie or Ard, noted for its fine 
 trout — the Loch of Craiglush — Loch of the Lows — Butter- 
 stone Loch— Lochs Rotmel, Oishnie, Cluny, and Drumellie. 
 The latter abound in pike and large perch ; one or two, 
 also, are said to contain trout of great size. These lochs 
 are connected, most of them, by the burn of Lunan, which 
 falls into the Isla ; but as they border upon the district I 
 am treating of, I have thought proper to refer to them at 
 
ANGLING CASTS. 277 
 
 present. They are, I believe, those at least which belong 
 to the Duke of Athol, strictly preserved. 
 
 On, arriving at Dunkeld, Tay is joined by the Braan 
 water, which has its source in Loch Freuchie — a well- 
 known and much-frequented trouting loch. The fish there 
 ai-e not large, but lively, and of good quality. There is an 
 excellent and commodious inn at Amulree, in the neigh- 
 bourhood. A great number of small lochs skirt the ele- 
 vated ground, along the course of the Braan, and are easily 
 traced by the rivulets they discharge. Some of these tarns 
 contain pike and perch, and others trout of good quality. 
 The Braan is not a first-rate angling stream, but is cele- 
 brated for its cascades and fine scenery. 
 
 After leaving Dunkeld, Tay proceeds about ten miles in 
 a circuitous direction, when it meets the Isla — a river of 
 considerable size, which has its origin in Forfarshire. 
 There are several well-reputed salmon-casts in this portion 
 of the river. Commencing at Stenton, opposite Murthly 
 Castle, four miles below Dunkeld, the angler falls in with 
 a fine pool, of about three hundred or four hundred yards 
 in length, where sport is frequently met with. Succeeding 
 it is the " Minister's Stream," and, further down, the 
 "Boat Pool of Caputh or Murthly" — one of the best 
 stretches of water in Tay, especially for clean salmon. A 
 smartish breeze upward, however, is required, and the river 
 is reckoned in best trim when slightly swollen. The next 
 pool of any value is " Burnbrae," a mile lower down,.under 
 which is the " Derry ; " then the " Kedbrae " — a long pool, 
 with a heavy current in the upper part, and esteemed one 
 of the best salmon-casts above the mouth of the Isla, during 
 the months of August and September.- Following it is 
 the " Delvine Lodge Pool," also in good repute for heavy 
 salmon towards the end of the season. Below are " Green- 
 land" and the " Sebboes" — the latter a deep smooth range 
 of water, extending some three hundred or four hundred 
 yards, under a steep slope. The last-mentioned four pools 
 may be fished from the bank. They are not, however, 
 held in much regard by the angler until the commence- 
 ment of autumn. A mile below the " Sebboes," Tay is 
 joined by the Isla at Kinclaven ■ and from this point down 
 to the railway bridge at Cargill, a distance of more than 
 a mile, the fishing is excellent. Embraced in the above 
 
278 TAT AND ITS TBIBUTARIE3. 
 
 space are two pools, termed the "Long Head" and the 
 "Sandy Pool," containing the "Cutties," the "Little 
 Head," and " Davie's Stream." Many a good day's»sport 
 has been met with in the KinolaTsn water. To command 
 the casts, however, satisfactorily, a boat is required. Below 
 the railway bridge is the " Ballathie water," where the Tay 
 is crossed by a rugged basaltic dyke, known to extend 
 many miles on either side. This stretch of river compre- 
 hends what is termed the Linn of Campsie, and, from its 
 rocky nature, is much resorted to by salmon, which find 
 shelter among the sunken 'ledges and masses of stone that 
 occupy its alveus. It is justly held in high esteem by the 
 rod-fisher, and not the less that it is primed with hazards 
 and perilous points, which try to the utmost his skill in 
 the management of a strong active fish, and his prudence 
 in using well-tempered hooks and the best of " gear." The 
 principal casts among the rocks of Ballathie are, the 
 " Eumbling Stone," " Clocksden Head," " Fenton," the 
 " Cradle Stone," the " Black Stanes," the " Back of the 
 Hole," and the " Starry Side." With the exception of 
 the " Cradle Stone," the most dangerous ground for tackle 
 of the lot, none of these can be fished without the boat. 
 There are some excellent casts for rod-fishing down the 
 river as far as Luncarty ; the trout-fishing I have found 
 at times good in this quarter. It may be mentioned, that 
 the mode of fishing for salmon from the boat on the Tay, 
 when the river is full, is that called " trolling or harling," 
 and resembles what is practised on our Highland lochs in 
 fishing for the salmo ferox. Three rods are placed as far 
 apart as possible over the stern of the boat, each having a 
 difierent-coloured' fly attached to the line, of which from 
 twenty to thirty yards are let off. Small stones are placed 
 near the reel, on a portion of the main line drawn in by 
 the hand, which, when a fish seizes, are jerked off, and give 
 notice to the angler to snatch hold of his rod and prepare 
 for a struggle. The boat, on these occasions, is rowed 
 across the stream, from bank to bank alternately, and 
 allowed, at each return, to drop gradually down until it 
 feaches the foot of the pool. When the river is low, the 
 method of fishing on Tay is the same as that which is prac- 
 tised on Tweed ; the salmon-flies used are also of the same 
 description. Until late years, the rod-fishing in the neigh- 
 
ISLA. BRIGHT. 279 
 
 bourhood of Perth was not let ; but now from £70 to £80 
 is obtained for the salmon-oasts betwixt Isla and Almond. 
 The principal tributaries of Isla are the Dean, Ericht, 
 and Lunan waters. The first-mentioned proceeds out of 
 the Loch of Forfar, and although a deep, slow-running 
 water, aboimding in pike and perch, contains trout of large 
 size and renowned quality. These are taken, early in 
 spring, with a light-coloured or yellow fly. The sluggish 
 nature of the Isla renders it comparatively worthless, as a, 
 salmon stream, for rod-fishing. There is one pool, however, 
 known as the " Boat Pool of Coupar Grange," where, under 
 a stilf breeze, or when the river is swollen, salmon will 
 rise freely. The Ericht is formed by the junction of the 
 Shee or Blackwater with the Ardle, and is received into 
 the Isla about two miles below Blairgowrie. I am indebted 
 to the kindness of a gentleman residing in the district, for 
 the following particulars relative to this river : — " The 
 Ericht was, at one time, among the best in Scotland for 
 rod-fishing. The Duke of Athol, who was in the habit of 
 fishing it regularly about forty years ago, often killed five, 
 six, and seven salmon and grilse before breakfast. For 
 many years, however, the fishing, owing partly to the 
 numerous spinning-mills established on the river, and 
 partly to the means adopted on the Tay and Isla to inter- 
 cept the fish, has been gradually deteriorating, and at 
 present, excepting when a flood occurs at the proper time, 
 and under favourable circumstances, there are not many 
 salmon to be found in the river. About quarter of a 
 mile above the town is a fall or salmon-leap, partly artifi- 
 cial, termed the " Keath," which prevents the fish from 
 ascending higher up, except during heavy floods. Until 
 within the last six or seven years, the pool immediately 
 below this fall, called the " Skellies," was the best salmon- 
 cast in the river, and seldom deficient in fish ; but, in conse- 
 quence of a large dam-dyke having been formed across the 
 stream farther down, it has been rendered useless for rod- 
 fishing. Many salmon, however, continue to be taken in 
 it, during favourable seasons, with small circular nets 
 attached to a pole of about twenty feet long. In the course 
 of one night, in 1847, forty-nine salmon and grilses were 
 captured by this means. The best salmon-pools at present 
 on the Ericht are the "Back Pool" and "Bridge Pool," 
 
280 TAY AND ITS TRIBtJTAEIES. 
 
 close to the town; the "Stone Dyke" and "Creels," 
 about a mile below it ; and another mile farther down, 
 "Kinloch's Poolj" after which, the "Red Brae," and 
 lastly, the "Boat Pool," situated about four miles below 
 Blairgowrie. The Ericht is a rapid river; and all the 
 pools mentioned, with the exception of " Kinloch's Pool," 
 are comparatively shallow; so that, unless when flooded, 
 they are useless. April, May, and August are reckoned the 
 best fishing months. < 
 
 There is good trouting, during the spring months, in the 
 upper parts of Ericht and in the Isla ; also in the Lunan, 
 which is a deep, sluggish, ditch-like stream. Trout of two 
 and three pounds' weight are occasionally taken ; and by 
 an expert angler, from twelve to fifteen dozen may be 
 caught, under favourable circumstances, in Glenshee or 
 Glenisla. Lochs Bainie, Vrotachan, and Loch-na-nean, 
 which lie among the hills of Glenshee, are also celebrated 
 for the size and quality of their trout. Fish of from three 
 to fifteen pounds' weight have been taken in them. The 
 Lornty burn, and the loch called Benachally, in which it 
 has its source, also aSbrd good fishing for small trout. 
 
 The whole rental of the Ericht, from Keith to Blair- 
 gowrie, does not exceed twenty pounds ; whereas, in 1804, 
 no fewer than three hundred and thirty-six salmon and 
 grilses were taken at one haul, out of a single pool close to 
 the above-mentioned village. There are some small lochs 
 containing trout, pike, and perch, on the hills that bound 
 Glenshee and Strath Ardle ; but none of these claim much 
 attention from the angler. 
 
 After Isla, the only other rivers of note which empty 
 themselves into Tay are the Almond and Earn. The for- 
 mer of these, about twenty years ago, was much frequented 
 by whitlings, but they are now comparatively scarce, at 
 least in the upper portions of the river and above Buchanty. 
 Almond abounds in small trout, especially in the Glen, 
 which is of a highly romantic character. I have frequently 
 fished there, and enjoyed, if not the sport, at least the 
 scenic attractions of that part of the stream. Small pike 
 are very numerous in the Tay, at the mouth of the Almond. 
 Some years ago, no fewer than seventy of these fish were 
 captured, at one draught of the drag-net. 
 
 Eaen,. which joins the Tay several miles below Perth, 
 
EARN. — RUCHIL. — LOCH TURRET. 281 
 
 issues from Locli Earn, a beautiful expanse of water, 
 measuring in lengtli about seven miles, and of the depth, 
 in some places, of one hundred fathoms. This lake con- 
 tains abundance of fine trout, and there is ample accom- 
 modation for the angler on its banks, both at Loch Earn- 
 head and St Fillans. On leaving the loch, the river 
 wanders through some of the finest scenery in Perthshire, 
 comprising Duneira and Abruchil, until it reaches Comrie, 
 where it is joined by the Ruchil and Lednock. Of these, 
 the former has its sources in the deer forest of Glenartney, 
 and, although at a considerable distance from the salt 
 water, is frequented by large quantities of sea-trout. In- 
 deed, there is at present no stream in the county that 
 equals it in this respect; and, what is very remarkable, 
 . while it manifests the rapidity with which these fish ascend 
 our rivers, although Glenartney, taking into account the 
 windings of Euchil and Earn, is above eighty miles from 
 tide influence, yet, on the occurrence of a fresh or spate, 
 not twelve hours elapse before the highest parts of the 
 stream, ten or twelve miles from Comrie, are stocked with 
 newly-run sea-trout or whitlings. I have several times 
 met with excellent sport in this wild and rocky district; 
 but it is necessary that the waters be swollen with previous 
 rains, in order to obtain much success. It is not uncom- 
 mon for the angler to capture upwards of a dozen sea- 
 trout, weighing from a pouud to four pounds each. The 
 bed of the Ruchil is rocky and fiUed with large stones, 
 among which, and in fierce rapid water, the fish, when 
 hooked, display great activity and make short work of 
 cutting or snapping the angler's tackle, if not well guided 
 and looked to. The fresh-water trout in Ruchil are small 
 but numerous. 
 
 Quitting Comrie, the Earn pursues its way towards 
 Crieff; and on its approach to that town, is increased by a 
 small stream, well known in song, the Glen Turret. This 
 rivulet finds its way from an upland loch, famed among 
 anglers. Loch Turret contains beautiful red trout, averag- 
 ing from half a pound to two pounds in weight. I have 
 frequently fished it; and on one occasion, June 1833, 
 while along with the late Professor Gillespie, of St Andrews, 
 a well-known angler, and the author of an article on the 
 subject of worm-fishing in Blackwood's Magasine, captured 
 
282 TAT AND ITS TBIBUTABIBS. 
 
 upwards of six dozen trout, seven or eight of wliich weighed 
 above one and a half pounds each. 
 
 A good many sea-trout frequent this part of the Earn ; 
 but the salmon, comparatively speaking, are few. Large 
 pike are to be found in many of the pools, especially at the 
 mouth of the Pow-burn, two or three miles below Crieff. 
 Yellow trout also abound in some places ; and, with min- 
 now or worm, one may occasionally fill a good-sized 
 pannier. Not far from Crieff lie the artificial ponds at 
 Drummond Castle. These were stocked originally from 
 Loch Leven ; but I understand the trout have much fallen 
 "off in point of flavour, although still maintaining their 
 redness of flesh. There are pike and perch in the pleasure 
 lakes at Auohtertyre and Abercairney, and trout in the 
 Loch of Balloch, at the foot of Torlum. 
 
 Below Crieff, a number of small rivulets enter the Earn. 
 Of these, the Mahony and May waters are the principal. 
 The latter abounds in nice trout, and is one of the best 
 angling streams, taking its size into account, in the whole 
 of Perthshire. It is, however, under very strict preser- 
 vation. 
 
 The salmon-fishings on Earn have much fallen ofi' in 
 point of produce. Those connected with the Moncriefie 
 property are rented for about thirty-one pounds per 
 annum ; those in the parish of Forgandenny for about ten 
 pounds. The best stations for the angler are at Cries' and 
 Comrie, where there are excellent inns. Loch Turret, I 
 may mention, is now under reservation ; but Earn and 
 Ruchil, with the exception of that portion of the former 
 river which adjoins Strowan, are open to strangers ; also 
 the whole of Loch Earn and the district of Glen Almond, 
 not far from Crieff. 
 
 Having given a detailed account of most of the streams 
 and lakes connected with Strath Tay, I shall now add a 
 few particulars regarding the salmon-fishings in the main 
 river. Of these, the principal proprietors are the city of 
 Perth, Lord Gray, Lord Weems, Sir J. Richardson, Mr 
 Crystall, of Inchyra ; Sir T. Moncrieff, Earl of Kinnoul, 
 (fee. &c. The average yearly rents of the best fisheries 
 have been thus estimated : Lord Gray's, £3000 ; Lord 
 Weems', £1669; Sir J. Richardson's, £1100; City of Perth, 
 £1050 ; Mr Crystall's, £930 ; Sir J. Moncrieff, formerly, 
 
SALMON-FISHINGS ON THE TAY. 
 
 283 
 
 £800. Lord Gray's stations at one time drew a rental 
 of i4000, and those of the town of Perth about J 1500. 
 And as an example of the variation which this sort of pro- 
 perty is subject to, I may mention, that the fishings 
 belonging to Lord Mansfield, and extending from Scone 
 Palace to Cambus-Michael, conjunctly with a portion of 
 those belonging to Lord Kinnoul above Quarry MiU-dam, 
 •were let in 1844 for £120. Eighteen years ago, the rent 
 was £1100. This singular reduction is owing, partly to 
 the rival keenness and energy with which the lower fish- 
 ings are worked, and pa^rtly to the alterations made as to 
 the close-time, which formerly extended from the 26th of 
 August to the 12th of December, and now dates from the 
 14tih of September to the 1st of February. Another 
 instance of this variation occurs, in regard to the Red- 
 gorton fishings, which used to bring £550, and were 
 lately let for £65 per annum. 
 
 The numbers of salmon and grilses killed on Tay and 
 Earn during the years respectively mentioned, from the 
 north of the Isla down to the sea, is exhibited in the fol- 
 lowing table : — 
 
 
 RiVBB Tay. 
 
 Ri7ER Earn. 
 
 Years. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Salmon. 
 
 Grilses. 
 
 Salmon. 
 
 GrUses. 
 
 1«30 
 
 27,658 
 
 53,249 
 
 902 
 
 2,655 
 
 1831 
 
 19,827 
 
 38,754 
 
 ,583 
 
 1,765 
 
 1832 
 
 25,898 
 
 53,085 
 
 766 
 
 2,638 
 
 1833 
 
 20,556 
 
 50,612 
 
 773 
 
 2,240 
 
 1834 
 
 28,045 
 
 47,469 
 
 733 
 
 1,685 
 
 1835 
 
 32,964 
 
 60,953 
 
 1,214 
 
 3,394 
 
 1836 
 
 27,623 
 
 32,572 
 
 867 
 
 1,657 
 
 1837 
 
 23,871 
 
 54,069 
 
 668 
 
 2,566 
 
 1838 
 
 21,492 
 
 41,936 
 
 710 
 
 2,506 
 
 1839 
 
 23,9«1 
 
 21,754 
 
 766 
 
 1,512 
 
 1840 . 
 
 12,650 
 
 30,162 
 
 447 
 
 1,334 
 
 1841 
 
 24,374 
 
 39,563 
 
 843 
 
 2,297 
 
 1842 
 
 26,779 
 
 80,539 
 
 789 
 
 2,994 
 
 1843 
 
 35,126 
 
 43,617 
 
 692 
 
 1,666 
 
 1844 
 
 31,213 
 
 31,353 
 
 858 
 
 1,239 
 
 1845 
 
 21,316 
 
 44,541 
 
 602 
 
 1,778 
 
 1846 
 
 33,807 
 
 28,954 
 
 847 
 
 1,083 
 
284 TAT AND ITS TEIBUTAEIES. 
 
 During a portion of the grilse season of 1849, the fishings 
 on the Tay, in common with those on the Spey, Dee, Don, 
 and Esks, were remarkably productive ; the supply to the 
 London markets, in the course of a single week, from those 
 rivers alone, exceeding 1500 boxes. On the 25th of July, 
 during one tide, the stations of Elcho and Inchyra, be- 
 longing to the city of Perth, yielded 400 salmon and 
 grilses ; and other stations on the river were proportionally 
 successful. Many of the salmon taken on this occasion 
 exceeded twenty pounds in weight. On the two concluding 
 days of the month, upwards of 4000 fish were captured. 
 
285 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 EIVEES OF ANaUS AND ABERDEENSHIRE. 
 
 The Esks. — There are several rivers of this name in Scot- 
 land ; but, as salmon-streams, as well as on account of 
 their size, those belonging to Forfarshire are the most 
 important. The North Esk takes its rise in the moun- 
 tains of Angus, and travels about fifty miles. Its basin 
 may be estimated at two himdred and thirty square miles. 
 Its mean depth is one and a half foot ; and velocity per 
 minute, one himdred and ten feet ; the breadth where it 
 enters the sea being forty-seven yards. This river is 
 formed, properly speaking, by the junction of three smaller 
 streams — the Lee, the Mark, and the Brany. During the 
 upper part of its course, it receives the Effook, Tarf, 
 Keeny, and Turret, along with other petty rivulets. The 
 Lee, augmented by the Unach, passes through a small 
 lake before joining the Mark and Brany. Loch Lee, the 
 sheet of water in question, extends in length about a mile 
 and a quarter, its breadth being half a mQe. It contains, 
 among others, some trout of great size. These are occa- 
 sionally taken by the troller. Fiui;her down, the North 
 Esk receives the West, Cruik, and Luther streams. The 
 trout in these waters are generally small, but plentiful ; 
 those of the Cruik and Luther are noted for their fine 
 flavour. The coast-fishings for salmon at the foot of the 
 North Esk were at one time very valuable ; and, includ- 
 ing those of the river, brought, as late as 1837, a rental of 
 ^3591. In these fishings, which extend but a small way, 
 as many as three thousand fish, salmon, grilses, and sea- 
 trout, have been taken in one day. There is tolerable rod- 
 
286 EIVERS OF ANGUS AND ABERDEENSHIRE. 
 
 fishing for salmon on this river, as high up as Edzel, where 
 a station, rented at £50 or £60, was formerly maintained. 
 
 South Esk has its sources in the parish of Clova, in a 
 loch of the same name. After a descent of sixty or seventy 
 miles, it enters the German Ocean at Montrose. Besides 
 Loch Esk, two other lakes lie situated among the moun- 
 tains where it rises, Lochs Wharral and Brany ; all three 
 contain trout. Those in Loch Esk are, many of them, 
 large in size, and of good quality. Sea-trout find their 
 way up, in October, as far almost as this lake. The tri- 
 butaries of the South Esk are the White-water, the Prosen 
 and its feeders, Lednathy, Glenoig, and Glenlogy — the 
 Carity, Lemno, Noran, and Pow waters. These all con- 
 tain trout, and are severally held in esteem by the anglers 
 of the district. 
 
 The fishings for salmon on the South Esk were at one 
 time very productive, those of Eossie yielding annually 
 ten thousand salmon and grilses. The present annual 
 rent of the Kossie fishings is about £650 ; they have been 
 let as high as £800. Those of Usan were let lately for 
 £50, and the station at Boddin Point draws about £400. 
 In the parish of Famell, the salmon-fishings fetch £250. 
 
 The LuNAN water proceeds through a chain of lakes, 
 Restenet, Rescobie, and Balgavies, which abound with 
 pike. It falls into the sea ten miles below the last-men- 
 tioned loch. Along with its tributary, the Vinny, it con- 
 tains excellent trout, and a few salmon ascend it in the 
 spawning season. There are two fishings near the mouth, 
 which are let for about £140. 
 
 The principal rivers in Kincardineshire, besides the Dee 
 and North Esk, which divide it from the counties of Aber- 
 deen and Angus, are the Bervie, Carron, and Towie waters. 
 The Bervie has a course of sixteen miles from the hUls of 
 Glenfarquhar, where it rises. It is highly esteemed as a 
 trouting-stream, and salmon occasionally ascend it. The 
 other two are of insignificant size during summer, and but 
 indifierently peopled with small trout. 
 
 The Dee, which springs from the mountains of Braemar, 
 four thousand and sixty feet above the level of the sea, has 
 a course, including its windings, of nearly a hundred miles. 
 Its mean velocity is three and a half miles per hour, and 
 
DEE. 287 
 
 its average depth four feet. As a salmon-river, it is in 
 considerable repute among anglers, abounding in rocky 
 pools and streams, which are frequented, from the mouth 
 to within a few miles of its sources, by the monarch of the 
 flood. The yellow trout of Dee, however, are both scarce 
 and small ; and, in this respect, it differs much from its 
 neighbour the Don, which is famed for the abundance and 
 size of its fresh-water inhabitants. 
 
 Of the tributaries which Dee receives in the upper val- 
 ley or glen, the principal are the Lui, the Coich, and the 
 Clunie. Connected with the Clunie water is Loch Cal- 
 lader, the resort of a small variety of salmon, weighing 
 seven or eight pounds. Loch Brodichan, also, is situated 
 in the same district, and contains excellent red trout. 
 These lakes are on the estate of Invercauld, and not far 
 from Castleton of Braemar. At BaUater, Dee is joined 
 by the Gairden and Muick rivers ; the latter from Loch 
 Muick, a sheet of water two miles in length. The scenery 
 is bold and romantic, and there is a fine cascade on the 
 stream, about the middle of its course. Not far from 
 Ballater are several other lakes, one of which, the Dhu 
 loch, or black lake, although small in extent, deserves 
 notice on accoimt of the terrific grandeur of its situation. 
 There are also connected with the Dee, by the bum of 
 Dinnet, near Aboyne, the lochs of Cannord and Dawan, 
 containing pike and perch. Herej also, the Tanner and 
 Faugh waters discharge themselves into the main stream. 
 Near where the latter joins, but on the opposite side of 
 the river, is the Leys Loch, containing pike, and fre- 
 quented at certain seasons by great numbers of water- 
 fowl. The Culter bum is the only other stream worthy 
 of the name, which enters the Dee above Aberdeen. 
 
 The Dee, during its course, has been estimated to drain 
 nine hundred square miles of country. Its waters rival in 
 purity the most limpid of our Scottish rivers, the Aven in 
 Strathspey, alone excepted. Like those of many of our 
 sahnon-streams, its fishings are said to have declined 
 greatly in value. About two himdred men are employed 
 at Aberdeen in salmon-fishing. The quantity of fish 
 caught, in an average season, has been estimated at twenty 
 thousand salmon and forty thousand grilses. This num.- 
 
288 EIVERS OF ANGUS ANB ABEEDEENSHIEE. 
 
 ber includes those taken by stake-nets, and at the mouth 
 of the river on the adjacent beach. A variety of the 
 salar, termed canavegs, from the smalkiess of the head, is 
 said to ascend the Dee considerably later than the gener- 
 ality of other salmon. The Dee, in common with many 
 of the streams on the east coast of Scotland, is an early 
 river. Fresh-river salmon have been frequently taken in it 
 by the rod on the 1st of February, above Ballater, at a dis- 
 tance of forty-two miles from the sea. That stretch of the 
 river which extends from Ballater to Banchory, is accounted 
 the best portion for rod-fishing. The pools included in 
 it are as follows : — Lodge Pool, Tassook, Pool Slaik, 
 High-bum, Twenty -nine. Bob Bah, Eedbrae, Bobby's 
 Girnals, Pollar Brock, Cranee, Loggie, Faichly, Boat Pool, 
 Little Hell, Kirkyard Pool, Waterside, Lonaine Pool, the 
 Brig Pool, (the Bridge of Chaxlton of Aboyne,) Coble Pot, 
 Bellwad, Heugh, Mill Pot, Jock Eae, Calm Pool, Clay- 
 holes, Boat Pot, Gennets, Berbowies, the streams and 
 pool of Potarch, Strathseven, (this cast, on the south side 
 of the river, is bounded by the common of Lindrun, and 
 a right of fishing on it claimed by all and sundries, on 
 the head of an old saying, " The peal o' Strathseven's free 
 to a' men livin',") Blue Chain, Woodend, Boat Pool, 
 March Pool, the Grey Mare, Glister, Sautfeet, MiUrush, 
 Eose Pot, Bahour, Sandy-havers. About a mile below 
 Banchory, is a celebrated salmon-cast called the Ess. 
 The files which I have described as Tweed files, wiU be 
 found killing on the Dee during the spring season. 
 Hackles from the heron and golden eagle are made use of, 
 the wings most in esteem being formed of speckled and 
 dun turkey feather. In the grilse season, mallard, teal, 
 and peacock feathers are employed as wings. Showy 
 tips are much approved of. I recommend to the notice 
 of anglers Mr William Brown, tackle-maker, Aberdeen, 
 as a proficient dresser of the flies used on Dee, Don, 
 and Deveron. He is also intimately acquainted with the 
 most of the best salmon-casts on these rivers. I may 
 mention that, on the upper parts of the river, many of 
 the fibvourite salmon-flies have the hackle closely wound 
 over the body, the dubbings lightly put on, and occasion- 
 ally omitted. The wings, also, are narrow ; and these, 
 
DON. 289 
 
 too, sometimes dispensed with, in the fabrication of the lure, 
 so that, thus reduced, the fly has the appearance of a large 
 palmer-worm. The best stations for the angler are Kin- 
 cardine O'Neil, the Huntly Arms at Aboyne, BaUater, 
 and Castleton of Braemar. 
 
 As a trouting stream approaching to the first class in 
 point of size, the Don has few equals in Scotland. It has 
 its sources about five mUes above Corgarfi", and, including 
 its windings, travels a course of sixty-one miles, emptying 
 itself into the sea near Old Aberdeen. The Don contains 
 trout and a few pike ; salmon and sea-trout also ascend it, 
 but not in great abimdance, and seldom in their clean 
 state. River trout are frequently killed of the weight of 
 five pounds. On an average, however, they do not weigh 
 more than half a pound. The principal tributaries of Don 
 are the Bucket from Glen Bucket, the Esset, and the Ury. 
 Of these, the Ury, as an angling stream, is by far the most 
 celebrated. Trout are sometimes captured in it of three, 
 four, and even six pounds' weight. This river takes its rise 
 in Strathbogie, and has a course of about twenty mUes, 
 including its bends. It is fed by the Colpie bum, the 
 KeUook, the Shevock, and the Gady. Kintore, Inverury, 
 Monymusk, and Alford, are good stations for the angler. 
 The flies used on Don are similar to those fished with on 
 Tweed. Salmon were at one time very abundant in this 
 river, within the memory even of many still aUve. No 
 fewer than forty of these fish were killed during one season 
 near the bridge at Alford by a single individual, from the 
 same pool, notwithstanding that it was frequented by all 
 and sundries. The falling off of the rod-fishings on the 
 Don is, no doubt, to be attributed to the mode of fishing 
 by stake and bag nets pursued at its mouth. These, and 
 the number of mill-dykes erected across the river, form 
 great hindrances to the ascent of fish during the open 
 season. The injurious operation of the former, in this 
 respect, will be sufficiently exemplified by the fact, that, 
 in July 1849, when in the course of a single week three 
 thousand salrnon and grilses were caught at Don mouth, — 
 fourteen hundred of which formed the result of one day's 
 fishing — scarcely any of that large number were taken at 
 or above the first station, which is scarcely half a mUe from' 
 
 T 
 
290 EIVEES OF ANGUS AND ABERDEENSHIRE. 
 
 the sea. Clean fish are seldom caught on the Don with 
 the rod before the end of March or beginnmg of April, and 
 then only hi favourable seasons, when floods have oppor- 
 tunely occurred. The pools belonging to this river, from 
 Alford downwards, are as foUows: — Smiddyhill, Mount- 
 garry, Back of Haughton, Lent Loch, Buckey bum, Dalfey 
 Pot, Barley Pot, Knowes Pot, Nancy Cobban's Pot, Uncle 
 Johnny's Pot, Bob Philip's Pot, Broom Brae, Brig Pot 
 (Keig,) Drumnes bannock, Ci-aig Pot, Deepton, GiUan Brae, 
 the Rack, the Famey, Glenton Pot, the Entick Pot, Tilly- 
 four Pot (Kemnay,) the Milton Pot, the Boat-hole, the 
 Breem Brae, the MUl-dam, the MUl-stream, the Garplies, 
 the Rae Pot, the Sheep-pool, the Black-nook, the Stream 
 of Artamar, the Bridge Stream (Inverury,) the Bucky Pot, 
 Balbethan Stream, the Eed-bank, Brae Pot, Durie, the 
 High-bank, Brown's Stane (Fintray,) Manse Pool (Park- 
 hUl,) the Goval Pot, the Dun-cow (Grandhohne,) the 
 Garden Stream, the Souter's Stane. 
 
 The pearl-fisheries of Ythan, the Ituna of the ancients, 
 have spread its reputation far and wide. It has been 
 affirmed, upon reasonable grounds, that the large pearl in 
 the crown of Scotland is part of the produce of this river ; 
 and there is no doubt that a patent was granted to one 
 Eobert Buchan for the fishing of pearl-mussels on the 
 Ythan, and afterwards withdrawn by Act of Parliament 
 in the reign of Charles I. The pearl in question is said 
 to have been found at the junction of the water of Kelly 
 with the main river, near Haddo House. 
 
 Ythan takes its rise in the parish of Forgue. Its course 
 extends twenty-seven miles, and its height above the level 
 of the sea at Fyvie Castle is one hundred and twenty-four 
 feet. For about four miles at the mouth, the water is 
 brackish, being influenced by the sea tides. It is esteemed, 
 along with most of its tributaries, a first-rate trouting 
 stream. Salmon, sea-trout, and finnocks ascend it in con- 
 siderable quantities. Ythan is much resorted to by anglers 
 from Aberdeen. Its salmon-fishings belong to the Hon. 
 W. Gordon of Ellon, and are rented by the Earl of Aber- 
 deen. The principal feeders are the Ebrie, Brony, and 
 Foveran, all of which are in high esteem among anglers. 
 There are inns at Newburgh, Ellon, Methlick, and Lewes 
 
UGIE. — STRATHBEG LOCH. 291 
 
 of Fyvie. A few lochs are situated not far from the mouth 
 of the river, the principal of which is the Muckle loch of 
 Slains. There are also two lakes, covering about forty- 
 acres of ground, within the policies of Haddo House. 
 
 The only other river in Aberdeenshire deserving notice 
 is the Ugie, which flows into the sea near Peterhead. It 
 is formed of two streams or branches, the North and South 
 Ugies — the one rising in the parish of Aberdour, and the 
 other, or principal branch, in that of New Deer. These 
 imite at Loi^ide, and enter the sea about four miles from 
 the point of confluence. The Ugies contain a plentiful 
 supply of bum-trouts, some of large size. Their course is 
 sluggish and meanderii^. Salmon ascend Ugie, but not 
 in great numbers. Near the mouth, finnocks are plen- 
 tiful. The fishings belonging to Mr Arbuthnot of Ugie 
 Bank, draw, at an average, ;£45 of yearly rent. The 
 Eathen bum, near Fraserburgh, is an excellent angling 
 stream, and contains trout of considerable size; but salmon 
 do not appear, in the present day, to ascend it. At Pit- 
 four, on the Ugie, not far from Deer, there is an artificial 
 lake twenty-five acres in extent, stocked with tench, carp, 
 and Loch Leven trout. There are also several lochs near 
 the coast, betwixt Fraserburgh and the village of Eattray. 
 Of these, by far the largest is Strathbeg Loch, covering an 
 expanse of five hiuidred and fifty acres. It abounds with 
 trout, both red and yellow : perch also have been intro- 
 duced into it, and thrive well. 
 
292 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 EIVERS OF THE MOEAT FIETH. 
 
 Spet takes its rise in a small loch situated on the braes 
 of Badienooh, and bordering on Lochaber, in Inverness- 
 shire. Colonel Thornton, in his Sporting Tour, relates 
 that out of this insignificant expanse of water |a pike was 
 taken of the enormous weight of one himdred and forty- 
 six pounds ; and in Loch Alvie, which is not far distant, 
 he himself caught one that measured in length five feet 
 foiu- inches, and weighed forty-eight pounds. From Loch 
 Spey to the Moray Firth, the course of the river is not less 
 than one hundred miles. It drains one thousand two 
 hundred and thirty-four square miles of soil. Throughout 
 its entire progress it presents no natural obstacle to the 
 ascent of salmon, which accordingly, having escaped over 
 the cruive-dyke above Fochabers, wend their way up, 
 during close-time, to its highest sources. The first tribu- 
 taries worthy of mention which Spey receives, are the 
 Triiun and Tromie waters, both of which are connected 
 with hill lochs, Lochs Quoich, Vroltan, and Turlich, con- 
 taining abundance of small trout. After passing Kingussie, 
 and before entering Eothiemurcus, Spey expands into a 
 lake, termed Loch Inch, escaping from which it is joined 
 by the Feshie water from Glen-Feshie. Lochs Alvie, Eothie- 
 murcus, Morlich, Pittenlish, and Garten, also empty, in 
 close succession, their surplus contents into its channel. 
 The breadth of Spey, on its transit through this district, 
 may be reckoned about fifty yards, and its depth ranges 
 from one to twelve feet. It contains, along with the neigh- 
 bouring lakes, trout and pike i:p abundance. Salmon are 
 
SPET.— AVEN. 293 
 
 by no means so plentiful, except during the spawning 
 season. Charr also appear in the river for about a fort- 
 night, in the month of October. The pearl-mussel is 
 fished up in considerable quantities. The best stations 
 for the angler in this district are Kingussie and Aviemore 
 Inns. 
 
 Above Grantown, Spey is joined by the Dulnain water, 
 and afterwards, on entering the counties of Banff and 
 Moray, by the Aven, its largest tributary. The Aven 
 takes its rise from a loch of the same name, situated at the 
 foot of Ben Macdui. Its course exceeds forty miles, and 
 it is increased, as it proceeds, by ntimerous streams. Of 
 these the principal is the Livet water, augmented by the 
 Crombie and Tervie. Loch Aven is three mUes long and 
 a mUe broad. It abounds in trout of a black colour and 
 slender shape. In its neighbourhood are a number of small 
 lakes, termed the Black-lochies, containing trout. Loch ' 
 Bulg also is inviting to the angler, and discharges its over- 
 flows into the river Aven. There is perhaps no stream in 
 Great Britain so remarkable for the limpid purity of its 
 waters as the one in question. Such, in fact, is its un- 
 common transparency, that it is reckoned dangerous for 
 strangers to attempt fording it — ^what appears to be only 
 knee-deep being sufficient to take a man over head. Aven 
 abounds in nice trout, and is frequented, although not in 
 such great abimdance as formerly, by salmon. 
 
 The FiBDiCH is the only other water of note which enters 
 Spey. Its principal tributary is the Dullen. Both con- 
 tain trout, and are occasionally visited by salmon. There 
 are two inns affording accommodation to the angler in the 
 neighbourhood of Aberlom- — one, the New Inn, at Charles- 
 ton—and the other, the Cottage Inn, on the opposite side 
 of the burn. Besides these, there is an inn on the Aven 
 at Tomantoul, another at Inveraven j also at Fochabers, 
 Rothes, and in various places throughout the district of 
 Strathspey. 
 
 As an angling river, the Spey is very unequal. It con- 
 tains, in the neighbourhood of Laggan, abundance of yellow 
 trout. Among these, several years ago, .although in July, 
 and when the weather was particularly sultry, I recollect 
 meeting with tolerable sport. Farther down, it is much 
 
294 EIVERS OP THE MORAY FIRTH. 
 
 infested with small pike, which commit great ravages 
 among the fry, both of trout and salmon. The salmon- 
 fishings upon this river belong principally to the Duke of 
 Kichmond, and were, until lately, rented by the Messrs 
 Forbes and Hogarth of Aberdeen. They extend from the 
 mouth of Spey nine or ten miles, and- include a right of 
 erecting a cruive-dyke, which prevents in a great measure 
 the upward passage of the fish. In fact, during the open 
 season, there is no possibility of their surmounting this 
 obstacle, except on the occurrence of a large flood which 
 overtops the line of masonry. On Sundays, indeed, the 
 slap-gate is thrown open ; but this precarious mode of 
 admission into the upper parts of the river is not much 
 taken advantage of by the salmon when in a clean state. 
 Accordingly, above Eothes, the number of fish annually 
 captured in Spey is a mere trifle to what are taken in the 
 lower fishings. These fishings are now in his Grace's own 
 hands, but I am not aware that any change has taken 
 place in the mode of conducting them. The rental lately 
 paid by the Messrs Hogarth amounted to £6000 ; not long 
 ago it was £8200. As many as three thousand salmon 
 and grilses, chiefly the latter, have been captured in one 
 day out of this part of the river. Almost all the fish are 
 sent, packed in ice, to London. For this purpose, eight 
 smacks were kept constantly in employment, each at the 
 expense of J40 per month. The average cargo of one 
 of these vessels consisted of two hundred and eighty boxes, 
 containing severally one hundredweight of salmon. These 
 boxes have been estimated at £5 a-piece, and the number 
 of voyages undertaken by the eight vessels during the year, 
 additional ones being provided when required, has fre- 
 quently exceeded seventy. The salmon-fishings on Spey 
 are chiefly conducted by net and coble. The men employed 
 are divided into twelve bands, each band consisting of seven 
 fishermen, and a " kenner," or overseer. 
 
 During the grilse season, below Fochabers, I understand 
 that the sport is frequently first-rate, and a practised 
 angler may haul in eight or nine fish, and hook as many 
 more, in the course of a forenoon or evening — all of these 
 being new run, weU-conditioned, and active. The flies 
 used I have elsewhere described, but may mention that 
 
SALMON-FISHINGS AT 8PEY-M0UTH. 296 
 
 the most favourite ones are those which are winged with 
 the brown mottled feather taken from the back of the 
 mallard — and having a long-fibred hackle, generally one 
 of those which depend from the breast of the male heron, 
 brown or dun-coloured dubbing, and a strip of fretted 
 tinsel, wound, not too closely, around the body. 
 
 It is a circumstance worth mentioning connected with 
 the salmon-fishings on Spey, that, in order to give protec- 
 tion to the spawn against the attacks of the water-ouzel, 
 it was formerly the custom to reward any person who, 
 during the season, had killed one of these birds, by giving 
 him permission to fish salmon with the rod during close- 
 time. This clause, however, is not embodied in any 
 modem enactment relative to sahnon-fishings, nor is it at 
 all hkely to be introduced in time to come. StiU, there 
 is no question that the havoc occasioned among the spawn- 
 ing-beds, by means of the ouzel or water-crow, on most 
 of our rivers in the present day, exceeds all the damage 
 that could possibly be achieved by rod-fishers, whose lures 
 and artifices few fish intent on breeding ever regard. I 
 have often seen, on a single stream in Tweed, three or 
 four of these little birds busily employed filling their 
 paunches with unhatched ova. On these occasions, they 
 appear to act in concert — ^proceeding regularly, pair by 
 pair, up the shallow water. They remain under the sur- 
 face generally about half a minute, sometimes longer : every 
 dive, on the bird again emerging, is succeeded by a short 
 flight; and on betaking itself once more to the bed of the 
 stream, it does so with a considerable degree of violence. 
 While below water, it walks with apparent ease, and makes 
 the most of its time. The water-ouzel has a fine melo- 
 dious voice, and on Tweedside pours forth its lay earlier 
 than any other of our feathered songsters. 
 
 To revert to the Spey ; it is considered to be the most 
 rapid of our first-class rivers. Its general velocity has 
 been estimated at iovi and a half miles per hour. At the 
 mouth, and along that portion of it where the salmon- 
 fishings are principally conducted, it is liable on the occa- 
 sion of a flood to shift its channel — consequently few 
 yellow trout are met with below the cruive-dyke; but 
 finnocks, and at certain seasons sea-trout, are plentiful. 
 
296 RIVERS OF THE MORAY FIRTH. 
 
 The finest salmon-pools for rod-fishing, above Rothes, are 
 situated in the neighbourhood of Aberlour. 
 
 FiNDHORN has its rise in the Monad-lead group of hills, 
 in Inverness-shire, and discharges itself, after a course of 
 sixty miles, not including its sinuosities, into the Moray 
 Firth. It. is a rapid, impetuous stream, subject to sudden 
 and dangerous risings, ■which make, at certain seasons, its 
 banks and channel imsafe ground for the angler to venture 
 on. In many places the bed of the river lies confined 
 betwixt walls of rock, to ascend which is utterly imprac- 
 ticable; and should, as frequently happens, great rains 
 occur near the sources, while none take place lower down, 
 a body of water several feet in height, with a front re- 
 sembling that of a huge wave, invariably, without warning, 
 usurps the course of the dwindled stream, carrying every- 
 thing before it, and silencing at its first dread burst the 
 shriek of horror uttered by the surprised wader. The 
 Graelic names given to numbers of the pools and fords 
 commemorate many such catastrophes, and speak to the 
 heart, if not to the recollection of the local inhabitant, 
 more forcibly than any other description of warning. In 
 some of the writings of the late lamented Sir Thomas 
 Dick Lauder, as well as in the notes to the Lays of the 
 Deer Forest, by the Stuarts, vivid descriptions of the 
 scenery on this river are given. 
 
 The yellow trout found in Findhorn are not in general 
 of large size, but they are abundant, and take the fly 
 freely. The principal tributaries of this river are the 
 Moy water from Loch Moy, and Bruach from Loch Bruach. 
 Loch Moy, which is a mile and a half in length, is famed 
 for its charr — ^which, however, do not take the fly freely, 
 but are captured principally by means of the net. Loch 
 Bruach contains fine trout. Above Dulsie bridge. Find- 
 horn is joined by the PaUanshock, and afterwards by the 
 Dorback from Loch-an-Dorb. Near Loch-an-Dorb lie a 
 number of small lakes, some containing trout, and others 
 pike. The Muckle bum, to which sea-trout have access, 
 discharges itself at the mouth of the Findhorn. It abounds 
 in small fresh-water trout. 
 
 The salmon-fishings on this river are by no means so 
 productive as formerly. The great flood of 1829, by 
 
ESS OF PINDHOEN. 29? 
 
 altering the course of the river at its confluence with the 
 sea, assisted much to reduce their value. They are now, 
 however, as far, at least, as the lower fishings are con- 
 cerned, very much improved, and in the fair way of re- 
 turning to their wonted state of productiveness. On an 
 9,verage, there are six hundred boxes of salmon shipped 
 annually for the London market, the value of each box 
 being about five pounds. The rent paid for the river, sea, 
 and bay fishing was, a few years ago, £1180. 
 
 At Sluie, several miles from the mouth of Findhom, 
 the fishings were at one time of great celebrity. As far 
 back as 1648, when the mode of taking salmon was very 
 imperfect, it is stated in the New Statistical Account of 
 Scotland, that, according to a letter from the Earl of 
 Moray to his Countess, no fewer than thirteen hundred 
 sahndn were taken in one night on the pool of Sluie 
 alone ; and at a single draught, six-and-twenty scores. 
 About forty years ago, three hundred and sixty salmon 
 were caught in the same pool in one day. The right 
 of angling is retained by the Earl of Moray. At the 
 Ess, or fall, which is about six feet in height, there is 
 practised a singular method of taking salmon. The fisher- 
 man has his seat upon a rock, immediately under the 
 overshoot ; in his hand he grasps what is termed a clip, 
 consisting of two or three crooked prongs attached to a 
 handle of ten feet in length. Provided with this instru- 
 ment, the points of which are held in readiness under 
 water, he watches the opportunity of the fish being driven 
 towards him by the force of the fall, and, striking with a 
 quick jerk the prongs into its body, generally manages to 
 brir^ it to land. It is afiirmed that one of the fishermen 
 formerly employed at this spot, while hauling in a salmon 
 of large size, lost his balance, and was overwhelmed in the 
 foaming eddies underneath. 
 
 The flies used on Findhom for salmoh-fishing dififer 
 considerably from those employed on the Spey, and are 
 more assimilated to the Tweed hooks. Long-fibred hackles, 
 however, are generally in esteem ; and heron feathers, both 
 for wings and legs, in great requisition. Irish flies, also, 
 are sometimes made use of, and found successfol. 
 
 The best places of resort for the angler are Freeburn 
 Inn, the bridge of Dulsie, and Forres. 
 
298 EIVERS OP THE MORAY FIRTH. 
 
 Among the lochs not far from the lower portion of Find- 
 horn, I have omitted to mention those on the estate of 
 Altyre, which abound in trout. The most important of 
 them are the loch of the Romach, nearly a mile in ler^h, 
 and the loch of the Blairs, recently enlarged by the pro- 
 prietor, and stocked with choice varieties of the finny 
 tribe. 
 
 The sources of the Doveran are traceable to the con- 
 fines betwixt Banffshire and Aberdeenshire. Exclusive of 
 its windings, the distance betwixt the fountain-head and 
 mouth, at Banff, is thirty-five miles. The first stream of 
 any consequence which enters it is the Bogie, having a 
 course of fourteen miles. It is fringed thickly along the 
 banks with alder-wood, and affords excellent trouting. 
 The Islay, also, which joins the Doveran at Eothiemay, is 
 esteemed a good angling stream. Farther down, the 
 Forgue Bum, Turriff, and King Edward waters, succes- 
 sively enter Doveran. The salmon-fishings on this river 
 belong principally to the Earl of Fife. They were let 
 lately on a lease of seven or ten years for a thousand 
 poimds per annum. There are also bag-net fishings in 
 the sea, on each side of the river's mouth. That on the 
 east side belongs to Lord Fife; that on the west, although 
 laid claim to by the same proprietor, has been let hitherto, 
 in behoof of the town of Banff, for a sum approaching to 
 two hundred pounds per annum. Besides these, there are 
 other bag-net fishings at the mouth of Cullen water and 
 Boyne burn ; also at Blackpots, near Whitehills — ^the 
 aggregate rentals of which are considerable. The scenery 
 on the Doveran, at the bridge of Alvah, is highly attrac- 
 tive, and surpasses what is met with on rivers more fre- 
 quented by the tourist. Owing to obstructions at the 
 mouth, the upper salmon-fishings of this river are not 
 nearly so productive as they were some years ago. The 
 rent of three miles of water, above the village of Turriff, 
 does not exceed five pounds per annum. A fair estimate 
 may be deduced from this with respect to the angling 
 capabiUties of Doveran, as fe.r as salmon are concerned, 
 higher up. 
 
 The best parts of the river for angling in are below 
 Eothiemay. The salmon-casts are as follows: — Mayen 
 Streams, the Yochary, the Brig Pot (Marnooh,) the Fal- 
 
LOSSIE. — NAIRN WATER. 299 
 
 coner, the Hummey, the Logg Pot, the Washing-house 
 Pot, the Rough ' Stream, Brebner's Eocks, the Stream of 
 Drachla, the Hearn, Tumingwheels, the Mangie Pot, 
 Power-duff, Bumend, Soobaoh, Kh'kton Pot, Muresk Pot, 
 the Embankment, the Kims (below Turriff,) the Elly, 
 the Pownen, Eocks of Ashogle, Kebbooh Pot, Sharky's 
 Eocks, Boghead. A favourite salmon-fly on Doveran is 
 the mallard wing, brown hackle and yellowish body under- 
 neath. 
 
 The LossiE has its origin in a small sheet of water 
 called Loch Trevie. It is connected also, near its rise, 
 with Loch Dallas, Loch Noir or Grass Loch, and the loch 
 of Eheninver, in all of which there is abundance of excel- 
 lent trout. Its mountain tributaries are small but nume- 
 rous ; and on one of them, the Glen Latteragh, or Angry 
 bum, is a splendid waterfall, upwards of fifty feet in 
 height. A little way above Elgin it is joined by a rivulet 
 from the vaUey of Pluscarden, and farther down by the 
 Lochty and Lenoch burns. Its course extends about 
 twenty-five mUes, exclusive of the* windings. It is of 
 sluggish character, especially below Elgin. 
 
 The sources of the Nairn river are at Cairn Gregor, in 
 Inverness-shire, and its length, including the windings, 
 exceeds thirty-six miles. Not fer fr«m its rise, it receives 
 a trifling accession to its waters from Loch Duntelchaig. 
 It is connected also with a small expanse of water near 
 Loch Moy ; but its tributaries, with the exception of Caw- 
 dor bum, which attracts more by the romantic nature of 
 its scenery than on account of its size or angling qualifica- 
 tions, are not deserving of notice. The Nairn, or water 
 of Alders, abounds in small trout, and is frequented by 
 salmon, sea-trout, and finnocks. Of the latter, I have 
 fi-equently killed near its mouth from one to two dozen. 
 A small black hackle {No. 5 Adlingtop) proved, in clear 
 water, the favourite fly ; but, on the occasion of a flood, 
 larger hooks did more execution. Both the grey and 
 white species of sea-trout frequent this stream : these, in 
 point of weight, range from one up to three pounds. 
 
 A few miles from Nairn, on the property of Mr Brodie 
 of Lethen, there is a small lake, having no perceptible 
 outlet, called the Loch of Belivat., It abounds in fine red 
 
300 RIVERS OP THE MORAY FIRTH. 
 
 trout, of three distinct varieties : the average weight is 
 two "pounds. This loch is remarkable for the immense 
 flocks of sea-birds with which it is visited during the 
 breeding season. On the occasion of an excursion there, 
 undertaken by me in 1836, during the early part of May, 
 there were assembled on a morass, at one extremity of the 
 lake, not fewer than ten thousand of aquatic birds, gulls, 
 kittywakes, &o. 
 
 The salmon-fishing at the mouth of the Nairn, and 
 along the shore, draws a rent of about ^60 or ,£70. 
 The upper fishings are worth, in point of produce, £5 
 or ^6. 
 
 The course of the Ness, from its parent lake to the sea, 
 is not more than eight miles long ; its width is about 
 sixty-five yards, and the average depth of the river during 
 summer three or four feet. At one time, the salmon- 
 fishings of the Ness were very productive — so much so, 
 that, forty years ago, they brought a rent of .£1100 per 
 annum; they were lately let for £370; and a further 
 reduction has possibly been made since, as that sum was 
 considered by the tacksman beyond their present value. 
 This decrease in the number of salmon is partly attributed 
 to steam navigation : its occasion has also been traced 
 back to the opening of the Caledonian Canal, down which, 
 instead of the Oich and main river, the fry bred in the 
 Garry, Moriston, and other streams, betake themselves, in 
 order to reach the sea, and are either destroyed by pike 
 in the smooth waters, or perish in their attempts to pass 
 the locks. 
 
 A portion of the rod-fishings on the Ness were lately 
 rented by a society of anglers. In the autumn- of 1848, 
 excellent sport was met with. No fewer than five hundred 
 salmon and grilses were taken by the rod during that 
 season — ninety-nine by one gentleman, in the course of 
 twenty-two days. For the last three or four years, how- 
 ever, the angling has proved very indifferent. I under- 
 stand it is again in the hands of Mr Tait of Inverness. I 
 describe the flies recommended by him for the Ness, and 
 rivers in its neighbourhood. 
 
 Gaudy flies are at all seasons preferred by salmon on 
 the Ness ; but they are captured also with the soberer 
 
LOCH NESS. 301 
 
 kinds, winged with orange -brown, mottled turkey, pea- 
 cock, gledd, and mallard feathers. For trout, the mallard 
 wing, with black, orange, deep crimson, and brown mohair 
 for body, black or red hackle and silver tinsel ; also 
 lark, landrail, or starling wing, and hare's-ear body, suit 
 admirably. The salmon-flies used in the Beauley are 
 generally winged with turkey and mallard feathers. In 
 the event of snow-water being in the river, a favourite 
 wing is made of the herls of the peacock. On the river 
 Conan the same wings are used with orange bodies and 
 gold or silver twist. 
 
 Loch Ness is twenty-four miles long, and averages a 
 mile and a half in breadth. Its greatest depth is one 
 hundred and thirty fathoms. The principal feeders of 
 this large expanse of water are the Oich river, from Loch 
 Oich, the Moriston, Enneric, and Coiltie waters; the Foyers 
 from Loch Foyers, and Farigag from Loch Kuthven. The 
 three first-mentioned streams are frequented by salmon 
 and sea-trout, and all contain abundance of common trout. 
 In the hill-lakes, also, from which they take their rise, the 
 angler will find every encouragement to piu'sue his occu- 
 pation. They contain, some of them, trout of great size 
 and delicious flavour ; others are stored with pike, and 
 one or two yield the torgoch or mountain charr. In Loch 
 Ness itself there are salmon fisheries, but these are not 
 remarkable for their productiveness. Both salmon and 
 sea-trout are to be captured with the rod from the side. 
 They frequent certain bays and localities not far from 
 the margin, and will rise, the one at large flies, such as are 
 used on Tweed and Tay, and the other at the hooks com- 
 monly employed in loch-fishing. I recollect having an 
 excellent day's sport along the range of water which 
 extends betwixt the General's Hut and Dores, on the 6th 
 of July 1835 ; my pannier at the close of the afternoon 
 containing several sea-trout, averaging in weight from 
 three to one and a half pounds, and a number of large 
 yellow trout, some of them upwards of two pounds. Had 
 I been previously acquainted with their resorts, I have 
 reason to beheve my success would have been much 
 greater. Very large yellow trout are occasionally cap- 
 tured by the troller in Loch Ness. In Loch Ruthven are 
 
302 EIVEES OF THE MOBAT FIETH. 
 
 found very fine red trout, weighing from a quarter of a 
 pound up to one pound and a quarter. It is much raked 
 over, as well as Loch Ness, by the lath or otter. Loch 
 Duntelohaig, nine miles from Inverness, contains both 
 trout and pike. In Loch Ashie the trout are very small. 
 The flies for these lakes are the drake or lark wing ; 
 orange, black, crimson, brown, and hare's-ear bodies, red 
 hackles, and silver twist. Summer is the best season for 
 fishing them. In Loch Ness, trout are occasionally cauglit 
 by the troUer weighing from six to twenty-five pounds. 
 There are pike at the west end. It may be fished with 
 success all the year round. 
 
 The Moriston is an indifferent angling stream, except 
 for pike. In Loch Oich and the river Grarry splendid sport 
 is frequently obtained. The flies used are those winged 
 with the turkey and mallard feathers. Hooks dressed 
 in the Irish style are also found killing. Loch Lochey 
 and Loch Moy are in no great esteem among anglers. 
 The Garry river, discharging itself into Loch Oich, and 
 the Oich, which connects that loch with Loch Ness, are 
 frequented by salmon, and afibrd, occasionally, fair sport 
 to the angler. Pike are plentiful in both lakes, and attain 
 large dimensions. There are good inns at Drumnadrochit, 
 Invermoriston, General's Hut, and Fort Augustus. The 
 whole of the salmon-fishings in Inverness-shire draw a 
 rental not exceeding £3000. 
 
303 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 THE BEAULET AND CONAN, ETC. 
 
 The Bbadlet is formed by the junction of several streams, 
 the principal of which are the Glass, Farrar, and Cannich 
 rivers. All these have their connection with lochs of 
 considerable extent, situated in a wild and little-explored 
 district of country. The largest are Lochs Aifaric and 
 Benevian, communicating with the river Glass; Loch 
 Moyley discharging itself through the channel of the 
 Cannich ; and Lochs Monar and Muille, which have their 
 means of escape in Glen Farrar, and cede their tribute to 
 the main river at Qastle Erchless. Of these lochs, the 
 most in repute among anglers is Loch Monar, where there 
 is ail excellent fishing-station, and trovii of good quality 
 are very abundant. At Loch Muille, Lord Lovat has 
 erected a neat shooting-box. Loch Aifaric abounds in 
 small trout. The finest trouting lake, however, connected 
 with Beaidey, is situated in a more accessible region. It 
 is called Loch Bruiach, and lies somewhat more than four 
 miles due west of the parish church of Kiltarity. There 
 are found in it seven varieties of trout, many of them of 
 large size. Charr also are abundant, and take the fly 
 occasionally. Loch Gorm, Lochnambrodarg, and Loch- 
 camabattan, are all in good esteem, as well as Lochgar- 
 brad, situated about a quarter of a mile from Loch Bruiach. 
 Loch Neattie, in the same district, contains pike. The 
 Glass, Farrar, and Cannich, are not much in repute as 
 angling streams. They are thinly stocked with small 
 trout. Occasionally a large one is met with, and in some 
 places a few pike are found. 
 
304 THE BBAULET, CONAN, ETC. 
 
 The Beauley so called, extends from the point of con- 
 fluence betwixt the Glass and Farrar rivers to the Beauley 
 Firth, a distance of nine mUes. It abounds, below the 
 falls of Kilmorack, with salmon, grUses, and sea-trout. 
 Lord Lovat is sola proprietor of the fishings on this river. 
 They brought, -until lately, a rent of nearly two thousand 
 pounds per annum, and are conducted by the tacksman at 
 a comparatively small expense, employing only twelve men. 
 In common with those of other rivers in its neighbourhood, 
 the salmon-fishings of the Beauley, during the last two or 
 three years, have proved very unproductive. - A singular 
 story is related as to the way in, which these fishings came 
 into the possession of the old Lovat femUy. It is said 
 that Simon, Lord Lovat, on the occasion of the estate 
 being forfeited after the first Rebellion in 1715, requested 
 the Duke of Gordon, his personal friend, to present a peti- 
 tion which he had drawn out to the king. The substance 
 of his request was, that "one lea rig. behind the castle" 
 might be given to him and his heirs in perpetuity. Amused 
 with the eccentricity which appeared to have dictated this 
 demand, the king gave orders that it should be comphed 
 with. The " lea rig" meant the river. 
 
 About two miles west from the village of Beauley are 
 situated the celebrated falls of Kilmorack. These, in con- 
 jimction with the story of the kettle, into which salmon 
 leapt of their own accord, have been often described, and 
 are visited annually by numbers of tourists. The lower 
 of the falls is about eight or ten feet in height. Over it 
 the salmon find their way with comparative ease. The 
 principal obstacle to their progress is the upper cataract, 
 which, besides being at least a couple of feet higher, is 
 more violent and headlong in its character. Accordingly, 
 in their attempts to clear it, the fish are frequently driven, 
 back and cast upon a rock near the foot, whence they slip 
 into their native element. To prevent their doing this, 
 branches of trees were wont to be placed on the natural 
 platform alluded to, so as to hem them in while struggling, 
 and render their capture easy. At present, however, no re- 
 cognised means are resorted to for taking salmon at this 
 ■ spot, but .there is a box-cruive at the foot of the lower falls, 
 and another, the dyke of which extends across the river 
 
THE OONAN. 305 
 
 about a mile farther down. A few salmon find their way 
 up into the Glass and Farrar rivers ; but their number is 
 so small as to present no temptation to the angler. Were 
 more feoihties of access to the upper spawning-grounds 
 given to salmon, the Beauley and its tributaries would, 
 there is no question, hold a far better position than they 
 do at present among our salmon-rivers. There is an ex- 
 GeUent inn at the village of Beauley, and a small one at 
 Struy bridge, near the junction of the Glass ' and Farrar, 
 about ten miles higher up. Independent, however, of the 
 hospitahty of its inhabitants, this district affords but scanty 
 accommodation for travellers. At the shepherds' houses 
 in Strath Afiaric, the angler wUl always be welcomed, and 
 find snug if not comfortable quarters. Boats also can be 
 procured on some of the lakes. 
 
 The CoNAN. — Loch Koshk or Chroisg has been assigned 
 as the parent lake to this river — ^the great drain of a very 
 considerable portion of B«ss-shire. The som-ce referred to 
 is distant about five and thirty mUes from the Cromarty 
 Firth, at the point of debouchement. The Conan has been 
 estimated to discharge seventy thousand cubic feet of water 
 per minute. Its name is said to have relation to its being 
 formerly infested by numbers of otters. Like the Teith 
 and Ythan, it is famed for its pearls, which are munerous 
 and of great beauty. Loch Eoshk, where it rises, has a 
 high reputation among anglers, but is seldom visited, being 
 situated in a wild mountaiaous district. On its escape 
 from this lake, the Conan enters Strath-Bran and passes 
 Ledgowan Loch, a small sheet of water lying about two 
 miles west of Achnanault. Ledgowan Loch contains 
 pike and trout of great size, varying from three to ten 
 pounds. These are captured both by trolling, and with 
 large flies, dark in the colour, resembling those used in 
 many rivers for summer grilses. About a mile from 
 Aohnanaidt, where there is a good urn, the Conan expands 
 into another lake termed Achin, also in high esteem, and 
 stocked with large trout. Succeeding it is Loch Huelim 
 or CuUem. Here I once captured from the margin several 
 yellow trout weighing about two pounds a-piece. Pike 
 frequent both these lochs, and infest the Conan throughout 
 its course. At Gnigie, the main river is joined by a stream 
 u 
 
306 THE BBAULBT, CONAN, ETC. 
 
 from Loch Fannioli — an expanse of water fully twelve 
 miles in length, abounding in small trout, and containing, 
 probably, some of great size. After a further course of 
 about two miles, Conan enters Loch Luichart, a fine lake 
 extending fully six miles, and fiUed with delicious trout, 
 varying from half a pound to a pound in weight. Of 
 these, with the fly, I have freq^uently killed three or four 
 dozen in the course of as many hours. On leaving Loch 
 Luichart, the Conan, during a farther course of two mUes, 
 dashes along with great violence and rapidity. At one 
 place, not far from the lake, it forms a grand and im- 
 posing waterfall, which is rendered to the eye of the spec- 
 tator more effective by the savage and singular nature of 
 the Burrovmding scenery. Beyond this, salmon are unable 
 to ascend ; but it was at one time in contemplation to cut 
 and blast out the face of the rock, so as to form a staircase 
 by which these fish could gain entrance to the spawning- 
 grounds of Strath-Bran and Fannich. A short way below 
 the falls stands the hamlet of Upper ScatweU, consisting 
 of a few poor hovels. Here the Conan is joined by a 
 stream of considerable dimensions, the Meig, which has its 
 origin in Glenigag, passes through Loch Benaohan, and 
 traverses Strath-Conan so named. Not far from where 
 this river enters Conan, lie the falls of Meig, below which 
 is a salmon-cast in good esteem among the inhabitants of 
 the district. There are also, on the Conan above Scatwell, 
 one or two pools where rod-fishing for salmon is often 
 successfully practised. 
 
 On the lulls betwixt ScatweU and Grugie bridge is 
 situated a small lake, about a mile in circumference, out 
 of which, in July 1835, 1 captmred a trout, weighing nearly 
 seven pounds, and excelling in shape, beauty, and quality, 
 any fish I ever saw. The Gaelic name given to me for 
 this sheet of water was Loch Badienoch. Below Scatwell, 
 Conau, for about a mile, pursues a sluggish course, and in 
 some places is of great depth. On reaching Muirtown, 
 however, its character again changes j and, after accom- 
 plishing a leap of some height, its waters glide along with 
 considerable velocity. There are several casts for the 
 salmon-fisher near this point ; and the river, at certain 
 seasons, especially in J\Jy and August, abounds in fish. 
 
THE BLAOKWATBE. — LOOH GAEVE. SO? 
 
 Yellow trout, however, are by no means plentiful ; but 
 5?nnocks and sea-trout ascend in considerable numbers. 
 
 Below Muirtown, Conan is enlarged by the Easay, or 
 Blackwatbe, another stream of some magnitude. In the 
 upper part of its course the Rasay is termed the Garre 
 river. Its sources are in Strath- Vaich, on the confines of 
 Loch Broom, at Lochs Tolimuir and Garragan. On de- 
 scending Strath-Garve, it swells out into a lake of about 
 a mile and a half in length, containing pike and trout of 
 superior size and quality, but extremely shy. Of these, I 
 seldom have captured above three or foiu: in the course of 
 a day, averaging from four and a half to one and a half 
 pounds. The trout of Loch Garve are remarkable for the 
 fewness of their spots or maculm, and the green copper 
 lustre that pervades the upper portion of their flanks. 
 They are also deep in the shape, and cut redder than salmon. 
 
 Below Loch Garve is a smaller sheet of water, through 
 which the Rasay passes. It contains pike, and a few trout. 
 The first-mentioned fish also infest the stream in great 
 numbers. Immediately above Tarvie wood the river takes 
 a bend, and forms a kind of small lake. Here I have fre- 
 quently killed, both with fly and parr-tail, trout of great 
 size. In 1835, I recollect capturing, along with many 
 others, four trout, weighing severally betwixt three and 
 four pounds. On this occasion, two of these were taken 
 with the common gorge-hook, employed for pike; the 
 other two I caught with large-sized loch flies. I fished 
 this pool very carefully in August 1844, both with fly and 
 small trout, but succeeded merely in capturing three pike, 
 of about four pounds' weight each. 
 
 A short way below the places referred to are situated 
 the Falls of Rogie — a fine natural cascade, embosomed 
 among birch forests. It is only during a large flood, which 
 increases what may be termed a wing of the fall, that 
 sahnon can force their way up. Below this point, the rod- 
 fishing, for upwards of a mile, is of a very superior de- 
 scription, and the appearance of the water and channel at 
 once indicate that it is so. The fishings belong to the 
 estate of ('oul (Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Bart.) Owing 
 to the dark nature of the water, salmon, after ascending 
 into Rasay, soon lose their silvery appearance. 
 
308 THE BEAtTLBY, CONAN, ETC. , 
 
 The salmon frequenting Rasay are of a variety quite 
 distinct from those of the Conan and Meig, but they a:J& 
 all three sorts remarkable for their richness of flavour. 
 The cruive-dyke below Brahan Castle prevents their access 
 to the upper waters, except on the occasion of large floods 
 or through the Sunday slap. When the water is of moderate 
 size, and salmon have been on the run, they will not rise 
 at the fly in Rasay until after a day's rest, as has been 
 ascertained by the circmnstance that new-run fish are 
 only to be captured there on the Tuesdays and Wednes- 
 days, and never on the Mondays. A stay of three days in 
 the river is sufficient to give them a tinge of blackness, 
 and rid them entirely of the monociolus pisew/us, or sea- 
 louse. 
 
 The lowest pool on the Blackwater where salmon are 
 fished for with rod and line is that at Contin bridge, near 
 which there is a comfortable inn. 
 
 About a mUe to the south, on the road to Scatwell, is 
 situated a beautiful sheet of water. Loch Achilty, sur- 
 romided with weeping birches, and containing charr and 
 fine trout. Of the former, in July 1835, I captured, one 
 forenoon, by means of the brown hackle and other flies, no 
 fewer than eighteen, along with four dozen trout. Loch 
 Achilty is fed by a small rivulet issuing from a chain of 
 lakes above Craigdarroch. It has, however, no visible 
 outlet, but is connected subterraneously with the Rasay 
 or Blackwater, as the springs on the side of that river 
 lying nearest the loeh sufficiently indicate. Following its 
 feeder upwards, we are guided through a woody deU to 
 another small lake, Loch-an-Dramh, containing nice lively 
 trout ; and beyond it to a larger one, termed Loch Nech 
 Beann, or the Lake of the White Horse. This sheet of 
 water is held in high repute for the quality of its fish. 
 They are red-fleshed, and, on the average, weigh nearly a 
 pound. Of these, about a dozen and a half are reckoned 
 a fair number to capture with the fly in the course of a 
 forenoon. An islet at one end of Loch Neoh Beann was 
 occupied, until lately, by a small heronry, but the trees 
 on which the nests were built having rotted and given 
 way, it is now, I understand, nearly deserted. Still higher 
 up than this sheet of water, lies a fourth lake not half 
 
THE OBRIN. — CRUIVE FISHINGS. S09 
 
 a mae in circumferende. Its connection with the others 
 is scarcely traceable, except after heavy rains. Here I 
 once captured, with large flies, eleven trout, none of which 
 were under two pounds in weight, and the greater part of 
 them above three. 
 
 Reverting to the Raaay, this river joins the Conan 
 about two miles below Contin. Few salmon rest in its 
 lower pools, which are of a sluggish nature, and their 
 principal inhabitants are pike. There is a salmon-fishing 
 where the rivers meet, immediately above Moy ferry. 
 The angling, however, until we arrive at the cruive-dyke, 
 two or three miles farther down the river, is very indif- 
 ferent. From this point to the sea, finnocks, during cer- 
 tain months, are abundant, and occasionally grilses and 
 salmon-trout afford sport to the rod-fisher. On the hills 
 above Brahan Castle, and close to Strathpeffer weEs, are 
 situated two lakes, Loch Kinellan and Loch Ussie, both of 
 which contain pike, but no trout. The Orrin discharges 
 itself into the main river on its south side, about three 
 mUes below Contin. Salmon ascend it, but not, during 
 the open season, in great numbers. At a fall, three or 
 four mUes from its, mouth, the same method of catching 
 them is practised which I have described as taking place 
 on the Dochart near KUlin. 
 
 As it is only within these few years that the stake-nets 
 at the mouth of Conan were abolished, it is difficult to 
 say what effect their removal will ultimately have on the 
 river-fishings. The cruive-dykes, so general in our northern 
 salmon-streams, are still serious impediments to ascending 
 fish, even during close-time, and when the slap-gate is 
 thrown open. They are now so constructed that their 
 intention is evidently not to entrap, but to detaiQ or keep 
 down the salmon, so that they cannot get beyond them, • 
 and may be captured with the drag-net out of the pool or 
 pools below. The cruive itself is in many cases a mere 
 farce, and so encompassed with bugbears that it is a 
 matter of little importance whether the slap-gate remains 
 open or shut, as no salmon are permitted to approach it. 
 This surely was not the original intention of those char- 
 ters, upon which a right of erecting cruive-dykes from 
 bank to bank, for the purpose of taking salmon, is founded j 
 
810 THE BEAULEY, CONAN, ETC. 
 
 and I question much if any law-court, made acquainted 
 with the practices by which the owners and tacksmen of 
 the lower fishings on many of our salmon-streams con- 
 trive to damage the property of those immediately above 
 them, would so construe the grants in question as to sanc- 
 tion the continuance of a system manifestly unjust. These 
 remarks are not intended particularly to apply to Conan, 
 where, I believe, a fairer passage, as far as the nature of 
 the barrier can afibrd it, is given to the fish than in most 
 rivers having cruive-dykes built across them. 
 
 The best stations for the angler, in this part of Eoss- 
 shire, are Aohanault, Garve, and Contin inns. 
 
 The only other streams worth mentioning, which enter 
 the Firth of Cromarty, are the Peffery bum, near Ding- 
 wall, the Ault-graad and Skiack, near Kilteam, the 
 Alness and Balnagown waters. Of these, the first-men- 
 tionefd contains a few black trout. The others, when 
 swollen, are frequented by finnocks, sea-trout, and a 
 sprinkling of salmon. In Lochs Glass and Moir, where 
 respectively the Ault-graad and Ahiess waters take their 
 rise, the angling is said to be good. Loch Glass is about 
 six miles in length, and connected with it are a number of 
 smaller lochs abounding in trout, some of which attain 
 large dimensions. Of the Alness, from the appearance, I 
 have formed a fair opinion. The fishings on the river 
 
 belong to Matheson, Esq. of Ardross. There are one 
 
 or two smaU inns on the line of coast betwixt Invergor- 
 den and Dingwall, at the villages of Alness and Evan- 
 town, where the angler may procure quarters. Stitting- 
 ham Inn also is favom-ably situated for the Alness. A 
 small loch, which it overlooks, contains numbers of her- 
 ring-sized trout. 
 
31] 
 
 CHAPTER XXIL 
 
 THE EIVBES OP THE DOENOCH PIETH AND EAST COAST 
 OF SUTHEELA^a). 
 
 The Oikel has its sources in Loch Ailsh, a wild mountain- 
 lake lying to the east of Ben More of Assynt, and dis- 
 charges itself, along with the Shin, into the upper part 
 of the Dornoch Firth, or what is generally termed the 
 Kyle of Sutherland. Its course extends about thirty- 
 five miles, five of which only, fi-om the falls above Oikel 
 bridge downwards, can be said to afford good rod-fishing 
 for salmon. The casts may be described as follows: — 
 The lowest is the New Channel pool, where, towards the 
 end of the season, fine salmon and grilses are wont to 
 lie. The next above is the Tootam pool, a still better 
 resort for fish; then the Red Brae, close to the village of 
 Brae; and half a mile higher up, nearly opposite the 
 Lodge, what is called the LangweU pool, or Banker's 
 Dip, one of the best casts in the river. Above this is 
 Hector's reach, a long stretch of rather smooth water, 
 over which, in certain states of the river, fish distribute 
 themselves. Superintending it is the Old File's hole, 
 where there are three or four good casts. Higher up he 
 the Bocks or Eapids — also, when the river is not too 
 fuU, a favourite cast with the rod-fisher. A short way 
 above the Eapids is Whitehead's pool, in high repute for 
 large fish; succeeding which are several excellent casts — 
 the one at the junction of the Eanaig, or Ennick, holding 
 the preference. The Brig pool, above Oikel bridge, half 
 a mile farther up, is also one of the best on the river; 
 and a succession of small casts, aU worthy of notice, 
 intervenes betwixt it and the falls, to within twenty yards 
 of which the Oikel can be fished with the rod. At the 
 &lls, the salmon-fishing is conducted by two practised 
 
312 EIVEES OF THE DOENOOH FIRTH, ETC. 
 
 hands — ^Hugh Macleod and Hector Munro — with the 
 hoop-net. Hundreds of fish are taken annually at the 
 spot in question, by means of this simple device. In the 
 upper range of the river there is a great extent of beauti- 
 ful spawning-ground, to which the wedge, lever, and a 
 few barrels of gunpowder judiciously employed, would 
 give proper access. The fishings on the Oikel belong to 
 Sir Charles Eoss of Balnagowan. Those on the LangweU 
 estate, below the falls, have been leased, along with the 
 shootings, for a term of years, by F. J. Whitehead, Esq. 
 As many as sixteen fish have been killed on the Oikel in 
 one day by a single rod. Colonel Oswald, a celebrated 
 angler, some years ago captured, in the course of a few 
 visits, fifty salmon and two hundred grilses. Such feats, 
 however, could only have been accomplished under very 
 favourable circumstances. Small Irish flies — ^those espe- 
 cially in which the jay or a bluish hackle is used for the 
 shouldering — have been foxmd killing. The golden phea- 
 sant crest-feather for tail, and a light yellowish body, are 
 recommended. In a low state of the river, darker flies 
 take the preference. 
 
 The principal tributaries of the Oikel are the Cassley 
 and Eanaig. In the event of summer floods, the grilse- 
 fishing on the lower parts of the Cassley often proves 
 excellent. When the river is low, however, sport is seldom 
 obtained. About a mile above Rosehall, a salmon-leap 
 of considerable height occurs. The banks of the Cassley 
 are much incommoded with brushwood. There is ex- 
 cellent trout-fishing in the upper parts of the river. On 
 the Eanaig, grilses are frequently caught. The casts, 
 however, are limited to the pool nearest the Oikel — the 
 Brig pool and Punch's hole being the principal ones. 
 Both the Oikel and Cassley have their sources in nume- 
 rous lochs, the contents of which have not yet been sub- 
 jected to an examination. Some of them, however, con- 
 tain charr, which has been ascertained from the circum- 
 stance of these fish having been taken, while spawning, in 
 several of their feeders. 
 
 The Carron, which discharges itself into the Kyle of 
 Sutherland, near Bonar bridge, is in good repute as a 
 salmon-stream. At the sources of the Carron are several 
 lochs, the most attractive of which is Loch Chorrh, con- 
 
LOCH SHIN. 313 
 
 taining trout of fiye or six pounds' weight. Very superior 
 trout are found in Loch Culrain, situated four miles from 
 
 Bonar bridge. Migdale Loch, belonging principally to 
 
 Dempster, Esq. of Skibo, and situated on the Sutherland 
 side of the Kyle, is a considerable sheet of water. Pike 
 were transplanted to it some years ago, and are now very 
 abundant, as well as of large size. It contains also good trout, 
 of from two to four pounds in weight. The best quarters 
 for anglers are — for the Oikel and Cassley, Oikel Bridge 
 Inn; for the Carron, the Balnagowan Arms, or Ardguy 
 Inn, situated not far from the mouth of the river. At 
 Bonar bridge, also, good accommodation can be obtained. 
 Loch Shin, out of which the river Shin flows, is a large 
 expanse of water, twenty-four miles in length, and, mea- 
 suring it by a straight line tliroi:^h the centre, eighteen 
 miles. It forms one of a chain of lakes, including Loch 
 Merkland and Loch More or Rynie, which extends nearly 
 across the island- — the west end of Loch More being only 
 a mile distant from Loch Stac, and within a few miles of 
 Loch Laxford, an arm of the Atlantic. The salmo ferox 
 is foimd throughout Loch Shin. It abounds particularly 
 at the upper part of the lake, and in Loch Griam, which 
 superintends it. The best quarters for the troUer are 
 at Lairg, where there is a large and comfortable inn; and 
 the landlord, Mr Mackay, has at command several good 
 boats during the spring and summer months. In the 
 shooting season, however, the greater portion of the pre- 
 mises are occupied by the Earl of EUesmere and suite. 
 The services of Mackay the ferryman, and his step-son 
 Brock, wiU be found invaluable to the troller — both of 
 them being experienced rowers, and well acquainted with 
 the beats and haunts of the fish. Three shillings is the 
 fee usually given to each person employed, along with 
 luncheon or refreshments. No charge is made for the 
 use of the boat to a party residing at the inn. The 
 principal feeders of Loch Shin are the Tyrie and Fiag 
 waters. Their discharge into the loch is rendered con- 
 spicuous from a distance by large accumulations of sand 
 and fine gravel, which I have no doubt, during the breed- 
 ing season, are resorted to not only by the salmo ferox 
 and common trout, but also by the salmon of the river 
 Shin — a river, I may mention, that, in proportion to the 
 
314 RIVERS OF THE DORNOCH FIRTH, ETC. 
 
 quantity of salmon ascending it for breeding purposes, 
 appears of itself insufficiently provided •with spawning- 
 ground. The lower section of Loch Shin, close to Lairg, 
 forms properly a distinct sheet of water. It is shallow 
 and muddy at the bottom, but abounds in small trout, 
 which are serviceable to the troUer as baits, when better 
 cannot be procured. At the head of this section it was, 
 where it is connected by a flow of water with the main 
 loch, that the Duke of Argyll, three or four years ago, cap- 
 tured a grilse with the minnow — ^the only individual of 
 the solar species known to have been taken by the angler 
 in Loch Shin. The Tyrie and Flag, I may state, were made 
 subjects of experiment, s^eral years ago, by Mr Young 
 of Invershin, who, by the transference of the salmon- 
 spawn into their beds, induced, it is believed, the progeny 
 hatched therefrom periodically to visit those rivers. 
 
 Not far from Lairg are situated the celebrated trouting- 
 lakes, Craggie and Doulas, belonging to Sir James Mathe- 
 son, Bart, of Achany. The shape, appearance, and quality 
 of these trout are unsurpassed by any in the district. They 
 weigh, in general, from one up to three pouads. 
 
 The Shin, as a salmon-river, is held by anglers in de- 
 served estimation. Although not more than sis or seven 
 miles in length, it embraces within these limits a succes- 
 sion of beautiful casts or pools. During its coturse there 
 occur two falls or "Esses," one of considerable height, which 
 the salmon appear to find some difficulty in surmounting. 
 To facilitate their ascent, the upper part of the rock was, 
 several years ago, reduced by the chisel. A stiU further 
 reduction of this obstacle to their progress might be made 
 with advantage ; for, although numbers of fish, especially 
 grOses, contrive to find their way to the higher parts of 
 the river, a large proportion is beaten back, and compelled 
 to spawn in places not the most conformable to their 
 habits. With regard to the lower Ess, which hardly deserves 
 that name, being a mere break of water, it is remarkable 
 that, in the early part of spring, it forms the terminus to 
 the fly-fisher's sport — all the captures of salmon made 
 with the rod during February, March, and a large portion 
 of April, being confined to the lower casts. In the Black- 
 water, which joins the Conan, in Eoss-shire, there are two 
 falls or Esses corresponding to those of the Shin, and a 
 
THE SHIN. 315 
 
 similar illustration of the habits of the fish is there aflforded. 
 After May, and during the grilse season, the best rod- 
 fishing is obtained beyond the point in question, in the 
 pools which immediately surmount it. The names of the 
 best casts on the Shin, from the Big Fall downwards, are 
 as follows: The Big Fall, the Culaig, Cromarty Pool, 
 Pool Enick, Firdam Pool, Clarach More, Piper's Hole, 
 Little Fall, Coiness, Clack Dhu, Clarach Beg, Angus Turn, 
 Smith's Pool, Bridge Pool, Cruive Hole, Garden Pool. 
 The casts on the upper part of the river commence at the 
 Chapel Bridge, and extend to within a mile of the Big 
 Fall. Both the net and rod fishings of the Shin are held 
 in lease by Mr Andrew Young of Invershin, formerly 
 manager of salmon-fishings to his Grace the Duke of 
 Sutherland. Mr Young is well known as a zealous in- 
 quirer into all points of natural history connected with 
 the salmon tribe. His enthusiasm upon such subjects is 
 only surpassed by his readiness to communicate his acquire- 
 ments, and to afford parties angling on his river every 
 fecility for obtaining sport. The Shin is divided by him 
 so as to give occupation to a limited number of rods, upon 
 each of which a charge is understood to be made similar 
 in amount to the dues of a Tweedside fisherman. I would 
 recommend the sportsman on the banks of the Shin to 
 secure the services, as an attendant, of Donald Ross, who, 
 besides being a good gafisman, and well acquainted with 
 the river, will be found to be agreeably civil and obliging. 
 At Inveran, close to the Bridge of Shin, there is an excel- 
 lent inn, presided over by Mrs Mackay, who, as an atten- 
 tive hostess, I have heard spoken of in the highest terms. 
 The flies used on the Shin are, on the whole, very similar 
 to those employed on Tweedside. Early in spring, large 
 Scotch hooks — the white and snipe-wing — are found killing. 
 These occasionally may be exchanged, without prejudice, 
 for Irish ones — ^the Childers or Doctor for instance. As the 
 season advances, and smaller sizes of flies become neces- 
 sary, a great variety, even of fanciful patterns, may be 
 brought to bear successfully on the caprices and humours 
 of the fish. When I visited the Shin in August 1850, the 
 river happened to be in a greatly dwindled state — ^reduced, 
 Mr Young informed me, to an extent he had seldom wit- 
 nessed or anticipated, as the large expanse of lake from 
 
316 E1VER8 OP THE DORNOCH FIRTH, ETC. 
 
 which it flows generally contributes to keep its channel 
 fuU when other rivers in the neighbourhood have become 
 nearly dried up. On this occasion, I fished the streamSi 
 above the Ess, and, in the course of two or three hours, 
 under a bright sun, landed three grilses, the fly used being 
 a small ChUders. On the 14th of September, the last day 
 of the season, I fished the lower part of the river, then in 
 high order, as &r up as Pool Enick, but only succeeded 
 in killing two fish, both with Irish flies of a &nciful 
 description. My limited success on these two occasions 
 was in character with what the season afforded — a season 
 unquestionably the worst on record, as regards grilse and 
 salmon-fishings, ever experienced by the angler. Of the 
 sport to be obtained on the Shin in a favoiu-able Season, I 
 may mention, as a specimen, what was achieved in August 
 1849, by two well-known and enthusiastic fly-fishers. Major 
 Gordon Gumming, and Mr Fitzgibbon, the " Ephemera" 
 of BelVs Life; the. former killing, in the course of ten 
 hours, twenty-two salmon and grilses ; the latter, fifty-two 
 of these fish in the space of fifty-five hours. 
 
 The Fleet has its origin on a rising ground betwixt the 
 parishes of Kogart and Lairg. During the first ten miles 
 of its course it proceeds with considerable rapidity, but 
 before discharging itself into Loch Fleet, an arm of the 
 sea, moves at a sluggish pace. The estuary of the Fleet 
 is crossed, about half a mUe below where it enters, by an 
 artificial mound, over which the mail-coach nmning be- 
 twixt Thurso and Inverness passes daily. Under this 
 embankment, through a flood-gate at one extremity, the 
 tide flows and ebbs. In its usual summer state, the Fleet 
 is a mere rivulet, but sea-trout ascend it in considerable 
 numbers. It is visited also by a few salmon. A short 
 way above the point to which the tide extends, lie two or 
 three deep canal-like pools, until lately, owing to the brush- 
 wood on their banks, almost inaccessible. In these the 
 sea-trout find harbour, and take the fly freely. The im- 
 pediment spoken of has been partially removed, so that 
 the angler can now gain a tolerable footing, and use his 
 rod with comparative freedom. In 1850, on a bright 
 September day, I captured, in the course of two or three 
 hours, twenty-five finnocks and sea-trout, weighing from 
 a half to three pounds each, along with munbers of yellow 
 
THE BRORA. 317 
 
 trout, out of this part of the Fleet. Had I been provided 
 with a landing-net, and an assistant to use it, I would 
 certainly have made a large addition to my spoils, as I 
 had to play each fish hooked until quite exhausted, and 
 then, taking hold of the line with my hand, haul it up the 
 bank by main force. Not a few, and these the primest, 
 made their escape, owing to this ungentle method of at- 
 tempting to land them. In connection with the Fleet, 
 betwixt the Mound and Little Ferry, is situated a very 
 remarkable salmon-cast. Although forming part of the 
 salt-water estuary, and lying at a considerable distance 
 from the proper mouth of the river, salmon, at a certain 
 state of the tide, may be taken in it throughout the season 
 by means of the rod — small grilse-flies being generally 
 employed for that purpose. The privilege of fishing in 
 this singular cast is retained by the Duke of Sutherland 
 for his friends whUe residing at Dunrobin. 
 
 The Broka has its source in the forest of Ben Clibrig, 
 and, after proceeding about fifteen mUes, receives the 
 Blackwater, a considerable stream which rises in Ben 
 Ormin/ and running through a long extent of deep mosses, 
 acquires the dark tinge from which it derives its name. 
 Shortly after the junction, the united streams pass into 
 Loch Brora, emerging from which, after a further course 
 of four miles, they enter the sea at the village of Brora. 
 At certain seasons, especially during spring, the angling 
 for salmon on this part of the river is excellent, but the 
 assistance of rains is frequently required, as its streams 
 quickly decrease in size. Three or four of the most in- 
 viting casts lie betwixt the cruive-dyke and the sea. Of 
 these, the one situated immediately below the cruives is 
 . held in highest regard. Very large salmon are occasionally 
 captured on this river. In 1850, one of thirty pounds' 
 
 weight was taken with the rod by Gunn, jun., Esq. ; and 
 
 in the same year, whUe I was at Invershin, a box contain- 
 ing six fish, whose united weight exceeded a hundred and 
 twenty pounds, was forwarded from the Brora to Mr 
 Young, the lessee of the net-fishings at its mouth. The 
 flies found most successful in this river are dark-bodied, 
 winged with mottled turkey-feather, and having silver 
 tinsel ; but other varieties are in use, and found killing. 
 Loch Brora, which is about four miles long, contains sal- 
 
318 EIVBRS OP THE DORNOCH FIETH, ETC. 
 
 men, sea-trout, charr, and several varieties of fresh-water 
 trout. Not far from this lake lies Loch Tubemach, a 
 small expanse of water, at one time in high repute with 
 the angler on account of the size and superior excellence 
 of its trout. It has however, of late years, considerably 
 fallen off in these respects. The reason assigned for this 
 alleged decrease in the size and quality of trout inhabit- 
 ing many of the lakes in Sutherland is the substitution 
 throughout the country of sheep for black cattle. The 
 habits of the latter, it is affirmed, led them in summer to 
 frequent in herds the banks and shallows of the lochs over 
 which they shed their droppings, and thiis afforded a 
 periodical supply of rich sustenance to the fish. With 
 this way of accounting for the decrease in question I am 
 hot altogether satisfied, but it is entitled, I allow, to some 
 degree of consideration. 
 
 The river Helmsdale has a course of nearly twenty 
 miles. It takes its rise among several lakes in the higher 
 parts of Kildonan, and is increased during its progress 
 by nimieroiis streams and moimtain-torrents. Its salmon- 
 fishings are very productive. The rod, of late years, 
 has been substituted for other modes of killing fish; 
 and, on occasions when the weather proved favourable, 
 excellent sport has been obtained by the lessees of its 
 numerous casts. Of the lochs which form its sources, the 
 largest are lochs Na Kuen, Na Clar, and Badan, all which 
 contain trout and charr. The one most in repute, how- 
 ever, amongst anglers, is Loch Leam-na-Clavan, situated 
 betwixt Ben Griam More and Ben Griam Beg. It contains 
 trout of great size, and numerous charr. Lochs Corr and 
 Loch-in-Ruar, along with a number of others, are also 
 plentifully stocked with these sorts of fish. The salmon- 
 fishings on the Helmsdale are generally, I understand, let 
 along with the shootings on its banks, at a rent of £250, 
 to five sportsmen, each of whom is entitled to three tickets 
 of leave for. rod-fishing on the river : consequentlyj 
 fifteen rods may be employed on the oasts at one time. 
 The Brora, in 1851, was let for .£200, to Mr Akroyd, 
 with right to sub-let. In that year, before the middle of 
 May, or commencement of the grilse-fishing, one rod had 
 secured seventy-one clean salmon. 
 
319 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIII. 
 
 EIVERS OF CAITHNESS. 
 
 The Langwell and Berriedale rivers, in the county of 
 Caithness, contain salmon of fine quality. These rivers 
 unite when about two hundred yards from the sea ; and, 
 as is the case generally throughout Scotland, the breed of 
 fish native to the one is rarely to be found in the other. 
 The proprietor of the fishings is Donald Home, Esq. of 
 Langwell. A flood during the grilse season insures good 
 sport on the Berriedale. Not far ofi' is the Dunbeath river, 
 belonging to William Sinclair, Esq. of Freswick. It is 
 also visited, although sparingly, by salmon and sea-trout. 
 The Wick is a dull sluggish stream, partaking of the 
 character of the district through which it flows. A few 
 sea-trout, and occasionally a grilse or two, visit its pools ; 
 but, as an angling river, it is not held in very great re- 
 pute. In Watten Loch, a considerable sheet of water 
 situated betwixt Wick and Thurso, there is excellent 
 trouting during the summer and autumn months. I 
 fished in September 1851, in company with Mr Henderson, 
 procurator-fiscal for the county, who has a boat on the 
 loch, and on that occasion we captured a munber of nice 
 trout, averaging half a pound in weight. Among these 
 was one pecuharly marked, and resembling in every 
 respect a small sea-trout. This variety, of which speci- 
 mens are frequently caught in Loch Watten, reminded me 
 much of a similarly marked variety that, in my younger 
 days, existed in Compensation Pond, near Edinburgh. 
 Whether or not it does so now I cannot say; but its 
 origin was clearly traced to the circumstance of sea-trout 
 
320 RIVEES OP CAITHNESS. 
 
 from the Esk below having had access, before the damming- 
 up of the valley, to the upper parts of Glencorse bum. In 
 like manner, to Loch Watten and its feeders, sea-trout at 
 one time are known to have had access through the chan- 
 nel of the river Wick, which access has for many years 
 been intercepted by the interposition of a wall or dyke, 
 of considerable height. The silvery variety I aUude to, 
 in all probability, therefore, owes its origia to those fish, 
 the spawn of which, by the construction of th^e above- 
 mentioned barrier, were prevented from performing their 
 migrations seaward, and have become reconciled to their 
 fresh-water abode. The experiments made from time to 
 time with Balmon-smolts in ponds assist, in a great mea- 
 siure, to corroborate my views on this matter. The flies 
 I found most successful in Loch Watten are marked in 
 my list of loch flies as Nos. 3 and 10. 
 
 The Water of Wester, passing through a loch of the 
 same name, flows into Sinclair Bay, at a distance of four 
 or five miles north from Wick. It afibrds occasionally 
 tolerable sea-trout fishing, but is wont to be disturbed by 
 the nets and devices of poachers. 
 
 Sarclet loch is situated in a southerly direction from 
 Wick, and contains yellow trout of large dimensions. 
 Near it is the loch of Yarrows, also in good repute. In 
 1849, a trout five lb. in weight was taken out of it with 
 the fly. The angling in Loch Scarmlet corresponds to 
 some extent with that on Loch Watten, with which sheet 
 of water it is connected. 
 
 The Thueso river takes its rise in the heights of the 
 parish of Halkirk, where it is connected with at least 
 twenty lakes of various sizes. Of these, Lochs More and 
 Calder are the principal ones. They all contain trout in 
 abundance, and in Loch Calder charr are found. The 
 length of the Thurso is about thirty miles ; its greatest 
 breadth nearly one hundred yards. Like those of the 
 Wick rivers, its banks are totally destitute of wood. The 
 salmon-fishings, which belong to Sir George Sinclair, 
 Bart., are held on a long lease by Mr William Dunbar. 
 Cruive and bag-net fishings were formerly carried on at 
 the mouth ; but these systems are now disused, and ang- 
 ling with the rod substituted in their place. Mr Dunbar 
 
THE THURSO. 321 
 
 the tenant, is known to the public as the companion of 
 Mr St John in his tour through Sutherland, and, it is 
 understood, greatly assisted that gentleman during his 
 researches in that interesting county. He is an excellent 
 enthusiastic angler and general sportsman, as well as a 
 collector and assorter of subjects of natural history. His 
 museum, which I saw when at Lochinver, and which has 
 now been transferred, I presume, to the banks of the 
 Thurso, included splendid specimens of the predatory and 
 aquatic birds native to the moimtains and coasts of the 
 north of Scotland. 
 
 The Thurso river, from its extent, admits of a number 
 of rods, from eight to ten being used upon it at one and 
 the same time ; and the casts are so portioned out by Mr 
 D. as to prevent the interference, when angling, of one 
 party with another. Attendants are provided to point 
 out the salmon pools, and give all necessary assistance to 
 the angler. The charge per month is £12, 10s. for each 
 rod, including attendance and the use of a car, by means 
 of which each party is conveyed to his respective fishing- 
 ground, and taken back in the evening. 
 
 Mr D. has fitted out Brawl Castle for the especial 
 accoiimiodation of sportsmen ; and those frequenting it, 
 whether for the purpose of angling or grouse-shooting, 
 wiU find their quarters comfortable and convenient. The 
 Thurso, now converted into an angling river, gives pro- 
 mise of taking a lead, in that character, among our Scottish 
 streams. It is undoubtedly one of the earliest waters, with 
 respect to clean salmon, in the island, and its capabilities 
 in the shape of fine spawning-ground, and good shelter 
 for fish, are very extensive. - Last year, (1852,) upwards of 
 seven himdred clean salmon and grilses were taken out of 
 it by the rod ; and had the grilse season proved a favour- 
 able one, which, owing to the continued drought, it was 
 &r from being, probably three times that number of fish 
 woiald have been captured. The most successful fisher of 
 the season was Major Gordon Gumming, who is well 
 known in the north as an experienced salmon-slayer ; his 
 renown, indeed, in this respect, stands on a level with the 
 more terrible reputation acquired by his brother the lion- 
 hunter. 
 
322 EIVERS OF CAITHNESS. 
 
 Major Gordon Gumming was so kind as to enclose for me 
 recently a few of the ascertained kiUers during the spring 
 months. They were designed by him, after a good deal of 
 experimenting, expressly for the Thurso river. With one 
 exception, (that of a white-top,) they have all mixed wings, 
 in which bustard fibres, the golden pheasant tail, speckled 
 turkey and macaw feelers, prevail. The bodies are re- 
 spectively formed of various flosses ; green, ohve, purple, 
 and that tinge or colour which pervades the mussel silk, 
 or Pinna marina. The lace is fretted — in the large sizes 
 of hook, both fretted and flat, gold and silver alternately. 
 The shouldering — ^blue jay, and black hackle to correspond, 
 with olive-brown body ; grouse feather over green parrot, 
 to correspond with olive-green body ; twitch of dyed pigs' 
 wool, orange and red, with dyed purple hackle to corre- 
 spond with purple body. One of the largest sizes of hooks 
 having mixed wings has its body dressed with pigs' wool ; 
 green shouldered, with blue and black hackle in the upper 
 part, purple in the centre, and orange below ; the tip, out 
 of which the tail-tufl projects, being formed of orange 
 and light-blue floss silk, divided by a turn of ostrich 
 herl. The tail-tuft of most of the flies is the golden 
 pheasant crest-feather, with' auxiliaries. 
 
 I have also been favoured by Mr Dunbar with some of 
 his Thurso killers. They diifer in the wing mixtures from 
 Major Gordon Cumming's. In two of the patterns, ribbed 
 feathers of the snipe are introduced as under-wings. In 
 another, the tippet-feather of the golden pheasant is em- 
 ployed. The two former are shouldered with a small 
 spotted guinea-fowl feather, and have respectively light 
 green and ohve-green floss silk bodies, with hackles to 
 match. The other is shouldered with a small peacock 
 neck-feather, and has its body made up of dyed pigs' wool, 
 brown and claret-coloured. A double wrapping of tinsel, 
 flat and round, is used in all. 
 
 The rod-fishings in the Thurso for 1853 have commenced 
 auspiciously. Ten clean salmon were kUled, and twenty- 
 three kelts landed, iii the course of the three first da,ys. 
 
 In the parish of Halkirk there are no fewer than 
 twenty-four lakes, of which lochs Calder and More are 
 the principal. Most of these are connected with the 
 
THE F0KS8 — LO0H3. 323 
 
 Thurso river, and oontaia numbers of trout. Brawl 
 Castle is sis miles distant from Thurso. There is also a 
 good furnished lodge near Loch More, on the shootmg- 
 grounds taken by Mr Dunbar, where fom: or five gentle- 
 men can be accommodated. 
 
 The rivers and lochs in the Eeay territory, which lies 
 partly in Caithness and partly in the county of Sutherland, 
 are in good esteem among anglers. Not fiir from Thurso, 
 the Forss river empties itself into the North Sea. Its 
 course from the tarn where it originates is upwards of 
 seventeen miles, during which it passes through Loch 
 Shurery, a weU-reputed trouting lake. The Forss is fre- 
 quented by grilses and sea-trout in considerable numbers, 
 and good sport is occasionally obtained from its banks with 
 the rod. Lochs Shurery, CaUm, Scirach, and SleitUl abound 
 iu trout. Those in the last-mentioned sheet of water are 
 affirmed to be of a very superior description, large, and 
 red-fleshed. 
 
324 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 EIVERS OF THE NORTH COAST. 
 
 The Halladale takes its' rise in the boundary betwixt 
 Reay and Kildonan, running nearly due north for about 
 twenty miles, and falling into the Bay of Bighouse. Its 
 average breadth is about sixty feet. As an angling river, 
 it is superior to the Forss. Its best fishing-pools lie 
 about three or four miles from Melvich. The names 
 given to them, commencing with the lowermost, are as 
 follows : — Healvaig, Conical Pool, Cargary, Fossil, Vic- 
 toria, Cole, PoUewgarry or Craigton, PoUew-na-gnich or 
 Sandy Pool, Maglayal, AltavmUen or MiUburn. There 
 are also at Forssnane several pools of a rooky description, 
 esteemed good by the salmon-fisher. When I threw a fly 
 over the Halladale in 1850, it was in a flooded state, and 
 the day became far advanced before the fish seemed dis- 
 posed to stir. I, however, secured two grilses out of five 
 or six which rose in a distrustful manner at my hook. 
 Nos. 6 and 4 of the small sizes of Tweed flies will be 
 found very killing on this river. The lochs in repute 
 belonging to the district are, Balligill loch, two mUes from 
 Melvich, containing trouts from a pound to four pounds 
 in weight; Loch-na-Coorach and Loch-na-Sealg. These are 
 connected, and lie within a hundred yards of each other. 
 They produce trout varying from quarter of a pound to 
 three or four pounds. Not far from them is Loch Acron, 
 where there are abundance of smaU red-fleshed trout. 
 The Strathy river flows into a bay of the same name not 
 far from the Halladale, and afibrds, at times, good sea- 
 trout fishing. A few grilses and salmon also find their 
 
THE NAVER. '325 
 
 way into it. Melvich fumislies the best quarters for 
 anglers having permission to fish these streams. The 
 inn, which is new and commodious, is kept, so as to give 
 high satisfaction to those frequenting it, by Mr William 
 Telford. The tenant of Bighouse, Mr John Sellar, has 
 the privilege of four rods on the HaUadale river, along 
 with the game of his ferm. The Duke, however, retains 
 the remainder of the angling. 
 
 The Naveb, after issuing from Loch Naver, an expanse 
 of water seven miles long and one and a half broad, travels 
 upwards of eighteen miles, exclusive of its windings, 
 before entering the sea. Of this river I have formed 
 a good opinion. With a little attention, it might be ren- 
 dered one of the best in Scotland for rod-fishing. Its 
 great extent, and ample, unfailing discharge, along with 
 the large tracts of breeding-ground across which it flows, 
 give it a marked superiority over one and all of the 
 Sutherland rivers. In respect of earliness it rivals the 
 Thurso. A communication which I have been kindly 
 fovoured with from R. Horsburgh, Esq., House of Tongue, 
 informs me that, " in the olden time, lots of fine clean 
 fish were taken out of the Naver in the month of De- 
 cember." Up to 1851, however, during the period when 
 the bag-nets and cruives were in operation, the Naver — 
 indeed aU the rivers in the north and north-west coast of 
 Sutherland — were subjected to great abuse. In 1845, I 
 am informed, the Messrs Hogarth of Aberdeen obtained a 
 seven years' lease of the whole coast and its rivers, extend- 
 ing from the boimdaries of Caithness to the mouth of the 
 Kirkaig river, which forms the march line betwixt Suth- 
 erland and part of Eoss and Cromarty. The rent paid to 
 his Grace the Duke of Sutherland for the entu:e salmon- 
 fishings amounted to £980 ; that portion of them which 
 stretches from Cape Wrath to Bighouse, beyond Melvich 
 Bay, being valued at £580. The lessees, I understand, 
 found the oruive-fishings so unproductive, that, early in 
 the lease, they abandoned, to a great extent, that mode of 
 capturing sahnon, and relied chiefly upon their bag and 
 trawl nets. The quantity of fish, however, decreased 
 every year to such a degree that they considered it 
 expedient to endeavour to get rid of their agreement, and 
 
326 RIVERS OF THE NORTH COAST. 
 
 in 1850 applied to the Duke for this purpose. Their 
 application was acceded to, and since that time the 
 rivers of Sutherland have been placed, most of them, on a 
 new footing, and, in the quarter I allude to, are let solely 
 for angling purposes. 
 
 As the result of this change of system, I am informed, 
 both by Mr Horsburgh and, Mr Maolvor, the district 
 factors, that salmon have greatly increased, and that all 
 the rivers under their charge swarm with fish. In 1851, 
 excellent sport was obtained on the Naver. Mr AUerby, 
 as the result of one day's angling, mustered seventeen firit, 
 and Messrs Coventry, Galloway, and others, enjoyed satis- 
 fiictory success. In 1852, five rods on the Naver were 
 taken by Mr Coventry for the sum of £250. The season, 
 as regarded weather and state of water, was very unfev- 
 ourable for angling ; salmon and grilses, notwithstanding,' 
 were very plentiful in this river. 
 
 In 1860, I fished the Naver under great disadvantages. 
 The river was much swollen — two or three feet at least 
 above its usual height — ^the day far advanced, and I had 
 no guide but mine own eye to direct me to the salmon- 
 casts. In the course of a very short time, however, I 
 secured a splendid salmon and beautifully formed new-rim 
 grilse. I also raised two other large fish, and kiUed a 
 couple of sea-trout. Eevisiting it some days after, I 
 found the river in top flood ; the day also was so wet 
 and discouraging that, after a few casts, I was forced to 
 make my retreat to the inn at Bettyhill of Farr, with a 
 pannier into which only a few trout and finnocks had 
 found their way. 
 
 The Naver, during the spring months, April especially, 
 may be relied upon by the salmon-fisher. At that season 
 Tweed flies will be foimd killing throughout its course. 
 These it has become recently the fashion to decry ; but I 
 venture to back them yet against the whole host of modem 
 fancies, whether on the Tweed itself, the Tay, the Dee, the 
 Spey, the Ness, the Shin, the Thurso, or the Naver. A 
 white-top, a snipe wing, and a dun wing, always have been, 
 and always will continue to be, the surest of our spring 
 lures. In the summer and autumn months, the^ may be 
 laid aside for Irish fabrications. A small Butcher-fly, or 
 
LOCH NAVBR — THE BORGIE, 327 
 
 something approximating to it, drew blood on the occasion 
 I have above aRuded to. Fibres from the flamingo in- 
 troduced into the mixed wing are esteemed captivating on 
 this river. The Naver salmon, " Ephemera" mentions, " are 
 neither large nor handsome." On this matter he has 
 been wrongly informed. Fish of sixteen pounds' weight, 
 and upwardi, are of common occurrence ; and as to sym- 
 metry of form, they are excelled by none in Scotland. 
 
 In Loch Naver, at certain points, salmon and grilses 
 will take the fly freely. Its principal feeder is the 
 Mudale, which enters' the loch close to Altnaharra Inn, a 
 large, comfortable, and weU-conducted house, kept by Mr 
 H. Munro. The Naver, on its issuing from the loch, is 
 met by the MaUart from Loch Corr. In the grilse sea- 
 son tins river, when in trim, yields abundant sport. The 
 Skelpich bum is another, but smaller, tributary of the 
 Naver. It contains trout nearly a pound in weight, 
 which are said to be peculiarly marked. The mouth of 
 this bum is situated within three miles of BettyhUl of 
 Farr, where there is a small inn. Langdale bum, also, 
 which falls into the Naver about thirteen miles from the 
 Ferry, and is connected with one or two small lochs, is of 
 good repute as a trouting stream. Lord EUesmere, along 
 with the Altnaharra shootings, has a right of angling on 
 the Naver and loch down to the mouth of the MaUart. 
 
 The Borgie river issues from. Loch Slam which is imme- 
 diately superintended by Lochs Craggie and Laoghal, 
 Where it leaves Loch Slam there is a good grilse or 
 salmon cast, and another at the head of the lake ; but for 
 a considerable distance below this, the water is shallow, 
 and although it yields fiiir trouting, salmon seldom lie in 
 it. There occur, however, several excellent stretches for 
 salmon-fishing lower down. Not long since, the Borgie 
 yielded annually about two thousand salmon and grilses. 
 Common yellow trout, averaging half a pound in weight, 
 abound in Loch Slam. In Loch Craggie, besides these, 
 the salmo ferox is found. Also in Loch Laoghal this fish 
 has its haunts j and on a favourable day, success in trol- 
 ling, by one practised in the art, is a matter of certainty. 
 Old George Boss, the Duke of Sutherland's gamekeeper 
 at Tongue, affirms that, on one occasion, during the spawn- 
 
328 EIVEES OF THE KOETH COAST. 
 
 ing season, he fell in with a large muster of the feroces, 
 apparently hundreds, on the surface of the water in a hay 
 on Loch Craggie. His account was corroborated before 
 me by other witnesses, and is held ia credit throughout 
 the district. Charr are abundant in Loch Laoghal. The 
 Borgie, in 1851, was fished with great success by Captain 
 Horsburgh, who also with hjs trolling tackle wrought 
 wonders among the monster trout of Lochs Craggie, Slam, 
 and Laoghal. There is a salmon-leap on the river similar 
 to that of the Shin, where the fish are frequently seen 
 exerting themselves in large numbers. The Kinloch 
 ■water, at the head of the Kyle of Tongue, is visited by 
 sea-trout, and occasionally by grilses. Loch Derry, from 
 which it issues, and other lakes in connection with it, 
 abound in yellow trout. The bum of Ehians, also, close 
 to Tongue Inn, swarms with trout, but, owing to the 
 brushwood on its banks, is not easily fished. 
 
 The Hope river, from Loch Hope, has a short com'se of 
 about a mile in length. It is in the course, along with 
 the Strathmore river, which is properly its continuation, 
 of becoming greatly improved as regards its rod-fishings. 
 The sea-trout angling below the ferry-house has always 
 been considered good, and occasionally large captures of 
 grilse and salnion are made on the cruive stream; also, in 
 Strathmore, excellent sport is sometimes obtained by the 
 angler. By the removal of the bag-nets, the salmon- 
 fishings of this river will no doubt regain much of their 
 former repute. The Hon. Francis Charteris, M.P., has the 
 right, along with the Eeay deer forest, of angling in the 
 Hope river, as far down as Dundernadilla. The remainder, 
 with shootings, is stiU unlet ; so, I understand, are the 
 Borgie, Naver, and Strathy rod-fishings. With the excep- 
 tion of a public-house at HUum Ferry on Loch Eriboll, 
 situated three miles from the river Hope, there are no 
 inns in this locality ; but at most of the shepherds' houses 
 the angler may procure a tolerable bed. The Halladale, 
 Strathy, Naver, Borgie, and Hope rivers, also the lochs 
 and angling in the district, are under the able and judi- 
 cious management of Eobert Horsburgh, Esq., residing at 
 the House of Tongue, formerly the baronial dwelling of 
 the lords of Eeay. 
 
DIONABD. — KEAEVAIG. — SHINEET. 329 
 
 The DiONARD, or Grudib, enters the Kyle of Durness, 
 at a distance from Durine of about three miles. It has a 
 course of six or seven miles, and is in good repute among 
 rod-fishers as a saknon stream. The banks are very rugged, 
 and the water, when swollen, highly impetuous. By far 
 the best pools are high up, a mile or two below where it 
 issues from Loch Dionard. In 1852, one gentleman killed 
 no fewer than fourteen salmon and grUses, out of this 
 river, in the course of a day. Eight of these were taken 
 from a single pool. The rod-fishings are rented, during 
 the current season (1853,) by the Eev. H. Magendie, for the 
 sum of J45. When passing the Dionard, in 1850, I 
 took a few throws below the bridge at Achintoul, and 
 secured a fine salmon and several sea-trout. On Loch 
 Dionard good sport is frequently obtained, and salmon are 
 taken. There is a cave at the side of it, in which the lords 
 of Reay used to pass the nights, when shooting in the 
 adjoining forest, or fishing in the lake and river. Of the 
 lochs near Durine, the most celebrated are Lochs Borralie 
 and Crosbole, the former of which contains numbers of 
 charr. . The inn at Durine affords good accommodation 
 during the summer months. 
 
 The Kbaevaig and Shinert rivers are seldom visited by 
 anglers. The former enters the sea near Cape Wrath, the 
 latter at a remote point of the north-west coast. Sea- 
 trout and a few grilses ascend both these streams. 
 
330 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 ErVEES OF THE NOBTH-WEST COAST. 
 
 Close to the Inn of Ehiconich, the Inchard river dis- 
 charges itself into Loch Inchard, an arm of the Atlantic. 
 Its course, the outlet of a chain of lakes, does not exceed 
 two miles in length, and is characterised by its rapidity. 
 Sea-trout and salmon, more particularly the former, ascend 
 it in considerable numbers. These, however, travel for 
 security beyond its bed, which contains few pools, and is 
 too shallow and turbulent to furnish desirable shelter. 
 They resort, accordingly, to the lochs and streams higher 
 up; and in them, more especially the upper division of the 
 lowermost lake, Garbet Beg, excellent sport is occasionally 
 obtained. The angler, however, requires the assistance of 
 a stiflBsh breeze. On this sheet of water, on the 26th of 
 August 1850, I killed, in the course of five hours, thirty- 
 eight sea-trout, several of them three pounders, two salmon, 
 and a couple of beautiful newly-run grilses, besides several 
 loch-trout, of various dimensions. On the following day, 
 the wind having failed, I was tied down to the river, and 
 succeeded in kUling a fine grilse, and about a dozen of sear 
 trout. At Ehiconich the angler will find comfortable 
 .accommodation, and a kind and attentive hostess, in Mrs 
 Mackay, whose son Hugh I wotdd also recommend as a 
 useful and obliging guide. 
 
 Betwixt Durine and Ehiconich, near Gualin House, are 
 several small lakes, containing yellow trout. Tarns of a 
 similar description, and similarly occupied, attract the 
 attention of the tourist throughout the west coast of 
 Sutherlandshire. They are generally met with in chains, 
 
THE LAXPOED — LOOH STACK. 331 
 
 and connected together by small becks, which, after heavy 
 rains, are transformed into angry torrents. A minute 
 investigation of their contents might lead possibly to some 
 discoveries, but I have reason to think, in respect to most 
 of them, that they contain merely common yeUov or black 
 trout, averaging in weight from four ounces up to a pound. 
 A few, indeed, possess charr; and some, which I shall 
 mention, especially in the Assynt district, trout of superior 
 size and flavour. 
 
 Distant from Rhiconich about six miles stands the 
 Bridge of Laxford. The Laxford has always been held 
 among anglers in the highest repute as a salmon-river. 
 It issues from Loch Stack, a singularly formed and highly 
 picturesque sheet of water, emptying itself, after a course 
 of not quite three mUes, into Loch Laxford, an arm of the 
 Atlantic. Like most of the rivers in the north, it has 
 suffered greatly from the mode of fishing practised at the 
 mouth. In 1835, its yield amounted to two thousand 
 five hundred salmon and grilses, after which season a 
 gradual fe,Uing ofi" took place. In 1849, the produce of 
 the whole river did not exceed seven hundred fish. 
 
 The sahnon-fishings with the rod are held, along with 
 the shootings of the district, by Lord Grosvenor. Among 
 the pools or casts belonging to the Laxford may be 
 emunerated — the E.oy Pool, below which is Luib; Nech 
 Beann, or the White Horse ; the Fern Pool, now called 
 Duchess; Craig Sciach, or Pool of the Rock; Pool n'Ess; 
 Pool of the Cruives; Garden Pool; and Bridge Pool, or 
 prackweU. 
 
 Loch Stack, out of which the Laxford flows, is justly 
 celebrated as an angling loch, especially for sea-trout. In 
 this respect it is unsurpassed by any other sheet of water 
 in Scotland. It also contains large yellow trout, probably 
 the salnwferox, and charr. Salmon, too, frequent it, and 
 are occasionally taken at certain points. It is generally 
 fished from the boat, and the best sport is obtained under 
 a stiffish breeze. The loch is about three or four miles in 
 circumference, irregularly formed, and indented with bays, 
 some of which, owing to the shelter afforded by the sur- 
 rounding hills and rocks, retain their smoothness even 
 when the body of the lake is highly agitated. 
 
S32 BIVEKS OP THE NOETH-WEST COAST. 
 
 The flies reckoned most killing on Loch Stack are of a 
 gandy description. Small grilse-hook, B.B. Philips, with 
 mixed wings, light blue or orange-coloured bodies, and 
 tips of the golden pheasant, will be found attractive, espe- 
 cially in rough stormy weather. On ordinary occasions, 
 however, the description of flies which, at page 73, I have 
 formed a list of, will, one and all of them, answer the 
 purpose. The Laxford may be fished successfully for 
 salmon both with Irish and Scotch patterns, sizes 9, 
 8, and 7, Philips. The best season for the Laxford and 
 Loch Stack is comprised betwixt June and the 15th of 
 September. I was indebted, in 1850, to Evander Maolvor, 
 Esq., his Grace's factor at Scowrie, and to Lord Anson, 
 for a couple of days' fishing on the loch and river in ques- 
 tion. The weather and state of water were, on both 
 occasions, far from being propitious; but I was gratified, 
 on the whole, with my success, especially on Loch Stack, 
 where, in the course of a few hours, without a landing- 
 net, I captured thirty-one sea-trout, the largest upwards 
 of five pounds' weight; several yellow trout, one of three 
 pounds, and a charr. Of the Laxford, qn the following 
 day, I fished only the lower pools, which were much 
 swoUen. My spoils consisted of a salmon of seven or 
 eight pounds, and about a dozen sea-trout. A recent 
 communication which I have been kindly favoured with 
 from Mr Maclvor, states that last year (1862) the quantity 
 of fish on this river was enormous; but, as his Lordship 
 came to it late, and had no angling weather while there, 
 he could scarcely raise a fish. To satisfy his curiosity,' 
 however, he tried some of the pools with a trawl-net, and 
 found them full of salmon. 
 
 Loch Stack is connected by one of its feeders with Loch 
 More, a stiU larger expanse of water, which has seldom as 
 yet been visited by the angler. In this loch, trout of 
 large dimensions are known to abound ; charr also inhabit 
 its depths. A short way above it, and forming the western 
 extremity of that chain of lakes out of which the river 
 Shin issues, lies Loch Merkland. This lake, if not actually 
 connected with Loch More, by a stream or discharge, is 
 separated from it by a short tract of marshy land. Like 
 Loch More, it has as yet been comparatively little fished 
 
LAKES NEAR SCOWRIE. 333 
 
 on, but is supposed, upon good grounds, to contain the 
 salmoferox and large common trout. Communication 
 with these lakes will in future be rendered easy, by means 
 of a road which is in the course of being completed, if not 
 already open, betwixt Lairg and Laxford Bridge. 
 
 The Bridge of Laxford is situated at a distance of seven 
 miles from Scowrie, where there is a comfortable inn kept 
 by Mr Tough. On the road-side, betwixt the two points, 
 several lakes are passed, the largest of which are Badd- 
 nabait, an isleted sheet of water, and Baddidarroch. Both 
 contain smaU yellow trout. Betwixt Scowrie and Durine, 
 and from thence to the ferries of Hilum and Tongue, no 
 regular communication has as yet been established; but 
 the road, although narrow, is an excellent one. Gigs or 
 spring-carts may be procured at the different inns. From 
 Scowrie to Assynt, and thence to Golspie, by Lairg, a con- 
 veyance carrying the mail-bags, and capable of accommo- 
 dating four or five passengers, runs twice a-week. The fares 
 are extremely moderate. In the Eddraohillis district, on 
 the road to Kylesku, are met with the Badcall river, con- 
 nected in the upper part with a chain of small lochs, in 
 which charr are found ; also the Alten-Strathan burn, from 
 Loch Crokaoh; and farther on, the Altnaharra loch, out 
 of which issues the Duart More river. All the streams I 
 have mentioned are occasionally frequented by sea-trout. 
 
 There is excellent rod-fishing for sea-trout and grilses 
 m the river, at the upper end of the Glendhu loch, during 
 the months of August and September; also in the Alt- 
 Maldie river, from Loch Leadvuan. The range of water, 
 however, to which the fish mentioned have access in these 
 rivers, is very limited, their progress upward being inter- 
 cepted, not far from wh^re they are discharged, by im- 
 passable rocks. At Kylesku ferry-house the angler will 
 find tolerable accommodation, and a boat to convey him 
 up lochs Dhu and Guil. 
 
 Lochs and Rivbbs of Asstnt. — ^The lakes in the parish 
 of Assynt are upwards of two hundred in number, and 
 vary in size from fourteen miles to one mile in circum- 
 ference. Of these, the largest and most interesting is 
 Loch Assynt, a beautiful sheet of water nearly seven 
 miles in length, embosomed among rooks and rugged 
 
334 EIVERS OP THE NORTH-WEST COAST. 
 
 mountains. Tlie depth of this lake is said to be very 
 great, exceeding in many parts a hundred fathoms. Al- 
 though only one island embellishes its surface, its shape 
 is diyersified by numerous bays and promontories, which 
 rivet the eye by the exceeding boldness of their outline. 
 Loch Assynt contains the salmo ferox, and abundance of 
 red-fleshed trout, averaging upwards of half a pound in 
 weight. It is also frequented by salmon and sea-trout. 
 These are sometimes taken with the rod not fer from 
 Castle Leod, at a rocky promontory stretching into the 
 lake. I caught two sea-trout at this point in August 
 1850. On the same occasion, I took from the shore with 
 the fly upwards of six dozen yeUow trout, some of which 
 weighed nearly two pounds a-piece. From the boat, with' 
 my trolling apparatus, I secm-ed two specimens of the 
 ferox, weighing respectively six and four pounds. Fish 
 of a stone weight are, I understand, occasionally captured 
 by the troUer in this lake. When fishing with the fly 
 from a boat, the angler, to meet with success, must 
 throw in towards the shore — ^to the very edge, in fact, of 
 the rocks or gravel. At the mouths of the several feeders, 
 he is sure, on a favourable day, to find trout on the out- 
 look. 
 
 Loch Assynt, at its upper extremity, receives the 
 Loanan and TraligiU rivers ; also the burns of Calda and 
 Skiag. The Loanan issues from Loch Awe, an isleted 
 lake containing fine red-fleshed trout, from half a pound 
 up to two poimds in weight. Its course does not exceed 
 three or four mUes. Salmon occasionally ascend it, and 
 have been captured with the rod near Stronchrubie. The 
 Traligill river is connected with a small loch lying in the 
 limestone heights above Innisnadamfi", at a distance of 
 two and a half miles from the inn, called Mulach Corrie. 
 It is here that the giUarroo, or gizzard-trout of Sir W. 
 Jardine, is found. (See Chap, i.) 
 
 At the lower end of Loch Assynt, about a mile from its 
 outlet, is situated a beautiftdly-wooded expanse of water 
 called Loch Letteressie. Its communication with the larger 
 lake does not extend above a few yards, and is passed 
 over, through means of a bridge, by the road leading to 
 Loch Inver. Loch Letteressie is supposed to contain the 
 
THE INVEB. — THE KIEKAIG. 335 
 
 ialmoferox. It is connected with the Gorm lochs, More 
 and Beg, and numerous other mountain reservoirs or 
 tarns, occupied by yellow trout of various dimensions. 
 
 The river Inver, issuing from Loch Assynt, and dis- 
 charging itself, after a course of four or five miles, into 
 Loch Inver, is well entitled to the consideration of the 
 angler. The rod-fishings on this river — a portion of them 
 at least — are rented, along with those of the Kirkaig, by 
 Mr Thomas Mackenzie, innkeeper at Loch Inver. Parties 
 residing at the inn can be accommodated with salmon-fish- 
 ing at a fixed charge^er diem. No charge, however, is made 
 for trout-fishing, which, in the vicinity of Loch Inver, is in- 
 exhaustible. In favourable seasons the Inver river aifords 
 excellent sport to the salmon-fisher. In some places the 
 pools or casts are narrow, rocky, and full of hazards ; in 
 others, they are easily fished. Both Scotch and Irish flies 
 are held in esteem ; among others, the Dun-wing and 
 Butcher. The upper part of the river widens out here 
 and there into pools of considerable breadth as well as 
 depth; In these the common trout are very abundant, 
 and attain to a large size. I had an opportunity, in 
 August 1850, in company with Mr Fitzgibbon, and an- 
 other gentleman, of judging of the contents of the Inver 
 in this respect. At a single draught of the net, taken 
 by Mr Dunbar, the late tenant of the fishings, over a 
 very small portion of one of the pools half-way up the 
 river, nearly a hundred yellow trout, along with a fine 
 salmon and two or three whitlings, were brought to 
 shore. Of the yellow trout several were two-pounders ; 
 the greater part of them fully half a pound in weight. 
 Mr Dunbar seemed disappointed that we did not hit upon 
 a specimen of four or five pounds' weight, of which, he has 
 no doubt, the Inver contains many. The fish thus taken, 
 after having been rapidly inspected and commented on, 
 were, I may mention, set at liberty, the purpose of the 
 experiment being merely to give us an idea of the vast 
 numbers of trout with which the pools were plenished. 
 In the spring of 1850, Mr Dunbar caught, when fishing 
 for salmon on this river, a yellow trout which weighed 
 fifteen and three-quarter potrnds. The Kirkaig river, also 
 rented by Mr Mackenzie, is rocky and impetuous, but 
 
336 EIVERS OF THE NORTH-WEST COAST. 
 
 contains a succession of inviting salmon-pools. At a dis- 
 tance of about three mUes from the sea, fish are arrested 
 in their progress by a fall of considerable height, below 
 which, from an overhanging rock, lies a cast of some 
 repute, where, in the event of a salmon being hooked, the 
 most skUful angler would feel somewhat at a loss. Should 
 the fish bolt upwards, for instance, into the Fall-pool, the 
 landing-place there, if it can be called so, cannot be 
 reached without great danger, and it is only by the assis- 
 tance of a clip or net in the hands of an experienced per- 
 son that the struggler can possibly be secured ; should it 
 press downwards, there is no remedy but to use main 
 force, and save your tackle if you can. From six to four- 
 teen salmon and grilles have frequently been taken in the 
 Kirkaig in the course of a day, by one rod, and the sport 
 they afibrd I ' can easily conceive to be splendid. It is 
 considered an earlier river than the Inver ; indeed, clean 
 salmon are said to ascend it in December, a period when, 
 along the north-west coast of Scotland, few fish, it has 
 been remarked, are inclined to take the fresh water. 
 
 A mile or two above the falls of Kirkaig, and at a dis- 
 tance of four miles across the hill from Loch Inver, 
 stretches the sheet of water from which it issues — Fewn 
 Loch, a fine expanse about three miles in length. It con- 
 tains numbers of excellent red-fleshed trout. The ferox, 
 also, or a large lake-trout resembling it in its habits, and 
 weighing from six to ten pounds, abounds in its waters. 
 Charr are nmnerous, and take the fly readily. Fewn 
 Loch is the lowermost of a chain of lakes of considerable 
 extent. Immediately above it lies Loch Veyattie, form- 
 ing, along with Loch Fewn and the Kirkaig river, part of 
 the boundary line betwixt Sutherland and Eoss-shire, or 
 rather Cromarty. Beyond Veyattie is the Cama Loch, 
 which is connected at difierent points with Loch Urigill 
 and Loch Boarlan. All these lakes contain large splendid 
 trout, and are suited for trolling in. Loch Boarlan is 
 passed by the road on which the mail-gig runs betwixt 
 Golspie and Loch Inver. At Altnagealgach, or "The 
 Bum of the Deceivers," which falls into it, there is a 
 small inn, at which the angler may procure night-quarters. 
 
 The following lakes, in the vicinity of Loch Inver, 
 deserve mention : — 
 
LOOHS OP AS3YNT. — THE EWE. 337 
 
 Loch Krookinaich, half a mile from Loch Jnver, and 
 connected with the sea by the Culaig burn, contains 
 grilse, sear-trout, and yellow trout. 
 
 The Break, or trout lochs, the nearest of which is not 
 more than one mile and a half from Loch Inver. They 
 contain trout of large size and excellent flavour. 
 
 Loch Beannoch, situated four miles from Loch Inver, 
 and about a mUe from the road leading to Innisnadamph, 
 contains splendid trout. 
 
 Loch Crokach, three miles from Loch Inver, on the 
 road leading to Stoir, possesses trout of superior dimen- 
 sions and unsurpassed symmetry. 
 
 Loch Eoe, connected with the Break lochs, two and a 
 half miles from Loch Inver, also on the road leading to 
 Stoir, is frequented by sea-trout. 
 
 Loch Neach, or the Raven's loch, two miles from Loch 
 Inver. 
 
 Loch-na-Breack More, or loch of the large trout, on the 
 Assynt road, four miles from Loch Inver. 
 
 Clash-More Loch, seven miles from Loch Inver, not far 
 from Stoir, contains fine trout from one pound to three 
 pounds. These, however, are considered to take the fly- 
 shyly. 
 
 The inn at Loch Inver, kept by Mr Thomas Mackenzie, 
 affords ample and eiceUent accommodation for anglers. 
 At ^j^onisnadamph, also, at the upper end of Loch Assynt, 
 comfortable summer quarters are situated, and the land- 
 lord, Mr Macgregor, wiU be found obliging and attentive. 
 A good boat for trolling from is kept by one Macleod, 
 whose services in managing it may be relied on. I also 
 recommend oldr Sandy M'Torquil, at Loch Inver, as a 
 knowing guide to the streams and lochs in the vicinity. 
 — I am indebted to Mr Horsburgh, Tongue House, and Mr 
 Maclvor, Scowrie, for their prompt kindness in affording 
 me much of the information relative to the salmon-fish- 
 ings in their respective districts, which is embodied in 
 this and the preceding chapter. 
 
 The Ewe. — From its source in Loch Maree to its con- 
 fluence with Loch Ewe, an arm of the sea, the Ewe is 
 little more than a mile in length. Considering the short- 
 ness of its course, it is unrivalled as an angling stream for 
 
 Y 
 
S38 RIVERS OP THE NORTH-WEST COAST. 
 
 salmon. It was of common occurrence for tlie late Sir 
 Hector Mackenzie, grandfather of the present proprietor, 
 to capture twenty fish -and upwards in the cotubc of a 
 day, all of them new-run salmon and grilses. Many of 
 the salmon taken with the rod on this river are of great 
 weight, exceeding thirty pounds, and they aiford sport 
 that one accustomed to kelt-fishing has little idea of, fre- 
 quently unwinding at a single burst from sixty to ninety 
 yards of line. The sea-trout angling in July is incom- 
 parable, and by many preferred to the nobler amusement. 
 On a favourable day, these fish, may be raised at every 
 cast. A high wind on Loch Maree has the effect, while it 
 lasts, of knocking up every chance of sport on the river 
 below, which, of course, it considerably augments, causing 
 the fish to disregard every species of lure. The Gairloch 
 salmon-fishings were let in 1836 for £150 — ^that portion of 
 them which is carried on by cruives, stell-nets, &c. The 
 angling is generally rented along with the shootings. 
 
 Loch MiREB is eighteen miles in length, and one and a 
 half in breadth. It contains salmon, trout, and charr. 
 The scenery is magnificent, and no fewer than twenty-four 
 wooded islets ornament the lake. There are inns at Gair- 
 loch and Poolewe, near the latter of which the river is 
 discharged ; also at Kinlochan, close to the head of Loch 
 Maree. 
 
 The Gruintard river, and that which enters at the 
 head of Loch Broom, as well as a small stream on Loch 
 Torridon, teem occasionally with grilses and sea-trout; 
 but they are, like many of the west-coast rivers, difficult 
 of access, and the rod-fishing during summer is uncertain. 
 
 On the river Carron, which discharges itself into a 
 salt-water loch of the same name, not far from Jeantown, 
 I recollect having a week's excellent sport among sea- 
 trout, running from half a pound to three pounds in 
 weight. There are several good salmon-casts on this 
 river, but these, during the grilse season, are confined to 
 the reach of water below the cruive-dyke at New Kelso. 
 The removal of this obstacle, and the application of the 
 same system as is now pursued in Sutherland, would greatly 
 benefit the Carron as a salmon-stream. Lochs Doule and 
 Scaven also, from which its waters proceed, might be 
 
SHEIL, CROB, AND ELCHAIQ. 339 
 
 made to contribute more largely than they do at present 
 to the sport of the angler. 
 
 The island of Lewis possesses several rivers where 
 salmon are found. Of these the best is the Laxay, but 
 the Creed, Tong, and Gress also produce this fish. The 
 sea-trout and grilse fishing on these rivers, in the event of 
 a summer flood, is frequently first-rate. There are num- 
 bers of lochs in Lewis and Harris, also in the Uists and 
 Barra, most of which contain trout in- great abimdance, 
 and several of them are visited by the migratory species, 
 sea-trout and mullet. A few carp are said to exist in 
 some of these lakes. 
 
 In the district of KintaU are two well-reputed salmon- 
 streams, the Sheil and the Croe, running at a short dis- 
 tance from each other. I have fished in both, but, as 
 neither was in trim, met with little sport. In the upper 
 pools of the SheU, however, I descried, looking down from 
 the banks, numbers of salmon and grUses, and have no 
 doubt good angling is occasionally obtained on this small 
 river. The Loing and Elchaig also are frequented by 
 salmon. 
 
 In the island of Skye, although there is no river vying 
 with those of even a second-class description on the main- 
 land, excellent sport among sea-trout and finnocks is fre- 
 quently obtained. Salmon and grilse are also occasionally 
 captured with the rod in the streams and lochs. The 
 waters discharging themselves at Broadford Bay, Portree, 
 Snizort, and Altivaig, are resorted to by these fish. In 
 Harris, the rivers Lucksta, Scant, and Obbe, abound in 
 sea-trout and salmon. Loch Bee, in the island of South 
 Uist, contains sea-trout and mullet. The trout of Loch 
 Tangestal in the island of Barra are justly celebrated. 
 
340 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVI. 
 
 THE AWE, AKI) EIVBE8 AND LAKES OF THE WEST COAST. 
 
 ■The course of the Awe does not exceed four miles in 
 lengtli. Its average breadth is forty-three yards, the 
 depth variable, from two or three feet np to twenty. It 
 is considered one of the finest salmon-streams for rod- 
 fishing in Scotland, and is little influenced, in comparison 
 to most rivers, by heavy falls of rain, which often, as ia 
 the case of Tweed, try the patience of the angler. Sea^ 
 trout also ascend it in considerable numbers ; and at the 
 pass of Brandir, the celebrated salmo feross descends to 
 spawn, entering for this purpose the streams immediately 
 below the outlet of Loch Awe. This river is the only one 
 in Scotland that escapes in a lateral direction from its 
 parent reservoir. 
 
 The length of Loch Awe has been variously estimated. 
 It certainly exceeds twenty-four, and is under thirty miles ; 
 its average breadth not being a mile, although in some 
 places it expands into a width of three mUes. Its depth, 
 in several parts, is seventy fathoms. It contains a great 
 variety of fish — salmon, the ferox, common trout, pike, 
 perch, charr, along with two or three species of sea-trout. 
 The pike are considered to be of recent importation, and 
 their ravages among the smaller and miore delicate kinds 
 of fish have been, of late years, very considerable. The 
 salmo ferox has become scarce, and a good specimen can 
 only be obtained after much perseverance. The charr 
 frequent the extreme end of the lake, where the outlet is 
 said at one time to have been. The salmon generally 
 push upwards towards the mouth of the Urchay, but also 
 
THE UBCHAY. 341 
 
 make their resorts in the bay and creeks, wHere rocks and 
 shelter-places are abundant : as for the native trout, they 
 are found in various parts of the loch, according to the 
 situation of the feeding-grounds. 
 
 , The principal feeder of Loch Awe — ^indeed, the only one 
 of any note — is the TJrchay, which issues from a small lake 
 in the upland part of its glen, and, after a course of sixteen 
 miles, empties itself into its larger dep6t, not far from 
 Caolchurn Castle. It is a favourite resort of salmon, and 
 there are several good pools for the rod close to the inn at 
 DalmaUy, which, I believe, are rented by the landlord for 
 the convenience of those frequenting his house. Besides 
 DalmaUy, the inns at Cladish, Portsonachon, and Bunaw, 
 afford excellent accommodation. 
 
 The salmon and trout fishings in the parish of Glen- 
 urchy yielded, in 1843, about £300 per annum. These 
 include the Awe fishings, or at least the larger part of 
 them, as well as those of the Urchay and lake. 
 
 I have already, in my chapter on salmon-flies, described 
 the lures of this description used in the Urchay and river 
 Awe, and have introduced into my lists of favourites^ 
 under the name of the Black Dragon, a hook originally 
 adapted with killing effect to the latter Tiver, when in a 
 reduced state : I have here only to mention that the 
 merit of its contrivance is due to Colonel Eobertson, an 
 excellent and indefatigable salmon-fisher, who is well 
 acquainted with the rivers in that quarter, and rented, 
 moreover, as a sportsman, the Ewe in Eoss-shire, during 
 a course of several years. 
 
 In respect to the trouting-flies used in Loch Awe, I am 
 informed by Professor Wilson, who fished there in 1845 
 and '46 with considerable success, that he found green 
 bodies on all occasions attractive, but that one of the 
 most killing flies is winged with mottled feathers taken 
 from the bustard, the upper part of its body formed of 
 blue, and the lower of orange dubbing: a light brown 
 hackle, carried well down towards the bend of the hook, 
 imitates the legs. Tinsel and a tail-tuft also are intro- 
 duced, the latter consisting of two or three fibres from 
 the tippet of the golden pheasant. 
 
 The Etive is a stream of considerable size, but situated 
 in a lonely, almost inaccessible, district of country: on 
 
342 THE AWE, AND RIVERS 
 
 this account it is little frequented by anglers, but in its 
 season — that is, during the months of July and August — 
 should the weather prove favourable, it affords excellent 
 sport, both among sea-trout and grilses. At Dalness 
 there is a pool of great depth, headed by a waterfall, 
 above which salmon seldom or never ascend ; but they 
 may be perceived at certain seasons occupying the bed 
 of the river underneath in great numbers, and at a 
 depth of several fathoms. The course of this stream 
 exceeds sixteen miles. 
 
 It would be impossible, within reasonable limits, to give 
 an outline of the various streams and lochs in Argyllshire ; 
 nor, in reference to the former, is the task required. They 
 all partake much of the same character, both as respects 
 their contents and the nature of the channels along which 
 they move. They are dependent also, the whole of them, 
 upon the state of the weather, and require, in order to 
 induce the migratory salmonidce to frequent them, the oc- 
 currence of floods and certain positions of wind and tide. 
 
 Of these (the rivers or streams) I shall only mention 
 a few by name, pointing out the localities or districts they 
 belong to. 
 
 Falling into Loch Etive, besides the Etive, are the Kin- 
 las, Liver, Noe, and Esragans, greater and lesser. Into 
 Loch Creran are discharged the Creran, with its tributary 
 the Ure, the Buie, Tendal, and Dergan. Near Oban runs 
 the Euchar from Loch Scamadale, the Oude from Loch 
 Trallaig, <fec. There are numerous lochs from within one 
 to four miles of Oban, amply stocked with trout, which 
 vary in quality, as the bottom happens to be moss or 
 gi'avel. The finest fish are found in a small lake near 
 Dunstaffnage, called Donolly Beg Loch. These trout are 
 all from three-quarters to one and a half pound in weight, 
 very short, thick, and quite red in the flesh. It communi- 
 cates with the sea, but no white trout frequent it. The 
 next worthy of mention is Loch Nell, about three miles 
 east of Oban. It is nearly six miles round, and communis 
 cates with Loch Feochan, an arm of the sea, by a small 
 river called the Clugh. The trout here are very large : 
 frequently six and eight pounds' weight. There are also 
 plenty of salmon, and shoals of small sea-trout, called, in 
 Argyllshire, banochs. In this loch there are, besides, numbers 
 
AND LAKES OP AEGYLLSHIEE. 343 
 
 of cliarr. The ground around it belongs to two diiferent 
 proprietors; one allows fishing, the other not; so that, 
 with a boat, any part of the lake may be angled in. Loch 
 Soamadale also communicates with the sea by the water 
 of Euchar, a rooky impetuous stream. It is about the size 
 of Loch Nell, but contains more salmon and plenty of 
 sea-trout. YeUow trout have been caught five or six 
 pounds' weight, but average much less. The fishings are 
 let : rod-fishers, however, meet with no interruption. 
 
 In the black lakes, three miles /from Oban, sea^trout 
 abound. Four or five dozen, averaging three-quarters of 
 a pound, have frequently been taken in the course of a 
 day. They contain no salmon, but swarm with small 
 trout. A boat is necessary. On the island of Lismore, 
 opposite Oban, there is a good fishing lake called Killy- 
 heeran. Its trout are like those of Loch Leven, fat and 
 red. It has no communication with the sea. 
 
 At the foot of the Euchar and the Oude are salmon- 
 fishings : the former pays about £40 of rent, the latter £30. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Kilmun is the Eachaig, issuing 
 from Loch Eck, and emptying itself, after a course of four » 
 miles, into the Holy Loch. This river, from the facility 
 with which it is approached, is much fished. The grilses 
 and sea-trout that ascend it are pretty numerous. Small 
 gaudy flies, like those used on the west coast of Ireland, 
 seem the favourites. Loch Eck is about seven miles in 
 length, and, among other fishes, contains the gwyniad or 
 salmo lavaretus, termed there the powan or fresh-water 
 herring. It also possesses a fish, said to be peculiar to 
 itself, and supposed to have been planted by the monks of 
 old, who held considerable possessions in that district. The 
 name given to it is the goldie ; in length it is only four or 
 five inches, and when taken out of the water has a rich 
 golden colour, which undergoes a succession of beautiful 
 hues before the fish expires. Lifted up in the hand, it 
 appears almost transparent, and its structure is peculiarly 
 delicate. A considerable number of gold and silver fishes 
 were, some years ago, introduced into Loch Eck by Mr 
 Wilsone of Benmore. The fishings on the Eachaig belong 
 to Mr Campbell of Monzie. . 
 
 In the district of Appin are the Coe, Coinich, Duror, 
 Laroch, and Leven, abounding, in their season, with sal- 
 
344 THE AWE, AND BIVEKS 
 
 mon and white trout. The fresh-water trout of all these 
 streams are small. Near Inverary are the Ary and Shira 
 waters, of the same character ; but there are several lakes 
 in the vicinity — those, for instance, on the hill of Killian — 
 which produce good trout. Near Ardtomish, in the Mor- 
 vern district, lies Loch Arrienhas, which communicates, 
 through means of the Garavon, or rough river, with Loch 
 Aline, a salt-water bay, forming part of the sound of Mull. 
 Loch Arrienhas abounds in sea-trout, of which from two to 
 three dozen may be taken in the course of a few hours, 
 averaging in weight from three-quarters to two pounds. 
 
 In the districts of Morvern, Sunart, Ardgour, and Ard- 
 namurchan, also throughout Knapdale and Cowal, there 
 are numerous streams and lochs abounding in trout and 
 sea-trout, and occasionally visited by salmon. Cantyre is 
 watered by the rivers Carradale, Torisdale, Saddell, Cros- 
 saig, Sunadale, Skipness, and Claonaig. Of these, the 
 Carradale, as a salmon stream, is the best reputed. In 
 Loch-na-Break, trout weighing from two to four pounds, 
 and of excellent quality, are found. 
 
 The inns in Argyllshire are numerous ; but the angler 
 from the south must not expect the mountain mile to 
 resemble that of the level turnpike ; and a loch or river, 
 although reported and mapped out as situated in the 
 vicinity of a good station, is not always, he will find, to be 
 reached in the course of a few strides. 
 
 The LocHY, which belongs to the county of Inverness, 
 issues by a new channel cut for it from Loch Lochy, and 
 meets the Spean at Mucomre Bridge, a short way farther 
 on. On reaching Gearlochy, the combined streams once 
 more return to their natural bed, and, after running a course 
 of nearly eight miles, fall into the sea above Fortwilliam, 
 where the Nevis river also discharges its waters. Lochy 
 was at one time in good repute for its rod-fishings, and still, 
 in respect to sea-trout, maintains its character. In 1842, 
 the fishings were rented at £320 per annum. They belong 
 to Lord Abinger. I have, on two or three occasions, fished 
 this river with the trouting-rod, and met with excellent 
 sport. 
 
 The Spean, its principal tributary, descends from Loch 
 Laggan, and is augmented in its course by the Gulbin, 
 Treig from Lochtreig and Kuiag waters. Before entering 
 
AND LAKES OF AEGTLLSHIEE. 345 
 
 Loch Laggan it is termed the Pattag river. There are 
 few fresh-water trout in the lower portions of Spean, but 
 where it leaves the lake these are very numerous, and 
 some of them of large size. Salmon ascend to within eight 
 miles of Loch Laggan, and were the rock which obstructs 
 their further progress removed, the range of spawuing- 
 ground would, in all probability, become widely increased, 
 and the Pattag converted into an excellent salmon-river. 
 The trout of Loch Laggan are many of them large, and 
 peculiar in the external coloiir. I have known them to be 
 taken there above eight pounds in weight, but it is not im- 
 likely that some of still greater size haunt its feeding- 
 grounds. This sheet of water is eight miles in length, and 
 upwards of one in breadth. The fishings, I understand, 
 are rented along with the shootings by the Marqais of 
 Abercorn. I am informed that this year (1853) the spring- 
 fishings on the Lochy, as far as they have been prosecuted, 
 have proved very successful. Loch Lochy is about ten 
 mQes long, and contains salmon and trout. Connected with 
 it, by a picturesque valley, is Loch Arkaig, a sheet of water 
 nearly sixteen miles in length, which at one time, before 
 the construction of the Caledonian Canal, abounded in 
 salmon. Lochs Fad and Ascog, in the island of Bute, 
 contain pike and perch. In Greenan Loch good trout are 
 found. In the Island of Arran, on Loch Jorsa, there is 
 superior angling for salmon ; and on Loch Tanna, excel- 
 lent trouting. At Ardlussa in Jura, there is a good stream 
 for sea-trout. 
 
346 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE CLYDE, AND STEEAMS OF THE SOUTH-WEST. 
 
 One of the sources of the Clyde is traceable to the same 
 ridge of mountains which gives origin to the Tweed and 
 Annan ; but its larger source is the rivulet of Crossburn, 
 from Queensberry Hill, which is increased by the Daer 
 water, and afterwards joined by the Clyde burn, or little 
 Clyde. Its after-tribataries are the Elvan, Midloch, 
 Camps, Glengonner, Duneaton, Gtarff, Culter, the Medwins 
 North and South, Douglas, Mouse, Nethan, Dalserf, Avon, 
 and South, North, and Kotten Calders. All of these 
 streams contain trout ; some of them, such as Duneaton, 
 Elvan, and Glengonner waters, in great abundance. In 
 the main river they are occasionally caught of large size. 
 Below the fall at Stonebyres, Clyde is still visited by 
 salmon ; but there are few or no sea-trout that ascend ite 
 current, so far up even as Hamilton. Pike and perch, 
 however, are common; and the roach or braize is oc- 
 casionally taken in the lower parts of the river. The sal- 
 mon-fishings in the parish of Govan, below Glasgow, were 
 let, for the first time, upwards of fifty years ago, for the 
 sum of £30. Immediately afterwards, the rent rose 
 until it reached £326 annually ; but since 1812, it has 
 greatly fallen, and at present does not exceed £60 per 
 annum. It is a singular circumstance, that salmon and 
 their fry have occasionally been taken in the upper parts 
 of Clyde, above its loftiest falls, which, being eighty feet 
 in height, it is utterly impossible for fish of any kind 
 to surmount. The fact is accounted for in this way. 
 After passing Tinto Hill, from the top of which there 
 is a splendid view of its windings, the bed of the Clyde 
 
THE LEVEN. 347 
 
 approaches to a level with that of the Biggar water, which 
 is close at hand, and discharges itself into the Tweed. On 
 the occasion of a large flood, the two streams hecome con- 
 nected, and the Clyde actually pours a portion of its waters 
 into one of the tributaries of Tweed, which is accessible to, 
 and frequented in the winter season by salmon, or rather 
 large bull-trout, mistaken evidently for the salmon proper. 
 There is also a similar connection between the two rivers 
 farther down, at the respective sources of the Medwin and 
 Tarth waters. The finest portions of the Clyde for the 
 angler are situated above and below Lamington, where the 
 banks are open and free of wood. Not only are the trout 
 in this part of the river abundant, but their quality is very 
 superior, and the colour of the flesh red. They have been 
 captured here nearly two feet in length. The lochs of 
 Lanarkshire are few, and in point of size insignificant. 
 The Crane loch lies in a moorland district, in the parish of 
 Dunsyre, and abounds with pike and perch. It is con- 
 nected with one of the Medwins, which contains red trout 
 of considerable weight and a few pike. The White Loch, 
 near the village of Carnwath, produces perch. There are 
 also Lang Loch, not far from Lanark, and Bishop's Loch, 
 Woodend, &c., in the parish of Monkland ; but the largest 
 expanse of water in this shire is the reservoir for supplying 
 the Forth, Clyde, and Monkland canals, which covers an 
 expanse of three hundred acres, and contains perch and 
 trout — ^the former in great abundance. Near it also is a 
 small lake, termed the Lily Loch, producing trout and charr. 
 
 The average velocity of the Clyde is from one to three 
 miles per hour. At five miles above Glasgow, its breadth 
 is from two hundred to two hundred and fifty feet. Be- 
 low this city it receives, opposite the village of Govan, the 
 Kelvin water and the streams of Dumbartonshire and Ren- 
 frewshire. The Kelvin water is occasionally frequented by 
 salmon, and contains trout, pike, perch, and roach. 
 
 The Leven issues from Loch Lomond, and after a course 
 of seven or eight miles falls into the Firth of Clyde at 
 Dumbarton. It contains salmon, sea-trout, and several of 
 the fresh-water species of fish. The fishings belong partly 
 to Sir James Colquhoun, of Luss, and partly to the corpo- 
 ration of Dumbarton. The latter were let not long ago 
 for £281 per annum. 
 
348 THE CLYDE, AND STREAMS OP THE SOUTH-WEST. 
 
 Locli Lomond is twenty-four miles in length, and, where 
 broadest, eight in width. It contains aU the fish alluded 
 to by SmoUett, in his celebrated Ode to the Leven Water, 
 with the addition of the gvoyniad, prosen, or fresh-water 
 herring. Its principal feeders are the Glenfalloch, In- 
 veruglas, Douglas, Luss, Finlass, and Fruin ; and on the 
 Stirlingshire side, the Endrick, and a smaU stream from 
 Loch Arklet. In all these waters there are numbers of 
 small trout. I have killed as many as ten or twelve dozen 
 on a forenoon in the Glenfalloch. Endrick contains pike, 
 perch, and roach, or, as they are there termed, Iraine. A 
 few sea-trout also ascend from the lake during floods. Be- 
 sides Loch Lomond, there are several small lochs situated 
 in the county of Dumbarton, the largest of which is Loch 
 Sloy, near Arrochar. These, or most of them, contain 
 trout. 
 
 The principal streams discharging themselves into the 
 Clyde, in Renfrewshire, are the Carts, Black and White. 
 The former has its sources in Castle Semple Loch, and re- 
 ceives, as its largest tributary, the Gryffe river, which is 
 increased higher up by the Locher and other streams. The 
 Black Cart contains fine pike, perch, and braize, but its 
 trout are on the decrease. Salmon also ascend it, but not 
 in great numbers. 
 
 The White Cart rises in the moors of Eaglesham. It 
 is supplied in its course by the Kevock burn, the Earn 
 water, Auldhouse burn, and Levern water. Near its sources 
 are a number of small lakes. Loch Goin, Brother Loch, 
 Binnend, Black Loch, Long Loch, Knock, &c. Most of these 
 contain excellent trout, and several of them charr. The 
 charr, (salmo sahelinus,) I may here mention, are affirmed, 
 in the Statistical Account of Scotland, to have been intro- 
 duced from the lakes of Meams and Eaglesham into the 
 Avon, a tributary of the Clyde, near Hamilton, and still 
 to exist there, under the name of the Duchess Anne trout. 
 They are said to attain the length of twelve inches. In 
 Castle Semple Loch are found pike and perch ; also in Loch 
 Libo and Hairlaw reservoir. 
 
 The value of the salmon-fishings in Eenfrewshire is con- 
 siderable. Those on the Firth belong exclusively to the 
 burgh of Renfrew, and the average amount of rent drawn 
 from them annually, betwixt the years 1814 and 1834, 
 
THE ATB VATBR. — THE DOON. 349 
 
 was no less than ^41 99, Is. ; about fifty yeaTs ago it ave- 
 raged little more than one-fourth of the above-mentioned 
 sum. 
 
 The Garnock takes its rise not far from the lochs of 
 Kilbirnie and Castle Semple, on the confines of Renfrew- 
 shire, and, after receiving accessions from the Rye, Caaf, 
 Dusk, and Lugton waters, discharges itself into the sea 
 near Irvine. Salmon ascend this river during close-time, 
 and occasionally in the open season. It contained, at one 
 time, abundance of trout, both sea and fresh-water, but 
 these have, of late years, greatly fallen off in quantity. 
 The Dusk was esteemed also a good angling stream. In 
 Kilbirnie Loch there are trout, pike, and perch. The Rye 
 and Caaf bums are much poached by persons using nets 
 and quicklime. 
 
 The Irvine is but an indifferent fishing-stream ; but one 
 of its tributaries, the Cessnock, is in good repute, although 
 greatly injured by poaching. 
 
 The Ayr pursues a course of above thirty miles. Near 
 its rise it is increased by the Garpel and Greenock waters, 
 and, farther down, by the Lugar and Coyl. It contains 
 yellow trout, and salmon were formerly caught there in 
 great abundance ; but the angling throughout its course is 
 now reckoned very indifferent, in comparison at least to 
 what it once was. Some of the lochs near which it runs 
 contain pike and perch. 
 
 The course of the Doon, from Loch Doon, is upwards of 
 eighteen mUes. As an anghng river it is superior to the 
 Ayr water, and is more frequented than the other by sal- 
 mon and sea-trout. It also contains pike and a good num- 
 ber of yellow trout. Its channel, in the upper part of its 
 course, is rugged and narrow. Below Berbeth it expands 
 into a small lake, after which, as far down as Patna, it runs 
 sluggishly for five or six mUes, when it again assumes a 
 bold picturesque appearance, and preserves these features 
 until discharging itself into the sea, two miles to the west 
 of Ayr. 
 
 Loch Doon, out of which this river glides, is upwards of 
 six miles in length, and in breadth one mile. It is much 
 frequented by anglers, and contains abundance of trout. 
 In the parish of Straiten, where it is partly situated, there 
 are no fewer than twenty-six lakes. Upon three of these, 
 
350 THE CLYDE, AND STEEAMS OF THE SOUTH-WEST. 
 
 Lochs Braden, Dercleugh, and Finlas, boats are kept for 
 angling. 
 
 The Doon salmon-fishings belong to the Marquis of Ailsa; 
 those of the Ayr to Mr Oswald of Auchincruive. The 
 former were lately rented for £235, the latter for £i5 an- 
 nually. In the loch of Martnaham are found pike and 
 perch ; and in Loch Fergus, near the burgh of Ayr, pike. 
 
 The GiRVAN rises on the hills of Barr and Straiton. In 
 favourable seasons salmon ascend it. One of its sources, 
 the Spalander loch, contains charr and abundance of good 
 trout. Its extent is about forty-five acres. Besides it are 
 several other expanses of water connected with the Girvan, 
 most of which produce trout and other fishes. 
 
 The Stinchae is the only remaining water of note in the 
 county of Ayr. Its sources lie among the lochs in Barr 
 parish, and the length of its channel is about thirty miles. 
 The salmon-fisheries on this river draw a rent of about 
 £210 per annum. The principal tributaries of Stinchar 
 are the Dusk, Muck, and Tig. There are several lakes in 
 Colmonell parish, the largest of which are Lochs Dornal ■ 
 and Maberry : the latter is connected with the Bladenoch 
 river, in Wigtownshire. 
 
351 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE EIVERS OP THE SOLWAY FIRTH. 
 
 The Nith rises in the parish of New Cumnock, in Ayr- 
 shire, where it receives the Afton water, and shortly after 
 enters Dumfriesshire. During its course, it is successively 
 swelled by the Euchan, Minnick, Carron, Skar, Dunoow, 
 and Cluden, the last-mentioned being the largest of its 
 tributaries. Including its windings, the Nith is nearly one 
 hundred miles in length. As an angling river, it is very 
 inferior to any other of its size in Scotland. Neither the 
 common trout nor salmon are at all plentiful. Compared 
 with those in Tweed, they bear the proportion of about 
 one to twenty. In the upper parts of the river and its 
 several feeders, the fresh-water trout are rather more 
 abundant ; and throughout its course, at the proper sea- 
 son, there is a fair sprinkling of herlings. The best casta 
 for salmon on the Nith extend from Friar's Carse to Drum- 
 lanrig; and of these the Forest Head, the Porter's Hole, the 
 Eed Brow, the Scaur Foot, the Boat Pool, the Loch Wharry, 
 and the Drumlanrig streams, from ThomhiU Bridge up- 
 wards, may be enumerated. There are two most excellent 
 inns at ThomhiU, from which access to all these casts is 
 easy. The following are the favourite salmon-flies : — First 
 — Body, next the head of the hook one-eighth of an inch 
 yellow pig's wool ; next that, a quarter of an inch light- 
 brown wool j above that, half an inch harl of peacock's 
 feather ; head, very dark-brown or black wool ; hackle red, 
 black at top ; tarnished (not bright) gold twist j wings, red 
 turkey, with yellow or white tip j under- wings, grey turkey 
 or ted, or pea-hen. This is the most general and deadly 
 fly for summer. Second — Body, same as above; wings. 
 
352 THE EIVBES OF THE SOLWAT ^TJITH. 
 
 red gledd, with under-wings of bar-gledd. This is also 
 good during summer. Third — Body, same as above ; 
 wings, pea-hen and grey turkey mixed. This is the usual 
 fly for autumn. 
 
 The Cluden, its largest tributary, is of a very different 
 chataoter from the Nith, and in good esteem among rod- 
 . fishers. It is ascended by salmon, grilses, sea-trout, and 
 herlings, and contains, along with large-sized yellow trout, 
 an occasional pike. The salmon of Cluden are of quite a 
 distinct variety from those of the main river, being thicker 
 and shorter in the body, and much shorter in the head. 
 Its waters being of a mossy nature, the fish entering it 
 quickly grow dark in the external colour. The rents 
 of the salmon- fisheries near Dumfries amount to about 
 ^500 a-year. Those of the whole county do not exceed 
 £U00. 
 
 The Annan, which has its sources in the same hill with 
 Tweed and Clyde, is met below Moffat by the Evan and 
 Moffat waters, at a height of about three hundred and fifty 
 feet above the sea-level. As an angling stream, it is much 
 superior to both the Nith and Esk rivers. The common 
 trout of this river attain to a large size ; and although the 
 average weight is not above half a pound, they have been 
 caught as heavy as five or six pounds : my friend, George 
 Graham Bell, Esq. of Castle O'er, has frequently, with the 
 minnow, when the streams were clear and small, taken an 
 immense pannierful of large trout from the Annan water. 
 It is ascended, during July and August, by the herhng in 
 considerable numbers, but not so freely as it would be, 
 were the small mesh-nets completely set aside. Pike are 
 tolerably abundant in the lower parts of the river. Mof- 
 fat water, one of the upper tributaries already mentioned, 
 is connected by the Grey Mare's Tail bum with Loch 
 Skene, which abounds in nice trout, averaging in weight 
 half a pound. After the Moffat and Evan, Annan receives 
 the Wamphray, Kinnel, Dryfe, Milk, arid Mien waters. 
 Not far from where the Dryfe and Kinnel discharge them- 
 selves, lie the Lochmaben lochs, nine in number. In the 
 Castle loch, which is the largest, there are no fewer than 
 fifteen distinct species of fish. Among these are two 
 species, so termed, of loch trout, one weighing from twelve 
 to fourteen pounds, and the other from two to five pounds. 
 
THE ESK AND DEB. 353 
 
 There ai-e also bream, roach, chub, pike, perch, and the 
 vendace. Pike have been caught here weighing thirty-five 
 pounds. The fishings, except from Mount Annan down- 
 wards, are all in the hands of the proprietors. The best 
 casts for the rod are on the estates of Jardine Hall, Hal- 
 leath, Kirkwood, Murraythwaite, Castle-Milk, and Hod- 
 dam Castle. The same general character of fly is used 
 here as on Nith. There is an excellent inn (King's Arms) 
 at Lockerby, from which the best casts can easily be 
 reached. 
 
 The Vendace in the Castle loch, Lochmaben, are fished 
 for once a-year by the Vendace Club, an association of 
 Dumfriesshire gentlemen. The two fisheries at the mouth 
 of the Annan, belonging to Mr Irvine of Newbie and the 
 burgh, are let for nearly £600 per annum. 
 
 The EsK is formed by the union of the Black and White 
 Esks, at a place called the King's Pool, below Bailliehill. 
 These rivers have their sources in Eskdale-muir parish, 
 and receive, during their conjoined progress to the head 
 of the Solway Firth, numerous tributaries. The principal 
 of these are, the Meggat, the Ewes, Wauchope burn, 
 Tarras water, Liddel, Glenzier, and Line rivers, the latter 
 two belonging properly to Cumberland. The common 
 trout of the Esk seldom exceed half a pound in weight, 
 and are by no means abundant below the junction of the 
 two branches. A few salmon ascend it, along with a 
 sprinkling of sea-trout and herlings. Of its tributaries, 
 the Liddel is in good esteem with the angler, but the 
 trout found there do not excel in size. There are a few 
 chub, called skellies, in the Esk ; the river-trout obtain the 
 name of eldrins, and the herlings, during close-time, are 
 termed bills. One of the most enthusiastic and able 
 anglers in Eskdale is George Graham Bell, Esq., advocate, 
 under whose skilful control many a salmon has been 
 forced to bite the sod. The course of the Esk, from its 
 sources in Eskdale Moor to the Solway Firth, extends 
 thirty-eight miles. 
 
 The Deb, or Deva of the Eomans, rises from Loch Dee, 
 in the parish of Minnigaff, in Kirkcudbright, and, after 
 running a course of twenty-two miles, joins the Ken, a 
 strean^ larger than itself. The name of Dee, however, is 
 
 z 
 
354 THE RIVERS OP THE SOLWAT FIRTH. 
 
 still retained; and the combined waters proceed in the 
 same channel, passing through the lower part of Loch Ken 
 to the Solway Firth, a further course of nearly twenty 
 miles. The Dee contains salmon, sea-trout, river-trout, 
 pike, and perch. Its salmon-fishings belong to Mr Murray 
 of Broughton, and are considered valuable, the rental not 
 long ago exceeding ^700. The cruive, or what is locally 
 termed the doach sysfem of capturing salmon, is there 
 pursued, much, of course, to the detriment of the upper 
 holders of fishings. In some parts of the river, salmon 
 are taken in great numbers by what is termed the shoulder- 
 net — a contrivance similar to the pout-net of Tweed, only 
 on a larger scale. A few years ago, thirty-five salmon 
 were brought out at a single draught by 'this means; and 
 in July 1836, (according to a statement made by the Eev., 
 Mr Williamson, in the New Statistical Account^ the same 
 individual who achieved the above feat took, in the 
 course of an afternoon, no fewer than three hundred and 
 fifteen grilses. The report drawn out by Mr Williamson 
 regarding the parish of Tongland, in the Stewartry of 
 Kirkcudbright, will be found highly interesting to the 
 angler. 
 
 The bull-trout is common on the Dee, where it attains 
 the weight sometimes of twenty pounds. 
 
 The Ken takes its rise in the northern part of the 
 Stewartry, and joins the Deugh on entering Kells parish.' 
 Several miles farther down, below New Galloway, it 
 expands into a lake upwards of five miles in lengtli, and 
 from one-half to three-quarters of a mile in breadth. In 
 this sheet of water, the largest pike known to have been 
 killed in Scotland was captured, with rod and fly, by John 
 Murray, gamekeeper to the grandfather of the present 
 Viscount Kenmure. The head of this fish, which weighed 
 seventy-two pounds, may be seen in Kenmure Castle, and, 
 contrasted with one of more common, but still large 
 dimensions, which is placed near it, bears striking evidence 
 as to the prodigiousness of the monster it belonged to. 
 Near Loch Ken, in the parishes of Balmaghie and Cross- 
 michael,are severallochs — Grannoch, Dornal, Lochinbreck, 
 Glentoo, Eoan, &c. All these, with the exception of 
 Lochinbreck, which abounds in trout, produce pike and 
 
THE CUBE AND FLEET. 366 
 
 perch. In the parish of Girthon there is another loch, of 
 the name of Grannoch or Greanoch, which contains charr 
 in abundance. These, it appears, are only to he taken 
 with the net, and in the spawning season, when they 
 frequent the shallows. The lochs of Balnaclellan (several 
 of which are connected by small runs with the Ken and 
 Loch Ken) are in good repute among anglers. The one 
 producing the largest and finest trout is Loch Brack, 
 where, in 1840, two were caught weighing respectively 
 five and seven pounds. Besides it, Barscobe, Loch Skae, 
 and Houie, deserve to be mentioned. Bull-trout ascend 
 the Garple burn in the spawning season. 
 
 The fishings of the river Ceeb belong principally to the 
 Earl of Galloway. In the neighbourhood of Newton- 
 Stewart they are of considerable value — aboat ^600 per 
 annum, including stake-nets in the estuary. Higher up, 
 the river belongs entirely to his lordship, and nets are not 
 allowed to be used j consequently, the Cree is occasionally 
 a first-rate stream for salmon, or rather grilse fishing ; but 
 a great deal depends upon its being frequently flooded at 
 the proper season — that is, from the middle of June until 
 the month of August. The best part of the river for 
 angling lies about ten miles above Newton-Stewart, at or 
 near the junction of the Cree and Minnick, the latter of 
 which is much the larger stream, and afibrds the better 
 fly-fishing. Few sea-trout ascend the Cree beyond New- 
 ton-Stewart, and salmon are the only fish it contains 
 worth mentioning, the yellow trout being generally of 
 small size, and, except near the sources of the river, not 
 very numerous. The smelt or Sperling, a very delicate^ 
 httle fish, is taken in the brackish water, at the mouth. 
 The fly found most suitable for the Cree is formed 
 of the brown feather on the back of the mallard's wing, 
 brown hackle over orange dubbing, with a little blue 
 ditto at the shoulder, forming the legs ; the tail-tuft being 
 of lemon-coloured worsted, along with a couple of fibres 
 from same feather as the wing. The size of the hook is, 
 of course, regulated by the size and colour of the river. 
 
 The Fleet is an insignificant stream, seldom frequented 
 by salmon ; and the sea-trout, which a few years ago were 
 pretty abundant, have been prevented from ascending the 
 
356 THE RIVERS OP THE SOLWAT FIRTH. 
 
 river by a Mgh embankment, erected for the purpose of 
 raising the water to a sufficient level for a cotton-mill 
 wheel at Gatehouse, a village near its mouth. A few miles 
 up among the hills, there are abundance of very small 
 yeUow trout, generally caught by worm-bait. 
 
 The Uer is about equal to the Fleet in size, and sea-trout 
 ascend it in considerable numbers ; but in dry seasons, the 
 quantity of water is so small as to admit of their being 
 easily taken by poachers. In the northern and moun- 
 tainous parts of the Stewartry, very fine trout are to be 
 met with in lochs frequented by pike ; but they are, generally 
 speaking, not numerous; and where there are no pike, the 
 trout are very small. Loch Dee, Loch Trool, Loch Erroch, 
 Lochinvar, and Loch Kinder are the best; but none of 
 these at all equal the lochs in the north of Scotland. 
 Yellow trout, from four to five pounds' weight, have been 
 caught frequently in Lochs Dee and Trool, and in the 
 former, pike above twenty pounds ; but the ordinary 
 weight is much less. 
 
 In Wigtownshire, the Luce and Bladenoch are the only 
 angling streams, and neither is entitled to the character 
 of a good one, whether for salmon or yellow trout. The 
 Luce is a very late river for salmon, which are seldom to 
 be met with before August, and • even then not in consi- 
 derable numbers, though pretty large — sometimes from 
 fifteen to twenty pounds' weight. It is generally, however, 
 well stocked with sea-trout, weighing as much as three or 
 four pounds each. These afibrd good sport to the angler, 
 and ascend the river about eight miles, as far up as Dar- 
 negap, where is a waterfall that obstructs their further 
 progress. The fishings of the Luce belong exclusively to 
 Sir James Dalrymple Hay, Bart, of Park Place, and are 
 generally reserved for fly-fishing. The lochs of Wigtown- 
 shire principally contain pike, in some instances perch and 
 roach. Good trout are sometimes caught in Loch Eldrig 
 in Mochrum, of about one or two pounds ; but they are not 
 plentiful. 
 
 The salmon of the Dee are held in high estimation. 
 Besides Mr Murray of Broughton, the Earl of Selkirk and 
 burgh of Ejrkcudbright possess fishings in this river ; 
 these are rented for about £230. The pearl-mussel is 
 very plentiful in the Dee. 
 
ANGLING HELD IN RESERVATION. 
 
 357 
 
 I may mention that the angling in many of the rivers 
 and lochs of Galloway is held in reservation, and that per- 
 mission is reqnired from the proprietors of the lands and 
 fishings, in order to wield the rod over them. Inns are 
 situated in various parts of the Stewartry and its neigh- 
 bouring shire, but chiefly in or near to small towns or 
 villages ; such as New Galloway on the Ken, Castle-Douglas 
 near the Dee, and Newton-Stewart on the Cree. 
 
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^nlilis^Bir li^ 3HBS5rB SMrannir Hiiti inm 
 
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 No. I,— ThbAib wsBsBATHBand 
 Thb Watbe we nr.iNK. 
 
 2fo. S.— The Soil wis cultivatb and 
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 "So, 3. — The Bread we eat and 
 Thb Bbbf we cook. 
 
 Ifo. 4. — Thb BBVsaAOES we infubb. 
 
 Ko. 6. — The Swebts ws exthact and 
 
 ThS LiQUOAS we yZBMENT. 
 
 No. 6. — The yARcoTics wh tn'dulgb in. 
 No. 7. — The Onouits v/v. ekjoy and 
 
 Thb Shells we dislikb. 
 No. 8. — What wb Erbathb aiio Breaths 
 voR, and 
 What, How, and Why we Dioest. 
 No. 9. — The Bodv we chbkish and 
 
 The Circulation of AIatteb, a 
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 " Gbnoa, Oct, S9, 1852." Mas Sohbrvillb. 
 
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 KEITH JOHNSTON.— A SCHOOL ATLAS OF GENEBAL AND SESCBIP- 
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 KEITH JOHNSTON,— AN ELESCENTABY SCHOOL ATLAS OP GENE- 
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^ttlilisliBii til ^fifSBiH SBlattonnii ani |ims. 
 
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