130 THE BORDER ANGLER. 



well loaded, in a flood, while the water was yet too 

 thick for spinning it successfully. But the truth is, the 

 trout of Gala are small — ^below the average, indeed, of 

 any other tributary of the Tweed of equal volume. 

 Like those of the human race whom the gods love, 

 perhaps they die young, and only a few are allowed 

 to reach their full stature and ponderosity. This is, 

 however, rather opposed to the ordinary rule, which is, 

 that where trout are very numerous they remain small, 

 whereas when they are thinned by fishing, they in- 

 crease in size. On the last occasion on which we 

 fished the Gala — (with fly in the end of April, in a 

 bitter east- wind from Fountainhall up to Heriot Kirk) 

 — the six dozen trout which we got certainly would 

 not weigh more than nine pounds, if so much, and 

 there was not a half-pounder amongst them. 



The Luggate enters the Gala a mile and a half 

 below Stow. It is its principal tributary, and swarms 

 with trout. Very large numbers have been attained 

 by anglers in this little stream, and with the May-fly 

 a diligent fisher may also pick out an " assortment" 

 of a very respectable size. 



Below Bowland, the Gala may be fished for a mile 

 or two, but it here comes into dangerous proximity 

 to Galashiels and its poachers. At that town it be- 

 comes a mill-lead^ and is mixed with chemicals that 

 poison the fish ; and although, between the mills and 

 the Tweed, a few of tough constitution are believed to 

 survive, and were, we understand, counted in order to 

 furnish an answer to the promoters of the new Tweed 

 Act, who wished to strengthen the clause preventing the 

 throwing of deleterious matters into our border streams. 



