THE TWEED CADDON-WATER. 65 



This part of the Tweed used to attract many anglers 

 to the inn at Clovenford, on Caddon water (which 

 joins the Tweed about a mile below Ashiestiel), before 

 the railway to Hawick superseded the coach that ran 

 past it between Edinburgh and Carlisle. It is about 

 a couple of miles from the Tweed, and still the best 

 station for fishing this part of the river. Caddon- 

 water itself is worth the angler's attention, especially 

 in exceptional states of water when the Tweed is un* 

 fishable. After rain, smaller waters are often falling 

 into the best condition for angling just when the main 

 river is rising to its height, and a minnow or worm 

 may be deadly in the Caddon when the Tweed is roar- 

 ing from bank to brae, and the sickened and terrified 

 trouts are thinking only of their safety as they keep to 

 the edge of the yellow flood that is covering haugh and 

 holm. Clovenford is about three miles from Galashiels. 



Salmon-fishing may be said to begin at Holylee, a 

 number of grilse, and a clean salmon or two, being 

 usually captured by the rod so far up every season. 

 The Fairnilee fishing- water, which is next to this, op- 

 posite the Yair water, and extends a distance of about 

 four miles from Thornylee to Yair Bridge, is even let 

 to a large party of Edinburgh anglers, who have a 

 snug shieling on the water- side called " The Nest, 7 ' 

 near Fairnilee, capable of accommodating, at a pinch, 

 nearly a dozen. They are said to be jovial fellows, 

 and to enjoy themselves remarkably in their excursions 

 to Tweedside.* We believe they pay about 70 per 



* Under the title of " Songs of the Edinburgh Angling Chtb," 

 they have recently published a volume of canticles extracted 

 from the " Nest Album." The songs had been inscribed there 



F 



