SMALL HIGHLAND STREAMS 101 



swimming round and round, threw my fly over them, 

 more in idleness and from curiosity than with any 

 other motive. To my great surprise one fish after 

 another followed the fly, and more than one took it 

 under water, and I caught three and hooked and lost 

 one or two others, although I myself, my rod, and my 

 cast must have been quite as visible to the fish as they 

 were to me. It is very seldom indeed that there is 

 not some curl on the lowest horseshoes, and it very 

 rarely happens that one cannot at least secure one or 

 two sea-trout ; but these game little fish have certainly 

 decreased in numbers during my fishing career. It is 

 useless to fish for either salmon or sea-trout long after 

 the flood tide has begun to make. For a few minutes 

 at 'first of flood ' the fish rise furiously, but generally 

 short ; but when the sand and gravel off the shallows 

 begin to float, and the stream to turn, you may as 

 well put up your rod and walk home. 



The part of the river of which I am speaking is 

 perfectly fresh water long after it has been touched 

 by the tide ; but there is a stretch lower down, near the 

 old Crinan ferry, where great sport can sometimes be 

 had in what is practically part of the estuary at ' first 

 of flood ' at spring tides. I never myself did very 

 much there, as it was rather far to go for a very short 

 bit of sport, but the old laird told me that he once 



