THE SALMON 



caught ninety-nine sea-trout there at a single tide, 

 and I have no doubt that his account and memory 

 may be strictly relied upon, although I run the risk of 

 having a well-known ' chestnut ' quoted against myself 

 and him. Probably it was the fact of the day's catch 

 being just one short of the ' century ' which fixed the 

 number in his recollection. I have no doubt that at 

 that time sea-trout were far more numerous than they 

 are now ; but over-netting has told greatly upon their 

 numbers. I fear the countless yachts which frequent 

 the west coast are not altogether guiltless of this form 

 of poaching. Some owners regard neither the law of 

 the land nor the rights of property when anchored in 

 waters at all out of the way, and make havoc with 

 scringing and splash nets. The committees of the 

 various northern yacht clubs are doing something to 

 discourage the poaching propensities of certain of 

 their members ; but I am afraid that not unfrequently 

 out of sight is still out of mind. 



The fish in the Add run small, the average weight 

 working out at about 7^ lb. The largest I ever 

 caught there weighed just over twenty pounds, and I 

 never heard of anything much heavier being taken with 

 a rod and line. The largest number I ever caught 

 in a season was forty-nine salmon and 167 sea-trout. 

 My best day, eliminating the altogether exceptional 



