WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



thus wounded and frightened, become shy, and unwilling 

 to rise again. Also, if a large fish is hooked very near the 

 board, there is a great risk that he will break your fly off, 

 and go away with it sticking in his mouth. For these rea- 

 sons, the otter, though of great use in certain localities, 

 should never be used in waters where the rod can be 

 brought into play. Though excitingenough in an unknown 

 and remote lake, where you seldom fish, the actual sport 

 which it affords, falls far short of rod fishing. 



I have tried it for pike, but did not find it answer, as the 

 fish were constantly struck without being hooked — in con- 

 sequence of their requiring some time to gorge their prey. 

 The angling in some of the best trout lochs is completely 

 spoilt by the introduction of these instruments of destruc- 

 tion. Every shepherd's boy or idle fellow can make one, 

 and carry it about with him; and in lakes where this kind 

 of fishing is prohibited, he has nothing to do, if he sees a 

 keeper or watcher in the distance, but to wrapup the whole 

 thing in his plaid, and walk away with it. There are but 

 few Highland lochs in which a net can be drawn with good 

 effect, owing to the unevenness of the bottom, and the risk 

 of getting your tackle entangled and broken by roots and 

 remains of trees, which always abound in these waters — 

 the remnants of forests of an age gone by. Their great 

 depth too is another obstacle to net fishing, excepting here 

 and there, where a sandy bay or tolerably smooth bottom 

 can be found. To these places the trout always resort in 

 the evenings, in order to feed on the insects and smaller 

 fish that frequent the small stones. 



In lochs containing pike, a hang-net, as it is called, 



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