122 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING 



spoiling a pool, it is all stuff and rubbish. On a cold, cloudy 

 day a fresh-run fish will be more likely to take a natural 

 minnow than a fly, as the hungry one can so easily see 

 and smell that the former is genuine ; thus, small wonder 

 it should be preferred to a bunch of feathers, which, like 

 the first oyster, will have to be taken on trust in the 

 hope it is good. At the same time, there are distinctly fly 

 days, minnow days, phantom days, and prawn days. As 

 to clean fish or kelt not eating in fresh water, we do not 

 credit one word of it, for minnows, prawns, or worms are all 

 devoured by both. If plenty of fish are seen in a pool on 

 a cold, cloudy day, while they refuse fly and bait, it is 

 simply an indication that none of them are hungry, although 

 a short time afterwards some may have acquired an appetite, 

 and then if a fly comes over these there is a very good chance 

 of hooking one, which is in no ways spoilt by the natural 

 minnow previously offered. It must not be forgotten that 

 of natural minnow there is but one kind, while there are 

 hundreds of flies, and that the right one is presented must 

 always be uncertain. Whilst on a visit to Mr. E. Brydges 

 Willyams, who, in 1885, was the lessee of the Park Fishery 

 of the Dee, we had a day on the Keith Pool when it was 

 in grand order. It is a long pool, every bit of it fishes, 

 while the salmon were splashing all over it. Commencing 

 with a "Glen Tana," one was landed; the second time over 

 it a "Grey Heron" was used with a like result; this was 

 followed by a natural minnow, with no result. Then the 

 " Gordon " had a turn, when one more fish came to bank, and 

 lunch was eaten briefly but happily. Recommencing with the 

 " Gordon," another fish was landed ; then followed a blank 

 draw with the "Yellow Eagle," and, finally, the minnow took 

 other two, which made up the half-dozen ; weights — twenty- 

 eight, twenty-three, twelve, ten, ten, and eight pounds. 



On the very same day, our host, fishing the pools of the 

 upper water with fly only, "tied" us with six other fish. 



