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night lines. The trout in the loughs also run very large. 

 I have taken them from five to fifteen pounds in weight, 

 which is no unusual size ; and some have been taken 

 that reached the enormous weight of thirty pounds. 



Many years ago, when I first visited Randalstown to 

 fish the Bann, the Blackwater, that delightful trouting 

 stream, the Maine, and the great Lough Neagh, the otter 

 and cross-lines were very much used, but I believe they 

 are now prohibited. My boatman had an excellent otter, 

 which he used most days on the lough, killing numbers of 

 brown trout and a few salmon. I was much amused to 

 see the otter keep up with the boat. Attached to it was 

 a hundred yards of line with various flies, baits, and 

 lampreys. The boatman did not draw the otter in till he 

 had six or seven fish on, and then it was a very exciting 

 sight ; but he lost several, owing to their knocking them- 

 seves off against the boat. I preferred using the rod and 

 fly. The drake and artificial May fly are generally good on 

 Lough Erne and Lough Melvin, and the trout rise well to 

 the natural drake in the latter part of April, and May. I 

 found the best place to use them was where the river to 

 Ballyshannon commences its current from the lough, 

 which is twenty odd miles in length, in addition to the 

 upper lough, above Enniskillen, which is of greater length. 

 Both these lochs are studded with a number of small 

 islands. The trout are thick to the tail, pink in colour, 

 and delicate eating. Those generally caught seldom weigh 

 under a pound, but mostly above, and not a few from 

 two-and-a-half to three pounds, and occasionally up to 

 seven pounds. 



