6G 



not u big- average, but, with one exception, they were all 

 bright, tresh run fish, in splendid condition. The rain still 

 holds ott', and six weeks have now elapsed since a drop of 

 water fell on this thirsty soil. As the spring of the year 

 was very wet, the potato crop was late in planting, and 

 the drought of the past few weeks has, therefore, been very 

 beneficial in ripening what few tubers have escaped disease. 

 Thes3 are very few, however, and the crop will not be more 

 than one-third of an average yield. Oats are an enormous 

 crop — the best that has been known for many years — and 

 tile same may be said of flax, judging from the number of 

 stinking flax pits ,with which the whole of the N.N.W 

 counties now reek. By reason of the drought there is 

 little, if any, of this vile-smelling flax water in the rivers, 

 and the salmon, as a consequence, rise well and give good 

 sport to the angler. On the river that I am fishing, the 

 run of salmon this season from the sea, has been the 

 largest within the memory of the oldest fishermen. The 

 river swarms with fish, and we only want a freshet to raise 

 the water about a foot, and then our score for last week 

 could be doubled without any difficulty. The two best 

 fish taken on our beat last week were 19^1b. and 21|lb., 

 but neither of these fell to my rod. 16|^lb. was my best. 

 Our thirteen salmon in one week beat the record for any 

 boat on the river this season ; but we also had a turn, 

 amongst the pike, killing about twenty, besides several big 

 trout. 



Following on the storms which last week made fishing 

 impossible in Ireland, we have had such alternations of 

 sunshine and cloud, and such balmy breezes, as seldom fall 

 to the lot of an autumn salmon angler. The floods of last 

 week have brought up those laggard fish, who hang about 

 the estuary of this big river, until the heavy rains of 

 October, or November, give them a free run up to their 

 breeding grounds. But before going further, let me ex- 

 plain that I am located in a farm house in the County of 

 Antrim upon the banks of the river Bann — a river quite as 

 large as the Thames. The Bann is the only outlet of the 

 waters of lough l^eagh — a mighty inland sea, some thirty 



