183 



LOCH LEVEN— KINROSS. 



I'rom Lncli Awo to Kinross is a far cry, but I cannot 

 omit to mention this famous trout lake, which is situated 

 17 miles from Perth. It is, undoubtedly, the best lou^h 

 fishino- ill Scotland, and so it ou^ht to be, in view of the 

 fact that the charge for fishing and boatmen is 8s. per hour, 

 plus 3s. 6d. for their lunch, including a pint of whiskey and 

 two quarts of beer ! And to this it is expected that you will 

 add a tip of Is. per day to each of your two men. The hotel 

 charges are on the same liberal scale, and Leven, therefore, 

 ranks amongst the most expensive, as well as the best, loch 

 trout fishing in the United Kingdom. This fis'hing is run 

 by a company, and there is small wonder that they pay 

 fat dividends. 



The Loch Leven trout are free risers and bold fighters, 

 and in appearance they are quite different to the ordinary 

 brown trout, being longer and thinner, and more silvery 

 in colour. It is usual to see it stated that the fish taken in 

 this loch average lib. each, but such is not the case, accord- 

 ing to my experience. If you allow |lb. as an average, that 

 would be nearer the mark, but even at that figure a basket 

 of such fish make a very handsome show as the result of a 

 day's fishing. 



It is not given to all of us to be content to pay 30s. "i)er 

 day for trout fishing, and I, personally, prefer something 

 a little less heroic. The bare charges at Green's hotel, in- 

 cluding fishing, amount to £2 6s. 6d. per day. 



Except in rouprh weather, when there is a big ripple on, 

 the use of large flies is a mistake. Fine fishing pavs quite 

 as well in Loch Leven as it does everywhere else. The man 

 who uses single X-drawn gut at point, and finest natural 

 for the remainder of the cast, will rise far more fish than 

 those who use coarse casts. The same remark applies to 

 the size of flies ; the most successful Leven anglers in calm 

 water are those who fish the smallest patterns. 



THE END, 



