42 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



from below Stirling to Loch Lomond that the proposed ship 

 canal across Scotland is planned out. 



As a salmon fishing river the Forth above the junction with 

 the Teith is really of very little account. A certain number of 

 fish ascend it annually, but the river is too like a uniform 

 winding canal in actual character to admit of good fishing, and 

 in summer time the growth of weeds in its sluggish waters is 

 excessive. 



RIVER TEITH 



The head waters of the Teith are in Loch Katrine, and more 

 particularly in the neighbourhood of the place, composed of a 

 hotel, which vies with any other in Scotland for the strength 

 of its name Stronachlacher. The burn called Glen Gyle 

 Water is the actual head stream. The loch is about 8 

 miles long, and is so deep that although its surface is 364 feet 

 above sea-level, 645 acres of its floor are below sea-level. It 

 needs no description from me. Who has not passed through 

 the Trossachs to Loch Katrine, seen Ellen's Isle, and read 

 The Lady of the Lake ? The water-level has been raised by 

 the barrage of the Glasgow Water Works (and the erstwhile 

 famous " silver strand " covered like the foundations of Philae). 

 The outlet is furnished with nine sluices of different levels and 

 a bye-wash. A very solid salmon pass is built behind and 

 parallel to the weir, and to this each sluice has an opening 

 opposite which is a pool 10' X 6' X 2' 3". Inasmuch, however, 

 as all the sluices except the lowest open by being lowered 

 instead of being raised this arrangement suiting the purposes 

 of the Water Trustees a waterfall is apt to be formed into 

 each pool. As a matter of fact, however, I am not sure that 

 salmon often make a serious attempt to enter the loch, although 

 on rare occasions they have been noticed in the pass. Their 

 spawning ground beyond Loch Katrine would be confined to 

 the Glen Gyle Burn in any case, and they would be no use for 

 sport. Trout, char, and pike are the inhabitants of this famous 

 sheet of water. 



The Achray Water flows from here to Loch Achray, and, 

 although small in volume under ordinary weather conditions, 

 has some nice gravelly beds for spawning fish. Salmon which 

 do not penetrate as far as Loch Achray ascend the Finglas, 



