THE DEE 113 



casts, apart from the magnificent surroundings and exhilarating 

 air, is such as to yield most interesting angling. 



The earliest fish of the Dee, owing to the complete absence 

 of barriers, are able to ascend to the upper waters if the season 

 is not severe and the river very cold. In the late eighties and 

 early nineties fish were freely taken in the Balmoral waters 

 at the opening of the season in February. Mr. Michie, the 

 King's factor, informs me, however, that the spring fish are 

 apparently not coming as far up at an early date as formerly, 

 and the opinion has been expressed by more than one that 

 the actual stock of fish has recently become rather less in spite 

 of the removal of nets, to which I shall refer presently. 



It is unsafe to make any deduction without first acquiring 

 statistics, which will show if the reported decline really exists. 

 After that, the question of whether the existing fish are 

 changing their habits, owing, it may be, to changing thermal 

 conditions, would have to be considered. Unfortunately the 

 production of reliable records of catch for a series of years 

 has always been a matter of great difficulty in waters which 

 are largely let. It would appear, however, that the early fish 

 are still got in good numbers as far as Ballater. I will only 

 say here, in passing, that the spring fish of the Dee are almost 

 exclusively of the small class, and that to understand the 

 upkeep of stock of those small spring fish, we must carefully 

 watch the upkeep of grilse, for the small springers belong to 

 the same hatch of fish as the grilse of the previous year. 



The Linn stops the further ascent of early fish, as com- 

 paratively small falls do in all other districts, until such time 

 as the wintry conditions of temperature are no longer present 

 in the water. By the second or third week of May, as a rule, 

 the fish are willing to ascend the Linn and to push on through 

 the rough streams above. In the pool above the linn, I 

 understand, the Princess Louise had 12 fish one day. 



As the river proceeds towards Braemar, past Mar Lodge, the 

 glen gradually widens, and the open, sinuous, and gravelly 

 character so familiar in the main section of the river, appears. 

 Pools and streams succeed one another in pleasant, open, 

 shingly bends, beautiful to the eye of the angler and the lover 

 of nature. At the Linn the river is 1,214 feet above the sea ; 

 at Braemar it is about 1,066 feet up. Passing Invercauld, the 



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