THE DEE 119 



240, 541, and 536. Captain Quintin Dick, who has rented the 

 Woodend Water since 1904, and has regularly fished it, has 

 kindly given me a statement of his catches. He informs me 

 that low water suits Woodend best, and that Commonty, which 

 is opposite, and which he also rents, fishes best when the water 

 is high. Almost all the fish are taken in spring. 



1908 . . . 120 



1909 . . . 249 



1910 ... 227 



1911 ... 184 



1912 107 



1913 ... 286 



1914 ... 185 



1915 ... 296 



1916 ... 296 



1917 226 



1918 ... 159 



1919 ... 323 



1920 , 486 



The two last are remarkable. 



I understand that Feughside Hotel frequently arranges for 

 the right of fishing on the upper Blackball Water. Two or 

 three rods can be put on this section, although I believe four 

 rods are on occasion allowed to fish it. The chances are that 

 the overcrowding of four fishers is not conducive to either 

 successful angling or comfort to the anglers. I have also heard 

 it said that one of the results is to induce overwading in order 

 to reach water near the opposite bank, thereby spoiling the 

 lies on the near bank. I have no personal knowledge of the 

 matter, but one knows the ardent nature of the keen angler, 

 and how at times a taint of selfishness enters into the actions 

 of the best of us. 



Opposite lower Crathes, the Durris Water comes in. It is 

 divided into upper and lower beats and continues downstream 

 for about 6 miles, the lower section being opposite Park. 

 There are some splendid pools in this section, which as early 

 as December have already got their complement of early clean 

 fish. I netted the whole river from Banchory to Cults one 

 December in order to mark and return fish. I have a 

 recollection of seeing a fine lot of clean fish streaming out below 

 the net in Floating Bank Pool. They went as driven sheep 

 do through a gate after a leader has discovered the way. The 

 recollection which is much more vivid, however, is how we got 

 our net hung up in almost every other pool. Cleeks, or anchors, 

 or " huds," in other words strong curved and often barbed 

 irons sunk in large stones in the river bed, had been introduced 

 to prevent poaching by net. The position of these was always 

 pointed out, and in every case had shifted to where we put in 



