THE GARRY 187 



the gradient is more than three times that of either the Oich or 

 the Ness. 



This lower Garry is a free-rising river. Very few of the pools 

 are of any depth ; the water is lively, and takes out the fisher- 

 man's line and fly most pleasantly ; the fish lie where the 

 appearance of the water lets one know they are likely to be ; 

 there is no dull moment in one's fishing ; it is quite clear " he " 

 may come at any moment. Of all pools in the river, and, 

 counting small casts, there are about twenty, the Little Crooked 

 has the reputation of being the surest for fish. " If there's a 

 single fish in Little Crooked he'll rise to you at once," was the 

 remark made to me by one who knows the river intimately. 

 It is the highest pool in the river with the exception of two 

 casts, one at the falls, where the river descends from Loch 

 Garry, and the other a short distance below called the Otter's 

 Hole, both of which can only be fished when the water is low. 



The Big Crooked, where the river takes a sharp turn to the 

 left, is also in high favour, as are the Dog Pool, the Englishman, 

 the two Mill Pools, the Carry, the House (so named from Inver- 

 garry House, which is close by), and the River Mouth. The 

 photograph shows a stretch including the Dog Pool. 



Catches of 36 and 24 fish have been made at different times 

 in one week, and about 440 have been got in a spring season. 

 These were great doings. It is a good sign of the river that 

 the weights appear to be increasing. In February 1909 two 

 rods, sublet from the Duke of Portland, had 74 fish, averaging 

 17 Ib. 



The fall of the lower Garry deserves some mention. It is 

 situated at the outlet from Loch Garry in a deep rocky gorge. 

 It has three rises or breaks in its formation, and fish have to 

 make two successive springs in making the ascent. The second 

 spring is a difficult one, partly because it has to be made from 

 broken water, but chiefly because of an upward burst of water 

 caused by a large submerged rock upon which the water strikes, 

 and which interferes materially with the " take off " of the 

 leaping fish. The total height of the fall at low- water 

 conditions is apparently about 10 feet, and it is only during 

 low-water conditions that fish are able to ascend. Owing to 

 the narrowness of the gorge a slight rise in the loch is multiplied 

 considerably, and only a moderate rise of level is sufficient to 



