THE HELMSDALE 



241 



between the river and the fixed nets depends on several local 

 circumstances, and, in the case of rivers largely dependent upon 

 the small class of spring fish, must be such that the shoals of 

 grilse which approach the shore in early summer, and swim off 

 and on and along the shore in the neighbourhood of river 

 mouths, be not captured in undue numbers. 



If the fixed nets are so placed as to capture undue numbers of 

 those grilse and it is the tacksman's endeavour to capture as 

 many of them as he can the valuable stock is reduced. Even 

 under natural causes grilse may fail, and consequently small 

 springers may fail ; under conditions in which unwise netting 

 is superadded there is risk that such failure be turned into 

 bankruptcy. 



As I have already said, the Helmsdale was always famous 

 as a spring river ; what seems now to have happened as the 

 direct result of the operations just described, is that a most 

 productive summer fishing has also been brought about. Take, 

 for instance, the spring and summer rod results of Borrobol for 

 six years before and after the Badanloch Loch was opened 

 (1901), kindly given me by the late Mr. Frank Sykes, than whom 

 no one has had longer associations with the river. 



BOBBOBOL RESULTS. 



Year. 



1895 . 



1896 . 



1897 . 



1898 . 



1899 . 



1900 . 



1901 . 



1902 . 



1903 . 



1904 . 



1905 . 



1906 . 



1907 . 



1908 . 



Quinquennial averages of the Borrobol totals since 1878 are as 

 follow : 97, 184, 109, 136, 156, and 183. 



Lieut. -Colonel Lawson has now become the owner of Borrobol 

 and inter alia made a good start by capturing in the spring of 



Q 



