320 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



plenty of fish to be got, and here generally lay the heaviest 

 fish. From the end of this long still water there was about a 

 mile or so of rough water, in which you occasionally got sea- 

 trout, and I have caught grilse. You then came to the pools 

 into which the tide ran up near the Garynahine Inn and bridge. 

 There occasionally, particularly in the latter end of the season, 

 you got fish ; and if you watched the turn of the tide well, and 

 caught the pools as the fish were coming in, and before the tide 

 had made too much, you might get a good many sea-trout. I 

 once got 87, but they were small. From this description it 

 will be seen that the Blackwater was a very nice little river. 

 It was no Highland or Irish stream, but it had plenty of fish ; 

 and it had one thing about it I never saw equalled it was the 

 best rising river I ever threw line on." 



It must be explained that with the river in his own hand, 

 " Sixty-One " did not over -fish it. He was a great believer in 

 resting the water thoroughly, so he picked his days, and did 

 not show himself in the intervals. Then, again, he used a light 

 rod and very fine tackle. He refers to his flies in one place as 

 " not more than midges." In this he not only also prevented 

 disturbance of the water, but secured the maximum of sport 

 when he did get into a fish. He was, as we have shown, a very 

 keen sportsman, but he was also a very observant and thought- 

 ful one. " Heaven defend me from one of your very keen 

 fishermen, who rushes at a river in all weathers," he writes ; 

 " I have as great a horror of him as ever Old Noll had of 

 Sir Harry Vane." 



The Blackwater is, however, not a spring river as the 

 Grimersta. On rare occasions, I believe, spring fish enter it, 

 but they need not be sought there regularly. Very probably 

 the Grimersta draws them off, simply because of its extra water 

 volume. 



THE RIVER LAXAY 



may be considered as ranking third in the Lews. It is on the 

 opposite side of the island, and has a course of about 4 miles 

 from Loch Trialaval to Loch Valtos, from which it flows by a 

 short course of about a mile into the sea, about half-way up 

 Loch Erisort, some 10 miles south of Stornoway, as the crow 

 flies. 



