LOCH LOMOND 379 



Montrose. Here the course of the river becomes highly 

 tortuous and the current gentle. 



The two obstructions at Gartness are, in descending order, 

 first the double obstacle of a dam-dyke and fall at the village 

 of Gartness ; and second, beyond an extensive loop of the 

 river course a more serious fall at the Pot of Gartness. That 

 salmon manage to surmount both obstructions is sufficiently 

 evident, for I have seen numbers of fish above ; but certainly 

 the ascent must be accomplished with difficulty. Both 

 obstructions might with great advantage be modified or 

 provided with fish passes, so that the splendid spawning ground 

 above might be rendered of greater utility to the district. 

 This is the more desirable since, in proportion to the size of 

 Loch Lomond, the other available spawning streams are 

 comparatively small and rocky. 



The dam dyke at the village of Gartness is for the purpose of 

 supplying water-power to a small wool mill. The weir is above 

 the fall and the mill below the fall, hence the fall is deprived 

 of the water carried down the lade. There is a well-defined 

 S-shaped channel to the edge of the fall. It would not be 

 difficult to lower the crest and to improve the channel for 

 some 30 to 40 feet, so as to secure a much easier ascent for fish. 

 The dam dyke just above is about 5^ feet high, but is unpro- 

 vided with a gap of any kind. 



At the Pot of Gartness the obstruction is, as I have said, 

 more serious. The pool, forming the so-called Pot, is large 

 and deep ; and at times holds a very large number of fish 

 unable to ascend. The entire face of the rocky barrier is 

 precipitous, and, in low-water conditions, about 5| feet high. 

 In times of flood this will no doubt be sensibly lessened. The 

 natural lead up for fish is by the left bank, and on this side of 

 the river the rock has been worn away to a greater extent than 

 elsewhere, so that the barrier starts in a curving line across the 

 river. Above the precipitous face of the barrier, the bed of 

 the river is rocky and much broken into ledges for a distance 

 of about 70 yards, with an additional rise of about 7 feet. 

 Through those rocky ledges it would not be at all difficult to 

 construct an efficient pass. If all stories are true, there would 

 be great benefit in preventing the crowding of fish which 

 occurs in this Pot of Gartness at the " back end " of the year, 



