CHAPTER XXX 



THE- RIVERS LUCE, BLADENOCH, CREE, 

 FLEET, URR, DEE 



RIVER LUCE 



ANGLING SEASON : 25th February to 31st October. 

 NETTING SEASON : 25th February to 9th September. 



This river rises from two sources, both of which have their 

 origin in Ayrshire. The one, which is the more westerly, is 

 called the Main Water of Luce, the other is called the Cross 

 Water of Luce. In this district a cross water is a tributary 

 which joins its main stream at a cross angle, i.e. an abrupt 

 angle. The Duisk tributary of the Stinchar has a cross water. 

 There is also a cross water at the source of the Tig. 



The junction of the two streams is at New Luce, 6 miles from 

 the sea. The total length of the river along the line of the 

 main water is 15 miles to the sea at the Bay of Luce. 



The Earl of Stair owns the two head streams. From the 

 junction downwards the water goes with the property of 

 Dunragit. The whole of the river is carefully preserved. 



The Luce is a pretty little river with a gravelly bottom, and 

 a fine succession of some 20 pools and streams in its lower 

 section. The water is distinctly peaty owing to the wide 

 moorlands round the sources, the rise and fall is often extremely 

 rapid, and the pools are liable to much change by the action of 

 floods. The great pool is certainly the Puddle Hole imme- 

 diately below the railway viaduct, and rather less than a mile 

 from the mouth of the river. Here great execution is done 

 amongst the sea-trout in summer, most of the fishing, or at 

 least much of the successful fishing, being carried on at night. 

 Major G. Ashley Dodd has made some extraordinary scores 

 here. On different occasions, he has killed 168, 166, and 145 



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