204 ANGLING Gf ART IN SCOTLAND 



It is a curious circumstance to what a great 

 extent pools in the same river vary in their capacity 

 for holding trout. Or is it that in some the fish, 

 although there, cannot, through some cause un- 

 observable to our eyes, be induced to rise to an 

 artificial fly? Whatever the reason may be, I am 

 sure that every angler must have noticed this fact. 

 When fishing the Dochart I have observed it to be 

 especially remarkable. Many pools, looking just as 

 good as others near to them, seldom yield a fish — 

 in fact, it may be considered almost a waste of 

 time to try them. 



II.— A ZEALOUS CUSTODIAN 



As a salmon river the Dochart is not very good, 

 although quantities of fish pass through its waters ; 

 indeed, when fishing on Lochan lubhair, it is not 

 uncommon to see numbers of them jumping around 

 the boat. In spite of this the salmon do not 

 appear to rise at all freely in the river ; there are, 

 however, five or six pools from which occasional 

 fish are taken during the summer months. It was 

 here that the old keeper, generally known as Don 

 Malloch, who looked after the estate belonging for 



