240 ROD AND RIVER 



and have had some excellent sport, but, despite 

 the annoyance of the angling competitions, my 

 pleasantest reminiscences of loch-fishing are, and 

 ever will be, those connected with Lochleven. 



The bottoms of lochs vary very considerably, 

 and while some are fairly regular, others are 

 intersected by banks, the depths being very 

 irregular. When drifting, the greater number 

 of fish, and those of largest size, will be found 

 in the neighbourhood of the banks, which form 

 their feeding-grounds. The deeper parts rarely 

 yield much sport,. such fish as are taken in them 

 being generally small. It is therefore well, for 

 anyone visiting a strange loch, to endeavour to 

 ascertain what the soundings are. Charts of 

 most of the large lochs may be purchased, but 

 where they are not procurable, local information 

 must be resorted to. 



I would urge the reader, if he has had no expe- 

 rience of loch-fishing, and there is more than one 

 rod in the boat, to be cautious, when thus casting 

 with the wind behind him, to avoid throwing on 

 that side of the boat on which his companion may 

 be, and equally to caution the latter to respect him. 

 A cast armed with three or four flies is not a 

 pleasant thing to have festooned round one's face. 

 Such adornments are less harmful when unattached 

 to a line and coiled around a hat. 



There is one striking peculiarity about Loch- 



