CHAPTER X. 



LOCH FISHING. 



LjOCH fishing for trout is carried on for the most part amidst 

 glorious and romantic scenery. There is a sense of repose 

 in the drifting boat and the rhythmical cast. As a means 

 of recreation and enjoyment it has a distinct place in the 

 affections of many of its votaries, and that they are num- 

 bered by thousands the records of Loch Leven will amply 

 testify. To the overworked man, to those who are 

 debarred from active pedestrian exercise, this method of 

 angling has a peculiar charm. To the thronging multitudes 

 of big Scottish cities (such as Glasgow, for instance) the frequent com- 

 petitions upon Loch Lomond or Loch Ard offer a change of scene and 

 environment that is simply invaluable, whilst the ozone imbibed in 

 such surroundings acts as an antidote to the smoke-laden air to which 

 their lungs are ordinarily subjected. 



But when all is said and done, to the ardent angler it forms but 

 a monotonous kind of enjoyment. There is something so mechanical 

 in the constant casting of your collar of three or four flies on the chance 

 that some fish may take one of them. The row across the loch, the 

 drift over the same ground, repeated constantly are apt to pall. Doubt- 

 less skill will assert itself in the long run, and every Scottish or Irish 

 loch has its record breakers, men who can be relied upon to hold their 

 own against all comers ; but the novice and the bungler will often succeed 

 where more experienced anglers fail. Perhaps the stream angler is too 



