SALMON FISHING 201 



as the Lochy in August till I have been exaspe- 

 rated and made weary by the sight and sound of 

 fish jumping, splashing, making boils, showing 

 heads and tails, and doing everything except take 

 my fly. In summer the fresh run fish are gene- 

 rally either small salmon or grilse, but when the 

 water is in order there are plenty of such fish 

 in first-rate condition to be caught. Very good 

 sport may then be enjoyed, especially on a small 

 rod and light tackle, but my experience has been 

 that August and September are very bad rising 

 months on large rivers. October is on the 

 average the wettest month of the year, and in 

 ordinary seasons the rivers become full again, 

 and the salmon that are in them take better, and 

 continue to do so in November, but to me much 

 of the charm has then gone. It is true that on 

 a river, such as the Tweed, fresh run salmon may 

 be landed in November. They are fresh from 

 the sea, but they have neither the liveliness nor 

 the hard condition of spring fish, and in all 

 autumn fishing, the greater number of the fish 

 landed are either red or discoloured. Perhaps I 

 have become unduly fastidious, but I cannot care 

 for autumn fishing with the same eagerness as in 



