348 THE BLADENOCII AND LUCE. 



THE BLADENOCII. 



* A fair spring river, but at DO season so good as the 

 Cree, and the fish are very shy. The same flies will kill 

 well dressed larger, but the favourite is the dun wing, 

 as dressed by Wright of Sprouston (see Tweed, p. 344). 

 Sizes from 4 to 6 in spring, down to 9 or 10 in summer. 

 The Butcher (p. 338) is a prime favourite also for spring. 



THE LUCE. 



' This is a late river, but the fish run far heavier than 

 in either of the others, a 20-lb. fish being by no means a 

 rarity. My favourite fly is dressed as follows: 



'Tag, gold tinsel, tail red parrot, teal, and yellow 

 macaw ; body, yellow, orange, scarlet and claret pig's 

 wool, dressed spare ; gold thread double ; grouse hackle on 

 shoulder ; wings, red wild turkey, one topping over ; hook 

 6 to 10. 



* Another good one is a claret body, with blue hackle 

 on phoulder, grey mallard wing, or teal for small sizes. 



' The following eccentricity is reckoned excellent as a 

 change, and I know it does good work.: 



'Tag, gold tinsel; tail, topping ; body, half yellow, half 

 pea-green pig's wool, dressed spare; gold tinsel; green 

 hackle over green pig's wool ; grouse at shoulder ; wings, 

 brown mallard, between which a bright blue hackle ; over 

 them one topping; head, black ostrich. Hook 8 or 9. 

 About as ugly a fly as you will find. 



4 The upper waters of the Cree and the Minnick are 

 protected, but the lower and better part is netted. The 

 Bladenoch is preserved by an association, but the Luce is 

 terribly netted ; the fish slaps are sometimes built up, 

 and in short a general state of neglect and ignorance of 

 what is law prevails. As to the stake netting in the 



