172 AN IRISH SALMON-RIVER 



From boyhood I had been accustomed to read en- 

 thusiastic descriptions of this famous river and the grand 

 sport it afforded; but, making allowance for the fond 

 glow thrown by patriotism upon so much that is Irish, I 

 was prepared for rather less than I found. The Erne is 

 indeed a noble salmon-river. Its course from Lough 

 Gowla in County Longford to the sea at Ballyshannon is 

 some seventy miles, draining an area of about 1700 square 

 miles ; but of this length seven-and-thirty miles is buried 

 in upper and lower Lough Erne two vast sheets of water 

 covering between them upwards of 37,000 acres. For the 

 salmon-fisher, interest is concentrated upon the five miles 

 or so of river between Belleek, at the foot of the lower 

 lough, and the iniquitous boxes cruives, we should call 

 them in Scotland at the Assaroe Falls below Bally- 

 shannon bridge. 



It is always a difficult matter to compare the volume of 

 one river with that of another. Difference in the nature 

 of channels deceives the eye ; the effects of rainfall and 

 drought render the average flow uncertain ; therefore it is 

 with hesitation that I estimate the Erne below Belleek as 

 equivalent to the Tweed at Melrose when in fishing trim. 

 But the Irish river runs with a far steadier, fuller flow 

 during the summer months than does the Tweed, albeit 

 the great natural advantage of abundant water-storage 

 has been sorely impaired by human interference, presently 

 to be described. 



Now I had a fancy that morning for displaying to the 

 salmon of the Erne a particular fly which had served me 

 well in both Scottish and Norwegian waters a modest 

 affair, having a sober black body touched up with silver 

 twist, wings and hackle of the black-and-white barred 



