68 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



fresh waters during the fishing season, or apparently to any great 

 extent even at the spawning time, come cruising into the estuarial 

 waters at " the back end," and at long intervals are happened upon 

 by some chance. As already stated, a 61 \ Ib. fish was caught in the 

 tidal water in 1907, and an 84 pounder was captured by one Willie 

 Walker, a native of Newburgh, in a sparling net some miles above 

 the Tay Bridge, on the north side of the estuary, in the winter of 

 1869. The Bishop of Bristol once played a fish here for 10 hours 

 and eventually lost him. From the free water below Moncreiffe 

 Island a 51 Ib. fish was taken on the rod in 1905, this being the 

 second for the river that season, the first is the fish mentioned in 

 the above list. A large number of fish usually come pretty near to 

 the record. In other words, the Tay yields a very considerable 

 number of fish over 40 Ib. each year. The 70 Ib. fish which Frank 

 Buckland stuffed and had in his museum was caught at Newburgh, 

 below Moncreiffe Island. 



Important fishings, such for instance as Murthly and Ballathie, 

 are not infrequently let to tenants who are unable to be on the 

 water a great deal, or are not disposed to fish the water very 

 regularly. It follows, of course, that the total catch is commonly 

 less than would be the case were the water fully fished, and that to 

 give the annual catches would yield no indication of the real sport- 

 ing value. 



Murthly is in the rather exceptional position, for the Tay, of 

 having both banks for such distance as will give a boat a whole 

 day's fishing. On this water, therefore, Murthly may fish every 

 legal day. Below this water Murthly fishes from one bank, and 

 therefore on alternate days. Mr. Steuart Fotheringham kindly 

 informs me that the average for the water during the last twenty- 

 six years is 128 fish. The average weight of fish is 16 Ib., although 

 salmon of 46 Ib. and 44 Ib. have been taken. The best season in 

 the period referred to yielded 229 fish with an average of 17 Ib. 

 The experience at Murthly, as at other lower Tay fishings, is that of 

 late years the spring results have improved and the autumn results 

 have declined. It happened, however, that 1908, in autumn, was a 

 season of remarkably poor fishing weather, dull, muggy, hazy, wind- 

 less ; the sort of autumn when gnats play over every white stone, 

 and cobwebs float across one's face. Fish flop about in the oily- 

 looking pools, and sometimes splash so close to one that the silent 

 fisher is startled, and presently realises that the salmon either ignores 

 his presence or regards him with contempt. Let him fish never so 



