90 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



THE EARN. 



ANGLING SEASON : 1st February to 31st October. 

 NETTING SEASON : 5th February to 20th August. 



It has been contended that the Earn is a quite separate river 

 from the Tay, since it has a separate close time, being recognised as 

 a late river and because it has a separate entrance, coming into the 

 Tay estuary at a point where that estuary is 2 miles broad at high 

 water. There is something wrong about the geography of the Tay 

 estuary if this last statement is true. As a matter of fact one has 

 to go about half way to Dundee, about seven miles below the mouth 

 of the Earn, before the Tay estuary is 2 miles wide. 



The Earn is most certainly in the Tay district ; it is also super- 

 vised by the Tay District Fishery Board ; and the close time for 

 netting is the same as the Tay close time. Only the angling season 

 is later, and that by a fortnight. It is a large river, entering the 

 tidal area of the Tay at what may be described as the foot of the 

 upper, narrow, and river-like section of the estuary. It is itself 

 affected by the tide for quite 10 miles. It is netted by net and 

 coble about three miles up from the mouth to a bend of the river 

 called the Carey Hole, and very occasionally, I believe, at Elliothead, 

 which is 5 miles up. The quiet, even character of the lowest stretch 

 of the river is well seen as the North British train to Perth crosses 

 the flat ground beyond Bridge of Earn before reaching the Perth 

 tunnel. 



The river rises from Loch Earn, a sheet of water fed by several 

 comparatively small streams, none of which, owing to their steepness 

 can be regarded as salmon head waters except for spawning purposes. 

 It flows down the wide Strath Earn past Coinrie and Crieff to 

 Dupplin and the tidal reaches already referred to, a distance, includ 

 the many windings, of 46 miles. 



Loch Earn is nearly 6J miles in length and over half a mile in 

 mean breadth. It is a beautiful loch as one looks from the St. 

 Fillans end to Ben Vorlich on the left, or as one looks across it and 

 up Glen Ogle at Lochearnhead. The style of scenery is that of a 

 large loch. One always seems to understand that Loch Earn must 

 be quite 12 miles long. There is nothing trivial or detailed in the 

 landscape. The whole is composed in broad masses, with simplicity 

 and not a little sweetness, and yet with grandeur. We have here a 

 large loch in miniature. 



In formation it is a simple basin, having its greatest depth 



