THE NORTH ESK \ \ \ v, 5 



The line which separates upper and lower pi^tfietpyrs is ; "'dra" wtf 

 across the ford above Fluke Hole, from the east end of the land 

 embankment on the right side of the river, to the pigeon house 

 under Kirkside plantation, on the left side of the river." This 

 defines six fisheries as lower proprietors' fisheries, and twice that 

 number as upper proprietors' fisheries, and as the average value of a 

 lower fishery is fully twice that of an upper fishery, the greatest 

 monetary interest remains with the proprietors of the coast and 

 estuary Brotherton and Lauriston, Woodstone, Kirkside, Kinnaber 

 and Charleton, Kockhall, and Comieston, but a part of Kinnaber is 

 in the upper waters. 



It will be gathered that owing to the netting of the lower reaches, 

 rod fishing in spring and summer is here not thought of. I have 

 no doubt, however, that if the netting was stopped, a most valuable 

 spring rod fishing would grow into being, and the experience of, say, 

 the Dee, and of other rivers I could name, goes to show that from 

 the point of view of mere profit to the proprietor, rod fishing pays 

 better than netting. As a large proprietor on the Dee once said to 

 me when discussing this subject: " No one but a fool would now think 

 of putting in a net here." The course would also have the very 

 great advantage of benefiting all proprietory neighbours above, and 

 perhaps even of bringing harmony into the fishery councils of the 

 district. 



A very considerable success attends the autumn angling in those 

 lower reaches, during the two months after the nets come off till the 

 rod fishing ends, 31st August to 31st October. The number of fish 

 taken in this period during the five last years was : 



Year. 

 1908 

 1907 

 1906 

 1905 

 1904 



The heaviest fish taken on the rod in 1907 was 37J Ib. It was 

 taken at Craigo, but in that season quite a number of fish approach- 

 ing this weight were taken at other parts of the river. In 1908, the 

 heaviest rod caught fish was 34 Ib. In 1904, 37 Ib. was the top 

 weight there having been nothing so heavy in the intervening 

 years. In this year, also, a 58 Ib. fish was taken in the coast nets of 

 the district, and a 40 Ib. fish in the sweep nets of the river. 



With regard to the earlier fishing on the river above Craigo, it 

 will be understood from what has already been said that the run of 



