THE DEE 111 



Lower Glentana is let to the Huntly Arms Hotel at Aboyne, and 

 is as good hotel water perhaps I should say about the best hotel 

 water as can be found in Scotland. From the opening of the 

 season to the end of May, the hotel fishes not only Lower Glentana, 

 but the Forest of Birse Water, and a further stretch of about 2 miles 

 goes with the hotel the whole season through. The whole is equal to 

 about 8 or 9 miles. Mr. Sandeson of the hotel has kindly given me 

 the following records of recent years : 



Year. Spring. Total for Season. 



1904 - 188 199 



1905 - - 226 255 



1906 "... - 160 183 



1907 ~ - 170 218 



1908 - - 155 183 



These figures speak for themselves. 



Opposite Lower Glentana is Aboyne Castle Water, and both 

 terminate at the suspension bridge at Aboyne, or more correctly, I 

 believe, to the middle of the island above the bridge. The Lorren 

 is, perhaps, the favourite pool, a fine, if broad, piece of water with 

 gravel beach. 



Below the hotel water, on the left bank, is the Upper and Lower 

 Dess Water, and the Kincardine and Borrowstone Waters, opposite 

 which Carlogie and Ballogie Waters come in. This brings us down 

 to Potarch Bridge, where the river is rocky and somewhat confined. 

 An extraordinary incident which occurred at Potarch Bridge 

 was reported lately 1 in an article on " Some Indelible Kiverside 

 Incidents," by Arthur Francis Paterson. The angler was Mr. 

 Duncan Davidson of Inchmarlo. He hooked a fish in the pool 

 above the bridge, had to follow the fish down-stream till it went 

 through the bridge and broke him. " Naturally much disappointed, 

 he retraced his steps and began again. Almost immediately he was 

 in another, which made out of the pool and forced him down to the 

 bridge, where he again held and broke." Again the angler returned 

 to his pool, and again hooked another fish, and a third time he was 

 taken down to the bridge where the fish broke away. I expect it 

 was just a little difficult to be quite cheerful after that. Lord 

 Granville Gordon's account of how a similar misfortune was served 

 on the Gal way Eiver is worth recalling. 2 " There, whenever a fish 

 was hooked and made off down-stream between the arches of the 

 bridge, the gillie would pull out a pocket-knife and hand it to you 



1 The, Field, March 13, 1909, p. 446. 



2 Sporting Reminiscences, p. 101. 



