KYLE OF SUTHERLAND 209 



tions along this line have shown most conclusively that the policy 

 of reducing netting where fish specially congregate before ascending 

 to their spawning grounds, is thoroughly sound. The Kyle is in 

 this district the spot where regulative treatment is most vital, and 

 as far as possible keen fishing should here be avoided. Netting 

 rental may for the present bulk somewhat largely in the argument, 

 but all experience goes to show that, even from a purely remunera- 

 tive point of view, really good angling pays better, and has the 

 great advantage of leaving an adequate breeding stock of fish. It 

 is, of course, easy for one whose pocket is not affected by the matter 

 to give advice, yet the advice is prompted purely in the general 

 interests of the district as a whole. Let a proportion of every run 

 of fish past the nets, is the golden rule. 



The district was also rendered famous in the " thirties " by the 

 investigations of Young, of Invershin, who came to the locality in 

 1828, and exercised the netting at the junction of the Shin and 

 Oykell. Young died in 1865, but he was the pioneer of salmon 

 marking in Scotland, and although entirely wrong in many of his 

 conclusions, since he held that smolts went to the sea when a year 

 old, and came back as grilse the same season, he did much by writ- 

 ing on the results of his observations to draw attention to the 

 interest surrounding the migratory habits of the salmon. Especially 

 did he draw the attention of a good fighter in Mackenzie of Dun- 

 donnell, who published a book, 1 which makes good reading if only 

 by reason of its incisive combativeness. Great was the scorn of 

 Dundonnell for the arguments of his opponent. Young's son, now 

 getting up in years, still occupies the farm at Invershin, but, as already 

 explained, no netting is now carried on except at Bonar Bridge, if 

 we exclude the bag-net fishing in the sea outside the estuary. 



THE CARRON. 



This river rises in the steep hills which form the deer forests of 

 Freevater and Glencalvie, and has a length of fully 20 miles. It 

 has a fine Highland character, especially in its upper waters, where 

 the scenery is remarkably impressive. There are many rocky 

 sections where the river tumbles over cascades in little gorges and 

 flows in deep long pools, but the greatest extent of the river bed 

 is of a fine open gravelly character, affording beautiful spawning 

 ground. Above Amat Lodge, at a point 11 miles from the mouth 



1 View of the Salmon Fishery of Scotland. Wm. Black wood & Son, 1860. 



O 



