214 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



It is not at all likely that with the best of passes which fish can 

 swim at a gradient of, say, 1 in 20, the upper river will yield early 

 spring fishing. The earliest arrivals would still remain below for 

 some time. But a great number of fish, including the late heavy 

 spawners, which at present cannot make the ascent, would be able 

 to do so. At present about 20 fish are taken on the rod below the 

 falls in May, about another 20 in April, and a less number earlier 

 in the year. Ninety to about one hundred and twenty is the 

 annual yield of the river, but I understand that it is by no means 

 steadily fished. 



It would be out of place to indicate in any detail how suitable a 

 pass on each section of this fall might be arranged, but I believe 

 with some attention to this matter the yield of the Cassley could 

 be multiplied by three, and a much larger stock of breeding fish 

 left in the water. The left bank belongs to Eosehall and the right 

 bank to Balnagoun. At the present time Mr. Gilmour, of Eose- 

 hall, rents the rights on the Balnagoun side from Sir Charles Eoss, 

 so that he or his tenants fish both banks of the whole river. 



The upper falls, above Glen Muich, 10 miles from Eosehall, are 

 as high as the lower, and are practically complete obstructions. 

 They also are in two sections, the upper being about 11 ft. and 

 the lower about 22-24 ft. They are capable of treatment at con- 

 siderable cost. The river above is still of some volume, and runs 

 for about six miles from a number of small lochs on the north side 

 of Ben More. This top section is reported to hold large trout. 



With reference to the falls of Cassley, here is an interesting 

 account of how fish used to be procured as if by the special provi- 

 sion of Nature : " The way of fishing here is neither by cobles or 

 cruives, but at a line (? linn) or cataract, which is within a quarter 

 of a mile to the sea, the fish cannot pas this lin except in time of 

 speats. When the water is low, it endeavours to leap up, but 

 being at length wearied with leaping, it ordinarly rests in holes and 

 pitts at each side of the catarect or line out of which the fishers 

 take them at pleasure alive with their clipps or large hooks and 

 sometimes with their hands." 1 



THE SHIN. 



This is the shortest river in the district, but the best spring 

 fishing stream below the falls. Thanks to its source from Loch 



1 Geographical Collections relating to Scotland, made by Walter Macfarlane, 1726. 

 Edited by Sir Arthur Mitchell for the Scottish History Society, 1906, vol. i. p. 201. 



