248 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



too great amount of white superaerated water. Another point which 

 struck me was the manner in which a head of water 2 feet by 3 feet 

 suddenly thinned out when debouching across the pass at right 

 angles. The Helmsdale dam dyke has no difficulty of this kind, 

 because no attempt is made to allow salmon into Badanloch when 

 the sill of the fish-pass is dry. Sluices come right down to the stream 

 bed, the dyke being only half the height of the Loch More structure. 



Time will show to what extent spring fish are disposed to run this 

 pass. In all probability the very early fish of the Thurso may find 

 their way up before the temperature of Loch More has seriously fallen, 

 and this will be so after mild autumns for the most part. When the 

 water has become cold in spring I do not think fish will ascend, but 

 it has never been the habit to fish Loch More at the coldest season. 



My first visit to this pass was in the first week of March, 1908,. 

 just after the loch had first risen to its new level, and since much 

 snow had recently melted and been washed down from the upper 

 river by a night of very heavy rain, the Thurso was in high fiood. 

 I therefore witnessed the first severe test of Mr. Malloch's new dam. 

 Since then the apron of the dyke and pass has been well pitched 

 with stones as far as the road bridge below. 



LOCH MOEE. 



Previous to the construction of this dam-dyke, Loch More used to 

 be about 170 acres in extent, with an average depth of 6 ft. 10 ins.,. 

 and a maximum depth of about 15 feet. Now, the area is in- 

 creased to 511 acres. The maximum depth will be 27 feet, and the 

 mean depth has yet to be determined. Instructions have, however, 

 been given for a survey of the loch, to determine as far as possible 

 the depths at all parts, after which eight beats are to be delimited,, 

 corresponding to the eight beats of the river. 



The habit has been in the past to fish indiscriminately casting 

 with fly from boats all over the loch, and salmon rose at any part 

 of the loch. It remains to be seen how equitably the new beats 

 can be adjusted, and whether or not the increased depth of water 

 has affected the rising of the fish. 



I have already said that the Loch More fishing only commences 

 with April, but there is no doubt that in most years in the past the 

 loch must have been well stocked before that day, or rather must 

 have been well stocked at quite an early date. Clean fish run in 

 the Thurso in November and December, and even in October, I 

 understand. Those fish must get up into the loch before the 



