270 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



Sea-trout run up to between 5 Ib. and 6 Ib. in weight, but small 

 trout under 1 Ib. are common. Salmon of 6 Ib. are common, and 

 sometimes as many as five may be got in a day. The heaviest fish 

 taken amongst those referred to above was 14 J Ib. In 1887, the 

 first year mentioned, in addition to migratory fish, 1076 brown trout 

 were taken in the various lochs. These notes, although they are 

 not of quite recent date, are quite sufficient to show the nature of 

 the sport to be had. A great deal depends on the season's weather. 

 If there is plenty of rain so much the better. If a dry summer 

 occurs, fish cannot easily enter the river. 



THE LAXFORD. 



The Laxford which owes its name to the salmon or lax is 

 generally considered the best river in the west of Sutherland. It 

 drains a wide extent of country, as compared with the Inchard, 

 including Loch More and Loch Stack, receives numerous feeders 

 from the high mountains on its northern side, which form the 

 famous Eeay Deer Forest, and flows into the head of Loch Laxford, 

 a typical ramifying sea loch, at Laxford Bridge, some four miles 

 south of Rhiconich. 



The valley of the Laxford is the western continuation of the 

 great transverse valley across the county, and mid-way between the 

 head of Loch More and the western end of Loch Merkland, only a 

 few hundred yards form the divide between water coming to the 

 west through the Laxford, and the water going to the east to Loch 

 Shin and the Kyle at Bonar Bridge. This is the valley naturally 

 selected for the road traffic from Lairg to Rhiconich, Tongue, and 

 Cape Wrath, and, turning south at Laxford Bridge, to Scourie and 

 Kylestrome. 



The Laxford and its loch are held on a time-honoured lease by 

 the Duke of Westminster, who has two lodges in the district, Loch 

 More Lodge at the western end of the loch of the same name, from 

 which the stalking is carried on, and Stack Lodge, where the river 

 Laxford flows out of Loch Stack, from which the fishing is carried 

 on. The channel between the two lochs is not much more than 

 half a mile long and is winding and rather flat, the difference in 

 level being a matter of about 9 feet. 



Loch More, including the small diverticulum at its western end, 

 is four and a half miles long, and of the very uniform breadth of 

 rather more than the third of a mile. The ordnance maps mark 

 it as 127 feet above sea-level. Like the upper loch just described 



