CHAPTER XXVIIL 



AWE DISTRICT. 



RIVER AWE, LOCH AWE, RIVER ORCHY, RIVER ETIVE, 

 RIVER ADD. 



ANGLING SEASON : llth February to 31st October. 

 NETTING SEASON : llth February to 26th August. 



(The River Orchy, by private arrangement of Lord Breadalbane, who owns 

 the whole river, closes on 10th October.) 



The District Fishery Board sits in Oban. Alex. MacArthur, Esq., Solicitor, Oban, 



is Clerk. 



THIS large Argyllshire district is one of the most important salmon 

 fishing localities on the west coast of Scotland, and is, perhaps, of 

 more interest than many people suppose. The large loch vies with 

 Loch Lomond and Loch Ness in area and capacity of water; the 

 Orchy, which is the chief feeder, is a river of some size ; the whole 

 catchment basin amounts to about 271 square miles. Inasmuch, 

 however, as the river Awe does not flow out at the far end of the 

 loch from the Orchy, but within a few miles of the Orchy mouth, a 

 very restricted amount of the loch is in the direct line of the 

 salmon's chief path. From a salmon fishing point of view the 

 benefit of this large and very beautiful loch is chiefly that of a 

 reservoir. The district being extremely mountainous, and the rain- 

 fall heavy, the rise and fall of the many hill streams which enter 

 the loch, as well as those independent of the loch, is very rapid. 

 The benefit to the Awe of a great reservoir is therefore very great, 

 since the flow is thus steadier than would otherwise be the case. 



The district is peculiar in this, that within its limits are two 

 smaller but independent districts having no connection with the Awe 

 Fishery Board, and without independent means of supervision. The 

 limits of the Awe district are : " On the north point Appin Ferry, 

 including the east shore of Lismore Island ; on the south, Craignish 



