346 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



familiarity breeds contempt for their own fears. The Meal Pool has 

 the worst plank. 



The pools of the river from the mouth upwards are : 



1. Palfearn (tidal). 12. Little Otter. 22, 23, 24. The Three Ash-Tree 



2. Crubeg. 13. Long Pool. Streams. 



3. Eace Wall. 14. Yellow Pool. 25. Bothy Pool. 



4. Grey Pool. 15. Cassan Dhu. 26. Stone Pool. 



5. Clay Pool. 16. Oak Pool. 27. Pol Verie. 



6. Cruive Pool. 17. Garraralt. 28. Seal Pool. 



7. Upper Cruive. 18. Meal Pool. 29. Black Pool. 



8. Errachdt. 19. Shepherd's Pool. 30. The Shallows. 



9. Stepping stones. 20. Yellow Spring. 31 . The Disputed Pool. 



10. Ked Bank. 21. Colonel's Pool. 32. The Brander Pool. 



11. Big Otter. 



LOCH AWE. 



The loch is perhaps more celebrated for its romantic beauty than 

 its salmon, although many resort to it for trout fishing. The fact 

 remains, however, that all the early fish which ascend the river in 

 March (the Orchy fish) necessarily pass through a section of the 

 loch to get to the head river. With the removal of the Awe nets 

 the expectation naturally is that the stock of both early and late fish 

 will be increased. If this is so, the chance of successful salmon 

 fishing in the loch will also be increased. The development of Awe 

 spring fishing will be most interesting to watch. In the loch none 

 but spring fish may be expected to take in any numbers. 



The main line of the loch is along the main axis of the country, 

 i.e. N.E. and S.W. ; but when one regards the peculiar arrangement 

 of this large loch, and the fact that the main inflow and the main 

 outflow are within a few miles of one another, the latter on a deep 

 cross-arm at right angles to the main axis, one naturally wonders 

 how this came about. What one may for convenience call the rail- 

 way and river end of the loch is by far the most important and by 

 far the most beautiful and attractive. Personally I have never been 

 able to rid myself of the feeling that this is the head of the loch. 

 Yet I know on reflection that what is commonly called the head of 

 the loch is 24 miles away at Ford. What seems to me to dominate 

 the head of the loch are the head streams the Orchy, Stray, and 

 Lochy. These pour their waters in by Dalmally, and are certainly 

 the chief feeders of the loch, as they are the rivers up which the 

 salmon ascend, or, shall we say, try to ascend. The far end of the 

 loch in many ways is the low end of the loch, but of this later. 



The length of Loch Awe from Ford to the mouth of the Orchy is 

 practically the same as the length of Loch Ness, including Loch 



