LOCH LOMOND 363 



is climbing to their tops and killing out the heather, but on a quiet, 

 lazy day the scene is sublime. When thunder rumbles about in the 

 distance, and the surface is calm as a mirror, the powans or fresh- 

 water herring, which inhabit this loch in great numbers, show them- 

 selves in sporting shoals. They are first cousins to the vendace of 

 Lochrnaben, and are not only pretty to look at, but good to eat, yet 

 the angler's fly is no use to them. Even when they are spluttering 

 all round one's boat, I have failed to foul-hook a single one, although 

 it puzzled me to know how the hooks missed, so thick were the fish. 



From the mouth of the river Falloch, which enters the head of 

 the loch and which has a fall a short distance up to the lower end 

 of the loch at Balloch is a distance of 21 miles. The wide portion of 

 the loch at its southern end, where the islands are and where most 

 of the fishing is carried on, is 4 miles across. The long narrow 

 section of the loch above Inversnaid has an average breadth of three- 

 quarters of a mile. The west side of the loch is in Dumbartonshire, 

 the east side in the county of Stirling. Luss, just beyond the islands 

 on the west side, is the place where most of the boats are kept for 

 fishing purposes, since the best grounds can be most easily reached 

 from this point. A considerable number of boats are also, however, 

 to be found at Balloch, and by arrangement boats can be towed by 

 steam launch from here to the more distant parts of the loch. 

 Angling is free for salmon, sea-trout, and brown trout. 



I cannot attempt to give an estimate of the brown trout taken 

 annually, but with regard to salmon and sea-trout the records of the 

 Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association 1 for the last few 

 years show the following takes by the rod : 



Salmon. Sea-Trout. 



1903 - - 60 751 



1904 - - 39 569 



1905 - - 38 435 



Salmon. Sea-Trout. 



1906 . 39 472 



1907 - 



1908 - 



I am indebted to Mr. Lamond for this information. 



The streams which enter the loch on the west side are, in order 

 i^oing northwards, the Fruin, Finlas, Luss, and Douglas Waters. 

 These are good streams for sea-trout as the season advances, if there 

 is sufficient rain to keep up a good flow of water. Only one river 

 enters on the eastern side, the Endrick, and this forms the main line 

 of ascent for salmon. 



This river rises in the high undulating country to the south-east 

 of Loch Lomond, and after a hill course of a few miles, descends the 



J The Secretary is Henry Lamond, Esq., 163 West George Street, Glasgow. 



