THE ANNAN 417 



railway station in a season, 1 so that a very great stock of fish would 

 have to be present to allow of a good run, or a good proportion of 

 every run getting to the upper waters. As a matter of fact, I 

 believe the rods do not get what might very well be expected in a 

 river like the Annan, although it not infrequently happens that 

 towards the close of the season some very heavy fish are taken. In 

 1903 a 40-pounder was taken at Hoddam, and in 1905 a 36 Ib. fish 

 was caught. Salmon of about 30 Ib. are not very uncommon on the 

 rod. The haaf net has repeatedly taken heavier fish. In 1901 a 

 fish of 46 J Ib. was taken by this means, which is the heaviest fish 

 recorded from this district for some years. 



This chance of getting an occasional heavy fish is no doubt some 

 compensation to the angler who finds a blank day on the Annan all 

 too common. It is a great pity, however, that more fish are not 

 present in the river during the netting season. Some 50 or 60 fish 

 may be caught in the lower waters in the autumn, and considerable 

 sport with sea-trout is had in summer, more especially at night, but 

 this is really a poor result for a river such as this. The best 

 angling months may be said to be July, September, and October, 

 but a few of those hundred tons of salmon just referred to would 

 be acceptable in the river. 



It has been somewhat emphatically stated before now that the 

 Annan never holds spring fish ; that it is essentially a late river, 

 and that the fish locally spoken of as spring fish are in reality 

 silvery kelts. I grant it is often very difficult to tell the difference 

 between a well-minded silvery kelt and a spring fish, but a river the 

 size of the Annan, if unobstructed by swift water or weirs or by 

 serious pollutions, and if properly stocked with salmon, should 

 certainly hold spring fish. In the Annan and Nith districts, the 

 whole Solway question would need to be dragged out if the reasons 

 for a reduced stock of fish were fully gone into. Suffice it to say 

 that the stock is not what it might be. In The New Statistical 

 Account? under the account of Annan Parish, which was written in 

 December, 1837, I find an interesting foot-note which runs as 

 follows : " A species of the salmon, here named the spring salmon, 

 weighing from five to eight pounds, and in which there is found 

 neither milt or roe, enters the river in the beginning of January, 

 and there remains only a short time. It is remarkably rich, and is 

 sold at from 2s. to 3s. per Ib." Now a kelt, no matter how fine in 



1 Minutes of Evidence, Royal Commission on Salmon Fisheries, 1902, p. 426. 



2 Vol. iv. p. 521. 



2D 



