124 THE SCOTTISH ANGLER. 



from the sea, or are bred in artificial ponds. As for 

 numbers, we believe that, in some places and weathers, 

 a good hand at the rod may take, in a day's angling, 

 from twelve to six-and-twenty, or even thirty dozen. 

 A friend of ours, Mr John Wilson jun., captured, in 

 the space of six or seven hours, no less than fourteen 

 score some odds, from a small loch situated in the 

 Caledonian Forest, near Loch Laggan ; and this on a 

 close sultry day, without a breath of wind. Thirty 

 pounds weight of trout is considered a good day's work 

 on Tweed, and few anglers are able to take so much. 



On this river, it is of great importance not to over- 

 look the feeding hours of the large fish, which are com- 

 monly for the fly from half-past ten to half-past one 

 during the day, in spring, and in the afternoons, from 

 five to seven, or eight, if the weather be warm. The 

 summer feeding hours are of course both earlier and 

 prolonged later. The best Tweed anglers confine 

 themselves at most to a couple of pools, unless the wa- 

 ter be very much reduced, and so rendered capable of 

 being quickly fished over. Few rivers, however, will 

 bear a perpetual scrutiny of this sort, without their in- 

 habitants becoming shy and cautious. One of the best 

 takes on the Innerleithen district of the Tweed, was 

 achieved by George Graham Bell, Esq. advocate, a 

 couple of springs ago, with minnow, at a time when the 

 water was flooded, and full of snow-brew, as it is termed. 

 The largest yellow trout taken by him on that occasion 

 weighed five pounds, and the entire quantity betwixt 

 forty and fifty pounds, all of which were killed in the 

 short space of four hours. 



The St Ronan's or Border Club, established to en- 

 courage the athletic exercises among the Lowlanders 

 of Scotland, adds angling to its other amusements, and 

 gives an annual spring medal to the most successful of 



