ANGLING DISTRICTS. 131 



ing his skill, and is glutted with the continual vis'ion of 

 huge heaps of fish slaughtered for no earthly purpose. 



In the Highlands, the angler ought to confine him- 

 self almost entirely to trolling for large trout, along with 

 salmon and sea trout fishing. He will find these far 

 more exciting sports than the tossing out of a few dozens 

 of par or such trash, which every village urchin could 

 do as readily as the best rod in Britain. 



We shall here sketch out what we reckon to the 

 zealous lover of angling will prove as pleasant a tour as 

 he can well take over Scotland. Let him be at Kelso, 

 or Coldstream on the Tweed, at the beginning of March. 

 Salmon are then in the river, and may be taken in large 

 quantities. These, however, with few exceptions, are 

 newly spawned, lean, and ill tasted ; they show but 

 poor fight compared with fresh-run fish, but still there 

 is amusement at this early season in taking them, when 

 one is keen and in good temper. 



Before April, let the angler take his leave of this part 

 of Tweed, and proceed upwards by Melrose to Cloven- 

 ford and Innerleithen. Should the weather be cold, 

 he must not expect first-rate trouting ; if warm, and 

 what is termed in England the March brown fly be upon 

 the water, depend upon it he will cram his creel. St 

 Mary's Loch is nine or ten miles from Innerleithen, 

 and at all events a trip should be taken in that direc- 

 tion. Yarrow and Meggat are both good streams, and 

 in the loch itself the spring trout rises freely at a large 

 dark fly. The angler may also try the Lyne and Biggar 

 waters, and, crossing over to Clyde, fish down to Hamil- 

 ton. A salmon or two maybe killed in this month be- 

 low Stonebyres. 



From Hamilton we would proceed to Glasgow, and 

 descend by the daily steamer to Inverary. Loch Awe 

 is only nine miles distant from that town. There are 



