177 



THE EIVER SPEY. 



This splendid Salmon river runs through 

 Elginshire, and a nobler one there is not to be 

 found for fishing with the salmon fly, par- 

 ticularly in high water, and in the large pools 

 when the water is low. In summer there is 

 little sport to be had, except in these pools, 

 with a good ripple, and towards the sea, from 

 the bridge at Fochabers, a capital station, with 

 an excellent inn. Early in the morning and 

 late in the evening, are the best times in the 

 heat of summer. I had a fly sent me some 

 years past, by McPherson Grant, about the 

 size of C or drake size, with which he killed a 

 salmon, twenty pounds weight, in the Spey. 

 The body of the fly was made of yellow silk, 

 red cock's hackle, toucan tail ribbed with gold, 

 jay at the shoulder, a neat gaudily mixed wing, 

 feelers of blue and yellow macaw, and a small 

 black head. It was one of my flies, which, if 

 made on large size hooks, will kill anywhere. 

 The above little fly is just the sort for low 

 1 water, and should be adopted, made very small, 

 i in the summer months. The salmon should 



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