68 Scotch Loch-Fishing. 



not but what one has to fish hard for a basket; 

 but the same remark applies to all our near-at- 

 hand lochs. On an ordinary good day a dozen 

 to eighteen trout may be captured, and some- 

 times the baskets are heavier; but eighteen 

 fish, weighing 9 Ib. to 12 lb., is a very fair day's 

 work. The trout average fairly a half pound, 

 and pounders are by no means scarce : a two- 

 pounder is come across occasionally, but he is 

 the exception. The fish are very pretty, and 

 for their size give excellent sport. Fine tackle 

 is here absolutely essential to success, and as 

 a matter of sport should always be used in 

 fishing for common yellow trout. The loch, 

 for its size, is much fished ; and we fear that 

 when the railway facilities are completed, there 

 will require to be a considerable amount of re- 

 stocking to keep it up to the old mark. The 

 scenery is unsurpassed wood, water, and moun- 

 tain, making a picture of wondrous beauty. To 

 the north of the loch, Ben Lomond rears its 

 mighty summit; and in the spring-time (for 

 Loch Ard is an early loch), before the summer 

 sun has melted the winter's snow, the effect is 

 grand in the extreme. April, May, and June, 

 are supposed to be the best months for angling ; 



