388 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



a lump of lead, and desired to fasten it a yard above the fly 

 the fishing-guide assuring me I should have no chance other- 

 wise. The fly must be sunk near mid- water, he said, thus de- 

 grading it into a minnow. The lead most effectually hindered 

 all good casting (which, I was told, was unnecessary) ; so after 

 fishing from 11 till 2, I was heartily sick of it, and did not 

 scruple to say so. " Weel, sir, there has scarcely a fish ta'en 

 the flee for the last week ; but wadna ye try the minnow ? " 

 " That is illegal," quoth I. " Ou, never mind that ; they a' 

 dae sae here." After a pause, " Nae fish hae been landed 

 withoot it lately." I declined for myself, but had some curi- 

 osity to watch him. Whipping out of his pocket a small 

 bottle of live minnows, he carefully baited a tackle, and with 

 heavy lead sunk it to within an inch or two of the bottom, 

 thus degrading the minnow in its turn into a worm. He 

 fished with a very short line, and trailed his bait by irregular 

 jerks backwards and forwards. After fishing for some time 

 without an offer, his comrade, who had stationed himself on 

 a good look-out, called down, " Jamie, there's somebody com- 

 ing." In a trice the minnow was exchanged for fly ; but when 

 the " somebody " came near enough, he again shouted, " Ou, 

 it's naebody," when the minnow was again donned with equal 

 celerity. On asking what was the matter, he replied, " I mis- 

 took him for the water-by lie." 



TROLLING AND TROUTING RULES. 



As I have already stated, the largest salmo-feroxes never 

 run when a loch is full or discoloured, although the smaller 

 ones may. Fly-trout also often rise well in a flooded loch, if 

 the sky is good and the wind fair. Small feroxes of five or 

 six pounds frequently take the fly at such times. East wind 

 is always bad, even should the sun be powerful. When you 

 are trolling with a north wind, or a still more unfortunate 



