412 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



Highlands, he returns home with but an indifferent account of 

 his piscatorial achievements. To such a one I particularly 

 address the few simple directions in loch-fishing which time 

 and patience have enabled me to collect. 



There are particular times in every season when trout 

 more readily take in many of the Highland lochs, and these 

 it should be the angler's first study to discover. For instance, 

 the best time for trolling with the minnow, in Loch Vennachar, 

 is from the end of February to the middle of May, when large 

 fish may be taken. They never rise well at the fly in this 

 loch. In Loch Lomond, the trolling does not begin till May, 

 and only lasts till the middle of June, when the fly-fishing- 

 commences. More may then be caught, but, with the excep- 

 tion of sea-trout, seldom nearly so large as with the minnow. 

 In Loch Katrine you may troll with success all the season. 

 The fishing in Lochs Earn, Lubnaig, and Voil is not good till 

 May : the trout in these lochs being small, they are never 

 trolled except for the gillaroo, which inhabits them all, and 

 sometimes grows to a great size. The trouting in Loch Ard is 

 best at an early part of the year, falling off very much as the 

 season advances ; while Lochs Chon and Dhu, not so good as 

 Loch Ard at the beginning of it, are much better afterwards. 

 In short, a number of the lochs in the Highlands may, at 

 certain times, be either fly-fished or trolled with greater success. 

 There are also some which may be fished either way throughout 

 the season ; the angler's judgment determining which, as wind, 

 water, and sky suggest. These, if inhabited by pike, are my 

 particular favourites, especially when the greater part of the 

 shore is so clear of weeds as to make one independent of a boat. 



Many people think a loch injured by pike : on the contrary, 

 unless very numerous, as in Loch Menteith, I have seldom 

 seen one much worth fishing without them always excepting 

 those where the Loch Awe trout or gillaroo are to be found. 

 If a man prefers killing eight or nine dozen, with scarcely a 

 half-pounder among them, to a dozen fine trout from half-a- 



