The hope 4j 



them early in the year ; vice versa, the temperature of the Atlantic, 

 warmed by the Gulf Stream (does it make itself felt as far east as 

 the mouth of the Kinloch ?), being warmer than the water of the 

 west-coast rivers, therefore induced the salmon to stay longer in the 

 sea. Mr. Young states that these west -coast streams have short 

 courses, with their fountain-heads at considerable altitudes, and in 

 winter and spring, sometimes even in early summer, they are snow- 

 clad, and then every partial melting brings down torrents of ice-cold 

 water. But surely the amount of snow water that pours down such 

 rivers as Naver, Thurso, Helmsdale, Beauly, Spey, Dee, etc., must 

 be quite as cold as any that comes down the west-coast rivers, for 

 much more snow falls on the east-coast hills than on any of the high 

 grounds of the west coast. The icy water of the north and east coast 

 rivers must also flow more voluminously and continue to run cold 

 for a longer period than any of the shorter streams rushing down 

 Laxford, Inver, Kirkaig, Shiel, or Awe. 



Again, on coming to the Lowlands, where there are no high hills 

 and comparatively little snow that lies for any length of time, we 

 find rivers like Doon, Luce, Cree, Dee, Nith, and Annan, all of which 

 are late rivers, but whose waters must surely be of a higher tem- 

 perature than those of any of the named east and north coast rivers. 



Thus, with so many contradictory facts to deal with, I cannot 

 think that either the late Mr. Young or anyone else has at present 

 solved the question as to why some rivers are early and some late. 



The best months on the Hope are July and August, and when the 

 river is in full ply an eighteen-foot rod and wading trousers are 

 required. The best killers are Jock Scot and Silver Doctor, dressed 

 on sizes from 2 to 6 Limerick hooks. Between the loch and the 

 sea there are seven good pools, the most noted being " The Stable " 

 and " The House Pool," and to fish the whole of them, down and 

 back again, is a fair day's work. For this stretch the average 

 take of salmon and grilse is about forty-five ; in 1897 fifty-five 

 were killed, of which the heaviest was 24 lb. Although disease 

 made its first appearance in 1894, yet the rod take is incompre- 

 hensibly small, if it be remembered that there are no bag-nets to 

 the east within twenty miles of Hope Mouth, and none within 

 forty miles on the west, and probably poaching by steam trawlers 

 has something to do with this poor return ; while the fact that 

 also the sea trout fishing has been going steadily back for the last 

 four years also points to poaching in some direction. 



When there is a spate, fish take the worm freely, although neither 

 phantom nor prawn is of any use. The flies for sea trout should 

 be on the small size, not larger than No. 9, and any of the standard 

 patterns will kill ; mallard wing and orange body being the local 

 favourite, together with the March Brown and the Zulu. Salmon 

 are taken in the loch with the fly, both by casting and trolling it ; 

 other lures are of no use. The largest sea trout got on the loch was 

 14 lb., and the heaviest salmon 22 lb. For five years the late 

 Lord Rutherfurd Clark had Hope Lodge, during which period his 



