CHAPTER XVll 



THE KIRKAIG 



Which drains eighty square miles of country, flows from a series 

 of lochs in Assynt, the chief of which are Boarlan, Urigill, Cama, 

 Veyatie, and Fewin, this latter being the nearest one to the sea. 

 The river also forms the boundary between the counties of Ross 

 and Sutherland, and about two and a half miles from the sea the 

 whole water is precipitated down a perpendicular fall of some 

 sixty feet in height — a grand sight when there is a flood. As, of 

 course, salmon cannot ascend, it is between this and the sea that 

 aU sport is had, including the deep, black, uncanny-looking pool 

 at the foot of the fall. 



There are twenty-three named casts in this short stretch of 

 water, and if fish were only more plentiful, grand would be the 

 sport offered by this river, with its rapid streams, boiling pots, 

 and rugged banks ; for I know of no other river in Scotland which 

 requires such hard walking, so much scrambling and careful placing 

 of feet, as this one. In many places the angler will have to descend 

 and then again ascend very steep rocky banks for fully a hundred 

 yards or more, and repeat the same process to fish the next pool ; 

 and as none of them are long or require much time to cast, the 

 amount of hard work for the legs is out of all proportion to that 

 called for from the arms. 



Like its neighbour, the In-ver, this also is a very late river, and 

 of but little use before July, that month, 'with August, being the 

 best time. More fish are taken perhaps in September, but by 

 then they are turning black. This river is also absurdly opened 

 on the nth of February, closing for rods on the 31st of October 

 and for nets on the 26th of August, both dates being quite fifteen 

 days too late. 



A grilse rod and medium-sized standard flies will do all the 

 work, and no waders are wanted : the fl}- is usually the only lure 

 used, but at times a few fish have been got with a prawn. 



There are no nets at the mouth, and no bag-nets nearer than 

 ClachtoU to the north of Inver mouth, and yet these nets and 

 those working at Stoer Point farther north appear to sweep the 

 sea of the fish that should come to the Inver and Kirkaig. 



The Kirkaig salmon average 11 lb., and grilse fully 5, while 

 there are hardly any sea trout. The usual take of recent years 

 to the rod is from forty to fifty fish ; in 1898, Mr. Langmore had 



54 



