THE LAXFORD 59 



When Lord Cairns had Stack Lodge, he on one occasion 

 arrived Ashless at Laxford Bridge, after having flogged the whole 

 water down. On looking over, he saw five fish lying near the surface, 

 but not very close to each other, and happening to have a rifle with 

 him, which he had given his ghillie to carry on the chance of a shot, 

 he fired at the largest fish, which sank mortally wounded, and 

 drifting to the tail of the pool was pulled ashore. On again looking 

 over the bridge, he noticed three others of these fish all kicking and 

 gasping in a state of semi-consciousness, evidently produced by the 

 concussion caused by the discharge, or by the bullet striking the 

 water, though it seemed impossible that from such a height such a 

 small bullet, fired with a small charge of powder, could have pro- 

 duced this result, yet there were the fish ; and as, just then, the 

 Duke of Westminster's yacht appeared steaming up Laxford Loch, 

 Lord Cairns, thinking His Grace would like a fish for dinner, gaffed 

 one of them and gave it him as he passed. The other two fish 

 shortly recovered and swam about quite right again. 



The nets of this river, with those fishing the coasts of the Inver, 

 Kirkaig, and Inchard, are nearly all so far removed from roads and 

 other points of observation as to be specially liable from fear of 

 detection in the non-observance of the weekly close time. Mr. 

 Calderwood, in his Fishery Board Reports, narrates how he arranged 

 for five Fishery Cruisers to commence simultaneously surprise visits 

 to parts of the Scotch coasts told off to each vessel. Owing to fog 

 one of the five ships could not start, but the other four got under 

 weigh, though incommoded more or less from the same cause. 

 Between 6 p.m. on Saturday evening and 6 a.m. on the Monday 

 morning following they reported visiting 340 bag-nets, of which no 

 less than 147 were fishing illegally during the weekly close time ! 

 Of this number 105 were west coast nets, all fishing in remote parts, 

 where the sea was quite smooth and the sun shining on this day of 

 Sunday, the 29th of June 1902, which was the date of this well- 

 directed raid, which I have so often advocated while longing to under- 

 take it for myself. The next greatest number of nets fishing illegally 

 was in the district east of the mouth of the Alness in the Cromarty 

 Firth, when out of 97 bag-nets, 30 were found fishing in the close 

 time. This makes it quite clear that the smaller the chance of 

 detection the greater the amount of poaching, and it becomes certain 

 that remote regions require a better watching than they get. The 

 non-observance penalties are fairly severe, but, alas ! they are seldom 

 enforced. They entail forfeiture of nets, with a penalty not ex- 

 ceeding £10 for each net used and £2 for every salmon caught in 

 them. 



In 1904 the Laxford anglers caught 99 salmon and grilse. 



In 1906 the rods got 130. 



In 1907 the river gave 66 salmon and grilse, and Loch Stack 22 

 and 985 sea trout. 



In 1908 the river gave 43 fish. 



In 1909 the heaviest fish was 27J lb. 



