THE SHIN 75 



high water, and fishes well when the river is in such a high flood that 

 hardly another cast is fishable, but it is a case of hold on or break 

 if a hooked fish tries to leave the pool. 



No. II. " Little Clarag." A sure catch in spring in heavy 

 water. 



No. 12. " Macpherson's Pool." A made pool, named after a 

 water bailiff, and good in spring with heavy water, when it fishes 

 best from the left bank. 



No. 13. " The Turn Pool." A good spring cast. 



No. 14. " The Long Pool." Best in low water. 



No. 15. " The Parson's Pool." Not nearly as good as it looks. 

 I could not ascertain whether this reputation had any connection 

 with its name. 



No. 16. " Smith's Pool " fishes from either bank in high or 

 medium water. 



No. 17. " The Artificial Pool," so called from being formed by 

 the construction of jetties. Is good in early spring, and is just 

 above the bridge at Inveran. 



No. 18. " The Cruive, or Home Pool," perhaps the best spring 

 cast on the water. It is certainly the longest, and, nearing the 

 tail, quite a lengthy line can be used, and the Spey cast comes 

 handy, as the bank behind begins to rise abruptly. From this 

 pool Mr. Almond, in March 1893, took a fish of 35 lb. before break- 

 fast, the largest ever caught in the Shin. 



No. 19. " Hector's Land " seldom yields a fish, but is such 

 a pretty pool that it is always a pleasure to fish it, though to the 

 imagination only. 



No. 20. " The Garden Pool " is close to the Kyle, and in early 

 spring one of the best for about ten casts towards the tail ; but 

 after the end of April it is of no use whatever. Here in March 

 1896, Captain G. W. Hunt hooked a fish with a Silver Grey dressed 

 on a 2-in. iron, and no sooner did it feel the steel than, with one 

 long, swift, wild rush, it tried to regain salt water. In hot pursuit 

 went the Captain, but being brought to a sudden and painful stand- 

 still by getting hung up by the seat of his breeches in a barbed wire 

 fence, the fish broke the line ere his would-be captor could get free. 

 Ten days later John Ross was fishing this pool for Mr. Almond, 

 when he landed a fine fellow of 22 lb. with Captain Hunt's Silver 

 Grey still in his mouth. 



According to the hst of close times published by the Fishery 

 Board, the rod can be plied till the 31st of October ; but an under- 

 standing has been come to that fishing shall end on this lower beat 

 on the 30th of September. On the upper beat also a somewhat 

 similar arrangement has been made by which the rods stop on the 

 15th of October, but the whole river should, without doubt, be 

 closed on the 15th of September. On the ist of September 1896 

 I saw five of the blackest, lankiest, and most ugly fish I ever set eyes 

 on taken from a pool a short distance below Lairg. Therefore if 

 they are thus bad at that date, what must they be six weeks later ! 



