94 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



knees wetted ; but here again this pool is fished to death by the 

 opposite rods. 



Going downwards, the Upper Cruive Pool is next reached, a 

 fine cast which, thank goodness, the hotel " guests " cannot reach, 

 and worth fishing closely. A few yards below is the Cruive Pool, 

 so called because the Inverawe House cruive is fixed here ; but it 

 might almost as weU be fixed on the top of Ben Cruachan, for three 

 fish a season is about its usual catch, and the cruive dyke offers no 

 obstruction whatever to the passage of fish. This pool also is 

 ruined by the many anglers on the opposite side. 



Below this comes the Clay Pool, offering a fine bit of Spey 

 casting, and frequently yielding a fish. Then follows the Grey 

 Pool, a long one fished from various jetties of remarkably smooth, 

 shppery stones. This is followed by the Race Wall Pool, the upper 

 part of which is a fair catch in autumn. At the foot of this is a weir, 

 which offers no serious bar to running fish. Below this is Crubeg, 

 also good in autumn, and the lowest pool not affected by the tide. 



We will now retrace our way up stream to the bridge, and 

 crossing to the left bank, at a short distance below the tail of the 

 Oak Pool, we reach Cassan Dhu, the top pool of the water let by 

 the Duke of Argyle to the Taynuilt Hotel, a good but short cast of 

 deep, black, oily water. 



Next in rapid succession come the Yellow Pool, the Long Pool, 

 the Little and Big Otters, the Red Brae, the Stepping Stones, 

 Clay Pool, Grey Pool, Race Wall, and Crubeg, or thirteen catches 

 in the whole extent of the hotel water. 



Until the middle of June the three lower ones are practically 

 useless, as before then fish do not rest in the pools that are so near 

 to the sea. The hotel rules are as follows : The remaining ten 

 pools are divided into six sections — which is not two pools to each 

 rod ; they are drawn for by lot every evening ; each rod is expected 

 to employ a ghillie, who fishes as soon as his master is tired. It 

 often happens that there are more than six rods staying at the 

 hotel, and then two rods and two ghillies are crammed on to one beat, 

 and it is not unusual to find eight rods and six ghillies crowded on 

 to the hotel water. This is a cruel WTong to the owners of the 

 opposite angling, which can hardly be perpetrated with the know- 

 ledge of the ducal owner of the hotel water, so noted for his attain- 

 ments and his love of fair play. 



From the foregoing it will be seen that the hotel rods are far 

 too numerous — a sentiment in which some of them also appear to 

 share, if the evidence may be accepted of the following lines found 

 in the blotting-book of the public room : — 



"TO THE MULTITUDES OF TAYNUILT ANGLERS 



" Sad sight it is, and sorry while, 

 Garbed in every dress and style, 

 Down the birch-clad chfts they scramble. 

 Along the banks in swarms they ramble, 



