I04 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



rod. The best of them are PoU Dearg, PoU-na-Clarick, Dallvorar, 

 Dubh Bruach (the Black Bank), and Chest of Dee. In these upper 

 waters the favourite flies are Jock Scot, Mar Lodge, Silver Grey, 

 and March Brown, dressed on irons varying in size from 3/0 Limerick 

 bend down to the very smallest double hooks ; the only other lure 

 that is sometimes deadly is the worm, although it is seldom resorted 

 to. Even as the King when Prince of Wales was our premier 

 fisherman, so is his sister, H.R.H. the Princess Louise, our premier 

 fisherwoman, for many are the salmon that have fallen to her rod 

 amidst the wild scenery of the Dee banks above Mar Lodge, and her 

 favourite pool just above the Linn once yielded twelve fish in the day 

 to the keen and well-plied royal rod. 



Next comes the Duke's Upper Mar water, extending downwards 

 from the Linn on both banks for some seven miles ; in this distance 

 there are fifteen good casts, most of them kept strictly for Mar 

 Lodge, though a few can be fished from the Fife Arms Hotel at 

 Braemar. April, May, and June are all good, but which will be 

 the best in any particular year depends entirely on the previous 

 weather. 



Below come the Upper and Lower Invercauld fisheries, the 

 property of Mr. A. H. Farquharson. The upper water runs for some 

 two miles on the left bank and for fully a mile on the right one, and 

 has a dozen good pools on it. The lower water, though but a mile 

 in extent, has often yielded wonderful sport. Both banks are 

 usually let, the cottage of Clunie going with the south side. 



It was on this fishery that in May 1892, Sir Algernon Borthwick 

 and his son got 156 fish in sixteen days, in which there was one day 

 of twenty-five, a second of twenty-four, and a third of twenty. 

 Later on, in May 1896, in twenty-two days' angling, Mr. Granville 

 Farquhar and Mr. H. Jefferson had respectively 153 and 104 fish, 

 or an average of just over ten a day. 



Next, on the right bank immediately below Invercauld Bridge, 

 comes the Balmoral and Ballochbuie water, the opposite side, which 

 still belongs to Invercauld, being let to His Majesty. On reaching 

 Balmoral Bridge there begins on the right bank the Abergeldie 

 water, the property of the late Mr. Hugh ^lackay Gordon, and also 

 let to His Majesty — the royal fisheries extending for between six 

 and seven miles. 



In the Abergeldie water there are fully fifteen good casts, 

 of which Pol Slache, Corby Hall, Pol Mahaknock, and the Boat Pool 

 of Clackenturn are the most noted ; the two last-named fish in any 

 height of water, and are perhaps the pick of the whole section. For 

 the convenience of anglers there is a foot suspension bridge at the 

 top of the Abergeldie water ; farther down, the old rope and cradle 

 at Abergeldie Castle has been replaced bj' another wire foot-bridge, 

 which is strictly private ; and at the end of the water, a little below 

 Polholhck, there is a third one. 



His Majesty's Birkhall section follows on the right bank and goes 

 down nearly to Ballater. 



