THE DEE 107 



beats would fill up several pages. I remember that, some time 

 in the eighties, Mr. George Whitehead and his son, fishing the 

 upper beat, the father on the south side and the son opposite, had 

 between t.iem twenty-seven fish, no less than twenty falling to the 

 minnows of the senior partner. In May 1891, Mr. J. W. Leigh, M.P., 

 had a day of fifteen. In 1893, Messrs. Douglas and Wilham Barry 

 had 201 fish in twenty-one days, the heaviest scaling 27 lb. In 

 May 1886, one rod had twenty-five in the day ; in May 1S91 there 

 was a day of fifteen, and in March 1892 another of twenty-one fish, 

 and the respective totals of these three seasons were 945, 760, 

 and 1097. 



Of late years these big days have not recurred so often, which 

 I think can only be accounted for by the fact that there are not 

 so many fish as formerl}?, not only in this particular river, but 

 also in some of the others. There is nevertheless very regular and 

 steady sport yet to be had, which is well shown by the fact that 

 in the five last seasons Mr. Laming, in eight5'-one days' fishing, 

 including spates, etc., had only nine blank ones, a fact which 

 speaks volumes for the certain and continuous sport to be had on 

 this water, on which the average take for the whole season is about 

 900 fish, the bulk of them being spring fish. 



A little below Waterside, on the left bank. Lord Huntly's Aboyne 

 Castle water begins at Jock Fyfe, while the opposite one belonging 

 to Glen Tana is let to the landlord of the " Huntly Arms " Hotel 

 at Aboyne. These two sections run opposite each other to the 

 middle of the island, just above the suspension bridge at Aboyne, 

 a distance of over a mile and a half, in which there are eight good 

 casts and some " bitties," Simmons, Lady Grace, and the Lorren 

 being the best ; while the casts at LTpper, Jiliddle, and Lower Pol 

 Fontes offer choice opportunities for some very rough wading. The 

 Lorren Pool is one of the best on the river, for it is never without 

 fish, and is from Lord Huntly's side a most fascinating bit of casting. 



As Glen Tana ends on the right bank, there begins the Huntly 

 Lodge water, belonging to Mr. Heaven, ^ which goes down for more 

 than two miles and ends a little below the well-known Quithel, 

 famous for many a fine fish, and frequently three, four, and five 

 in a day have been taken from the stream at the head, or from the 

 smoother and deeper-running water lower dov/n. From this pool 

 but a few seasons ago, at the time when Mr. T. Rolls Hoare rented 

 Huntly Lodge, his daughter, quite a child, killed the heaviest fish 

 of the season, 34J lb. ; and on another day this keen and hard- 

 working young lady had three fish from Quithel which weighed 

 60 lb. On the right bank this pool offers a fine bit of easy casting 

 for a beginner, a natural bank of about eight feet high, with a clear 

 background, running alongside the deep and "holding" part of 

 the pool. On the opposite side the fish can only be reached by 

 deep but easy wading, for the " going " is extra good. 



Returning now to a few yards above Aboyne Suspension Bridge 

 1 Purchased, on Mr. Heaven's death in 191 1, by Lord Glenconntr. 



