THE DEVERON 119 



in length, the local ones being chiefly made up of variations of 

 mallard and brown turkey wing with orange and yellow mohair, 

 reddish hackles and gold or silver tinsel ; most of the standard 

 patterns will, however, be just as useful. For the lower reaches a 

 rod of eighteen feet will be wanted, though above Huntly a smaller 

 one should be used. 



There are many fine beats on this river, and to describe each 

 one minutely would perhaps be wearisome to my readers, so I have 

 confined myself to speaking of a few of the best. 



On the left bank the chief anglings are those of Beldornie, 

 Edinglassie, Huntly, Mayen, Netherdale, Forglen, Carnoustie, 

 and Duff House. 



On the right bank are those of Cobairdj', Forglen, Armiddle, 

 Dunlugas, and Mountcoffer. 



The Beldornie Castle water is some ten miles above Huntly, 

 and this reach and all the other upper ones are famed for their 

 trouting. The Castle water extends for some two miles on both 

 banks, and then the left one has the anghng right for a further 

 mile and a half. In the whole distance there are twenty-four 

 named pools, the choicest of which are Crackit Pot, Intake, Crombie, 

 and Hame Mill. May to October are the best months, and grilse 

 may be met with any time when there is a spate during June, 

 July, and August. A sixteen-foot rod will cover the water, and 

 at times wadmg stockings are an advantage. From twenty to 

 forty fish may be looked for, depending on the rainfall. 



The Edinglassie or Glenmarkie water, situated some five miles 

 above Huntly, extends to three miles on the left bank, and while 

 offering splendid trouting, yet yields in favourable seasons from 

 twenty to forty salmon from the many pools on this water, which 

 can mostly be fished by a fourteen-foot rod without waders. The 

 best pools are the Churchyard, Edinglassie, Kale Pot, Wallakirk, 

 and the Blue Rock. 



The Ardmeallie water near Rothiemay extends for two miles 

 on the right bank and about a mile and a half on the left. A rod 

 of sixteen to seventeen feet will cover all the pools, of which there 

 are nine. Prawn and gudgeon are sometimes used with success, 

 and for the size of the river salmon run rather large. There are 

 very few sea trout in the river, and one or two is all that can be 

 expected. Since 1895 this reach, in common with all the others on 

 the Deveron, has not done well ; most of the anglers attribute 

 this to the fact that in the winter of 1894-5 a portion of the Cruive 

 Dyke was washed away and rebuilt in such a manner that it was 

 almost impossible for a fish to pass it, the result being enormous 

 takes by the netsmen below the dyke, and the consequent depletion 

 of the salmon stock ; and had that dyke continued in the same state, 

 the Deveron would soon have ceased to exist as a salmon river. 

 Now that it has been removed, there is but little doubt that the 

 river will recover and again do well, though it must be some years 

 before this can be accomplished. The signs, however, are en- 



