CHAPTER XXXV 



THE LEVEN OF LOCH LEVEN 



Flows entirely through lands that are under deer, for, rismg 

 in the Sword Loch in Corrour Forest, it pushes its way through 

 a flattish country of peat moss untU, after a run of some twenty 

 miles, it falls into the salt water of Loch Leven. For the first 

 few miles of its course it is called the Blackwater, and whether 

 in flood or in drought its appearance well warrants the name. 

 Up to a certain point it forms the march between Corrour and 

 Black Corries, until, on passing the shepherd's house at Caimb, 

 and rounding the base of stag-famed Ben-y-Vricht, it becomes 

 the march with Mamore Forest, whUe from the start to nearly 

 the finish it is also the boundary between Argyll and Inverness. 



About a mUe from the sea there is an effectual bar to the passage 

 of fish in the shape of a sheer fall of twenty feet, and as above this 

 there are three others of a similar character, it will easily be seen 

 that the cost of laddering them would not yield benefits in pro- 

 portion to the outlay. The last six mUes of the Leven are very rapid, 

 the fall being close on one thousand feet ! 



The fishable portion of the river is therefore confined to about 

 a mile of water. It is purely a spate river, and in dry seasons no 

 sport can be got ; but when in fishing ply it is a strong, rapid-running 

 sporting piece of M'ater, on which a stout rod and sound tackle are 

 wanted. No waders are required ; small standard flies are used 

 except in a very heavy spate. In September and October the 

 worm is occasionally fished, and is fairly successful, while as the 

 river gets low salmon are often taken with trout flies and trout 

 rods. 



The best angling time is from the first flood in July to the 



middle of September ; the net and rod seasons are the usual ones 



for rivers that open on the nth of February. The average take 



for the past eleven years has been 30 salmon and grilse, 247 sea 



trout, 1806 brown trout, these latter not being got entirely in the 



river Leven, but partly in the lochs and burns forming its source, 



and are chiefly the httle Highland ones. The river gives brown trout 



of 3 lb. and over each season. The sea trout are chiefly got in a tidal 



pool, and the finer the tackle and smaller the flies the better. 



Salmon average 10 lb., the top weight being one of 35 lb. Sea trout 



run from the usual herring size up to 4-J lb., and every season there 



are a good many caught of from 2 to 3 lb. 



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