152 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



Feochan, up which run sea trout and an occasional grilse, and 

 in this stream there is also good spawning ground. The fishing 

 of this, with the right of a boat on Loch Nell, and the fishing of the 

 Nell between the bridge on the high road to Melfort and the sea, all 

 go wdth Glenfeochan House and shootings. Above the bridge the 

 Manse of Kilmore has about a quarter of a mile of the river, the 

 remainder belonging to the Loch Nell shootings, which also have a 

 boat on the loch. 



Seeing how close this fishery is to the tourist paradise of Oban, 

 and what high prices are freely paid for angling of any sort, it is 

 remarkable that none of the hotel-keepers there have tried to rent 

 Loch Nell and the river, which, I believe, might easily be arranged ; 

 and then, by renting the nets at the head of Loch Feochan and 

 working them at first only long enough to pay actual expenses, they 

 would at once, by these means, send a plentiful supply of fish to the 

 loch and the river. That accomplished, and as soon as it was knowoi 

 there was a good chance of catching a dozen or more sea trout or a 

 grilse or two, the tourist anglers would be fighting for the chance of 

 paying a pound a day for a man and boat on the loch ! The loch 

 would take two boats, the river one rod ; the three rods would 

 bring in a clear ^^14 a week, after the lessees had paid the wages of 

 two boatmen and a ghillie, and this would continue from the middle 

 of June to the end of October ; so that, after deducting Sundays, 

 there would be twenty weeks of fishing, yielding £280 clear 

 profit, to which would be added the profit made by the stay of the 

 three rods in the hotel. From this would have to be deducted the 

 rent of the net at the head of Loch Feochan, plus the price paid for 

 the angling, but the combined cost of both would probably be 

 easily covered by £100. 



Only let anglers be certain that they are casting over plenty 

 of fish, and in spite of all climatic conditions being against them, 

 and in the face of the repeated failures of those who have been 

 previously fishing, then nothing will deter a fresh hand from taking 

 his chance in the hope that the luck that has been wanting for 

 others will yet be his. If such an arrangement were extended also 

 to the nets working at the entrance of Loch Feochan, then the 

 river Euchar and Loch Scammadale would share in the benefits ; 

 and there is but little doubt that both the proprietor and the tenant 

 of Kilninver would support the scheme, and any sum they contri- 

 buted would easily be recouped by letting the angling or by greatly 

 increased sport. 



