196 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



it flows from the loch, though very swampy ground, is a black, oily, 

 ghding stream called the Inkpot, a nearly sure cast in high water, 

 or when the surface is ruffled by a breeze, and this one pool often 

 accounts for half the fish killed in the season. It is, however, only 

 a few yards long, and if a fish is hooked, " hold on " must be the 

 order of the day, for it is not safe to let it go either up or down. 

 Below the Inkpot proper there are some more short casts of the same 

 sort. 



It will be gathered from the foregoing that the lower half-mile 

 of the river is rough and rocky, with the upper one full of reeds and 

 rushes. There is a boat on Loch Shiel, where sea trout often take 

 well ; but, though salmon lie in it, and may be seen splashing freely, 

 they seldom rise. For three or four miles above the loch the river 

 is a series of slow-running deeps, connected by shallows, with no 

 well-defined pools. The water is of great clearness, so that a stiff 

 breeze is essential, when there is always a good chance of sport, 

 even though there has been no recent rainfall. At the end of this 

 reach of dead water rocky pools again commence, but are seldom 

 fished, for report says these upper reaches are freely poached. 

 Wading stockings are useful, but not absolutely necessary. Fish 

 average about 8 lb., and rarely exceed i6 lb. Plenty of sea 

 trout of 3 lb. to 4 lb. can be seen, but very few of these weights 

 are caught, as for some reason these large trout do not rise weU, 

 the usual average being under i lb. One or two fish and half a 

 dozen sea trout would be a good day when the river was right, 

 although better ones have occasionally been recorded. Fish run 

 up with the first July flood, and August and September are the best 

 months. The favourite flies are the Doctors, Jock Scot, Thunder 

 and Lightning, Silver Grey, Farlow's Black Prince, and the two 

 unnamed ones in the chapter on " Glenelg." 



The Crowe falls into the head of Loch Duich about three miles 

 to the north of Shiel Inn. Remarkable for the clearness of its 

 waters, this pretty little stream rises in the Kintail liiUs, and for 

 the greater portion of its course belongs to Sir \ictor Mackenzie 

 of Glen Muick, until, as it nears the sea, the right bank becomes 

 the property of Sir Kenneth Matheson, while the left one is owned 

 by Sir J. T. Mackenzie, and between these three proprietors the 

 anghng rights are shared. Inverinate bank has, however, the 

 lion's share. The river is strictly preserved, the sea trout being 

 the chief attraction, for the salmon angling is variable, and 

 although as many as fifty fish have been got in a season, that 

 number is far above the average take, the stream being essentiaUy 

 a spate one. It has the same close times as the Shiel, while the 

 flies that are used on the one will do equally weU on the other. 



The angling of the Elchaig and the Luing are entirely on the 

 property of Sir Kenneth ■\Iatheson. Both fall into the head of 

 Loch Luing within a short distance of each other, this salt water 

 loch being a long, narrow, winding one of some six miles in length, 

 with rapid-running tides. There are no bag- or stake -nets in Loch 



