200 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



high water, there is an excellent cast for running grilse. Lastly 

 comes the Sea Pool, which can only be fished when the tide is out 

 of it, and is best from the left bank. The fish, however, are here 

 free risers, and often when hooked leave the rool for the sea. to 

 which they can only be followed by going down a ledge of rocks 

 passing under the bridge. 



As matters are at present, the Ewe is always an uncertain 

 river, for the angling has run down to such a degree that it would 

 be absurd to talk of an average take. The deterioration has been 

 very gradual, so that, though it is very poor angling now, it never 

 has in recent times been very good. The falling off has also been 

 by waves, so that, during its slow and steady degradation, there 

 have been occasional vears when the takes of the seasons — or, at 

 anj' rate, the summer ones — have been almost as good as ever. 

 The late Sir Kenneth Mackenzie's best day was a capture of ten 

 grilse, and, as a young man, he fished the river a great deal. The 

 best day in seventeen years had by Mr. J. H. Dixon was one of six 

 grilse, while now the angler who gets a fish a day in the best month 

 is indeed lucky, for one a week is nearer the mark. 



April is the best spring month, with July the best summer 

 one. Later on in the autumn the fish are sulky, for even if they 

 rise, they rarely lay hold. The spring fish run right through both 

 river and loch, and pass up the Garry at Kinlochewe into Loch 

 Clair, where they are got as early as April. Wading stockings or 

 knee boots are convenient, though not absolutely necessary. 

 Worm and prawn wiU both kill, and are not prohibited. 



Sea trout are plentiful, the first run commencing about the end 

 of June ; some of these run up to 5 lb., though half that weight is 

 the average ; then towards the end of July they get gradually 

 smaller, until the finnocks appear. In fine weather and with low 

 water the best time to get them is from nine o'clock to midnight ; 

 and, although this species of salmondi<s takes so well in the night, 

 it is strange it should be so rare to catch either salmon or grilse 

 in the half-light of a summer night, and, indeed, I know of no 

 instance of this being done. For this work a black-bodied fly is 

 the favourite, and it is wiser to use one only, and also to have two 

 or three casts ready prepared in case of a tangle. 



With the upper portion of the Ewe is also let about a mile and 

 a half of Loch Maree, which rarely jdelds a salmon or grilse, but 

 often gives some good sport with sea trout. For these the Green 

 Drake, the Wasps, and the Black and Red Spiders are the favourites, 

 dressed somewhat small. There are also numbers of yellow trout 

 in the Ewe, some which grc'W to large size, though the average is a 

 bare ^- lb. 



The four days of each week the anghng is let with Pool House 

 Lodge, at the mouth of the river ; the other two going with Inveran 

 Lodge, at the exit of the ri er from Loch Maree. In Sir Humphry 

 Davy's Salmonia there is a long description of the angling on 

 the Ewe nearly a century ago, and at that period, 1813, Sir 



