CHAPTER LXII 



THE ADD, ARAY, DOUGLAS, FYNE, KINGLAS, AND SHIRA 



The Add, Avon Fhada, or Long River, drains fifty square miles 

 of highland country, and rising in some marshes at Craignure, in 

 the parish of Glassary, after a winding run of about twenty miles, 

 in which it traverses the Moss of Crinan, it falls into the sea at 

 Inner Loch Crinan, not very far from the western entrance to the 

 well-known canal. The upper waters belong to Captain Thomas 

 Lloyd of Minard Castle, while the lower ones go with Colonel 

 Malcolm's beautiful estate of Poltalloch, and flows through a 

 favourite tourist district, while as the owner is well known for his 

 genial good nature, he pays the penalty of his popularity by being 

 so pestered with apphcations for leave to fish that he finds difficulty 

 in keeping enough for his friends. 



There are fully a score of bag-nets working on either side of 

 Loch Crinan mouth, while the shores of the inner loch, though 

 pretty well looked after by the gamekeepers, are yet the favourite 

 fishing-grounds of the scringers of the district. The fish of the 

 Add are not free risers, and there is never more than a portion of it 

 in order, the rest being either too high or too low ; also the tide 

 affects the river a long way above the mouth. 



So dependent is it on everything being just right, that in 1898, 

 though there were plenty of fish, not a single one was got in 

 September and October by Lord Malcolm, the then owner, or by 

 any of his friends, for the river was up or down almost every hour, 

 and never settled. 



AU the same, I can testify from happy experience that the 

 Add is a most fascinating river. No waders are wanted, pools 

 of aU sorts are in plenty, the casting is easy, and a light rod of 

 fourteen feet will do aU the work, while the scenery surrounding 

 the big flat Moss of Crinan has a peculiar charm of it own. 



Fish do not run until the beginning of June, while at times 

 they are very much later, even deferring their arrival until the 

 end of August. Nevertheless, the Add is opened by law on the 

 15th of February, from which date nets may work till the 31st of 

 August and the rods until the 31st of October. It has always 

 been a better river for grilse than for salmon, and in the old days 

 has yielded some large takes of the former. In the nineteen years 

 from 1857 to 1875, there were 480 salmon and 7321 grilse taken by 

 the rods, or an average of 28 salmon and 385 grilse each season. 



