150 RENTAL AND PEODUCE OF TAY FISHERIES. 



west of Perthshire, and, after striking the base of the "mighty 

 Ben More " and the Dochart hills, falls into Loch Tay at the 

 village of Killin, before reaching ■which place it assumes the 

 dimensions of a considerable river. There is fine angling to be 

 had in the vicinity of KiUiri ; indeed, the salmon rod-fisheries 

 there are of some value, and trout can be taken in great plenty 

 both in the Dochart and the Lochay. Loch Tay contains 

 abundance of fish, and, as that sheet of water is of considerable 

 size, there is ample room to ply the angle, either for salmon, 

 trout, or charr. A few local inquiries as to angling on the Tay 

 win elicit more valuable information than I can give here. At 

 some places on the lower portion of the water the aid of a boat 

 (a Tay boat) is necessary, as the best pools are otherwise inac- 

 cessible to the angler. The cost of a boat and man is about 

 eight shillings, and on most parts of the river two men 

 are required for attendance. Some parts of the Tay are 

 quite free to anglers, especially about Kinfauns; and, if I 

 mistake not, at other places as well. Perth forms a capital 

 centre for the angler : it is a good place in which to obtain in- 

 formation or tackle, and it is easy to get away from the " Fair 

 City " to places and streams of note. And if the angler wants 

 to " harl " the Tay itself, Perth is the very best place to obtain 

 instructions in the art of " harling," which is very attractive. 

 The commercial fishings may be seen in operation at and below 

 Perth : they are carried on by means of the net and coble. A 

 boat sails out with the net, and taking a sweep of the water 

 returns : in its progress enclosing any of the salmon kind that 

 may be in that part of the river. The operation is usually 

 repeated several times each day at every fishing station. 



The Tay salmon-fisheries are owned by various noblemen, 

 gentlemen, and corporations ; and they yield a gross annual rent 

 of nearly £17,000. 



The present season [1873] has been most productive as 

 regards the Tay as well as other rivers, the fish having been 

 plentiful, and a fair average price has been obtained for the catch 

 in the wholesale markets. During the first eight days of Feb- 

 ruary — that is, from the 6th, when the first supplies reached the 

 salesmen, to the 15 th — the wholesale price in London averaged 

 2s. 2d. per lb., but for the next twelve days prices ruled low, 

 lower than is usual in Februaiy, ranging from Is. 4d. to Is. per 

 lb. During March the highest price reached was 2s. Id., and 

 the lowest Is. 6d., but the average obtained during both months 



