388 



Appendices to Fifth Annual Report 



There is a remarkable lake on the Mainland of Shetland called the Loch 

 of Strom. It is brackish, like the Loch of Stenness in Orkney, and, like 

 it, the flood tide enters by openings under the high road, and the ebb-tide 

 rushes out. The largest, and probably the best, sea-trout stream in Shet- 

 land, termed the Saudwater River, flows into the head of it. The Loch 

 of Strom is 2 miles in length, and rather narrow. I drove to it from 

 Lerwick, from which it is about 7 miles distant. When I reached it 

 the flood tide was pouring into it, in a strong, rapid stream, through three 

 square openings under the high road. The lower part of the loch was full 

 of sea-weeds, When [ was standing on the bridge the sea-trout were 

 leaping in the salt water, on their way up to Strom. Sillocks, cud, saithe, 

 and flounders are found in the Loch of Strom, as well as trout. At the 

 head, where the Saudwater River flows in, the water is said to be quite 

 fresh. 



On the way back from the Loch of Strom I stopped to inspect the little 

 Loch of Strand, which is, for its size, the best sea-trout loch in Scotland. 

 It communicates with the head of Lax Firth, by a short, broad stream, up 

 which the tide flows for a considerable distance. Loch Strand itself is 

 scarcely so large as Duddingston Loch, near Edinburgh. It is a shallow 

 loch, most of which may be waded, with boulders of stone sticking out here 

 and there over the surface. A number of small burns, most of them with 

 good spawning ground, unite some distance above the head of the Loch of 

 Strand, and form a considerable stream which flows into it ; and the lower 

 part of this stream forms a long, deep, wide pool, a capital lie for sea- 

 trout. In the salt w r ater, at the head of Lax Firth, and in the stream 

 flowing from the Loch of Strand, there is excellent fishing for sea-trout. 

 The upper part of Lax Firth is narrow and winding, more like a broad 

 river than an arm of the sea. One gentleman, in his answers to the 

 printed queries, writes : — 



I have known 50 lbs. weight of sea-trout taken out of the Loch of Strand by 

 one rod in the course of a day. 



The Loch of Strand is only 6 miles ffom Lerwick, and it was for 

 some years rented by the Lerwick Angling Club. But when I was in 

 Shetland it was to let, the rent asked being £15 a year. 



About nine miles from Lerwick is the Loch of Girlsta, one of the best 

 lochs for yellow trout in Shetland. The name (Geirhilda vatn) is said to 

 be derived from Geirhilda, the daughter of a famous viking, who was 

 drowned in it about the end of the ninth century. Girlsta is about 1^ miles 

 long, and, unlike most of the Shetland lochs, it is of considerable depth, 

 being 87 feet in the middle. It has a shingly bottom. It is connected 

 with Wadbister Voe by a large burn, about a third of a mile long. But, 

 unfortunately, in the course of this stream, there is a waterfall at least 

 15 feet in perpendicular height, with precipitous banks on both sides for 

 some distance below the fall, which entirely bars the ascent of sea-trout 

 into the loch. There is a dam on the pool below the fall, and from this 

 an intake lade with a sluice but no heck, leads to a mill below, where 

 it drives an overshot wheel. The height of the dam at the foot of the 

 pool is at least 7 feet, nearly perpendicular, so that a ladder would require 

 to be placed on it, even if the fall above was blasted, or had a Macdonald 

 fish-way placed upon it, as without such artificial assistance no sea-trout 

 would be able to surmount it. I doubt very much whether it would ever 

 pay to make the fall and the dam below passable for sea-trout. Instead 

 of attempting to do this, I think it would be much better to have a small 

 hatching-house somewhere on the banks of the stream issuing from the 

 Loch of Girlsta, or on the burn that runs into the right bank of the 



