of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



81 



APPENDIX V. 



HEAVY SCOTTISH SALMON. 



By W. L CALDERWOOD. 



The Record British Salmon — 103 Lbs. 



Early in the past winter I heard from Mr. Roderick Anderson, of R. 

 Anderson & Sons, fishing tackle makers, <fcc, Princes Street, Edinburgh, 

 that a few years ago a salmon of unusually heavy weight had been taken 

 in the estuary of the Forth. At a later date I had an opportunity of 

 speaking with the man who, with others, had landed the fish. From him 

 I learned that the capture was made in the winter of 1902, or possibly 

 of 1901, at the mouth of the Devon in the Forth, in the neighbourhood 

 of Cambus, a few miles below Stirling. The fish weighed 1031b. and a 

 few ounces. It was blacker in colour than he or the men with him 

 (who were fishermen of experience) had ever seen. It was a male, the 

 hook of the lower jaw being sufficiently long to penetrate the upper jaw. 

 No measurements of length or girth were taken. Sea lice were very 

 numerous in the region of the pectoral fins. 



No visible record of the fish was retained, since the possession of the 

 fish was fraught with a certain amount of danger to the captors. I 

 have, however, no reason to doubt the guarded statement of my infor- 

 mant, who is well known to Messrs. Anderson, and personally believe that 

 in reporting the matter 1 am recording the greatest known weight for 

 any British salmon. 



The Next Heaviest Fish in Scotland — 84 Lbs. 



So far as I am aware, the record fish for Scotland, previous to the 

 capture of the fish just referred to, was a Tay fish which I referred 

 to elsewhere some years ago, but which may be briefly mentioned 

 here. It was taken by a man named William Walker, who, so far as I 

 know, is still alive and living at New burgh. 



In November or December 1869, Walker was fishing two " land-side" 

 sparling nets, one fixed at Sea Side Dyke, the other fixed at Port Allen 

 Dyke, both on the north side of the Tay estuary some miles above the 

 Tay Bridge. In the Port Allen Dyke net a salmon of 84 lbs. was taken. 



Heavy Fish of 1907. 



In several localities the season of 1907 was remarkable for the 

 number of heavy fish taken, and in at least two localities fish of record 

 weight were captured. 



A 20-lb. fish is as great a monster in certain localities as a 

 40-lb. fish is in others, but in the following list I have confined 

 myself to fish of 40 lbs. and over. 



