270 
Part III. — Ninth Annual Report 
]. Loch Leven, Kinross-shire. 
Loch Leven, which belongs to Sir G. Graham-Montgomery, Bart, has 
been long famous for the peculiar delicacy in the colour and flavour of its 
trout. In the Old Statistical Account of Scotland, they are referred to 
as follows : — " The high flavour and bright red colour of the trout seem 
evidently to arise from the food which Nature has provided for them in 
the loch What appears to contribute most to the redness and 
rich taste of the Loch Leven trout is the vast quantity of a small shell- 
fish, red in its colour, which abounds all over the bottom of the loch, 
especially among the aquatic weeds; the trout when caught have often 
their stomachs full of them." ^ 
Reference is also made to the Loch Leven trout in the New Statistical 
Account, f 
Though Loch Leven has thus long been noted for the superiority of its 
trout, it is only within the last thirty-five years or so that it has become 
such a famous resort for anglers. Previous to 1856 fishing with rod and 
line appears to have been so disappointing in its results that few anglers 
cared to give the loch a second trial. From some cause that does not 
appear to have been satisfactorily explained the fish were observed about 
or shortly after the time stated to rise to the bait more freely than in 
previous years, and consequently angling became more successful and 
encouraging, and the result was that Loch Leven ere long formed a 
rendezvous for anglers from all parts of the country. | 
The management of the Loch Leven Fishery was for a long time in the 
hands of a tacksman, but some years ago it was undertaken by a limited 
liability company, called the Loch Leven Angling Association, who pay 
a rental of £1000 a year. 
As an example of the large number of fish taken during the season it 
may be stated that in 1888 over 23,500 trout, weighing 21,000 lbs. — 
being on an average nearly 1 lb, each — were captured. Perch also abound 
in the loch, and are frequently fished ; pike are not uncommon, but as 
they are destructive to the other fish, their number is being rapidly 
reduced. Charr (Scdmo alpinus, Linne) used also to be frequent, but I 
can find no record of any of them being caught in recent years. 
The following extract from the Old Statistical Account of Scotland may 
be of interest as showing the present greatly increased value of the Loch 
Leven Fishery, compared with what it was last century : ' The fish of 
Loch Leven only a few years ago sold here at Id. each, great and small, 
for the trout, and the perch at a Id. per dozen, and about 25 years ago 
at half that price ; the fishing was then let at 200 merks Scotch. The 
trout are now raised to 4d. per lb., the perch to 2d. per dozen, and the 
pike for 2d. per lb. ; the present rent of the fishing is £80 sterling, and for 
next year it is fixed at £100.§ In 1845 the rent had been increased to 
£204 per annum and " 2 boats and 4 boatmen were employed during part 
of the fishing season." || There are now (1891) 22 boats on the loch for 
the use of anglers, and the rent, as stated above, is £1000 per annum. 
During the first half of the present century extensive operations were 
carried out for the partial draining of the loch ; these were completed 
about 1845 at a cost of £40,000. By these operations the level of the 
loch was lowered 4J feet and its area, which previously extended to 4,638 
* Vol. vi. pp. 166, 168 (1793).': 
+ Vol. ix. (Kinross), p. 7 (1845). 
X "Sportsman's Guide," September 1890, p. 235. 
§ Old Stat. Acc. of Scot., vol. vi. (Kinross), pp. 166-168 (1793). 
II New Stat. Acc. of Scot, vol. ix. (Kinross), p. 6 (1845). 
