Eebruart 25, 1893] 
THE EISHING GAZETTE 
129 
become vastly better. True, winter fish for the 
past ten days have been giving most sport, but 
they soon will be off the take and far fewer in 
numbers than the true springers, half their size, 
which henceforth throughout the early months 
will afford almost all the sport. 
The following statement shows the grand 
totals, and also the totals separately, of salmon 
and sea-trout, male and female, that, dead or 
dying from saprolegnia ferax, were taken out of 
the River North Ihk and tributaries by the water 
bailiffs during the period between September 1 
last, and the end of January this year :— 
Male. 
Female. 
Total. 
Salmon ... 
... 312 
2U 
526 
Sea-trout 
4 
31 
35 
561 
Writes our correspondent: “The above state¬ 
ment shows 1.800 fewer than in 1891, and 850 
fewer than in 1890. Of the males, 190 were spent 
and 122 un.'pent, and of the females, 97 were 
spent and 117 unspent. There is now a fine show 
of spring fish about the dykes at Craigo and 
Morphie, so, no doubt, there will be a grand 
opening of the netting. Kelts are over all the 
upper waters in vast numbers, and seem not at 
all inclined to descend yet. David Paterson, who 
was gillie to your friend on the Kirton Hill 
fishery in the autumn, died last Saturday. David 
was a well-known hand on the North Esk river, 
and could haul the fish out in grand style, but for 
a good while past he had not been in his usual 
form.” 
OuK Deveron correspondent writes :—“ Thurs¬ 
day last 100,000 ova w’ere deposited in the 
hatchery on the Deveron, where, for several years 
back, operations of a successful nature have been 
carried on. The salmon stripped were in healthy 
condition, scaling from 81b. to 201b. Female fish 
were plentiful, but the males rather scarce. The 
operations were conducted by Mr. Bisset, the 
duke’s lessee, and Mr. Kennedy, superintendent 
of the Deveron fishings. The ova were placed in 
about a dozen boxes, spread on gravel, and a few 
on glass rods. Owing to thtir cleanliness, the 
latter have a superiority over the former, and 
permit of a more even distribution of the ova, 
which are more successfully hatched. The fine 
supply of water which is got from St. Mary’s 
W"-!! is uniform in temperature, and the fry each 
year almost begin to come at exactly the same 
date after deposit. Last season severe frost and 
low temperature somewhat retarded operations, 
and the percentage of ova producing fry was 
scarcely so large.” _ 
McBouncer writes: “In my remarks in last 
week’s note on Gaelic proverbs I pointed out the 
contempt with which the Highlanders have 
always looked upen Excise Laws and Game 
Laws. The former are no doubt more frequently 
violated than the latter, for it is questionable if 
anywhere in the kingdom professional poachers 
are so few and far between as in the Northern 
Highlands.. This is all the more strange in a 
people who do not believe that there is anything 
sinful or shameful in taking ‘a salmon from the 
pool or a stag from the hill.’ The proverb, ‘ Ge 
math a chobhair an t-sealg cha mhath an saoghal 
an t-sealg,’ A good htljj is hunting, hut a bad 
living is hunting, does not by any means encourage 
poaching. The meaning appears to be that a 
hare, or other animal, or fish may be a good 
enough help for the pot, but the loss of time 
wasted in its capture may more than counter¬ 
balance its value. The croft is neglected, and 
stock too, so that when the Martinmas market 
comes the consequences will be felt. Altogether 
the moral of this nroverb is a very sound one. 
‘ GDc thusa foighidinn agus glacaidh tu iasg,’ 
Catch your patience and you’ll catch fish, is a rather 
sarcastic way of addressing a luckless angler. 
Although it is sarcastic it is not without a spice 
of encouragement and of hope of better results 
in future. Tasgach na Curra,’ The crane's 
fishing, is pithily put as a veritable model of 
patience. Will conclude this note by one more 
‘ saying,’ indicating what the choicest m<'rsels of 
fish are according to the Highlanders’ fancy, and 
leave connoisseurs to judge. ‘ Druim sgadain, 
Inveran Hotel caught two salmon m the course 
tarr braddin ’s ciil cinn a bhric dhuibh.’ I’he 
herring's hack, the salmon’s belly, and the hack of 
the head of the Hack trout. . . . No angling was 
attempted on the Carron Easter Ross, but a start 
will soon be made. On the Shin an angler from 
of the week. Netting operations have commenced 
on the Kyle of Sutherland, but as yet without 
success. It is feared that works going on in 
sinking the caissons for the piers of the new 
bridge at Bonar will affect both netting on the 
Kyle and angling on the various rivers flowing 
into ii'. The weather in the north is very plea¬ 
sant.” 
Mr. Nicol, of the Breadalbane Arms Hotel, 
Aberfeldy, writes: “ I have to report to you my 
first capture of a clean fish this season—a beauty 
which turned the scales at lOflb. I had another 
on, and thought he was played out, when he made 
just one rush there and then like lightning; 
took out the whole of my line, broke my trace, 
and bolted with my pet Phantom. The river is 
in splendid ply at present and likely to continue 
so for some time unless we should have heavy 
rains.” 
G. M. M., Deesiue, writes : “ With average 
weather the success of the early spring-fishing 
is fully assured. Fish are being got plentifully 
all along the length of the Dee, and since Thurs¬ 
day last week, the sport may without exaggera¬ 
tion be described as having been highly satis¬ 
factory.' Oathe Ballater Invercauld water, Mr. 
Hardy had thirteen fish for the week. On the 
Glen Tana, Sir William Brooks had on an average 
six daily, with the exception of Monday and 
Tuesday, which were blank. On the Aboyne 
water nineteen were killed ; on the Lower Dess, 
fourteen ; on Kincardine Lodge, twelve, and so on. 
Mr. Cholmondeley, on Ballogie, had ten to his 
own rod, and Mr. Barbour, on Inchmarlo and 
Kineskie, from three to five daily. The fish, as 
regards quality and shape, are of a superior 
order, while not a trace of disease is reported. 
Kelts have an especial favour for gudgeon. One 
angler in the middle reaches fed them with a 
few short of four dozen last week—specially 
imported for spring fish—but up fill now the 
spring fish have not disputed the delicacy, but 
have passed them over to their despised brethren. 
Shades of J( ck Adam and the race of bygone 
anglers ! Ye would rejoice to be in the body, and 
see your favouiite flies in vogue once again. On 
Saturday I .saw two fish killed with a 4in. 
‘ Akrojd.’ The irons were rummaged up from 
the bottom of an old box, for sucb ‘ boat-hooks ’ 
are seldom found in tackle-makers’ cases nowa¬ 
days. A^ery little has been done on the Don ; 
trout are scarce. Mr. Murray had a few on the 
opening day—some two or three—and another 
angler one. But with more suitable tides and 
the thorough clearing out which the estuary has 
undergone lately, better things may confidently 
be looked for soon. An angler, being under the 
belief that he was perpetually hooking the self¬ 
same old kelt, tied a bladder to its tail with a 
piece of string. After this he carefully avoided 
the presence of the inflated detective. On the 
Sunday morning following this experiment some 
tailors doing a stroll by the riverside espied the 
fatal buoy, and having an inkling of the unseen 
propeller below, ‘ did ’ for that kelt, when the 
coast was clear, and had a ‘ royal ’ feast over 
the occasion. This is not a fish story, but the 
dread of appearing in the witness-box prevents 
farther details. The Daily Telegraph had an 
article on the opening of the angling season last 
week, the grist of which was that the Deeside 
proprietors have demonstrated to the world how 
to successfully and profitably improve a decaying 
salmon stream. Although no acknowledgment 
was made, ihe writer had evidently digested well 
the various articles appearing from time to time 
in the pages of the Fishing Gazette during the 
past decade from the pen of a well-known writer. 
Evidently the water-bailiffs on the Dee have 
been recently getting their ‘ lesson ’ from head¬ 
quarters. The other day the lessee of a well- 
known fishery was accosted by a river watcher 
who asked to see his permission to fish ! ” 
Mr. Harper writes: “The angling on the 
Thurso has improved. A good spate at the close 
of last week put ma ters right for the disciples 
of old Isaak. Five rods were out on Saturday, 
and all of them scored, as follows :—No. 1 beat. 
two 20-pounders; No. 2, two 181b.; No. 3, one 
101b.; No. fi, two, 161b. and 91b.; No. 8, three, 
221b., 221b., and 271b. The beats being now well 
stocked with new run fish, good sport is certain ; 
kelts look well and healthy. They are on the down¬ 
ward journey, while their more unfortunate 
brethren, the ‘ springers,’ on their upward journey 
pass them by as a masher would pass a mendi¬ 
cant, little thinking, I suppose, that it would be 
well for them to be in the kelt’s skin a week hence. 
No fish above 101b. weight were killed before 
Saturday; the heavy ones had it mostly their 
own way that day. Enormous takes of herring 
were landed at Scrabster, fifty-six railway 
waggon loads on Friday, and sixty-one on Satur¬ 
day, besides a large quantity being kippered. 
Otters are frequenting the river now. They 
always follow a good run of fish.” 
OtfR Bi-ora correspondent writes : “ During the 
close time the rivers are generally carefully 
watched by the salmon-fishers, gamekeepers, 
foresters, &c., with as keen an eye for detection 
of poaching as the gauger has for that of the 
illicit mountain dew. In the early part of this 
year, the keen-eyed salmon manager (Mr. R.) of 
the Brora fishery, sent the fiery cross around, 
with the information that a poacher with his 
family had taken up their abode on the bank of 
the River Brora. All and sundry were imme¬ 
diately on the outlook, but though the footprints 
of the father and family were repeatedly seen and 
followed, their retreat was not discovered. After 
the thaw set in and the ice broke up, the chances 
became less and less, while the determination to 
capture became greater. However, notwithstand¬ 
ing the scenting powers of Mr. Trussler’s spaniels, 
Messrs. Todd and McIntyre’s retrievers, and that 
of the wonderful terrier belonging to Mr. D. Ross, 
Gordonbush—the latter, himself a true and grand 
specimen of the clan already world-renowned for 
their extraordinary wind and scenting qualifica¬ 
tions—the brown-coated poachers still remained 
at large. Not having been seen nor heard of for 
some days, the watching became more lax. The 
angling opened upon the 11th, and presumably, 
the poacher in some manner becoming aware that 
the river was to be occupied by some of the most 
expert anglers which the Dee, the Spey, and the 
Brora can produce, came to the conclusion that, 
for a time, living in plenty would be very uncertain, 
and went looking about for a retiring habitation. 
He evidently tried several, and at last came to one 
which looked nice, dry, and warm. Evidently not 
having any intimate knowledge of the Ground 
Game Act, he boldly ventured in to explore—was 
caught in a common rabbit trap—shortly after¬ 
wards discovered by a shepherd lad, and by bim 
ignominiously despatched with a common dung¬ 
hill grape. Such was the fate last Tuesday of a 
fine dog otter. . . . During the early days of 
the. week the weather was of a most boisterous 
and gusty character, and though the two rods 
tried well, they for three days were unsuccessful. 
On the 16th, Mr. Todd, Gordonbush, had two 
nice fish; Mr. Hall, one; on the 17 th, Mr. Hall, 
two fish; Mr. Todd, blank; on the 18th, Mr. 
Hall had three fish; Mr. Todd, one. Heaviest 
fish for week, lllb. Total take up to date ten fish.” 
Our Inverness-shire correspondent writes: 
“Anglers on Loch Ness have not done so bad 
since the opening, although not up to last year’s 
record. Quite a dozen fish were got for the 
Lovat Arms Hotel. Mr. Chisholm was very 
fortunate both as to numbers and weight. He 
landed two fish weighing upwards of SOlb. From 
Invermoristen I hear that Mr. Annan and friend 
had seven nice fish. The angling on River Oich 
is not quite so good as I expected, but all got were 
of good size and clean run. River Garry must 
improve or else it will loose its reputation. The 
general belief is, that the bulk of fish are on 
Loch Ness yet, so better sport may be got later 
on. The water is still in good trim, and wind 
blowing from a favourable airt.” 
Mr. Philip Geen, pre.«ident of the Anglers’ 
Association of London, has been bavirg some 
good sport recently on the Lyon, including a 
splendid salmon of twenty-five pounds. Loch 
Tay has been too rough 'or much to be done, but 
Mr. Geen anticipates a splendid season if plenty 
of fish can secure it. 
