132 
THE PISHING GAZETTE 
[Pebutjart 25, 1893 
fish will generally be drawn out of his retreat 
and landed without trouble. Whenever a heavy 
fish is struck under these circumstances, it should 
always, if practicable, be turned down stream. 
The worst of this proceeding is that it disturbs 
the water, so that it becomes only a choice of 
evils; but if done quietly, keeping as far as 
possible out of sight, the fish soon come back. 
It should never be forgotten by those in pur¬ 
suit- of fish, that the latter—being in a much 
denser medium than air—can see objects on the 
shore that would be quite invisible to them but 
for the extraordinary effects of refraction. This 
is a well known law, which must be taken 
for granted here, as it would require more 
space than we can afford to prove it, except 
by one or two familiar examples. If we take 
a tumbler nearly filled with water, and place 
in it a straw or pencil in a slanting position, 
when we look along the latter, we shall find 
that it appears no longer straight, but as if 
bent at an angle where it touches the water. 
Another experiment is to place a 
coin at the bottom of a wide basin or 
tub, then to retire gradually until the 
coin is just hidden by the edge of the 
vessel; if another person then pours 
water into it, the coin will soon appear 
above the edge. From these instances 
it is apparent that fish can see persons 
and things on the banks which would 
be quite hidden from them but for 
the high refractive power of water. 
There are some curious facts re¬ 
lating to this phenomenon of refrac¬ 
tion, and although not bearing on our 
subject, we will mention one instance. 
When the tide is low, the cows, &c., 
on the Isle of Dogs are invisible at 
Greenwich, but as the tide rises, so 
do these animals gradually come in 
sight, until at a very high tide even 
the grass and dikes are visible. In 
this case we believe the refractive 
power is exercised by a stratum of 
air, cooled by contact with the water, 
and so becoming much denser than 
the surrounding atmosphere. 
The tackle and method of fishing 
are much like those of the Lea, 
except the rod, which is shorter, 
and always fitted with a running 
line. When the Nottingham reel is 
employed to throw out a ledger, 
spinning tackle, or heavy float,, the 
line is wound on the reel, until the 
plummet or float nearly touches the 
top of the rod; the finger is kept on 
the edge of the reel, and a good 
swing given, almost as if throwing a 
spinning bait ; the finger is removed 
from the edge of the reel when about 
half the arc described by the rod has 
been passed over, and replaced just 
at the moment the ledger lead, or 
spinning bait touches the water; 
great nicety being required to hit the 
exact time. [With heavy tackle, and 
the modern swift running reels, the 
least possible pressure of the finger 
on the edge of the reel becomes 
necessary almost immediately the 
cast is made, or the i-eel over¬ 
runs. — J. B.] When using a light 
quill float, the method of procedure is very 
different; there would not be weight enough to run 
the line off the reel, so it is taken between the finger 
and thumb of the left hand, as far up the rod as 
can be comfortably reached, and then drawn down 
in a loop five or six feet in length. The length 
of line hanging from the top is about equarto 
the length of the rod, and when a swing is given, 
as before described, at the right moment the 
loop is loosed from the left hand, and the float, 
however light, has quite impetus enough to draw 
the line out to its full extent. [If the float has 
to be cast a greater distance than can be managed 
in this way, one loop may be taken between the ! 
reel and the first ring and caught on the first 
finger, a second loop from between the second 
and third rings, caught on the second finger, 
and, if necessary, a third loop taken from between j 
the second and third rings, and caught on the ! 
third finger. In casting the float out, these j 
loops have to be let go in turn, the third finger i 
loop first, then the second, and last the first— 
which is where the skill comes in. But the 
operation is neither so complicated nor difiicult 
as it may appear from this description.—.1. B.] 
One thing must be particularly noted, which 
is, that it is useless to attempt this style of 
fishing if the wind blow down stream. A place 
must be chosen where the wind is up stream, 
and if slightly off shore so much the better. 
Many discussions have arisen on this point, 
and clever anglers have taken great pains to 
prove that the hook always drags behind the 
float; but the Nottingham men will not believe 
this, and never fish with the wind down stream. 
[These two foregoing paragraphs require some 
qualification. Roach can undoubtedly be caught 
on Nottingham tackle when the wind is blowing 
down stream. Much depends on the force of the 
wind. It may be light or “ strong to a gale,” as 
the meterological reports have it. If heavy 
tackle is used and the swim is fairly deep, the 
force of the current on the float and line beneath 
it is sufficient to draw the line off the reel, but 
that same drawing off the reel may put just so 
much check on the float as to counteract the evil 
effects of a down stream wind. Again, it may 
be blowing so hard up stream as almost to stop 
the float, and cause the bait to be lifted from 
the bottom and out of sight of the fish. Few 
anglers would say to themselves on getting to 
the river side, “ we will not fish to-day because 
the wind is down stream.” They would simply 
do their best under the circumstances. Instead, 
therefore, of saying that it is ‘‘ useless ” to fish 
with Nottingham tackle when the wind is down 
stream, surely it would be more correct to say 
merely that, generally speaking, an up-stream 
wind is more favourable to this particular method 
of fishing than a down stream wind. The 
angler should bear in mind that the float most of 
all feels the effect of the wind (though rheu¬ 
matic anglers may protest that their feelings 
exceed those of a quill), and that by heavily 
shotting the float so as to sink most of it under 
the water, the wind can in a measure be circum¬ 
vented.—J.B.] * 
{To he continued.) 
THE SPRING SALMON RIVERS OP 
SCOTLAND. 
AS THEY ARE. 
{Continued from page 107.) 
By W. Murdoch. 
I.\ the language of the Gael, “The Spey is one 
of the noblest rivers, if not the noblest, in the 
whole of Scotland.” Its length is about 100 
miles; and in volume of water, and extent of 
baGn it drains, it comes next to the Tay, of 
Sottish rivers. It is an early river, but its 
natural earliness has become terribly impaired 
by the severe usage to which it has 
been continually subjected in the j 
early part of the season, during a I 
very long series of years, dating back j 
from the present time. I 
On page 26 of his first annual report 1 
to the Fishery Board for Scotland, | 
where Mr. Archibald Young, late i 
inspector of salmon fisheries, makes 
concerning the Deveron, one of tlie 
very earliest streams in the whole of 
Scotland, the extraordinary state¬ 
ment that “ the Deveron is a late 
river for the east coast, where the 
great majority of the rivers are 
early,” is to be found the following 
concerning the Spey, which clearly 
shows that Mr. Young, whatever 
opinions he may have held, made but ! 
a very matter of fact statement 
regarding the system of Spey fishing 
permitted to be carried on, and its 
disastrous effects to the more inland 
fisheries owned by the proprietors in ’ 
whose waters almost the whole of the 
spawners are protected, and almost 
the whole of the young fish hatch { 
out, remain, and are fed for the firs', [ 
year or two of their existence. * 
‘ There are seven lower and thirteen i 
upper proprietors on the Spey. The j 
Duke of Richmond is the chief pro- i 
prietor; he has .£-o972 1.5s. of assess¬ 
able rental; all the other proprietor.s 
having £2500. The fisheries are 
falling off' in value. The best year 
recently, especially for grilse, was i,i 
1873. The thirteen best grilse year.-;, 
with one exception, were immediately 
succeeded by the best salmon years. 
In 1803 or 1801, nearly eighty years 
ago, long before fixed engines were 
known, the Spey let for £6000 a 
year. . . . There is a cruive on the 
Spey belonging to the Duke of 
Richmond, which has the effect of in 
a great measure preventing the ascent 
of salmon during the fishing season, 
except in great floods, and so enabling 
them to be captured in large numbers 
on the Duke’s waters below the cruive. 
His Grace has offered the upper pro¬ 
prietors to abolish the cruive on receiving a 
fair compensation. The Duke fishes the whole 
course of the Spey, from the Chain Bridge, 
at Orton, to the mouth of the river. There 
are seven cobles fishing at present; there ar.^ 
three men to each coble during the day, and 
three during the night. From March 15 to the en 1 
of the season the cobles work day and night, mos', 
fish being caught during the night. Previously 
to March 15 they work during the day only.” 
Salmon hatcheries are excellent in themselve.s, 
yet, as I have previously pointed out, there is 
* The illustration in Chapter VII., entitled, “ On th i 
Shallows,” was reproduced from Dr. Hamilton's delight¬ 
ful “ Recollections of Ply-fishing for Salmon, Trout, an I 
Grayling.” The engraving was made from a sketch hf 
Dr. Hamilton of a portion of the Test, at Long Parish. 
In the May-fly season the large Test roach take th-i 
natural and artificial fly greedily. The diagrams of rods 
in this chapterare reproduced from the “ Trent Otter’s ” 
practical book on Nottingham fishing.—En. F. G. 
'V-' 
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IqcK 
LOCH INCH. 
