March 4, 1893] 
THE PISHING GAZETTE 
151 
often take less than a day to swim fi’om the tide¬ 
way through the river into Loch Ness. After a 
very dry, cold January and early half of February 
the angling on the more inland waters is not nearly 
so good as after a winter sefison which has been 
comparatively open all through with good round 
running waters prevailing. There are shallow 
bars or fords in the river, which, during long 
spells of drought and frost, keep back the fish, 
which in great numbers accumulate in the deeper 
water below, and on the opening of the netting 
season fall a prey to the netters. But this, it 
must be said, very seldom occurs. The run of fish 
is so early that in a season which is normal as 
regards •weather there would undoubtedly be 
splendid angling got on Loch Ness by trolling 
during the last half of January. Quite often it 
is found when the season opens that great 
numbers of fish have penetrated as far inland as 
Loch Oich, and some gone up the Garry, still 
farther inland, in which probably the whole stock 
of the early fish are bred. It is certainly due to 
this early run of fish being so early as to get 
through the Ness in great numbers before the 
netting commences that the stock is so well 
maintained and the angling on Loch Oich and 
the River Garry is so famous 
early in the season. Were it 
otherwise, and the fish did not 
commence to run in strength 
until the middle of February, 
when the netting gets a com¬ 
mencement, there would un¬ 
doubtedly be but very poor 
angling even in the best of th3 
season on all the waters farther 
inland than the River Ness, on 
which the netting when once 
commenced would, as else¬ 
where, prove far too efficient 
to admit of the escape of many 
fish. No doubt from the quick¬ 
ness of their running and the 
short distance they have to run, 
good numbers would pass up 
the river and get clear away 
during the weekly slap, but it 
is well—very well indeed for 
the inland proprietors — that 
the run is so early as it is : it 
makes famous for sport waters 
which otherwise would be little 
prized, because of little value 
for sport. The angling on Loch 
Ness is often good; on the 
short River Oich above it, fair ; 
on Loch Oich, which comes 
next, magnificent; and on the 
Garry above,sometimes wonder¬ 
fully good. The latter is much 
the best spring salmon river 
in Inverness-shire, and Loch 
Oich to the troller gives sport 
of such excellence with salmon 
as elsewhere in Scotland is 
unapproached in the early 
months of the year. 
Much was done for these 
celebrated fisheries by the late 
Mr. Wilson, the angling lessee, who for years 
—grudging no expense—made their improve¬ 
ment steadily advance by purchasing the netting 
rights and removing the nets at Inchnacardoch* 
and other places where the fish, after they 
had gob clear through the Ness, used to be 
intercepted. But it is to be regretted that this 
gentleman’s enterprise has not been continued 
by his successor in the lease, and in all proba¬ 
bility as a result of this, the angling on the famous 
fisheries which Mr. Wilson nursed so sedulously, 
will before long, show marked deterioration. 
The first part of the new serial issue of 
“ Cassell’s Popular Gardening” is published this 
week. The work is editpd by Mr. D. T. Fish, and 
contains contributions by Mr. Edward W. Badger, 
F.R.H.S., Mr. James Britten, F.L.S., Mr. William 
Carmichael, Tilr. William Coleman, Mr. Richard 
Dean, Mr. William Earley, Mr. G. S. Jenman, 
P.L.S., Dr. Maxwell T. Masters, and other autho¬ 
rities. A special feature of this new serial 
edition is, that the best and latest varieties of 
flowers for cultivation will be described. 
* I have just learned that there is to be no netting at 
Inchnacardoch this year. 
LAKE VYRNWY. 
By C. W. Gedney. 
The results of the appeal case, reported in your 
issue of Feb. 18, were, from the angler’s point of 
view, eminently satisfactory. 
An important change has been made in the 
regulations hitherto in force at Lake Vyrnwy. 
Spinning, with natural or artificial baits, will be 
permitted during the season, which commences | 
on March 30. This step was decided upon after , 
mature consideration, and with considerable 
regret on the part of the proprietors ; but it was 
felt to be absolutely necessary to reduce the 
number of big fish. That the lake contains a 
large number of these great cannibals who will 
not rise to a fly, but who prey upon the smaller 
trout, is true beyond all question. Those anglers 
who have seen the big fellows, rising in mid-lake 
on a calm evening, can have no doubt whatever 
that they must play sad havoc amongst the 
smaller fish. Many of the Loch Levens, with 
which this water was originally stocked, have 
attained to weights varying from 31b. to 51b. 
j apiece, and there are, in addition, still larger fi^li, 
which occupied the lake that was absorbed when 
these five miles of pent up waters were accumu¬ 
lated. By carefully reserving all the best fly 
waters for the exclusive use of fly fishermen, their 
sport will in no respect be interfered with by the 
I new regulations. As nothing but fly has ever 
! been permitted, grand sport will, no doubt, be 
obtained by the spinners, and we may look for¬ 
ward to hearing of some record scores being 
made in the month of April next. Trolling is not 
a form of angling which finds much favour with 
experts in the art of fly-fishing, but there is a 
large and ever-increasing body of anglers who 
think more of results than they do of the methods 
of capture. To these, this relaxation of the rules 
on Lake Vyrnwy will offer a great attraction, and 
there is little doubt that it will lead to a consider¬ 
able increase of angling visitors. 
Unsparing efforts have been made within the 
past year to improve both the stock of fish in the 
lake, and to add to their food supply. The rear¬ 
ing-ponds have furnished nearly 600 takeable fish, 
that have been turned into the lake ; the bulk of 
them being “ pounders.” In addition to these, 
1500 yearlings have been added to the stock, and 
these consist of Loch Kinders, Buttermeres, and 
cross-bred trout. As there are four or five 
feeders running into Lake Vyrnwy, all of which 
afford splendid spawning-beds for the fish to 
breed naturally, and as the lake trout resort to 
these small rivers in imiuense numbers, there is 
every reason to believe that the “ fishy ” reputa¬ 
tion of this splendid sheet of water will be even 
greater in the future than it has been in the past. 
But those big fellows must be cleared out, 
because they never go supperless to bed, and also, 
because the close season has no restraining 
influence upon their appetites. 
^^FIllST BLOOD.” 
By Dod. 
“ Well, Sandy, what do you say next? ” 
“ A ‘ Jock Scott,’ sir. I think the ‘ Whitewing ’ 
you have just tried over is on the big side, and 
we’ll try something, small.” 
“ What do you think of this size? ” 
“Just the very dunt. Inch and h.alf is quite 
big enough in this bright 
fresh weather, which resembles 
the eleventh of April, sir, 
more than the eleventh of 
February.” 
“Well, fix it on, Sandy, a'ud 
we will give the ‘ Lucky llole ’ 
the first favour of it.” 
-* * * * 
“Fish the lower ])art very 
steadily, sir. I noticed a boil 
just opposite the big stone 
yonder. A yard or two more 
line. They lie pretty well out 
in this size of water.” 
“ Are you sure it’s not 
another ‘ kelt,’ Sandy ? They 
seem as thick as peas among 
soup this season. If it’s 
another ‘ kelt,’ and he lays hold, 
we’ll change places, Sandy. 
You'll do the running and I’ll 
do the netting. You are too 
much accustomed to the ‘gaff,’ 
Sandy, so I shall give you an 
object lesson in the use of the 
net. It ■will be useful, when 
you are forced to use it, and 
the ‘gaff’ made illegal at this 
season of the year on the De'’, 
as should bo the case in the 
matter of dealing with ‘ King 
Kelt.’ ” 
“ Some folks hold to the 
opinion that ‘ k‘-lts ’ should 
be killed outright, sir, as they 
are a perpetual pest, and 
ultimately die, at any rate.” 
“Well, Sandy, everthingalive 
ultimately dies. But to talk of 
knocking ‘ kelts ’ on the head 
is arrant nonsense, besides 
being a criminal act in the 
eyes of the law, and to ‘ hack ’ them in two 
almost, with such a murderous instrument as 
a gaff or clip, and then, perforce, return the 
gory, wounded, sickly fish to the water should 
he made criminal; and should the salmon laws 
be amended, by the addition of another 
Salmon Fishery Act, this will be one of the 
minor clauses which ■v\ull meet with no real 
opposition.” 
# * * # * 
“ He’s a, fish, sir. Don’t be too hard with him. 
He came beautifully at you. No doubt he took a 
mouthful of “ Jock,” but for all that be ‘ canny’ 
with him.” 
“ Here, Sandy, take the rod, I am sure ho’.-^ a 
kelt. Hold a bit! By jove ! he’s off like greased 
lightning. Yes, he is a fish, and no mistake. 
Look out your ‘gaff,’ Sandy. We'll leave tliat 
object lesson on the handling of the net with 
pleasure. Well done, Sandy, you are the prince 
of ‘ gaffers.’ ” 
“ Here’s to the ‘ first blood.’ Your good 
health, and tight lines soon for another nine- 
pounder.” 
“ Thanks, Sandy, our opening day at least has 
not been a blank.” 
A VIEW OF THE NEW LAKE PROM THE DAM. 
