March 25, 1893] 
THE FISHING GAZETTE 
205 
By the middle of May the early sport is pretty 
nearly finished. 
This river is more slow flowing, and has a 
steadier volume than any other in the far north. 
Independent of its great reservoir, Looh Naver, 
it has a strong spring water supply from the 
mountains of its inland feeders, and a good deal 
from points along the beautiful strath through 
which it flows, between Loch Naver and its 
estuary at Torrisdale Bay, beside Bettyhill, of 
Farr. 
It is considered by experts that Loch Haver 
draws far too many of the fish up for the river 
to afford such grand sport in spring as other¬ 
wise it would do, and it is suggested that some 
obstruction near to the loch would soon be the 
means of making the Haver as grand for sport 
in spring in proportion to its extent as any 
river in Scotland. A barrier of the nature indi¬ 
cated would serve the same purpose, no doubt, as 
the falls on the Helmsdale, on the Forss, on the 
Blackwater, and on other rivers, which keep the 
fish back only for a certain time, or, in other 
words, retard their inland progress no lonaer 
than the date when a certain temperature of the 
water is reached, with which the fish surmount 
the barriers with ease, and instinctively push on 
for the more remote interior water.®. 
The Borgie is the farthest westerley salmon- 
stream of the north coast. It is not of great 
extent, and is all let with shootings. When there 
is ample volume of water, and the winds are such 
as favour ascent, fish “ take ” the Borgie in 
February. There are several very nice sporting 
streams in the stretch up to the fall, which is a 
sort of check to the fish for a time. Afterwards, 
and especially in summer, a fair volume of water 
draws them quickly forward, when they pass into 
Loch Slam, and thence, in course of time, work 
through Lochs Craggie and Loyal, to the reaches 
of the head waters, where a great many of them 
spawn in the autumn. The Borgie is too small a 
stream to ever become of very great account (no 
matter how well nursed) for fishing in spring 
and summer both. Yet it has reproductive 
resources which could not fail to make it a good 
deal better than it presently is, if only treat¬ 
ment a little more generous—which, unquestion¬ 
ably, would prove paying—were accorded it. 
Mr. John Box, his Grace’s factor on the northern 
seaboard, it is but right to state, takes a keen and 
most intelligent interest in the several salmon- 
fisheries of his district, and is striving, as oppor¬ 
tunity offers, to effect improvements. But, of 
course, everything cannot be done of a heap, as 
the saying is, yet, though progress may be slow, 
it will, I feel sure, take place, and be brought 
about by well-considered means. 
A MONSTER IRISH PIKK. 
Weight, twenty-four hours after capture, 371b.; 
length, from end of snout to fork of tail, 4ft.; 
girth, 2ft. This fish was sent to Mr. R. B. 
Marston, Editor of the Fishing Gazelle, London, 
with this note: 
Athlone, March 22, 1893. 
Sir, —I killed a large pike this morning on a 
rod and bait; Mr. Michael Brown, the fisherman, 
told me to send him to you, so I send him by 
this day’s train. William Dueky, Fisherman. 
Athlone. 
[The fish has been sent by us to the Fisheries 
Exhibition, Westminster Aquarium, and we have 
asked Mr. Alfred Jardine to write a notice of it 
I'ortheF.G. See p, 210.j 
By Mac. 
In addition to the several fine fish previously 
got on the River Tummel, a grand one of 331b. 
was caught by the rod this week. 
Writing from the lower lengths of the Tay, a 
correspondent says :—“ Fishing for most of the 
week was a failure comparatively, owing to the 
severe snowstorm, and from no quarter was there 
reported anything great having been done either 
by rod or net. The snow is now away in the low- 
lying districts, but it is deep packed still on the 
hills, several of which are all white. I am sure, 
the. cfoie, that until we get a spate, caused by 
rain, it will be folly to count on good angling. 
Just now the river is in fine order, and Monday 
(ypsterday) and to-day several nice fish were got, 
but that is about all there is to report; and it 
is, indeed, a poor return for the Tay. Lately 
some good takes of whitling have been got well 
down the water, as well as some of yellow trout. 
Regarding the latter, I should like to know where 
those come from which I see exposed for sale in 
the fishmongers’ windows. I hear of a splendid 
basket or two of trout having already been got 
on Loch Tummel.” __ 
Colin Gunn of Brora writes: “Owing to the 
severe snowstorm, the angling on the Brora did 
not prove so good as last week, though some fine 
fish were killed. Mr. Hall had a splendid fish of 
22lb., and another of 151b. Mr. Gtinnis had a 
beauty of 13|lb., his score for the week fourteen 
fish. Mr. Hall's total not to hand. Between 
them the two rods have, up to date, got about 
150 fish. That genial personage, the amiable 
local professor, sallies forth next week, when no 
doubt something wonderful will be accom¬ 
plished. _ 
Monday last. Miss Georgina Macpherson, 
fishing the Grandtully water, had a 30-pounder, 
and Lord Strathallan, who was on the Castle 
Menzies reach, had one of 341b. This proves 
that some good fish, well forward on the run to 
the loch, are still going up the Tay. On its 
conclusion, this year’s salmon season on Loch 
Tay, it is now certain, will be reported a magni¬ 
ficent one. _ 
For the past four or five days, in consequence, 
largely, of a good deal of frost over night having 
reduced the volume of water to rather a low level, 
finnocks and sea-trout, in the lower lengths of 
many of the Scotch rivers, have not beeii taking 
nearly so well as they were for eight or ten days 
before. This does not apply to all districts, but 
to a very considerable number of those along the 
east coast of Scotland, along the whole of which 
the time between the middle of March and the 
middle of April, is usually by far the best for 
finnock angling. In some districts, both east 
and north as well as west, there has been little 
frost this week, and with the rivers being in good 
trim sport on them with finnock has done well. 
Anglers who want the best of the early finnock- 
fishing in Scotland should, without much delay, 
set about coming north for it. Yellow trout, too, 
should afford best sport on lower lengths of such 
splendid waters as Don and Deveron quite soon 
now, granting conditions to continue auspicious, 
as, to all appearance, they have now set in. 
Yet I'dOOO might not be far short of the mark, 
were the waters in the market to-morrow. The 
Kincardine G’Heil section of the Dee is probably 
the hardest fished bit of salmon water in the 
kingdom. It is about four miles in extent, and 
includes eight distinct lessees, or proprietors, 
and jirobably a dozen rods are ‘at it ’ morning, 
noon, and night. Some 205 salmon have already 
been landed on this station this season. The 
Cairnton water, fished by Mr. S. Turner Farle}’, 
has been the most fortunate single beat on the 
Dee up to date. It has been yielding from 
twenty to thirty fish weekly.” 
Our Speyside correspondent writes: — “A 
public meeting was held in Rothes on Saturday 
night to hear a statement re the stage the Spey 
fishing case had reached. Baillie Macdougall, 
Rothes, president of the Spey Trout Fishers’ 
Association, who presided, explained that the 
case had been, as they were aware, appealed to 
the Supreme Court of the land, and if the case 
was still decided against them, it was resolved to 
appeal to the Trout Fishers’ Association of 
Scotland, and legislate in the question of trout¬ 
fishing in general. In view of the apjieal the 
public are to be called upon to subscribe further, 
and, from the feeling of the meeting, there is no 
doubt but that this will be heartily responded to. 
Posters are up all over Speyside, warning the 
people as to the danger trout-fishing is in, and 
also access to the bed of the river. The aurora 
borealis was seen to shine over the bright 
expanse of the northern skies several evenings 
last week, and the weather wiseacres prophesied 
rough weather. It is apparent that the race of 
prophets is not extinct, for the weather ex¬ 
perienced on several days last week was wintry 
in the extreme. In the Rothes district some 
seven or eight inches of snow fell, with one day 
the frost registering 5 degs. When writing, 
however, it was disappearing quickly under genial 
weather.” _ 
Mr. Archibald Harper writes:—“ After a 
fortnight of very cold and high winds the storm 
appears to have exhausted itself in a pretty heavy 
fall of snow, in which there was a good deal of 
drifting, on Friday and Saturday. Many of the 
dead water pools were frozen, and anglers were 
obliged to stay indoors. Thaw set in on Sunday 
morning. The snow has disappeared, except the 
heavy drifts. Of course the river is in spate, but 
as the thaw is unaccompanied with rain it won’t 
be so high as to interfere with angling. Even a 
snow spate is better than no spate; the lower 
beats were quite destitute of fish, and it is pretty 
certain that the rise in the water will rc-stock 
them with fresh run fish. They will run slowly 
in the snow broth, and thus give a chance of 
sport to the rods that occupy the beats nearest to 
the sea. The earlier run fish have gone far up, 
indeed, a good many are safe in Lochmore, for a 
time at least. Beats eight, seven, and six wei’e 
fairly productive during last week, yielding from 
one to five fish a day to each rod, but the lower 
beats gave very few. Unless they do better this 
week Lochmore will be fished instead. The 
stream of Locbbeg has been altered to its original 
channel lately. Mr. R. D. Walker arrived at 
Brawl Castle on the 19th for the spring angling.” 
W. M. B., Ardgay, writes: “For the past ten 
days or so the weather all over the north High¬ 
lands has been wintry in the extreme, and 
angling, as well as other outdoor occupations, had 
in some places to be suspended. Thursday was 
one of the wildest days of the season, and an 
amusing incident, which happened on that day, 
and for which the storm was partly responsible, 
maybe related. Two gillies Alistair and Donald 
—presented themselves at the Balnabraddan 
Arms Hotel, with the view of accompanying 
certain anglers to the river, but the weather was 
of such a nature that angling was entirely out of 
the question. To shelter themselves from the 
storm, as well as to discuss angling matters, the 
Land question. Home Rule, and other weighty 
subjects, the gillies sought refuge in the back 
tap-room, and there, m their native G.ielic, 
thrashed out all the important questions of the 
hour, from “Jock Scott” to Disestablishment. 
Gill after gill was called, and the day passed 
merrily within, in pleasing contrast to the howling 
Death of a Celebrated Austrian Angler.— 
We regret to hear that Herr Emil Weeger, of 
Btunn, Austria, for over fourteen years an 
occasional correspondent of the Fishing Gazelle, 
died on the 2nd inst., in the 74th year of his age. 
Herr Weeger was the inventor of many useful 
improvements in fishing tackles, including the 
“ Weeger ” universal winch fittings, brought out 
by Messrs. Hardy Brothers, the “ Fishing Gazelle 
Spinner,” a little metal screw which was placed 
on the trace a foot above the bait; for some 
reason or other it never “ took hold ” of anglers 
in this country. Herr Weeger was president of 
the Briinn Piscatorial Society, hon. member of 
the Fly-fishers’ Club, and of other English and 
foreign associations connected with angling, 
pisciculture, and agriculture. 
G. M. M., Deeside, writes :—“ A finer show of 
fish has not been seen in the Dee for many years 
back than there is in the mid-reaches at present. 
The Deeside gillies had their first spring assembly 
in the Kincardine O’Heil Public Hall on Friday. 
The badges of the committee men—all gillies, of 
course—were very appropriately composed of imi¬ 
tation ‘ Gordons,’ the favourite Dee fly. From the 
success of the first assembly it is not likely to be 
the last. ‘ Salmon ’ was the fa vourite colour of 
the evening with the fair sex. Some twenty-five 
years ago the late Mr. Cook, innkeeper, Aboyne, 
rented the whole of the Glen Tana and Aboyne 
waters on the Dee at the modest sum of JL'50 per 
annum. A southern angler, on salmon killing 
bent, discovered this paradise, and offered. At 
one fell sweep ‘ mine host’s ’ water rose to £300. 
