206 
THE FISHING GAZETTE 
[March 25, 1893 
storm without. Towards evening Sandy mani¬ 
fested great concern for Donald, and seriously 
advised him in the following terms: “ Man, 
Tonal, it’s time you wass out of here whateffer. 
Pe awa hame wi’ ye at wance, I’m seeing two 
heads on you ! ” Donald, who is a firm believer 
in second sight and other similar institutions 
peculiar to his country, took in the gravity of the 
situation, drained up ihe remains of his last half¬ 
gill, and immediately made straight for his homo 
—I .mean as straight as he could, which, to tell 
the truth, isn’t saying much.” 
Our North Esk correspondent writes: “For 
the opening day and the first week of the nets 
over four thousand fish were taken below the 
dykes of Craico and Morphie, most of them below 
the latter. The Morphie dyke it would appear 
kept back most, as two hundred is the total that 
has been got between it and Craigo. Last week 
the same netters—those of Mr. James Johnstone, 
who is a member of the Scotch Fishery Board— 
continued their successes, when they netted an 
additional five hundred in identically the same 
bits of water below the monstrous obstructions. 
A few strong fish are beginning to spin past now, 
however, and if they can dodge the netters higher 
up they will deserve credit for cuteness. Three 
fish now stands as the total yet got by the rod on 
this splendid river, and surely this must convince 
anyone that it is injustice that matters are 
allowed to remain as they are. Kelts still in 
great plenty all over the river, and with no 
disease among them now. Good lots of big fish 
have been secured by Johnstone’s men—fish from 
201b. to 281b.—and one was got at the mouth of 
the river in a bag-net last Tuesday weighing 
421b. They are doing pretty well ail along the 
coast, and sticking to the observance of the 
weekly close time religiously ! Lots of anglers 
are out on the low end now among the finnock, of 
which some grand baskets have been got, one 
angler having twenty-four in an hour or two the 
other day.” _ 
The one-day scores to the rod on the Aberdeen¬ 
shire Dee of spring salmon are at last beginning 
to mount up to creditable figures—an eleven and 
a twelve having now to be recorded. Last year 
the best take by one rod in a day was twenty- 
four fish, but it was about a month farther over 
in the season—which is when the fishing is 
usually at its best—that it was obtained. 
The Loch Tay angling is still keeping up 
remarkably well, but despite the fact that the 
river has been in grand order several times, the 
angling on it for the past week or two has proved 
far from up to expectation. 
Good sport with finnock has for some short 
time past been the order of the day on the lower 
lengths of the romantic River Awe, Argyllshire. 
Gomplainis come from the Tweed that sport is 
specially poor, not on account of the conditions 
of weather and water, but for the reason that 
fish are extremely scarce in all the angling 
reaches. The netsmen on the Tweed, as I have 
previously pointed out, take too good care of the 
fish in the spring and summer months for many 
of them to escape them and get up the river to 
afford sport to anglers. 
Loch Ness has not fished at all well for some 
short time past, and this must have much dis¬ 
appointed a number of anglers who went north 
to it in the sanguine expectation of good sport. 
The stretches of the Aberdeenshire Dee 
whereon angling is enjoyed by guests at the 
Imperial Hotel, Aberdeen, and the Deeside 
Hydropathic, Heatbcot, are, I hear, at present 
splendidly stocked with whitling, and have, when 
fished on good days, been yielding good baskets 
lately. The beats in connection with each 
establishment are of considerable extent, and 
embrace some of the best whitling runs of the 
whole river. The present month and April are 
the two best of the early season on the Dee for 
whitling or finnock angling. 
All the later spring rivers north of Inverness 
have now commenced to yield fish to the rods, 
while on such earlier ones as the Helmsdale, 
'rhurso, Naver, and Borgie, the sport has vastly 
improved since a fortnight ago. 
Mr. BI tiers, of the Sutherland Arms Hotel, 
Lairg, has just ’oeen doing a praiseworthy thing, 
of which anglers will be very pleased to learn. 
He has ordered from Ilowietoun, and has planted 
in his angling waters 1000 two-year-old Loch 
Ijevens — the largest number of which Loch 
Beannoch has received, the rest having gone to 
Shiness Bay of Loch Shin. 
Our Macduff correspondent writes: “The 
negotiations which were initiated a few years ago 
for the purchase, from the Duke of Fife, of his 
right of salmon fishing in the river Deveron—a 
proposed purchase which was coupled with the 
intention of destroying the dykes which are 
situated in the Duff House policies, and which 
prevent fish from making progress up the river— 
have, it is understood, in the meantime quite 
fallen through. We understand that on behalf 
of upper proprietors, a very large sum was 
offered to his Grace, who has not, however, seen 
his way to close with the offer. The proposal 
although dropped in the meantime, is not, it is 
understood, entirely abandoned, and lovers of 
sport on the upper reaches of the water still 
entertain the hope that the transference may, 
sometime in the future, be carried out as pro¬ 
posed.” _ 
McBouxcer writes : — “There is a Gaelic 
proverb which says, ‘ Is luaithe run na rionnach, 
is luaithe giumach na rbn ’— Seal is swifter than 
mackerel, lobster is sivlfter than seal —but I can 
hardly believe it. It may, however, be quite true, 
for there is another proverb which translates 
into. B ush of lobster, rush of mackerel, rush of seal, 
the three swiftest in the great ocean. ‘ Is fhearr an 
giumach na bhi gun fhear-tighe ’— Better a lobster 
than no husband —originated (according to the 
late Sheriff Nicolson) with two women who lived 
together, one of whom stole the other’s meal oat 
of her bag. The sufferer then put a live lobster 
into the bag, and the next time the thief put her 
hand in she was caught. She cried out: • Tha’n 
Donas na do phoed! ’— The Devil’s in your hag. 
‘ Tha,’ said the other, ‘ nuair tha thus arm’— Yes, 
when you are in it. ‘ Is e innleachd iasgaich bhi 
ga shior leannmhuinn ’— The art of angling is ever 
pursuing it—is true of other occupatior'is as well as 
anglirig, although, in the case of angling, long 
experience and constant practice are necessary 
to insure success. ‘ Is fhearr iasg beag na bhi 
gun iasg idir ’— A small fish is better than no fish at 
all —has its counterpart in several languages. 
The Lowland Scotch say, Sma’ fish is better than 
nane. ‘ lasgach amadian, corr bheothach mor ’ 
—A fool’s fishing, an occasional big fish —seems to 
imply that only fools despise little. Most anglers, 
however, would doubtless rather get an occasional 
‘ whopper ’ than a lot of small fry.” 
For the last few days Loch Ness fished rather 
better than it did fora fortnight previous. From 
Invermoriston I hear that Rev. Mr. McNeil 
landed a fish on Friday which weighed 181b., and 
on Saturday Mr. Sinclair had a fish of 201b. 
Yesterday (Monday) on the Fort Augustus beat, 
Mr. Davis landed two fresh run fish weighing 
181b. and 211b. respectively, and Mr. Chisholm 
had one of 141b. A change of weather set in on 
Saturday, and I trust it will tend to move the 
fish on Loch Ness. That the loch is teeming with 
fish is evident from the number seen lately 
disporting themselves quite close to the boats 
trolling on it. Old hands predict a good month’s 
angling in April, and I hope their prophecy may 
prove true. Two fish were got on River Oich 
last week weighing 201b. and 101b., and Mr. 
Moore landed one yesterday scaling 91b. River 
Garry and Loch Oich show rather an improve¬ 
ment—the total up to Saturday being sixty-three 
fish, and, taking into consideration that the loch 
is left practically undisturbed, the record is not 
at all bad. River Garry angling would be more 
succesful but for the quantity of snow water, 
which, owing to the late snow storm, is passing 
through it. 
GEORGE COLE BAINBRIDGE’S 
DRESSINGS OF ARriFICIAL 
FLIES. 
(Continued from page 149.) 
The Blue Du.v is in appearance one of the 
most delicate insects which frequent the water. 
It is therefore extraordinary that it is to be found 
in the greatest quantities on cold windy days, 
being hardly ever to be seen in mild warm 
weather. It is an early fly, making its ap¬ 
pearance early in March, at which time it 
remains on the water during the whole morning. 
It is extremely difficult to meet with a feather of 
the exact shade, or sufficiently delicate in the 
fibre for the wings of this fly; it is therefore 
better to make it of a pale blue hackle, and use it 
as a dropper. The body is composed of the 
blue fur from a water-rat, mixed with a small 
proportion of lemon-coloured mohair. As the 
wings of this fly stand erect on the body, a cock's 
hackle is preferable to that of a hen, not being so 
liable to yield to the action of the water. 
Another Dun is to be found about the latter 
end of May, and is a good morning fly. The 
body of mole-skin, or the fur from a black gre}'- 
hound ; the wings, which are four in number, are 
to be dressed in the same form as the Jilealy 
Brown or Fern Fly, and are made from the 
feathers of a starling, and a reddish ginger hackle 
for legs. This is also a good fly for grayling. 
TitE Or.4nge Fly has four wings, made from 
the blue feather of a mallard-teal. The head is 
of the dark fur from the hare’s ear; the body, 
gold-coloured mohair, mixed with orange camlet 
and a little brown fur; a small blue cock’s hackle 
for legs. Tbis is an alluring fly to salmon mort, 
if dressed rather larger than the representation ; 
and on a smaller scale, none better can be fouiid 
for the salmon fry. 
T)fE Cow-DUXG Fly. — Although this is not an 
aquatic insect, being most commonly found 
amongst the excrement of animals, it is never¬ 
theless a favourite of the trout; and when high 
winds have blown these flies upon the water, the 
angler may calculate upon good diversion, if he 
make trial of them. 
They appear in March, and will raise fish until 
September. The body is made of yellow camlet 
or mohair, mixed with a little brown bear’s fur, 
which gives the whole a dusky appearance; the 
feather from the wing of the landrail for wings, 
and a ginger hackle for legs. The wings are to be 
dressed flat on the back, and the body made full. 
Tjie Yellow Dun is a beautiful insect, and is 
to be used in the morning and evening during 
the months of April and May, and again in 
September. If martin’s fur cannot be procured, 
the body is made of yellow yarn unravelled, and 
mixed with a little pale ash-coloured fur, which 
may be had from a cub fox, near the tail; the 
wings, from the under part of a snipe’s wing, 
and are to be made upright, with a pale dun 
hackle for legs. 
The Cre.ym-coloured Fly is an excellent bait 
for grayling, and may be used from May until the 
end of August. The wings stand upright, and are 
to be made of a hen’s hackle over a blue body. 
The H/VRry Long-legs is a summer fly, and 
although its merits have been underrated by 
many anglers, it is an excellent killer on a cloudy 
day when there is a good breeze. The body is 
dressed of brown bear’s fur, mixed with the dark 
dun from a mole’s skin, the dark mottled feather 
of a partridge for wings, and a brown cock’s 
hackle of good length, for legs; wings upright, 
and body taper. 
The Little Iron-Blue Fly. —These flies are 
rarely to be seen in mild weather; but during the 
month of May they fre(|uent the water in con¬ 
siderable numbers on cold windy days. They 
may be ranked amongst the smallest of the 
insects necessary for the angler’s imitation, and 
can scarcely be dressed too fine. The wings are 
upright, and best made of a feather from under 
the cormorant’s wing. As, however, it may not 
be an easy matter to procure one of these birds, 
and as one bird affords only about a dozen of the 
feathers requisite, a substitute is recommended in 
the tail of the tom-tit, which is nearly of the same 
shade. There is also a small bird, called the 
American blue-bird, which furnishes feathers 
admirably adapted to the formation of this fly. 
