April 15, 1893] 
THE PISHING GAZETTE 
269 
Jack! Jack! The jackdaw aptly proves the truth 
of the proverb that “Birds of a feather flock 
together.” as he is often seen feeding with the 
rooks. He is a very useful bird where sheep are 
pastured, for he performs a good office in clearing 
them of vermin. As we neared a large wood a 
fox ran out of a dry ditch, and with a snarl at us 
rushed off downhill. I’p in the Highlands he 
grows almost as large as a wolf, and makes 
great havoc amongst the poultry at the outlying 
farms. The polecat is another great enemy of 
poultry when he can get at them, and will also 
catch flsh when he sees a chance. 
A little further up the mountain we emerged 
on a grand picture formed by a mountain torrent 
rushing with a series of leaps down the face of a 
precipice, wild in the extreme, and overhung by 
dark looming firs. Here may occasionally be 
seen the otter as he starts on his nightly foray in 
the dusky twilight. 
The sun was slowly sinking in a blaze of golden 
glory as we returned to where we had left our 
rods. We determined to have a final cast or two 
before returning home. The trout were feeding 
greedily as we neared the stream, and for half an 
hour we had rare sport. Hardly had our flies 
touched the water when they were snapped up, 
and in the short time mentioned we added a 
dozen beauties to our already heavy baskets. As 
the last rays of light died out in the west, we 
turned reluctantly from the stream, which had 
afforded such good si^ort, and turned our faces 
homewards. 
Our way lay by an easier route than that taken 
in the morning. As we stepped along in the 
twilight the stars one by one came forth. Jupiter 
and Mars seen through the trees seemed remark¬ 
ably bright. We could hear the human-like cry 
of the owl, and the distant murmur of the moun¬ 
tain stream. Haturally our thoitghts turned to 
■'"0 day’s sport, and it was with keenest satisfac- 
Lio.: that we concluded we had broken our 
previous record. Thus beguiling the way we 
reached the farmhouse after an hour’s walk. Here 
a royal welcome, and a right royal supper 
awaited the weary piscators. Next day 1 returned 
to the busy city, but among all the memories I 
carried with me none were so pleasant as the 
remembrance of that happy autumn flay. 
§cotci) '^oUs, 
By Mac. 
Colin Gunn, Sutherland, writes : “ 'Your report 
of the Brora in Fishing Gazette of last week is 
misleading and not quite correct. It was not the 
Balnacoil rod that had the large takes, but Mr. 
Gunnis, Gordonbush, on the Balnacoil reach of 
water. This mos'. successful angler has this year 
beaten all known records, as far as numbers go. 
He has yet to kill the heaviest fish. His best 
take was forty-four salmon for six days fishing, 
and his score for the two months now ended is 
123 salmon. So far as I know, the heaviest fish, 
221b. (of the season), was caught by Mr. Hall, 
Sciberscrnss. whose term ended on March 31. 
!Mr. George Pilkington, who rents the Balnacoil 
rod for the months of April, May, and June, 
arrived at Brora on March 31. Prom then up to 
date, he and his son, Mr. ]\I. 0. Pilkington, stroke 
oar in the Oxford University race-boat, hax'e 
killed eleven salmon. Mr. M. C. Pilkington had 
six salmon in one dav. Mr. Gunnis, for the week, 
had twelve nice fish. IVeather has not been 
favourable, though there has been more or less 
water; it was dirty from heather burning. 
When a good spate comes sport of a high 
character is expected on the high reaches. The 
Duke’s netsmen did not get so many when 
hauling this week, w'hich looks as if there has 
been no great run of fish coming up lately.” 
A COEKESI’ONDICNT writes me from the Caithness 
border that:—“This last week was not very suit¬ 
able for fishing, being too bright most days ; yet 
I hear that the Forss did W' 11, giving something 
like fourteen fish to the rod for the week. There 
has been a prand hatch-off of the salmon fry at 
Saudside, Reay. and 20 000 Levenensis fry are 
meantime feeding. Mr Armistead. of the Solway 
Fishery, is sending to Sandside 3000 fresh-water 
shrimps, to introduce into the fishing waters of 
Mr. Pilkington, the proprietor of Sandside estate. 
I hear that Smith, Forss, has secured the net- 
fishing at the mouth of the Forss river for ten 
years. What a pity it is that Mr. Arkwright, 
the sporting tenant, did not get it when he was 
willing to take it. After May he will have all 
the rod-fishing, and if he had secured the netting 
rights he could have worked the nets to suit the 
river. But it invariably comes to this: the 
netsman manages to edge in and spoil the game. 
Trout have been rising to the natural fly very 
well some days lately on several of the lochs here. 
The Halladale has run down to too low a level for 
angling owing to the dry weather we have been 
having.” _ 
Our Ross-shire correspondent writes:—“Ex¬ 
cellent fishing is still reported on the Conon, 
whereon, on March 28, Mv. Macdonald had four 
splendid fish. Mr. Banbury on three successive 
days at the beginning of this month landed 
altogether nine fish,of weights from 61b. to 81b.” 
Very little has yet been done in salmon angling 
on the Loohy, owing to the weather having been 
very dry, but, with a change having now come, 
the prospects of sport in the immediate future 
have become greatly enhanced. 
The lloss-shire Journal states that the salmon 
fishing on the Conon this year has been exception¬ 
ally gratifying, the number of fish already caught 
exceeding the number reported for a similar 
period during the last six or seven years. On 
the Brahan waters this has been particularly so, 
and higher up the river, on the Fairburn portion, 
the success of anglers has been equally encourag¬ 
ing- _ 
L.vst w’eek a few salmon—the first to the rod 
this year—were got on the River Ness by two 
anglers—our correspondent, Mr. Donald Wat.son, 
tackle maker, Inglis-street, being one of these. 
We congratulate Mr. Watson on his success. 
When Mr. Watson scores it is no fluke. He is 
one of the most skilful rods in the North for 
salmon as well as trout. 
We hear from an Aberdeen correspondent: 
“ The salmon fishing here upon our coasts has 
been very meagre for the past two or three weeks. 
The quality has been rather poor, and a great 
many of the places have not had one-third of 
the number they had last year at this time. 
Within the last fortnight a few very fine trout 
have been got, but the number is far behind 
what it ought to be at this season. No grilse 
have made their appearance as yet. I have heard 
several reports of a grilse being got, but I have 
good authority for stating that it was not a grilse 
nor anything like a grilse. Still I am expecting 
that it we had a few mild showers it would bring 
the grilse now or soon after this. In 1891 we had 
the first grilse at the mouth of the Dee on April 
14 of 21b. weight, and in 1892 on April 21 of 3lb. 
weight. We have had several large fish from the 
Don of 20lb. to 2-516. last week, still the average 
weight is very much under what it ought to be 
at this time. This refers to the fishing from 
Johnshaven. south of Stonehaven, to Nairn on 
the Moray Firth, and comprehend the fisheries 
of the Bervie, Dee, Don, Ythan, Ugie. Philorth, 
Deveron, Spey, Lossie, Findhorn, and Nairn.” 
The Awe has now begun to yield a few salmon 
to anglers, and already two or three fine ones 
have been got on the Taynuilt Hotel section. 
There has, as yet, no fish turned up in the 
districts of Poolewe, '^Gairloch, Aultbea, and 
Coigach. _ 
Some months ago, I got from the Brora a small 
fish which T had put into a fish pond, under the 
care of an able pisciculturist, to see what in time 
the beastie would develop into. He has now got 
for his companions a few salmon fry, and the last 
I heard of him from the pisciculturist in question 
was that “The Brora young salmon is feeding 
well, but growing very litt e. I have some com¬ 
panions with him now, but the ‘ Devil ’ is trjing 
1 to gobble them up. This makes me fear he is a 
trout.” 
The Marquis of Breadabane consigned two 
cans of Loch Leven trout from the Kenraore 
hatchery to Mr. K. Maisey. Lochearnhead Hotel, 
by whom they were received in excellent condition 
and turned into Loch]Earn. 
There is as yet no authenticated report of a 
single grilse having been got this year in Scotch 
waters, although lots of bogus captures have been 
reported. Some anglers mistake a sea-trout or a 
kelt-mended grilse for a fresh-run grilse, and 
others in their haste to be reported the captor of 
the first grilse of the season willinghj make the 
mistake. 
Owing to the low state of the water, arising 
from the extreme drought, the kelts, although 
now quite ready to descend, have not, in many 
rivers, been dropping back in great shoals as yet. 
Finnock: fishing in Scotch waters, for which 
April is usually the best month of the early 
season, has not been doing very well of late for 
the same reasons as have prevented the kelts 
shoaling and the yellow trout from coming up 
in the early rivers as keen as they should do 
now. 
All the better developed parr are now taking 
on the marine or smolt dress, and have (as the 
latter) begun to descend the rivers ; but they, 
too, will not clear out so quickly as they might 
until we have fresh rain, wnich is the first thing 
that will bring about a real revolution in matters 
all round—improve salmon angling and netting 
—better angling for salmon, send dow^ the 
smolts, put out the kelts, bring up the grilse, 
improve the finnock fishing, and cause the yellow 
trout to feed on the fly greedily as they should 
now. 
I AM sure it will be of interest to many, not 
only north country anglers, but anglers at a 
distance, to learn that the extensive and naturally 
splendid angling reaches of the Rivers Deveron 
and Bogie, at Huntlj- (which are amongst the most 
celebrated in Scotland for early rising large trout), 
whereon fishing for salmon and trout can be had 
free of charge through the courteous generosity of 
the proprietor. His Grace the Duke of Richmond 
and Gordon, are now to be efficiently watched 
and protected from poachers. By reason of its 
amenities and beautiful scenery, together with 
the inducements it offers to patrons of the angle, 
Huntly is annually becoming more popular as 
a holiday and tourist resort, and the steps now 
taken should go to make it still more desirable as a 
resort in the spi-ing, summer, and autumn months, 
for those who when holidaying wish to obtain 
good river fishing conveniently and free of charge. 
The enterprising proprietor of the Gordon Arms, 
Huntly. is enlarging and improving his house with 
a view to being able to provide increased comfort 
and accommodation for tourist anglers, which in 
greatly increased numbers he expects will hence¬ 
forth be patronising the Bogie and Deveron free 
fishings, which presently are the most extensive, 
and perhaps before long will be the best of the 
kind in Scotland. _ 
Mr. Macdonald, of the Grant Arms- Hotel, 
Grantown-on-Spey, writes:—“The weather for 
the pa-t week, from an angler’s point of view, 
was bad ; consequently, on the hotel water, as on 
other reaches of the Spey, sport was poor. Daily 
we had blazing sunshine that would do credit to 
the tropics, with considerable frost during the 
night. Last week kelts were rising with keen¬ 
ness, when Mr. Pilkington, not to his satisfaction, 
had four or five daily. But he was rewarded with 
his first clean fish, a nice one of 121b. During 
this week he has had two, 8|lb. and 12lb. To-day 
Mr. Stevens had a capital Spey trout of 41b. in 
fine condition. At last the weather has changed 
—thunder and rain having broken out—hence we 
anticipate better sport this week and next.” 
Mr. Harder writes from the Thurso :—“ Man, 
Colin, I hardly kend ye. When you and me were 
“ callants ” playing and fishing and bathing in the 
B-river, ye aye liked to crack a bit joke at 
^omebildy’s expense. I see a mischievous twinkle 
of the auld humour in your e'e yet But man, ye 
are changed greatly in other respects. I am real 
glad to hear that Mrs. Gunn is thriving and week 
