350 
THE PISHING GAZETTE 
[Mat 13, 1893 
rod for “ a cast ” on the point of a cairn, and 
would take no denial. To humour him I did so 
reluctantly, for I would have much preferred 
seeing him add to his own bag, and I was not in 
fishing garb. In a very few casts I rose and 
hooked the prettiest fish of the day, 8ilb., which 
I made short work of, as he took a huge 
“ Baronet,” the water being deep there. After 
which Bell never got a run ! So the bag was five 
fish weighing 81 Albs. I landed every fish by the 
tail, a thing I feel I understand. Poor fellow, I 
had no notion of it then, for he was very active 
and hardy, but he died of consumption a couple 
of years or so afterwards. I remember him now 
as an unselfish generous brother angler, who 
would willingly give his guest the best place, 
and who never seemed annoyed when his friend 
got ahead of him; and yet how keen he was ! 
He was an admirable salmon fisherman, hard to 
beat; particularly did he excel where the im¬ 
mediate vicinity of trees behind prevented “ a 
clear cast.” 
On the 4th I killed a fine clean fish of /-Jib., 
and “ lost a heavy one,” and on the 6th 1 killed a 
small fish of 61b., both on the “ Baronet,” a grand 
autumn fly on the Tweed. 
Bell had the best water for salmon in a low 
state of the river, and the worst in a high water, 
for miles, the gradient was so great and water 
so swift and rough. I find I had killed fourteen 
trout that season, amongst others, which averaged 
11b. 9joz., not bad for Scotch river trout, and so 
ends season 1862. 
In 1863 I fished the Tyne (Haddington) for two 
days in April, but did not do much, and my friend 
H. still less. 
I then, in May, went to the Tweed, at St. 
Boswell’s. How I loved that river in those 
days! and I find the old chronicle of sport, 
with the fly, .5Alb., .'31b., 2Alb., 4Alb., 61b,, 31b. 21st, 
91b., three of my take being nearly 31b. 22nd, 
47Ub., two of the trout 11b. lloz. 24th, eight 
trout, 51b., the three best trout weighing 31b. 3oz. 
25th, in two hours’ fishing in the evening I got 
41b., two best being lib. 16oz. each. 29th, 4Alb., 
one l^lb. I quote these weights to show that on 
the Tweed one generally came in for one or two 
good sized trout, which always lends a charm to 
a day’s fishing, in my opinion, even if the bag be 
light. 
Then, on June 10th, I went to Alford, Aberdeen¬ 
shire, with my friend B., and found the river 
very low and clear. It was ever thus. Also, by 
far the best of the fly-fishing there is in April, 
and we were out of it entirely. I find 1 began 
and ended badly, and my friend no better, rather 
worse: 41b., 4Alb., 51b., 61b., 4flb., 2Alb., 4Alb., 
4^|lb., and 4flb.' 
We got one day on the Kildrummie Castle 
water of the Don, by permission, and here with 
ordinary luck I should have done something 
indeed grand. We had to drive there, and were 
late in arriving. The water was rough and full 
of boulders and rocks where we started, but 
apparently almost as full of trout. It was blow¬ 
ing down stream too hard, and when a trout was 
hooked it made handling him a difficult task. 
The consequence was I lost several large trout. 
At twelve o’clock the wind increased to a 
hurricane down stream, and this, with clear water 
worm and fine tackle, made success impossible. 
During this brief period, however, my friend 
had basketted 9|lb., and myself 15Jlb., my three 
best trout being l|lb., l]lb., and lib. each. Next 
and last day at Alford 1 had 41b. I have often 
wished to fish the Kildrummie water once more, 
but being “ private” water I never again expect 
to do so. I had a few further uneventful days on 
the Tweed at St. Boswell’s that season. In 
September I went to the town of Innerleithen on 
the Tweed for my last season’s fishing prior to 
going to Queensland in the following spring. 
Here the fishing for both salmon and trout is 
open to all. I began, 14th, 5flb. of trout; 15th, 
541 b., including a grilse i.jlb.; 17th, 4glb. of 
trout. 
22nd, I fished for salmon and killed a grilse 
2Jlb.; 25th, two salmon, 121b. and4.Alb.; 26th, a 
grilse 21b.; 27th, a sea trout 2Alb.; 29th, 3Alb. 
trout (fly). 
October 8th. I fished for two hours below 
the foot of “ Quair Water,” and just above the 
bridge which spans the Tweed, with my small fly 
rod, and killed a fine river trout in good condition 
(with a midge ily), 31b. 6oz. 
October 14th, one salmon 6jlb.: 16th, one grilse 
3:flb.; 21st, one salmon 81b.; 26th, one salmon, 
l8lb., and a sea-trout 4flb. ISl.B. I killed both 
fish on a small “ dropper fly,” which I know is 
generally considered ” bad form,” but which, when 
small flies are used, I have found ” pay ” more 
than once. 
November 6th I had two sea-trout with salmon 
fly, 8.Alb. and 11 Alb. respectively. 
llth, a small fish 41b. 
17th, two sea-trout, 51b. and 31b. each. 
20th, a salmon 111b. 
28th, a salmon 71b. 
30th November. Last day of the season, 
frosty, and snow on the banks, and never saw 
a fish. 
On May 16th, 1864,1 had a few days at Alford 
(just before I sailed for Australia) with B. and L. 
16th (fly), fljlb., best trout l]lb. (B. 71b.) After 
this we had bright sun, and as the water was low 
we did no good, 41b., <tc.; indeed, my very last 
day, 19th, I find I had not quite 21b. of trout! 
The river had been thrashed. My old diary goes 
no further than this, and I did not wet a line in 
the Tweed till 1870, and I think in the month of 
June, of which I have kept no chronicle, though 
I began in a rather a remarkable manner. The 
river was low, and one’s only chance was clear 
water worm, for the sun was blazing hot. 
My old friend, N. D., and myself trained over 
from Teviot to the Tweed at Butherford station. 
How well I remember it all! 1 was so eager to 
set to work. He went below, and I was to start 
just below Littledean Tower where the burn 
enters. 
Arrived, I stepped into a broad shallow, just 
above a deep pool, meaning to fish from the 
other side, but keeping fishing up stream as I 
slowly waded adross the river. The sun was in 
my eyes, and there was a long golden track in 
the water which almost blinded me, hence my 
desire to get to the further side. Suddenly the 
line stopped, and 1 gently responded, when to my 
infinite amazement a grand yellow trout quite 
41b. came up to the surface with his mouth open, 
and without offering the smallest resistance lay 
on the surface lashing the water with head and 
tail till he passed within a yard of my legs, 
when, suddenly seeing me, he dived and went 
down stream like the wind, making my reel 
scream and my heart beat. I gradually got to 
the further side, for on my own side was a 
wood and very deep water, and to follow was 
impossible. 
Meantime the trout had got nearly all my line 
out, and was doggedly making his way down 
the deep side, ever downwards. I had very fine 
tackle, and I knew that the chance of killing 
him was not very great now he had got so 
much line out. Dp came my friend D. 
“Well, what’s that you have got hold of?” 
“ My dear fellow, a magnificent yellow trout.” 
“Trout be hanged. Tou have big trout on the 
brain since you got those large ones before 
you went to Queensland. He is a kelt, and if 
you lose him 1 will swear he was, and neither 
more nor less. If he’s a trout why don’t 
you turn his head? Tou can’t? Of course you. 
can’t, and then see how dead and slow he is 
running;” and so on he kept bantering me, till 
I wished he was anywhere on earth but at my 
side. Mind you, it was my first day on the 
Tweed for six years, and this was my first trout! 
How odd! 
Suddenly, it turned towards me in the dead 
deep water, and I had to reel up sharp, when 
suddenly the water parted and ont he came with 
two or three somersaults—a glitter of gold and 
silver sheen. 
And the7i my friend, who is a true sportsman, 
said, “ By George, he is a magnificent trout, and 
worth a five pound note to catch any day ! ” I 
handed him my landing net, and by degrees Mr. 
Trout came in, when suddenly he came right on 
the surface, lying there, lashing about from side 
to side, or going in a circle, like a merry-go-round, 
gone mad. 
“ Give him a perfectly slack line !” roared my 
friend. 
“ No,” I said, “ 1 always like to feel my fish a 
little.” 
“If you don’t slack line he will smash your 
fine gut, I tell you. Drop your point.” And 1 said 
“No!” Yes, I said“ A^o/” “A sadder and a 
wiser man I rose the morrow morn.” . . . 
He just managed to strike the gut line with his 
tail once. It was as good as a dozen times—so 
far as I was concerned—for the next moment he 
was leisurely sailing across the Tweed, whilst my 
rod had got wonderfully straight all of a sudden, 
and the reel had grown silent. 
I had purchased a brand new landing net, and 
when he ventured to speak to me of my loss, we 
were then some distance up the river. “ Man 
you took it very well, but you looked awful. 
“ Ah,” I said, “ some sorrows lie too deep for 
sweers!” And all day long I felt as if I had lost my 
friend instead of my fish. 
But, misfortunes never do come singly, and 1 
never saw that new landing net from that day to 
this. We both forgot its existence till far away, 
and 1 would not go back again to the scene of my 
humiliation that day. Old D. was right. I was 
utterly and entirely wrong, and my advice to all 
under such circumstances is this, give your fish if 
need be a yard or more of slack line. He can’t do 
much harm if he danced a Highland reel on the 
surface with a slack line, and the chance is, 
feeling no strain, he will instantly dive, and 
then you hold him again, but then with a 
cushion of water to prevent these terrible jig- 
gerings that thrill through your butt like so 
many electric shocks. 1 never hold even a 
salmon tight when he is flying around beating 
the water, but slack him at once, for though 
the gut is strong, he may be slightly hooked, 
and one sharp jerk and the hook is forcibly 
torn out of its slight hold when in the softer 
tissues of the mouth. But with a trout of lAlb. 
and upwards, when using fine drawn gut, 
never keep a tight line when he is on the sur¬ 
face, lashing about, or like me, you will perhaps 
rue it. I had my lesson, but it will last for my 
lifetime. Perhaps like me you will say, I will 
not slack my line; well, neither did I, but you 
see at last it got slack “ without the leave of me,” 
and “ 1 was left lamenting ” like Lord Ullin 
when “ the waters wild went o’er his child.” 
(To he continued.) 
A NEW FISHERMAN’S KNIFE. 
Mk. C. Macpherson, of Messrs. Cox and 
Macpherson, gun and fishing-tackle makers, 
62, High-street, Southampton, writes ; 
Dear Sir,—I have just brought out a new 
“ Fisherman’s ” knife, which I think should prove 
useful to members of the gentle craft. It 
contains a strong blade for cutting down 
branches that may be in the way, a strong pair 
of scissors, a pair of fly-tweezers, and a bodkin. 
Kindly accept, and give it a trial. I have made 
it in ivory and stag, the parts being all strong 
and serviceable. Trusting it may prove useful.— 
Yours truly, C. M.ycpherson. 
It is certainly a very strong and useful knife, 
if anything almost too strong. Would it not be 
possible to reduce the size and weight somewhat, 
and add a spring balance, weighing accurately up 
to 61b. or 71b., for trout and ordinary fishing ? 
Such a knife would do much to remove the 
reproach of the brotherhood, viz., a tendency to 
guess at the weight of a fish, and give ourselves 
all the benefit of the doubt. Such a knife would 
be almost worthy of an ode in the promised 
“ Lyra Piscatoria ” of Cotswold Isys, M.A. 
S.A-LMON Rons TO Let o.v the Erriff River, 
Irel.vxd. —The other day Capt. Phillips, late 
of the Carabiniers, called upon us to ask if we 
would put a line in the Gazette about some rods 
which he has to let on a bit of good salmon 
fishing in Ireland. We have no objection at all 
to give the particulars as given to ns by Capt. 
Phillips, though we must decline any responsi¬ 
bility for them in any way. Capt. Phillips 
informs us that he has taken on lease from Lord 
Sligo the whole of the Erriff River, near West- 
port, and wants six rods, which can be had 
monthly at £15 each per month; and anglers 
can have board and lodging- at £3 fls. a week at 
Ashleagh House, or they can stay at the hotel at 
Leenane. We should say that anyone on the 
look-out for fishing quarters in Ireland would 
do well to write for further particulars to Capt. 
Phillips, Ashleagh House, Westport. June to 
September are the best months. 
