THE PISHING GAZETTE 
433 
June 10, 1893] 
^cofci^ Woies, 
By Mac. 
0. M. M., Dekside, writes: “Thunderstorms 
have been of daily occurrence, yet, although rain 
has fallen in considerable quantity, the river has 
not risen more than an inch at most. The moun¬ 
tain feeders did come away on Sunday evening, 
but the floods were all too short-lived to have 
much effect on sport. The only bright returns 
on the Dee have been got on the Invercauld 
Ballater waters. Here Mr. Copland landed five ; 
Mr. Murdoch, Aberdeen, five; Mr. Drummond, 
three; and other anglers one or two apiece. 
Mr. Murdoch landed tlie heaviest fish—a beauty 
of 241b. The others averaged about 91b. The 
event of the week in sporting circles was the 
marriage of Commander Farquhar, son of Sir 
Arthur Farquhar, K.C.B,, Drumnagest, to Miss 
McNeill, Edinburgh. Commander Farquhar is 
without doubt the most popular sportsman on 
Deeside. Apropos of the Altar of Hymen, it is 
on the tapis that the veteran angler John Harper, 
Kincardine O'Neil, has taken the hint so broadly 
given him when his sketch appeared in the 
Gazette some time ago ; and, before another close 
time sets in, is to have some one at his ‘ ingle 
neuk ’ to cheer the long and dreary nights of 
the coming winter. The angler on tramp may 
now have his heart’s desire fulfilled, and wander 
from place to place, paying for bed and board and 
‘ drap o’ drink,’ and make his choice of almost 
any section he sees. We guarantee him fishing 
for the asking, but leave him to arrange for his 
fish as best he may.’’ 
0'S the occasion of his leaving Lochmaddy 
Hotel, North Uist, for Tongue Hotel, Sutherland- 
shire, Mr. M. Macinnes was the recipient of a 
beautiful silver tea urn, as a mark of the esteem in 
which he was held by the people of the district. 
As an additional attraction to tourists, Mr. 
Butters, Lairg, has had laid out on the hotel 
grounds a pretty golf course, which extends to 
nine holes. 
Our Fort Augustus correspondent writes: 
“ What Si spell of dry weather, and to all appear¬ 
ance it is not over yet. Still, on days when a 
westerly breeze is blowing, good trout angling is 
got in this and the surrounding district. Mr. 
Annan has arrived at Fort Augustus, Mr. Moore 
having gone to Invergarry, and it won’t be any 
fault of theirs if a good report is not chronicled 
next week. Mr. Annan landed a typical Loch 
Ness trout the other day, which turned the scale 
at 8|lb. Loch Garry is also yielding good sport.” 
McBouncer writeth: “ The long continuation 
of drought in the northern latitudes has been 
tr>ing to salmon anglers, most of whom have 
left for the south in disgust, and several I could 
mention waited patiently for five or six weeks 
without getting as much as a ‘ glorious nibble.’ 
On Saturday and Sunday the spell was broken, 
at least in some localities, by a thunderstorm 
accompanied by heavy rain, which will doubtless 
make angling reports for this week more satis¬ 
factory than they have been for the last two 
months. During the storm on Saturday a young 
lad at Croick, Eoss-shire, named MacGregor was, 
while holding a barbed wire fence, rendered 
almost unconscious and remained stupefied for a 
considerable time. Another person in his com¬ 
pany, but not touching the wire, was not in the 
least affected. It is supiposed that the lightning 
struck the fence some distance off. By the way, 
the excessive drought vre have had must be held 
responsible for the following incident: A few 
days ago two gillies, whom we may call Alister 
and Donald, foregathered as usual at the Baln- 
goggan Arms Hotel in case their services might 
be required on the river. Of course it was no 
use trying, river dead low and bright sunshine 
overhead. How to pass the time was a regular 
puzzle until two worthy crofters from Dallach- 
raggan appeared on the scene with their 
shaggy pfinies and primitive harness. After the 
usual handshakings and “ Cia mar tha sibhs ? ” 
(How. are you?) the four adjourned to No. 3, 
where a half mutchkin of the best was called ; 
then another, and another, and so on until 
midday, when the crofters left. The two gillies 
found themselves outside under a scorching 
sun, and, thinking that a quiet siesta in some 
shady nook would do them good, they betook 
themselves to the carthouse at the back, and there 
lay down on the clean brackens on the ground to 
have a snooze. Donald, who was the first to 
waken, got up and left Alister snoring. Shortly 
afterwards a monstrous breeding sow waddled 
in to the carthouse, and coolly lay down on the 
spot vacated by Donald, with its bristly back 
close to Alister. In due time Betsy, the scullery- 
maid, went out shouting, ‘ Tha ’n dinneir deas ’ 
(dinner’s ready), but had great difficulty in 
rousing Alister. At last he gave the sow a 
dig with his fist, saying, ‘ Dhonuill, tha ’n dinneir 
deas ’ (Donald, the dinner’s ready). This he 
repeated several times, and on each occasion was 
replied by a long-drawn grunt from the pig—pig 
No. 2 we might almost call it. When Betsy got 
Alister thoroughly roused up, his dismay can be 
better imagined than described. I may add that 
this incident is not a ‘made-up,’ for it really 
happened.” _ 
Fishixg on Loch Rannoch on 31st ult., Mr. C. 
Jackson, Manchester, caught a, Salmoferox which, 
after some exciting sport, was landed, and found 
to weigh 71bs. _ 
OuR Isla (Perthshire) correspondent writes: 
“ Owing to the rain of the previous week the 
river was in better ply for fishing than it has 
been for a considerable time past. There was a 
perceptible rise, and the water being of the proper 
colour, good baskets of trout were got on the 
higher and more inland reaches.” 
Fi.shing on Loch Leven one day last week Mr. 
Nesbit, London, had a splendid basket of forty 
trout, weighing .30|lb. 
The Dee is now little more than a good sized 
burn, and has become terribly filthy in the 
bottom, but its water is crystal clearness, and 
very hot. Fly is absolutely no use on it, the fish will 
not look at them. Notwithstanding these adverse 
conditions the Rev. H. Upcher had good sport at 
Ballater the three closing days of last week. He 
got fourteen fish, averaging from ti|lb. to 7.|lb., 
fishing with prawn and minnow on the Morven 
stretch and the Invercauld Hotel fishery. On 
Friday he had seven fish, one on the hotel water 
and six on Morven. 
I HEAR the Hon. Arnold Morley, M.P., Post¬ 
master-General, and Mr. Andre have rented from 
Lord Wimborne the Achnashellach fishings and 
shooting for the season. 
Mr. Archibald Harper writes from the 
Thurso; “A few days of dull weather, with a cold, 
northerly wind, brought the salmon in Loch 
M'^re into good form, and they are rising to the 
fly very freely. Owing to the indifferent sport 
last month the whole of the anglers had hit. 
One gentleman, however, returned, and caught 
eleven salmon in three days—three on 27th, six 
on 29th (and lost five), and two on the 30th, their 
average weight being about 101b. Another angler 
arrived on 31st ult., and next morning a start was 
made for Loch More, with ‘ Old Angus ’ as gillie. 
Sixteen salmon fell to his rod that day, and three 
on 2nd, thus in two days beating the score of 
any single rod for the months of April or May. 
The whole of the fish were taken by fair casting 
of the fly from a boat. What makes this occur¬ 
rence all the more remarkable is that there was 
no spate, nor rain to speak of, before these takes 
were got. The weather here has again turned 
warm, and sport will, in all likelihood, fall off a 
bit.” 
An Aberdeen correspondent writes me: "The 
salmon are still keeping up, both in numbers and 
quality. This last week there has been a general 
improvement all over. The weights of those gob 
range from 61b. up to 301b., the average being 
about 101b. I he sea-fishing is proving best just 
now, in fact the river is really doing nothing, 
which is only what could be expected, considering 
the low state of the water. The weather has been 
suiting most of the places wonderfully well, but 
what is most wanted is two or three inches of a 
spate in the river. Very few lean fisb are bein^' 
got. The smolts are all down to the sea, none 
having been seen for the past ten days in the river. 
The kelts with few exceptions have also cleared out. 
Grilse are not coming on fast, but there has been 
no inducement; the water being so low they are 
doing as well as could be looked for. Their 
quality is very good, and the average weight is 
from 21b. to 25 lb. One was got at the mouth of 
the Don, in the beginning of this week, and 
weighed within an ounce or two of 41b. Sea- 
trout are still looking well in about, but I am 
afraid the fishing will be lost if there is not more 
water. This ought to be their best time.” 
Mr. David Murray, fishing tackle maker, 
Brechin, writes: “ May, the best fly-fishing 
month, has gone beyond recall, for this season 
at any rate, so anglers must ‘ grin and bear 
it.’ On the Noran some fair baskets were 
got last week, the most of them by ‘ wormers.’ 
Perhaps I may better mention that the Noran is 
a feeder of the South Esk. The trout got in 
it are not large, but beautifully clear and of 
splendid quality. The Noran runs over a clear 
pebbly bed, which, of course, accounts for the 
fresh appearance of the trout iu its waters. 
The South Esk is as low as ditch water, and 
in it there is little being got by anglers, unless, 
perhaps, parr. By the way, I hear that some of 
our local authorities are trying to make out that 
parr-tail fishing is illegal. Well, it goes without 
saying that if people fish with parr-tail they 
must have caught the parr first before coming into 
possession of the tail; further, if they fish with 
salmon parr-tail they must first catch the salmon 
parr, and we know that it is illegal to destroy 
joung salmon at any of the earlier stages of their 
growth. But parr-tail fishing does not necessarily 
mean salmon parr tail fishing, for trout at a 
certain stage of their existence also go under the 
name of parr. Many experts at this mode of 
fishing maintain that trout parr are more 
deadly than salmon parr when used as a 
lure for large trout. On the other hand, many, 
owing to the great resemblance between salmon 
and trout parr, mistake the one for the other. 
Francis Francis, in his treatise on ‘ Fish Culture,’ 
speaking of salmon parr, or young salmon which 
have not yet assumed their silvery coat, says 
they ‘ strongly resemble young trout.’ If those 
who differ from me on this point do not admit 
that young trout are entitled to be called parr, I 
shall go on fishing with trout parr-tail as before; 
but, in deference to their opinion, I shall try in 
future to change the name (though not the bait), 
and say I went fishing with ‘ juvenile trout tail ’ 
for adult trout. I shall thus be on a par with 
the originator of the saying, ‘A rose by any 
other name would smell as sweet,’ and I am sure 
‘ a parr by any other name will kill as well.’ 
Fishing laws are stringent we all know; so 
perhaps it will be necessary to make a, post-mortem 
examination of any large trout we may take in 
future to see that there are no salmon parr in 
their interiors, as if we don’t return such to the 
river we may be, as the medical student said, 
‘fracturing the law.’ It is a pity, however, that 
we are not put ‘ on a par ’ with large trout, 
which can legally destroy as many parr as 
they have a mind to. On Saturday last several 
good baskets of trout were got on the West 
Water with fly and worm, but few of them of 
large size. The rivers are still so low that 
angling prospects are depressing to the last 
degree; and unless we get lots of rain soon 
we won’t have water to drink, not to speak of a 
flood, for which all trouters are fondly sighing.” 
Our Spey correspondent writes: “I had a run 
up Speyside a week ago and was much struck 
with the extreme low ebb to which the river 
had fallen. At present it is scarcely possible to 
conceive the majesty it can assume when career¬ 
ing along in full flood. Pity I am not an 
amateur photographer, otherwise I should have 
sent you a print, for certainly the beauty of the 
Strath is enough to arouse the artistic spirit of 
the most unobservant. In my run of some thirty 
miles, in place of the many anglers to be seen on 
the water in more favourable angling conditions, 
I observed only one, and he a young lad with his 
‘breeks’ rolled up, and with a trout rod, trying 
his luck. Where were the anglers ? Well, a 
number have gone south to wait for more favour¬ 
able times; others have gone to the lochs in the 
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