482 
THE PISHING GAZETTE 
[June 24, 1893 
the loss sustained by the whole river interests on 
account of the enormous number of fish that in 
one, as in every year the season throughout, 
never get beyond the rack dyke, find so are 
absolutely lost—themselves and their spawn—to 
the fishery in the future. 
(To he continued.) 
By Mac. 
It is reported that the stomach of a 41b. trout, 
caught in the Tay, contained a brass button 
marked “Highland Eailway Co.,” tied to a small 
piece of string, and also a ily-hook. This seems 
about on a par with the trout of the Thurso that 
swallowed a portion of the old hay-cutting 
michine! 
Ax angling friend whom I met the other day, 
told me that “ there’s a great lot of fish aboot the 
Linn o’ Dee, but they’re all fungussed more or 
less.” Almost every year this is the case—the 
disease most noticeable and widely spread about 
the Linn waters, and in the highly-stocked reaches 
of Invercauld during the latter half of June. 
Thence, gradually ascending, the great head of 
the spring-run fish move, and by this time have 
reached, to completely overstock when the water 
is low, the small pools, in which they can be seen 
lying in rows on rows. When they are thus 
closely packed and most numerous, the disease 
amongst them amounts to an epidemic. It 
disappears almost completely after it has ac¬ 
counted for a great thinning out of the numbers, 
and by the middle of July there is scarcely a 
trace of it to be seen on any of the fish that have 
survived the attack. Then it is usual for the 
water to be a good deal hotter than it is in June, 
but June, notwdthstanding, is the great mortality 
month. During it, nearly all the fish are smitten, 
but once they are greatly reduced in numbers the 
worst is past, the smitten fish heal up, and 
usually before a month after the time of greatest 
mortality, there is nowhere to be found in the 
pools a single trace of disease. 
It cannot be very puzzling to the mind to 
grasp the situation on the Caithness water when 
Archibald Harper writes: “ I crossed to Thurso 
at Brawl, on Sundaj^, in my slippers without 
wetting my feet. _ 
It takes the genial Professor, dab hand as he 
i.s, more than all his time with all his famed 
fish-fetching lures, to do much at present on 
the Brora, which at last has got almost stinking 
Viith foustit, peaty, and filthy green matter. 
Our Spey correspondent writes: “ The state 
of the river is past description—lower and fouler 
than any angler living remembers ever having 
seen it.' Nothing doing, and no one for fear of 
being called insane attempts doing anything. 
The Lossie, for a mile’s distance, was found the 
other day to be full of dead sea-trout, finnock, 
and common trout, to the number of many 
hundreds. It is supposed that poisonous sub¬ 
stances issuing from some of the sewers of Elgin 
had wrought this destruction. Supposition, how¬ 
ever, is not enough; the matter will have to be 
thoroughly investigated. 
OtRold subscriber and esteemed correspondent, 
Mr. William Bantock, the Elms, Fallowfield, in 
acknowledging the receipt of a few flies which I 
presented him with to try in the North, says: 
“ This is quite a large collection of very beautiful 
summer salmon and grilse flies that I have just 
received from you. Jhey are the nicest things 
for low-*rater fishing that I have ever seen, and 
1 am quite sure if no sport should be had with 
them that it would be altogether useless to try 
anything else. I shall not fail to let you know 
the result of my own or my friends’ trials of 
them.” 
ilR. Aitken, of Arbroath, wrote me the other 
day that some time ago when the fishing at 
Heathcot on the Dee was going on merrily, he 
“ had a capital forenoon’s sport—left the water 
about two o’clock, with twenty-six finnock and 
a sea-trout weighing 22i!b., a really lovely basket.” 
Lord Breadalbaxe, who is well known for the 
interest he takes in his extensive and productive 
salmon and trout fishings, in connection with 
which he spends a vast deal by stocking and 
carrying on fish culture, is, besides being a keen 
angler himself, a noble and generous patron of 
angling. Quite recently the householders of 
Killin received from him permission to fish Loch 
Tay for trout, and this they regard as a most 
generous and, to themselves, highly valued con¬ 
cession. 
G. M. M., Deeside, writes : “The Dee reached 
the lowest ebb there is any authentic record for 
on Saturday, when it lipjjed the chisel cutting in 
‘ Bannochie ’—a huge boulder at the ferry at 
Kincardine O’Neil. It has fallen four inches 
since Wednesdays. The drought is now painful, 
but there are strong indications of a change. 
Eight fresh-run salmon were observed at the 
Brig o’Potarch on Sunday; these are the first 
fresh-run fish seen for nigh six weeks back. One 
of the strangers was estimated to scale about 
24Ib.; should he be grassed within the next few 
days it will be interesting to compare the guess 
with the actual weight. Mr. Drummond has been 
diverting himself by making a mixed basket at 
the pot above the Bridge of Potarch. One day 
he killed the first grilse of the season got in 
these parts; on another he grassed a salmon of 
72lb. and a handsome pike of bib., with various 
smaller fry thrown into the bargain. Pike-fishing 
has been prosecuted with great vigour on the 
Dee. Shepherd had one of 6lb. on the Kincardine 
Lodge water, and that expert, Mr. George Black- 
laws, killed two of 61b. and 81b. on the Borrow- 
stone water one night last week. Dee pike are 
regarded as a sumptuous dish by those who know 
how to dress them for the table; loch pike, on 
the other hand, taste like mud, cook them how 
you will. _ 
The absence of rain is still causing the angling 
for the migratory Salmonidse to continue 
practically a dead letter on almost all the river 
fisheries of Scotland. Without exception, the 
wateT is now lower than ever before known ; but 
as the summer solstice is now past, everyone is 
expecting a decided change anon. Their season 
having arrived, the fish of the summer migration 
are now waiting a spate, when certainly they will 
run, or attempt to run, up the rivers. Every¬ 
where, except in some of the districts of the 
Western Isles, and of Argyllshire, the angling, 
given only conditions to make it, is naturally 
best for salmon, grilse, and sea-trout, between the 
present time and the end of July—the period 
during which the fish come in from the sea in 
greatest numbers, and are keenest in pushing 
inland. It ought to be understood that when 
fresh-run they take most readily; if they do not, 
the fault lies not with them, but with the weather 
or water conditions. When both, however, are all 
right the angling on the rivers, which are earliest 
in respect of their summer migration, is best 
during the month’s time between June 20 and 
July 20. It is later, somewhat, in being at its 
best on the purely Highland rivers, which, all put 
together, form the great majority of rivers having 
a strictly summer migration whereon there is 
always angling. These, as a rule, give their best 
fishing during July. We -want rain—lots of it 
and often—but once we get it all round there will 
be angling—no doubt of it. 
The Scotch hotels that have reaches of river 
that give summer angling for salmon, grilse, or 
sea-trout, more or less good, according to their 
quality, and the ply of water and condition of 
weather during, especially, the periods indicated 
above, are (the rivers also named) as follows : 
Taynuilt Hotel, Eiver Awe; Dalmally Hotel and 
Inveroran Hotel, Eiver Orchy; Panmure Hotel, 
Edzell, Eiver North Esk; Melvich Hotel and 
Eorsinard Hotel, Eiver Halladale; Crown Hotel 
and Eskdale Hotel, Langholm, Eiver Esk ; Grant 
Arms, Grantown, and Craigellachie Hotel, Eiver 
Spey; Gordon Arms, Huntly, Eiver Deveron; 
Spa Hotel and Ben Wyvis Hotel, Strathpeffer, 
Eivers Conon and Blackwater; Inchnadamph 
Hotel, Eiver Loanan; Balnagown Hotel, Ardgay, 
Eiver Carron; Lochinver Hotels, Eivers Inver 
and Kirkarg; Grand Hotel, Aberdeen, and Inver¬ 
cauld Arms, Ballater, Eiver Dee. All the other 
Scotch hotel river fishings worth mentioning in 
respect of their summer angling for salmon, 
grilse, or sea-trout, are usually at their best some¬ 
what later on in the season, but still before the 
end of August. _ 
Our Inverness-shire correspondent writes: 
“When is this drought going to cease? is the 
question seriously asked by anglers, farmers, 
and others. Since the month of March there has 
been scarcely enough rain to drown a midge. 
The rivers are all but dry, and the hill lochs are 
nothing more than stagnant pools. Loch Ness, 
however, is yielding wonderful sport, big fellows 
in it daily falling a prey to both fly and minnow. 
The glass is now slowly lowering.” 
JoHxxiE Sutherlaxd, of Durncss, writes: “I 
had a wire yesterday from a great friend, who is 
one of the best rods that comes on to the Kyle, 
that he is to be here on Wednesday next. He will 
fish ten days, and then go on to the Gualin, so I 
believe, for the fishing on the Upper Dionard and 
Loch Dionard. He will get fine sport if there 
come rain in abundance before the beginning of 
July, as I know there is a great strength of fish 
in the Kyle ready to go up with the first spate. 
Sea-trout there always ai’e, but salmon and grilse 
are now rising all over the Kyle. This week has 
not been so good for sea-trout angling, owing to 
the spring tides, the bright skies, the glare, and 
thunder rolling about. Besides, we have had no 
chance on the lower part of the Kyle, owing to 
the winds blowing so hard from the south-west. 
Mr. Davis, however, has, as usual, scored pretty 
well, having obtained an average of 211b. weight 
of sea-trout per day. His two largest fish scaled 
51b. and Sglb. respectively. Altogether he has 
had for his fortnight’s angling, from 5th to 17th 
June inclusive, 225 sea trout, weighing 340|lb. 
The months of May and June I would take 
myself as the best for fishing, but when the 
weather is dry, sport is always good in July. 
The hotel has the fishing and the boats; for the 
former no charge is made, the latter go with the 
house. We expect a splendid season this year 
and lots of anglers forward, owing to the fishing 
having commenced so splendidly, and is giving 
such grand promise.” 
L.vurel Baxk, Huntly, advertised in our 
columns, and which is adjacent to such a range 
of splendid fronting waters, is just such a 
“diggin” as would admirably suit a small 
angling party. There is no stint to the scope of 
river and burn fishing, and better than ever 
before it was it now most likely soon will be, 
since at the instance of the Huntly Angling 
Preservation Association, poaching, hitherto 
rather prevalent, wdll be put down with a firm 
hand. The association will in every case prose¬ 
cute, but the costs of the prosecution will be 
borne by the Duke of Eichmond and Gordon, 
who gifts the fishings to the publi"', and is 
desirous that the public should enjoy them, un¬ 
impaired from any cause whatever, except fair 
angling. __ 
Loch Baddax-loch, Sutherlandshire, fished 
from Forsinaird Hotel, would seem for the pre¬ 
sent to be giving the best sport that is had in 
the Northern Highlands with trout, of such a 
decent size as is not much .short of the .Ub. 
average. The baskets per rod per day are 
running about 181b. _ 
Ax Aberdeen correspondent writes: “ The 
salmon fishing is still keeping up very well, and 
during the week some great takes have been had 
from the north-east coast fishings, even as far 
north as Dunbeath, Wick, and Tnurso. On the 
Aberdeenshire coast the salmon now got average 
about 121b. Among them are a trifling number 
of small ones, about 51b., 61b., and 71b; and the 
same of big ones, about 181b., 201b., and 211b. 
The rivers are still doing nothing in yield of 
salmon to the nets, as, being so low and heated, 
they are not sought for the purpose of ascent. 
For the greater part of the coast, tbe weather 
