SCOTCH LOCH-FISHING

 BY "BLACK PALMER"

 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS EDINBURGH AND LONDON MDCCCLXXXII

 _All Rights reserved_

 DEDICATED

 TO THE

 MEMBERS OF THE WESTERN ANGLING CLUB GLASGOW

 IN REMEMBRANCE OF MANY HAPPY DAYS

 SPENT IN THEIR COMPANY

PREFACE. 

The Author of this very practical treatise on Scotch Loch-Fishingdesires chiefly that it may be of use to all who read it. He does notpretend to have written anything new, but to have attempted to put whathe has to say in as readable a form as possible. Everything in the wayof the history and habits of fish has been studiously avoided, andtechnicalities have been used as sparingly as possible. The writing ofthis book has afforded him much pleasure in his leisure moments, andthat pleasure would be much increased if he knew that the perusal of itwould create any bond of sympathy between himself and the anglingcommunity in general. This edition is interleaved with blank sheets forthe reader's notes. The Author need hardly say that any suggestionsaddressed to the care of the publishers, will meet with consideration ina future edition. 

GLASGOW, _March 1882_. 

CONTENTS. 

 CHAP. PAGE

 I. INTRODUCTORY, 1

 II. EQUIPMENT, 5

 III. TACKLE AND ACCESSORIES, 7

 IV. FLIES AND CASTING-LINES, 13

 V. TROLLING-TACKLE AND LURES, 21

 VI. DUTIES OF BOATMAN, 27

 VII. ETIQUETTE OF LOCH-FISHING, 33

 VIII. CASTING AND STRIKING, 37

 IX. TROLLING, 42

 X. CAPTURE OF FISH, 48

 XI. AFTER A DAY'S FISHING, 60

 XII. REMINISCENCES, 65

 XIII. CONCLUSION, 80

SCOTCH LOCH-FISHING. 

CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

We do not pretend to write or enlarge upon a new subject. Much has beensaid and written--and well said and written too--on the art of fishing;but loch-fishing _per se_ has been rather looked upon as a second-rateperformance, and to dispel this idea is one of the objects for whichthis present treatise has been written. Far be it from us to sayanything against fishing, lawfully practised in any form; but many pentup in our large towns will bear us out when we say that, on the whole, a day's loch-fishing is the most convenient. One great matter is, thatthe loch-fisher is dependent on nothing but enough wind to "curl" thewater, --and on a large loch it is very seldom that a dead calm prevailsall day, --and can make his arrangements for a day, weeks beforehand;whereas the stream-fisher is dependent for a good take on the state ofthe water: and however pleasant and easy it may be for one living nearthe banks of a good trout stream or river, it is quite another matter toarrange for a day's river-fishing, if one is looking forward to aholiday at a date some weeks ahead. Providence may favour the expectantangler with a "good" day, and the water in order; but experience hastaught most of us that the "good" days are in the minority, and that, asis the case with our rapid running streams, --such as many of ournorthern streams are, --the water is either too large or too small, unless, as previously remarked, you live near at hand, and can catch itat its best. 

A common belief in regard to loch-fishing is, that the tyro and theexperienced angler have nearly the same chance in fishing, --the one fromthe stern and the other from the bow of the same boat. Of all theabsurd beliefs as to loch-fishing, this is one of the most absurd. Tryit. Give the tyro either end of the boat he likes; give him a cast ofany flies he may fancy, or even a cast similar to those which a "crack"may be using; and if he catches one for every three the other has, hemay consider himself very lucky. Of course there are lochs where thefish are not abundant, and a beginner may come across as many as anolder fisher; but we speak of lochs where there are fish to be caught, and where each has a fair chance. 

Again, it is said that the boatman has as much to do with catching troutin a loch as the angler. Well, we don't deny that. In an untried loch itis necessary to have the guidance of a good boatman; but the sameargument holds good as to stream-fishing. There are "pools and pools, "and the experienced loch-fisher can "spot" a bay or promontory, wheretrout are likely to be lying, with as much certainty as his brotherangler can calculate on the lie of fish in a stream. Then there areobjections to loch-fishing on the score of expense. These we are notprepared to refute; for there is no doubt whatever that loch-fishingmeans money. But what has made it so? The same reason that makes allother things of more or less value--the common law of supply and demand. Time was, and that not so long ago, when a boatman who used to get 3s. , or at most 4s. A-day, now gets his 5s. Or 6s. , and even at the latterfigure does not think himself too well paid. In the extreme north, however, it is still possible to get a good man for 3s. A-day; and weknow of nothing more enjoyable than a fortnight's loch-fishing amidstmagnificent scenery in some of our northern counties. The expense ofgetting there will always be a serious matter; but once there, thefishing in itself is not dear. The boat is usually got for nothing; theright of fishing, so far at least as trout are concerned, is free; andthe man's wage and lunch are decidedly cheap. But for a single day onsome of our nearer lochs, --such as Loch Leven, Loch Ard, or LochLomond, --the expenses _are_ heavy, and the angler must always be thebest judge as to the likelihood of the "game being worth the candle. "

CHAPTER II. 

EQUIPMENT. 

This will be a short chapter, as tastes differ so very much, that manythings we might say would most probably be disregarded. But as to somematters, there can only be one opinion. Do not fish in _light-coloured_clothes; and, should the weather be wet, do not wear a white macintoshcoat. We believe that the eyesight of a fish is the keenest sense whichit possesses; and, more especially should the day be clear and fine, there is no doubt that an unusual white object within range of itsvision will make a fish, which might otherwise have taken the fly, turntail and flee. A good deal of what we hear spoken of as fish "risingshort, " proceeds from this cause. No doubt they rise short sometimes onseeing the angler himself, but he is much less likely to attract noticeif clad in dark-hued clothing. We know of nothing better for a fishingrig-out than a suit made from dark Harris tweed--it will almost last alifetime, and is a warm and comfortable wear. Thus you will need a darkmacintosh and leggings; and a common sou'wester is, when needed, a veryuseful head-gear. A pair of cloth-lined india-rubber gloves will befound desirable in early spring, when it is quite possible that thetemperature may be low enough for snow. A pair of stout lacing boots, made with uppers reaching well up the leg, will be found best, as theyprotect the feet from getting damp when going into or leaving a boat, even though one should need to step into the water; and if yourwaterproof coat is long, as it should be, the necessity of wearingleggings on a wet day is obviated. Lastly, _by all means keep the bodywarm_, and remember that the more careful you are of yourself, even atthe risk of being thought "old wifish, " you will, humanly speaking, beenabled to enjoy the sport to a greater age than you might otherwisedo. 

CHAPTER III. 

TACKLE AND ACCESSORIES. 

As this is likely to be one of the most important chapters in the book, the reader must forgive us if we are particular--even to a fault--indescribing some of the necessaries towards the full enjoyment of thepleasures of loch-fishing. So much depends on our being comfortable inour enjoyments, that we have, perhaps, erred on the side of luxuriance;but to those anglers who think so, there is nothing easier than theirleaving out what they think superfluous. 

_Creel, or Fishing-Bag. _--The creel for loch-fishing should be of thelargest size made, so as to serve for all kinds of fish; and as theangler is always in a boat, the difference of room occupied is of verylittle moment. Besides, it accommodates his tackle and lunch, and evenwaterproofs, though the latter are better to be strapped on outside. These creels are neatest when made in French basket-work; and even thelightest of them, with ordinary care, will last many years, moreespecially if the edges and bottom are leather-bound. Almost anytackle-shop will supply them plain, or bound with leather, as desired. Brass hinges and hasp will also be found great improvements. Thefishing-bag is of somewhat recent development, and is very convenient;but the objection to it is that, unless the waterproof cloth with whichit is lined be carefully washed after each day's fishing, a nasty smellis apt to be contracted and retained. Though we use the bag oftenourselves, we incline for many reasons to the old-fashioned creel. Manyloch-fishers carry along with them a square basket about 16 in. × 8broad × 10 deep, which they use for carrying their tackle and lunch, thus leaving the creel or fishing-bag free for fish alone. This is acapital plan, the only objection being that it makes another article tocarry. As to its usefulness there can be no doubt, as nothing is moreundesirable than having tackle and fish in one basket or bag, eventhough you should have something between. Some anglers go the length ofa luncheon-basket, but this savours so much of the picnic that we don'tapprove of it. 

_Landing-Net and Gaff. _--These may be got at any tackle shop, the onlycare to be exercised being in the selection of a good long handle, andin seeing that the net be made of twine which resists the catching ofhooks, and that it be of a size capable of landing a large fish, as thegaff leaves an ugly mark, and should only be used when actuallynecessary. The screw of the net-hoop and of the gaff will suit the samehandle. 

_Fishing-Rods. _--For loch-fishing, it is desirable to use a rod not lessthan 14 feet in length, if fishing for ordinary yellow trout; but if forsea trout, and the chance of "a fish" _par excellence_, then the rodshould be a couple of feet longer. The angler will find that it isbetter to have both rods with him--the spare one being handy in case ofcalamity--as the extra trouble of carrying is very slight: rods andlanding-net handle can be easily tied up together with small leatherstraps. Do not have a rod that bends too freely--rather err on theother side; because in loch-fishing you have generally wind enough tocarry your flies out, and if you do get a 3 or 4 pounder, the advantageof a fairly stiff rod is apparent. We prefer rods in three pieces--nohollow-butts--and made of greenheart throughout. The first cost is morethan for rods whose various parts are made of different woods, but thegreenheart is the cheapest rod in the end. With the minimum of care, agreenheart never gets out of order; and a good rod of this descriptionwill be as straight at the end of a season as at the beginning. Avoidall fancy rods, and do not be beguiled into buying them. 

_Reels and Lines. _--Always carry a couple of reels with you, the smallerwith 60 yards of fine line, and the larger with not less than 100 yardsof grilse line. Silk-and-hair lines are not very expensive, and with alittle care will last a long time. They will be found the mostsatisfactory for all kinds of fly-work. The reels which we consider bestare made of bronzed metal and vulcanite: they are light, and stand a lotof wear. When buying your rods, get the reels fitted to them, and seethat the fit is sufficiently tight, as nothing is more annoying than tofind the ferrules loosening their hold of the reel, and that, perhaps, at a most critical moment. Should the reels referred to not be heavyenough to balance the rods properly--and this is a matter of greatimportance--it may be as well to take reels made entirely of bronzedmetal. 

_Fly-Book. _--We are not much in favour of fly-books. They are a greattemptation to keeping a large stock of flies; and in the followingchapter we will show that the fewer flies one possesses the better. Aserious objection to a fly-book is, that the flies get crushed in it, and we consider a box a better receptacle; but if the angler will have afly-book, one of moderate size--rather to the big size if anything--madeof pig-skin leather, and well provided with pouches for holdingcasting-lines, as well as the usual receptacles for flies, will be foundbest. These books are to be had in great variety at any wholesale tacklewarehouse; and taste goes a long way in non-essentials. 

Beyond the articles mentioned, the angler should always have at hand thefollowing:--

 Spring balance, weighing up to 20 lb. Small screw-driver. Small gimlet. Small bottle clockmaker's oil. Bottle varnish. Carriage-lamp, and candles to fit, for travelling. Two packs playing-cards. Good-sized flask. Flat glass or horn drinking-cup. Pocket-scissors. The kind that shut up will be found very useful. Corkscrew. Hank of medium gut for emergencies. Fine silk thread and resin. Some common thin twine for tying joints of rod together. Also articles named in Chapter V. , p. 21, under "Trolling-Tackle and Lures. "

Many of these things may be considered quite _de trop_; but the longerone fishes, the more one finds out that the little luxuries give a vastamount of enjoyment for the small amount of foresight required to havethem at hand when wanted. 

CHAPTER IV. 

FLIES AND CASTING-LINES. 

Flies. --Here we shall no doubt come into conflict with many opinions, and most probably meet with the most criticism. However, as all we havewritten, and mean to write, is the result of actual experience, we maybe pardoned for being somewhat dogmatic on the subject in hand. In thefirst place, don't keep a large stock of flies. If going for a day'sfishing, buy as many as you think you'll need, and _no more_. Buy themof different sizes; and if you get a few each time you go for an outing, you will be astonished how soon a spare stock accumulates. Ascertaincarefully beforehand the _size_ suitable to the loch--the _kinds_ arenot of so much importance--and once you have made up a cast, in whichoperation there is no harm in taking your boatman's suggestions, _do notchange_, unless it be to put on a smaller or larger size according tothe wind, or unless it is conclusively proved that other flies areraising trout when yours cannot. Of course, if you are going for afortnight's fishing, you will require to lay in a fair stock; but eventhen get as few as you think you can possibly do with. Do not run anyrisk of running short, and do not place yourself in the position ofneeding to use old casts: that is poor economy in the long-run. Thefollowing is, we think, a fair list for a fortnight's sport in anout-of-the-way place:--

 Half-dozen harelugs. " red and teal. " orange and mallard. " green and woodcock. " black spiders with red tips, commonly called "Zulus. " " red spiders, hackle taken well down the hook. " March Browns, which, though supposed to come out in March, are really capital flies at any time. " yellow body with cinnamon wings and golden-pheasant tip. " dark harelug body, mallard wing and red tip. This is a splendid spring fly. 

These we would get dressed on Loch Leven size--any fly-dresser knowswhat that means; but perhaps the better way would be to get a quarterdozen of each dressed on that size, and a quarter dozen of each on ahook two sizes larger. The patterns in a tackle-maker's book areendless, but for the most part are modifications or combinations of theflies we have named; and the angler will soon discover for himself thatflies and old half-used casts, and often casts made up in the humour ofthe moment, and never used at all, accumulate upon him so rapidly thathe is glad to find some enthusiastic boatman to bestow them upon. It isneedless to add, that a gift of this kind is usually very muchappreciated by the recipient. Tinsel is a very useful adjunct to a fly, and should always be employed in those used in loch-fishing. If varietyis wanted in colouring, the least tip of Berlin or pig's wool of thedesired shade will be found very effective. Get your flies dressed onLimerick-bend hooks, as the iron, should it chance not to be the besttempered in the world, is not so liable to snap as the round bend. Thewings of the fly should be dressed so as to be distinctly apart both inthe water and out of it, thus--

[Illustration]

It gives the fly a much more life-like appearance, and makes it swimbetter in the water. When you give orders for flies, see that they aredressed up to your instructions, as it is quite certain you will fishwith much more confidence when you have faith in what you are using. Donot have them dressed on too fine gut, as they are apt to get twistedround the casting-line (usually called "riding the line"), and put youto the trouble of straightening them out every few minutes. Theseremarks may seem trifling; but trifles are very irritating in mostpursuits, and the gentle art is no exception. Flies suitable for salmonand sea-trout fishing on almost any loch will be supplied at any shop inthe trade on asking for Loch Lomond patterns. These patterns arewell-known, and are without exception as fine flies as one could wishfor. They are usually made very full in the body, and dressed withheron's hackle. The varieties are red and teal, green and teal, orangeand mallard, or turkey, and a few variations of these, --sometimes ayellow tip to the red and green bodies, or a red tip to the yellow; buta cast composed of red or green and teal with orange and mallard isunsurpassable. For this class of fishing, the flies should be dressedwith loops, and the bob should be fixed to the casting-line by means ofa small strand of gut. Two flies on a cast are quite sufficient when bigfish are expected. We can hardly advise the angler to try fly-dressingon his own account. It is hardly worth his while, as flies are to be hadvery reasonably from any respectable tackle-maker; and they are muchbetter dressed in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred than any amateurperformance. 

 * * * * *

_Casting-Lines. _--Provide yourself with half a dozen each, of differentthickness--that is, fine, medium, and stout, the latter for salmon andsea-trout fishing. That quantity should suffice for a fortnight'souting, even making allowance for breakage, and leave you some over foranother time: but in this matter it is better to run no risk of beingshort. The gut should be stained a light tea colour, or the faintestblue: it can be bought so. There is no occasion for them being morethan three yards long, as we cannot advocate fishing with more thanthree flies at a time. If three flies are properly placed on a line, andthe line be properly handled in the casting, they will cover as muchwater as any number of flies. Besides, there is far less chance of a"fankle, " to use a most expressive Scotch word, than when four or moreflies are used. In this, however, _chacun à son goût_, --we are onlygiving an opinion after trying both ways. 

In making up a cast of flies, _have no loops_ of any kind, excepting theone by which the cast is attached to your silk-and-hair line. Thewater-knot is so simple and neat, that it is the best for the purpose offixing on the tail-fly, which, by the way, should be the heaviest ofthose you are about to use, if there is any difference between them. Incase our readers don't know the water-knot, we give an illustrationwhich explains itself--

[Illustration]

The loops are pulled tight, and then the fly and the line are drawn inopposite directions, the result being that the knots formed by theloops meet and make a firm, and at the same time an almostimperceptible, joining. You then clip off any ends that may remain. Somuch for the tail fly. The putting on of the other two is simplicityitself. You take the strand of gut on which the next fly you purposeaffixing is dressed, and laying it along the main line, _taking care tohave the hook lying in the reverse direction from the tail fly_, you tieit into the line a yard from the fly already attached. In tying it in, leave the hook hanging about two and a half inches from the line. Thethird, or "bob" fly, is attached in like manner, and thus your cast offlies is completed. The only objection to this method of making up acast is, that once the middle and bob flies are tied in, they cannot beused again. This is quite true; but the keen angler will submit to thelittle extra expense on this score for the gratification which the sightof a really neat cast will afford him. The system of suspending hooks byloops, especially when using fine tackle, is almost entirely exploded. We should have said that previous to use, all gut should be soaked, andthe longer the better. It is a good plan to let it soak over night, andmake up your cast in the morning. When gut is thus thoroughly wet, it iswonderful how easy it is of manipulation. On the other hand, dry gut isvery brittle, and will break on the slightest provocation. Fix the castand silk-and-hair line together, having previously made a single knot onthe end of the latter, as illustrated below--

[Illustration]

It is prudent to have a second cast ready in case of breakage, asnothing is more annoying than losing time making up one in the boat, andthat most probably when the trout are rising. Experience is a greatteacher; and it is wonderful how soon the angler learns the value ofevery moment, and seeks beforehand, so far as human foresight can go, toprovide for all contingencies. 

CHAPTER V. 

TROLLING-TACKLE AND LURES. 

Do not troll at all if you can get fishing with the fly; and under nocircumstances troll for trout in the very early part of the season, whenthey are more or less in a "kelty" state, and take an artificial orother minnow very keenly. True, you may catch fish, but it is a mostunsportsmanlike proceeding to take fish not in fair condition; and ifyou, sir, who read this book, are not a sportsman, you had better stophere, for it was compiled by a sportsman for sportsmen. There are somemiserable "pot-hunters" who want to kill anything that swims--be itclean or unclean; but with them we have nothing whatever to do. But fairtrolling is quite legitimate, and in many cases it is absolutelyimperative to troll if a basket is to be made at all. Some days the flyis of no use--either owing to a calm, or to a bright sky; and awell-managed trolling-line or two is then the only resort, unless onestops fishing altogether. And if big trout and _ferox_ are wanted, nothing succeeds--indeed nothing _will_ succeed, except veryoccasionally--but trolling, either with artificial or natural bait. Soto be complete you must have the requisite tackle, and we will tell youwhat is necessary, both for small and large fish, in as few words as wepossibly can. A ROD specially adapted for trolling is almost anecessity, as it is a great strain upon an ordinary fly-rod to have theweight of 30 or 40 yards of line upon it: even a good rod is apt to getan ugly bend from such treatment. The rod for trolling need not belong--12 to 14 feet is quite sufficient--but it must be stiff; and weconsider that the rings through which the line is led ought to be largeand fixed--that is, standing out permanently from the wood, called bythe trade upright rings. A spare top will be supplied along with it. TheREEL should be of the largest description, and may be got as strong aspossible, lightness being no recommendation to one used exclusively fortrolling. The LINE ought to be at least 100 yards long--120 forchoice--and this suffices for any kind of fish. The material bestadapted for trolling is oiled silk-and-hair. There is a kind of line, made in America, we believe, which is admirably adapted for the purpose. It is strong as wire-rope, and does not "kink" under anycircumstances--which latter is a consideration, as sometimes a paltrytrout may come on, and you have only to haul him in hand-over-handwithout running the risk of your line getting into a mess. This savesthe trouble and waste of time in reeling up many yards of line everytime a "smout" comes on. The line to which we refer is somewhatexpensive, but will be found to be cheap in the long-run. An ordinarysilk-and-hair line does well enough, but is apt to twist sadly if theminnow is not spinning properly, besides the trouble it entails after aday's fishing of laying out two or three score yards for drying. Thetroller will require to provide himself with MINNOW TRACES. These do notrequire to be more than two yards in length, but in ordering them takecare that the swivels are sufficiently large to insure theminnow--natural or artificial--spinning nicely. The angler can easilyprocure swivels and make traces for himself; but he will find in this, as in most things connected with fishing, that he cannot compete withthe tackle-maker, so we advise him to get them made up at a goodwarehouse. Retail tackle-makers charge long prices, but in most largetowns there are warehouses which are specially suited for a customertrade, thus saving the user a long intermediate profit. This is as itshould be. The thickness of the gut used for trolling should of coursebe regulated, as in fly-fishing, by the size of fish you expect tocatch, and a few traces made of gimp for pike and _ferox_ should alwaysbe in the troller's stock. By the way, and in case we forget to mentionit afterwards, always be provided with some split swan shot, to be usedin case of a very clear day, when it is desirable to sink line andminnow below the surface. Also be provided with tackle--some mounted ongut and some on gimp--for spinning natural minnow; and we know of nonebetter or more deadly for this purpose than that of which anillustration is given on next page. It is very simple, and seldom missesanything. 

[Illustration]

The large hook is put in at the mouth of the minnow, and the pointbrought out at a little above the tail--thus giving the minnow theproper curve for spinning. One of the smaller hooks is put through_both_ lips of the lure, to close the mouth and to keep the bait inproper position, while the other is left to spin. Some advocate the useof par-tail as a spinning bait; but as it is not right to kill par atall, we omit any directions for its use. We have drifted into thesubject of LURES almost unconsciously. If you wish to use naturalminnows, see that they are neither too large nor too small--about twoinches long is a good size--and that the belly is silvery. It is betterto instruct your boatman to have a supply ready against your arrival atthe loch, as sometimes it is as difficult to catch minnows as to catchany other fish. However, we believe that the want of them is so wellsupplied by the phantom minnow, that little or no harm is done thoughthey are not to be had. And when the handling and bother of using livebait is taken into consideration, we think that most folks will preferthe artificial lure. The phantom we consider the very best of all theimitations; and the troller should have them in different colours andsizes, from Nos. 1 to 7. The hooks attached to the larger sizes shouldbe mounted on gimp, as in trolling for large fish--and especially for_salmo ferox_--no risk should be run of the mountings giving way. Tinboxes, divided into compartments, for holding the minnows, are veryconvenient, and are to be had at most tackle shops. A spoon-bait is alsoa splendid deception, and should not be awanting. A tackle-maker'scatalogue will tell the reader of many other "spinners;" but if hecannot catch fish of all kinds with either a natural or phantom minnowor a spoon, it is not the fault of the lure; and he may try anythingelse he fancies, and come no better speed. 

CHAPTER VI. 

DUTIES OF BOATMAN. 

Very little requires to be said in this chapter regarding boatmen, aswhen the angler gets into the habit of frequenting certain lochs, hesoon finds out for himself the steady reliable men in the neighbourhood, and can generally engage one of them beforehand by writing to the hotelat which he means to put up. But in going to a new fishing-ground, he isbetter to leave himself in the hands of the landlord of the hotel, and ifnot satisfied with his first day's experience of the man who accompaniedhim, let him change. A good boatman is a treasure; and though we aredecidedly against the system of "tipping" indiscriminately, we say, whenyou get a good man, pay him liberally. We know of some men with whom itis a pleasure to be out all day, and whose company, in its own way, ismost enjoyable. Keen sportsmen these are, and the capture or loss of afish is a source of true pleasure or pain. Other men one comes acrossseem but to row the boat, and nothing more; and an unproductive day insuch company is something to be looked back upon with horror. Theleading qualification of a boatman of the right sort is a strongsympathy with the angler, which enables him almost instinctively to helpthe angler to cover every inch of likely water with his flies, and makeshim experience the sensation of expecting a rise every cast; in otherwords, he almost puts the fly into the fish's mouth. With such a man, instructions regarding the management of the boat are superfluous; butas it often happens that you do not get a first-rate hand, you have totake matters into your own hands to some extent; and we shall give you afew hints as to what is best to be done under such circumstances. It ishardly to be supposed that your man is in ignorance of the best ground, either from experience or hearsay, and it is only after you get therethat our instructions can possibly come into operation. If you areobliged to take a perfect greenhorn, we know of no other course than toorder him to keep in the wake of some other boat, but that at such adistance as not to be offensive. (See next chapter on the "Etiquette ofLoch-fishing. ") But let us assume that you get on to ground where fishare: the first point is to see that everything is in order, allunnecessary articles put out of the way, and the landing-net and gaffconveniently at hand. We ought to have said that a large stone in thebow is useful, not only to balance the boat and make her drift better, but also as a weight to which a rope may be attached, and thus let overthe side to the depth of a few feet, to prevent her drifting too rapidlyshould there happen to be a heavy breeze on. The next thing is to getthe boat properly broadside to the wind, so that you may have next to notrouble in casting. Should a fish be hooked, see that the man keepsworking the boat in such a manner that the fish cannot possibly getunderneath: a single stroke of the oar in the proper direction isgenerally all that is necessary. You must also judge from the size ofthe fish, and the length and strength of your tackle, whether it isexpedient that the man should follow the fish if he makes a very longrun. If your line happens to be short--which it will not be, if you havefollowed the instructions given in Chapter III. --you need not besurprised if you find nothing left but your rod and reel, your line, andmayhap a "half-croon flee" flying about the loch in charge of a fish. The management of the landing-net or gaff is another serious matter. Ifthe fish be small, tell the man to have the net ready, and "run it in;"but if it is a good-sized fish, you must tell him not to put the netnear till he gets the word from you. Many a time we have suppressed anexclamation--the reverse of a blessing--when we have seen the hoop ofthe landing-net strike the fish, and were in suspense for a second ortwo as to whether he was on or off. If the gaff is necessary, it isalmost as well to let your man hold the rod after you have tired thefish thoroughly, and gaff him yourself. But if you think it unadvisableto part with the rod, send the man to the other end of the boat fromyourself, and then lead the fish near him, so that he may have a fairchance. He must put the gaff _over_ the fish till the point is in aline with its broadside, and then with a sudden _jerk_ sink the steelinto, or even through, the animal, and lift him over the gunwale withall possible speed. A sharp blow or two on the snout will deprive thefish of life. Always kill your fish, --big or small, --as nothing ought tobe more repulsive to a true sportsman than to see or hear any animal hehas captured dying by inches. 

It is perhaps needless to say that in the matter of lunch and drink, dueconsideration should always be paid to your boatman's wants; indeed ifhe has had a hard time of it rowing against a stiff breeze, nothing islost by landing at mid-day and letting him enjoy half an hour's rest anda smoke after he has refreshed his inner man. Sometimes--such as in aclub competition--such luxuries must be denied; but even then he can putyou on to a square drift, and enjoy his lunch and smoke while you arefishing; and you, on the other hand, can take yours when he is changingground. These remarks may seem trifling; but we only give you ourexperience, when we say that on some lochs where good boatmen are notplentiful, the angler who has shown most kindness and consideration onpast occasions is never much put about for want of a man, even in a busyseason. And we have known, when every regular boatman was engaged, thatthere was generally a boatman's "friend" in the neighbourhood who waspressed into our service, and that often at a few minutes' notice. 

CHAPTER VII. 

ETIQUETTE OF LOCH-FISHING. 

Politeness is politeness all the world over, and in loch-fishing it isparticularly to be practised. The gentle art is peculiarly adapted forgentlemen, --using the word in its truest sense, --and the true anglerwill never be mistaken for anything else. In the Club to which we havethe honour to belong, there are certain rules which would commendthemselves naturally to any one of us; but in order that these may beclear and well defined, they are circulated annually, and are inthemselves so admirable that we cannot do better than quote them:--

 "1. No boat shall be entitled to take position in front of any other boat which shall have already begun drifting, at a less distance than three hundred yards. 

 "2. Any competitor intending to drift a bay already in possession of another competitor shall be obliged to take position behind, or on the outside of and in a line with the latter, but at such a distance as not to interfere with the boat first in possession of the drift. 

 "3. In cases where boats are changing water, it shall not be admissible for any boat so doing to go between the shore and any other boat drifting close thereon. "

These rules, as may be inferred, refer to club competitions inparticular, but they are made the standard upon all occasions wherethere is any chance of their becoming applicable. So much indeed have wegot into the way of regarding these rules, --strict as they are, --that weobserve them even when meeting with strangers on any loch in any part ofthe kingdom. And pay special attention, if you happen to be trolling inthe neighbourhood, never to interfere with the drift on which afly-fisher is engaged. Nothing is more unbecoming, as it disturbs thewater which is his by right, if he has begun to drift; and it is anunwritten rule that the fly-fisher should generally be allowed the firstof the ground, as his style of fishing does not make the same commotionas a trolling boat and tackle do. Very few of us but have experiencedthe annoyance of a minnow-boat crossing our drift when we werefly-fishing; and though we had no redress, and could make no remarkswithout lowering ourselves to the level of our offenders, we have, likethe nigger's parrot, "thought a mighty lot. " Do not hesitate to putyourself out of your way to help a neighbour in distress. He may havehooked a large fish and be unprovided with a gaff: if you have one lethim have it instantly, taking his directions from which side you are toapproach him; and never let the loss of a few minutes, more or less, deter you from following the golden rule of doing to him as you wouldexpect him to do to you were you similarly placed. And, as it sometimeshappens where boats are scarce and anglers many, when you are in thesame boat with a stranger, see that you confine yourself strictly toyour own share of the water, not making casts which endanger "fankling"for the mere sake of covering a little more water with your flies. Should you have a fly that is taking better than any other of your ownor his, offer him one; and in general try to make the day's fishing oneas much for the cultivation of goodwill and the promotion ofgood-fellowship as for the mere sake of making a basket. A churlishangler is an unnatural phenomenon, and, thank Providence! they seldomturn up. A man who can look upon the beautiful scenery amid which hetakes his pleasure, --and there is none finer in the world than ourScottish lochs and their surroundings, --and not feel grateful to theGiver of all good, and at peace with all mankind, ought to burn his rod, singe his flies, and only associate with men like himself. 

If the introduction of this chapter into our book will have the effectof creating a better understanding on the etiquette of loch-fishingbetween brothers of the angle, the object for which it was written willhave been accomplished--and, let us hope, a large amount of goodwillthereby promoted. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

CASTING AND STRIKING. 

We shall treat this subject under two aspects: first, if you have thewhole boat to yourself; and second, if it is being shared by some oneelse. 

If you have a boat to yourself, stand as near the centre of it as youpossibly can without interfering with the boatman in rowing, and coverevery inch of the water in front of you and as far to the sides as thewind will permit. Always be careful how you cast--that is, every timeyou throw your flies see that they land lightly on the water, as no onecan expect to raise fish if any splash is made by either line or flies. Fine casting is not quite so essential, of course, when a fair breeze isblowing; but if the wind be light, then the difference between awell-thrown fly and the reverse is very apparent. After you have made asatisfactory cast, draw the line slowly to you by raising the point ofthe rod, taking care to keep the line as taut as possible. Also see thatyour bob-fly is tripping on the surface, as we consider that awell-managed "bob" is the most life-like of the whole lot. Do not fishwith too long a line, unless, indeed, on an exceptional occasion, whenyou wish to reach the lie of a feeding fish. It is difficult to define along line, but a good general rule is that it should never be longerthan when you have the consciousness that, if a fish should rise, youhave him at a fair and instantaneous striking distance. Remember thatthe time the flies first touch the water after each cast is the mostdeadly; therefore, cast often. 

If you have only the share of a boat, the rule is that one man takes thestern up till lunch, and the other after it. For ourselves, we have apreference for the bow, and we generally find that most anglers preferthe luxury of the stern; so when both parties are pleased, there is nooccasion for changing at all. The most important thing to bear in mindwhen you have a companion is, as we said in last chapter, to confineyourself to your own water. If the left-hand cast is the one proper toyour end of the boat, cast as much to your right hand as you can withoutinfringing on your neighbour's share of the water: all the water to yourleft hand is of course yours. The same remarks apply _vice versa_. _Never stop casting_ so long as you are on fishable ground, for you knownot the moment a good fish may rise. Certain it is that unless you keepyour flies constantly going, you cannot expect to have the same basketas the angler who does. Keep your eyes on your flies in a general way, and do not let your attention be distracted so long as they are in thewater. Every angler has experienced the annoyance of missing fish whenlooking elsewhere for a single moment--either at another boat, or at afish "rising to itself, " or at the sky, or at something else. When theeyes were turned to the point from which they should not have beendiverted, they were just in time to see the water swirl, and the handgave a futile strike at what had disappeared a second before. Perhaps weshould have said at the beginning of this chapter to place implicitfaith in the flies with which you are fishing. Nothing is moreridiculous than whipping the water with a cast, of the suitableness ofwhich you have any doubt; and to guard against any such chance, studycarefully the state of the weather and the wind. If very clear, usesombre flies; but if a dark day, use brighter flies. You will of courseregulate the size according to the breeze, but as a rule, err on theside of small flies. When you raise a fish, _strike at once_. It isquite possible that by this method you may once in a while strike theleast bit too soon, but it is a safe plan to go by. There is always aparticle of a moment spent in the tightening of the line; and by thetime the angler sees a fish at his flies, he may safely conclude that ithas already seized or missed them, and the sooner he ascertains the truestate of matters by striking instantaneously, the better. If the fishhas not been touched by line or hook, cast gently over him again: thechances are that there will be another rise, and, if the fish has beenfeeding, every likelihood that the second or even a third time may belucky. In striking small fish, the least tightening of the line issufficient; but with large fish, when your tackle and hooks are strong, strike _firmly home_ to send the steel well in, right over the barb. Tackle that will not stand this had better be given away ordestroyed, --the latter for choice. 

CHAPTER IX. 

TROLLING. 

Our readers will have guessed, from what has preceded this chapter, thatwe don't believe in trolling if it can be avoided; but still there aretimes and occasions on which it must be practised, and we plead guiltyto having gone in for it oftener than once, when we saw that fly-fishingwas useless. On the other hand, however, we have set out with a firmdetermination to do a fair day's trolling, --and nothing buttrolling, --but somehow or another it has generally ended in fly-fishingwhen we could, and trolling as a _dernier ressort_ when we could not. This, we doubt not, has been the experience of many of our anglingfriends to whom the mere killing of fish is a secondary considerationcompared with the enjoyment of real sport. But when trolling is theorder of the day, either from choice or necessity, then this is the wayto go about it. We assume, of course, that the angler is equipped withtackle and lines specified in Chapter V. , and that he has a supply alsoof live minnows with him. The elaborate tin-cans for holding minnows arequite unnecessary so far as loch-fishing is concerned; any ordinaryvessel will do well enough for a day, provided the water is changed nowand again. In trolling, two rods will be found ample. They should beplaced at right angles to the boat, --the "thowl-pin, " or, if there isnot one near enough the stern, anything (a cheap gimlet answersadmirably) fixed into the gunwale, being sufficient to keep the rod inposition, --so that the spinners, of whatever kind they may be, will beas far apart from each other as possible. Take care that the butts ofthe rods are well at the bottom of the boat, as we have seen a rod notsufficiently fixed go overboard before now. A main point in trolling isto have plenty of line out. There should never be less than thirty yardsout from one rod, and not less that forty from the other. By thismeans, should a fish not see the first lure, he may see the second. Iftrolling with natural minnow, which is much more apt to get out of orderthan artificial ones, see that the bait is intact and spinning properly. This involves the trouble of hauling it in for examination now and then;but it is better to be at that trouble than be fishing with, mayhap, amangled lure, or one that has got out of spinning order, and more likelyto act as a repellent than an attraction to any fish in theneighbourhood. In trolling any likely ground, the proper way is to tellyour man to zigzag it, not pulling the boat in a straight line, butgoing over the ground diagonally, and thus covering as much of it as itis possible to do with a couple score yards of line behind. The turningof the boat necessitates a considerable circle being taken to keep thelures spinning, and so that the lines do not get mixed up; and your man, after making the turn, should row in a slightly slanting directiontowards the point from which he originally started, thus--

[Illustration]

and so on, till the chances of raising a fish on that beat areexhausted. 

Should a small fish come on, haul it in hand-over-hand; and the man mustnot stop rowing, as the other minnow is out, and must be kept spinning. If, however, a fish that needs playing comes to you, you must seize therod to which he has come, and the boatman must take the other, and windin as fast as possible. You should not commence winding in till theother line is wound up so far as to preclude the chance of the fishmixing up both lines together. Barring the risk one runs of a seriousmess, it is not a bad plan to troll from a reel a cast of larger-sizedflies than would be used in ordinary fly-fishing. This line follows, ofcourse, in a _straight_ track behind the boat, and the minnows beingconsiderably to right and left of it, there is no danger of theirgetting mixed so long as the boat is moving; but the risk is apparentshould a fish come to either of the three lines, and great activity isthen necessary on the part of yourself and boatman to keep things right. You must keep the fish at as considerable a distance from the otherlines as you can, and trust a good deal to the chances of war for theultimate safety of all. Some days, even when casting was unproductive, we have been fortunate in securing fish by trolling our flies in themanner described. Indeed, unless the day or the season is decidedly infavour of trolling minnows, we prefer, if only trolling two lines, totroll from one of them with the minnow, and from the other with the fly. This must always be decided, however, by the judgment of the angler, andby his surroundings for the time being. One thing in favour of trollingwith the minnow is, that the best size of fish are caught by that means. This is not invariably the case, but it is the rule. And in concludingthis chapter, we must not omit to acknowledge that we are glad to knowthat when we are not so young as we once were, and when the wielding ofa rod all day long shall have come to be a serious matter, we shallstill have the pleasure of roaming about our lovely lochs--Highland orLowland--and have the excitement of landing fish, coupled with ourenjoyment of fresh air and grand scenery. For this reason, if for noother, cultivate as often as you can, without entrenching on the noblerpastime of fly-fishing, the art of trolling--for we must confess thatthere is an art in this as in everything else; and should my reader besceptical on the point, he has only to try conclusions, when he gets thechance, with some old troller, and he will be convinced beforesupper-time. 

CHAPTER X. 

CAPTURE OF FISH. 

Scotch loch-fishing, as usually practised, only embraces the capture ofthe _salmo_ species--that is, the _salmo fario_, or common yellow trout;the _salmo trutta_, or sea-trout; and _salmo salar_, the "fish, " as mostboatmen call it, and the noblest game of the finny creation. Besidesthese there is, of course, the _salmo ferox_; but it is comparativelyscarce, and only worth trolling for in some particular lochs, where theyare known to be more easily come across than in others. And sometimeswhen worthier game is not to be had, we have a spin for pike, but MrJack is as difficult to catch at times as his more aristocraticcomrades. In most Scotch lochs where any supervision is exercised at theinstance of our local clubs, the extermination of pike is mostvigorously carried on by means of fixed and splash nets. This, asregards our large lochs, where there is room for all, we have nohesitation in saying is a mistake, as it shuts up one means of enjoyinga day's fishing when nothing else in the way of fish is to be had; andit must be borne in mind that there are some older anglers, to whom awhole day's fly-fishing is a labour, who never object, when trolling, tocome across a pike: and no wonder, for a pike of 10 lb. And upwardsgives some fair play, though by no means to compare with what a fish ofthe _salmo_ tribe of that weight would give. Then we have perch inabundance, and splendid eels; but as these need a float and bait tocatch them, we dismiss them as quite _infra dig_. True a perch will comeat a minnow, and we have sometimes seen them take a fly; but they aregenerally voted a nuisance, and expelled the boat. 

As regards the capture of fish, we shall proceed to deal with each inorder; and at the outset we remark, that when you have hooked a fish, itis a safe general rule to waste no unnecessary time in bringing him tothe landing-net or gaff, and thence into the boat. When playing a fish, never allow the line to get slack, unless, indeed, when he leaps intothe air, --then you must give him rope; but so soon as he gets into hisnative element, feel his mouth instantly. Always play your fish to_windward_ of the boat if there is some one sharing it with you, as thisallows him to go on casting to leeward. Of course, if you have the wholeboat to yourself, play your fish in any way that it will be mostexpeditiously brought to basket. The angler ought to be well assured ofthe strength of his tackle, and when he has confidence in that, he willsoon learn to judge of the proper strain to which it may be subjected. In the case of COMMON YELLOW TROUT, averaging, as most loch trout do, about three to the pound, there is no occasion to put off time with anyone of them; but in some lochs, such as Loch Leven, where the average isfairly one pound, and where two and three pounders are by no meansuncommon, some care and a little play are absolutely necessary. But donot, even in such a case, give him too much of his own way. We canassure our readers that a three-pound Loch Leven trout, in goodcondition, on fine gut and small irons, gives as nice a piece of play, and exercise to the eye, hand, and judgment, as could well be desired. 

The SEA-TROUT is, for his size, the gamest of all fish. He is bold as alion, and fights harder for his life than a salmon twice his size. Afish of three pounds will run out a considerable piece of line, and makea splendid leap, or series of leaps, --and then is the trying time. Asoften as not, your flies and the fish part company in the air, and youhave to sit down muttering "curses not loud but deep, " till anapplication to the flask soothes your wounded spirit, and invigoratesyou for fresh effort. A beautiful sight it is to see a sea-trout rise. No half-hearted attempt is his, but a determined rush for the fly, anddown again like thought, leaving you the tiniest part of a moment tostrike, and hardly time to admire his beautiful silvery coat. If youhave been fortunate enough to get the steel into him, you will have timeto admire him when you get him into the boat. Fishing for sea-trout withthe fly is, we consider, the most exciting of all kinds of fishing--thatis, if the fish run to a fair average weight. But we are sorry to saythat lochs where it is to be enjoyed are, with the solitary exception ofLoch Lomond, usually far out of ordinary reach, --and in the case of LochLomond, it is only _habitués_ who usually come much speed on it; butonce the angler gets a fair day there, he finds his way back often. True, there are some excellent sea-trout lochs in the north, and on thewest coast and islands, but they are a far cry from civilisation. Nevertheless, if our readers can spare the time, let them find their wayinto some unfrequented spot where sea-trout are plentiful, and they willagree with us in thinking that that class of fishing is a most excellentsport. Some parts of Ireland are famous for their fine sea-troutfishing--white trout they call them there; and though we have never beenthere ourselves, we mean to go some day, when the Land Bill has pacifiedthe natives, and made them law-abiding subjects. Meantime one runs therisk of being mistaken for a non-resident landlord, and that would be apity for one's wife and family. But without any joking, this Irishsea-trout fishing is a pleasure to which we look forward; and in thiswork-a-day world, something to look forward to is half the enjoyment oflife. 

The capture of the SALMON is the ambition of all anglers, but we doubtvery much if the sport is to compare with ordinary loch or sea-troutfishing, provided always that the latter are of good average weight. Thetackle used in salmon-fishing is proportionately heavy, and after thefirst few rushes, if the fish be well hooked, there is little in itexcept a matter of time. Indeed it is said that some anglers, afterhooking a salmon, hand the rod to a gillie to work and land the fish. This seems going too much in the other direction, but it is quiteunderstandable. True, the size to which salmon run is a great inducementto go after them; but even in Loch Tay, where the biggest average is tobe found, the sport, if such it can be called at all, is veryquestionable. The rod, line, gut, and minnows used are on such a strongscale, that a well-sized vessel might be moored with them without theirbreaking; and with several scores of yards of line ready for a rush, what earthly chance has the fish of escape, unless through the grossestcarelessness? The fish may be loosely hooked, and get off, but this isquite a matter of chance, and the odds are that a hungry spring fishwill not miss the lure. Thus the charm of salmon-fishing is in theraising and striking; and of all kinds of striking, the striking of thesalmon is the most difficult: the fish being so large and silvery, theangler is certain to see him coming _at_ the fly, and is very apt tostrike too soon. But if it is borne in mind to strike _after_ the brokenwater is visible, and not before it, this will soon be overcome. Whenyou do strike, don't let it be a mere tightening of the line, as introut-fishing, but a decided stroke. Some say that the salmon will hookhimself by his own weight. This may be so, though we doubt it, --butdon't trust to it. Certain it is, that the first rush of a fish does notusually fix him certain; and should the hook happen to be in a piece ofhard gristle or on a bone, you will soon find this out for yourself, butgenerally at the cost of the fish. 

Salmon-fishing is an expensive luxury; but if you can get it good, nevermind the expense, but give it a trial. If you get good sport, you maynot care to go in for smaller game again; but in all our experience wenever knew a salmon fisher who did not enjoy trout-fishing as much inits own way as ever he did that of the nobler animal. There is somethingin the gossamer gut and small flies irresistibly attractive to allsportsmen, and from which no amount of salmon-fishing can ever weanthem. 

The _salmo ferox_ is a fish on which many opinions have been expressed;and we have heard more than one old boatman say that he did not believeit to be anything but a big loch-trout, as, they ask, Who ever saw ayoung one? We see the young of all other fish, but why do we never comeacross a young _ferox_? It seems pertinent enough questioning, and we donot pretend to settle their doubts in either one way or another. Certainit is, he is a big strong fish with some features distinct from theordinary loch trout, and that when caught he shows an amount of fightnot to be equalled by any of his neighbours, either white or brown. Heis usually caught by trolling either natural or artificial minnow; andthe tackle should be mounted on gimp and fixed to a strong line, andplenty of it. We have read of a _ferox_ rising to the fly, but neversaw one so captured. There seems no reason why a gaudy fly should notattract him. After he is hooked the fun begins. A _ferox_ of 10 to 12lb. Will give you amusement and excitement for an indefinite time; andyou are never sure of him till he is in the boat. A friend of ours (acapital angler to boot) fishing with us on Loch Assynt inSutherlandshire in 1877, hooked a fine specimen; and after battling withhim for an hour, had the mortification of seeing fish, angel-minnow, andtrace, disappear! A good boatman is a wonderful help in such a case;indeed without his help your chances are small. To be sure it is slowwork trolling for _feroces_, and a whole day--yea, days--may be spentwithout getting a run. The angler must always be the best judge as towhether the chance is worth his while. Loch Awe, Loch Ericht, LochRannoch, and Loch Assynt, are good lochs for trying one's luck in thiskind of fishing. 

Then to come from the nobler to an inferior species, we get to PIKEfishing. Angling for this fish seems to be in great repute among oursouthern brethren, if we may judge by the literature on the subject; butsomehow or other it is looked upon among our northern anglers withsomewhat the same aversion that a Jew has to bacon, and fishing for pikeis only resorted to when all chance of catching anything worthier isgone. We don't profess to say whence this antipathy arises; but we haveheard stories from boatmen about the foul feeding of pike that makes theidea of eating him repulsive. Not but that we have eaten him, but wenever did so with relish, however cunningly the _artiste_ may haveserved him up. As a stock for soup he is good; but in Scotland it isbetter not to say what the origin of the stock is till your friends areat their _café noir_. But here we are only interested so far as thesport he gives is concerned; and unless the pike be all the larger--saynot under 8 lb. --the sport is poor enough. Even a pike of 8 lb. Andover, when hooked (which is done by trolling or casting a minnow andworking it after the manner of a fly), makes one or two long pulls, notrushes like a fish of the _salmo_ tribe; and after that he subsides intoa sulk from which you must trust to the strength of your tackle toarouse him. The tackle should be mounted on gimp, for his teeth are verysharp; and when removing the lure from his mouth, you will find it muchsafer to have previously put the foot-spar between his jaws to preventhim getting at your fingers. 

There is a fly, if such it can be called, used in pike-fishing. This flyresembles a natural insect as much as a tea-pot resembles an elephant, but it does attract pike--in the same way, we suppose, that a piece ofred flannel will attract a mackerel. If our readers wish to try it, theycan buy it at almost any tackle shop. Pike are to be found in almost alllochs, though in the more frequented of our Scotch waters they are beingslowly but surely exterminated. In others, again, they reign almostalone. But pike-fishing by itself is a poor affair, and we advise ourreaders only to take to it when they can do nought better. If any ofthem wish to go below the level of pike-fishing, we must refer them tothe copious instructions of many books, from Isaak Walton downwards. Forourselves, when it comes to bait-fishing--except in running water, whenworm-fishing is an art--we prefer catching whitings and haddocks in someof our beautiful salt-water lochs, to all the perch, roach, chub, andsuch-like, that ever swam. But in this please note that we are onlyexpressing our own opinion, and with all respect to the opinions of manyworthy anglers. We may say this, however, with all safety, that inangling, as in most other things, if one aims at the highest point ofthe art he is not at all likely to condescend to the lowest. 

CHAPTER XI. 

AFTER A DAY'S FISHING. 

What a pleasant fatigue succeeds a day's fishing! There is not, orshould not be, a feeling of weariness, but just the satisfaction onefeels after enjoying a health-giving recreation. Health-giving itcertainly is to the body, and we have no hesitation in saying to themind also. It makes one forget for the time being all the evils to whichflesh is heir, and braces up the whole system to meet them when thenecessity arises. But we must not go in for more sentiment than isactually needful. The practical duties after a day's fishing are these. If the weather has been damp, change all wet garments _at once_, and ifat all practicable have a hot bath before sitting down to dinner. We saydinner advisedly, for the angler should always have a good sound dinnerafter a day's fishing, as however pleasant the work may have been, stillit is exhausting to the body, and a rough tea, though good in itself, cannot pretend to have the reviving elements in it that a substantialdinner has. A glass of whisky, or even two, in cold water, will be founda very safe accompaniment. A good plan is to order your whisky by thebottle, and put your card in a nick made in the cork: the ordering ofwhisky in glasses is expensive and unsatisfactory. Your dinner over, turn your attention to your tackle. Unwind your lines, so far as theyhave been wet, from the reels, and lay them out on your bedroom floor; ifany chance of being interfered with, wind them round the backs of chairsinstead. They will be dry by the morning. Dry your reels thoroughly, andput in a little oil wherever you think they would be the better of it;and this should be done to any other article--spring-balance, gaff, &c. --that is liable to rust. Your creel or fishing-bag should be washedout and hung up to dry by the servants of the house immediately afterthe fish have been removed, which latter should be done without delay. Your landing-net should also be suspended in the open air, that it mayget dry as speedily as possible. A landing-net will last double the timeif attention is given to it in this way. Take out all used casting-linesfrom your book, and lay them on the mantelpiece till morning: this willinsure the feathers being freed from moisture. And in the case ofexpensive flies, this is a matter of consideration, both on the point ofexpense as well as your possible inability to replace them where you mayhappen to be sojourning for the time. If you mean to make up a new castor casts for the morrow, place the casting-lines in a little water inyour basin. They will be in excellent order next morning formanipulation. Also soak in like manner the _gut_ on which the flieswhich you mean to use are dressed. True, you may not be sure what fliesyou will put on till you see what sort of a day it may prove to be, butthere is no harm done if you soak the gut (but only the gut) of as manyflies as will give you a good choice. 

We should have said nearer the beginning of this chapter to look wellafter your waterproofs, that they are not hung up in a hot place. A dryroom or outhouse where there is a good draught is best. If your fishingshould happen to be over for the time being, put your tackle past (afterbeing thoroughly dried) in the most orderly fashion possible. For ourown part, we have the drawer in our bookcase spaced out intocompartments suitable for holding all our tackle, barring reels and suchlike; and this arrangement we find extremely useful, and wonderfullyconvenient when we wish to find anything. If, on the other hand, you areout on a lengthy holiday, and have time at your disposal, after puttingthings right for the day, and for next day too, we know of nothingbetter than a _good_ rubber at whist for filling up the evening. It mustbe a _good_ rubber, however, for the parlour game is neither relaxationnor pleasure. Hence we would advise all our angling friends to acquire athorough knowledge of the game, as only to be learned with the aid of agood book on the subject. Remember that when staying at someout-of-the-way fishing hotel, you may be asked to form a table with goodplayers, and not to be able to hold your own on such occasions is agreat loss of pleasure to yourself, and usually a source of annoyance tothe others. These remarks are somewhat apart from the subject of thisbook, but by way of an aside, they may be found not quite out of place. 

Do not be beguiled into keeping late hours, for no one can fish wellnext day if he has not had a sufficient amount of sleep. But this isalso an aside; for some men need more sleep than others, and each anglerknows his own necessities best. We only promulgate the broad rule, thatwithout proper rest no one can be in good trim with hand and eye for apastime that needs both in a pre-eminent degree. We speak fromexperience in this too; and have sometimes imagined that our right handhad lost its cunning till we remembered that we had not been properlyrested the night before. 

CHAPTER XII. 

REMINISCENCES. 

Having exhausted, so far as we can imagine, the practical part of ourlittle treatise, we proceed--in accordance with an idea which we had inour minds at starting--to give a few personal recollections, and to nameone or two lochs where we have enjoyed good sport, and where it is stillto be had for the trouble of going. Reminiscences are, as a rule, notspecially interesting to the general reader, hence we shall not makethem too lengthy; for we wish, above all things, that our readers shallclose this volume without experiencing a shadow of weariness. One thing, however, we would like to say to our younger angling friends--Have asmany personal adventures to look back to as you possibly can. Theadventures themselves can be best sought after when the blood flowsfast; for the time will come when the rod and the tackle will perforcehave to be laid aside, and memory will then, unaided, afford you many apleasant retrospect, and you will--even companionless--fight yourbattles over again. You remember the story of the illustrious PrinceTalleyrand: when a young man acknowledged to him that he could not playwhist, Talleyrand said to him--"Young man, what a sad old age you arepreparing for yourself!" We don't mean to go this length as regardsfishing; but we safely say that a man who lives to old age withouthaving been a keen angler, has not only deprived himself of greatenjoyments during his active life, but has neglected to lay up aprovision for the time when the memory of them would have made life'sclosing seasons sweeter. 

Our first acquaintance with LOCH ARD was very pleasant--not, perhaps, somuch from any great expectation of sport, because at that time (manyyears ago now) we were young at the pastime, but more from the feelingof treading the ground made classical by the great Magician of theNorth, as the scene of the most stirring incidents in 'Rob Roy. 'Attached to a big tree in front of the hotel at Aberfoyle there hangs acoulter, which tradition assigns as the veritable article which BailieNicol Jarvie made red-hot and used as a weapon of offence and defencewhen he was in a dilemma in what was, at that time, a very inaccessiblepart of the Highlands. Since then many a Glasgow magistrate has visitedthe spot--the inspection of the line of the noble waterworks undertakingwhich supplies the city being a sufficient excuse for the annual adventof the civic rulers. A railway station (Bucklyvie) is within eight milesof Aberfoyle, and Aberfoyle is within three miles of Loch Ard, and bythe time this book is in the hand of the reader there will most likelybe a railway station at Aberfoyle itself. Shade of Bailie Nicol Jarvie!what would you say if you were now to be allowed to haunt the old spot?to hear a locomotive screech where formerly you thought yourself so far"frae the Sautmarket o' Glesca"? We don't like the idea ourselves, anddoubt very much if it will pay. However, it is the fishing alone whichconcerns us meantime, and we can at once assure our angling friends thatthe sport is good--not but what one has to fish hard for a basket; butthe same remark applies to all our near-at-hand lochs. On an ordinarygood day a dozen to eighteen trout may be captured, and sometimes thebaskets are heavier; but eighteen fish, weighing 9 lb. To 12 lb. , is avery fair day's work. The trout average fairly a half pound, andpounders are by no means scarce: a two-pounder is come acrossoccasionally, but he is the exception. The fish are very pretty, and fortheir size give excellent sport. Fine tackle is here absolutelyessential to success, and as a matter of sport should always be used infishing for common yellow trout. The loch, for its size, is much fished;and we fear that when the railway facilities are completed, there willrequire to be a considerable amount of restocking to keep it up to theold mark. The scenery is unsurpassed--wood, water, and mountain, makinga picture of wondrous beauty. To the north of the loch, Ben Lomond rearsits mighty summit; and in the spring-time (for Loch Ard is an earlyloch), before the summer sun has melted the winter's snow, the effect isgrand in the extreme. April, May, and June, are supposed to be the bestmonths for angling; but we see no reason why, if the weather befavourable, these months should be singled out. The hotel accommodationat Aberfoyle is excellent. In the early months you must engage a boatbeforehand: boatmen first-rate. Many a happy day we have spent on LochArd--sometimes successful and sometimes much the reverse; but in anycase there is a witchery about the place that makes one enjoy himself inspite of all cares. Mind and body recruit their jaded energies, and getbraced up to meet the stern realities of life. 

In strong contradistinction, in this respect, to Loch Ard, is LOCHLEVEN. In the latter, if the angler is not catching fish, there islittle of the beautiful to commend itself to the senses. The island onwhich the castle stands is pretty, and as a historic ruin is well worthyof a visit, but otherwise the scenery is very tame, and the surroundingsnot entrancing. But since we have drifted into speaking of Loch Leven, we may as well tell of the sport which is to be had there, --and this, asis well known, is exceptionally good. The quality of the fish iswonderful; and after reading the statistics of a year's fishing--lastseason something like 18, 000 fish, weighing as many pounds, werekilled--one is puzzled to know how it is kept up. The loch itself is agreat natural feeding-pond, miles and miles of it being of an almostuniform depth, and a boat may drift almost anywhere, the angler feelingat the same time certain that fish are in his immediate vicinity. Troutof two and three pounds are quite common; and it is a rare occasion thata day's average does not come up to the pound for each fish. They arevery fine eating, and cut red as a grilse. The company which rents theloch pay £800 to £1000 for the fishing, and they in turn keep a fleet oflarge boats--twenty we think--and let them out to anglers at the rate of2s. 6d. An hour. Any number may fish from one boat. There are twoboatmen in each boat, --one of whom is paid by the company, the other bythe angler; and we are sorry to say that these men, with a fewexceptions, are very much spoiled. There is a class of anglers(?) whofrequent Loch Leven, whose whole aim seems to be, not sport so far astheir own personal efforts are concerned, but the killing of as manyfish as possible. If such a one has engaged a boat, he arms each boatmanwith a rod, and, of course, fishes himself, thus having three rodsgoing at once. As we said before, the loch can be drifted without anyattention from the men, after they have pulled up to the wind, and thisenables them to get casting all the time that their employer is doinglikewise. Not content with this, a couple of minnows are generallytrolled astern when changing ground. We don't say that a man has not aright to do as he likes if he pays for his boat; but we _do_ ask, Isthis sport? And why should boatmen be spoiled in this way to such anextent that we have known them sulk a whole day because a spare rod wasnot allowed to be put up for their special benefit? But, of course, themen are just as they have been made, and true anglers, who fish for aday's sport, and not for the mere sake of slaughter, have the remedy intheir own hands. Don't let anything deter you from fishing Loch Leven. It may be expensive; but if you get a good, or even a fair day, you willnot regret the expense. Get a friend to join you, and the expense is notso heavy after all; and if your friend and yourself fish perseveringlyall day, you will usually be rewarded with a very fine show of fish. There is no harm in letting your men fish when you are taking yourlunch, _but don't allow a third rod to be put up_. The boatmen are, as arule, only fifth-rate fishers, though, of course, a few of them handle arod well. Our recollections of Loch Leven are pleasant in some ways, inothers they are not; but don't fail to give it a trial, if only for thepleasure of handling a big fish on fine gut. The manager of the LochLeven fishings, Captain Hall, fills a very difficult post with muchacceptance to all concerned. 

But to leave the Lowlands and go into the far North, we take you to LOCHASSYNT, in Sutherlandshire, and to a little loch near it, --LOCH AWE byname. The journey to Assynt is long and weary: train to Lairg, and thenbetween thirty and forty miles driving, is a good long scamper forfishing, but it is worth it. The inn at Inchnadamph is good, but when wewere there in 1877 the boat accommodation was poor enough: perhaps theyhave improved upon that since. The first day after our arrival we had togo to Loch Awe, as the boats on the large loch (Assynt) were taken up. Such a morning of rain and wind! We were wet through our waterproofsduring the four-mile drive, but luckily the weather moderated, and wehad an excellent day's fishing. With two in the boat, we took 57 lb. Weight of beautiful fish, --not large, but very game, and spottedintensely red. It must have been a good day, for many an angler triedhis luck after our success, but never came near that mark, at least whenwe were there. Loch Assynt is more attractive, however, inasmuch as thechances of big fish are not remote. Trout of a pound weight, and over, are not uncommon, while the chance of a grilse adds excitement to thesport. Then _ferox_, as we have said in a previous chapter, are, comparatively speaking, not scarce, if one cares to go in for trollingfor them. But, in any case, the angler is always sure of a basket oflovely yellow trout. On the hills behind the inn there is a small loch, called the MULACH-CORRIE, in which it is said that the gillaroo troutare to be found. Whether they are the real trout of that species or not, we cannot say, but certainly they are beautiful fish, --pink in thescales, and running to large sizes. We saw a basket taken by a friend, and it was a treat to look at. The fish were all taken with the fly, but we were told afterwards that worm is even deadlier than fly, andthat one should never go there without a supply of "wrigglers. " The hillbetween the inn and the Mulach-Corrie is a perfect paradise forfern-gatherers. It is said that about two dozen different kinds can begathered; and we believe it, for even our untutored eyes discernedsixteen varieties! Our visit to Inchnadamph must be placed among thered-letter periods of our fishing life, and to be looked back to withmuch enjoyment. 

LOCH MORAR, in Inverness-shire, is another delightful spot, and somewhatout of the usual track. The fishing is most excellent, and yellow troutof all sizes are very abundant. Sea-trout and salmon find their wayfrequently into the angler's basket; and half-way up the loch, which isa long one, at a bay into which the Meoble river flows, numbers ofsea-fish are to be found. The best way is to fly-fish up to that bay oneday, and seek shelter at night in some shepherd's cottage, thus being athand to prosecute salmon and sea-trout fishing the next day, or days, ifyou find the sport good. It is right to take a supply of provisions andliquor with you, for the accommodation is humble. We write this fromhearsay, as when we were there in mid-July salmon and sea-trout were notin the loch in large numbers; but still we caught some of the latter, and hooked, though, unfortunately, did not kill, any of the former. Weshould think that the beginning of August would be the best time forthis loch as regards sea-fish; but the trout-fishing in July isunsurpassable. During our sojourn in 1876 at Arisaig, the nearestvillage to the loch, which is six miles off, and necessitating a driveover what was then a road sadly in need of General Wade's good offices, we had the services of a boatman, Angus by name, and his two boys, whocould not speak a word of English, --Angus managing one boat, and hisboys the other. We had the satisfaction--for indeed it was good fun--tobe out with the boys one day; and the management of the boat had to bedone by signals. It was wonderful how readily the boys got into the wayof it, and how well we got on together. The memory of the hospitalitywhich we enjoyed at Arisaig Inn will not be forgotten by any of ourparty; and we hope that the then occupier, Mr Routledge, will be therewhen we go back again. An inn was in course of being built at theloch-side in 1876, but we do not know how it has succeeded. The easiestway to Arisaig is by steamer, which usually goes once a-week; but theangler should, if possible, go to Banavie or Fort-William, --the latterfor choice, as Banavie Hotel is famous for long bills (and we cantestify that its notoriety in this respect is deserved), --and then driveto Arisaig. It is about thirty-eight miles from Fort-William to Arisaig, but the drive is something to be remembered during a lifetime. Afterhaving traversed this road, you will say, "There's no place like home"for grand and beautiful scenery. We must see Loch Morar again if wepossibly can, before we bequeath our tackle to the next generation. 

The time would fail us to tell of many other lochs, more or less famousfor the good sport they afford; but the angler, if at all of anenterprising nature, need have little hesitation in taking up Mr Lyall'sexcellent 'Sportsman's Guide, ' and making a selection on his ownaccount. The information is very correct so far as we have tried it, sometimes--perhaps most anglers are inclined that way--erring a littleto the _couleur de rose_ side of things, but quite trustworthy in beingfollowed as a suggester for a fortnight's fishing. We have gained muchpleasure in exploring some of our more remote lochs, of the existence ofwhich we might never have been aware but for its information. We cannot, however, close this long, but we hope not wearisome, chapter withoutsinging the praises of our Queen of Scottish Lakes, LOCH LOMOND. Thescenery of this beautiful spot is well known in some ways, but no amountof travelling in a steamer will reveal its beauties. To the tourist wewould say, take a small boat at Luss and engage a man to row you amongthe islands which lie between Luss and Balmaha. With this hint to thetourist, we leave him, and turn the angler's attention to thesport--very precarious at most times, but excellent at others--to be hadon Loch Lomond. Luss is the angling centre, and there are capital boatsand men to be had by writing beforehand to the hotel-keeper, Mr M'Nab, who deserves much credit for the attention he pays to the wants ofanglers. 

The yellow-trout fishing is good, but, strange to say, this class ofsport is not much sought after. In April and May as good trout-fishingis to be had as on some other lochs that enjoy a greater reputation. Butif the weather has been at all favourable to the fish running, the monthof June sees the sea-trout fishing fairly commenced. It is a hard lochto fish; and if you are lucky enough to get two or three sea-trout in aday, consider yourself fortunate. They are a good average--2 lb. To 3lb. Being quite common--but they spread themselves so much over a largeportion of water that one may fish a whole day and not come across them. This, however, is the exception, as in an ordinary fair fishing day inJune, July, August, and September, and even October if the weather ismild, they are almost certain to be seen, if not caught. Some daysreally good sport is to be had--indeed, one is surprised at the show offish; but fish or no fish, the charm of Loch Lomond is everlasting. Theangler finds his way back over and over again, till, as in our ownexperience, the islands of Lonaig, Moan, Cruin, Fad, and last and least, Darroch, the great landing-spot, are as familiar to him as his dailybusiness haunts. Then the chances of a salmon are good--indeed, thisyear (1881) a great many have been killed; but somehow or another thesea-trout fishing has not been so good, and though a salmon is always asalmon, we would rather see a good show of sea-trout at any time. Likeour neighbours, we have had good and bad days on Loch Lomond; butdisappointment has never soured us--indeed, the fascination seems to getstronger. And it is so very convenient for a day's fishing--down in themorning and home at night, with a good long day between. The charge forboatman is 5s. To 6s. And lunch; and though this seems high, it must notbe forgotten that the distances are great. A boat costs 2s. Per day. Themen are good all over, some of them really first-rate. Many and many astory we could tell of happy fishing days, and of days most enjoyablyspent when fishing was no go; but mostly every angler can do the same, and we don't wish to become too tiresome. Perhaps if we get the chancewe may extend this chapter on some future occasion, and add someexperiences of as yet untried places. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

CONCLUSION. 

Brother of the gentle art, we bid you farewell! We have done our best togive you the benefit of our experience in the peaceful pursuit ofloch-fishing; and if we have said too much or too little, pray excuseus, and in your goodness of heart reprove us for our verbosity, and tellus what is awanting. The spirit on our part has been very willing; butthe memory may have been defective when it should have been most active, and quite possibly our love for the art may have somewhere or anotherled us into discursiveness where we should have been brief. We are allhuman, and he is a poor mortal who thinks he cannot err. Again we sayfarewell!--not for long, however, we hope. Who knows where we may meet?If we do, and you recognise us, don't forget to give us a littleencouragement, and, if you can, new material for extending theusefulness of this publication. As we write, the hand of winter is uponus, and the rod and reel have been relegated to safe quarters; butspring will return, and the enforced cessation of our enjoyment willonly add new zest to the music of the reel

 "When green leaves come again. "

PRINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 

 LATELY PUBLISHED, FIFTH EDITION, REVISED. 

 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 

 CONTAINING MINUTE INSTRUCTIONS IN ALL HIGHLAND SPORTS, WITH WANDERINGS OVER CRAG AND CORRIE, FLOOD AND FELL. 

 BY JOHN COLQUHOUN. 

 2 vols. Post 8vo, with Two Portraits and other Illustrations. 26s. 

 SOME OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

"In the present delightful volumes, however, he presents all loversof Scotland with the completest details of every Highland sport, on allof which he is an unexceptionable authority; and with what many willvalue even more, a series of life-like sketches of the rarer and moreinteresting animals of the country. He has thus brought up to thepresent level of knowledge the history of all the scarce birds andbeasts of Scotland.... Henceforth it must necessarily find a placein the knapsack of every Northern tourist who is fond of ourwild creatures, and is simply indispensable in every Scotchshooting-lodge. "--_Academy. _

"We should recommend fishers to study carefully all the chapters onfishing for salmon, loch trout, sea trout, and yellow trout, whatevermay be their experience or erudition. They will find general hints ofimmense use which they can apply to that local knowledge of their ownriver or 'water' which no books can teach, and which Mr Colquhounhimself would equally have to learn. But no chapter ought to be skipped, even by a reader who aspires to far less than the fourfold distinctionof a Highland hunter, which consists in killing a red-deer, an eagle, asalmon, and a seal. "--_Saturday Review. _

"The book is one written by a gentleman for gentlemen, healthy in tone, earnest in purpose, and as fresh, breezy, and life-giving as themountain air of the hills amongst which the sport it chronicles iscarried on. "--_The World. _

"One of those rare and delightful books which, with all the fulness ofknowledge, breathe the very freshness of the country, and either consoleyou in your city confinement, or make you sigh to be away, according tothe humour in which you happen to read it. "--_Blackwood's Magazine. _

 * * * * *

 LATELY PUBLISHED. 

 A HANDBOOK OF DEER-STALKING. 

 BY ALEXANDER MACRAE, Late Forester to Lord Henry Bentinck. 

 WITH INTRODUCTION BY HORATIO ROSS, ESQ. 

 Fcap. 8vo, with Two Photos. From Life. 3s. 6d. 

"A work not only useful to sportsmen, but highly entertaining to thegeneral reader. "--_United Service Gazette. _

"The writer of this valuable little book speaks with authority, and sumsup in a few pages hints on deer-stalking which the experience of alifetime has enabled him to put forth.... We can only recommend everyone who pursues the fascinating sport of which the author writes, toglance through, and indeed to read carefully, this handbook. "--_Sportingand Dramatic News. _

"An interesting little book, alike because of the knowledge which itsauthor displays of his subject, and of the simple style in which it iswritten. It is a handbook such as sportsmen must have longdesired. "--_Scotsman. _

 * * * * *

 RECREATIONS OF CHRISTOPHER NORTH. 

 With Portrait of the Author in his Sporting Jacket. 

 New Edition. Two Vols. , crown 8vo, 8s. 

"Welcome, right welcome, Christopher North; we cordially greet thee inthy new dress, thou genial and hearty old man, whose 'Ambrosian Nights'have so often in imagination transported us from solitude to the socialcircle, and whose vivid pictures of flood and fell, of loch and glen, have carried us in thought from the smoke, din, and pent-up opulence ofLondon, to the rushing stream or tranquil tarn of thosemountain-ranges. "--_Times. _

 * * * * *

 W. BLACKWOOD & SONS, EDINBURGH AND LONDON. 

Transcriber's Note:

 Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. Variant and dialect spellings remain as printed. Hyphenation has been standardised.