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other necessary materials with him; and the art of fly making can be so easily acquired, that every fisherman who is in the slightest degree keen after his sport ought to take the trouble to learn.

As a general rule, when the water is bright, clear, and shallow, the smaller flies are best, and those of a darkish hue; on the other hand, if the supply of water be plentiful, the river deep, and there has been a fall of rain, then larger, more showy and brighter flies may be used with advantage, especially if the water be in the slightest degree discoloured. For trout there are certain flies which I have found answer in all rivers and lochs; so that a fisherman can never do wrong in having a good supply of these, wherever he may go in quest of sport. I have tried them in England, France, in Wales and in Scotland, and found them equally successful; and these are the red hackle, the dun fly, the gnat, and white fly as night approaches. The red hackle, in all its varieties, is good for burn or river fishing. When the water is discoloured by a recent shower, nothing surpasses it, made showy with a little gold tinsel and slight mixture of peacocks' feather with the cock's hackle; sometimes with wings, made either from the feathers of teal or mallard : but then, I believe, strictly speaking, it falls under

the denomination of red palmer; but whatever be its name, it is a most killing fly.

Burn fishing is more interesting and amusing than loch fishing; and there is more variety attending its pursuit, in the agreeable and striking change of scenery which is presented to your view, as you ascend or descend the contiguous rocky acclivities, covered with blooming heather and various foliage, or follow its serpentine and circuitous course through some beautiful valley or dell, cautiously approaching each untried pool, and throwing your fly, unseen, with all the skill in your power. If the day be suitable, and the trout in humour, your fly will be frequently taken as it drops, before you have time to draw it an inch across the bubbling stream; but you must take care not only not to be seen, but not even to allow your shadow to fall on the water. This cannot always be done without management; but as success depends upon the observance of this rule, the fisherman must exercise all his ingenuity.

The advantage of the burn over the loch consists in its affording good sport on many a day on which the loch would be impracticable, as there must be a slight breeze for loch fishing; whereas in the burn the breeze is not so essential, if you are favoured in every other respect.

I have never tried a worm in the lochs, but in burns it may be successfully used; in fact, on certain days, is much more killing than a fly; and there are numerous pools, which are in such difficult positions, that it is impossible to throw a fly cleverly across them; and as in these there are frequently the greatest number of fish, the worm is the only alternative. These burn trout, although very dark-coloured, are very sweet and good. Their average size is one-eighth of a pound.

TRAWL, OR DRAG NET, FOR SALMON AND SALMON-TROUT.

This net is used after sunset, and through the night, if the weather be fine and suitable; it is most effective for taking salmon and salmon-trout. The best time to commence operations is when the tide is beginning to flow. Four men are required to draw the net ashore. The spots in the loch resorted to by salmon and salmon-trout, at the rise of the tide, are those close to the shore, where any burn or rivulet empties itself; and

these must be approached in your boat as silently and cautiously as possible, so as not to alarm or disturb the fish. Two men will get into the water on one side, near the shore, with one end of the net, one having the upper, the other the lower rope; you will then row to the other point which you wish to make, and let the other two men down with the other end of the net; all parties will then commence simultaneously dragging the net ashore. You will very soon know whether you are successful or not, by the leaping and splashing of the fish enclosed. The person remaining in the boat, as there must be a fifth, will follow the net as closely as he can, in order that he may be ready to lift it off any stone or sea-weed with which it may chance to become entangled.

Before commencing this sport, it will be necessary, during the day, to reconnoitre perfectly the scene of your intended operations, so as to be thoroughly conversant with the nature of the shore; by which means you will know exactly where you may let your men down into the water;

and sometimes it will be necessary to remove branches of trees, and other obstacles, which may have been brought down accidentally by the fresh water, as these, although small, if allowed to remain, might not only defeat your manœuvres, but tear and damage your net. Do not attempt to

enclose too large a space, or commence in too deep water, as the fish might escape by the sides before you have time to enclose them. A bottle of whisky, to regale the men after each draught, will be found to be not without its advantage.

This net may be used most effectively for other fish during the day, in fine, warm, sunny weather. For salmon, I believe, it is now illegal; in fact, trawling for even herrings is prohibited. Whether this restriction is necessary or not, for the protection of the herring, is a contested point.

LONG LINE, FOR COD, HADDOCK, CONGER EEL, &c. &c.

This line is productive of excellent sport in any loch where cod and haddock abound. The season for these fish commences in November, and extends through the winter months. As the season advances these fish gradually approach the mouth of the loch and proceed out to sea as far as the nearest bank, where they may be as easily taken as in the loch, subject of course to the suitableness of the weather. In the loch, in ordinary

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