Part IV

there are stations every three or four miles along this route, the rod-fisher has every possible facility for throwing his liae upon any section of the stream he may fancy. There is no wood to obstruct his operations, and he will find a succession of fine streams and deep pools ia every part of his progress. The trout found ia these portions of the Clyde waters are of very good quality, but they do not run large; though, occasionally, there have been some singularly heavy fish taken, chiefly by trolling, out of streams in the vicinity of the village of Coulter, of full ten pounds weight. The best trout are unquestionably taken with the natural minnow in these waters, and this bait has become of late years quite popular among the mass of Clydesdale rod -fishers. There are no salmon, nor sahnon-trout, in these portions of the river. The Falls efi'ectually prevent their ascending higher up than a few miles below Lanark. The flies in general use here have light brown wings, and black or red bodies ; but the trout are not at all fastidious on this point. The rod-fishing is interrupted by the Falls, which are objects well worthy of a visit from the tourist. Below them, good fishing again commences, and continues down to within three miles of Glasgow Bridge. As the angler descends the river from below the Falls, he will find its bed becoming constantly enlarged, so that he has a difficulty of realising the breadth of the stream in many directions. To fish this portion of water, wading is requisite; but this we do not take upon us to recommend. There are no tributaries of the Clyde of so much fishing repute as to induce the tourist to turn aside from ; 228 ANGLING the main stream. If he fishes it properly from its source to the confines of Glasgow, he will find the range of waters very interesting, and capable of affording him ample sport. We must now turn aside in another direction, and place the rod-fisher down on the banks of the Tweed, one of the noblest fishing streams in Europe. " Along the silver banks of Tweed, 'Tis blythe the mimic fly to lead, When to the hook the salmon springs, And the line whistles through the rings. The boiling eddy sees him try. Then dashing from the current high Till watchful eye, and cautious hand, Have led his wasted strength on land." ^ Glasgow, 1826. The Tweed has a fishable range of about sixty miles, and is perfectly free for the fly, or bait, from its soiu'ce to its mouth at Berwick. It can be - approached by several routes ; but we should give the preference to any of them that would enable the angler to fish it from its highest waters downwards to the sea. To follow this river with the rod to its full extent is one of the most delightful tours that any sportsman can take. In accordance with this suggestion, we shall shape our descriptions of its waters, under the impression that this tour will be taken in the way and manner we have pointed out. The Tweed springs out of the same mountain that gives birth to the Clyde and the river Annan, which flow into the Western Ocean. And it is worthy of passing remark, that should the angler be upon the Clyde at Elvanfoot, or within a few miles of that station, he may find his way to the higher streams of the Tweed, by a walk of from six to ten miles. Many travelling anglers from the south take this route. They fish the higher waters of the Clyde; and when they wish for a change of scene, strike over the mountain passes, and make their way to the Tweed. The Tweed becomes fishable at a place called Tweed- SCOTLAND 229 shaws ; the stream, however, runs small here ; when it arrives at the Crook Inn, it assumes a broader and fuller appearance, and good fly-fishing may be said to commence at this station. From here, down to the town of Peebles, there is a regular succession of fine streams and stretches of deep water, to which no pen can do anything like justice in the way of description. There are numerous places for temporary refreslunent within this distance. Between the source of the Tweed and Peebles there are three tributary streams, the Biggar Water, the Lyne, and the Manor. There is good fishing in these when the waters are in fair order. From Peebles to Kelso the Tweed increases in bulk considerably; and here the sabnon, and the salmontrout, are to be met with in much greater quantities than in the higher portions of the water. In this section of the main river there is splendid fishing, and a regular succession of very beautiful landscapes, which cannot fail to gratify the man who has a taste for rural scenery. There are three great tributaries to the Tweed, between Peebles and Kelso, which the angler should visit, because they are not only splendid trouting waters, but they are closely connected with many historical events of the kingdom. These are the Ettrick, the Yarrow, and the Teviot. To reach the two first streams, the traveller should make his way to the town of Selkirk. This will bring him to the Yarrow at once, and within three or four miles of the Ettrick, which falls into the Yarrow a little above this town. The Ettrick is a fine trouting river, and an extremely interesting one to a contemplative pedestrian who may ramble down its banks. The trout here are very numerous, and readily take any fly when in the humour. There are likewise some lakes in this vicinity in which there are fine large trout, pike, and other bottom-fish. A ramble up the Yarrow from Selkirk is delightful. It flows through. St. Mary's Loch, which the tourist should visit. This sheet of water, which is full of fine ; ; ;; : 230 ANGLING large trout, is graphically described by Sir Walter Scott, in his Marmion. " Lone St. Mary's silent lake. Nor fen nor sedge Pollute the pure lake's crystal edge. Abrupt and sheer the mountains sink At once upon the level brink And just a trace of silver sand Marks Vfhere the waters meet the land, For in the mirror bright and blue Each hill's huge outline you may view, Shaggy with heath but lonely bare Nor tree, nor bush, nor brake is there, Save where of land yon slender line Bears 'thwart the lake the scattered pine. Yet even this nakedness has power, And aids the feelings of the hour Nor thicket, dell, nor copse you spy, Where living thing concealed might lie. There's nothing lelt to fancy's guess You see that all is loneliness. And silence aids : though the steep hills Send to the lake a. thousand rills, In summer-tide so soft they weep, The sound but lulls the ear asleep Your horse's hoof-tread sounds too rude. So stilly is the solitude." The Teviot is a large river, and runs through almost the entire extent of Eoxburghshire. It is a fine fishing stream, and it has many tributaries, such as the Allan, the Slitrig, the Jed, and the Kale, in which there is an abundance of trout. The Teviot enters the Tweed about a mile above the town of Kelso. From Kelso to Berwick, a distance of about twenty miles, and which can now be traversed by railway, there are many splendid fishing stations, where both salmon and trout can be readily captured with the fly. The most important feeder to the chief river, within this distance, is the river Whifadder, which enters it about five miles west of Berwick. This is a much frequented river by North of England anglers, who find an abundance of sport in its waters during the whole of the fishmg season, The trout are numerous, though ---------- ! SCOTLAND 231 not of very good quality ; and there is a fair sprinkling of salmon during tlie angling months. We shall now take our leave of this most interest- ing river, with the insertion of the following beautiful lines, written by a lady, and published in Blackwood's Magazine, about twenty years ago : " Roll on, bright Tweed, roll on, And let thy waters be A tribute to the many waves Of dark and heaving sea ! Many clear, winding streams On thy broad bosom meet. And the sea with gentle murmurings Their mingled tides will greet. EoU on then, Tweed, until they be Lost in the waves of the deep, dark sea. Thy banks are rich and fair. Thy woods wave green and wild, And thou bearest many a roving rill, The distant mountain's child. EoU on then, kingly river, By castle, hall, and tower By palace proud and lowly cot By greenwood, glen, and bower. EoU on, roll on, until ye gain The wild waves of the restless main. As by thy sun-lit waters "With wandering eyes I stand, And gaze on all the varied scenes Of this fair, pleasant land, -- I think bright flowing river- How much has come and gone While on thy wide and winding path Thou hast been rolling on ; Still rolling on, unchanged and free. To the bounding waves of the deep, dark sea. How many eyes are closed in death, How many hearts are cold, How many youthful forms have sunk Before the grey and old How many in these scattered homes Have come and passed away, Fleeting and fair, as the bright sun's beam, Or like the meteor's ray Whose course through time passed on like thee To the billows of eternity ; 232 ANGLING Peace be to tliy blue waters, As with gentle song they flow Light be the breath of the whispering winds When on thy shores they blow. May the blue sun's dancing rays On thy rippling wavelets gleam, And gladsome be thy pilgrimage, Thou brightly flowing stream ! Eoll on in beauty till ye gain The white waves of the restless main." If the tourist direct his steps from Berwick towards the Scottish capital, there are few intervening rivers that are worthy of his time and attention. What rivulets there are in this direction are small, and the trouting in them both inferior and uncertain. And the same remarks may be applied to the running streams between Edinburgh and Glasgow. They have all only a local repute, and we need not notice them further. There is, however, another great batch of fine waters, which lie in the south-western portion of Scotland. These can be approached either by Glasgow or from Carlisle. Should the rod-fisher set out on this tour from the last city, he must make his way to the river Annan, which flows by the town of the same name, and which is a tolerably good river, though not, in our humble opinion, of a first-rate character. To fish its higher streams, the station of Wamphray, on the Caledonian Railway, is the most convenient. The stream can then be fished down to the town of Annan, where the tourist will find a ready conveyance to take him forward to the river Nith, at Dumfries, an excellent fishing locality. It contains both salmon and trout, and has a range of waters full one hundred miles in extent. It is navigable for small vessels below the town of Dumfries. The vale through which it flows is called Nithsdale, and possesses rural scenery of great beauty and magnificence. The highest waters of the stream lie above the town of Sanquhar, which is a good and central situation for the rod-fisher, as he has here the command of several waters that are connected with, and tributary to, the main river. The Grawick Water, SCOTLAND 233 the Kello Water, the Euchan, the Ken, the Sear, and the Gluden Water, are all feeders of the Nith, and abound with fish of considerable size and good quality. Indeed, several of these dependent streams are held in higher piscatory repute than even the principal river itself. There are several lochs in this vicinity which are much frequented by anglers; they contain large trout, pike, bream, roach, perch, chub; and in one called Castle Loch, there is a scarce fish, called the vendace, which is much sought after. There is a club of anglers in Dumfries who award annual prizes for the taking of this fish. It is said to be known nowhere else, and is of such a delicate organisation that all attempts to transport it to other waters have proved abortive. " It is a beautiful fish, from four to six inches in length, and of a bright silvery appearance, with a slight tendency to a light blue along the back and sides. Upon the top of the head there is a very delicate shape of a heart, covered with a transparent substance of a brownish colour, resembling a thin lamina of mica slate, through which the brain is visible. Nothing to the naked eye is found in the stomach, though a late inquirer has said that their food consists of incredibly minute entromostraoea. Overlooking the fact that the vendace dies the moment it is touched or brought to the air, and has hitherto defied transportation, the common people speak of its having been brought by the Jameses from Vendois, in France." Speaking generally, there cannot be a more agreeable angling tour than along the banks of the Nith and its feeders. There are all kinds of water, and all kinds of scenery. The fishing, on the whole, is excellent. The flies in ordinary use here are just of the ordinary kind, nor does there seem to be any very special favourites. Trolling is practised to some extent with the natural minnow, and with considerable success. To those sportsmen who like a day or two's bottom-fishing now and then, there is ample room for indulging their fancy. Places of refreshment are to be met with here and there, but in wandering along the higher waters of the Nith these become both less frequent and of a meaner kind. 234 ANGLING When the angler is at Dumfries, there is an extensive and somewhat wUd district of fishahle grounds lying to the west, and which goes under the general name of Gallowayshire. There is a numher of small but iateresting streams issuing out of these mountain passes, which are full of small trout, with a fair sprinkling of salmon. All these running waters empty themselves into the Solway Firth, and have a range of from fifteen to twenty-five miles from the sea. There are no railways in this direction; but there is a mail coach -- which travels from Dumfries to Port Patrick by the seaside route a distance of about one hundred miles. This the tourist can avail himself of if he chooses. But the best method of anghng these Gallowayshire waters is by traversing the country on foot, going from river to river, and from loch to loch. The country is then seen in all its wild freshness and sublimity; and unfrequented waters are met with, where the angling proves very successful, and redolent of genuine sport. The chief rivers in this part of Scotland are the Urr, which rises in Kirkcudbrightshire, the Dee, the Cree, the Minnick, the Fleet, and the Stinchar. These are all prohfic streams, and they have each tributary waters, enjoying as great an angling repute as themselves. The loch-fishing in this vicinity is likewise good. The lochs of Grannoch, Darnal, Glento, and Roan contain large trout and pike ; and so likevrise do Loch Brack, and Barscohe, Honie, and Skae. When the rod-fisher has finished his Galloway ramble, if he turn the corner of the Peninsula, and direct his steps north towards Glasgow, he will find several rivers of some note in his route. The first is the Gfirvan, which springs partly out of a loch called Spalander, in which there are very large trout. The banks of the Girvan have been long celebrated for their singular beauty. Burns sings of "Girvan's fairy-haimted stream." There is good fly-fishing in it. The Doon and its feeders enjoy a high repute for sport. All these waters, and the localities adjoining them, have been rendered famous by the genius of Kobert Burns. The -- SCOTLAND 235 lochs in this neighbourhood are full of trout, pike, perch, dace, chub, and the like. The river Ayr springs out of the hills in the vicinity of Muirkirk, and has a run of thirty miles. There is good fishing in it, as well as in its feeders, the Garpel, the Oreenock, the L/ugar, and the Coyle. The entire valley of the Ayr is remarkably beautiful and interesting ; and the interest which a tourist feels in passing through it is greatly enhanced by the recollection of its being the birthplace of Burns, and where he spent the larger half of his existence. It was at Mauchline, near the river Ayr, that he first saw his " Highland Mary," of whom he beautifully sings " Ye banks, and braes,, and streams around The Castle 0' Montgomerie, Green be your woods and fair your flowers, Your waters never drumlie. There summer first unfaulds her robes, And there they langest tarry, For there I took ray last farewell Of my sweet Highland Mary. How sweetly bloomed the gay green birk, How rich the hawthorn's blossom. As underneath the fragrant shade I clasped her to my bosom." THE NOBTH DIVISION We have now run over the chief rivers and lochs of the south division of Scotland, and we purpose com- mencing a like ramble over those of the north division. This, however, is no very easy task, looking at the limited space we have to devote to the matter ; for the angling waters are here so numerous, and all so interesting, that an entire volume devoted to the subject could scarce suffice to do them anything like ample justice. To reach the main fishing waters in the heart of the country, as well as those situated in remote Highland ;: 236 ANGLING districts, we have both railway and steamboat con- veyances, very conveniently directed to most of the popular and fashionable places of resort for sporting tourists. Edinburgh and Glasgow are both good localities from which to make a start into the " Land o' Cakes." Commencing, however, with the great facilities which the Clyde navigation affords to the rod-fisher, and the regular and direct transit which characterises all its ordiuary movements, we can place the angler on the banks of some of the charmiag mountain streams in a very short space of time. An angler placing himself in one of the Clyde steamers may reach Dumbarton, or the banks of the river Leven, in an hour. This water runs out of Loch Lomond. This stream has been immortalised by Smollett, who was born and educated on its banks, in an ode which is justly considered one of the finest in our language. " On Leven's banks, while free to rove, And tune the rural pipe to love, I envied not the happiest swain That ever trod the Ajcadian plain. Pure stream ! in whose transparent wave My youthful limbs I wont to lave No torrents strain thy limpid source, No rocks impede thy dimpling course, That sweetly warbles o'er its bed With white, round, polished pebbles spread. While lightly poised the scaly brood In myriads cleave thy crystal flood The springing trout in speckled pride. The salmon, monarch of the tide, The ruthless pike, intent on war. The silver eel, and mottled par, Devolving from thy parent lake, A charming maze thy waters make. By bowers of birch, and gi'oves of pine, And edges flowered with eglantine. Still on thy banks so gaily green May numerous flocks and herds be seen. Attentive, then, to this informing lay. Read how he dictates as he points the way. Trust not at first a quick adventurous pace, Six miles its top points gradual from the base. Up the high rise with panting haste I passed, And gained the long laborious steep at last." ; SCOTLAND 237 The Leven is about seven miles in extent, and there is generally very fair fishing in it; but it is not a spot to tarry long at. Loch Lomond, a celebrated sheet of water, contains many fish, but to angle in it requires a local knowledge of the water, which a stranger has not. It has many tributaries in which there is good trouting namely, the Fruin, the Gudrick, the Douglas, the Luss, the Finlass, the Glenfalloch, and the Inveruglass. The trout in all these feeders run very small, though they are very numerous. When the angler is at Dumbarton or its neighbourhood, we would advise him to penetrate forthwith into the county of Argyleshire, a district rich in the finest fishing waters, and bold and majestic scenery. The town of Inveraray is an excellent fishing station. Loch Fine is in the immediate neighbourhood, into which the rivers Ayr and Sliira fall. There is first-rate sport to be had here. The Douglas Water runs into Loch Fiae, and it is very prolific of fine trout. Dalmally is another fishing station, where a rod-fisher may spend a week or two with great pleasiue. Loch Awe is only a short distance from it. There is Port Sonnachan on its banks, another fashionable rendezvous for anglers. The river Awe is a firstrate water for fine trout and salmon. There is likewise the Orehy, a stream of high repute. About ten miles from Loch Awe, in a north-easterly direction, Loch Etive will be found. Both it and the river Etive are splendid localities for sport ; and the scenery around the waters is the most sublime and impressive that can be imagined. Besides the Etive, the main loch has the following streams flowing into it : the Kinlas, the Noe, the Liver, and the greater and lesser Esragans. These, though limited waters, are well stocked with small trout. From the higher waters of the Etive Loch Leven lies at about fifteen miles distant. Loch Crenan is likewise in this vicinity, and has the Crenan, the Brise, the Ure, the Dergan, and the Tendal as its feeders. There is good rod-fishing in all these several waters. But casting an eye to our supposed starting-point at Glasgow, there is a daily steamer for a place called Oban -- 238 ANGLING in this county, in the neighbourhood of which there is a great extent of fine fishing waters. Going direct to this town saves a deal of time and trouble, and places the angler besides in the midst of first-rate sport. This district is called the Western Highlands. Near Oban is the Euchar and the Oude, both springing out of separate lochs. There are ten or a dozen sheets of water within a few miles of Oban, in all of which there is good fishing for trout, and as much bottom-fishing as any man can desire. There is a lake called Donolly Beg Loch, in which anglers often capture a peculiar kind of trout thick, short, very red in the flesh, and generally weighing about half a pound. These are occasionally caught in great quantities. Loch Nell is about seven miles in circumference, and is connected with an arm of the sea by means of a small river called the Clugh. Salmon are often caught with the rod, of considerable weight. In most of the lochs we have named in this district, the yellow trout, weighing from four to six poimds, are often captured. In what are called the Black Lakes, about three miles from Oban, large quantities of sea-trout are often taken with the fly. There is a large portion of Argyleshire lying to the north-west of Loch Linnhe and