Travel
Fishing in Scotland
SCOTLAND contains. within -its boundaries as fine a variety of angling as can be-found in all Europe, and-it is not difficult to arrange an inexpensive fishipg holiday in nearly every county. Accommodation May be had to nieet the purses of all anglers, and, since the advent of themotor-6i, even if your fishing is ten or fifteen miles distant, ypu are at your water by the time you have had your smoke after • breakfast. • The Loch Ness.inanster will be in every angler's thoughts as he drives to the far horth.. He may get a sight of the monster and at the same time enjoy some really good fishing in that loch. You can take the steamer to Foyers, famed for that magnificent sight, the falls of Foyers ; a boat can be hired there to take you up the loch trolling against the wind for three or four miles, but let your line be not less than 150 yards in length, as you may hook a large salmon, seatrout, or large brown trout, and the latter have been killed up to nine pounds weight. Then get your boatman to take you to the best bays to fly-fish in a drift back to Foyers.
A few miles from Foyers there is a typical angling hotel at Whitebridge, where you can enjoy excellent brown trout fishing in Loch Ruthven, seVen miles from the hotel.
Four miles off is Loch Killin, where trout are numerous from six ounces up to seven pounds weight.
Loch Faraline and Loch Garth, now joined together, give you six miles of trout fishing, three miles from your hotel. Loch Bran, a lovely little loch, two miles distant, yields trout averaging three-quarters of a, pound. Loch Tarff, three miles off, abounds in trout, five to the pound. Loch Knockie, the same distance away, offers lovely coloured trout, averaging half a pound. This loch is available until the shooting tenant takes possession in August. The hotel has boats on all the six lochs. The river Foyers, which passes the hotel, also fishes well ; an ideal stream for the upstream worm-fisher.
If I were asked to map out an angling holiday to be remem- bered for a lifetime, I would select the two best trouting lochs in Scotland : Loch Arkaig in Inverness-shire and Loch Watten in Caithness. They are pretty far apart, but you can enjoy on the drive there by motor ''bus or car some of the finest scenery in Scotland which lies between the two lochs. Loch Arkaig is only available to - the angling tourist since 1932. Lochleven Hotel at North Ballachulish can arrange for a boat now at 25s. a day, for two rods : brown trout of high average weight, seatrout and salmon froni 'June. Many salmon up to twenty pounds weight arc killed here each season to the ordinary loch flies.
Loch Watten, seven miles from Wick, is about eight miles in circumference. Trout average three-quarters of a pound, but two- to three-pounders are quite common.
For an inexpensive angling holiday I can recommend the river Avon in Banffshire, which yields salmon, seatrout and good brown trout.
Going further afield, the' island of Islay is an ideal place for an angler's holiday. The sea trip from West Tarbert, across the Sound is memorable. After a three hours' sail, calling at the island of Jura you reach Port Arkaig, thence to Bridgend, the centre of the island. From this centre the angler can enjoy excellent brown trout. fishing in Lochs Gorm, 'Core, Ballygrant, Finlaggan, Ardnavoe and Torabus, all within a mile or two of a hotel, which has boats on all -the lochs at 7s. 6d. per day inclusive of ghillie. Should the angler, while on the island, fancy some pike' fishing, Loch Skerrols half a mile from hotel offers you fish up to thirty 'pounds weight—a very enjoyable day may be spent on this pretty little loch, surrounded by a forest of trees overhanging its banks.
Should the angler wish to go nearer the border, Dumfries- shire offers him excellent fishing. The- Border Esk is the finest all-round angling river in the South ofScotland, yielding salmon, seatrout and herling; from July the herling and sea- trout fishing is particularly fine; The famous Willow pool above Longtown sometimes swarms with salmon and seatrout.
The Eskdale Angling Association at Langholm control a great part of the Esk and its tributaries. - -Thomson Brothers of Carlisle, control some miles of probably the best seatrout and herling fishing in Scotland.
The river Annan contains salmon, seatrout and large brown trout throughout its course of twenty-five miles ; permits from various proprietors are easily obtained at Annan, Lockerbie or Moffat, some as low as is. a day.
The river Ae is also a good trouting water, and good baskets of sizeable fish are taken when the water is in order. From August the herling fishing may be considered good ; permits at a• nominal fee may be obtained at Loctunaben. The river Nith holds only fair brown trout, but seatrout are good after July.
The river Liddle is not much good until after the first flood in July, when seatrout and herling fishing is often as good as in its parent stream, the Esk. The Black> Esk is the best tributary of the Border Esk, yielding good tronting. The Milk after July is often very good for sea trout and lierling. The proprietor at Castlemfik charges ls. a day, and' motor
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