Cla.s.sic Shin, on whose heath-clad banks and flowing waters the great and good fly fishers roam, who never saw "Kelt of Baggit" there--the haunt of monarchs of the sea, and shepherd swains that watch His flocks, and feed His Dams--the theme of poetess, and the learned. O, "Ephemera," how beautifully written is that "Book of the Salmon;" how exquisitely delineated that "Ova;" how admirably that "golden fish," which bounds up falls and cataracts in that purling "meandering" stream; how charming to gaze upon that lovely "G.o.ddess of the Brooks"--the famed Ondine--how rightly represented. Oh! excellent "Ephemera"--my good and constant friend--the "great and good Will Blacker"s" tears (I blush) descend like rain through these sky lights, and damp the very sheets my palsied pen doth blot. Alas! well-a-day-that n.o.ble salmon fishing--what sport! These lean and bellows"d sides are winded--this flattened chest, once full, now dented--these calves, once plump, now thin and gone--these shins, once clad, are now protruding. The "puss" more chronic heaves, yes, I still can fish! These cheeks, how pale (their bones "can"t grind"), once rosy, the pride of more than "Reva"s" lovely blooming rose, my blessed bosom friend, my wife, whose lamp is trimmed. O, "Ephemera!" friend, when shall we meet, with rod in hand, on pure and crystal Shin?--
"When summer comes, The heather bells entice, Our feet to roam.
The mournful dove, Within the dale invites, To peace and love."
O, summer"s glorious sun! I await thee, to tan this shrivelled, shorn hide. O! come, and regenerate this sapless tree with heavenly warmth.
My heart"s in the Highlands, My heart is not here; My heart"s in the Highlands, Chasing the deer, Chasing the wild deer, And following the roe, My heart"s in the Highlands, Wherever I go.
I cannot add a fly to the list for the Shin in the "Book of the Salmon,"
by "Ephemera," except that I submit to the notice of the great salmon fishers of Shin those model flies in my list for trial, which, no doubt, will kill. I never fished the Shin, although I have been twice near it.
Mr. Young, of Invershin, the renter of the river, will show gentlemen angling there every possible facility, civility, and politeness. The "Queen"s Gap," in the cruives, is lifted on sabbath days.
THE RIVER THURSO.
The Thurso, famed for its fresh run salmon throughout the year, is the most northern river in Scotland. The town of Thurso, in Caithness-shire, is the best station, and the route, from Aberdeen to Wick.
The salmon flies for Thurso are rather of a plain and sombre cast, varying in size through the fishing months. The river is remarkably high and full in the spring, in consequence of the melting of the snow and ice, and at that period requires large flies, like No. 12; further on in the season they are much smaller in size, like Nos. 1, 2, 3, to No. 11, which are capital ones for it, and the other engravings are likewise good in low water for the fresh run grilse. Throughout the summer months the following are also good for this river:--
No. 1. Body black floss silk, orange tag, tip of gold, small topping for tail, black-red hackle, mallard wings mixed with peac.o.c.k wing, a topping over all, and a black head. Hook BB, B.
No. 2. Body claret silk, claret hackle, ribbed with gold, a short topping tail, with silver tip, mallard wings mixed with tipped feathers, macaw feelers, and a black head. Hook No. 9, or B. This is an admirable fly for lake trout, on C hook.
No. 3. Body yellow-brown mohair, red hackle, a short topping for tail, ribbed with gold, claret hackle round the shoulder, and mixed wings rather grey, and inclined to be gaudy. No. 9 hook, or BB. C, for lake trout.
No. 4. A black fly, with yellow head, tail of mohair, black hackle, ribbed with broad silver, wings black turkey tail with white tip, varied with brown turkey tail. A fly of each is useful. Hook No. 8 or 9.
No. 5. A green fly, both body and hackle, mixed wings rather gaudy, ribbed with gold, orange head, topping in tail, varied with a black-red hackle, and light green silk body ribbed with gold twist. Hook B or BB.
No. 6. A dark brown fly, brown red hackle and body, ribbed with gold twist, and glede wings, varied with brown spotted turkey tail feather or mallard, one of each. Hook No. 8 or 9, B for low water.
There is a good deal of guinea hen and teal feathers used in the flies of these northern rivers, which appears to be an improvement, with jungle-c.o.c.k and wood-duck.
There is a river issues out of Loch Naver, a short way from the source of the Thurso, which falls into the sea in the same direction west of the town of Thurso; it has a winding course, and would be a very good river for salmon were it well preserved.
There are numerous rivers running into the firths on the east side of Sutherland, which produce salmon and fine trout that run up from the sea:--the Wick and Helmsdale in Caithness, the Brora near Golspie, the Dornoch into which the river Shin flows, Drummond and Loch Clash, Dingwall river and lake, and the river Beauley at the head of the Murray Firth.
Lord Lovat is the owner of this river, and he is very willing to grant permission to gentlemen to fish on sending in their cards.
THE RIVER ESK.
The North and South Esk are rivers of Forfar, falling into the sea near Montrose. The North Esk is the best of the two, and affords excellent angling for salmon and sea-trout in August and September. These rivers may be visited by rail from Aberdeen or Dundee, at the present day. I have been told by a gentleman residing at Forfar, that the North Esk was sometimes swarming with salmon and grilse to an incredible extent. The wealthy proprietor of the river will give instant permission to gentlemen to fly fish, information of which he can obtain at the town of Montrose, on the Great Northern Railroad.
The flies to suit these rivers are small and plain. A small claret fly with mallard wings; a fly with brown body and a furnace hackle, mallard wings mixed with blue peac.o.c.k neck feather, strips of mallard in tail, and gold. Hook C or CC.
An orange body fly of floss silk, a black hackle, gold, the wings mixed of light and dark mallard, the light feathers are found under the wings of the wild drake on the body, the brown copper-coloured ones on its back growing down from the roots of the wings, (use floss silk for the bodies). A black fly, with silver and black hackle, and teal wings mixed with blue peac.o.c.k neck. Hook C or CC.
LOCH LEVEN.
The trout fly fisher staying at Stirling, or its neighbourhood, on the Great Northern, will find himself agreeably situated in the centre of many beautiful streams, to which he may have easy access. At the town of Kinross, by the head of Loch Leven, is a nice station for the lake, and at the village of Largo, to fish the river Leven, below which place it enters the sea at the mouth of the Firth of Forth. A short distance from Largo, near the Promontory, is the town of Anstruther, famous for a monument to the memory of "Maggy Lauder." I had the pleasure of once seeing it.
On the Edinburgh and Northern line from Stirling, is the town of Kettle, on the "River Eden," a good station. There are grilse and sea-trout run up it out of the bay of St. Andrew"s, in the spring and autumn. Try about the town of Cupar, and near its source, at "Auchtermuchty."
The flies to suit it are, hare"s ears, black hackles, red hackles, and furnace flies, varied in size.
THE RIVER ALLAN.
This is a good stream for trout fishing; it enters the Forth below Stirling, just above the town of Aloa. It has an extraordinary winding course, flowing through a picturesque country, and famed in poetic lore as "Allan"s winding stream."
"On the banks of Allan water, When the sweet spring time did fall, Lived the miller"s lovely daughter, The fairest of them all.
For his bride a soldier sought her, And a winning tongue had he; On the banks of Allan"s water, There was none so gay as she."
Sea-trout and grilse run up the Allan in spring and autumn, which afford good sport. The small trout flies in my list suit this river capitally.
A few miles above Stirling there is good fishing up to Loch Katrine, commencing below the town of Dumblane, on the Scottish Central Line, and fish up to "Callander," on the east of Ben Lomond. Dumblane is famed as the birth place of "Charming Jessie," in Burns" poetic muse--
"The sun had gan" doun O"er the lofty Ben Lomond, And left the red clouds To preside o"er the scene, When lanely I stray"d in The calm summer gla"ming, To muse on sweet Jessie, The flower of Dumblane."
There is another stream that runs down from "Aberfildy" to Stirling, in which there is excellent trout fishing. It has a winding course, falling over rocks, rushing through gorges, down precipices in its way, where it forms deep holes for itself, which in the summer are the haunts of large and fine trout.
The flies to suit it are, small dark hare"s ears, small black hackles, red and black ants, browns, small duns, and hare"s ear and yellow, the blue blow, the brown midge, and in the spring, the March brown, and stone fly, for large fish.
There is a very nice stream running out of "Loch Lomond" into the river Clyde, at the town of Dumbarton, in which there are sea-trout in the spring and autumn. They take very small dun flies, silver greys and black midges, the dark hare"s ear, and red hackle.
The picturesque Loch Lomond affords good trout fishing along its gravelly sh.o.r.es, and near the islands. There are two flies that kill well in it, which are as follows: Black body and hackle, tip of silver, wings of the short bronze feathers of the back of the peac.o.c.k. No. 6 hook, or _fff_. The other one is, red body, red hackle, and a wing like the first, both tailed with two fibres of the feather of the wings. I received these two flies from a gentleman, one time when I was at Glasgow, who confirmed them as "out-and-outers."
There are fish called Pullen, very numerous in Loch Lomond, the shape and size of herrings, which are also numerous in Loch Neagh, in the north of Ireland. They sell in Belfast as "fresh water herrings."
When a young man, I denominated Belfast my favorite home, among my dear friends of the rod and gun. Newry, in the County of Down, was the home of my ancestors. My first crying was behind "Cronebaun" hills, in the County of Wicklow, near the "Ovoca," famed for "sweetness" and poetic muse of Erin"s humble bard, Tom Moore.
Looking over the Wicklow sands, where many a poor fisherman foundered, in the village[G] of "Red Cross," was the first sight my "mama" got of me; like a cloistered nun, I was covered in a veil, which, they say, would always keep me from the "briny depths." Many "crosses" have I had since January 14th, 1814, the "hard winter" which corresponds with that of last year. Mature years of experience make wise men. Forty and one summers having rolled over my head, the dishevelled ringlets of which are now sprinkled with "honorable grey"--bashful man, hide your blushes--my ruddy tint flies when I tell you, my dear anglers, that my sincere desire is to love every good man, as G.o.d has taught me. There is no one I despise, disposed at all times to revere superiors, condescend to those who perchance may be my inferiors, continent to kind friends, and forgiving to enemies, if any. Unless we profit by charity, all other profit seems void.
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