CAPTURE OF FISH.
Scotch loch-fishing, as usually practised, only embraces the capture of
the _salmo_ species--that is, the _salmo fario_, or common yellow trout;
the _salmo trutta_, or sea-trout; and _salmo salar_, the "fish," as most
boatmen call it, and the noblest game of the finny creation. Besides
these there is, of course, the _salmo ferox_; but it is comparatively
scarce, and only worth trolling for in some particular lochs, where they
are known to be more easily come across than in others. And sometimes
when worthier game is not to be had, we have a spin for pike, but Mr
Jack is as difficult to catch at times as his more aristocratic
comrades. In most Scotch lochs where any supervision is exercised at the
instance of our local clubs, the extermination of pike is most
vigorously carried on by means of fixed and splash nets. This, as
regards our large lochs, where there is room for all, we have no
hesitation in saying is a mistake, as it shuts up one means of enjoying
a day's fishing when nothing else in the way of fish is to be had; and
it must be borne in mind that there are some older anglers, to whom a
whole day's fly-fishing is a labour, who never object, when trolling, to
come across a pike: and no wonder, for a pike of 10 lb. and upwards
gives some fair play, though by no means to compare with what a fish of
the _salmo_ tribe of that weight would give. Then we have perch in
abundance, and splendid eels; but as these need a float and bait to
catch them, we dismiss them as quite _infra dig_. True a perch will come
at a minnow, and we have sometimes seen them take a fly; but they are
generally voted a nuisance, and expelled the boat.
As regards the capture of fish, we shall proceed to deal with each in
order; and at the outset we remark, that when you have hooked a fish, it
is a safe general rule to waste no unnecessary time in bringing him to
the 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 into
the air,--then you must give him rope; but so soon as he gets into his
native element, feel his mouth instantly. Always play your fish to
_windward_ of the boat if there is some one sharing it with you, as this
allows him to go on casting to leeward. Of course, if you have the whole
boat to yourself, play your fish in any way that it will be most
expeditiously brought to basket. The angler ought to be well assured of
the strength of his tackle, and when he has confidence in that, he will
soon 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 any
one of them; but in some lochs, such as Loch Leven, where the average is
fairly one pound, and where two and three pounders are by no means
uncommon, some care and a little play are absolutely necessary. But do
not, even in such a case, give him too much of his own way. We can
assure our readers that a three-pound Loch Leven trout, in good
condition, 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 a
lion, and fights harder for his life than a salmon twice his size. A
fish of three pounds will run out a considerable piece of line, and make
a splendid leap, or series of leaps,--and then is the trying time. As
often as not, your flies and the fish part company in the air, and you
have to sit down muttering "curses not loud but deep," till an
application to the flask soothes your wounded spirit, and invigorates
you 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, and
down again like thought, leaving you the tiniest part of a moment to
strike, and hardly time to admire his beautiful silvery coat. If you
have been fortunate enough to get the steel into him, you will have time
to admire him when you get him into the boat. Fishing for sea-trout with
the fly is, we consider, the most exciting of all kinds of fishing--that
is, if the fish run to a fair average weight. But we are sorry to say
that lochs where it is to be enjoyed are, with the solitary exception of
Loch Lomond, usually far out of ordinary reach,--and in the case of Loch
Lomond, it is only _habitués_ who usually come much speed on it; but
once 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 the
west coast and islands, but they are a far cry from civilisation.
Nevertheless, if our readers can spare the time, let them find their way
into some unfrequented spot where sea-trout are plentiful, and they will
agree with us in thinking that that class of fishing is a most excellent
sport. Some parts of Ireland are famous for their fine sea-trout
fishing--white trout they call them there; and though we have never been
there ourselves, we mean to go some day, when the Land Bill has pacified
the natives, and made them law-abiding subjects. Meantime one runs the
risk of being mistaken for a non-resident landlord, and that would be a
pity for one's wife and family. But without any joking, this Irish
sea-trout fishing is a pleasure to which we look forward; and in this
work-a-day world, something to look forward to is half the enjoyment of
life.
The capture of the SALMON is the ambition of all anglers, but we doubt
very much if the sport is to compare with ordinary loch or sea-trout
fishing, provided always that the latter are of good average weight. The
tackle used in salmon-fishing is proportionately heavy, and after the
first few rushes, if the fish be well hooked, there is little in it
except a matter of time. Indeed it is said that some anglers, after
hooking 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 quite
understandable. True, the size to which salmon run is a great inducement
to go after them; but even in Loch Tay, where the biggest average is to
be found, the sport, if such it can be called at all, is very
questionable. The rod, line, gut, and minnows used are on such a strong
scale, that a well-sized vessel might be moored with them without their
breaking; and with several scores of yards of line ready for a rush,
what earthly chance has the fish of escape, unless through the grossest
carelessness? The fish may be loosely hooked, and get off, but this is
quite a matter of chance, and the odds are that a hungry spring fish
will not miss the lure. Thus the charm of salmon-fishing is in the
raising and striking; and of all kinds of striking, the striking of the
salmon is the most difficult: the fish being so large and silvery, the
angler is certain to see him coming _at_ the fly, and is very apt to
strike too soon. But if it is borne in mind to strike _after_ the broken
water is visible, and not before it, this will soon be overcome. When
you do strike, don't let it be a mere tightening of the line, as in
trout-fishing, but a decided stroke. Some say that the salmon will hook
himself by his own weight. This may be so, though we doubt it,--but
don't trust to it. Certain it is, that the first rush of a fish does not
usually fix him certain; and should the hook happen to be in a piece of
hard gristle or on a bone, you will soon find this out for yourself, but
generally at the cost of the fish.
Salmon-fishing is an expensive luxury; but if you can get it good, never
mind the expense, but give it a trial. If you get good sport, you may
not care to go in for smaller game again; but in all our experience we
never knew a salmon fisher who did not enjoy trout-fishing as much in
its own way as ever he did that of the nobler animal. There is something
in the gossamer gut and small flies irresistibly attractive to all
sportsmen, and from which no amount of salmon-fishing can ever wean
them.
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 believe
it to be anything but a big loch-trout, as, they ask, Who ever saw a
young one? We see the young of all other fish, but why do we never come
across a young _ferox_? It seems pertinent enough questioning, and we do
not pretend to settle their doubts in either one way or another. Certain
it is, he is a big strong fish with some features distinct from the
ordinary loch trout, and that when caught he shows an amount of fight
not to be equalled by any of his neighbours, either white or brown. He
is usually caught by trolling either natural or artificial minnow; and
the tackle should be mounted on gimp and fixed to a strong line, and
plenty of it. We have read of a _ferox_ rising to the fly, but never
saw one so captured. There seems no reason why a gaudy fly should not
attract him. After he is hooked the fun begins. A _ferox_ of 10 to 12
lb. will give you amusement and excitement for an indefinite time; and
you are never sure of him till he is in the boat. A friend of ours (a
capital angler to boot) fishing with us on Loch Assynt in
Sutherlandshire in 1877, hooked a fine specimen; and after battling with
him for an hour, had the mortification of seeing fish, angel-minnow, and
trace, 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 slow
work trolling for _feroces_, and a whole day--yea, days--may be spent
without getting a run. The angler must always be the best judge as to
whether the chance is worth his while. Loch Awe, Loch Ericht, Loch
Rannoch, and Loch Assynt, are good lochs for trying one's luck in this
kind of fishing.
Then to come from the nobler to an inferior species, we get to PIKE
fishing. Angling for this fish seems to be in great repute among our
southern brethren, if we may judge by the literature on the subject; but
somehow or other it is looked upon among our northern anglers with
somewhat the same aversion that a Jew has to bacon, and fishing for pike
is only resorted to when all chance of catching anything worthier is
gone. We don't profess to say whence this antipathy arises; but we have
heard stories from boatmen about the foul feeding of pike that makes the
idea of eating him repulsive. Not but that we have eaten him, but we
never did so with relish, however cunningly the _artiste_ may have
served him up. As a stock for soup he is good; but in Scotland it is
better not to say what the origin of the stock is till your friends are
at their _café noir_. But here we are only interested so far as the
sport he gives is concerned; and unless the pike be all the larger--say
not under 8 lb.--the sport is poor enough. Even a pike of 8 lb. and
over, when hooked (which is done by trolling or casting a minnow and
working it after the manner of a fly), makes one or two long pulls, not
rushes like a fish of the _salmo_ tribe; and after that he subsides into
a sulk from which you must trust to the strength of your tackle to
arouse him. The tackle should be mounted on gimp, for his teeth are very
sharp; and when removing the lure from his mouth, you will find it much
safer to have previously put the foot-spar between his jaws to prevent
him getting at your fingers.
There is a fly, if such it can be called, used in pike-fishing. This fly
resembles 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 of
red flannel will attract a mackerel. If our readers wish to try it, they
can buy it at almost any tackle shop. Pike are to be found in almost all
lochs, though in the more frequented of our Scotch waters they are being
slowly but surely exterminated. In others, again, they reign almost
alone. But pike-fishing by itself is a poor affair, and we advise our
readers only to take to it when they can do nought better. If any of
them wish to go below the level of pike-fishing, we must refer them to
the copious instructions of many books, from Isaak Walton downwards. For
ourselves, when it comes to bait-fishing--except in running water, when
worm-fishing is an art--we prefer catching whitings and haddocks in some
of our beautiful salt-water lochs, to all the perch, roach, chub, and
such-like, that ever swam. But in this please note that we are only
expressing our own opinion, and with all respect to the opinions of many
worthy anglers. We may say this, however, with all safety, that in
angling, as in most other things, if one aims at the highest point of
the art he is not at all likely to condescend to the lowest.