s into the habit of frequenting certain lochs, he
soon finds out for himself the steady reliable men in the neighbourhood,
and can generally engage one of them beforehand by writing to the hotel
at which he means to put up. But in going to a new fishing-ground, he is
better to leave himself in the hands of the landlord of the hotel, and if
not satisfied with his first day's experience of the man who accompanied
him, let him change. A good boatman is a treasure; and though we are
decidedly against the system of "tipping" indiscriminately, we say, when
you get a good man, pay him liberally. We know of some men with whom it
is a pleasure to be out all day, and whose company, in its own way, is
most enjoyable. Keen sportsmen these are, and the capture or loss of a
fish is a source of true pleasure or pain. Other men one comes across
seem but to row the boat, and nothing more; and an unproductive day in
such company is something to be looked back upon with horror. The
leading qualification of a boatman of the right sort is a strong
sympathy with the angler, which enables him almost instinctively to help
the angler to cover every inch of likely water with his flies, and makes
him experience the sensation of expecting a rise every cast; in other
words, he almost puts the fly into the fish's mouth. With such a man,
instructions regarding the management of the boat are superfluous; but
as it often happens that you do not get a first-rate hand, you have to
take matters into your own hands to some extent; and we shall give you a
few hints as to what is best to be done under such circumstances. It is
hardly to be supposed that your man is in ignorance of the best ground,
either from experience or hearsay, and it is only after you get there
that our instructions can possibly come into operation. If you are
obliged to take a perfect greenhorn, we know of no other course than to
order him to keep in the wake of some other boat, but that at such a
distance as not to be offensive. (See next chapter on the "Etiquette of
Loch-fishing.") But let us assume that you get on to ground where fish
are: the first point is to see that everything is in order, all
unnecessary articles put out of the way, and the landing-net and gaff
conveniently at hand. We ought to have said that a large stone in the
bow is useful, not only to balance the boat and make her drift better,
but also as a weight to which a rope may be attached, and thus let over
the side