Earlier blog posts have covered the Lundin Salmon Fishing Station and the Strathairly Salmon Fishing Station. For much of the nineteenth century there were three salmon stations along the stretch of Largo Bay that fell within Largo Parish. The third Largo station was known as Largo Salmon Fishing Station and was situated between the other two, east of the pier, close to the area depicted in the painting above by James MacMaster RSW RBA (1856-1913). The artwork shows Lower Largo of old, prior to the building of "Edina View", "Rock View" and "Beach House" on the site of these traditional pantiled buildings. In fact, the developer of the site circa 1890 was also the tenant of the Largo salmon station, Andrew Selkirk, whose father Alexander had the salmon fishing lease before him.
Above is an extract from the 1865 valuation roll showing Alexander Selkirk, salmon fisher, as leasing the salmon fishings from then Largo estate owner Mrs Durham. Mr Selkirk was also innkeeper at what would become the Crusoe Hotel. When he died in 1867, his son Andrew, took over the tenancy of the Largo fishings. He held onto this fishing station for decades, even when the surrounding stations were taken on by powerful outside interests in the form of Andrew Greig Anderson of Edinburgh and Joseph Johnston and Sons of Montrose. In 1887, the "largest salmon on record, as far as Largo Bay is concerned" was caught in one of Andrew Selkirk's nets. It weighed 58 lbs, was 4 feet and 4 inches in length and 2 feet 4 inches in girth (see 2 July 1887 Fife News piece below).
Largo-born artist Alexander Ballingall painted "Fixing the Nets", a the close-up view of the salmon nets being tended, around this time. This piece gives a valuable insight to the detail of the stake nets and also to the appearance of the salmon fishermen, including a hint of the colour of their clothing, which is always absent from black and white photographs.
The report above from 3 September 1903 Leven Advertiser tells of an remunerative year for the salmon fishing in the Forth, with some heavy takes recorded at the local stations. In the spring of 1907, the lease of the Largo Salmon Fishings finally left the hands of the Selkirk family, after more than sixty years, when local joiner and contractor Walter Horne took it over (see 22 April 1907 Dundee Courier below). Horne already had the lease of the neighbouring Strathairly Station. Andrew Selkirk died two years later. Horne continued to lease the Largo fishing station until circa 1940, in partnership with Alexander Simpson and later with David Gillies. Walter Horne died in 1941 aged 77.
Evidence of the Largo salmon fishing can still be seen at a very low tide. The comparison images above show a salmon trap in the bay and the remains of the stumps to which the ropes were attached to keep the nets taught. This construction - akin to pitching a tent - made the stake nets sturdier against the wind and the waves. The model below shows a similar arrangement. In the next post, the series on salmon fishing will conclude with a brief look at nearby fishing stations in Largo Bay, within the neighbouring parishes of Scoonie and Newburn.