River Don Grilse For My Dad

My Dad finally broke a 2 year long wait for a River Don salmon when he managed land one a couple of weeks back. He lost one just 2 or 3 cast prior to this one taking and when it fell off I feared his chance was maybe gone. Undeterred, he cast the fly straight back in and was rewarded for his patience with a coloured cock fish around the 4lb. It took a size 10 Red Ally's. I was almost as delighted as he was when I got my hand round the tail of the fish.

Hopefully it's not another 2 year wait for his next one!

My dad about to release his salmon back into the River Don.

Pitlochry Angling Club - River Tummel

Last Saturday I had a day on the Pitlochry Angling Club stretch of the River Tummel. The water was sitting at 1ft 10in on arrival to the beat and there were a few fishing showing as I tackled up in the car park on the Port-Na-Craig bank. My set u for the day was my 15ft Vision Catapult with a Guideline Scandi shooting head with a 10ft 4ips poly leader. My initial fly of choice was a 1" Park Shrimp tube.

Looking downstream from the Pitlochry bank of the River Tummel.

The fishing at the beginning of the week had started off well with 6 on the Monday followed by another 2 the next day. However, things slowed up towards the end of the week and the fishing proved to be tough going for my day. The water was still on the cold side for the time of year though and this seemed to be slowing down the arrival of the salmon in their usually prolific numbers.

Starting my day on the Port-Na-Craig bank.

The same view as above but a few hours later as the sun came out.

I begun my day at 6.30am on the Port-Na-Craig bank and things started off well with a nice brown trout taking my fly within the first couple of casts. This was quickly followed by another which would have tipped the scales roughly at 1lb in weight. There were good numbers of salmon showing and I thought my chances were pretty good, especially after a discussion on tactics and lies with well known local angler, Ally Gowans who is world renowned for creating the famous Ally Shrimp and Cascade salmon fly patterns. Unfortunately, the fish stopped showing in any real numbers once the sun had came out by 9am and for whatever reason, the were not in the mood to take any of the rods offerings during the morning session.

Looking upstream towards the Pitlochry Hydro dam.

At lunch time I paid a visit to the viewing chamber of the the fish pass which allows fish to access the loch behind the dam. The counter was reading 21 fish through the pass and this was up only 1 from the previous couple of days. Sadly, my photo of the counter and viewing chamber didn't come out!

Another view of the Dam.

Looking downstream from the Dam. Note the fish pass on the right of the photo.

Looking upstream from below the footbridge on the Port-Na-Craig bank.

It was a similar story in the afternoon. The fish were reluctant to show themselves and the ones that were showing seemed to be moving further and further down the pool as the day progressed. I suspect this was due to them being constantly covered by anglers from both banks and getting away from the lines passing over their heads.

Looking across to the Port-Na-Craig Inn from the top of the big rock which is situated just above the foot bridge.

As the day wore on I decided to give the spinner a try just to mix things up a bit. I rigged up my spinning rod and opted for a 28g silver Toby. This allowed me to cover more water than I could with the fly rod. My change of approached didn't have the desired effect though and the salmon still remained elusive, not only for me but for all 6 rods on the beat. This was despite the appearance of what looked like a few fresh fish entering the beat around 4pm. They just weren't for catching unfortunately and I decide to pack up not long after and begin my long journey back up the A90 slightly earlier than planned.

Looking upstream from the Pitlochry bank as the sun shines brightly down the pool.

Despite the lack of success on the day it was still a pleasure to fish the PAC water on the Tummel again. The members who I spoke to on the day were only too happy to help and advise and both Ally and Jimmy are a credit to their club. One thing is for sure, when conditions improve, someone is in for a good time on the beat.

The upper part of the beat from the Pitlochry Bank.

For more details on fishing the PAC water on the River Tummel please follow the link to their very informative website. Pitlochry Angling Club

Park South - River Dee

Last Saturday, I fished the afternoon on the Park South beat of the River Dee thanks to a friend of mine, Paul Pritchard, who had to leave early. The water had risen earlier in the week which was a bonus but overnight rain on the Friday saw the river rising again and carrying quiet a bit of debris. When I arrived at lunch the water had risen several inches since morning and was sitting around 24" on the gauge. Despite this, Paul managed to land a fish in the morning on a Monkey and there was another caught about 4pm. A very good result given the conditions.

I didn't managed to add to the tally but really enjoyed fishing the beat as I have only ever fished these pools from the opposite bank and I was grateful to ghillie, Bert Webster took the time to show me the areas where I was most likely to encounter a fish.

Here are some pictures of the pools I fished at Park South.

The well equipped main hut on Park South.

I started my day off in the Long Pool. There were a good number of fish showing in here despite the coloured water.

Looking upstream in to the Upper Kirks from the neck of Lower Kirks.

Looking downstream from the Kirks hut.

An inscription inside the hut.

A brief period of sunshine whilst fishing down the Lower Kirks.

A rainbow over the tail of the Lower Kirks.

An upstream view of Long pool and Upper Kirks at dusk.

Flies For The Back End

I've been busy at the vice recently tying up flies for the arrival of the back end to the salmon season. As we are once again suffering from a severe lack of rain and low water conditions I have tied most of my flies on doubles and trebles. I have also tied several small tubes as well for the deeper pools but with no significant rain forecast, I've concentrated my efforts on the smaller, lighter flies. Red is a favourite colour amongst anglers for back end fly patterns and my selection is no different.

Here are a few I've tied which will hopefully help me get a few more fish in the book before the season is out.

Red Flamethrower tied on a #9 Silver Partridge Salar double. Invented by Duncan Egan, this fly is very good during the back end and I have had several fish using this pattern.

Red Pot Bellied Pig tied on a #8 Silver Esmond Drury treble. Just an all red variation of the popular Pot bellied Pig series of flies. Was the "go to" fly a few years back and is still very popular.

Red Marauder Shrimp tied on a #9 Silver Partridge Salar double. I created this fly last year and I caught my biggest fish of 2013 (18lb cock fish) with it on the last Saturday in October.

Red Francis tied on a #8 Fulling Mill double. Not a lot more can be said about just how good this fly preforms. Not just during the Autumn, but all year round. Is a must have for any fly box.

Red Ally Shrimp with a sliver body tied on #8 Fulling Mill Magni double. A red variation of the classic Ally's Shrimp. I know some anglers who use nothing else for the back end and do very well

Calvin's Shrimp tied on a #8 Partridge Patriot double. Invented by Ross MacDonald, this fly does extremely well during the back end. It has all the colours synonymous with salmon fishing in the Autumn is a proven killer.

Kitchen Sink Shrimp tied on a #9 Silver Partridge Salar double. I did very well during the back end last year with this pattern in similar conditions to what we have this year. A good fly for when the leaves are coming down the river and when the fish have seen the usual patterns for this time of year.

Munro Killer tied on a #7 Gold partridge Salar double. I have tied this pattern with a red head just to be different. If the water remains clear or just slightly peaty, this classic fly pattern will do the trick. Still as popular as ever and a regular in the catch returns book.

Garry Dog tied on a #8 Esmond Drury treble. I really like the colour combo on this pattern. Some prefer it with a long wing but I think it looks great as it is. Suits being dressed on a treble too.

Salmon And Grilse From The Don

My pal Charlie Robertson landed these two fish from the River Don at Manar on Saturday. He had hold of 4 fish for his day and all took one of his own tied 1/2" Silver Ally copper tubes.

The first fish is a 4lbs sea liced grilse and the second is a 9 - 10 lbs cock fish. Possibly a spring fish washed down in the recent floods? It's quite unusual to get heavily coloured fish at Manar in August.

Good to see the Don picking away again after a very lengthy lean spell. Hopefully it's the start of a good run of fish entering the system. Fingers crossed.

A nice and stocky sea liced Grilse.

A close up shot of the head.

Charlie with his second fish of the day, a coloured salmon around 9-10lbs.

Park - River Dee

I had my annual August day on the Park beat of the River Dee on Saturday. Catches for the week had been the best of the entire season so I couldn't wait to get there but, my high water jinx struck again and I brought a spate with me for my day! When I arrived at the beat at 8.20am the gauge read 42" and there was a good bit of colour in the water too which hampered things a little.

Due to the high water, our best chance of a fish would be in the top half of the beat so I tackled up with my Scott Mackenzie intermediate shooting head and a 5.6ips tip. My fly choice was a 3/4" Silver Ally Shrimp. I was to fish the Castleton pool which fishes well in high water. Keith Cromar, the head ghillie suggested starting at the neck of the pool as there is a slower run tucked in off the bend. I fished on down the pool without an offer but went back up to give it another go as there were a few fish starting to show in the pool. Keith arrived just as I was going in at the neck of the pool for my second run through. I made short cast and as it was coming round onto the dangle I had an offer from a fish which came to nothing. I immediately re-cast and as my fly swung round to the same place as before, it was taken again and the fish made no mistake this time. I lifted into, what felt a decent enough fish but almost a quick as it was on, it was off again! I fished on down the pool and had another offer just opposite the Park South hut it didn't hook up. I headed off for lunch after that and planned my tactics for the afternoon.

As the water was dropping, I changed my line to a Scott Mackenzie Float/Intermediate shooting head and a 10ft fast tip. I also changed fly to a Black/Chartreuse Sunray Shadow. Keith gave us the choice on where to fish so I headed off downstream to try the Jetties and Bakebare. I didn't see or touch anything in these pools so made my way upstream to the hut taking in the tail of the Durris Stream on my way back. I was standing speaking with fellow rod, Bill at the Celler Pool when he spotted a fish head and tail opposite where we were standing. He urged me to go and give it a go so I made my way 10 yards or so above where it showed and cast out my Sunray. I had only made a few slow draws of my line when BANG...... a lively fish of around 7/8lbs hammered my fly! I lifted into the fish and watched as it splashed about on the surface before finally managing to unhook itself. I have no idea how it came off as the way it slammed into the fly you'd have thought it would have been well hooked. It wasn't to be and it was another fish lost. After that, I decided to give the Kirks a run through but apart from seeing a fish at the tail of Lower Kirks, I saw nothing else or encountered anything. I finished up my day around 7pm after a fruitless run through the Celler again. The water had dropped back to just over 34" through out the day but there was still a bit of colour to it. Still, at least it was good to finally see the Dee with a bit of water in it again!

Here are a few pictures from my day.

Castleton Pool with 42" on the gauge.

Paul Pritchard launches a good line out from the South bank.

The Park fishing hut.

Looking downstream from the bank of Jetties.

Bakebare. Cracking pool but nothing doing in here for me.

Fishing down the tail of the Durris Stream.

The Celler Pool where I lost my second fish of the day around 4.30pm.

Looking upstream from the Long Pool.

Lower Kirks. A great pool and one I always enjoy fishing.

P.S If anyone fishing the Dee comes across a Floating AFS shooting head with some Varivas running line and a sink tip attached please contact me via twitter @DeeDonSalmon or leave a comment on this page and I will pass the info onto the person who lost it. Thanks

A Good Day On The River Don Today

I was out on the River Don today with my Dad fishing the Aberdeen and District Angling Association water. My Dad and I managed to get a fish each and both of them came out of the same lie but two hours apart. We didn't see much evidence of fish in the pools but there was a very brief spell when a few fish were showing and this possibly stirred up resting fish.

The pools were very quiet considering the water rose mid week for the first time since May and I never seen a fin until around 11.00am. This is very unusual for the Don at this time of year but I did hear there was quite a decent run of fish went through on Friday which is encouraging. The water was carrying a wee tinge of colour but a nice peaty whiskey colour rather than dirty which I quite like.

My good friend Charlie Robertson also managed to get a fish today from the Manar beat of the Don. An 8lb cock fish gave him a good tussle before being landed. His fish took an Ally's Shrimp which is a great fly for peaty coloured water and a proven catcher of fish. Well done Charlie. Good to see Manar picking up a few fish again after the low water we've had all summer. The rain forecast will help this week too.

My Dad's first fish of the season. A nice fish around the 7lb mark.

Back she goes to continue her journey to the spawning grounds.

A quick picture for the scrap book. Here I am posing with a nice fresh fish about 6lb.

Safely returned to fight another day.

18lber From Tilbouries

My uncle Stuart Fleming had a day on the Tilbouries beat of the River Dee yesterday and landed this sea liced beauty! The fish took a 1" copper Ally Shrimp tube from the Alfred's Pot. It's his second 18lb salmon from the beat this year.

Cracking fish!

An 18lb belter from Tilbouries. Thanks for the picture!

The First Springer Of The Season!

On Wednesday I had arranged to buy a day ticket on the Manar beat of the River Don with my friend Charlie Robertson. Charlie is a regular rod on this beat and fishes there almost every week. Manar is one of, if not THE premier Spring beats on the middle Don.

Every year, for minimal angling effort, it produces more than it's fair share of these wonderful early running River Don salmon. It's only occasionally fished by day rods but there are a very dedicated group of anglers who spend many hours of their own time maintaining the banks and paths etc. Numerous benches and rod rests have been dotted along the banks to help make fishing Manar a pleasant experience. The cosy fishing hut, with it's stove is ideal for the cold early spring but if the weather is fair, the picnic bench and BBQ come in very handy.

On Friday the river rose about 8 inches due to heavy rain in the catchment. After a quick check of FishDon and the River Don Webcam we were happy to see the river running quite clear and dropping.We arrived at the beat about 8.30am and the Manar gauge read 1ft 9in. The water clarity was good so we tackled up with floating lines and sink tips. I opted for a Rio Unispey with a 10ft fast tip and a #7 Willie Gunn Flamethrower. Charlie went for a Mackenzie DTX G2 with a 10ft fast tip but with a 3/4" Silver Ally Shrimp tied on a copper tube.

We headed up to the Sheep pool to begin our days fishing. We fished all the way down past the hut to the tail which used to produce a good few fish without a touch. Charlie suggested we headed down to the Chapel pool. This is a delightful wee pool and holds fish before they decide to tackle the fast streamy water. Since we were passing I decided to have a cast in the Lower Wood on my way down and Charlie headed to the Chapel. After 15 minutes or so I heard Charlie shouting. He was into a fish! I wound in and took off on a 400m dash down river to see Charlie's rod bent into a strong fish. I got the net ready and after a very nervous 5/10 minutes, a pristine fish around 12lbs was netted. It was Charlie's first of the season and a very welcome one at that. This was one of his latest ever seasons to get off the mark. The fish just have not been there this year for some reason or other. Once the photographs were taken and scales samples done the fish was returned and swam off like it had never been caught!

Charlie kindly let me have a cast in the Chapel and we noticed a fish showing down in the tail of the pool. A few minutes later a fish showed opposite me so I quickly tied on a Sunray Shadow and cast square over where the fish showed. Nothing on my first few casts but I slowed down my retrieve and as the fly was coming onto the dangle there was a big splash. A fish went for my fly. I kept on stripping in the Sunray and the same fish went to grab my fly again! Both times it missed and it seemed to really want it but it didn't connect. I covered the lie several times more but not a flicker! The excitement was over.

We were encouraged by the opposite bank landing a couple of fish not long after Charlie landed his, so there must have been a good run of fish came through the pools. We headed up to the top part of the beat and fished the Stone Pool and the Long Pool. The Long Pool was fishing great in this height of water and Charlie had a brief encounter with a fish about half way down the pool as his Ally Shrimp came onto the dangle. No luck but at least the fish have finally arrived on Donside and not before time!

The rest of our day proved to be fruitless and about 7pm we packed up and headed home to see the Champions League final. At least Charlie got his season off and running but I'm still trying in vain to land a springer this year. Next weekend will be my last chance so heres hoping! Some pictures from Manar and Charlie's long awaited springer.

Lower Wood pool looking downstream. Lovely looking pool and there is a couple of good lies down near the tail which can hold fish all season long.

Fish On! Charlie bent into a strong River Don springer in the Chapel Pool.

First of the season safely in the net.

Worth the wait! A 12lb bar of silver poses for a picture before heading on it's journey again.

Fishing a Sunray in the Chapel. Shortly after a fish rose to my fly twice in quick succession. Both times it missed.