Castle Forbes - River Don

I annually organise a day on the Castle Forbes beat of the River Don. This is well attended by 9 keen salmon anglers from the Salmon ProBoard Forum and various other forms of social media. This year we couldn't have asked for better conditions with the water dropping nicely after a 2ft spate earlier in the week. As we arrived on the beat the water was sitting at 1ft 1in. Over head conditions were promising with plenty cloud cover and just a slight breeze. There had been fresh fish caught down stream earlier in the week so to say we we keen to get started was an understatement!

The customary group photo. L/R: Charlie, Kenny, Mel, Bill, Me, Kevin, Sean and Callum. Photo taken by Alan.

After the meet and greet in the estate office car park, it was off to our allocated beats. I was to fish beat 1 and I couldn't wait to get going. My rod of choice was my 12ft 6in Guideline LPXe matched with a floating Scandi shooting head. Fly of choice was a 3/4in Monkey on an aluminium tube.

Looking downstream in Upper Deep Stane.

I decided to head to the Upper Deepstane pool first and fish down from there. The Deepstane pools are good holding pools and often produce fish throughout the season. The water was in great condition and it fished the fly perfectly as I covered the boils and glides down the pool. Disappointingly though, nothing took a liking to my offerings but not long after starting I had a text message from Kevin to say he had lost a good fish estimated to be in the high teens of pounds. Despite the fact he had lost it, this was encouraging news as we knew there were fish in the beat.

Middle Deepstane.

The next pool down was the Middle Deepstane pool. This was another cracking bit of water and it also fished really well at this height of water but I suspected it fished better from the opposite bank at this height as all the depth ran directly down the left bank. I almost always prefer to fish from the shallow water into the deeper stuff. Again despite trying all the likely parts of the pool I couldn't find a salmon willing to take my fly so it was off down to the Lower Deepstane.

Lower Deepstane.

Lower Deepstane has been kind to us during our previous visits to Castle Forbes and I was hopeful that there might be a fish or two resting in here. The inside of a bend is always a good shout when the water is high as the fish tend to move into the quieter water. Every cast in this pool was made with thoughts of expectancy but sadly, nothing came of them. I actually went back and covered the pool again with a Cascade double just in case I missed one. It really did look and fish that good. My second run through didn't produce anything either so myself and Callum headed up to the top of Beat 1 to fish the Boat Pool.

Bridge Pool

I left Callum to fish down the Boat Pool and I headed up stream a bit further to fish the Bridge Pool and was to follow him down through the Boat. The Bridge Pool is actually on Beat 2 but nobody was fishing beat 2 so I wasn't "poaching" anyone's water. I fished on down the Bridge Pool without a touch.

Boat Pool. Kevin lost his big fish in here.

Kevin lost his fish in the Boat Pool after struggling to get it landed due to a tree on the bank. Kevin had no option but to pass his rod round the tree which resulted in the fish getting away. There is nothing worse than losing a good fish through no fault of your own. I followed Callum down through the pool without a touch and we headed back to the Craig Pot car park to meet the rest of the lads.

Looking upstream the the Dam Pool from the left bank.

During lunch we discovered that Bill had lost a fish in the Island Pool. Bill is a very good angler and has a knack of finding a fish or two. This time was no different. The fish was played well but was lost right under the rod tip as Charlie waited with the net. A very unfortunate scenario but losing fish is just one of those things that comes part and parcel with fishing. Still, it was good to know that the fish that were running were willing takers of the fly and we all headed off to our pools raring to go again and with a renewed confidence.

Fishing down the Island Pool after lunch. Bill lost his fish right at the tail of the pool.

After lunch, I took Sean up to the upper pools of the beat to let him see the water as he had not fish Castle Forbes before. We stated at the top of Beat 4 and worked our way down. The pools on Beat 4 are a bit more open to the elements than the pools on Beat 1. A wind had whipped up and made casting difficult at times. Sean and I fished down through the Island Pool and Upper Auchreddachie without a touch so I went further downstream to have a cast in one of my favourite pools on the beat - Lower Auchreddachie.

Fishing down the tail of Upper Auchreddachie and into Lower Auchreddachie. 

A stunning River Don Brown Trout. Pity it was caught on salmon tackle and not my trout rod.

I have fond memories of Lower Auchreddachie as I was fortunate enough to land a nice springer from the pool a few years back. It is always a pool I look forward to fishing and this time was no different. I stuck to using the 3/4in Monkey and made my first cast in the pool. I just started pulling the running line in when the fly was engulfed by a fish. It immediately came up to the surface and showed itself to be a lovely brown trout. I played it hard and quickly had the fish on the bank as not to disturb the rest of the pool. It was a cracker of around 3lb so I took a quick photo and returned the fish to the water. I fished on through the remainder of the pool without another offer so we made our way back to the lower beats for a cast in the Dam Pool.

Fishing down the Dam Pool. I had another good trout about 1 1/2lb at the tail of the pool.

The Dam Pool is another nice holding pool, this time on Beat 3. The fish have to negotiate the hard water below and then get over the dam itself before meeting calmer water. This slow moving pool is the ideal stopping point for a running fish and Bill managed to catch one from here last year. There was no sign of any salmon present as we fished down the pool but there was a good hatch of flies coming off and numerous brown trout were making themselves known. I reached the tail of the pool and started stripping in my Monkey fly when one of these hungry trout grabbed my fly. It was a nice fish around the 1 1/2lb mark which put up a spirited fight for it's size. It was swiftly returned and I finished the rest of the pool without another touch.

Bill Cook having a final throw in the Craig Pot.

By the time we arrived back at the Craig Pot car park it was just after 4pm. There had been no other contact made with a salmon by any of the other rods during the afternoon session. This was really surprising as the water was as near perfect as you would want for this beat at this time of year. This rise in water had obviously drawn some fish into the river but as there was no real numbers present before the rise, there wasn't many fish to move up from the beats below. I'm sure there will be salmon moving through now because as I write (1st May), the river levels remain in good shape so I'll look forward to hearing of good catches this week.

Fishing down the Craig Pot on Beat 3 shortly before calling it a day.

It was good to be back at Castle Forbes again. We really couldn't have asked for better conditions. If someone had offered me 1ft 1in on the gauge after a 2ft spate at the beginning of the week then I would have bit their hand off! It was just a pity that those two fish didn't stick as it would have made it a great day again. Still, it's better to have hooked and lost that not hooked at all. It was also encouraging to know that there are fish running the Don, especially after what can only be described as two of the worst salmon fishing seasons the river has seen in recent times. I really hope the Don bounces back soon as it is far too nice a river not to have anglers out enjoying what is has to offer. I for one will be out on it's banks plenty more times in the coming months trying to land a salmon or two and I'm sure there will be plenty other doing likewise.

Orton - River Spey

I had another crack at the Orton beat of the River Spey yesterday. Unlike the last time I was there a few weeks back when the water was big and cloured, the river was in near perfect condition this time and was sitting around 14in on the gauge. The water temperature was creeping up too and was 39f. My set up for the day was a Floating Shooting head and a 10ft slow sink tip. I only used one fly all day and that was a #6 Kitchen Sink Shrimp.

The crystal clear River Spey at Orton yesterday.

I arrived at the beat around 8.30am and after a discussion with ghillies Andrew and Kevin I tackled up with their floating line/sink tip recommendation and smallish fly. There was no need to be down deep in these conditions as the water was crystal clear.

Looking upstream from half way down the Cairnty Pool.

The Solar Eclispe shortly before is disappeared behind the clouds

I was drawn to start half way down the Cairnty Pool and to fish the opposite bank from the boat with Andrew later on in the morning. A Solar Eclipse briefly brought darkness upon us for ten minutes or so and it was during this time that I saw two fish show near the tail of the pool which was encouraging. I had been fishing for around 30 minutes when Andrew came down to have a chat. Ghillies seem to have this sixth sense as to when to arrive and speak with fishers as soon after his arrival I had a firm offer from a fish. I lifted into it but it soon became clear that it was just a trout but thankfully, a nice, long range catch and release did the trick and was able to carry on fishing without having to land the fish. I fished on down the rest of the pool without an offer so it was onto the boat to try the opposite bank.

Looking downstream from the opposite bank of the Cairnty.

Andrew working the boat down the pool but sadly I didn't get a touch.

I had only ever fished from a boat twice before but it's something that I enjoy doing. It's a great way to have a one to one chat with the ghillie although I do tend to rabbit on a bit when talking about fishing. I warned Andrew about this but he ensured me it was fine as he enjoyed the craic too. We fished on down the pool from the boat but as nice as it was fishing, I never had a touch. By this time it was stopping time for lunch so we headed back across the river and made our way to the hut for a bite to eat.

Doctor's Hole.

After lunch I was to fish the top part of the beat with head ghillie, Kevin Greensill. Kevin took me and fellow rod, Stuart of to the opposite bank in the boat. Staurt was to fish the Cooperee Pool whilst I was to fish the House Pool. On our way up to the House Pool, Kevin suggested that I have a cast in a pool newly formed by the high water last year. This was called Doctor's Hole as the first fish landed from the "new pool" was by a doctor. It was a nice streamy run which fell away into a deep channel which every fish running the Spey would have to navigate. As fishy as it looked I didn't get a touch but there were two kelts caught from the pool a few days previous.

Fishing down the House Pool. Has to be my favourite pool on the beat.

Fishing down Cooperee. The tail of this pool is very "fishy" looking at this height.

The House pool was next on the agenda. This a cracking bit of water and a pool I really enjoy fishing, especially the tail of the pool. Kevin accompanied me down the pool pointing out all the hotspots but as inviting as it looked, I didn't get an offer so we made our way back down to the Cooperee where I had a quick run through before heading back to the hut for 5pm. Sadly, same result as the House Pool.

The Willows. Looking downstream about 6pm just before the rain started.

I was toying with the idea of staying on after 5pm so after a chat with the ghillies I decided to bite the bullet and have a go in the Willows. The Willows is another very good looking piece of water on Orton but try as I might, I didn't get a touch. By this time, the rain was lashing down and the temperature dropping as the light started to fade so I called it a day. It was great to be back fishing at Orton as I always enjoy it there. The pools are superb for fly fishing but sadly on this occasion, the salmon were not playing ball for any of the six rods out. A Spey Springer is still eluding me but there is always next time and I'll look forward to returning to try again in the near future.

Upper River Don

As the water levels have been reasonably high these last few days, I decided to head to the Upper Don for a days fishing near Strathdon. A quick check of the river levels before I left the house indicated than Don was falling after some heavy rain and was sitting around 9" on the Culfork gauge.

I met beat owner John Riley at his house around 8.30am to pay for my fishing and to have a chat about the beat as I'd never fished it before. John and his wife were very welcoming and pointed out the most likely pools on the beat map provided and after a brief chat, I headed off to the river.

I tackled up with my 13ft Hardy Uniqua rod and a Airflo Quick Spey floating line with a 7ft intermediate polyleader attached on the end. I had tied up several Junction Shrimp Franc N Snaeldas earlier on in the week and because the water was heavily peat stained I opted for one of these as it would be ideal for the current river conditions.

I decided to start on the lower half of the beat and began my day in the New pool fishing off the North bank. With the water being the colour of a dark rum I couldn't see the bottom and was unsure if I could wade down the margins or not so I just fished it off the bank. It was not the easiest to fish from the bank but I didn't want to take any chances. Having said that, the pool fished the fly very well and I fished the pool all the way down to the bridge with only a small Brown trout about 1lb for my efforts.

Fishing down through the New Pool towards the bridge over the A944.

After fishing the New pool I drove upstream to fish the Rumblind Pot. This had a very fast run which came in at the neck of the pool but leveled out nicely the further down the pool you went. I fished this pool from the South bank. It was a really nice pool to fish which fished the fly very well at this height. Although I didn't see any sign of fish in here, I'm sure they were there. I just think the heavily peat stained water was maybe keeping them down. With this in mind, I changed my fly to a heavier version of the Junction Shrimp Franc N Snaelda for my run down through the next pool.

Rumblind Pot. Looked a very good pool at this height of water.

Looking upstream in the Rumblind Pot.

The next pool down was the Dr Pool. It had a nice glide which came in from the neck of the pool and flowed all the way down the north bank. Another likely looking pool but I felt it might just need a bit more water in it to fish better. I fished it all the way down regardless but didn't get a touch and it was on to the next pool which was called Deskry.

Looking upstream in the Dr Pool.

The Deskry Pool looked very fishy. The pool starts just above where the Deskry Water enters the Don. I saw a few fish splash in here not long after starting which gave me encouragement. I began right up on the fast water in the neck of the pool and began to fish it down. Not long after starting, I had an offer from a small fish which turned out to be another brown Trout about 1lb. It hammered my fly even with a mouth full of salmon parr. The head of the poor wee fish was sticking out of its mouth along with my fly. I quickly returned the fish and continued down the pool. As I crossed the burn and go nearer the tail there were a couple more fish showing but try as I might, I couldn't temp any of them. The water looked like it was clearing some of the peat stain by now which maybe got one or two fish excitable.

Looking downstream into Deskry.

The Desky Water which the pool takes it's name.

The tail of Deskry.

I carried on downstream to the next pool which was the Long Pool. This looked a lovely bit of water and I was sure there would be a fish or two in here. Again, I started up at the neck and worked my way down. I could have only had about a dozen casts when I had a good offer just as I was hand lining to re-cast. I lifted into a fish but no sooner was it on when it came off again. Still, at least I knew they were there and that there was interest in my fly. I cast again of the same lie a couple of times but couldn't temp the fish again.

Fishing down the Long Pool.

I continued on through the pool fishing the sink and draw style and not long after my first offer, I had a thumping take just as I was coming out of the current which went down the North bank. I lifted into a very dogged and acrobatic fish which stayed deep and over in the fast water. I played the fish hard and I was very pleased to see it safely in the net. I would strongly recommend the use of a net to anyone fishing at this time of year. It's best to keep these coloured fish in the water as much as possible when so near to spawning. Anyway, the hen fish was roughly about 5lb and I removed the hook and sent her on her way.

A hen fish about 5lbs taken in the Long Pool on a Junction Shrimp Franc N Snaelda.

I carried on down the pool using the same fly and fishing it the same way when, just as I approached the tail of the pool, I had another cracking take! This fish was bigger than the one just returned but was very strong and acrobatic, having jumped several times not long after being hooked. I managed to get the fish under some sort of control so I tightened up the drag on my reel just to try and stop any other runs. this seemed to do the trick and a few minutes later I managed to slip the net under a fish about 9lbs. This fish was heavily coloured so I quickly took the hook out and returned it as soon as I could taking this quick picture as she went back. Within the space of 30 minutes, I had had 3 offers and landed 2 fish and all from 1 run down the pool.

Returning my second fish from the Long Pool. A coloured hen about 9lb which also took the Junction Shrimp Franc N Snaelda.

The next pool down was the Corner Pool. Just a short pool but it looked like it might be a resting place for a fish coming up through the faster water below. I had a run through it but without a touch so I decided it was time for lunch.

Fishing the Corner Pool.

After lunch the wind really whipped up and this made casting very difficult at times, especially in the pools where you were fishing off high banks. I did head up to the top part of the beat but just had a look at the water. I decided to give the New Pool another go but as good as the pool was looking, it didn't produce an offer so I headed of back up to fish the Deskry and Long Pools again. Despite my best efforts and with a lot of slice casting just to get the line out, I didn't get another touch for the rest of the day. I headed off up to see John around 4pm to sign the catch return book before I headed home.

It's always good to fish a new bit of water and I really enjoyed my day on the Upper Don. I had only booked it the night before so to get two fish really was a bonus. It's just a pity the weather turned for the worse in the afternoon as the water was dropping nicely and the colour was getting better by the hour. I will certainly look forward to my next visit.

Headinch and Cambus O May - River Dee 01-08-2014

I was kindly invited up to fish the scenic beat of the Dee at Cambus O May on Friday by ghillie Craig MacDonald. The water had risen to 1ft 2in on the beat gauge over night due to the heavy rain and although it was carrying a bit of colour, the river looked in good ply. Craig is only just into his second season as a ghillie on Cambus O May but he knows the beat very well and took the time to point out all the likely parts of the pools where we might encounter a fish. As the beat is 5.6 miles double bank, a ghillie is almost essential to point you in the right direction because it would take several days to cover all the water if you didn't know where to start.

Craig suggested we head to the Long Pool and Tassachd as these pools were good holding pools and they had a population of resident fish in them. Not long after arriving at the Long Pool a small fished showed just off the current on the inside of the bend which was encouraging. As the water was a bit coloured bigger flies and sink tips were the order of the day. I opted for a fast sink tip and a #8 Kinermony Killer. The first run down the pool proved fruitless so I changed over to a H/S1 line and a Black Bear Flamethrower fly. This also produced nothing so we headed off down stream to Tassachd. Craig pointed out all the best taking points and I went down the pool with the H/S1 first as this pool was carrying a bit of speed in it's flow. Again, I couldn't temp anything so Craig suggested a run through with a Sunray might stir things up a bit. The top half of the pool was a bit fast so I started mid way down where we saw a few fish showing first run down. Craig went off for lunch and he was only gone 5 minutes when I had a thumping take on my Sunray! Several minutes later I landed a coloured sea trout between 2-2.5lbs. I didn't touch anything else so headed upstream to fish the Mill Pool.

A few years back and also in August, I landed a 14lb hen fish from this pool when the water height was also sitting at 1ft 2in. Conditions were very simialr to Friday so confidence was high. I started right up at the neck where I landed the fish last time but I didn't touch anything except a stunning wee brown trout about 8oz. Not a big fish by any stretch of the imagination but I don't think I've ever caught a trout as golden as this one. Craig suggested we try the Glashan pool from the Headinch bank so we made our way round through Ballater and down to the hut which looks onto the pool. Craig said that this pool was jumping with fish just a few days prior to the rise in levels so I was looking forward to giving it a run through. Although we did see several coloured fish show, I didn't connect with any of them so Craig took me up to the top of the beat to show the the pools up there. I decided to just take the one rod and fish the Sunray all the way back down to the hut. I did move a coloured fish at the tail of Kate's and another couple during my second run down through Galshan but nothing stuck so I called it a day around 7pm.

I really enjoy fish Headinch and Cambus O May. It's such a quiet and secluded part of Royal Deeside with some truely fantasic pools for fly fishing. It must be great to fish the in May time when the Spring run is in full swing. Craig's knowledge of the pools and his advice really made the day more enjoyable. Unlike my last visit here, I didn't have to try out all the pools to find the best ones to fish for the conditions etc. He made sure I was in the best possible spots and took a lot of time to point out lies and show me all the pools of the beat which was much appreciated.

Here are a few pictures of the beat.

Fishing down the Long Pool. A few fish showed just inside the bend.

The tail of the Long Pool. There is a good lie over by the huge boulder mid stream.

Tassachd. A lovely pool which also held several fish. I landed my sea trout from here.

I took a quick picture as I was playing the sea trout.

A lively sea trout poses for a picture before being returned.

Looking downstream from the high bank above Tassachd.

Looking upstream from the same positions as above picture.

Think this is a Slow Worm? nestled down in the grass on the bank of the Mill Pool

Looking upstream in the Mill Pool.

Glashan. A stunning pool and very secluded. Moved a couple of fish in here with a Sunray Shadow but didn't hook up.

Kate's. Another cracking pool and had another fish have a go at the Sunray in here too. Same result as the other ones though.

Lochnagar in the background of the photo. A majestic part of Deeside steeped in Royal history.

Invery - River Dee 06-06-14

I was back at Invery on the River Dee for a days fishing on 6th June thanks to a kind invite to fish as a guest. The water was sitting at around 2ft 3in on the beat gauge and was carrying a heavily peat stained colour in the water. It was to drop almost 9" through-out the day though and was a good height for intercepting running fish. My set up for the day was my 14' 6" Guideline rod and a float/intermediate Scott MacKenzie shooting head. Fly sizes ranged from 6s-12s in various patterns.

I started my day off on the lower part of the beat and was to fish Floating Bank, Pantoch and Birkwood. Apart for a couple of small brown trout which both weighed about 1/2lb each, I never touched anything else in either of these pools. Pantoch especially looked very good at this height but was very quiet considering.

The afternoon saw me fishing the top half of the beat. I started at the Signal Pool and worked my way down through the beat taking in pools such as Killing Hatch, Greenbank, Jettis and S Pool. These are some of the finest pools on the lower Dee but I never saw a salmon jump all day. I did however move a sea trout in the Signal Pool around 10pm but it didn't connect.

I fished for 14 hours in total and never so much as had an offer from a salmon. Maybe the dark water colour, which was very close being black put the fish off, who knows but I gave it a good go. Unfortunately for little reward. Still, if it was easy to catch salmon it would get quite boring. It's that buzz when you get hold of a fish is what keeps us all going back. Hopefully next time at Invery I get lucky.

Here are some pictures from my day.

Looking downstream in Floating Bank. Good to see the pools with a bit more water in them.

Pantoch. Looked very good at this height.

Birkwood. Another nice looking pool at this height of water.

Signal. I moved a sea trout in here with a Sunray Shadow just as it was getting dark. It didn't connect though.

Looking downstream from the bank at Killing Hatch.

Fishing down through Greenbanks.

Looking upstream from the neck of the S pool into Jetties.

Looking downstream in the S Pool.

The Greenbank Pool at dusk.