A Trip To Remember! Carlogie - River Dee

I had my annual couple of days fishing on the Carlogie beat of the River Dee at the beginning of last week and what a few days it turned out to be!! Philip and I always take the first few days of the week and in recent years we have been very unlucky with the river conditions. The rain has usually arrived midweek and gave the lads fishing the tail end the best of the sport so you can imagine our delight to see heavy rain over the catchment a few days before our arrival. In fact, it rained right up until Sunday night. This was just what we needed after a prolonged drought.

A nice salmon from the River Dee at Carlogie last week.

I ventured over on Sunday night to meet up with good pals, Philip Black and Ade Warburton at the cottage on Ballogie Estate. It was great to catch up and have a laugh with the lads again but as the river had just had it's first proper rise for months, the drinks, for me anyway, were limited to a handful of beers. Knowing that the Pumphouse Pool down in the tidal reaches was stuffed full of fresh grilse and that Park had had a decent week prior to our arrival, we knew the fish would be on the move so it were off to bed around midnight to get up and at them fresh in the morning.

Philip enjoying a dram on the Sunday evening in the estate cottage.

As we had all tackled up the night before so it was just a case of putting on the waders, so after a coffee and a bacon and egg roll we headed off down to the hut around 8am. On our way to the beat I stopped off to check the gauge on Potarch Bridge and was delighted to see the river sitting around the 1ft mark. This was as near to ideal as we could have hoped for so it was a quicker than usual drive down to the hut at the Calm Pool!

The main hut on the beat at Carlogie.

After the customary dram to toast the river, we made the draw as to what pools we were to fish. I drew the middle part of the beat to begin with and that included the Calm Pool outside the hut. As were were preparing to start, Philip noticed a fish show and encouraged me to go and have a cast at it. I grabbed my 12ft 6in LTS Explosive matched up with a #8/9 Floating shooting head and a 10ft 5.6ips tip. As the river was a bit dirty and carrying a heavy peat stain, I opted to tie on a Sunray Shadow.

My first fish of day 1 - a sea trout around the 2b mark.

I entered the river about 50 yards above where the fish showed an begun fishing my way down the pool. I could have only made about a dozen casts when I had a good thumping hit on my Sunray. A nice sea trout soon made itself known and Philip and Ade were on hand to slip the net under it. It weighed around the 2lb mark and was swiftly returned. A good start to the week!

Success! A nice salmon comes to hand on Monday morning.

A quick photo before returning it.

After returning the sea trout I continued my way down the pool. Just around where Philip had seen the salmon show a earlier, I made a long cast and began slowly stripping in the fly. I pulled in all my running line and was slowly raising the rod to fish out the remainder of the cast when I had a boil at the fly. At that point, the fish grabbed it and took off across the stream! I held on tight to set the hook and the began trying to get some of my running line back on to the reel. Thankfully the fish was fighting hard so it took a lot of the running line with it as it ran down stream. I soon had the fish under control and was enjoying the battle on my 12ft 6in Explosive rod. I was hoping it would stay and as I hadn't landed a fish on the rod yet. Stay on it did and after a good scrap Philip slid the net under a slightly coloured salmon of around the 9lb mark. It was still only 10.20am and I had caught more fish in an hour than I had the 3 years previous years put together!  fished out the remainder of the pull without a touch.

Philip with his first fish of the trip - a nice salmon also around the 8/9lb mark.

Philips second fish on quick succession. A wee coloured grilse.

Philip had went to fish his allocated pools and had returned having not touched a fish. Ade soon returned and had landed a salmon from the Mill Pool. I invited Philip to have a cast in the Calm Pool as I had a beer and minutes after starting he was bent into a good fish. Ade and I made our way over and the fish was soon in the net. Another slightly coloured fish around the 8lb mark but a very welcome one! It was quickly returned and Philip carried on down the pool. No sooner had he started fishing again when his rod buckled over and he was into another one. This was a slightly bigger fish and it was soon subdued and in the net. Again, a slightly coloured fish this one being around the 7lb mark. What a morning!! 4 salmon and sea trout and it was just 12 noon! Not wanting to be outdone I headed back out into the Calm Pool for another go and began stripping my Sunray across the pool. I couldn't believe my luck when it was wolfed down by a fresh looking fish. I played the fish hard and had it beat and ready for landing. I attempted to pull it onto the shingle when the hook came out the the fish sped off back into the deeper water! It was right at my feet and I was cursing not landing it. Still, it was hard to be too down beat given the morning we'd had. At this point, lunch was not high on our agenda but we had a quick bite to eat before heading off to fish Alan's Pool at the top of the beat.

Looking down Alan's Pool from the high bank.

Ade with his fish from Alan's Pool.

An underwater photo of the fish ready from release.

Alan's Pool is tricky to fish and even more tricky to land a fish on your own so we all headed up to the pool to assist whoever was fishing it. Ade fished down the pool first and he was half way down when his fly was taken by a good fish. It fought hard in the current and with the high bank behind, playing the fish was proving difficult as is kept coming into the deep water on our side. Thankfully we were there and Philip slid down the bank just in time to net a good fish of around 8lb. Again, it was a coloured but it was a good gauge that the water temperature had dropped and the fresh water coming down the river had turned the older fish on again. Philip and I both took a turn of fishing the pool but neither of us could get anything to stick so we decided to make our way back down to the hut for a drink.

Philip ready with the net as Ade guide the fish within striking distance. 

Another sea trout. This time taken on a 3/4" Pink Frances.

On arrival to the hut, I decided to skip the drink and have a cast with a heavier fly since the pool had been fished several times before. I opted for a 3/4" Pink Frances and worked it down the pool. Not long after starting I had a good take and lifted into a fish. It was another sea trout but good to get another bend in the rod. It was quickly landed and was slightly larger than the other one I caught and we estimated it around the 3lb mark. It was not raining heavily again so I stopped fishing to sit it out in the hut for a while.

Worth getting wet for! My second salmon of the day. This time from the Lucky Hole.

The rain was failing hard and showed no signs of stopping. I thought this might have got a fish or two excited so I put on my jacket and headed back up to the top of the Calm Pool for another go while Ade and Philip took a time out in the hut. I fished out the Calm Pool with moving a fish but as I entered the Lucky Hole I had a cracking hit on the Sunray and I lifted into a good fish. I shouted to Ade and Philip that I was into a fish and the duly appeared to assist me in the pouring rain. I played the fish hard and soon had it near to the bank where Ade was standing with the net. The fish obviously didn't want it's photo taken and headed off back to it's lie at a rate of knots! As it did this, it swan through Ade's legs and this caused much hilarity as he tried to free the line and I held on to the fish. Thankfully the fish didn't come off. It was back under control and I slipped it into the waiting net. Another coloured fish around the 8lb mark was quickly photographed and released. What a day!

Ade and Philip drying out in front of the fire in the hut. 

We sat in the hut toasting the incredible day we'd been having but we felt there was still a fish to be had before the day was out. As we had all fished Alan's Pool and seen a few fish showing, Philip was keen for another go so we headed off upstream to have one final run down the pool before dark. I was content with my day so decided to ghillie for the other lads. Ade entered the top of the pool whilst Philip started half way down. Just as Philip neared the hot spot in the middle of the pool his line went tight and he lifted into a strong fish. The fish fought hard but Philip soon had in in the net. It was another slightly coloured fish around the 7-8lb mark but we weren't caring what colour they were, we were all just delighted to see the Dee on top form whilst we were there.

Philip into a fish in Alan's Pool on Day 1. He landed a nice fish around the 7/8lb mark not long after this photo was taken.

To finish Day 1 with 7 salmon and 2 sea trout was a fantastic tally for three rods. We couldn't have wished for better conditions after a prolonged drought and it was great to see the fish were on the move and willing to take a fly. We headed home for some celebratory drinks and to reminisce about the day we just had. The FishDee beats finished up with 42 for the day with Carlogie sitting top of the table. We were certainly looking forward to the next day!

Looking upstream in the Boat Pool.

Our second day started the same way as our first - with a cup of coffee and a bacon roll. This set us up for what we hoped was to be another good day on the river. The river had dropped slightly and was sitting at around 8" on the bridge gauge. The colour had also came out of it although, it was still a nice peaty colour. Just how I like it on the Dee. We arrived at the beat around 8.30am and got our gear on. We toasted the river with another dram and headed off to our allocated pools. I was to fish the Boat and Village Pools down the bottom of the beat.

Looking downstream from the Boat Pool and into the Village Pool.

After only a few casts in the Boat Pool on Day 2 I landed this grilse around the 5lb mark.

The Boat Pool is a nice bit of water with a fast flowing neck which cascades over bedrock and large boulders before slowing down and leveling off in the Village Pool. I started off up at the big stone on the bank which is named - Elephant Rock. I tore off a few yards of running line and cast out my Sunray Shadow across the stream. I got as much line out as I needed a few casts later and as soon as my Sunray came out the faster water, it was hit hard by a lively fish. The fish used the current to it's advantage and bore into the bed rock in an attempt to free the hook. It's not the easiest place to land a fish on your own but I managed to subdue it enough to beach a nice wee grilse around the 5lb mark between a couple of rocks. Just like yesterday, it was a good start to my day. I fished out the remainder of the pool without a touch so I headed off back to the hut.

Looking upstream in Alan's Pool just as the sun was going down.

On arrival to the hut I was met by Philip who was on his way up to fish Alan's. I jumped in his motor to join him. I ghillied for Philip as he waded down the edge of the pool but unlike yesterday, the fish didn't seem to be showing the same and the journey up proved to be a fruitless one. We made our way back to the hut and were greeted by Ade who had a big grin on his face. He had just landed a couple of fresh fish fro Jock Rae! Three salmon before lunch was another great start to our day.

Walking down to the Mill Pool. I never tire of this sight and always take a photo of the old mill.

An old sea trout around the 3lb mark from the Mill Pool.

Fishing down the Mill Pool.

After lunch, I headed upstream to fish the Mill Pool. I took two rods with me and I opted to fish the pool down first with my trusty Sunray shadow. I waded out a bit at the neck of the pool and cast the fly over into the slack water at the other side of the run. I began to strip the fly back and it was immediately snaffled by a fish! It was splashing about a bit and it was soon apparent that I was into a nice sea trout. After a brief tussle, I beached the sea trout which would have tipped the scales at around the 3lb mark. It was quickly returned and I went back into the pool where I came out. I had another dozen casts or so and my fly was hammered again! I lifted into, what felt like a good fish but no sooner had it took my fly, it spat it out again. I carried on down the pool but didn't connect with anything else so I headed off back to the hut to see if I could meet up with the the other lads.

Philip with his fish of around 10lb from the Mill Pool.

I met up with Ade at the hut and we had a drive about to see if we could find Philip. He was nowhere to be seen so we ended up back at the hut. No sooner had we arrived at the hut when Philip phoned. he was into a fish up in the Mill Pool so we jumped back in the motor and made our way up. We arrived just in time to get the net under a nice fish of around 10lb. That took our tally to four for the day. This time, we did end up back at the hut where we enjoyed a sandwich and a drink before deciding what to do next.

Philip launching a Snake Roll cast in Pitslug.

I had to leave the river around 6pm to head home so I offered my rod to Bill Cook to fish as he was over to stay the night in the cottage anyway and just enjoy the craic. He duly accepted and it wasn't long before he had his name in the book with a nice clean fish from Jock Rae. As it happened, that turned out to be the last action of the day. We finished up with 5 salmon and a sea trout. Another good day!

I think this video sums up our couple of days very nicely!

Despite the decent river conditions, the rest of the week wasn't as productive as the first half. The cloudless skies and bright conditions had returned but I believe there were 11 fish hooked on the Wednesday with only 1 landed by David Macdonald. Some you win, some you lose but at least the fish were still running it seemed. The water temperature was creeping up again as well which didn't help either.The final tally for the week was 16 salmon/grilse and 4 sea trout which is pretty good going for a 3 rod beat. I was just lucky to have been there when the water came and the fish got excited. It hasn't happened for us these past few years so it was good to be there at the right time for a change. Here's hoping we get more of the same next year!

The Early Bird Catches The Grilse!

I had a night shift on the River Dee at Carlogie on Thursday/Friday in pursuit of salmon and sea trout. As the water levels were sitting at no more than 1" on the gauge, this was the most likely time to catch something. It proved to be worth staying up all night for!

Worth the wait. A fresh grilse of around 4lb from the River Dee early on Saturday morning.

I started fishing at 11.30pm and fished until 8.30am only stopping at 2am for a couple of hours sleep before restarting again at 4.30am. I hadn't had any joy and I was beginning to think that my chance had gone. At around 5.40am I had a very subtle take and lifted into a fish. It didn't really put up much of a fight at all and a fresh wee grilse of around 4lb was soon landed. It had snaffled a size 15 Executioner in the neck of the Mill Pool. After a quick photo, the fish was quickly returned having never left the water.

Looking across to the Old Mill of Dess from the Carlogie bank.

I have never seen the Dee as low as this and the fish can't be enjoying the high air and water temperatures we are enduring this summer. We desperately need some rain all over the northern hemisphere and many rivers are down to their bare bones. There doesn't seem to be any ran to speak of in the 2 weekly forecast so it's going to be another tough time for the fish and anglers alike in the coming weeks. Even when we do get a spate, it's going to take a lot of water to wash away all the dust and dirt which is likely to run off the roads and banks. It will probably be the spate after when the fishing will really improve. With a bit of luck there will be good run of fish coming in to rescue what has otherwise been a tough season all round.

Looking downstream from Jock Rae. It has been a long time since some of these stones have been out of the water.

Carlogie - River Dee

I had a day on the Carlogie beat of the River Dee last Saturday under the guidance of head ghillie, Sean Stanton. Carlogie has to be one of my favorite beats to fish purely down to the peace and seclusion of the pools and also the quality of the fish available in the right conditions. Carlogie is more notable as prolific low water beat but I much prefer it when the water is high and the fish are confined to just tow or three pools. On Saturday I was lucky enough to be there when conditions were near as perfect as I could have wished for.

A cracking fresh run River Dee springer about to be released back into the water. 

On arrival tot he beat in the morning, the Potarch Bridge gauge was reading 4ft 6in but running clear after a recent spate due to snow melt. Despite the presence of snow melt water, the water temperature had warmed up during the course of the week and was hovering around the magical 40f mark which seems to get fish running.

Looking upstream from the seat overlooking the Village Pool. 

As the water was on the medium to high side, I opted to set up with my 14ft 9in Guideline AWM matched up with a Guideline I/S1/S2 shooting head with a 10ft 7ips versi leader. My fly of chose initially was a 1 1/4" Black and Yellow conehead.

Fishing down the Village Pool during the morning session. 

I started my day off in the Boat and Village pools. These are both cracking high water pools and offer anglers a great chance of hooking a fish. My run through the Boat Pool proved fruitless but I did manage to land a big kelt from the Village Pool which I initially thought was a fresh fish the way it was running about all over the pool. Sadly it wasn't but at least I knew my tactics were working reasonably well.

Looking downstream from the bench at Pitslug. 

After fishing the Boat and Village Pools I made my way up river to have a cast in the Pitslug Pool. The Pitslug is another good high water pool on the beat and can be very productive at most heights of water too. Sean had pointed out the likely lie in the pool at this height of water and I had this fresh in my head as I made my way down the pool.

An underwater still of the Chartreuse Monkey in action. You can easily see why the Salmon love them!

Pitslug is a fairly deep pool and my I/S1/S2 line with the 7ips tip was fishing well. I had not ling started fishing down the pool when I let my fly swing a bit too far into the bank and it was snagged up. Try as I might, I just couldn't shift it and the leader eventually gave way taking my Black and Yellow tube fly with it. I attached a new bit of fluro carbon and decide now was a good time to try out a different fly. I opted for a 1" aluminium Chartreuse Monkey this time. I began fishing again and was soon down to the hot spot pointed out by Sean earlier in the day. I could have not had anymore than half a dozen casts when the line tore off across the stream. Exactly where Sean said there would be a fish lying! I firmly lifted into what felt like a very strong fish and held on tight. It pulled hard as it went back and forth across the pool but all the while staying deep. It just wasn't for showing itself. I was 99% sure it was a fresh fish but I decided to wait before calling Sean for back up as it was lunch time and I didn't want him to come all the way up just to net a big kelt.

Well worth the wait! Posing with a cracking fish from the River Dee.

After a struggling to subdue the fish in the heavy current I finally decide to give Sean a call. By now it was well into lunch time and Sean was sitting at home enjoying a sandwich. He called Ian Fraser, the ghillie from Commonty as he was close by and Ian arrived just in time to slip the net under a beautiful springer. He quickly weighed it in the net and it tipped the scales at 13lb. After a quick photo it was safely released back into the Dee to continue it's journey. What a fish to open my account with!

Back he goes. Doing my bit for Catch and Release. 

Ian and I sat for a while chatting on the bank but as it was only just 2pm, we thought I'd better give it another run through in case there was another fish lying around. My second run through the pool proved fruitless but after landing that fish I was more than happy to settle for just the one for my day.


Next up for me is a trip to Tayside and fingers crossed I can replicate my success on the Dee down there too.

Carlogie - River Dee

At the beginning of August I had my annual couple of days fishing on the Carlogie beat of the River Dee as part of my good pal Ade Warburton's week. This is a trip I always look forward to and the banter on the run up the the fishing is great. I was fishing the Monday and Tuesday again this year and just as it was last year, the water was very low. I have attached a link to the same trip last year to see the comparison with the pools after Storm Frank had his way with Deeside. Carlogie 2015

Looking across the Calm Pool from the car park outside the hut.

Plenty beer and whisky around during this trip!

I arrived at the Greenlands cottage on the Monday morning around 8am and found the place was still in darkness. The lads were still in their beds from the night before after sinking a few drams so it was just a case of wakening them up as there was fishing to be had! After a cup of coffee (or two) and a breakfast roll in was off down to the Calm Pool hut.

The Carlogie hut which over looks the Calm Pool.

We arrived at the hut to begin our fishing at around 9.30am. We had a dram to toast the fishing in and made a draw for the pool were to be allocated for the morning session. I was drawn to fish the Clay Pot, Willow Bed and Boat pools for my morning so I tackled up with my 14ft Hardy Demon, floating shooting head and 10ft of 12lb maxima. No need for a tip in such low water conditions. My initial fly of choice was a #12 Arndilly Fancy.

Fishing into the Lucky Hole and Whin Bush.

Looking upstream into the Flats from the tail of the Clay Pot. I saw a huge fish jump in here which I estimated it to be around 25lb plus!

The Clay Pot has changed slightly after the Storm Frank floods in December and it has changed for the better in my opinion. The pool has a lovely even flow through it and it seems to look like it will hold fish, especially in low water like we were experiencing for the beginning of our trip. I worked my way through the pool and I immediately had several parr take my fly. Not what you want to catch really but it is pleasing to see such an abundance of juvenile fish present in the river. Other than a few more parr and a greedy trout about the 1lb mark, my run down the pool proved fruitless as far as salmon were concerned so it was off a bit further down stream to the Willow Bed.

Looking down the Willow Bed.

The neck of the Willow Bed.

The Willow Bed, in my opinion is a nice wee stretch of water. I saw a few fish in here despite the low water and this was encouraging. The top of the pool has a bit of depth to it and the white water looked like it might hold a fish in such a height of water. I covered all the obvious lies and runs but nothing too a liking to my offerings so I made my way back to the hut. After a quick drink it was off down river to fish the Boat pool.

Looking upstream from the Boat Pool with the Willow Bed in the distance.

Looking across to the Kincaridine hut from the Boat Pool.

Fishing down the neck of the Boat Pool. A good few fish around in here but proving difficult to tempt.

The Boat Pool is one of the most productive pools on the beat. It has everything you'd want in a salmon pool whether it'd be depth, fast water, glassy lies or good flow for fishing the fly. You name it, the Boat Pool has it. It also holds fish which is always an attraction for any salmon angler. I started off up to the neck of the pool just opposite the Kincardine hut and began to work my way down from there. Fish were splashing everywhere! Fresh fish mostly but with the odd older fish mixed in. I seemed to have stumbled upon a good run of fish moving through the pool. My excitement and concentration levels had risen enormously and I fished my way down the pool expecting the line to go tight on every cast. Unfortunately it didn't happen despite the volume of fish present. They just wouldn't be tempted by anything I threw at them and the run of fish soon passed and the pool went fairly quiet again about 30 minutes later. I couldn't believe they weren't for the catching and I trundled off back to the hut fro lunch ready to ponder my next move over a roll and a beer.

A Roe buck looking to cross the river at the Boat Pool. It saw me and ran away before it could attempt it.

We don't really have a set stopping time for lunch as such but we gathered briefly to discuss the morning's efforts and top up the dram glasses. There had been a fish caught by Ade which was good to hear and also there had been a few which were lost too. Everyone reported the same though, that there were fishing motoring through the beat all morning. The catches on the FishDee pages didn't reflect this but the fish were certainly there in decent numbers.

Looking across Pitslug where there is now a shingle bar running down the centre of the pool. A real shame as it was a nice bit of water.

Looking up the "Long Haugh" which is now just a fast run rather than a pool like it used to be until the flooding.

Having a cast in the Long Haug just on the off chance of encountering a fish.

I was to fish the top pools of the beat in the afternoon session so after a quick bite to eat it was off up to fish Rossicks. In the past, the upper pools consisted of Alan's, Long Haugh and Pitslug but due to Storm Frank these pools are no longer there. Alan's pool is still there but the bank is high above the water and it's not the easiest pool to fish correctly. Fishing Rossicks however, is always a joy and the fly fishes round beautifully. It's another one of those pools where you expect an offer every cast. It wasn't to be for me on this occasion though despite a good few fish present in the upper part of the pool so it was off down to fish the Mill.

Fishing my way down Rossicks on the Monday morning

Looking over the the mill at Dess where the pool takes it's name from.

On arrival to the Mill pool I noticed there was a Dess rod fishing the neck of the pool so I made my way back up to fish Rossicks again to pass the time while I waited for the Dess rod to fish through. My second run down Rossicks was also fruitless so I carried on downstream into the Mill.

Fishing down the Mill Pool. Sadly the old fishing huts which were situated on the Dess bank are no linger there after the floods.

About half way down the Mill Pool opposite the old Fir tree.

Looking upstream from the tail of the Mill Pool.

The Mill Pool is one of the prettiest pools on the river in my opinion. With the secluded banks sheltered by tall, matures trees and the old Mill over the water at the top of the pool, I can't think of a finer place to cast a fly. From a salmon point of view, the pool ain't half bad either! With the low water conditions there seemed to be a few fish taken resident up in the white water at the neck of the pool. These were easily covered with just a short cast and I covered the lies several times before moving on downstream. The fish were not playing ball but I seemed to have encountered the tail end of the run of fish I saw earlier on in the Boat pool because there was a steady stream of fish moving through for a good 20 minutes or so. I got to about half way down the pool opposite a big Fir tree on the Carlogie bank and I did get a good pull on my fly. For some reason it didn't stick but it was an encouraging sign that my fly was fishing as it should. By the time I had fished out the pool it was close on to 5pm so I made my way back to the hut.

Fishing down Jock Rae. A delightful cast at this height and plenty fish around to keep the concentration going.

After a few beers and a chat about the day's fishing I decided to have a go in Jock Rae and fish my way down through the March and Calm Pool. These pools were all holding fish in the low water but neither of us managed to land any of them during the day. Rory did have hold of four but sadly they all came off. Not ideal and not helped by the fact the opposition rod found this rather amusing.

Looking upstream in Jock Rae towards Coronation and the Mill Pool further upstream.

Jock Rae is a cracking wee pool and due to the change of shingle at the Carlogie side, it's very easily fished. It just requires a very short cast to cover the deeper part of the pool where the fish lie. I crept my way down the pool covering all the likely spots but the only fish to show interest in my fly were parr. If you let the fly swing round far enough they were snapping at the fly every cast just about.

The March Pool looking downstream into the Calm Pool.

Next up was the March Pool. Another short pool and really just a run at the top of the Calm Pool. There were also a few fish holding in the white water here where shallow wading and long casts are the order of the day here as to not spook the fish. I knew I was covering fish but they were still playing hard to get so I carried on down river into the Calm Pool.

Ade fishing down the Calm Pool whilst I enjoy a cold beer by the river.

Musker's Fancy No.2 dressed as per the description in Frederick Hill's book about fishing at Carlogie.

I decided to change flies and opted for a Musker's Fancy tied on a low water size 8 single. the Musker's Fancy was invented but Captain Musker who was the fishing tenant her in the late 30s/early 40s. It was described as the best low water fly bar none in those days so why shouldn't it be today? Anyway, I worked my way down the pool concentrating on the area out from the Carlogie hut where we saw plenty splashing about earlier on in the day. I did get hold of a fish from the pool but it wasn't a salmon, it was a greedy wee trout about 3/4lb but it nailed the Musker's Fancy and this gave me confidence in the fly. The rest of the pool didn't produce any offers and I called it a day about 9pm and retired back to the hut for a well earned beer.

A rainbow over the Carlogie. this was the start of a night of heavy rain which would cause the river to rise. Just a pity it was the evening I was leaving!

Day 2 on the beat was much and such the same. Plenty fish showing albeit not as many as the Monday but they were proving very difficult to tempt. We started very early on Tuesday morning and Ade manged to score with a lovely fresh grilse from Jock Rae at around 4.30am. It just goes to show that the early bird does indeed catch the worm (or fish in this instance!). That was to be it for the day sadly. I couldn't tempt any fish to my own rod although I did have a couple of half hearted takes in Jock Rae and the Calm Pool, most probably from running fish just nipping at the fly as it passed their noses.

Philip Black with a lovely fish from the Mill Pool on Wednesday afternoon after a good lift in water levels during Tuesday night.

It was great to be back at Carlogie especially meeting up with Ade again. It's always a great laugh and the fishing is a bonus. The water went up significantly on the Tuesday night and the remaining guys left fishing the remainder of the week scored well and they finished up with 11 in total which is a good score. Friday proved to be the best day with 6 landed as well as a few sea tout. Just goes to show that a wee bit more water can certainly get the fish excited and happy to hit a fly harder. Hopefully next year I get a bit more luck with the river levels as I always seem to miss out on the water when I visit Carlogie. Conditions are always much better when I've left! I won't manage to break this jinx which seems to follow me around at Carlogie until next Spring but I will be ready to go again when the time comes and with a bit of luck I will hopefully find myself in the right place, at the right time for a change. Tight lines.