I had a day on the River Dee last Saturday for the first time in a few weeks. The water was sitting at a great height for the beat at around 1ft 4in on the gauge ad it was running clear. I was delighted to land a salmon and grilse for my efforts with both fish fresh as they come. The first fish I landed was around the 12lb mark and the second was a perfectly formed grilse around 6lbs. Both fish fought like tigers and had my Hardy Cascapedia reel singing a lovely tune!
Afresh salmon around the 12lb mark ready for release.
A big scar on the salmon's flank. Most likely caused by a seal.
A lively 6lb grilse from the Bend taken on a Sunray Shadow.
Last Saturday I had a day's fishing on the River Dee at Commonty. Commonty is a nice, secluded beat on the middle reaches of the river and can fish well in most heights of water. The Potarch Bridge was reading 5" when was there so full floating line and small flies were the order of the day.
Looking downstream from the high bank at Commonty.
Catch and Release.
I was fortunate enough to land this cracking summer salmon of around 11lbs from the Bend. Prior to landing this I rose 4 different salmon with a Sunray Shadow before swapping over to hitch and going through the pool again. The fish didn't put up much of a fight initially and I actually thought it was just a small trout I had on. I began to play the fish just by handling as the fish came in towards me and I could really feel much of its weight. As the fish drew nearer to the bank it finally realised it was hooked and tore off at lightning speed and taking all the fly line of the reel in one long, powerful run! I played a game of cat and mouse with the fish for several minuted and during that time it had another two of these lung bursting runs before I finally got some sort of control back. After what seemed like an age, I managed to beech the fish and was delighted to see it a fresh run "bar of silver".
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.
I had my last outing on the River Dee for the 2017 yesterday. I was fortunate enough to be on the Ballogie beat and catches had been steady all week leading up to my day. The gauge on the Potarch Bridge was reading 1ft 3in on arrival in the morning so all the pools were in great nick.
A nice fish to start of my last day on the Dee for 2017.
There had been a bit of a frost early morning and the air temperature was still cold so there was no rush to get started. So after a good chat with Sean and Ian Fraser I finally headed off up the hut which over looks the Top Gannet pool to tackle up at around 9.00am.
The Ballogie fishing hut which over looks the Top Gannets pool.
The river was crystal clear so tactics for the day were more akin to spring fishing so I set up my 14ft 9in Guideline rod and teamed this up with a Guideline PT Scandi floating head and 5 inch per second versi leader. My fly of choice to begin with was the trusty Black Snaelda conehead.
Fishing down the upper part of the Top Gannets.
The lower half of the Top Gannets.
I made my way down to the pool and waded out to the starting position just where a large boulder breaks the surface near the neck of the pool on the Ballogie bank. I stripped off enough line to make a short cast before lengthening to my desired casting distance. I couldn't have made no more than 3 or 4 casts when the line went tight and all hell broke loose with a very lively fish. At first I thought it was much larger than it was due to the sheer power and doggedness of it but it soon showed itself and it was only just a coloured grilse. After a short but very spirited fight I manged to beach the fish which might have been around the 6lb mark. A fine way to start proceedings off.
My first fish of the day. A cock fish around the 6lb mark
I quickly released the fish and made my way back out to into the river to start all over again. I stripped off all the line required to cover the pool and made my cast. Once that cast was fished out I made another. This time, as soon as my fly hit the water it was grabbed by fish. This one felt much heavier than the last and it refused to break the surface to reveal itself. It made short runs, long runs, deep runs but it still wasn't for stopping and I just had to hold on tight and hope it stayed on. To my relief, after a few minutes battling myself and the current, the fish gave in and I managed to get the fish on the bank. It was a beast! A very large and deep set cock fish which I estimated to be around the 18lb mark. It was as deep a fish as I've seen for a long time and I could barely get my hand round the wrist of the tail. I quickly removed the hook from it's upper jaw and released the fish back into the river with minimal fuss. It was now only 9.30am and I had two fish banked. What a start to my day! Despite the presence of several fish in the pool I fished it through without another offer so it was down to the next pool which was the Lower Gannets.
My second fish of the day. An absolute beast of a cock fish around the 18lb mark.
Lower Gannents was looking good and I started at the neck of the pool just below the fast rush which comes down from the Middle Gannet. The fish tend to lie on the far banks so a long line was required in here to cover the likely lies. This pool was surprising quiet fish wise and I fished the whole pool out and only saw about 3 or 4 fish show. Needless to a say, I didn't get an offer in here so I made my way back up to fish the Middle Gannets.
Fishing down Lower Gannets. The sun had disappeared
The Middle Gannets is a tricky pool to cover effectively as there are several different speeds of current across the top half of the pool which makes it difficult to control the speed in which the fly come round at. It's still a very nice pool to fish and it keeps the mind aware of just how the fly is fishing. I didn't touch anything in here so I made my way back to the hut to re-think my tactics for the afternoon session.
Fishing my way down Middle Gannets.
I met Sean just as I was heading to lunch and was delighted to hear that there had been a total of five fish caught during the morning. This was pleasing to hear and I couldn't wait to get back on the water for another go. I was allocated the Slips and Flats for my afternoon so I made my way down to the water to start off in the Mid Slip.
Looking upstream from the Slips.
Looking downstream from the Slips.
There had been a salmon taken from the Slips in the morning and it was plain to see that there were a few fish splashing about in it. I kept faith in the same tactics which served me well during the morning but by this time the water had dropped an inch or two. This didn't effect my approach any but the fish were not so active as the were earlier on. I fished down the pool without an offer despite seeing a few fish showing in the likely spots. I just couldn't temp them with my offerings so I wound in and headed down to fish the Flats.
Fishing down the top part of the Ballogie Flats.
The Flats is a cracking pool to fish and I have done well out of here in the past which was good for the confidence. On my immediate arrival to the pool a big, coloured cock fish made himself known in the neck of the pool. As I felt the fish were not so active as earlier in the day I decided to change tactics so I swapped my floating line for a H/I/S1. I kept the same versi tip and fly but just thought fishing it deeper might have been required. I fished the top half of the pool without an offer but it felt the fly was fishing much slower which was ideal for the faster moving Flats pool. I reached the mid way part of the pool and I had a good offer from a fish. Unfortunately, when I lifted into it, the fish let go. At least I knew the change of set up was working. Despite the renewed confidence in my tactic I fished out the remainder of the pool without another offer. It was not about 4.45pm and I decide to call it a day. My last day on the Dee for 2017 was now over but I was pleased to sign off with a couple of fish from one of my favourite beats on the river.
The deadly Black Snaelda which was doing the business.
I've had a good season on the River Dee this year and it really has been pleasing to see so many fish in the pools up and down the whole length of the river from late spring onward. This can only bode well for future stocks and hopefully the offspring of this generation can come back in healthy numbers and help the River Dee get back up to where is should be in terms of it's annual catch. I'll certainly be back next year to do it all again and will look forward to my first outing of 2018 on 1st February. In the meantime, it's the River Don for me now until it finishes on the 31st October so with a bit of luck and water, there might be one or two more fish to report before my season concludes at the end of the month.
I'd just like to end this post by thanking all the ghillies who I've fished with this season, particularly Sean Stanton as without their help and expertise, my days on the river would not have been so enjoyable. I'll look forward to meeting up with them all again next season.
I had a free Saturday last weekend and decided to venture out fishing at the last minute with my pal, Philip Black. It was a good decision in the end as between us we landed 3 salmon for our day.
A 9lber from the Bend taken on a small Cascade.
The water was sitting at 1ft 6in on the Potarch Bridge gauge and was carrying a heavy peat stain. Overhead conditions were good for the most part too. I set up two rods on the day. Both with floating lines but with different rated sinking polyleaders. One was rigged up with a 10ft slow sink and the other with a 10ft fast sink. My initial fly of choice was a Dee monkey but I chopped and changed numerous time over the course of the day.
Philip Black with a cracker from the Bulwarks at Ballogie.
Philip was first off the mark with a fresh fish around the 6lb from the Bulwarks at Ballogie just after 9am. The hard fighting fish put up a good scrap before finally being landed and carefully released after a quick photo.
The Bend. Was fishing really well at this height of water.
Philip's second fish of the day from the Bend at Commonty.
We headed down to Commonty at lunch time and not long after starting, Philip was into his 2nd fish of the day. Again, the fish fought very hard but it was soon landed and a cracking fresh fish around the 8lb mark posed for a photo before heading on it's way.
Another photo of me with my fish.
We didn't see many fish through out the day but we put it down to the water heavy peat stain in the water. The fish were certainly present in the pools though and they seemed to be in a cooperative mood. I had several good pulls on a Monkey fly but the fish just seemed to be nipping at it as it swung round through the current. It wasn't until I changed over to fishing smaller flies that it produced results when an older fish of around 9lb hammered my fly in the Bend. Being hooked at 4.30pm, it was certainly a welcome sight to see it on the bank. A small Cascade double doing the business.
Looking upstream towards Suicide Pool.
The Garden Pool.
With a bit of water coming down the Dee, Commonty can be very productive. There are few high water beats on the river that are as productive as Commonty. It also fishes well in low water too as it boasts several good holding pools which will fish at all heights. It really is a cracking place to fish and well worth a visit for anyone planning to head over to Royal Deeside for a fishing trip.
I found myself on the River Dee again last Monday but this time I was fishing the Commonty beat. Commonty is let as part of the Ballogie Estate and boasts some of the most secluded fishing to be had anywhere on the middle river. The beat is 1.5 miles long and has 13 named pools with each capable of producing fish on any given day. The water was sitting at 6" on the Portach gauge when I arrived at 8.15am but had dropped back 4 or 5 inches after the heavy rain over the weekend.
Looking upstream towards the Suicide Pool.
I met the ghillie, Ian Fraser at the hut in the morning along with the other rod who was fishing the beat. Tactics were discussed and I opted to fish a full floating line off my 12ft 6in Guideline LPXe and a 12ft tapered leader and 6ft of 10lb nylon. My fly of choice to begin with was a #11 Editor.
Fishing down through Suicide. Plenty fresh fish running through the pool as I started.
I was drawn to fish the top part of the beat in the morning and Ian suggested I started in the Suicide Pool. Suicide is aptly named due to the terrible wading but with the water being so low this made things much easier. It was actually an easy wade at this height and I fished down the pool without going for an unexpected swim. When I first started there were a good few fresh fish making themselves known in the pool. These were all good sized salmon in the 10-15lb range but there were a couple which dwarfed these ones. Especially one fish which lept out the water right in front of me. This brute of a cock fish was well into the high 20s of pounds and will make a Dee angler very happy somewhere if he decides to take their fly. Despite the fact there were numerous fish moving through the pool, they just weren't for stopping and within half an hour the activity settled down and it was just one or two resident fish which were splashing about. I didn't connect with anything except a few smolts so I made my way down to fish the Island Run.
Island Run.
Looking upstream from the bottom of the Island Run.
The Island Run is a low water pool which runs out of the tail of the Otter Trap/Boat Pool. It's a well oxygenated stretch of water and a fine resting spot for any salmon running up through the white water between here and the Garden Pool below. I fished down the length of the pool with only a brown trout and several smolts to show for my efforts but it was fishing very well and had produced a fine fish of 12lb the week before.
Fishing down the Otter Trap.
After fishing the Island Run I made my way back upstream to fish the Otter Trap. The Otter Trap is another faster flowing run which peters out towards the tail of the pool. There had been a few resident fish in here prior to the water going up but they were keeping themselves down. I fished through the pool covering all the likely lies without a touch so I made my way to the bank and upstream to have another run through Suicide before lunch.
Looking down the Otter Trap from the bank at the Suicide.
I waded out to start fishing down Suicide again and immediately there was a hefty, older looking fish which jumped just down from where I was standing. This would have been another good fish in the 20lb+ bracket. I covered its lie numerous times with a small Red Frances but it wasn't for taking. The small red fly must have been stirring it up as the fish showed about four times as I passed over the top of it with my fly. I fished down the rest of the pool without an offer but pleased to see numerous fish. This kept the enthusiasm and concentration levels high as I made my way back to the hut for lunch.
The Commonty fishing hut. This is a new hut after the last one was swept away in the floods last year.
A victim of the Saprolegnia fungus. A fairly fresh looking fish around the 9/10lb mark. Note the damage on the tail wrist and under the belly of the fish. Quite possibly this infection has taken hold due to scale damage caused by tightly gripping the fish for a photo?
There has been a new hut built on the Commonty beat recently and this is now over looking the Otter Trap pool rather than the Garden Pool where the old hut was located. I sat outside on the porch to eat my sandwich with my eyes fixed on the pool out in front of me. There were a few fish moving through the pool as we sat eating our lunch and we were eager to get cracking again.
Fishing down the Loop. Quite a few fish were showing in this pool as I fished it. Nothing took my offerings though.
The Bend. A lovely cast at all heights of water.
After lunch I was to fish the lower half of the beat starting in the Loop and the Bend. These are two of my favourite pools on the beat and they always have a fish or two showing in them. Today was no different and as I made way out to the pool, a fish showed right in front of me and was quickly followed by another some twenty yards below me. I changed my fly to a #14 Editor and covered the pool as best I could. I tried a fast retrieve, a slow retrieve, a figure of eight retrieve and even stripping the fly. Nothing worked and the fish remained unfazed by my tactics so I headed off upstream to fish the Blue Chair.
Looking across to Woodend House from the bank at Blue Chair.
Looking upstream from the tail of the Blue Chair.
The Blue Chair is a cracking wee pool with a nice streamy run right through the middle of it. This looked the ideal place for a fish to lie in the low water conditions we are currently on Deeside. I carefully worked my way down the pool covering all the areas Ian suggested but again, the fish were not for tempting so it was off to the next pool.
Chestnut. A small run between the Garden Pool and Blue Chair.
Ian had mentioned a wee pool called Chestnut. This was a small run above Blue Chair and was only about a dozen casts or so but it produced a good few fish several years ago in similar conditions. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't giving up its bounty easily this time so I headed off up to the Garden Pool.
The Garden Pool. A cracking cast at all height and holds fish through out the season.
The Garden Pool is one of the most productive pools on the beat. It has a nice, deep glide at the neck which holds fish through out the season and the tail can also be productive when there is a bit more water pushing through it. I waded out at the neck of the pool just above the lies and quietly worked my way over them trying hard not to spook any fish which might be present. My stealthy efforts were in vain as I fished out the pool without an offer. By the time I had finished the pool it was almost 5pm and I reluctantly decided to call it a day. I just didn't have the time to hang around until dusk which would have probably been the best time to fish with the low water conditions and bright sun above.
Looking upstream from the neck of the Island Run into the Boat and Otter Trap.
Commonty is a beat I really enjoy fishing. It has something for everyone and it's location is ideal for escaping the noise of the busy North Deeside road. The pools are all easily covered and if the water is big, fishing is mainly off the bank. Ian Fraser, the ghillie knows his beat inside out and does his utmost to put you onto a fish. For more info on fishing the beat follow the links below.
I spent three days on the River Dee at Ballogie from the 3rd-5th March and this was in place of my usual three days a bit further up stream at Carlogie which I had taken for the previous five years. Ballogie is a beat I've had good success on in the past but I had never fished it in the Spring months and was really looking forward to it.
Looking upstream towards the hut in Upper Gannets.
Top Gannets from the hut.
The water had risen about 1ft a few days before I arrived and hopes were high despite the poor catches leading up to my days. The water height was hovering around the 1ft 5in mark on the Thursday and it remained fairly steady until the Saturday where it rose to 1ft 10in. Pretty much ideal river conditions for this time of year.
Middle Gannets looking good in the spring sunshine.
Looking upstream from the Lower Gannets.
Thursday was my first time on the beat since the flooding caused by Storm Frank at the beginning of the year and I was eager to get a proper look at the place. The damaged caused by the flooding was evident up and down the whole river and Ballogie has fared no different. Some pools have had a good wash out and the banking around the Sands and Slips have taking a bit of a pounding but having said that, below the Potarch Bridge looked to have escaped the worst of the damage and it fished really well during my days there.
Looking downstream from the hut towards Middle Gannets.
I started my trip off on the upper part of the beat first and Ian Fraser, who was standing in for Sean Stanton, suggested I start up in the Top Gannets and work my way down through Middle and Lower Gannets before fishing the Sands before lunch. The Gannets yielded nothing but I did mange to land a small kelt from the Sands which wolfed down a 2" Willie Gunn conehead.
Fishing down the Sands. I got a kelt out of here on the Thursday.
Looking upstream from the Slips.
The Slips. Large amounts of shingle have appeared on the Borrowston bank after the winter floods.
After lunch it was the pools below the bridge I was fishing and I worked my way down through the Bridge Pool, Burn of Angel's, Upper and Lower Inchbare, Kelpie and Bulwarks. I didn't get an offer but I had one more run through the Bridge Pool just before 5pm and I managed to land a well mended kelt just as I was speaking to fellow rods on the beat. It took a 7mm Monkey fly just near the tail of the pool and once it was returned I decided to call it day and headed off home.
The famous Potarch Bridge pool. I had another kelt from here at last knockings on Thursday.
My second day saw me start where I had finished off the night before. I fished through the usual "hotspots" in all the pools and despite the fact we had a good water and over head conditions, I sadly didn't temp anything and my offerings remained untouched for the morning session.
Looking upstream towards the Potarch Bridge.
Burn of Angels.
Upper Inchbare.
The afternoon saw me back up on the upper pools and it was the same old story as the morning. Good looking pools, good water heights but just nothing willing to show an interest in any of my flies. At that time, doubt in my tactics started to creep in and I changed lines and flies numerous times in an attempt to temp even just a kelt but to no avail.
Fishing down the Flats on the Saturday.
I didn't go home that night and instead, spent the night in Ford Cottage with my pals Ade, Rory, Philip and Paul, who were fishing upstream at Carlogie. Philip managed to land a cracking fish of around 12lb from Commonty so the drams and beer were flowing all evening and the craic was top class. There was tears of laughter at times and we chatted the night away telling stories of fish and fishers of past and present. I woke up in the morning raring to go again and with a fresh approach to the river. Rain over night had risen the river about 6" and we were all looking forward to get going.
Ade, Philip and Rory enjoying the drams in Ford Cottage.
Ade, Patrick and Rory ready for another day on the river at Carlogie.
Ian had offered us a cast down at Commonty so I fished the upper pools on Ballogie in the morning before heading downstream to fish Commonty during lunch time. I did see two fresh looking fish in the Loop at Commonty but try as I might, they weren't interested. It was good to fish Commonty again and seeing a couple of fish kept the enthusiasm going. Philip had never fished Ballogie before so I offered him my rod and I fished the rest of the afternoon on Commonty. Philip manged to land a couple of kelts from the Bulwarks on Ballogie during the afternoon but my day was blank.
Fishing down the Kelpie in a good height of water.
The bottom pool at Ballogie - Bulwarks.
Depsite the lack of fish it was great to fish Ballogie in the Spring and it's something I will look forward to every year from now on. The pools on Ballogie are great for fishing the fly and if Storm Frank hadn't had the river up over it's banks from most of December and January then I am sure there would have been a head of fish occupying the pools. The sediment and debris flowing down the Dee all winter would have not been ideal conditions for salmon to run so we will get a better idea of fish numbers as the season progresses. There might even be some excellent new pools created as a result but only time will tell. Until then, my next trip is on the River Tay at Stobhall later this month and I am hoping conditions are favourable where I will be pitting my wits against the famous Linn Pool. Can't wait!
The top hut at Ballogie which overlooks the Gannets.
