Lower Crathes & West Durris - River Dee

A few weeks ago on the 5th September, I found myself fishing the fantastic Lower Crathes and West Durris beat on the River Dee. This is a beat I never tire of fishing and I was really looking forward to getting the chance to fish a fly through it's pools again. I was fishing with my pal Paul Pritchard, my uncle Stuart and Paul's mate Graham. The water was sitting around 2ft on the beat gauge and still carrying a bit of a peat stain to it. The beat had only been lightly fished during the week but they had managed to register a few in the book and we were confident that we would be covering plenty fish whilst fishing the pools. I kept the same set up from my day at Ballogie earlier in the week which was my 14ft 9in Guideline AWM rod, Intermediate line and 7ips tip. After a chat and a cup of coffee in the hut it was down to business.

A nice 15lb hen fish taken on a pink Franc N Snaelda.

On the day we were ghillied by Jordan Sinclair who is under ghillie to Robert Harper on the beat. I was to share the lower half of the beat for the morning with my uncle. I started off in the Greenbank whilst he was to fish the Kelpie.

The Greenbanks. A lovely pool with easy wading.

 The Greenbank is a fantastic looking pool and is fairly straight forward in terms of how to fish it. The run goes along the far bank so wading out and casting a long line to cover the area is essential although fish will take on the dangle along the length of the pool at this height of water. I fished down the pool with a Red Frances to begin with and fished it sink and draw style. Despite my best efforts the fish weren't interested so it was off downstream for a go in Bulwarks.

Looking downstream at the top of the Bulwarks. Park is the beat below.

Just about half way down the pool and covering the water under the wires. Under power cables always seems to be a good place to pick up a fish.

The last time I fished the beat I fished Bulwarks from the opposite bank. It was good to give it a cast from this bank and there were a few fish showing in the pool as I made my way down it. As inviting as it look though, I couldn't tempt one so it was off upstream to fish Kelpie.

My uncle Stuart fishing the Greenbank.

The top of the Kelpie Pool.

Mid way down the Kelpie. I had a good offer out from the big stone in the centre of the photo.

On my way upo to the Kelpie I stopped and spoke with my uncle who was fishing the Greenbank. He informed me of seeing numerous fish showing in the Kelpie so I couldn't wait to get my fly swinging through the pool. As I hadn't had an offer with the Red Frances I changed over to a trusty back end pattern, a Pink Franc N Snaelda. I have had pretty good success with this fly during September and October so I had confidence that it worked well. I made my way down the pool and just as was nearing the big stone about mid way down, I had a good offer. The fish was just slowly pulling at my fly as I worked it through the pool so I left it a second or two before lifting into it. As soon as I lifted the rod though the fish let go and the chance was gone. I thought I'd given the fish ample time to take but I guess not! I covered the spot for a few more minutes but the fish wasn't coming back for seconds so it was off to the hut for some lunch.

The main hut at Lower Crathes. (Photo taken back in April)

At lunch Paul was telling how he'd lost a fish in the Mill Pool on a Sunray Shadow. Apart from my offer in Kelpie, nobody else had had a touch.  As per usual in the fishing hut, we spoke of fishing, tactics and what to do next. Stuart and I were to fish the top half of the beat with me starting in the Mill and Stuart in the famous Bridge Pool. We were all eager to get going again and I opted to keep the same line on but just change my tip from a 7ips to a 4ips.

The Jetties on the Mill Pool. I hooked the fish mid stream near the top of the pool.

A chunky hen fish of around 15lbs taken on a Pink Franc N Snaelda in the Mill Pool.

The Mill Pool is a cracking pool and one of my favourite pools on the beat. I started up at the top of the pool with a short line and lengthening all the time before finally working my way through the pool. I fish the Snaelda sink and draw style and I had only fished about 20 yards or so of the pool when a fish started to pull back as I worked the fly. Again, it was just a soft take so I left it for what seemed an age before lifting into it. This time though, it was on and I felt the weight of a good fish. After tense and lengthy battle which involved several hard runs, I finally managed to get her over the net just below the first jetty. I quickly removed the hook and took a photo before releasing her back into the river. It was such a good feeling to see her swim off strongly. I fished on down the rest of the pool without a touch so it was off for a cast in Riddle's.

Looking upstream in Riddle's.

On arrival to Riddle's there was a good fish showed mid stream just below the broken water. This was encouraging so I made my way to the top of the pool and fished it down. Unfortunately, I couldn't temp any fish so it was off down to the Bridge Pool to finish off my afternoon.

Fishing down the famous Bridge Pool.

The Bridge Pool on Lower Crathes is one of the most famous pools on the river. It is famed for it's cathces and it produces fish from opening day until closing day. The pool was holding a few fish and several made themselves known as I worked my way down the pool. As I got near to the bridge, I had a good take which sadly didn't come to nothing so I went to change my fly in the hope it might take again but something different this time. As I opened my box of Snaeldas the lid flipped back and jerked the box out my hand. I quickly managed to catch it before it went swimming but several of my flies had fell into the water and were on their way out to sea before I could save them. All that time and effort in tying them up was wasted but at least I didn't buy them. Still, it was not good seeing seven or eight of my flies swimming down the Dee without being attached to a leader. Anyway, I couldn't temp the fish again and the rest of the pool proved fruitless. By this time it was around 5pm so it was back to the hut for a cup of coffee before deciding where to try in the evening.

I thought the Kelpie might be worth another cast so I made my way down to the pool and changed my fly to a Sunray Shadow but still on the Intermediate line. I started at the top of the pool and began casting a long line and stripping the fly fairly quickly across the pool. I must have been about half way down the pool when I had a thumping take on the fly. I lifted sharply into a lively fish and started to wind some of my running line back onto my reel whilst the fish turned and headed off downstream. I managed to get the fish onto the reel fairly quickly but a short while later the fish had spat the hook and was off. It wasn't a big fish but it looked fresh and would have been more than welcome. That turned out to be the last action for my day and I packed up around 7.30pm. I

It was a great day and I was delighted to have landed a good fish and had several other contacts as well as losing one. It's good to know you are doing something right and the confidence goes a long way in helping to land fish. I will look forward to my next outing and hopefully my good run will continue.

Lower Crathes & West Durris - River Dee

On Saturday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to fish on the Lower Crathes/West Durris beat on the River Dee by my pal Paul Pritchard. I didn't need to be asked twice and I jumped at the chance to have a cast here again. This beat is the pinnacle of the fishing on the Dee and boasts some of the finest salmon pools on the entire river. The catches also speak for themselves too.

The beat hut at Lower Crathes/West Durris

I arrived at the beat shortly after 8.30am and met with Paul and ghillies Robert and Jordan. The water height was hovering around the 2ft mark but was on a slow rise with the water temperature sitting at just above 40f. After a cup of coffee and a dram with the fellow rods, Paul and I were allocated the top half of the beat during the morning session. This consisted of pools such as the Bridge, Riddell's, Mill and Balbridie. Paul started in the Mill and I started off in the Bridge Pool.

The famous Bridge Pool at Lower Crathes. plenty kelts and the odd springer showing in here.

The old hut on the Durris bank of the Bridge Pool.

Not long after starting in the Bridge Pool I noticed that there seemed to be a liarge number of kelts in the pool. The made themselves know up and down the length of the pool. There was the odd fresh fish showing in amongst them too but despite my best efforts I fished the pool without getting a touch. Paul and I were to swap pools and I was pleased to hear that Paul had some action in the Mill Pool using a Collie Dog. he landed a kelt and rose another.

Riddell's. A nice cast at this height.

Jordan was on hand to show me the water and suggested I have a quick run through Riddell's before trying the Mill. Riddell's is a short pool but can hold fish and it has already produce several this season. Unfortunately, I couldn't add to that tally and it was onward to the Mill Pool.

The Mill Pool. Cracking piece of water.

Lower down the Mill Poll at the Jetties.

The Mill Pool is another famous pool on the beat. It is a consistent performer and produces good numbers of fish all season long. There were, what seemed to be, a good number of kelts in here too. There were also two fresh fish caught in this pool the evening before by local rod Geoff Fisher who was fishing along side us on the day too. Despite covering all the likely spots I didn't get an offer so it was back to the hut for a spot of lunch before having a go on the lower beat in the afternoon.

Greenbank. There were a lot of kelts showing in here too as well as a few springers.

After some good craic in the hut over lunch it was back down to business and I was allocated the Greenbank first of all in the afternoon. The Greenbank in a lovely long pool and it was stuffed full of kelts on this occasion. I started up opposite the hut where Jordan suggested and began working my way down the pool. At this time, Paul was up in the Kelpie and he soon appeared with the news that he had lost a springer whcih had snagged up around a rock. Despite Robert and Jordan's best efforts, the couldn't free the line and the fish was gone along with Paul's fly. It's never nice losing a fish in this way and I know only too well the disappointment of this happening.The same happened to me at Kincardine a few seasons back when I lost a cracking fish in the Whin Bush pool on my first day. It would be my only touch until the Saturday so I had a long time to dwell on my loss. Anyway, I fished all the way down the Greenbank without a touch so I made my way up to have a cast in the Kelpie whilst Paul headed downstream to the Bulwarks.

Fishing down the Kelpie Pool where Paul sadly was broken by a good fish earlier.

Looking upstream in the Kelpie.

Kelpie is another nice pool and this was also holding a few kelts. Paul had hooked a springer earlier from here so I was confident that I would be covering fish. I changed over to an intermediate line just to get down a bit deeper as the water was rising. It was fishing very nicely but I worked my way down the pool without a touch so I headed back down to Greenbank for another go before 5pm. My second run down Greenbank produce only two very subtle knocks which I'm positive were from trout as there were good numbers feeding on a large hatch of March Browns. I made my way back to the hut to say good bye to the ghillies and thank them for the day.

Looking upstream from mid way down the Greenbank.

Whilst back at the hut there was some good news from Geoff as he had landed a nice fish from the Bridge Pool during the afternoon session. I was sure there were fresh fish in the pool earlier and he proved that by landing an 8lber. This was his 4th fish of the week which is a very impressive return considering the lack of fish about at the moment. Paul also had some good news as he managed a cracking seas trout of around 3lb from the Bulwarks pool. It was a good way to finish the day so I decided to stay on for a couple of hours to see if I could get myself a fish. I headed off to give the Greenbank another going over but sadly it proved fruitless and I left the beat around 7pm.

Despite not having much luck on the day, it was great to fish such a fantastic beat again. Head Ghillie Robert Harper and his underghille Jordan Sinclair make you feel very welcome and they know their beat intimately. They do their level best to advise and help you when they can and are a credit to their profession. I would love to say I will be back there again but the price for a day is way out of my league. Maybe one day I'll have another crack at catching a salmon from these wonderful pools on the River Dee. A big thank you to the ghillies and to Paul for allowing me to fish. It was much appreciated.

Lower Crathes & West Durris - River Dee

I was extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to fish the famous Lower Crathes and West Durris beat on the River Dee last Saturday. Although catches had been slow in recent weeks, I was still excited like a kid at Christmas to be fishing these hallowed waters.


The main fishing hut on the Crathes bank.

I arrived at the beat to be greeted by underghillie, Jordan Sinclair. He informed me that the water height on the beat was sitting at 2ft and the water temperature was around the 37f mark. I was to fish the lower part of the beat from Crathes bridge down. My set up for the day was my Scott Mackenzie Float/Intermediate Shooting Head with a 6ft 2.6 inch per second tip. My fly of choice was a Monkey tied on an aluminum Yuri Shumakov tube.

A salmon weather vain on the roof of the fishing hut.

As was to fishing the bottom half of the beat which lies below Crathes Bridge, I was to start my day off in the Greenbamks Pool. Jordan pointed out the main areas to concentrate on and went off to get one of the other rods started in the Bulwarks pool. I waded out from the Crathes bank and began to cast as far over to the far bank as I could as that's where the fish were likely to be. About 10 minutes after starting, I had a solid take and lifted into a lively fish. The fish made a few surging runs and showed it's flanks whilst trying to turn on the surface. I walked backward onto the shingle bank and attempted to beach the fish. A few minutes later I managed to get the fish onto the bank. If had lost the fish, I would have be sure it was a Springer as it was full of life and put up a great scrap however, once landed it was clear to see that the fish was a kelt. It was a very well mended kelt and I'm sure it would have no trouble getting back to sea. I fished through the Greenbaks without another offer so Jordan suggested that I go upstream to the next pool.



Fishing the Greenbanks pool from the Crathes bank.

Looking upstream from the Greenbanks.

A few hundred yards upstream is the Kelpie Pool. The Kelpie has lovely glide coming off from the tail of the pool above to create a cracking stream to fish the fly in. The main current is down the Crathes bank but Jordan informed me that fish can be had from mid stream to right in towards the bank. Although the pool looked very "fishy", I didn't see or touch anything so I headed across the river to fish the Bulwarks pool from the Durris bank.


Kelpie from the Crathes bank.

Looking upstream halfway down the Kelpie.

The Bulwarks pool is the bottom pool on the beat and the next pool up from Park which is the beat below. The pool has a nice even flow to it and fishes well from both banks. Jordan was on hand to point out all the hot spots and so I waded out to give it a go. I fished all the way down until I was under the electric cables without seeing or touching a fish but again, it looked so promising.


Fishing the Bulwarks pool from the Durris bank.

Looking upstream in the Bulwarks.

My next pool to fish was the Lower Bridge Pool so I crossed over the river again and made my way up the track to the top of the pool. I have driven over the Crathes Bridge many times and always look down into the river wishing I could cast a line here so to get the chance today was special. I changed over to a fly created by my friend Charlie called the SS (Sunray Shadow) Assassin just to see if I could provoke a reaction from a fish. Jordan explained that as long a cast as possible was necessary as the fish ran up the Durris bank. I started at the top of the pool just below the bridge and began fishing my way down the pool slowly stripping the sunray across the stream as I went. About halfway down the pool, there was a swirl at the fly but whatever kind of fish it was, it missed it. That turned out to be the only offer I had in the pool.


Lower Bridge Pool.

Looking upstream from midway down the Lower Bridge Pool.

Head ghillie, Robbie Harper suggested I try above the bridge for a while before dark so I headed off up to fish the Lady's Pool(?). The pool has several jetties which make it easy to cover the water and also to get out just that little it further. Fantastic water to cast a fly on but no fish took any interest in what I was offering them so I headed off downstream.


Lady's Pool(?) or Jetties Pool. Cracking pool to fish a fly through.

The next pool I was to fish was the famous Bridge Pool. The biggest fish from the Dee last year was taken out of this pool in April 2013 but it has a reputation for some great catches all season long. It was just about dark when I fished the pool but I made sure I gave it a good going over before leaving. Cracking pool to fish and I was waiting in anticipation of the line going tight on every cast. Sadly not this time but an absolute pleasure to fish.


Looking upstream in the Bridge Pool.

My first time on Lower Crathes and West Durris was a great experience. Although no springers were landed on the day, it was a dream to fish such a famous stretch of the Dee and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to do so.
Here are some pictures from my day.