Ballogie - River Dee

Last Wednesday I was fortunate enough to pick up a spare rod on the Ballogie beat of the River Dee as someone had cancelled at short notice. This was an offer I couldn't refuse and I was grateful to head ghillie, Sean Stanton for asking me. The water was sitting at 1ft 2in on the Potarch Bridge gauge and was just slightly peat stained. As I had been successful the previous day on the River Don using my 13ft Hardy Uniqua, a floating line, slow sink tip and a #9 Kitchen Sink Shrimp I decided to use that combo again.

A nice fresh grilse around the 5lb marks taken on a Junction Snaelda. It always good to get a fresh fish this time of year.

I arrived at the beat around 8.30 and was greeted at the hut by Sean. I was to fish the bottom half of the beat in the morning and fellow rod Peter the top half. Sean suggested just starting at the top and working my way through the pools so that's just what I did. First up was the famous Bridge Pool. It's not a large pool by any means but casting a line in such an iconic place makes it special. I started up under the arch and made a few casts with a short line and let it hang off the rocky shelf. I could only have had a dozen casts when I had a sharp tug on the fly. Unfortunately, it didn't hook up but it was a great confidence booster that my tactics, which had worked so well on the Don was working on the Dee too. As I was roughly half way down the pool a group of around 7 kayaks entered the river just yards below where I was fishing and with a lot of splashing and disturbance to the pool left a bitter taste in my mouth. There was no conversation asking if they could come in below me or an offer to wait until I fished the pool so I was a bit annoyed that having had a good offer that there could have been a fish in there for me. I wound in and headed off downstream. I have nothing against kayaks and canoes using the river but when someone is fishing a pool these people have to show a bit of respect to fishers who are paying a lot of money to fish the water. It doesn't cost anything and it's little wonder there is conflict between river users and fishermen when they behave like they did.

Looking upstream towards Potarch Bridge whilst fishing the Bridge Pool.

The pool below the bridge pool is called Burn of Angels. This is another relatively short pool but it's another lovely cast. On arrival to the pool a small, coloured fish showed just below me and at least I knew my fly would be covering fish. I fished the whole length of the pool without an offer so I headed downstream to try another pool.

Burn of Angles just as the mist was lifting off the water in the morning.

Next up was Upper and Lower Inchbare. Both these pool are nice casts but the latter is seemed to be holding more fish as there were a good few showing whilst I fished through the pool. The fish were playing hard to get in the bright sun and although I managed to winkle out a nice clean fish in similar conditions from Lower Inchbare last September but try as I might, there was to be no repeat this year so it was off down to have a go in Kelpie.

Fishing down Lower Inchbare.

The Kelpie Pool always holds fish just off the big rock near the top of the pool and it was no different this time. I change fly over to a Junction Snaelda just to get down a bit deeper and to put more action in the fly by rocking it through the pool. The Kelpie fishes nicely from the Ballogie bank as you are casting into the deeper part and swinging the fly into the shallow giving the fish a "take it or leave it" choice to make rather than hanging it in their face. Despite the presence of quite a few fish in the pool I couldn't tempt any so it was down for a cast in Bulwarks before heading back upstream to the Bridge Pool.

Kelpie. A nice cast in a lovely setting.

I just had a quick run through the Bulwarks as it had just been fished by a rod on tne Sluie bank. There was one or two fish showing in the pool but none were tempted by the Junction Snaelda so I made the long walk back up to have a proper run through the bridge pool before lunch.

Fishing the Bulwarks.

I started the Bridge Pool under the arch again and not long after making my first cast there was a nice fish showed mid way down the pool. I fished down the pool rocking the Snaelda back and forth as I went and as I reached the boil mid way down the pool I had a thumping take and I lifted into a lively fish. It was just a small fish and it tried to stay deep but I soon had it under control and I beached the fish on the shingle. It was fresh as paint and would have been around the 5lb mark. After a quick photo I sent it on it's way again so I headed up to the Gannets hut for lunch delighted to have landed a fish. As it transpired it was the 100th fish caught from Ballogie this season. Not a great score as the beat should be catching 3 or 4 times that amount but given the poor salmon runs the North East of Scotland has experienced this year it was a welcome milestone.

A nice fresh grilse from the Bridge Pool. A perfect way to close my 2015 River Dee season.



Top Gannet. Plenty fish splashing about but none willing to take my fly.



After lunch I was to fish the upper part of the beat and first up was another famous pool on the beat, the Top Gannets. I was fortunate enough to catch a lovely wee sea liced fish from the pool back in September and there were plenty showing in the pool this time round. I started up in the neck with a short line and fished down the top half of the pool then head back up to go through the pool again but with a long line as instructed on my previous visit. Neither run down produced any offers so I fished out the rest of the pool and depite several fish splashing about I just couldn't temp any. 

Mid Gannents with a Borrowston hut on the other bank.

After fishing Top Gannets I carried on downstream for a crack at Mid Gannets. I had never fished this pool the last time time I was on the beat so I made a point of giving it the once over. The pool looked fairly deep and with a nice peaty colour to the river I was sure there would be a few lying in it. I swung the Junction Snaelda through the pool but without an offer and there was nothing giving away their locations either so it was back to the car and off downstream to fish the Sands, Slips and Flats.

Fishing down the Sands

On arrival to the Sands it was quite clear that there were plenty fish hanging around in the pool so I started right at the top and worked my way down. Just as I reached a point near the tail of the pool I had a good pull on my fly. I have no idea how it didn't hook itself but I somehow failed to connect with it. It was a small reminder that my tactics were working well though and that gave me confidence in what I was are doing. I fished out the rest of the pool and despite the amount of fish in showing I just couldn't temp another one to take my fly so it was off on down to the Slips.

Looking downstream at the top of Slips.

The Slips was another pool harbouring plenty fish but covering them wasn't easy as the wading is pretty ropey in this pool. Huge boulders followed by big troughs then some more large rocks and so on and so on. As the day was drawing in a sharp breeze had kicked up and it started to make casting a bit more tricky whilst wading deep but I persevered and carried on through the pool but unfortunately no fish showed any interest and as I wanted a run through the Flats before dark it was off to try there.

The Flats. This is a cracking piece of water and Sean's favourite pool on the beat.

The Flats was up next but time was against me and I didn't really do the pool justice as I just had a really quick run through before I had to head home. It was the first pool on the beat today that I didn't actually see a fish in which was strange given how nice a pool it is. The air temperature had dropped sharply which would probably explain why the fish were reluctant but it was good to fish the pool again regardless. I packed up around 6.30pm and headed home quite pleased with how my day had went. Peter, who was also fishing the beat had a coloured fish from the Bridge Pool after lunch and he was delighted.

I'd just like to thank ghillies, Ian and Sean for their help this season. A couple of top lads and it's always a pleasure to fish in their company. Will look forward to meeting up with them again in February when I'm back at Carlogie for another season. Until then, all the best.

3 Salmon From The River Don Today

I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time today on the River Don as I managed to land 3 grilse and lose another. As well as this, I had a few offers from fish which didn't hook up unfortunately but I can't complain. I didn't see many fish today but they were certainly in the mood to take a fly. All fish were released safely and quickly.

5lb cock grilse taken on a 3/4" Junction Franc N Snaelda with only my 3rd cast of the morning.

5lb hen grilse taken on a #9 Kitchen Sink Flamethrower during the afternoon..

A nice head shot with the fly wedged in the scissors.

Not a great photo but a small 3lb grilse also taken on a #9 Kitchen Sink Flamethrower.

The fish and the fly in the net.

Franc N Snaelda Salmon Flies

I have been busy tying up a few Franc N Snaelda tube flies for next Spring as this pattern turned out to be my most successful fly I used in 2014. It accounted for 5 out of 11 salmon I caught this year and it shall be my "go to" pattern again next year.

The pattern was invented on the banks of the River Dee by Ballogie ghillie, Sean Stanton and it incorporates both Francis and Snaelda characteristics. These types of flies were extremely popular, not only on Deeside, but on all rivers, so Sean decided to marry these two deadly patterns together and so the Franc N Snaelda was born.

Some Franc N Snaelda tubes I've tied up recently.

Some Pink Franc N Snaeldas which did well for me during the back end of the season.

Blank and Yellow Franc N Snaelda. Very popular colour combo for Spring fishing.

Green Highlander Franc N Snaelda. Not a pattern I use much at all but like the look of it tied in this style.

Junction Shrimp Franc N Snaelda. This pattern served me well during October on the River Don.

Munro Killer Franc N Snaelda. I really like this pattern tied in the Snaelda style.

Cascade Franc N Snaelda. Had some success with this pattern back in August.

Willie Gunn Snaelda. A very popular pattern in the Spring months.

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.

13lb Salmon From The River Don

I was happy to be on hand to assist my pal, Bill Cook in landing this 13lb cock Salmon on the River Don yesterday. It put up a very dogged fight before coming to hand a good few minutes after it was hooked. Bill also had a coloured hen fish around 8lb. Unfortunately, all I could mange was 7 Brown Trout which seemed to be switched on to pink Franc N Snaeldas.

Bill's 13lber ready to be released. It was taken on one of his small Junction Shrimps.

Grilse From The River Don Today

Well finally, after a long wait since my last one, I caught this sea liced Grilse from the Lower Don this morning. I hooked it just a few minutes after starting and with the river down to it's bare bones, I was not really expecting to see much never mind catch one so it was very welcome. The Parkhill gauge was reading just 1" and the river bed was covered in slimy algae/weed. The fish put up a spirited fight and after a few pictures it was returned back to the river.

The fish took a pattern I created last year. My dad named it the Kitchen Sink but I never really got round to using it. It's loosely based upon the Junction Shrimp and this is the first fish I have landed using it although I did lose a couple of good fish on the Dee last Thursday using the same fly. I did a Blog post on the fly last October and the dressing for the fly can be found HERE.

5lb River Don Grilse.

Sea lice present around gill plates.

Safely returned to the river.

Kitchen Sink Shrimp

I have been at the vice tonight in preparation for the falling leaves this Autumn. With the nights closing in, a fly that always seems to do well at this time of year is the Junction Shrimp. Invented by a Boatman on the famous Junction beat of the River Tweed, it fishes well when the light starts to fade and when there are leaves from the trees floating down river. This is a pattern I have came up with which is loosely based on the colour combination of the Junction Shrimp except I have tied it shrimp style and added a black over wing to my tying just to bulk it up a wee bit. I'll try them out over the next few weeks on the River Don and see how they do.

Tied on a size 8 Loop double to get down a bit deeper.

Tied on Loop doubles sizes 6 and 8 along with Silver Salar #7 and #9.

The dressing is as follows:

Thread: Red
Tag: Oval Silver
Tail: Hot Orange Buck Tail With 2 Strands Orange Krystal Flash
Butt: Hot Orange Glo-Brite #6
Body: Black Floss
Rib: Oval Silver
Under Wing: White Arctic Fox
Wing: Black Bear With 2 Strands Silver Krystal Flash
Hackle: White Badger Hackle
Jungle Cock