Little Blackhall & Inchmarlo - River Dee

I was grateful to ghillie, Martin Robson for inviting me over to fish on the delightful Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo beat of the River Dee last week. The river was dropping away nicely after a rise the day before and was it carrying a peat stain. The river was sitting at roughly 1ft 4" on the Woodend gauge so tactics for the day were my 14ft Hardy Demon, floating line and a 10ft slow sink tip. My fly of choice to begin with was a #8 Cascade.

A nice touch to the fishing hut. A map of the beat hand drawn by ghillie, Martin Robson.

I arrived at the beat about 8.30am to be greeted by Martin and his springer spaniel, Fly. We discussed the current conditions over a cup of coffee and we planned out our tactics for the day ahead. Martin suggested we start off on the upper part of the beat and fish the Otter Stone down to the Laird's Cast covering all the usual lies as we went along. I started up in the Otter Stone whilst Martin fished the Fawn.

The well equipped hut on the Inchmarlo bank.

Looking downstream from the Otter Stone.

The Otter Stone is a nice bit of water and is often a good bet to pick up a fish or two in such conditions. Martin pointed out all the recent hot spots and where fish had been holding before making his way down river. I started off as I normally do fishing a short line and lengthening it out to a full cast before working my way down the pool. There were a few fish showing further down the pool and every now and again there were splashes upstream. The fished just seemed to be bombing through with the good water and occasionally showing themselves on their way by. It was good to see decent number of fish though and there is always a chance if your fly is in the water as they pass by. Unfortunately, I didn't temp any of them to take my offerings so it was off down to the Fawn.

Looking upstream from the Fawn.

Looking upstream from the tail of Fawn.

The Fawn is a cracking part of the beat and there were decent numbers of fish showing in here as they came through the white water below. I covered the pool as best I could and concentrated on the areas where the fish seemed to be showing the most. Try as I might though, nothing took any interest in my fly but again, it was pleasing to know I was covering fish. I just needed to figure out a way of getting one to take my fly. Easier said than done sometimes though!

Looking downstream into Laird's Cast just before lunch.

As there were a good few fish moving through the beat I decide to go back up and fish down through from the Otter Stone again in the hope I might intercept one of these running fish. All down the length of the pools there were fish showing every now and then but they just weren't interested. I tried heavier flies, small flies, fast sinking tips, full floating line but nothing would slow them down and take my fly. By this time it was nearly lunch so I made my way back to the hut for a bite to eat and to catch up with Martin and find out how he was getting on.

Just about to cross over to the opposite bank in the boat with Martin.

Fishing down the Fawn from the Little Blackhall side in the afternoon.

After lunch Martin thought it would be a good idea to fish from the Little Blackhall bank and cover the areas where the fish were lying in the Otter Stone and Fawn. Just really to give them something else to think about with a fly coming past at a differnet direction and angle. There were still one or two fish splashing about in these pools and we were confident that we were covering fish with every cast. I changed tactics and opted for a Sunray Shadow fished off a 10ft fast sink tip. Despite this confidence and the change of tactics, the results were the same as the morning. The fish seemed to have other ideas and we just couldn't temp any salmon although we each had encounters with greedy brown trout.

Looking down the Roe Pot from the hut on the Inchmarlo bank.

Fishing down the famous Roe Pot from the Inchmarlo bank.

The famous Roe Pot was next up and we crossed back over to fish it from the Inchmarlo bank. The afternoon was wearing on but there were a good few fish splashing about. I thought about changing tactics but decided to stick it out with the Sunray Shadow, purely just to try and induce a take from one of these fish. I cast it out square and stripped it back at various speeds and covered most of the pool in this way. I still couldn't get a fish to take my fly. It was very frustrating but at least I knew I was covering fish as I went through the pool and it was very pleasing to see such decent numbers of fish moving through the Dee again.As was the same the previous week when I was fishing at Carlogie. Time got the better of me and I had to call it a day at 5pm as I had other things to do in the evening. Although, looking at it again now, the evening might just have been the best bet for getting a fish.

The invite from Martin to fish here much appreciated. It was good to be out fishing at Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo again as it's a beat I always enjoy fishing. It was also good to see plenty fish around too. Catching them on the day proved difficult but Martin will do his utmost to put you onto a fish and with scenery and surroundings as nice as anywhere on the Dee, it really is worth having a go here. Current prices are only £45 per day and you certainly can't argue with that for a day's salmon fishing. For detail of the beat follow the link - Little Blackhall And Inchmarlo

Little Blackhall And Inchmarlo - River Dee

I had a day's salmon fishing on the Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo beat of the River Dee last Friday thanks to ghillie Martin Robson which was gratefully appreciated. Conditions were against us with low water and a blazing hot sun high in a cloudless sky and we stuck at it all but needless to say, the going was tough and I caught nothing for my efforts. Still, it was good to be out on the beat again and it's a beat I really enjoy fishing, especially the fabulous Roe Pot which is a joy to cast a fly on even in low water conditions.

I would usually write a report on my day's fishing but as there is nothing really to report on I won't bother on this occasion. Instead I'll just share a few pictures of the beat basking in the Autumn sun.

Fishing down the Otter Stone.

Another view looking downstream in the Otter Stone.

Looking upstream from the Fawn.

Fishing the top of the Roe Pot. A lovely cast.

Looking toward the Inchmarlo Fishing Hut.

Looking downstream in the Roe Pot from the Inchmarlo fhishing hut. A stunning view looking right down the river.

Fishing the House Pool.

Looking downstream in Floating Bank.

The sun finally sets behind the trees whilst fishing the Fawn.

Little Blackhall & Inchmarlo - River Dee

I had a days fishing on the River Dee at Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo yesterday thanks to ghillie, Martin Robson. The river is currently quite low at the moment and was it sitting around 9" on the gauge. It did however, rise a few inches throughout the day and also took on a bit of colour too. Due to the low water, tactics for the day consisted of mainly small flies and Sunray Shadows. My set up for the day was my 13ft a Hardy Uniqua, a floating AFS shooting head with a 6ft Rio 1.5ips tip.
 

One of my favourite views on Deeside. Looking towards the Inchmarlo hut from the Roe Pot.

Looking downstream from outside the hut.

I arrived at the beat and was greeted by the beat's new ghillie, Martin Robson. This was the first time I had met Martin so it was good to get acquainted over a cup of coffee before fishing. Fellow rod Ken Rothwell arrived soon after and as we were the only two rods fishing we each had half the beat to fish. I was to start in the Roe Pot and Ken headed off upstream to fish the Mill and the Fawn pools. 

Fishing down the top of the Roe Pot. As you can see the sun was splitting the stones!

Further down the Roe Pot. I had two small brown trout in here which took a Sunray Shadow.

I always enjoy fishing the Roe Pot and because of the low water conditions we were experiencing Martin suggested concentrating our efforts on the upper part of the pool. Fishing it down with a conventional fly the again stripping a Sunray Shadow. This is just what I did and after a fruitless run down with a small Crathie fly and changed over to a Sunray. I had a two trout using the Sunray and both were around the 1lb mark but I couldn't temp any salmon so Martin suggested I head upstream to have a go in the Fawn before lunch.

Fishing down the Inchmarlo side of the river just before lunch.

Looking downstream from Sandy Bay and Otter Stone.

Looking upstream from the Fawn. A lovely stretch of river.

After an extended lunch in which Martin, Ken and I exchanged stories of fishing outing past and future it was back fishing the beat we were on today. By now the air temperature was around 20C and really balmy. Not ideal for salmon fishing in low water conditions but we gave it a good go regardless.

Not the ideal air temperature for low water salmon fishing during the afternoon.

Looking upstream from the Fawn before fishing Seatie's and Laird's

Looking upstream into the Fawn.

Fishing down Seaties. I did see a nice fish show in here as I worked my way down the pool but I couldn't tempt it.

The afternoon was wearing on and Martin returned to say that Ken managed to winkle out a nice 3lb sea trout from the Roe Pot. He suggested that I move down stream to have a cast in Laird's as there is often fish rest in there after pushing up through the fast water below. Again, it was fish it through with a small fly first and then back down with the Sunray. I gave it a good half hour in here covering the most likely lie in the pool but there was nothing doing.

Fishing down Laird's with a small Silver Stoat.

Away to have my second run down the pool with a Sunray Shadow this time.

Although conditions on the day were far from ideal, it was good to meet Martin for the first time. He is a very knowledgeable ghillie and tried his best to put us in the most likely spots to try and get a fish. Inchmarlo is a beat that has always been pretty kind to me in terms of catching salmon but it wasn't to be this time around.  Still, it was a pleasure to fish this fantastic beat again and I will look forward to my next visit whenever that may be.

2014 Salmon Fishing Highlights

Despite the obvious lack of salmon running many rivers in the Northern Hemisphere this year, my catches have been reasonably good considering. I had a few Spring fish which was very pleasing, not so much luck during the summer months but I finished my season off with a number of fish which I was grateful for. I did however, have to put in the hours for my fish as the blank days by far outnumber the successful ones.

One pleasing aspect about my 2014 season has been catching fish from several beats I had never fished before. These included a cracking Springer of around 8lb from the Castle Forbes beat on the River Don in April. Then I got two fresh, back end fish of 4lbs and 15lbs from the famous Ballogie beat of the River Dee in September and I fortunate enough to land two fish in October weighing 5lbs and 9lbs from the Don on my first ever visit to Semeil Farm.

Spring

The Spring for me was very good in terms of fish caught considering the Spring run was well down on previous years. I managed to catch salmon in February, March and April. Not landing a fish in May prevented the full house.

A particular highlight for me was landing my first February Springer from Carlogie on the River Dee. I had lost a good fish not long after starting on the Thursday morning and hardly had a touch, even from a kelt, until 4pm on the Saturday when I landed an 8lber from Fraser's Pool which was the perfect way to end my 3 days there for anther year.

My first February springer from the River Dee at Carlogie.

In March, I was lucky enough to get an invitation to fish the River Dee at Inchmarlo and was delighted to land this sea lice Springer of around 6lb in a very high water.

A nice sea liced springer from Little Blackhall & Inchmarlo in March

Another highlight was hosting a Salmo Proboards Forum Meet on the River Don at Castle Forbes along with my friend Bill Cook. We booked the whole beat for the day and there was 8 of us fishing which included some rods who had never fished the Don before. Despite low water, we landed 3 springers for our day which was a fantastic result. I got 1 and Bill got the other 2. We took a bit of stick as we were local lads and the ones who got the fish but we had a great couple of days. Good company, good craic and good fishing. What more could you want?

A cracking River Don springer from Castle Forbes in April during the Forum Meet.

Summer

Summer salmon fishing for me was almost none existent in terms of catches. I spent more time fishing for Brown Trout on the Don than anything else and landed a few good ones along the way. I did however, land a salmon from the River Don at Manar on the 23rd August in a high water. A coloured fish around 7lb came to the net after losing a bigger and cleaner fish just a few minutes earlier.

Summer Salmon from the River Don at Manar.

A sea liced grilse from the Don caught by my pal, Charlie Robertson in August.

A nice sea trout from Headinch and Cambus O May which got a good tune out of my Uncle's old Sharpes Aquarex reel.

A nice sea trout from the Spey taken on a small Monkey tube..

Back End

The back end of the season was very kind to me this year and I had a several good days on the river. A small clean Grilse and a cracker of 15lb from the Dee at Ballogie on the 22nd September is a particular highlight. Both taken on small Red Francis double.

A wee grilse from Ballogie in September.

A cracker of around 15lb also from Ballogie.

During October my catches seemed to come in pairs and I landed another two fish on the 11th October, again from the Dee, but this time at Inchmalo. These were both coloured fish which were estimated at 5lb and 14lb. 

A coloured Grilse from Inchmarlo in October.

14lb hen Salmon from Inchmarlo also during October.

A few days later, I was out for an hour or so after work on the 16th and was lucky enough to land a nice, clean fish of around 5lbs from Lower Fintray. My first salmon off the ADAA water this season. Better late than never I suppose.

A bright October Grilse from the Don at Lower Fintray.

Later in the month, I booked a last minute outing on the Upper Don at Semeil Farm and was rewarded with two fish which were roughly 5lb and 9lb respectively. It was my first time on the beat and I really enjoyed it.

A coloured fish about 5lb from Semeil.

My second fish from Semeil. A heavily coloured hen of around 9lb.

My friend, Bill Cook's 13lb Salmon from the Don at Kemnay.

I am just in the process of booking up my fishing for the Spring and I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully it will be a better year for the Salmon this time round and we see decent runs through-out the season.Whatever happens, I'll be out on the river in the search of Silver!.

Roll on 2015!

Little Blackhall & Inchmarlo - River Dee

On Friday, I was delighted to accept a last minute invite from ghillie, Terry Paton to fish the Inchmarlo beat of the River Dee near Banchory on Saturday. With the water a good height and sitting around 2ft 2in on the Woodend gauge, Terry was confident that there was a great chance of getting a fish or two. We discussed tactics for the day over a cup of coffee in the hut and decided that getting down in front of the fish using sinking lines and tubes would be our best bet. I tackled up with my 14' 9" Guideline rod and my intermediate Scott MacKenzie shooting head. I attached a 6ft 5.6ips tip and to that, a Red Francis before changing to a pink Franc N Snaelda not long after starting.

The fishing hut on the Inchmarlo bank.

Terry suggest giving the top part of the beat a quick run through before concentrating on the area opposite the gauge on the Little Blackhall side slightly further downstream which I did without getting an offer so I changed fly over to a pink Franc N Snaelda to fish the next pool.

Ice House. The upper most pool on the Inchmarlo beat.

I moved on down to the next pools which were Holly Bush and Sandy Bay. These were where Terry had suggested I concentrate my efforts as they were at a good height and would give a good chance of getting a fish. I fished the first 20 yards or so without an offer but there was a few fish showing about mid stream just off a likely looking lie. Terry advised to cast as long a line as possible just to allow the fly to get down deeper as it came into the lie, which I did. As my fly swung round I began to fish it sink and draw and just as it past the lie, I had a thumping take. I lifted into, what was, a very strong and lively fish. After a few minutes and some acrobatics, I managed to beach a small cock fish which weighed roughly 5lbs. After a quick photo it was released to carry on his journey to the spawning grounds. I checked my fly and recast over the same lie as where I picked up the grilse minutes earlier. I must have only had 2 or 3 casts when I had another solid take. I lifted into a much strong fish this time and it felt a good bit heavier than the last one. It made several cracking runs off the reel and just when I thought I had it under control, it threw the hook. It felt like a good fish and I was disappointed to lose it, especially after keeping in good contact with it whilst it motored up and down the pool. Still, at least I knew my set up was doing the trick, so I dusted myself down and carried on through the pool but apart from a small brown trout, I didn't get another offer.

Holly Bush. Just expecting a pull on every cast at this height.

Sandy Bay. I got the fish (pictured below) in here and lost another. Excellent bit of water.

A cock fish around 5lbs taken on a pink Franc N Snaelda fished deep.

The next pool down was the Floating Bank. Terry also thought this would give a good chance of a fish but i fished through the pool without a touch and headed off back to the hut for some lunch.

Floating bank. Another lovely pool at this height of water.

After an extended lunch, I headed down to fish the famous Roe Pot pool and Terry went to fish the upper part. Terry said to start 50 yards or so above the wall as the top part of the pool was a bit heavy at this height. We'd seen a few fish show in here throughout the day so we knew they were there and confidence was high after a decent morning in the upper part of the beat.

The Roe Pot. I started in here after lunch. A good few fish about in here during the day.

A small Sea Trout which took a liking to the pink Franc N Snaelda too.

About 10 minutes after starting, as I was just below the wall, I had a very subtle take just off a boil about 20 yards or so out. I lifted into, what was a small fish which turned out to be a sea trout about 1lb. I quickly released it and cast over the same lie again. My fly was swinging round nicely when I had a cracking take. I lifted into a hefty fish which took off downstream like a steam train. It made some long, powerful runs and thrashed about on the surface a few times before it calmed down. I thought I had it beat and began to draw it into a gap in the bank but she had other ideas and was off on another long run down river. I followed her down this time and after a few more minutes, I manged to get in the water and tail the fish about 100 yards below where I hook it! I  removed the hook and quickly took a photo of the fish which I to be around the 14lb mark before slipping it back into the Dee. She swam off strongly and off to do the business on the redds in these next few weeks. The pink Franc N Snaelda was certainly doing the trick today.

The Roe Pot just above the wall which you can see on the left of the picture.

A hen fish about 14lb which also took the pink Franc N Snaelda.

Looking upstream in the Roe Pot. Very enjoyable pool to fish.

I fished on down through the rest of the Roe Pot without an offer but I did see a few fishing showing. It was around 4.30 by this time so I headed off back upstream to see how Terry had got on. Whilst standing chatting, head had a swirl at his Monkey fly as he pulled it across the pool which was encouraging so I went off up to the Holly Bush to give it another run through along with Sandy Bay. I had been fishing for 20 minutes or so when I saw Terry was into fish down in the Floating Bank. I wound in and grabbed my net out my car and headed off to help him out. After a few minutes I slid the net under a lively fish around 7lb which took a big, heavy Red Francis conehead. It was swiftly photographed and returned so I headed off back up to fish again.

Terry with his first fish which was around 7lb. Taken on a Red Francis tube.

I was not long back up to Sandy Bay when I noticed Terry was bent into another fish. I reeled in again and went down to assist. A short while later I netted his second fish in quick succession. This time a cleaner looking hen fish about 5lbs.

Terry's second fish of the afternoon. Also taken on the Red Francis.

That was to be the last action of the day but what a day! 4 Salmon, 2 sea trout and a lost fish with a few other offers and pulls in between. It's not often I am in the right place at the right time so I was very grateful to Terry for the last minute invite over to fish. A memorable final day on the Dee for 2014 which has been a season many won't be sorry to see the back of. I can't complain as I've done pretty well considering but roll on 2015. Fingers crossed it's a better one.