Two Grilse From The River Don

The grilse keep on coming on the River Don and I was fortunate enough to land two last week in howling gale conditions. I hooked four salmon in the space of one crazy hour but unfortunately two of them came off. I was more than happy to land two of them though. Hopefully the fish keep on coming and we see a good back end run to bolster what has been a big improvement on the River Don this year.

A well conditioned grilse around the 5lb mark from the River Don last week.

Another fresh grilse comes to hand on the River Don. I hooked 4 in the space of an hour but only landed 2 of them.

River Don Today

I made a last minute decision to divert my commute home and have a cast on a stretch of the Aberdeen and District Angling Association's water of the River Don. It proved to be a good one as I was lucky enough to land a nice salmon around the 7lb mark and my biggest River Don sea trout which was roughly 5lb in weight.

Caught this cracker today. My biggest River Don sea trout. Estimated at around the 5lb mark. 

The River Don, despite the lack of angling effort, is fishing really well at the moment.And with the 2018 season into is final few weeks time is running out to get out there and give it a go. It's certainly not all doom and gloom as any would have you believe. Go on, give it a go. You might just be surprised!

Lower Parkhill - River Don

The salmon fishing on the River Don has went rather quiet in the last few weeks so whilst I was out on Saturday catching nothing but the sun, I thought I'd take some pictures of the pools on the Lower Parkhill beat.

A map of Lower Parkhill which is issued to every member and visiting angler.

The beat starts at the Parkhill Bridge from both banks and extends for just over a mile on the North bank and a mile and a half on the South bank. It's owned and run by the Aberdeen & District Angling Association and is probably one of the most productive beats on the river providing members and visiting anglers alike with some of the best fishing the River Don has to offer.

A comprehensive guide to the fishings compiled by local expert angler, John Fyfe can be found on the A.D.A.A website by clicking here >>>>> Lower Parkhill Beat Summary. He takes you on a journey from the top of the beat to the bottom and his knowledge of the beat is a fantastic reference point for any angler planning on fishing this beat. Visitor permits are available all season (15th February - 31st October) to anyone outwith a 25 mile radius of Aberdeen City and offer fantastic value whether fishing for salmon or trout. Information can be found by clicking here >>>>> Visitor Permits

I took these pictures on Saturday and show the beat in low water conditions. The water height on the day was 7" on the SEPA gauge at Parkhill Bridge.

Bridge Pool

House Pool

Dooker

Mausoleum

Pipe Bridge

Long Pool

Ary Burn

Carlin Pot

Dun Cow

Otter Stone

Fresh 14lb Salmon From The Don Today

My Dad was out for a couple of hours this afternoon and timed it to perfection as he landed this beauty of about 14lbs. No sea-lice present but this Hen Salmon could not have been in the river long. He also lost a good fish which he didn't see after playing it for 5 minutes or so he and missed another take too. This was all in the space of 30 minutes so a run must have been moving through the pool. He was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Not bad for a few hours on the river. Has the Autumn run started to appear? Let's hope so!

A quick photo before being released. A cracking fresh fish from the Lower Don.

Grey Seal On The River Don @ Lower Parkhill

Had a day off work today and thought it would be a good idea to get on my bike and go for a cycle. I headed off from my house and made my way to the Parkhill road bridge crossing the River Don at Dyce. I cycled down to the pool called The Dooker.

I noticed a big wake moving upstream. I first though it was an otter or mink but when it bobbed it's head out of the water it was a Grey Seal. This part of the river must be about 7 miles from the sea and for a seal to get up this far in low water, over some of the big weirs at Cruives and Grandholm etc is good going. There can't be much fish hanging around the mouth since it came this far up-river to find food.

Here is a couple of short clips of the seal making it's way upstream and a picture. Not the best quality as I was sitting on my bike at the time. Hopefully you can make it out as I thought it would be interesting to see.

Not the best picture but you can hopefully see the Grey Seal's head bobbed up in the water.