Carlogie has to be one of my favourite places to fish on the whole of the River Dee and I was delighted to accept an offer to fish there for two days from well known Dee regulars and all round good guys, Dr Ade Warburton and Dr Patrick Taylor.
For several weeks prior to fishing, we exchanged emails etc in anticipation of the weather forecasts predicting much needed rainfall over the Dee catchment. The weekend before we arrived heralded the first spates over Deeside since mid June and with it came all the sediment and dust etc that had built up during the summer dry spell. This made the river quite coloured from late Saturday evening but it was very welcome and this allowed fish to run from the lower river and spread through-out the main system.
Ade, Bill, Patrick and I arrived at the beat on Monday morning with the gauge at Potarch Bridge reading 1ft 7in. The water was a really dark, peaty colour but we were buoyed by the fact that it was up and we were sure it would bring fish with it too. Not long after starting Ade landed the first fish of the week. A coloured grilse about 6lbs from the Lucky Hole. Around 11am, I had a thumping take from a fresh fish in the Mill Pool. It hammered my Sunray Shadow near the tail and it spent more time airborne than in the water!!! Unfortunately, after a minute or so it was off. It threw the hook whilst in mid air and there was nothing I could have done. I moved several other fish from the same lie with the Sunray but they didn't connect. I finished the pool and made my way to the hut for lunch and just in time to see Bill return a 7lb bar of silver from the Lucky Hole taken on a Cascade. Apart from moving a couple of fish mid afternoon nothing more was landed.
The next day, after a few drams and good craic the night before, I awoke bleary eyed but raring to go at 7.45am! I was drawn to fish March, Calm, Lucky Hole, Whin Bush and Flats in the morning and then head down to the Boat and Village Pools in the afternoon. The water had dropped a good bit over night but was still carrying a bit of colour. The morning session proved fruitless for me but Ade was on the score sheet again with a nice fish from the Mill Pool. After lunch I headed off to fish the Boat and Village Pools. As the water was quite low and slow moving, I opted for the Sunray. I fished all the way down both pools without moving a fish, although I did get a small brown trout about 6oz! I have never seen these pools so quiet and compared to last year it was chalk and cheese. The long dry spells of June and July probably didn't help matters. I headed back to the hut and whilst packing up my gear, I gave Patrick one of my friend Charlie's SS Assassin Sunrays. These deadly flies have accounted for numerous fish in the last 18 months and not long after tying it on, he landed a cracking fresh sea trout from the Lucky Hole. It put up a cracking fight before being released to continue it's journey.
As the evening wore on, I said my goodbyes and I headed off home knowing that the river would be in fine fettle for the rest of their week. Hopefully I will be back to try again next year and this time get a fish or two for the book. A great couple of days in good company, what more could you ask for?
Alan's Pool. Top of the beat. I started my day here on the Monday morning.
Long Haugh. This is the next pool down from Alan's and one of my favourites.
Pitslug. Has to be one of the most picturesque pools on the beat.
Rossachs. Another one of my favourite pools on the beat.
The Mill at Dess where the next pool takes it's name.
Mill Pool. I lost a fish in here and moved several others with a Sunray Shadow.
Jock Rae. My friend Charlie's favourite pool from the Dee bank.
March Pool. A wee taster of what's to come in the Calm Pool.
Calm Pool. The pool outside the Carlogie hut.
The Carlogie Hut.
Dr Patrick Taylor with a nice wee sea trout from the Lucky Hole.
Bill's fresh run 7lber from Lucky Hole. Caught on a #9 Cascade.
Lucky Hole and Whin Bush.
Flats. This pool always seems to hold fish mostly on the Kincardine side.
Boat Pool. One of the most productive pools on the beat.
Village Pool. The rain and thunder was overhead as I took this picture
A short video of Carlogie I made last year during my fishing in February.
Well today the wind had all but disappeared and the water had dropped back to around the 1' 8" mark. After a welcome overnight frost the river temperature dropped to 41f. No excuses today as not to hook anything! I stared my day in the Boat and Village pools and in the afternoon I headed to fish the Mill pool all the way down to the Flats. Lovely area to fish. Some beautiful looking pools. The whole beat fished today so some new water for me as it's been too high in the past. The 3 days ended with no fish to report but very enjoyable none-the-less. We did see lots of fish moving through the pools so the Upper Dee, when it opens on 1st March, might have a good start to their season. Just an outstanding beat to fish in a lovely area of Deeside. Sean and Ian, as ever were very welcoming and always willing to help. I gained a lot of information regarding lies etc from them. Sean knows his beats like the back of his hand and was only too happy to share his knowledge with his fishers. I am fishing the opposite bank (Kincardine) in August so this will be very useful. Cheers guys! Will be back next year to try again. Here are some pictures from my day.
Mill Pool. Looking accross to the Lower Dess huts. Such a lovely area and the pool is not bad either! An angler landed 2 kelts here in the morning but I didn't see or touch anything here.
Looking downstream in the Mill Pool.
The Mill on the Lower Dess bank which the pool is named.
Fishing down through Jock Rae. The fish all lie on the left hand side of the fast water. Another cracking pool. I did see a few splashing in here at neck of the pool.
March Pool. Didn't see anything in here but the fish lie on the far bank in the faster water. A long cast is required to cover them but the wading is easy. You don't want to wade too far as it will disturb the fish.
The Calm Pool. Sean Stanton was telling me how a massive gravel shift during the winter has filled in a good part of this pool. The lies are shifting further over to the Kincardine bank each year. Another pool requiring a good long cast and wading out about a third over. Again, easy wading and a delight to fish.
The well equipped Carlogie hut. It has a sofa, cooker, toilet, table and chairs and the all important wood burning stove.
Lucky Hole and Whin Bush pools. There are some big stones mid river and each one is a good lie for running fish as they stop for a rest. You can see why as they have to navigate to really fast water to reach here.
The Flats and Clay Pot. Didn't really have the time or energy to have a cast in here. I covered a fair bit of water today and was shattered by the time I got here. Pity though as it looks a nice bit of water. Maybe next year if the water is low enough. Fingers crossed!
