Flies For The Spring

It's that time of year again when my attention turns to re-stocking the tube fly boxes in preparation for the early spring fishing. I would mostly use tube flies of various sizes and weights depending on conditions but occasionally I'd give an Akroyd tied on a large single hook a swim.

I tend to keep the number of patterns I carry to a minimum just to reduce the temptation to chop and change flies all the time through out the day. Here are a selection of my go to patterns which see most action.

An old Dee favourite - The Akroyd

Gold Willie Gunns and Black & Yellows. You won't go far wrong with these in the Spring months.

Park Shrimp. All the colours associated with spring fishing. Deadly wee fly.

Maggie's Shrimp. Probably my favourite fly to use in the Spring.

Black & Chartreuse and Willie Gunn Franc N Snaeldas.

Drowned Mouse. This is a new addition to my box for next year but by no means a new pattern.

Gearing Up For The New Season

Unusually, I have already had day's fishing this year which was on the River Tay. The Tay opened on the 15th January and it was great to get the cobwebs dusted off and back into a casting rhythm in good time for my local rivers, the Dee and the Don opening on the 1st and 11th of February respectively.

Like most close seasons, I spend the time tying flies and sorting out my kit. One difference this year is I have a new rod to play with. I purchased a 15ft Scott Mackenzie DTX Shooting Head rod and I must say that I am very impressed with it. It cast like a dream on the Tay and coupled with Scott's own Intermediate line, it flew out. I think I will enjoy using it!

My new 15ft Scott Mackenzie DTX Shooting Head rod. A dream to cast.

I also got myself some new running line and I opted for the Rio Gripshooter. I bought the 50lb breaking strain stuff and it comes in a bright yellow and orange colour. This was also very impressive and added several extra yards to my casting which will hopefully make the difference between catching a salmon and blanking.

The Rio Grip Shooter shooting line.

The patterns in my fly box have pretty much remained the same as last year with Franc N Snaeldas, Willie Gunns, Maggie's Shrimps and Park Shrimps dominating with a few other patterns including Ian Gordon's Swallow, Black and Yellows and Monkey Fly taking up the space left in my boxes.

Ian Gordon's Swallow Fly. A cracking fly for peaty water.

Several variations of Sean Stanton's Franc N Snaelda.

Calvin's Shrimp, Maggie's Shrimp and Park Shrimp. Invented by Ross MacDonald, these flies are a must for every fly box.

The Potarch Bridge at Ballogie where the Opening Ceremony will take place.

I am really looking forward to getting going again and hopefully, with a bit of luck, I shall have plenty "Bars of Silver" to show for my efforts. I shall be attending the River Dee Opening Ceremony at Ballogie again this year and will have plenty pictures and videos of the day to share so look out for them on my Blog next week.

Park Shrimp, Calvin's Shrimp and Maggie's Shrimp

I have been busy at the vice this week tying flies in preparation for the new season which starts in January 2015. Last year, I decided to limit the amount of patterns I have in my tube fly boxes to roughly 7 or 8. I have stuck to patterns I have confidence in and ones that have caught me fish before.

After the Franc N Snaelda patterns I posted last week, I've been tying up shrimp patterns this time round and theses 3 patterns are the ones I tend to stick with, not only in the early season, but during the back end too.

All 3 patterns were created by my pal Ross MacDonald and are proven catchers of Salmon. Ross has his own website called MacDonald Salmon Flies where you can purchase his flies. His distinctive style makes his flies stand out from any copies and it's certainly worth having one or two in your box.

L-R. Calvin's Shrimp, Maggie's Shrimp and Park Shrimp.

Park Shrimp. Named after the famous salmon beat on the River Dee here in Scotland. This is probably one of the most successful flies in recent times and there can't be many fly boxes where this pattern doesn't feature.

Calvin's Shrimp. Another cracking pattern and does well all year round but it excels in the later months of the season.

Maggie's Shrimp. My favourite of the three but that will change with which ever one catches me my next fish!

Upper Drum And Lower Durris - River Dee

I was kindly invited to fish at the Upper Drum & Lower Durris beat of the River Dee by River Dee board member Dave MacDonald and the Cordery party who take the fishing for the week. The beat was still to record their first fish of the season but I had never fished it before and was looking forward to it. When I arrived the gauge was reading 2ft 3in but was dropping quickly from a rise earlier in the week brought on by snow melt.

After the introductions to the party and ghillie, Jim Paton, we discussed which tactics would be the best for the day. I opted for my Scott Mackenzie float/intermediate shooting head, a 10ft fast sink tip and a 1" copper Maggie's Shrimp. We headed off to the top of the beat on the Lower Durris side to fish the Bridge pool and Keith's Pot. I started above Park bridge and worked my way down the the bottom of Keith's Pot. Dave started just below the bridge and fished the same pool. Apart from Dave seeing a fish show just opposite the gauging station, we didn't see or touch anything else in the morning.

At lunch, we all tucked into a cracking spread laid on by the Cordery party and after and hour or so of the usual fishing hut discussions, we headed off to fish our beats for the afternoon. Dave and I were to fish the Upper Drum side in a pool called the Kirks. As it was slightly quicker than Keith's Pot, I changed to a 10ft super fast sink tip and put on an 1 1/4" Swallow tied on a copper tube. The Kirks was a lovely pool to swing a fly in and was a pool which was good for holding spring fish. Unfortunately, nothing doing for us this time so Dave showed me the rest of the pools on the beat  where the water was just a bit too high for us. As the water had dropped several inches through out the day, Dave thought it would be a good idea to go up and have a crack in the Otter pool just before it got dark so we said our goodbyes to the party and headed off upstream. Dave pointed out the likely spots and where the fish run but we didn't see or touch anything so we called it a day around 7pm.

The Cordery party made me feel really welcome and I was grateful for them to ask me along to fish. It was also good to be fishing with Dave MacDonald again. The wait goes on for the beat's first fish of the season but I enjoyed being out, especially as I had never fished there before. Some of the pools look great and it would be good to see them later on in the season when there are plenty fish in the river. I'm sure they will have their first fish in the book soon enough.

Here are some pictures from my day.

Bridge Pool. I had only ever fished this pool from the Park bank before yesterday.

Keith's Pot. A cracking holding pool which produces fish all year round.

Looking upstream toward Park Bridge midway down Keith's Pot.

Kirks Pool. Another good holding pool which fishes the fly very well.

The tail of the Kirks looking downstream towards the Middle Drum and Tilbouries beats.

The well equipped fishing hut on the Lower Durris side.

Looking downstream from the hut into the Boat Pool.

Having a go in the Otter Pool at dusk.

Looking upstream in the Otter Pool.

3 Days On The Dee At Carlogie

I had my usual 3 days at Carlogie this week starting on Thursday. Heavy rain overnight on the Wednesday caused the river to rise rapidly and it peaked about 7ft on the Potarch gauge when I left at 4pm. Not much fishing took place but I did manage a kelt not long after 9am from the Village Pool just before the river shot up. It was 2ft 6in when we arrived.

Friday saw the river drop a couple of feet and it was carrying a nice peaty colour to it. It was only the Village Pool that was fishable but around 10am I hooked a good fish just below the wires crossing the pool. Sean the ghillie was on hand as I played the fish but after 4 or 5 minutes it threw the hook. It was agreed that it was a springer I had lost but at least it was still early and there was plenty time for another one. Well, it was not to be as it turned out to be only offer for the day. There was however, a cracking 18lber caught by Craig MacDonald, who is the seasonal ghillie at Headinch and Cambus O' May. It put up an unbelievable fight and after 20 minutes or so, Sean duly netted the fish for him. Craig's father David lost a good fish at the tail of the Village pool shortly before Craig landed his fish which was a pity. Dusk seemed to turn the fish on and several kelts were also landed just before the light went.

Saturday was a strange day. The Potarch gauge was reading 3ft 3in which made a few more pools fishable for us so we were confident we would get a fish or two. Apart from a very brief flurry of fish showing first thing in the morning, there was very little activity through out the day on any of the pools. I started off in Pitslug and then went on to fish Rossicks. There was a few fish showing in Pitslug near the neck but the wind was howling downstream which made casting rather tricky, especially in Rossicks due to the lack of back cast as trees line banks. I didn't get a touch all morning so I headed off back down to the Boat and Village pools to fish them after a bite to eat. Sean suggested I try fishing higher up in the water as the pools had been fished with sinking lines all morning so I rigged up my Mackenzie Float/Intermediate. I fished down through the Boat and Villages pools without a touch so headed off down to Fraser's Pool. I thought a change of fly might help and I decided to give the Maggie's Shrimp a swim. It is quite a fast bit of water and is not really safe to wade with anymore than 3ft 2in on the gauge but as the water had now dropped to 3ft 1in and it was well worth fishing. I fished the top part of the pool without success but there was a good fish showed just down from where I stood and only a short cast away. I quickly reeled in some line and cast to where the fish showed. Just as my fly swung round the lie, the fish took first time of asking! Anyone who has fished Fraser's pool will know it's not the easiest place to land a fish in high water with the trees and high banks so I called Sean for some help. Meanwhile upstream, Craig had noticed I was into a fish from the Village pool and he arrived, shortly followed by Sean, just in time to net the fish for me. I caught the fish about 3.30pm and decided that would be a good way to end my 3 days at Carlogie.

Here are some pictures from my trip.

The gauge as I left on Thursday at 4pm. Up from 2ft 6in at 9am!

Looking upstream in the Boat Pool on Friday.

Looking downstream into the Village Pool. The lad on the far bank landed a nice 6lber not long after I took this photo.

Craig MacDonald shows off his cracking 18lber caught from the Village Pool on Friday.

Pitslug Pool on Saturday morning. A few fish showed in here first thing.

Looking upstream towards the Long Haugh from Pitslug.

Looking upstream in the Rossicks Pool.

Looking downstream into the Mill Pool.

The old mill at Dess. I have taken quite a few pictures of this building in the past.

Fishing down the Boat Pool on Saturday afternoon.

The stick on the bank was the height of the river on Thursday night. This photo was taken on Saturday afternoon. The water had dropped about 4ft since then.

Fishing down Fraser's Pool where I got my fish.

Perseverance paid off in the end. Well worth waiting for.

Returning my fish back to the Dee. Thanks for the memories.

The Fly: Maggie's Shrimp created by Ross MacDonald and tied by Sean McGarry.