My Salmon Fishing Highlights 2018

2018 proved to be another difficult year for the Atlantic Salmon. Catches were sporadic on most rivers up and down the country with runs of fish only really appearing when the river catchments got got some much needed rain. Unfortunately, the rivers I fish, like everywhere else really, were devoid of water for most of the season due to the driest summer for many years. Despite the testing conditions I fared not to badly considering and I finished up with a very reasonable total for my time spent on the rivers.

My fresh run November salmon from the River Tweed.

Angling effort from a personal point of view was less than in previous years but the times I did venture out I was lucky enough to catch fish more often than not. There were also a couple of firsts for me this season when I was lucky enough to catch my first salmon on the North Esk and River Tweed. The Tweed fish being a particular highlight as it tipped the scales at 20lb.
Another fish etched in my memory this year was my dad's first salmon for two years from the River Don. By no means the biggest or cleanest fish in the river but a more welcome one you would struggle to beat. I'm not sure who was more thrilled to see it come to hand either! Especially after he lost one only 3 casts before.

My dad about to release his first Don salmon for 2 years.

I shall begin at the start of the season and work my way through and give an account of each particular fish and why it has made the highlight reel.

Bill Cook into a kelt on the Tay back in January. One of my favourite photos I have ever taken.

The first outing of the season is always one we look forward to and despite our chance being very slim, it's great to meet up with fishing pals again after a long winter. Lower Kinnard is a lovely beat and it is good to be able to break out the big rods and heavy lines again and blast off the cobwebs in good company.

Joe Sinclair with a 19lber from Park in early February.

Opening Day on the River Dee is a special occasion in the angling calendar and I am fortunate enough to have the first few days on fantastic Park North beat which is located on the lower part of the river. We have manged to land a few fish these past couple of seasons for our day but nothing like the fish above that Joe Sinclair landed. A specimen of an early springer which tipped the scales at 19lb. Hopefully there will be a repeat next season for us.

The first salmon of the season ready to be returned. 

The first salon of the season is always a special one and this one was no different. Caught from the River Dee in March in a big water, this fish put up a memorable fight and I had to call Ian Fraser the ghillie away from his lunch to help me land it! It weighed in the net at 13lb of solid muscle and it put those muscles to good use as it about ripped the rod from my hand when it hammered a chartreuse Monkey in the Pitslug Pool, Carlogie.

Meeting up with good friends on the River Spey at Tulchan in April.

A day that is always a highlight in my salmon fishing calendar is when a group of us all head North to fish the River Spey at Tulchan C Beat in April. A rapidly rising river put paid to any chance of a salmon this year but despite the lack of action this is always a great day and this year was no different. We are looking forward to going back again in 2019.

Fishing the River Dee at Balmoral in June. I was so delighted to be there I even took a selfie!

Again, another day where the fish were playing hard to get but fishing the Dee at Balmoral Estate in June is right up there with my highlights of 2018. I did mange to hook a fish but sadly, it spat the hook but it was great to have been fortunate enough to fish on such hallowed water.

An 11lber taken on a Hitch tube from Commonty in June.

A fish that sticks in my mind from this year is a fresh 11lber from Commonty back in June. The water was dead low but I managed to tempt this one with a Hitch tube. I had previous rose a few fish using a fast stripped Sunray and decided to changed things and see if I could hook one. A few casts later, this one inhaled my fly and took off like a steam train!

Not the biggest fish but a welcome reward for perseverance. 

In early July I had day on the River Dee at Carlogie. The river was on it's bones and the day time temperatures were in the high 20s most days. I decided to head over to Deeside and fish for the sea trout instead. After starting around midnight, I hadn't even had a sniff of a fish so I headed back to my car for a few hours sleep. I awoke around 4am and changed tactics to try and catch a salmon. I was fishing the Mill Pool when an old fish jumped out the water in the fast rush in the neck. I thought there may be a fresh fish stirring them up so I waded out and flicked a tiny Executioner of where the fish rose. First cast and a fresh grilse grabbed my fly. It was fresh as paint. A welcome reward for perseverance and staying up all night.

Fishing the North Esk for the first time.

Another highlight with doesn't involve catching anything was fishing the North Esk for the first time. I was invited down by Alan Mowat and I was warned about catching "Loups Disease" as you can see the fish and you get so obsessed by trying to get a reaction from them it has been given it's own name! Well, I caught "Loups Disease" full on!! It was such an exciting way to fish but at the same time equally frustrating.

The first salmon of the trip on Monday morning.

A fish caught in a torrential downpour in the Lucky Hole.

Ade Warburton with a nice fish from Alan's Pool.

A quick photo before sending it on it's way.

Sunray Shadow strikes again!

Philip Black about to return another salmon.

Probably my most memorable time of the season came at the end of July. I take a few days at Carlogie with good pals, Ade Warburton and Philip Black and for the last few years, Philip and I have been unlucky with the river conditions with the rods at the tail of the week getting a lift in water in time for their fishing. This year was different and we had a timely lift on the Sunday before we arrived. The river was up to 1ft 2in on the gauge from zero. This lift in water had the desired effect and on day one we landed 8 and 2 sea trout. Carlogie was the top beat in Scotland that day. The following day, we had similar score again with the fish continuing to come to the fly as the water dropped away. I have listed quite a few photos above as there were too many good fish not to include!

A fresh grilse from the Dee in "hopeless" conditions.

I enjoy fishing whenever I get the chance, even if the conditions are against me. I landed the fish above whilst grabbing a few hours fishing one afternoon in July when the sun was baking hot in a cloudless sky and the river was as low as it had been all year. It took me completely by surprise when it hit my fly but it was proof that you have to be in it to win it even when things don't seems to be in your favour.

A change in tactics proved decisive.

Certainly not the biggest I caught this season but another fish that was caught when things looked against us. This wee grilse was taken on the Lower Crathes beat of the River Dee in August and after flogging the water all morning without a touch ghille, Jordie Sinclair suggested trying a bigger fly like a Red Frances tube. I didn't need a second invitation as the Red Frances is one of my favourite flies and within 3 casts of changing tactics the fish took.

A salmon from the South Esk.

My second salmon of the day from the same pool.

I had a day on the South Esk with Bill Cook and Kenny Carr in late September and it was great to fish the river again after I hadn't cast a line on there for a few years. Bill and Kenny gave me the honour of having first cast in the Sawmill Dam pool and it wasn't long before I managed to land a salmon. Conditions were difficult to say the least but in the afternoon I was fortunate enough to tempt another fish from the same pool with this one being a particular highlight as Bill cook witnessed the fish coming out it's lie and grabbing my fly as he stood on the high bank above the pool.

Not the biggest or prettiest but my first ever salmon from the North Esk.

I was back on the North Esk in late September with my dad and Alan Mowat along with Davie Munro who was writing an article for Chasing Silver magazine. The water was low and clear but there were a few fish around. I hadn't had any luck and just at last knockings I decided to give the spinner a go and I looked on as this wee grilse came from nowhere and hammered my lure as it swung round past it's lie. It was ably tailed by my dad and quickly returned.

A salmon from the River Don.

A cracking 5lb sea trout from the Don.

I had a bit of flexi time to use at work so I decided to head out early and have a cast on the River Don before work. This proved to be a good decision as I was fortunate enough to land a nice 9lb salmon and a beauty of a sea trout estimated at 5lb all before 7.30am! Then I had to get back to reality and head into the office for some proper work!

My dad hasn't really done that much fishing in the past few years due to dog commitments but I try to encourage him to head out whenever I am going to the Don for a cast. Towards the end of October, my dad still hadn't broken his duck so I convinced him to join me on the Don as there were a few fish around. He is not one for fishing the fly for salmon too often but when I tied on a deadly wee Red Ally's for him I had high hopes he would see some action. Sure enough, with only a few minutes of starting he lifted into a strong fish. It pulled him about the pool for a it but he had it under control and just as he was looking to draw it over to me, the hook pulled and the fish was off! I think I was more gutted that he was as he had a quick look of the fly and waded out int o the pool again. Within only a couple of casts he lifted into another fish. This time there was no bad luck and I tailed a small, coloured grilse around the 4lb mark. I was delighted to see him break his duck and even more so on the fly when he may not have even gave that method a try had he been on his own. Hopefully his next one won't take quite as long to land!

My first ever River Tweed salmon! Not a bad way to start.

A better photo of the same fish as it is ready for returning.

 In mid November, I received a last minute invite to fish the River Tweed. The Tweed is a long way from where I live and I resisted at first but it didn't really take much persuasion to decide to bite the bullet and go. I booked the day off work and set off from Kelso at 4.30am on a Monday morning. I was accompanied by Philip Black and John Fyfe and conditions were tough to say the least. Strong winds and lack of salmon were quickly turning my thoughts elsewhere but I never give in early unless I have to and I'm glad I stuck it out as late in the afternoon; just after I changed over to a big Willie Gunn tube, my line started tearing off my reel and I lifted into what felt like a very good fish. It was not keen to show itself and it kept diving deep and using the depth of the pool and the current to it's advantage. I held on tight whilst all the while praying it stayed on. After a dogged battle which lasted 20 minutes or so, the ghille slid the net under the fish and we caught a glimpse of it for the first time. It was fresh as paint. After a quick weigh and photograph the fish was sent on it's way again. What a way to open my account on the River Tweed with a fresh fish of 20lb! Will be a struggle to better that I would imagine but it it certainly made the long drive worthwhile. It's also drive I'll have no hesitation in making again in future.

Philip Black with his Malloch Trophy winning salmon.

This highlight only snuck in after it was revealed last week that my pal Philip Black was awarded the Malloch Trophy for this stunning springer he caught form the River Teith back in March. Incidentally, this was landed 10 minutes after I opened my account for the season at Carlogie. This brute of a fish was estimated to be in the region of 28lb. What makes this a particular highlight for me? It was caught on a fly I had tied! I tie quite a few flies for Philip and it's great to see them getting him plenty fish. This salmon was taken on a Monkey type fly with a blue, yellow and silver colour combo. It was obviously too good to turn down for this specimen of a fish!


The New Year is almost upon us and my fishing journey will begin again soon. On the 19th January to be precise. I'm hoping it is another successful year for me personally and that the salmon runs will begin to return to what we know they should be. I have some exciting fishing planned and I will continue to update my Blog throughout the season to document my year for anyone who is interested.

I hope to see some of you on the river banks somewhere in 2019. Tight Lines!

North Esk Grilse

I had a day on the North Esk last week with my Dad fishing on the The Burn fishings courtesy of Alan Mowat. After trying all day to catch one of the several fish we could see in the pools, it was great to finally fool one into taking. My first salmon from the river North Esk. The coloured grilse (pictured below) was around the 4lb mark and was neither the biggest, nor the freshest fish in the pool but it was certainly a very welcome one!

My first North Esk Salmon. A small grilse around the 4lb mark from the Coffin Pool at The Burn.

Big thank you to Alan Mowat for organising the day for us and for providing breakfast too. Was also good to finally meet Davie Munro who I have been friend with on Twitter for years but just never met on the river until now. Look out for the next edition of Chasing Silver Magazine for an article by Davie Munro where he will be featuring his days fishing on the North Esk. 

The Burn - North Esk

Last week I had an evening's fishing on the Burn water of the River North Esk in the company of Alan Mowat. Alan is an old friend from my days on the Salmon Fishing Forums and I've known him now for a few years now. We have fished together numerous times at various outings etc but never on his local river. We had discussed doing this for a number of years and we finally got round to it last week.

 Fishing on the North Esk last week.

The beat is located slap bang in the middle of a deep gorge not far from the village of Edzell. I have visited this location plenty times just to watch the salmon from the high banks as they make their way up river to negotiate "The Loups" which is a water fall situated mid way along the beat. From the Loups, the North Esk then flows through the narrow gorge before widening out further down stream on it's way to finally emptying near Montrose. Having the agility of a mountain goat is essential for this beat as the fishing is not for the faint hearted in places! Staring into a deep gorge from high above takes a bit of getting accustomed to.

Looking down the river from high above the water. Such a cracking vantage point for fish spotting.

Looking upstream to where the river enters the narrow gorge section of the beat.

Looking downstream from the same spot.

On arrival to the beat, the water levels were sitting at around -3 on the Edzell gauge. Not really ideal but it proved to make the fishing all that more exciting which I'll go into later. Alan pointed out that we finally had some cloud cover and rain over the hills but the clouds were almost "pressing down" on the hill tops which Alan said puts the fish off the take. I took his word for it and we set off down the gorge to walk the beat prior to starting.

Looking downstream as I was about to begin fishing for the evening.

Alan and I walked the length of the gorge and he pointed out the various pools and lies as we went. We could see a few fishing milling about in some pools but they were easily seen due to the white fungal growths on them. Thankfully, this fungal growth hasn't been as bad as it had in previous years but it still seemed to be effecting one or two fish. Having said that, there were also a few fresher looking fish hanging around which was encouraging. Alan suggested starting at the top part of the beat and working my way down covering the hot spots as I went and that's what we did.

A fresh looking grilse which for whatever reason has died.

Trying to make a stealthy approach as I fished down a small pool above the falls.

The names of all the pools on the beat escape me but the first pool I fished was not far above the Loups. At this current height, the pool was no more than a few cast as the fish are easily spooked. I covered the water as best I could with my 12ft 6in LTS Explosive and full floating line. The wee size 15 Executioner was my fly of choice to begin with. I didn't get an offer in here so me moved on to the next pool down which was a below the falls.

Looking upstream from the falls. Still fish moving upstream despite the river levels. 

This pool looked the part in the current water conditions and we could see one or two fish lurking in the deep rocky ledges taking shelter in the low water. Covering them effectively was proving to be difficult but I tried several methods but nothing would get even a slight reaction for either fish.

Covering a few fish from high above the pool. It really is fascinating to see their reaction to the fly or usually, lack of it!

Spot the salmon?

You can see the fish but my fly was covering a couple of double figure salmon here. No luck with them though.

Alan and I covered the rest of the pools on the beat without a touch but I was intrigued with being able to fish high above the salmon and to gauge their reaction as the fly fluttered by them. Alan soon let me know that was was commonly know as "Loups Disease" and I had it bad! I covered the fish with almost every fly in my box without so much as a sniff. The fish seemed to flash their flanks at them as the swam past as if to try and scare them off. Some fish even looked as though they were slashing their tails at the flies. It was amazing to see and the time seemed to fly in.

Looking downstream from the high vantage point on the gorge. We stood watching several fresh looking fish enter the pool here.

Same pool but closer to the tail. 

The next pool down. Really can't think of their names unfortunately!

The arrival of a few fresh looking grilse seemed to stir up the residents in the pool and we could clearly observe the fish entering the tail of the pool. The residents began to get a bit move agitated and we thought this might have made one attack my fly out of frustration.

Looking upstream in the pool where I contracted "Loups Disease".

There is a video on YouTube were some Icelandic anglers had an underwater camera in a pool and they watched the reaction of fish to their flies as the attempted to catch them. This was much and much the same just without their success! However, the Icelandic anglers switched to a Red Frances and it worked almost immediately. I did the same and cast out a small 1/2" tube which sunk deeper than my dressed doubles did previously. My fly entered the lie where the salmon were holed up and one fresh grilse came up and grabbed the fly. I never felt a thing but could see it all unfold in front of my eyes. I lifted the rod in an attempt to hook the fish but it let go no sooner than it took it. Almost with that, my chance had gone.

Looking down to the tail as we watched a few grilse enter the pool.

Alan had a go after me efforts and he also had a fish grab his lure. Again, it didn't stick but unlike me, Alan has managed to cure his "Loups Disease" and showed a bit more resilience than me and gave up soon after. I couldn't do that. It was just so fascinating to see the fish and their reactions to a fly.

Looking upstream round the back of the high gorge which towers over the pool.

Despite knowing the fish weren't in the mood, I carried on for at least another hour fishing over the same fish as "Loups Disease" had me firmly in it's grasp. Although one or two did seem to be aware of my fly's presence, most of the fish never moved a muscle. It really makes you wonder just how many times a fish will move to a fly, lure or bait but not actually take it. Must be hundreds.

Another picture of the fish still sitting ion the same spot.

At 9.00pm I finally gave in and we called it a day. We walked back to the cars and I was honestly like an excited little school kid who was allowed into the sweet shop. It was such a thrill fishing in this way and I would love to do it again with just a bit more water on the gauge. That might just make all the difference in turning those stubborn residents into aggressive tackers. Hopefully it won't be too long until I get me next "fix".

Morphie - North Esk

My last outing of the 2017 salmon fishing season was on the famous Morphie beat of the North Esk. A bonus day off work due to the rescheduling of a meeting left me with a free to date go fishing. After a quick look around FishPal I stumbled across availability for Morphie. Not many salmon anglers in the UK haven't heard of the Morphie beat. It has been on my bucket list for years and as I had never even fished the Northie before, when the chance arose to take a day on it's hallowed pools, it was far too good an opportunity to miss.

I arrived at the beat and was met by my pal Colin who was going to be fishing with me for the day. The gauge was reading 1ft 2in and was running clear. Colin had some success the previous week at Morphie and he advised that tactics for the day would be to get the flies fishing deep. I opted to fish with my Guideline H/I/S1 shooting head for the morning. My fly of choice was a small black and yellow treble.

Fishing down the pool I think was called Elephant Rock or something along that lines.

A nice finnock (young sea trout) which hammered a #9 Tilbouries Shrimp.

We were drawn to fish the lower half of the beat in he morning from the left bank. Colin took us down to the parking area and rowed us over in the boat. After about a dozen casts with my chosen line I realised it was too heavy for the slower moving pools. Fishing it effectively proved to be challenging to say the least. Regardless of my line trouble, it was great to be able to say that I have fished the beat now and with the presence of plenty fish in the pools, I always felt there was a chance of something taking my fly. I fished down through all my allocated pools with only a small finnock about 1.5lb  to show for my efforts. Colin did however, manage to land a lovely fresh fish around the 5lb mark and he also lost another which was encouraging.

Looking upstream from below the Elephant Rock???

Looking across to the Morphie hut near to where I hooked my fish.

After lunch I decided to change lines and put on a Rio hover shooting head. This was ideal and I immediately felt much happier that it was fishing just as I wanted it to. In fact, it fished perfectly and almost immediately after lunch I had a good pull from a fish just below the dam from the left bank. It didn't stick unfortunately but it was a real boost that the new tactics were working, especially after struggling so badly during the morning session.

Looking upstream toward the breach in Morphie Dyke.

Looking upstream to the part of the pool where I had a good offer just after lunch. Sadly, it didn't stick.

I carried on down the pool with a renewed confidence and when I was just opposite the hut I had a good take from a fish. I firmly lifted into what felt like a decent salmon. I got the fish onto the reel and began to play the fish. Sadly, no sooner had it taken my fly, it threw the hook and was gone. This was a big disappointment but there were plenty more fish about and I had only fished the top 50 yards of the beat.

Looking upstream towards the Dyke from a bit further down the pool.

Looking downstream in the pool where I hooked my fish.

Looking upstream from the Pots toward the Morphie hut.

Unfortunately, this was to be the last chance I would get during my day at Morphie but there were 3 landed for the day, 2 of which were fresh which was a decent result. Just to fish the beat was good enough for me but it would have been nice if my fish stayed on and I could have got my name in the catch book on such a famous beat.

Looking upstream towards the Pots from the pool below.

Looking downstream in the same pool.

Hopefully I'll have another chance to do so in the future but if not, then at least I can say I've fished the beat. One thing is for sure, it certainly won't be my first and last go on the North Esk. What a lovely river it is and the fishing ain't half bad either!