Orvis Banchory Open Day

River Dee Auction 2015

The River Dee Auction has gone live as of today and there are some fantastic lots up for grape including fishing on some of the prime River Dee beats, salmon flies tied by some top fly tiers (I was delighted to donate a box of 12 of my Kitchen Sink Shrimp) alcoholic beverages, art and much, much more.

Follow the link below to view the catalogue and register to vote if anything takes your fancy. All proceeds go towards the river which is a very good cause if you like salmon fishing or just Royal Deeside in general.

River Dee Auction 2015

To find out more about the River Dee and what happens on the river and catchment follow this link.

The River Dee

ADAA Junior Day At Park Quarry

I attended the annual Aberdeen & District Angling Association junior day at the privately owned Park Quarry Fishery in Aberdeenshire. It was organised by Stuart and Julia Fleming with help from the team of Orvis Pro Guides from the shop in Banchory and several other dedicated members of the Club. Around 20 or so under 16s attended on the day and their abilities ranged from complete novices to competent fly anglers. A BBQ with drinks and refreshments was provided along with essential tackle such as rods, reels, flies, lines and nets.

The water in Park Quarry Fishery is like no other fishery I've ever seen due to the clarity of the water. The beautiful, gin clear water requires stealth and delicate casting to temp it's Rainbow Trout or Blues to the fly. The gusty conditions on the day tested even the best casters and as a precaution all junior anglers were issued with sunglasses to protect their eyes from any wayward flies caught up in the wind.

Several of the kids managed to catch their first ever fish and to see the smiles when they returned to the BBQ area made the day all the worth while. At the end of the day, some kids had to be prized from the water as the enjoyed the day so much. We only hope they continue to enjoy their fishing and hopefully the seeds are sown for the some of the future generations of our sport.

A few pictures from Sunday.

A few juniors fish around the boat which unfortunately had to stay moored this year due to the windy conditions.

Looking across the Loch towards the BBQ and hut area.

Several juniors fishing the bay which seemed to have a good few fish milling about in it.

Conner proudly shows off his prized catch. A highly talented caster and angler for his age who is also keen as mustard. Definitely one for the future.

Mackenzie DTX And Orvis Demo Day

On Sunday, the Aberdeen District Angling Association hosted a demonstration day for Orvis and Mackenzie DTX at their Bothy on the banks of the Dee in Aberdeen. There was a good turn out to see 3 times World Spey Casting Champion Scott Mackenzie give a very good presentation on his range of lines and rods. He was also on hand for most of the day to give advice and casting lessons to anyone who needed. Ben Dixon from Orvis, Banchory was there too and he was showing the many youngsters who turned out how to cast single handed rods. He, along with Scott Mackenzie were involved in the distance casting which was good to watch. Some huge lines were being thrown across the Dee by some talented casters both amateur and pro. Regular Trout & Salmon writer, Paul Proctor was due to give a demonstration but he was held up and couldn't make the event which was a shame. In the Bothy itself, there was fly tying demonstrations by the Orvis fly tiers. Always interesting to watch and to pick up new skills and ideas from two very good fly tiers. The youngsters seemed to enjoy being taught  how to tie up their own flies.

As always Stuart, Julia, Jim and John put in a lot of effort to make the day possible. The bacon and sausage butties always go down well along with a cup of tea or coffee. These people give up their spare time to put these events on and a big thanks to them for a good day.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday.

A selection of the many rod and line combos available to be tried out.

Scott Mackenzie gives ADAA member Eddie Allan some advice about his shooting head lines. He was only too happy to help and was on hand all day to answer any queries.

The ADAA Bothy. I took this photo as I was leaving about 2pm. Still a good number of people taking advantage of the free casting lessons and advice.