River Dee Grilse from Lower Crathes

I had a day on the River Dee at Lower Crathes and West Durris courtesy of my pal, Paul Pritchard as he couldn't make. It was great to be back fishing such a classic River Dee beat and in the company of Robert Harper and Jordie Sinclair. The water levels were hovering around the 5" mark on the Park gauge but despite the low water conditions I was lucky enough to bump into a wee grilse in the Upper Bridge Pool. It was no more than 3lb in weight but it was very welcome!

Safely in the net!

 A quick photo before slipping it back into the river.

River Dee Salmon Spawning

After a brief discussion about salmon redds on the Dee, my pal Paul Pritchard and I took a trip up river on Royal Deeside to see if we could spot some spawning salmon for ourselves. The wind was blowing quite hard on the day which made seeing into the water trickier than normal but we were pleasantly surprised at what our GoPro cameras picked up. The wind also limited the use of the drone for aerial filming but the underwater footage was far better than we could have hoped for and provided more than enough stunning images for Paul to use. 

Paul has a real talent for producing top quality films of his trips out on the rivers and during our day out we did a spot of filming and this is what Paul did with the footage. Enjoy!

*Please note that the cameras were placed in an empty redd and there was no disturbance of spawning salmon took place during filming of this clip*

Salmon Fishing Highlights 2016

Another salmon fishing season has come and gone this year and although it's been tough at times, it has however, on a personal level been a good one. Despite not fishing as much as I normally do and my local River Don having no water for most of the season, I finished up with 13 salmon landed and a I lost a good few along the way too. I also landed several good sized sea trout during the summer months with the biggest being 3lbs. The weights of salmon caught were 12lb, 15lb, 10lb, 10lb and 14lb which was very pleasing and the grilse sizes were also good with most fish ranging from 3-7lbs in weight.

A fresh run 10lb salmon from the River Spey back in June. One of many particular highlight from my fishing season in 2016. 

I'll happily admit that I am pretty obsessive in my pursuit of Atlantic salmon so every time I venture out onto the river I class that as a highlight but on this Blog post I have tried to single out a number of days which stuck in my mind for one reason or other. I have also included photos of the fish I have been fortunate enough to land this season.

Having lunch with good pals in the Lower Kinnard hut during our first outing of the season on the 16th January.

My season started off way back in January on the River Tay at Lower Kinnaird. The first trip of the season is always one I look forward to as it's spent with good pals I've met through the Salmon Proboards Forum. It was also the first time I had fished the beat and it was great water for fly fishing. The lunch was also memorable as was the numerous drams of home made gins which we all take along to share. Although none of us caught the coveted January springer we all crave, there were a few kelts landed to keep the enthusiasm going. Looking forward to January 2017 when we all start over again. More details and pictures of the day can be found here Lower Kinnaird Blog Post

Dougie Vipond makes the first cast under the stewardship of Waterside and Ferrar ghillie, Craig McDonald.

The 1st February signals the opening of the River Dee season and I always make a point of going to the Opening Ceremony. This year, the river was opened by Deacon Blue drummer, Dougie Vipond at the fabulous Banchory beat. It was well attended as it usually is and the weather was kind. It's always good to meet up with ghillies and fishing friends again and to look forward to what we all hope is a successful season. More details of the day can be found here River Dee Opening Ceremony

The biggest fish to come off the Dee on Opening Day. Me and my cracking 12lb sea liced fish from the Durris Stream at Park. 

I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to have a cast on opening Day thanks to my pal Philip Black who kindly invited me along to fish at Park. I didn't have to wait long for my first fish of the season when I landed an cracking fresh fish of around 12lb from the famous Durris Stream. The fish took a 2" Willie Gunn tube fished off and Intermediate line around 4.30pm. I was absolutely delighted to see the fish go into the waiting net of ghillie Keith Cromar. We were all buzzing and headed back the hut to celebrate with a dram or two. This fish turned out to be the biggest fish caught on Opening Day and it was also the first fish landed from the Park beat for which I received a bottle of Park Special whisky and a box of flies. Will be back in 2017 to see it there will be a repeat of this year. More detail and photos of can be found here Opening Day Salmon 2016

The amazing fishing "hut" on C beat at Tulchan. I could quite happily live in it!

Another highlight for me in the early season was fishing on the hallowed waters of Tulchan on the River Spey as part of Ian Gordon's group. It was great to fish such a wonderful stretch of river in such good company and it really was such an enjoyable day. I was lucky enough to have a cast on beats B, C and D during my day. More photos and my original Blog post about my day can be found here Tulchan Blog Post

Looking across to the famous Linn Pool on the mighty River Tay. What a place and one I am really looking forward to visiting again next season. 

The next highlight I have was when I went fishing at the Stobhall beat on the River Tay back in late March. I was to fish the famous Linn Pool and it was such a daunting place. The volume of water and the numerous currents which flow through the pool are quite incredible. Although I didn't land a fish for my day it was good to say that I've fished the pool but I did however have a brief encounter with a springer in the Major's Cast later on in the afternoon. I can't wait to return again in March 2017. I have attached a link to view my Blog post from my day Stobhall Blog Post

Charlie's first springer of the Tulchan Meet.

Charlie with his second fish of the day from Tulchan.

Early April saw me back at Tulchan C. I was fishing as part of another meet which was organised through Facebook. It was all guys I already knew from previous meets so it was good to see them all again. Although I didn't have any joy on the day, my good pal Charlie Robertson managed to land 2 cracking springers for his day. Both fish were fresh as paint and we were all delighted for him. Tulchan C Blog

What a great bunch to spend a day's fishing on the River Tay with. Roll on next year!

Although I wasn't having much luck with catching salmon on my trips, I can honestly say that I was really enjoying casting a line on places that were new to me. Another of these was a day on the Tay again but this time at Murthly 2. I was kindly invited down by ghillie Tony Black as part of a group I'm in. It's not often we can all get together with many of us living in all parts of the UK and Ireland so it was great to meet up the guys I spend a lot of time interacting with online. The craic was first class and the fishing was good too. I managed to hook a nice fish under the guidance of Tony's brother, Philip but unfortunately it threw the hook not long after hooking it. I couldn't make the return leg in October but by all accounts, another great time was had by all who attended and I will make sure I am available for any future meets in 2017. Murthly 2 Blog Post

Looking upstream towards the Hydro Dam at Pitlochry. Probably one of the most prolific spring salmon waters owned by an angling club.

At the end of April, I had a day booked on the Pitlochry Angling Club stretch of the River Tummel, which is a tributary of the River Tay. This is usually a prime time to be on this particular beat and I was eagerly looking forward to it on the run up to my day. An early start was required to get to the beat for 7am and I arrived to be greeted by two local rods who were very helpful and willing to share pool info etc. One of the rods did however inform me that the water was the lowest he'd seen it in 37 years of fishing the beat and this wasn't really ideal levels for success. There were a few fish splashing around the pools as expected but sport was thin on the ground and I landed nothing. Again, this was another beat I could scratch off my to do list and I'm glad to say I've fished it. I will also make a point of returning again soon. Have a look at the link for my original Blog post about my day Pitlochry AC Blog Post

All geared up and ready for another day on the River Don at Castle Forbes. 

The end of April also marks another highlight in my angling calendar, the Castle Forbes Proboards meet on my local River Don. Water conditions were as to near ideal as we could have hoped and there were two springer landed by my good friend Bill Cook. Unfortunately, no one else managed to winkle out a fish but it was good to see the Don show us what it can do in the Spring. My pal Paul Pritchard produce a cracking video of our day and it can be view by following the link Castle Forbes Blog Post

The famous Bargie Stone pool on Murthly 1. A pool that will forever be etched in the salmon history books. It is a lovely cast with the fly rod and the anticipation of hooking another monster fish is there at all times!

Next up for me was a day on the Murthly 1 beat on the River Tay. This beat shares it's pools with Glendelvine and this is the beat where Georgina Ballatine landed her record salmon all those years ago. It was a privilege to fish on such fabled pools and I'm glad I can say that I have fished the same water as she did. The day was also spent in great company and we shared many a laugh over a few dram and Donald the ghillie was on great form. No fish landed by myself but there was a nice fish landed by Paul McIntyre from the very pool where Miss Ballatine landed her fish, The Bargie Stone. More photos and a report can be read here Murthly 1 Blog Post

My first River Spey salmon from the Bridge Pool on Tulchan C. Not a bad place to open my account!

My Kitchen Sink shrimp which did the damage. Really was the perfect way to break my River Spey jinx. A cracking 15lb salmon caught on my own fly from Tulchan. Does it get any better than that?

My second fish of the day. A fresh run 10lber from Upper Bog caught just before finishing time.

I finished the spring with just the one fish but it was an opening day fish from the Dee so I was more than happy with that. Near the end of June I received an exciting call from my pal Paul Pritchard who was inviting me to fish with him at Tulchan C. This was an offer I could not refuse and I was more excited than a wee kid at Christmas at the thought of fishing there at a prime time in their season. I was very fortunate to land a cracking 15lb salmon just before 10am which took the pressure off right away! I also managed to land a fresh run 10lber just before 5pm. These incidentally were my first ever fish landed from the Spey and I was very grateful to Paul for his kind invitation. What a place to break my long standing Spey hoodoo and to land my first using my own fly pattern, the Kitchen Sink Shrimp was a perfect way to do it. to do it. Not only that, but to land tow fish for my day was the icing on the cake for me! More pictures and a detailed report can be found here Tulchan C Blog post

A fresh run 10lber for the Ballogie Flats taken on a small Monkey fly.

My next fish wasn't too far away and I was grateful to Sean Stanton, the head ghillie at Ballogie for giving me a day's fishing on his beat on the 5th July. The beat was beginning to pick away nicely and I was delighted to add to that tally by landing a fresh 10lber from the Flats which hammered a 1/2" Monkey tube. Ballogie Blog Post

As you can see the fishing for our trip was slow. The low water really hampered our chances but the drinks were flowing thick and fast!

Early August saw me back on the Dee but this time at Carlogie. I was fishing two days as part of a party hosted by good pal Ade Warburton. There were decent numbers of fish present in most of the pool but due to a prolonged spell of low water they were proving very difficult to temp. We found other ways of enjoying ourselves though and we all had a great time. Really looking forward to next year. Carlogie Blog Post

A small but very welcome grilse taken on the River Feugh in August.

As luck would have it, and just like last year too, the water rose the day after my fishing days were finished at Carlogie. I was off on holiday for the whole week and took advantage of the fact by fishing a day on the River Feugh which is the largest tributary of the River Dee. I soon hooked a fish which unfortunately came off but not long after I was in again and duly landed a small but very welcome grilse. This was also my first ever fish off the Feugh so I was delighted regardless of it's size or condition.

A small grilse from Ballogie taken on a Junction Shrimp Snaelda.

My next fish landed was from Ballogie. I had earlier lost a very good sized fish after playing it for several minutes but I was glad to hook another and get it landed. It wasn't a big fish of just around the 4lb mark but I really don't care what size the fish I land are!

My dad fishing the Little Turn. Excellent conditions for fishing but we had no luck on the day unfortunately. 

My Dad had not fished the Spey for nearly 20 years so we thought we'd have a go at the end of the fishing season. The Spey had been doing really well in the summer and I was hopeful my dad would see some sport. The Spey is a difficult river to tempt fish in September apparently and needless to say we didn't land any fish but it was still good to be out on the river with dad and he really enjoyed his day. More details and photos of our day can be viewed by clicking on this link. Wester Elchies Blog Post

My first fish after only 3 casts! A 7lber from the Top Gannets.

My second fish, this time from Middle Gannets. Not bad for just fishing for an hour. it's good to be in the right palce at the right time for a change!

October is always my most productive month of the season and this year was no different. For my week off I managed to do fairly well and landed a few fish. The first one was a lively 7lb hen fish from Ballogie and this was quickly followed by a 6lber. I captured both fish on my GoPro camera and as I was only fishing for an hour, it was very pleased to leave having landed two fish. To view my GoPro clip and to read the report of my day click on this link. Ballogie Blog Post and Go Pro Clips

My first fish of the day ready for release. A hen fish of around 7lb ready to be released.

My second fish of the day from the Ballogie Flats. This hen fish was around the 14lb mark. I captured the fight on my Go Pro camera and the clips can be viewed on my Ballogie Blog post on the link below.

My final fish of the day. A cock fish fish about 3-4lb from the Top Gannets. A nice way to round of my day.

As luck would have it, I was back on Ballogie a few days later and I was fortunate enough to land three fish for my day. The first fish was a coloured hen about 7lb from the Top Gannets. The second fish was a cracker of 14lb from the Ballogie Flats and my final fish of the day was a cock fish between 3-4lb from the Top Gannets. A great way to fish off my 2016 River Dee salmon season. Ballogie Blog Post

Bill's salmon from the Willows Pool at Kildrummy in low water conditions. A nice looking fish for the time of year and water levels.

I had a day on the lovely Kildrummy beat of the River don with my pal Bill Cook. The water was fairly low but there were fish present in the pools and Bill managed to land a nice fish around the 8lb mark. I didn't have any luck and could only lose a nice big fish from the Crooked Pot pool just before leaving for the day. It lead me a merry dance up and down the pool taking yards of line off my reel before finally freeing itself in the shallows opposite me. I didn't see the fish but it felt very heavy and it would have been good to land it just to see what size it was. It wasn't to be though but there is always another day.

My first River Don salmon of the season finally landed two weeks before the end of the season.

My second fish of the day. A 7lb hen taken on a Junction Snaelda.

The River Don was not keen to give up much fish for anglers this season and runs have been pretty poor these past couple of seasons to say the least. Having said that, the anglers who fished most days and put in plenty hours inevitability seemed to do ok but fish were few and far between this back end which is historically the most productive time on the River Don. From a personal point of view, it has never taken me so long to land a Don salmon and I was grateful to finally land not just one, but two for my day on the middle river in mid October. I was very pleased to have ended my season with a couple of Don fish to my name. Hopefully next season will see the beginning of a recovery for the Don as things have been pretty grim these last two seasons. I am always hopeful though and will be out on her banks come 11th February next year trying all over again!  River Don Salmon Blog Post


Well, that's my highlights from my fishing season just past and I hope anyone who took the time to read about them enjoyed it as much as I did reminiscing over the photos. I'm already planning my fishing for 2017 and have some good days booked up again. Hopefully it will be another good season for me again in 2017 and I will look forward to sharing my trips and photos here on my Blog for anyone who is interested in looking in. My attention now turns to tying flies and restocking the boxes in time for the new season ahead. I will do a few blog posts about the fly tying over the course of the winter since there will be no fishing to write about. Keep a look out for them and tight lines!

Salmon And The Kitchen Sink Shrimp

My Kitchen Sink (KS) Shrimp fly has really started to prove it's worth this season with good numbers of fish falling for it's charms from various corners of the Northern Hemisphere. So far it has been successful in Russia, Norway, Iceland, Ireland and several rivers here Scotland such as the Dee, Don, Spey, Lochy and Naver to name but a few. It has a small band of faithful followers and hopefully it's success will grow as the pattern becomes a bit more widespread.

A lovley 13lb Summer Salmon caught by my good pal Charlie Robertson on the Manar beat of the River Don in July. The Kitchen Sink fly sitting on it's flank.

Here are a few pictures of salmon which have taken the Kitchen Sink Shrimp fly this season. Thank you very much for the use of the photos, David Littlewood, Paul Pritchard and Charlie Robertson. Much appreciated gents.

A batch of freshly tied Kitchen Sink Shrimps ready for action.

A Kitchen Sink Shrimp fresh from the scissors of a 14lb salmon on the River Spey in June.

The very exclusive Yellow version of the Kitchen Sink which is now picking up the odd fish throughout Scotland.

Another photo of Charlie's salmon from the River Don.

A cracking 16lb Salmon caught by David Littlewood from the Upper Dee.

Yours truly with a 14lb Salmon caught on the River Spey in late June.

Kildrummy Inn proprietor, David Littlewood with a nice River Deveron springer caught back in May.

My pal Paul Pritchard with a March springer from the River Dee which took a liking to a small tube version of the Kitchen Sink.

Paul Pritchard with the first of a brace of March springers from the River Dee on 11th March.

His second March springer of the day for Paul Pritchard from the Dee. This wee cracker also fell to a Kitchen Sink.

A nice close up shot the a Kitchen Sink Shrimp in the mouth of a nice River Dee springer.

Tulchan C - River Spey

On Saturday, I found myself on the majestic Tulchan C beat of the River Spey. I was kindly invited along by my pal Paul Pritchard along with a few of his other pals for a day's fishing. On the build up to the day I was like a child waiting for Christmas such was the thought of fishing on a beat like this during one of their prime months of the season. I've never been so excited to have a day's fishing before in my life and I hardly slept a wink the night before!

A cracking, fresh run River Spey salmon about 10lb.

I set off early on the morning of fishing as I was picking Paul up from his hotel in Aviemore. I arrived in Aviemore just before 8am and we set off down to the beat full of anticipation of what lay ahead. The topic of conversation rarely strayed far from salmon fishing and I actually had that feeling of butterflies in my stomach you get when you're nervous but excited at the same time. We got to the beat around 8.30am and were met by the ghillie, Lawrence de Rosa. We were advised on what tactics had been successful during the week but the water had risen slightly over night and had taken on a slight peat stain. I opted for my 14ft Hardy Demon rod and matched it up with a 9/10 Mackenzie floating shooting head. I attached a 10ft intermediate polyleader to this and tied on roughly 4ft of 12lb clear maxima. My fly of choice for to begin with was a #9 Kitchen Sink.

Looking down the Bridge Pool from bridge.

Looking upstream towards the bridge in the Bridge Pool.

Lawrence showed me up to the Bridge Pool for starters and explained all the areas to concentrate on as I worked my way through the pool. I waded out slightly just above the bridge as instructed and worked my way down the pool covering the seam which was coming off the bridge parapet. As I got to the other side of the parapet there was a couple of good fish showed near the tail of the pool. They were both decent sized fish and this raised my excitement levels even higher than there already were. I made sure I was covering the water as best I could and concentrated hard on getting my fly working through the lies. I was about half way down the pool and I made an upstream mend on my fly as it was starting to swing round just after casting. The fly was just above where the fish had shown earlier and about half way round, my line went tight and I lifted into a really strong fish. The fish tore yards of line off my Hardy Cascapedia reel and it was screaming, just how I imagined it would! The fish made a couple of attempts to leave the pool but thankfully on both occasions it thought better of it and came back into the main part. A really dogged fight ensured for a good five minutes or so before it started to give up some of the line it had taken off my reel. All my running line was off my reel at one point. These strong runs coupled with the fast flowing water had the fish tiring a bit and I managed to draw it into the side where Lawrence waited with the net. I thought it was ready and lifted it's head up to be netted but the fish had other ideas! It took off across the pool in one last bid for freedom. I soon had it under control again though and this time I managed to guide it safely into the waiting net.

Lawrence removing my #9 Kitchen Sink fly from the scissors of a cracking 14lb salmon out of the Bridge Pool.

Well worth the wait! My first ever River Spey salmon.

A #9 Kitchen Sink tied in a flamethrower style did the business. This is dressed on a silver Salar double.

My first River Spey salmon was finally landed! Lawrence quickly removed the #9 Kitchen Sink fly from the scissors of the fish. We estimated it to be in the region of 14lb. I held it up for a quick photograph before slipping him back into the river. It was still only 9.40am. The pressure was off and I could really enjoy the rest of the day whatever happened.

Looking upstream from Upper Tulchan Pool towards the Bridge Pool.

Fishing down the Upper Tulchan Pool. had another offer in here which didn't stick unfortunately. 

The next pool I was to fish was Upper Tulchan. Lawrence explained the pool to me before heading off to tend to the other rods so I made my way across the bridge and down to the pool. The pool had a good flow going through the middle of the river but there was a slacker bit of water near the tail and this was a good spot to pick up fish. I worked my way down the pool using the same set up as before and about half way down I had a good pull on my fly. Unfortunately it didn't stick but I knew my set up was working well in this pool too. I fished down the remainder of the pool hoping to temp another fish but it wasn't to be so I headed back over to have a run through the Bridge Pool again before coming back for another crack here later on.

Fishing down the Bridge Pool for a second time.

I made my way down to fish the Bridge Pool again hoping for a repeat performance from earlier on. There were a couple of fish showing as I fished my way down the pool but they weren't for tempting this time so I headed back across the bridge to fish the Upper Tulchan again.

Fishing down Upper Tulchan for a second time.  I lost a nice fish due to a mishap with my running line!

I decide to start right up at the neck of Upper Tulchan this time and fish the whole length of the pool to cover as much of it as I could. I had not long started when a nice wee fish showed opposite me. I covered it a few times but to no avail so carried on down the pool. I was just about half way down the pool and began hand lining my running line in ready to re-cast. Just as I was about to lift my rod, I had a good solid take and lifted into a decent fish. It quickly turned and began to take line. My running line was dumped on the grass bank and as the fish took off at a fair rate of knots, the line became tangled around my reel handle. I frantically tried to untangle it but with the fish pulling hard I just couldn't loosen the tension. This made the fish jump and a bright salmon around the 7lb mark made it's presence known. It tried to run again but I still couldn't get the line freed. This again, made it leap out of the water but only this time, it managed to spit the hook. I was really annoyed with myself as I usually coil 4-5 loops of line round each finger as I pull the running line in. This time however, I just dumped it on the grass out of laziness. In hindsight, it cost me the opportunity to land another salmon but I certainly won't be making that mistake again! I fished on down the rest of the pool felling very frustrated with myself but I couldn't temp another salmon to take my offerings so it was back to the hut for lunch.

The hut on Tulchan C beat. Not bad!

Back at the hut we chatted about the morning's fishing and there had been four landed. this was a good score given the heavy peat stain in the water and we were all looking forward to the afternoon session. Paul had also organised lunch for us all and there was a lovely spread of cooked meats, potatoes, salads and bread which was provide by Tulchan Lodge. This went down a treat and we were all raring to go in the afternoon.

Fishing down the delightful Upper Bog Pool. Lovely cast.

I was allocated Upper Bog for the afternoon. The had been nice fish from this pool during the morning so I was confident there were salmon present. On arrival to the pool there were a good number of fish showing down near the tail. Their presence really got me eager to get in and start. Lawrence showed me the taking spots and where to concentrate my efforts so I waded out to the to spot where he had shown me and began fishing down through the pool. I fished it down without a touch but there were a few fish about to keep my spirits up so I went back up to the neck of the pool to try again.

Looking upstream from the bank of  Upper Bog to where I landed my second fish of the day.

Looking down Upper Bog towards the tail of the pool.

My second run down was hampered by a wind knot in my leader so waded back to the bank and changed my leader over. As I was sitting on the bench there was a flotilla of kayaks made their way down through the pool so I decided to sit and wait for a while to let the pool settle again before restarting. As I was sitting it out, I thought this was a good as time as any to change my fly so I opted to tie on a Willie Gunn Flamethrower but kept it to a #9. I made my way back up to the neck of the pool and waded out above the stone where I had been instructed to start earlier on. Not long after restarting the pool I had a good, solid draw on the line and I lifted into a strong fish. The fish made some really energetic runs across the current but as I waist deep in fast water, I had to carefully navigate my way down past the bank side trees and onto the grass bank. This proved quite difficult as the fish kept trying to run upstream of where I had just waded down from. I managed to get the fish turned and by this time it was holding in the current opposite me. My floating line was drowned and the fish was tearing yards of line off my reel. My line had become stuck on a rock and I was weary of pulling too hard in case I lost another fish. I pulled the line as hard as I dared and somehow the fish freed itself and headed off down stream taking my line with it. Much to my delight!

This time a Willie Gunn Flamethrower did the trick. Again tied on a #9 Salar double.

I soon got myself back up onto the grass bank and began playing the fish from dry land. There was a net lying twenty yards away on the bench and each time I tried to get downstream to get the net for landing the fish, it ran up stream. Eventually, I gave up on the idea of trying to get the net and decide to beach the fish just above the boat which was situated in little cove at the end of the tree lined bank. The fish was now ready to be landed and I drew it into the side and managed to get my hand on it's tail. It was a spit fresh salmon around the 10lb mark. Just like buses, you wait ages for one to come along and two arrive at once! After a quick photograph it was released safely to continue it's journey up the River Spey. It was now about 4.10pm and I fished out the remainder of the pool but I couldn't temp another fish to take my fly. I wasn't really fussed to be quite honest as I was more than happy with total for the day and I headed off back to the hut to pack up at 5pm.

My second fish of the day. A "Bar of Silver" about 10lb.

There had been no further salmon landed in the afternoon for the other rods but there was a nice sea trout caught from the Tulchan Pool and another few pulls and offers which didn't stick. A total of five salmon and sea trout for the day was a good return given the rise in water overnight and Lawrence was happy with his weeks' total as well. We all chatted for a while before going our separate ways.

I was absolutely thrilled to be fishing at Tulchan during their prime time of the season and I will always be grateful to Paul for inviting me along. It was a fantastic gesture and one I will always be thankful for. I certainly won't forget the day in a hurry. So Paul if you read this, thank you very much. Hopefully one day I'll be able to return the favour.

The River Spey.

I'm now very proud to have caught my first River Spey salmon and to get it from such a famous part of the river was fantastic. To also catch it on a fly of my own creation made it all the sweeter and  in my opinion, it doesn't get much better than that. Tight Lines!