Last week I had on the Ballogie Beat of the River Dee. The water was on the low side but it was nice to land a cracking fish around the 13lb mark in the morning. It put up a helluva fight in the fast current and I was delighted to finally land it a good distance down stream from where I hooked it. It hammered a Sunray Shadow as it swung round in the current. Great fun on the 12ft 6in LTS Explosive rod!
A fine, summer salmon from the Ballogie Flats last week.
Later on in the afternoon I lost a big fish just above the falls at Potarch. It grabbed a size 12 Cascade just on the lip and I couldn't do anything with the fish. I held into it as much as I could and it thankfully opted for running upstream and not over the falls. I had the fish on for several minutes and I thought I had got though the hardest part of the fight but with the fish just opposite me and about 8ft from the bank, it turned into the white water again and with a fierce slap of it's tail, the fly came loose undone and the fish was off. Having seen the fish a few times it look to be around the 18-20lb mark and was a bar of silver. I would have loved to have seen that one on the bank but it wasn't to be. The fish have to win sometimes!
Back at the beginning of March I had my annual three day trip to the Ballogie beat of the River Dee. This year there was no repeat of the "Beast from the East" we had to endure last year. In fact, it was the opposite. Bright sun, low water and warm air temperatures made for some tricky conditions but we plugged away in the search to land the most prized fish of all - a spring salmon.
A fine day on the River Dee at Ballogie.
The first day began with a nice dull day. The gauge on the Potarch Bridge was reading 1ft 1in which was a little lower than we would have liked but we were raring to go given that we didn't get any fishing done at all last year as the river was frozen from bank to bank.
Looking upstream toward the Potarch Bridge on the Thursday morning.
After meeting at the Potarch hut on Thursday morning and discussing tactics over a coffee with Sean Stanton, Charlie, Philip and I set off to our allocated pools. I was to fish the lower part of the beat which included Lower Inchbare, Kelpie and the Bulwarks. These are 3 pools I know well and I was itching to get my fly in the water. I tried various depths, flies and tactics but unfortunately I couldn't find any fish willing to take my offerings although I saw a belter of around 15lb jump out the water right in front of me in the Bulwarks. This was all the motivation I needed to give it a good go in the afternoon.
Looking downstream from Lower Inchbare. One of my favourite early season pools.
Looking upstream from Lower Inchbare,
The afternoon session didn't fare much better for me of Charlie. Neither of us managed to get a pull but Philip did temp a few Kelts in the Sands. The low water prior to our arrival wasn't doing us many favours but there we still had 2 days left to get something.
Looking upstream from the Sands.
Looking downstream from the neck of the Sands Pool.
Looking upstream from the New Pool.
Day 2 saw us up early and ready to go again. The water had dropped over night and was sitting at just 1ft on the Potarch gauge. Nursing hangovers was not was going to slow us down as we were all eager to get onto the water again. I was allocated the middle beat as I finished off on the top beat yesterday. This was from Flats down to Upper Inchbare.
Looking downstream from outside the Potarch Bridge hut.
Day 2, for me anyway, continued in the same vain as the first day. I had very little to shout about but as I begun to fish the Flats, I ha had a good solid take in the fast rush up in the neck. This wasn't your typical kelty spot and I initially thought I might be into a springer. The fish fought gallantly in the current and I got a nice glimpse of it's flanks as it turned in the stream out in front of me. It then turned and shot across the current back it's lie mid river. At this point I was getting a bit more nervous as I though it may just be the springer I was after. The longer the fight went on the more convinced I was that it was a proper fish however, the fish was now tired and I drew it in towards the bank. Upon beaching it, it soon became clear that it was just a big, well mended kelt and not the springer I was hoping for.
Fishing down the Sands. An iconic salmon pool on the River Dee.
The rest of the day proved to be fruitless for me but Philip and Charlie did manage to land a few more kelts between them. Conditions made for difficult and our enthusiasm was starting to waiver a bit as the day went on.
Looking upstream in the Top Gannet.
Middle Gannet.
A nice view upstream into the Top Gannet. A lovely part of the beat.
Day 3 started the same way as day 2 but we were eager to get out and fishing despite another hangover. Bill literally had a sore head but the least said about that the better! Phil, Charlie and I headed down to our allocated beats but just like the hangovers, the fishing was the same as the day before with just several kelts to show for our efforts.
Looking upstream from just above Potarch Bridge towards the falls.
Despite the low water and lack of success, I think it's fair to say we all had a great time. It was good to just get fishing this year after the ice and snow of 2018. We will be back again in 2020 to do it all again and hopefully we will have some nice fresh run Dee Springers to show.
Last Saturday marked the final day of the 2018 salmon fishing season and I was fortunate enough to be invited along to fish Ballogie by ghillie, Sean Stanton. The river was dropping back nicely after a spate a few day prior to our arrival and was sitting at 2ft 6in on the Potarch gauge. The air temperature was around 2 Celsius as we tackled up at the Bridge Pool so we were hopeful of encountering a fish or two.
Kelpie Pool - Stunning Autumn colours on the River Dee at Ballogie.
I set up two rods for my day. The first rod was my 12ft 6in LTS Explosive and this was matched up with a Rio Skagit line and a Intermediate/T11 mow tip with a 10mm Pink Franc N Snaelda tube on the business end. My second set up was my old, trusty 15ft Vision Catapult. Its a work horse of a rod and the sinking lines are ideally suited for it. Line of choice for this rod was a Guideline H/I/S1 with a 10ft 5.6ips tip and a 19mm Red Frances tube.
Fishing down the Bulwarks at the beginning of the morning session.
The deadly Pink Franc N Snaelda tube.
I was allocated to fish the lower part of the beat in the morning an this is a part of the river I know fairly well. Given the water height, I headed off down to the Bulwarks first of all as this can be a busy pool. It is also good in high water and thought it would be best to get first run down. The higher the water the more favourable it is for the Ballogie bank so I started off just opposite the first Bulwark and worked my way down the pool with my Vision Catapult set up. As the Bulwarks is a pool I have had much success in over the years I was confident that given the water conditions, there would a good chance of connecting with a fish or two. Maybe I was expecting too much as I fished the entire length of the pool without a touch or seeing a fish. That;s how it goes sometime though and never one for getting despondent, I strapped the rods back on the car and made my way up river to the Kelpie.
The result - a coloured hen around 4lb.
The Kelpie Pool.
The Kelpie can be really productive at this time of year especially in a good water like we had on Saturday. Its a pool that I haven't had much luck in to be perfectly honest but having excellent water conditions like we did, I fished my way down the pool confident that there would be a chance of a fish. I covered the water as best I could and when I was about half way down the poo I began to trip in some line to recast. I pulled three or four coulis of line when something pulled back! I lifted into the fish and treid my best to keep up with it as it swan strongly upstream. Just as I got the line onto the reel, the fish jumped out the water and spat the hook. It looked like a good sized cock fish. Probably around the 12-14lb mark. Its always a bit of blow to lose a fish but undeterred, I checked the fly and carried on down the pool. I must have had around another dozen or so casts when I had another offer. I lifted into the fish and slowly worked my way back in towards the bank. The fish didn't put up much of an effort in the strong current so it was swiftly landed and return with minimal fuss. It was a hen fish around the 4lb mark. The remainder of the pool didn't produce anymore action so it was off upstream to have a run through Lower Inchbare.
Looking upstream towards Potarch Bridge from Lower Inchbare.
Fishing down Lower Inchabare.
You really are spoilt for choice at Ballogie in a high water. Lower Inchbare is another great pool with water on it. the river bed in this pool has plenty big boulders and a few in particular can be good lies for the fish to shelter in amongst. I fished the whole length of the pool with the same set up that worked in the Kelpie but despite covering the pool as best I could, there were no takers willing to snaffle the Red Frances.
Looking down the Strath from the tail of Lower Inchbare.
Looking up the Strath towards Lower Inchbare.
The Strath was next up. This pool continues on from where Lower Inchbare tails off. It's a lovely looking bit of water and Philip Black and I tormented numerous kelts in here back in March. With the H/I/S1 and big tube, it was fishing round nicely but as with Lower Inchbare, there were no takers so I decided to head off up the the famous Bridge Pool for a quick run through before lunch.
The downstream view of the Bridge Pool from the lower Ballogie fishing hut.
The Bridge Pool is one of the most iconic pools on the entire river and conditions on our day suited it perfectly. The river was now sitting at 2ft 4in but the H/I/S1 was still needed just to get the fly down that bit quicker and to slow the swing down a bit. I fished the pool from head to tail without a touch but decided to give it a run through with my other set up. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel this line was getting down deep enough and I didn't have time to change again before lunch so I called time on the morning session and made my way up to the Carlogie Calm pool to meet the rest of the lads for lunch.
Sean kindly supplied lunch in the form of bacon and sausage sandwiches from the Kincardine post office and these were washed down with a welcome cup of coffee. It turned out that there had been a total of 3 salmon landed between Ballogie and Carlogie. A good start to the day but the fish didn't seem to be as responsive as we had hoped for given the conditions. However, after we had put the fishing world to rights in the hut, our attention was soon back on the task in hand so it was off to our allocated pools for the afternoon session.
The Top Gannet fishing hut at Ballogie.
Fishing down the Top Gannet after lunch.
I was to start in the Top Gannet. This is one of my favourite pools to fish and I couldn't wait to get another crack at it. I skipped down the bank like a wee lad on his way to the toy shop! The Top Gannet has been good to me over the years but I fished down the length of the pool without an offer or seeing a fish. I was making my way back to the hut which over looks the pool and just as I put my rod in the rack, I spotted four or five salmon show in the space of a few seconds mid way down the pool. This was all the encouragement I needed to grab my rod off the stand and quickly get to the bank to attempt to intercept on of them. The fish were a good bit over towards the Borrowston bank and a long cast was required to cover where they were spotted. I threw as long a line as I possible could and tried to the mend the line a few times to slow it down a bit. I just felt that it was too far out my reach to cover the fish properly and despite trying, the fish didn't want what I had on offer so it was off down to fish the Sands.
Looking upstream from the top of the Sands Pool.
The hut on the Borrowston bank which over looks the Sands Pool.
The Sands is another famous pool on the River Dee and it was almost a dead cert for a salmon once upon a time. I always enjoy fishing these famous pools and my mind is forever thinking of the old days when the rivers were awash with salmon. It must have been something else to swing a dressed fly through these pools when there was so many salmon around. Although there aren't so many salmon around these days, there is still an excellent chance of connecting with a fish here and this time felt no different. I changed approach in here and opted for a 10ft 7ips tip and a 2" Sunray Shadow tied on an aluminium tube. I worked my way down the pool varying the speed of retrieve every cast until one work. Sadly, the only fish that took a liking to my Sunray in the Sands were greedy little brown trout. This wasn't much of a gauge to base my retrieves on so I just had o keep plugging away until something worked on a salmon.
Looking down the Top Slip at Ballogie.
The next pool down is the Top Slips. Storm Frank has done a number on the banks of this pool and it isn't the easiest to navigate your way down the bank in the high water. As there is always a good chance of a fish, it's well worth the effort though. It was holding a few fish and I stuck to the Sunray Shadow tactics but unfortunately the fish had other ideas. As I neared the tail I did get a reaction from a cock fish but it just leapt out the water as my fly passed by its lie.
Fishing the Bottom Slip under the wires.
The Bottom Slip was next up and by the time I reached the pool it was close to 5pm. I covered as much water as I could and as effectively as I could with the Sunray but it was another fruitless attempt to hook a salmon. I decided to have one final cast in the pool and I managed to snag the bottom. My line was stuck fast and I struggled to free it from around a big submerged rock. In the end I had to pull as hard as I could and this snapped my versi leader at the nylon part and my fly and leader were subsequently gone with it. At this point I decide it was as good a time as any to end my Dee season for the year and wound the remaining line onto my reel and set off back to my car to meet up with Sean at the hut.
Playing a fish in the Kelpie Pool at Ballogie.
Well, that's the final account of what has been a pretty successful season for me on the River Dee despite the low water that plagued the catchment during the long, hot summer. It started off on Opening Day at Park on the 1st February and finished on the Final Day at Ballogie with some great days, with great people sandwiched in between. I can't wait to start it all over again in 2019. It's not completely over for me yet though. I can still enjoy a cast on the River Don until the end of the month and I am fishing the South Esk again on Saturday with good pals Philip Black and Bill Cook. Hopefully there will be some more success to write about before the season is completely over. I'll certainly look forward to trying.
I had my annual 3 day trip to the Ballogie beat of the River Dee last week in pursuit of the ultimate prize in salmon fishing; a fresh run springer. Water levels remained steady during my three days with levels reading 1ft 6in on the Potarch Bridge gauge. The only significant change in levels occurred on Saturday afternoon when the river rose to 2ft on the gauge just after lunch time due to the torrential rain which fell through out the day. River temperature rose slowly from 35f on Thursday to 37f on Saturday.
About to return a cracking springer of around 7lb back into the Dee.
I had the beat to myself on Thursday and this gave me scope to move around and fish all the best pools. I set up with my 15ft Mackenzie DTX shooting head rod and a H/I/S1 Guideline PT Scandi line. Flies consisted of the usual spring flies like a Willie Gunn, Black & Yellow or a Monkey.
Action was few and far between despite the near ideal conditions above and below water level and it seemed the fish had other ideas. I did however land a very large kelt in the afternoon which took a 1" Dee Monkey cone head. It fought very hard and if I had lost it mid fight I'd have sworn it was a good fish that got away. Unfortunately, the springers were not playing ball even though there were one or two that showed themselves during the day. Despite no springers being caught it was great to be back fishing at Ballogie again.
A cracking springer from the Bulwarks which was taken on a 1" Monkey cone head.
The next day I was joined by my good pal Philip Black. With there now being two of us covering the water, this gave us a great opportunity to fish the beat a bit more thoroughly in an attempt to find a so far elusive springer. My set up for the day was exactly the same as the day before except I changed my versi leader from a 5.6 inch per second to a 3.9. This seemed to do the trick as not long after starting I had a fish on lower most pool on the beat which was the Bulwarks. This turned out to be a well mended kelt but just like the one I caught yesterday, this one fought like a tiger! I quickly return the fish and retied my hook. I waded out to the same spot where I came out to land the fish and made my first cast. My 1" Dee Monkey was swinging round nicely when it was snaffled again by another fish. The fish didn't really do much to begin with and I played it as though it was just another kelt. After a short battle the fish jumped out the water to reveal lovely thick set flanks and that shiny chrome colour that fresh run fish carry. This was no kelt and my attention levels rose sharply! Not long after, the fish was ready to be landed and I had soon beached a cracking fish around the 6lb mark. It was quickly photographed as I was returning it and it was set on it's way to do what nature intended. A great start to my day but this turned out to be the only action any of us would have.
A beauty about 9lb or so ready to be returned. Again, taken on a 1" Dee Monkey tube.
Heavy rain poured over the Dee valley all Friday night and into Saturday as well. The ground was sodden and we were expecting a sharp rise in river levels. Fortunately for us that didn't happen and the river was still showing 1ft 6in as we arrived at the hut on Saturday morning. I kept the same set up that was successful for me the day before and I decide to fish the Lower Inchbare pool first as I never got round to doing it the day before. Sean Stanton,explained where all the good lies were and I made my way downstream eager to begin despite the torrential rain overhead. I had fished down the top part of the pool without a touch but as I neared the tail I had a thumping take out in mid stream. The fish pulled hard in the fast water and I scrambled about the rocky river bed trying to make my way into the bank to land it. The fish fought hard but after 10 minutes or so I managed to tail a belter of a fish which weighed around 9/10lbs. What a start to the day! I removed the hook form the fish and set her on her way after a quick photo on her return. My camera was drenched after that so I made my way over to my car to try and dry it out before starting to fish again as I did not want to have the chance of catching a large fish and not having my camera for evidence (sore point on social media at the moment) so I spent 20 minutes or so with the heated seats on full blast as well as the heaters. The camera was dry again and I went back into the river exactly where I came out to try and catch another fish. I waded out into the river again and began fishing down the pool. No sooner had I started when I had another good take from a lively fish. I immediately knew this was no kelt and made my way back to the bank to play the fish. After a cracking scrap which lasted 7 or 8 minutes I managed to beech the fish in between two stones. As soon as I beeched the fish, Sean appeared just in time to take a few photos of me with the fish. It was fresh as paint and weighed in the region of 7lb or so.
My second fish from Lower Inchbare on Saturday morning. A cracker of 7lb which also took a liking to a 1" Dee Monkey.
Catch and Release. (also see photo at top of page)
Sean suggested I went back in again to try and get my hat trick. This I did and I couldn't believe it when my line went tight only a few cast after restarting again. This was another good scrap and the fish stayed deep through out. The fish took a lot of line which prompted Sean to run and get his net. The fish was just not for showing itself and stayed out in the current even though I tried to bully it in towards the bank. This continued for a good few minutes before I eventually got the fish up and ready for the net. Sean slid the net under the fish and we couldn't believe it when we noticed it was a kelt!! It wasn't even a well mended one either as it was still coloured. We quickly returned the fish and watched it swim off in astonishment that it put up such a fight for being a spent fish. By this time it was nearing lunch so we headed off back to the hut. It was still raining hard.
A fine early spring day on the Ballogie beat of the River Dee last week.
After lunch the rain was still falling but by this time the burns had started to fill and the river was colouring up and rising as a result. The gauge was now reading about 1ft 8in and I was due to fish the upper pools on the beat with Philip giving the Bulwarks a run through. I fished through the Top Gannet without a touch but the river was visible coloured by this time and I was ready to pack in. Sean arrived just as I was making my way down the pool and he suggested giving the Lower Gannet a go as the main flow runs down the far bank and the fish move close in to get out of the flow. I wasn't holding out much hope but I did have some excitement when a good fish took my fly about half way down the pool. This felt like a really good fish and it fought hard for a good ten minutes or so before I finally drew it into the bank for ghillie, Sean Stanton to tail. This fish didn't know when it was beaten and we were convinced it was a good springer but alas it turned out to be a 36" kelt! If I had lost it mid fight, we'd have sworn it was a big springer which got off. We couldn't believe just how hard fighting these kelts were! i fished out the remainder of the pool without a touch and we called it a day around 4.45pm more than satisfied with landing two springers for our day.
With that, it was the end of my trip. If someone told me I would catch three springers before I went I would have bitten their hand off! All the fish took exactly where Sean Stanton had said they would so without his expert knowledge who knows what might have happened. It was pleasing that the fish were all caught using the same fly fished off the same set up as well. It makes a huge difference not having to change tactics all the time in an attempt to find the correct formula so to speak. Interestingly enough, I didn't get an offer using any other set up.The conditions played a big part too and we couldn't have asked for better during our trip. If the same happens next season I will be delighted. There's a lot of fishing to be done before then though but I can't complain with way my season has started this year and long may it continue!
I had an hour's fishing today on the River Dee at Ballogie courtesy of ghillie, Sean Stanton. I started in the Bridge Pool and I didn't have to wait long before my Willie Gunn tube fly was hammered by a strong fish only minutes after starting. It was bar of silver around the 7lb mark which gave a very good account of itself in the cold water.
I also lost another springer in the next pool down which some how managed to throw the hook after a thumping take. Pity it didn't stick but I won't be complaining with landing just the one fish! Hopefully my good start to the season will continue for a wee while longer yet.
7lb of River Dee spring salmon ready to be returned to the water.
I had a trip up Royal Deeside today to photograph the river in the middle of a very large spate brought on by heavy rain and snow melt. The river peaked at 10ft on the Park gauge and was full of all sorts of debris washed off the banks. Numerous trees had been battered by the gales during the night and many of the fallen limbs ended up floating down the river on their way to Aberdeen.
Hopefully the spate hasn't caused too much damage up and down the valley and none more so than to the recently cut salmon redds. With the spawning season now peaked on most burns the wash out could have a big impact on future runs in 4-5 years time. Fingers crossed the redds will be well covered though and loss is minimal. Time will tell I'm sure.
Aboyne Bridge.
One of the huts overlooking the Lorne Pool at Aboyne Castle with the water at the door step.
Waterside Pool at Waterside and Ferrar.
A submerged hut at the Long Pool on Cambus O May.
The Garden Pool way over the banks at Glen Muick.
The same pool but looking across to the far (not really visable) bank.
A large section of spruce tree coming down river in the torrent.
One of the huts at Invercauld surrounded by water.
The Dee filling the flood plain at Braemar Castle.
The Clunie Water (left) at Braemar spilling onto the road.
The Clunie Water from the bridge in Braemar town centre.
Potarch Bridge later on in the afternoon. There is a gauge on one of the parapets which goes up to 8ft and it's about 2ft underwater!
