Closing Day Salmon From The Don

I had a few hours out on the River Don today as it was the final day of the fishing season. I wasn’t expecting much action as the fish seemed to have switched to spawning mode this week but I did manage to land a wee grilse from the Aberdeen & District Angling Association beat at Kemnay. It was a nice way to round off my season. Roll on next year!

No.31 My final salmon of the 2019 fishing season.

A Couple Of Salmon From The Don

I had the day off on Monday and spent fishing the River Don up near Alford. The river was sitting at 20” on the gauge following a 2” rise the day before. It was frosty in the morning on arrival but once the air temperature warmed up a bit this seemed to bring the fish on the take.

An Autumn hen salmon from the River Don. 

Ready to go back. 

My set up was my 12ft 6in LTS Explosive with a floating line and a 6ft 7ips tip. My fly of choice was a size 10 Red Ally’s. This combo worked well and I was fortunate enough to land two fish. The first being a 10lb hen Salmon and the second being a 5lb cock Grilse. Both fish were safely returned.

A feisty grilse posing for a photo.

Back he goes

The Don has fished well this season and hopefully the improvement in salmon numbers will bode well for the seasons to come. Here hoping it’s a good spawning year too.

A Summer Salmon From Ballogie

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!

Littlewood - River Don

Back on at the end of April I decided to have a day on the Littlewood beat of the River Don. Littlewood is situated between Alford and Kildrummy and consists of 4.5 miles of fishing on the left bank of the river. There are some lovely glides and runs between the classic upper Don holding pools.

Looking downstream in the Inshdonald pool.

The water level was sitting at 6" on the Bridge of Alford gauge for my day which was a reasonable height for the beat. Some pools would fish better than other but as I was just there for the day I decided to fish the beat from top to bottom in search of a salmon or two.

Looking upstream in Inshdonald.

I started off my day in a pool called Inshdonald. I know this pool fairly well having fished it front he opposite back a few years back. It is a cracking wee pool with a nice flow which run down the Littlewood bank before centring out about 20 yards down from the neck. I just felt it was a little on the low side for the pool despite there being a nice depth to it up in the neck. I fished through it with a floating lien, intermediate tip and a size 9 Kinermony Killer. Nothing to report so I moved off down stream to fish the pool there.

Looking upstream from the tail of Upper Foresters.

Lower Foresters.

I fished a couple of small pots and runs before the next major pool on my route. The pool is called Forester's. It has an upper and lower part to it. Both lovely casts and looking very fishy. I immediately had a small brown trout around 10oz in the Upper part of the pool. I carried on into the lower part which look more likely to be a slamon holding pool than upper. I changed fly to a Sunray Shadow just to try and see if there was anything lurking in the pool that was willing to give up it's location. I fished down the pool without moving a fin until I was around half way down. I cast square across the pool and slowly began to strip the fly through the current. The fly reached about 1/3rd of the way over when it was hammered by a nice sized fish. Unfortunately, that was as close as I got to it as it let go almost immediately. Still, it was nice to know I was covering fish. The rest of the pool proved to be fruitless so it was off to the next part of the beat.

The upper most pool on the beat -- Invermossat. 

After walking back to the car (there's a lot of walking involved at Littlewood!) I set off to try the upper most pool on the beat - Invermossat. Again, it looked a little on the low side for the pool but I thought  I might as well give it a go since I was up there. My initial; thoughts were right and the pool just didn't fish that well in the current river levels so I quickly made my way else where on the beat to find a pool better suited to the conditions.

Looking upstream towards Bithnie Brig.

Looking downstream from Bithnie Brig. 

Next up was the pool at Bithnie Brig. The water didn't really suit this pool either but there is a deep channel that runs off the opposite bank which may just have held a fish in the current conditions so I covered it as best I could but there didn't seem to be anything there willing to take my fly so I moved on again.

Looking upstream from the Rock Pool.

The tail of the Rock Pool.

There are plenty pool on this beat but as I had covered a fair bit of ground already I thought the next pool I would fish would be in easy access. The Rock Pool is one of the lower most pools on the beat and a cracking holding pool. This fishes really well and I know it well from fishing the opposite bank at Breda regularly a few years ago before it was no longer let. This pool was in good ply but despite my best efforts, I couldn't temp a fish to take any of my offerings on the two runs I made down the pool.

Upper Pond Ash.

I had a quite bite to eat after fishing the Rock Pool then after re-fuelling I decided to head upstream again. The next pools I fished were the Pond Ash Pool. It was a bit of a walk through a ploughed field to get to them but as you can see in the pictures it was worth the walk. Upper Pond Ash did not have the same appeal to a salmon angler as the middle and slower parts so I concentrated on these pools. I changed back to the size 9 Kinermony Killer and worked my way down the pool covering as much of the water as i could. I was about half way down when I had a good offer and lifted into a fish. It was soon apparent that it was just a trout so I quickly go it to the bank and released it with minimal fuss. It would have weighed around 1lb.

Middle Pond Ash. 

The rest of the pool didn't provide me with any additional sport nor did the Lower Pond Ash. I was confident there was something in there but it was not to be on this occasion so I headed off down river again to fish another pool I know well - Laird's.

Looking upstream from the tail of Laird's.

Laird's Pool is another nice holding pool on the beat. It looked inviting and not long after starting up in the neck of the pol there was a nice fish around the 6lb mark show in the fast current as it headed for Corgaff. This was the first showing of a salmon I had seen all day so it spurred me on to try a bit harder instead of just going through the motions. I fished the pool down with a bit more confidence and as I approached the tail, I began to work my fly through the ripples to see if there was anything lying along side the boulders. My fly was immediately grabbed by a nice fish and I lifted into it. Fish on! The fish headed over to the far bank and as it did this, it leapt from the water to reveal itself. It was a slightly older looking fish around the 7lb mark. However, as it made it's leap for freedom, it had the desired effect and my fly was ejected from the clutches of it's jaws. Not the result I had hoped for but at at least it got the blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing.

The tail of Laird's.

I carried on down to fish Smith's Brae but there was no further action in here so I hot footed it back into Laird's for one last cast before heading home. I changed fly to a small Monkey bottle tube and worked it through the pool. This produced no reactions until I neared the tail of the pool again. Almost in exactly the same spot as before, something grabbed my fly. This time it managed to let it go almost as soon as it grabbed it but I was certain it was another salmon. It may even have been the same one. Who knows? I followed the same routine as before and fished through Smiths Brae again before having another go in Lairds. This time though, there was nothing to report so I packed up and headed home around 6pm.

Looking upstream in a nice pool that I cannot for the life of me remember it's name!

There are a number of pools in the middle section of the beat but there were a few torut anglers on the beat during the day so I left them to it as I had plenty other water to cover. It's always a good excuse to return again to dish the pools I missed! Although, I didn't manage to land any salmon, it was great to fish a beat that has been on my bucket list for quite some time. For whatever reason I had just never got round to fishing it. I am glad I now have and I will be back later on in the year to try again. I would love to see it with a bit more water on the pools to maybe hold one or two fish back from running upstream. I'll certainly look forward to giving it a try.

Littlewood Fishings

Some Salmon From The River Dee Last Week

I was fortunate enough to have a few days off work last week which just happened to coincide with a timely rise in water levels coupled with a drop in temperature. This signals for me the time to break out the Franc N Snaeldas again!

Underwater release still from my GoPro camera

Junction Snaeldas

Pink Snaleda

I fished for a few hours each day towards the tail of the week and was rewarded with 5 salmon landed and 5 lost! Not often I hit it right but I did last week!

4lb grilse. Hen fish.

6lb grilse. Hen fish.

6lb grilse. Cock fish.

4lb grilse. Cock fish.

12lb hen salmon

Two More Salmon From The Dee This Week

I have been on a bit of a roll recently and have been fortunate enough to land a few salmon for my time spent on the river. I landed a cracking cock salmon yesterday which was roughly around the 12lb mark and today I landed a hen salmon around 15lb. Both fish were in their spawning colours and were safely returned to the river.

A cracking male salmon in his full spawning outfit taken on a Black Snaelda at Ballogie.

A still from GoPro camera of the fish in mid air shortly before landing it.

A video from my GoPro camera which captured the action of playing the fish pictured above.

Although these fish are heavily coloured, you can only catch what takes your fly. If I could choose, I'd certainly take a nice clean sea licer over an old hen fish any day of the week but these fish are as equally important as the fresh run ones and careful handing is paramount to ensure they are returned to the river with minimal fuss.

Underwater release.

Hopefully these fish will make it to the spawning grounds safely in the next few weeks and do what nature intended them to do. The more salmon that make it onto the redds can only be a good thing and this will ensure the river populations maintain a healthy level.

A big, old hen salmon from the River Dee today. Estimated at 15lb. A Red Frances did the trick this time.

12lb Salmon From The River Dee

I had an hours fishing on the River Dee yesterday and was rewarded with a cracking fish around the 12lb mark. It was taken on a full floating line and a 3/4" hitch tube. This was my first success using the hitch fly having lost a grilse the previous week. What a buzz it is seeing the fish take the fly off the surface and then all hell breaking loose! I'll definitely be using this method again.

A quick photo before releasing the fish back into the River Dee. 

River Tay Opening Day 2017

Thanks to a kind invitation from Tony and Philip Black I found myself fishing on the fantastic Murthly 2 beat of the River Tay on it's opening day which is January 16th. The river was sitting at 4ft 6in on the beat gauge but was running clear considering the rise the night before. Regardless of the river height it was just good to be out on the river banks again after the long winter months.

John Fyfe fishing down through Willie's.

The evening before the trip was spent sorting out all my fishing gear in anticipation of fishing the Tay on Opening Day. I had never fished the River Tay on Opening Day before and couldn't wait to get there. I set off at 6.30am to get through the Aberdeen traffic and I arrived at the gates to Murthly Castle at 8.30am where I was greeted by Philip Black and fellow Aberdonian, John Fife. I followed on behind John and Philip along the castle road down to the hut where toasted in the new season with a wee dram of whisky. After a good chat about how excited we were for the new season and how we fared in 2016 it was time to set the rods up and get out on the water.

The entrance to the long driveway which leads up to the fishing.

My first cast of 2017.

Philip showed us the pools on the beat and where to concentrate our efforts and I was to start of in the Meetings Pool. This was a lovely bit of water even though the levels were on the high side. The water an along the side of the an island where it met the flow coming down the far side of it. This created a lovely seam through the centre of the river and it was in this area where Philip pointed out as a good spot to pick up a fish. I firstly fished through the pool with a 30g Toby Salmo but I didn't temp anything. I had another quick run down the pool with my fly rod and a 2" Willie Gunn but again to no avail.

Looking out to the Meeting's pool. Can be a very productive pool.

The next pool down was Willie's. This was another nice looking stretch of water and I opted to begin in here with the fly. John was fishing the tail just in front of me and landed a wee kelt just as I was starting. About half way down the pool a kelt had a go at my fly but it didn't take properly. It was good to know the fly was fishing attractively though. By the time I fished out the pool it was lunch time so it was off back to the hut or a bite to eat.

Fishing the fly on the Tay. I had a good offer from a fish just of the point of the corner, It didn't stick unfortunately.

One of the well equipped fishing huts at Murthly 2.

After lunch we didn't do much fishing to be honest as we spent most of time chatting and catching up after the winter. Having said that, I did have a run through the pools again and despite my best efforts with the fly rod and Salmo I couldn't temp anything. At this time of year though, fish are few and far between but it was great to be out on the water again.

Fishing a Salmo down through the Meetings Pool.

I find myself heading back down to Tayside this weekend for another go so we shall see what happens there, but again, it's more of a social gathering than a proper fishing trip. Any fish caught will be a bonus.

Scale Sample Results

Every season I try to collect a few scale samples from salmon I catch and these scales are kindly read for me by River Don bailiff, Martin Webster. Last season I managed to get scales from three fresh run salmon which I caught during the summer months. All three fish were 10lb or above and the scales read as follows:

Fish No.1:

14lb Salmon from the River Spey at Tulchan C

This 14lb hen salmon was caught on the 25th June 2016 from the Tulchan C beat of the River Spey. The scale reading from the fish pictured above shows 2 sea winters growth and some growth last year. It spent 2 winters in the river as a juvenile before smolting to sea. The scale reading confirmed this was a summer salmon. I for one am glad this beauty made it back to the river as it was my first ever River Spey salmon.

Fish No.2

A cracking 10lb River Spey salmon also from Tulchan C 

This 10lb salmon was caught from the Tulchan C beat on the same day as the 14lb salmon above and was as fresh as they come. The scale sample read it was a 2 sea winter fish and it also sent 2 years in the river as a juvenile before smolting to sea. The scale reading confirmed this was a summer salmon.

Fish No.3

10lb summer salmon from the Rver Dee.

The final scale reading was taken from a fish caught at the Ballogie beat of the River Dee on 5th July 2016. It was roughly 10lbs in weight and was very fresh. The scale confirmed it was a 2 sea winter summer salmon which spent 2 years in the river as a juvenile before smolting to sea. 

It's always really interesting getting the information back from the scale readings. Hopefully I'll catch a few more salmon this season and get the scale readings done again. Big thank you to River Don bailiff, Martin Webster for taking the time to read them for me and providing such detailed feedback. It's much appreciated. 

Merry Christmas!

I would just like to take this oppertunity to wish readers of my Blog a very Merry Christams and best wishes for 2017.

I have a lot of exciting fishing trips lined up for 2017 and I hope you will all continue to join me again next year in my persuit of Atlantic Salmon here in Scotland. Tight lines! Craig

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.