Lower Crathes & West Durris - River Dee

A few weeks ago on the 5th September, I found myself fishing the fantastic Lower Crathes and West Durris beat on the River Dee. This is a beat I never tire of fishing and I was really looking forward to getting the chance to fish a fly through it's pools again. I was fishing with my pal Paul Pritchard, my uncle Stuart and Paul's mate Graham. The water was sitting around 2ft on the beat gauge and still carrying a bit of a peat stain to it. The beat had only been lightly fished during the week but they had managed to register a few in the book and we were confident that we would be covering plenty fish whilst fishing the pools. I kept the same set up from my day at Ballogie earlier in the week which was my 14ft 9in Guideline AWM rod, Intermediate line and 7ips tip. After a chat and a cup of coffee in the hut it was down to business.

A nice 15lb hen fish taken on a pink Franc N Snaelda.

On the day we were ghillied by Jordan Sinclair who is under ghillie to Robert Harper on the beat. I was to share the lower half of the beat for the morning with my uncle. I started off in the Greenbank whilst he was to fish the Kelpie.

The Greenbanks. A lovely pool with easy wading.

 The Greenbank is a fantastic looking pool and is fairly straight forward in terms of how to fish it. The run goes along the far bank so wading out and casting a long line to cover the area is essential although fish will take on the dangle along the length of the pool at this height of water. I fished down the pool with a Red Frances to begin with and fished it sink and draw style. Despite my best efforts the fish weren't interested so it was off downstream for a go in Bulwarks.

Looking downstream at the top of the Bulwarks. Park is the beat below.

Just about half way down the pool and covering the water under the wires. Under power cables always seems to be a good place to pick up a fish.

The last time I fished the beat I fished Bulwarks from the opposite bank. It was good to give it a cast from this bank and there were a few fish showing in the pool as I made my way down it. As inviting as it look though, I couldn't tempt one so it was off upstream to fish Kelpie.

My uncle Stuart fishing the Greenbank.

The top of the Kelpie Pool.

Mid way down the Kelpie. I had a good offer out from the big stone in the centre of the photo.

On my way upo to the Kelpie I stopped and spoke with my uncle who was fishing the Greenbank. He informed me of seeing numerous fish showing in the Kelpie so I couldn't wait to get my fly swinging through the pool. As I hadn't had an offer with the Red Frances I changed over to a trusty back end pattern, a Pink Franc N Snaelda. I have had pretty good success with this fly during September and October so I had confidence that it worked well. I made my way down the pool and just as was nearing the big stone about mid way down, I had a good offer. The fish was just slowly pulling at my fly as I worked it through the pool so I left it a second or two before lifting into it. As soon as I lifted the rod though the fish let go and the chance was gone. I thought I'd given the fish ample time to take but I guess not! I covered the spot for a few more minutes but the fish wasn't coming back for seconds so it was off to the hut for some lunch.

The main hut at Lower Crathes. (Photo taken back in April)

At lunch Paul was telling how he'd lost a fish in the Mill Pool on a Sunray Shadow. Apart from my offer in Kelpie, nobody else had had a touch.  As per usual in the fishing hut, we spoke of fishing, tactics and what to do next. Stuart and I were to fish the top half of the beat with me starting in the Mill and Stuart in the famous Bridge Pool. We were all eager to get going again and I opted to keep the same line on but just change my tip from a 7ips to a 4ips.

The Jetties on the Mill Pool. I hooked the fish mid stream near the top of the pool.

A chunky hen fish of around 15lbs taken on a Pink Franc N Snaelda in the Mill Pool.

The Mill Pool is a cracking pool and one of my favourite pools on the beat. I started up at the top of the pool with a short line and lengthening all the time before finally working my way through the pool. I fish the Snaelda sink and draw style and I had only fished about 20 yards or so of the pool when a fish started to pull back as I worked the fly. Again, it was just a soft take so I left it for what seemed an age before lifting into it. This time though, it was on and I felt the weight of a good fish. After tense and lengthy battle which involved several hard runs, I finally managed to get her over the net just below the first jetty. I quickly removed the hook and took a photo before releasing her back into the river. It was such a good feeling to see her swim off strongly. I fished on down the rest of the pool without a touch so it was off for a cast in Riddle's.

Looking upstream in Riddle's.

On arrival to Riddle's there was a good fish showed mid stream just below the broken water. This was encouraging so I made my way to the top of the pool and fished it down. Unfortunately, I couldn't temp any fish so it was off down to the Bridge Pool to finish off my afternoon.

Fishing down the famous Bridge Pool.

The Bridge Pool on Lower Crathes is one of the most famous pools on the river. It is famed for it's cathces and it produces fish from opening day until closing day. The pool was holding a few fish and several made themselves known as I worked my way down the pool. As I got near to the bridge, I had a good take which sadly didn't come to nothing so I went to change my fly in the hope it might take again but something different this time. As I opened my box of Snaeldas the lid flipped back and jerked the box out my hand. I quickly managed to catch it before it went swimming but several of my flies had fell into the water and were on their way out to sea before I could save them. All that time and effort in tying them up was wasted but at least I didn't buy them. Still, it was not good seeing seven or eight of my flies swimming down the Dee without being attached to a leader. Anyway, I couldn't temp the fish again and the rest of the pool proved fruitless. By this time it was around 5pm so it was back to the hut for a cup of coffee before deciding where to try in the evening.

I thought the Kelpie might be worth another cast so I made my way down to the pool and changed my fly to a Sunray Shadow but still on the Intermediate line. I started at the top of the pool and began casting a long line and stripping the fly fairly quickly across the pool. I must have been about half way down the pool when I had a thumping take on the fly. I lifted sharply into a lively fish and started to wind some of my running line back onto my reel whilst the fish turned and headed off downstream. I managed to get the fish onto the reel fairly quickly but a short while later the fish had spat the hook and was off. It wasn't a big fish but it looked fresh and would have been more than welcome. That turned out to be the last action for my day and I packed up around 7.30pm. I

It was a great day and I was delighted to have landed a good fish and had several other contacts as well as losing one. It's good to know you are doing something right and the confidence goes a long way in helping to land fish. I will look forward to my next outing and hopefully my good run will continue.

ADAA Junior Day On The Dee

The Aberdeen and District Angling Association hosted a Junior Members day on the River Dee at Altries and Lower Drum today. The weather was kind to us today with just a slight breeze and good, overcast conditions. The water was in really good ply and was sitting around 1ft 10in on the gauge.

Seven junior members came along to learn spey casting with AAPGAI instructor Ben Dixon and also to learn the basics of fishing with spinners. Each junior in attendance was paired up with an adult member who was on hand to assist with their casting and to generally give advice when required.

Unfortunately, and not for the want of trying, nothing was caught this year but everyone went away happy at the end of the day and hopefully, a lot more confident about the way they go about their fishing.

A thank you must go to renowned, local fly tier, Philip Glendinning who kindly donated a bag of flies for each junior who attended today. I'm sure they will get well used judging by the good feedback we got from the kids who all said they would like to get out and try to catch a salmon. The ADAA would also like to thank an oil company (who would like to remain anonymous) for generously paying for the lunch laid on for all who attended today, it was very much appreciated. Finally, a big thanks to the beat and it's ghillie, Kevin Fleming for allowing us to have the day there and to all the volunteers who gave up their time to help out today.

It is always good getting the younger kids involved in fishing and to see some of them become competent casters having never tried it before is even more pleasing. Hopefully the seeds are sown and we see them all on the river bank in the very near future.

Here are a few pictures from today.

The ADAA Land Rover and the beat's fishing hut.

Alistair had never cast a double handed fly rod before today but was a really quick learner and his casting was very good by the end of the day, even into the wind. Well done Alistair.

17 year old Sean Rennie fishing the fly in the Hut Pool. Sean is an excellent caster and is a very keen angler already.

Looking downstream in the Hut Pool. Was bubbling with trout this afternoon when the March Browns were hatching.

Ghillie, Keviin Fleming rows us back over to the hut to begin packing up..

Some of the lads show off their packets of flies kindly donated by Philip Glendinning.

Discussing the day and handing out the last of the sweets!

Posing for a group picture after another successful ADAA Junior Outing. Looking forward to the next one.

Redd Counting With The River Dee Bailiffs

My uncle Stuart and I tagged along with River Dee bailiffs Mark and Diarmid whilst they were out doing their redd counting today. The plan was to survey the River Feugh but a sharp rise in water over night made it impossible so we headed to the Upper Dee near Braemar. Not a bad substitute in my opinion! Braemar has to be one of my favourite parts of Royal Deeside and just looking towards the snow covered hills and beyond, you would easily see why.

We stopped at one of several Victorian suspension bridges which span the Upper Dee and walked upstream to the first area to be surveyed. After a walking upstream for a while, we arrived at our designated pool at which Mark and Diarmid gave me crash course in spotting redds. The showed me what to look out for and explained about the types of flow and gravel the salmon like to use. We waded out into the river and there was a good number of redds cut in the pool and quite a few salmon milling about too. Most of the fish we were cock salmon because after the hen fish lay their eggs, they tend to head back downstream soon after leaving the cock fish to guard the redds and die. These dead fish provide easy picking for the otters and other animals at this time of year and it would be stupid to turn down the chance of a free meal. It was great to be out on the Dee watching salmon in their natural habitat doing what nature intended. When you fish for salmon, you don't really think about what happens after the season ends so for me, it was really interesting to watch and learn a thing or two about their behavior during this period.

Once we finished surveying the Braemar area, we headed off down river to spawning grounds near Aboyne. Pretty much as soon as we arrived, you could see the fish scurrying away as we approached.  The gravel, the flow and the cover all make this prime spawning habitat and it was full of redds. We walked a stretch of the stream, counting as we went and also looking out for any salmon about. Half way down ,we stood and watched as a big cock salmon lay almost motionless under the surface. It wasn't until we got closer that he took off. He would have been a beauty when he entered the river!

After a bite to eat, we headed down river to our final survey for the day near Drumoak. The water was slightly coloured here, probably due to the extra water coming down the Feugh which enters the Dee at Banchory. The higher water made it more difficult to see the redds but after a while of looking, we soon found plenty. There was no sign of any fish near the redds as they all must have moved on. The bailiffs thought this was quite early for them to do so considering fish were still spawning up around Braemar. Whilst surveying this area we also came across a few sea trout redds. These were harder to see than the salmon redds due to being smaller in size but Mark and Diarmid soon pointed out the characteristics of a sea trout redd how you tell them apart for a salmon's. Their locations were taken using GPS and we left the pool to count up the total. This signaled the end of a great day out with the bailiffs and it was good to see up close a small part of the excellent work they do on the river.

Considering the low water we had for most of summer and the back end, there were plenty redds about in most areas which was very encouraging. When you see salmon on their spawning grounds, which for most, is the final leg of an amazing journey, it brings it home just how much of a hardy creature they really are. We should do all we can to help protect them from the dangers and threats they face, many of which are brought about by mankind.

The River Dee Team do some great work regarding habitat improvements to many of the streams and burns that enter the main river. This in turn provides good spawning grounds for returning salmon which will eventually see a greater return of adult fishing in future years. To find out more about the River Dee Trust's work check out their website at www.riverdee.org.uk.

A Victorian Suspension Bridge across the Dee near Braemar.

Stunning view towards the hills.

Idea spawning habitat for salmon. We saw many redds and salmon in this area.

The clean gravel on the right behind a salmon redd. The bigger key stones to the left of the picture are where the eggs are laid.

A spawned out female salmon which had been taken by an otter. This was a good sized fish, maybe 12lbs or so.

Walking the river looking for redds near Drumoak.

More ideal spawning habitat which salmon and sea trout have taken full advantage of.

Tallying up at the end of the survey.

River Dee bailiffs Diarmid and Mark.

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.

Aberdeen & District Angling Association Junior Day

The Aberdeen & District Angling Association held an open day on the Altries & Lower Drum beat of the River Dee. It was set up by my uncle Stuart Fleming and ghillie Kevin Fleming along with proprietor of the estate in order to encourage younger members to branch out into salmon fishing. With the aid of top casting instructors Jim Fearn and Ben Dixon, the young lads were soon inducted, tackled up and raring to go. Some of the lads were already keen fishers but had never caught salmon before and it was great to be able to help out and try to pass on tips or be on hand to offer advice when required.

The morning session started about 10am and the first fish of the day was soon landed. A lively wee sea trout kelt was netted which was caught by Matt. He soon followed this up by landing 2 more kelts of the same species and losing another. This sparked a bit of healthy competition between him and his pal Shaun.

I took a couple of the older lads down to a pool called Donal' Garth but apart for a hit on a toby which came to nothing, we didn't manage to connect with any fish. We went onto fish the Pike Hole and Greenbank without any joy either.

After a quality spread of bacon butties (expertly cooked by Benny), sandwiches, sweets and juice, we were back on the water. Kevin and Jim took a group of lads over the river on the boat and up to fish Alfred's Pot. Whist fishing the Pot one of them landed a salmon kelt which Jim netted and photographed for, I think his name was Conner? Apologies if I got the name wrong! Although a kelt, having never hooked a salmon before this made his day and you could see his delight in playing and landing the fish. This is exactly why the day was put on in the first place and these moments are never forgotten. They enthuse the youngsters to get out on the river fishing on a regular basis and hopefully onto become the next generation of anglers filling rods on the Dee and Don. Shortly before this, in the Hut Pool, another lad called Shaun hooked a big salmon kelt which after a good scrap was netted by the ghillie Kevin.

By the end of the days fishing, between 9 youngsters, 5 kelts were landed and many of them learned new techniques which will come in useful during their fishing careers. Even some of the adults were taught new things and how to cast double handed salmon rods! Overall, I think everyone left the beat eager to get out fishing again and hopefully keen to get out on the many miles of fishings the Aberdeen & District Angling Association has to offer.

Here are some pictures from today.

The group of youngsters and volunteers pose for a photo along with Jim Fearn (centre), Ben Dixon (far right) and ghillie, Kevin Fleming (5th in from right).

Kevin ferries Jim Fearn and a few of the lads back to the hut after fishing Alfred's Pot.

Back ashore to tell of catches from the other bank.

Looking downstream toward Maryculter House Hotel from the Highbank pool. I had a cast in here with the fly before heading off for lunch.

Looking upstream  into Donal' Garth from mid river. Stuart Fleming shows the lads where to cast in the Pike Hole.

Altries Hut Pool looking downstream. A lovely pool which fishes the fly very well and where Shaun landed his big salmon kelt.

18lber From Tilbouries

My uncle Stuart Fleming had a day on the Tilbouries beat of the River Dee yesterday and landed this sea liced beauty! The fish took a 1" copper Ally Shrimp tube from the Alfred's Pot. It's his second 18lb salmon from the beat this year.

Cracking fish!

An 18lb belter from Tilbouries. Thanks for the picture!