River Dee Opening Week

The Aberdeenshire River Dee opening for business again on the 1st of February with Alexander Armstrong dong the honours this year. This year was the first year for a long time that I have not attended the opening ceremony but I had a good excuse - I was fishing at Park!

First fish of the season ready to be returned. It's great seeing that first fish safely in the net.

Opening day team photo in the Park fishing hut. 

Opening Day on any river is always full of anticipation but as the Dee is my "home" river, we were all really looking forward to fishing it again and trying to land another opening day springer like we did last year. River conditions were decent enough despite the unwanted rise in river levels the night before. The beat gauge was reading 38" and running clear. Tactics for the day were my 15ft Mackenzie DTX shooting head rod, a H/I/S1 shooting head and a 7ips versi leader. Fly of choice was the old Dee favourite, the Black and Yellow.

Fishing down the Park Inn on Opening Day.

Looking upstream in Park Inn.

Around 10.00am Daniel Stephen hooked into a good fish in the Cellar Pool. At first it didn't do an awful lot but it was soon clear this was no kelt! After a good scrap, a cracking fish of around 14lb was guided into the waiting net. This was Daniel's first ever salmon! Not a bad way to opening your account.  After a few photos the fish was returned to the river and it quickly transpired that this was the first fish off the river in 2017. Later that day it also turned out the be the largest. It certainly doesn't get much better than that! I think I was was equally pleased as it was caught using one of my flies which I had only tied up a few days before. The rest of the day only produced kelts for us all and I think the final tally was around 30 or so. There certainly seemed to be plenty kelts holding at Park this year which is encouraging. At least it give any spring fish entering the river some company if they decided to stop and rest in the area. Hopes were high for the remainder of the week.

Daniel Stephen with his first ever salmon! The first and largest salmon off the river on Opening Day!

February 2nd saw me fishing further up river at Carlogie thanks to an invite from ghillie, Sean Stanton. The river was in good ply and there were several kelts around to keep us on our toes. Tactics were the same as the previous day with the Black and Yellow accounting for the handful of kelts I landed.  Sean did hook a good fish in Rossicks however but he lost it at his feet whilst attempting to beech it. That would have been the first off the beat in 2017 but sadly, it wasn't to be. It was a good sign that the fish were present in the area and I'm pleased to say that Carlogie have had 2 fresh fish landed since my day there on Thursday.

Fishing down the Castleton Pool in a big water.

Looking upstream in Castleton before the river became unfishable.

I was back to Park again on Friday 3rd February as this is day 1 of my usual days I take every year. The river was sitting at 31" on the gauge as I arrived in the morning but it soon rose rapidly around lunch time and it peaked at 62" by mid afternoon. The river was also carrying a lot of debris and the fishing was no use. Apart from a handful of kelts, the fishing was tough going due to the river conditions so the rods put away in the hut and substituted for whisky glasses!

Playing a fresh run springer in the Cellar Pool at Park.

As we arrived at the beat on Saturday morning, conditions looked good. The river had dropped back to a reasonable level and the colour had all but gone. The gauge was reading 31" again. Sean and I were allocated the lower part of the beat for the morning session with Sean starting in the Cellar and I fished the Durris Stream. I could only muster up a half hearted offer near the top of the Durris but as i was about three quarters the way down the pool I could hear a shout from Sean. I quickly wound in and ran off upstream to see Sean's line way out in the river with a good fish attached. Keith Cromar, the ghille, was soon on the scene too and he was ready with the net as Sean slid a bar of silver around 16lb into it. What a start to the morning!

Sean McGarry with a cracking fish of around 16lb. 

Me and my first salmon of 2017. 10lb of pure muscle! 

I fished on out the rest of the Durris with only a brown trout to show for my efforts so I decided to go upriver and have a run down the Cellar before lunch. I started out in the tail of the House Pool and worked my way into the Cellar Pool itself. I briefly had hold of a fish at the tail of the House but by this time the river had risen to 38" on the gauge. I waded out as far as I dared at began launching a long line into the wind. I got about half way down the pool when I had a good take form a fish. This didn't feel like the usual head shaking kelt but again, like Daniel's fish, it didn't do much to begin with. The fish was almost up opposite of me when it suddenly took of across the pool. In doing so it tore all my line of the reel in one screaming run and I struggled keep it under control. It then came running back upstream and I managed to get all my line back on the reel. No sooner was it back on the reel, the fish took off again. In all, it did this 4 times before finally coming to Keith's waiting net. It was such a relief to see it into the net and it was a spanking fresh fish around the 10lb mark. A good old Dee Monkey tube did the business. There is nothing better than landing an early season springer and I happily retired to the hut to celebrate. During lunch, the river rose to over 56" and it put an end to the fishing again. Still, Sean and I were quite happy as we had achieved what we set out to do, catch a springer. Roll on the next one! 

A Day On The Dee At Park

I've just had my annual August day on the famous Park beat on the River Dee. I had been keeping a close eye on the water heights because apart from this trip, every other time I've been to Park the Dee has been in spate! I was to be lucky today though as the water height was only 9" on the beat gauge. The catches for the beat this week have been really good so I was full of anticipation and was eager to get going.

I arrived at the hut about 8.30am and after the usual cup of coffee and meet and greets I tackled up with the same tactics which were successful last week at Kincardine. This set up was a RIO AFS intermediate tip shooting head, a 10ft slow sink polyleader and a #13 Cascade. I was allocated Beat 3 in the morning and Beat 6 in the afternoon. I set off up to Beat 3 and was to start in the Greenbanks. The Greenbanks is a cracking pool with a really nice streamy run coming off the faster water at the neck. There were plenty fish showing just off the run and most of them looked fresh. After 45 minutes or so, the rod fishing in the same pool but on the South bank landed a nice fresh grilse so that was encouraging to see that they were at least catchable today. Keith Cromar the ghillie arrived with the owner of the beat to inspect some eroding banks and just as they made their way back to the cars my line was drawn away and I lifted into a lively fish. After 5 minutes or so of storming runs and a cartwheels, Keith slid the net under a 6-7lb bar of silver covered in sea-lice. Nice way to start my morning. And to land it in front of the future Laird of the estate too. I fished on through the Greenbanks and the top part of Castleton without another touch but the South Park rod did manage anothe small grilse from the neck of the House Pool.

At lunch time, after exchanging stories of catches etc, it turned out that all the fish were caught in the space of an hour or so which was to end up, apart from a 10lber from the Celler Pool caught late in the afternoon, to be the only time the fish were really in a taking mood all day.

I headed down to Beat 6 after lunch to fish the Bridge Pool and Keith's Pot. The Bridge pool is a fantastic cast and I was just waiting for the line to go tight every time my fly swung through the pool. Although there were plenty fish showing I didn't connect to any which was frustrating but that's fishing for you. This is why we anglers keep coming back and trying to catch these wonderful creatures.

About 6pm I headed up to fish Beat 1 to fish all the way down to the hut before heading home. Again there were plenty fish in evidence especially in the Park Inn but they were running quickly upstream and were not in the mood to stop and take my fly.

I always enjoy fishing at Park and will return early next year to try and land the most prized catch of all, a Dee Springer. Here are some pictures from my day yesterday.

Greenbanks Pool. A lovely cast and a pleasure to fish.

Good start to the day. A sea-liced Salmon from the Greenbanks landed about 10.15am. Always good to get a fish early on.

The Bridge Pool named obviously due to the Park Bridge in the background. First time I have fished on Beat 6 but I really liked it so hopefully next time the water will be in my favour again because it only fishes in lower water.

Keith's Pot. This is the pool belwo the Park Bridge and always has fish splashing in it when I pass over the bridge. Today was no differant but they were not interested in my flies unfortunately.

A nice view looking downstream from Cooper's into the Long Pool then furthest away, Upper Kirks.

Three Days At Park By Charlie Robertson

I had my annual 3 day trip to the Park beat on the Aberdeenshire Dee this week. I fished from Monday to Wednesday. The river was in good nick and was up slightly from the weekend. There was 5 (Jerrys) Springers caught during my 3 days. A beauty of 18lb out of the Boat pool from the North bank on Wednesday by a very good angler. It was dripping with long-tailed sea lice. There was also another angler who landed his first ever fish. It weighed 15lbs and had shoulders like a brick layer! Hope he doesn't think it's that easy all the time! I finished up with 13 kelts but the springers were playing hard to get. I did hook one in the bum and it took off like a steam train. Tearing all my line and backing from my reel and leading a merry dance down the pool. I finally got it under control and it came in tail first. When I first hooked it, I thought it was a prized Dee springer but not to be. Fairly got the ticker going though. Had a lovely few days and Keith Cromar is a topper of a guy and a class ghillie to boot. Here are some pictures from my trip and hope you enjoy them. Be back next year to try it all again. Charlie Robertson.

13 kelts for my 3 days. Keith Cromar fairly spurs you on. Great Ghillie.

The concrete path down Park Inn. Im using a int/sink1, 10ft fast sink tip and a 1.5" Monkey. Looking into the Boat Pool.

Two anglers making their way down the Durris Stream in hope of a Dee springer.

Fishing the Bridge Pool on beat 6. You wade out to the shingle bar and fish over to Jim Paton's Upper Drum/Lower Durris bank. Lovely cast. The bridge in the picture is Park Bridge.

First Outing Of The Season At Park Today

The famous Park beat hut on the Aberdeenshire River Dee.

Looking downstream in the Castleton Pool. I got 2 sea trout kelts at the bottom of here on a Monkey fly.

Looking downstream in the Durris Stream.

Looking upsream from the Durris to the bottom of the Cellar Pool.

Here is a few pictures from my day a Park today. The water rose a bit last night after heavy rain and the gauge read 43" this morning. No springers from the the beat today but plenty kelts.  I managed 2 sea-trout kelts which was fine to get the heart racing again and to put a bend on the rod. Both fish took a 1 inch copper Monkey just before the fly came on to the dangle in the Castleton pool. It was very wet and windy in the morning but it turned out a fine afternoon. Nice to meet the other rods. A fine bunch of lads. Keith the ghillie is also a topper of a guy. Had a good day out. Hopefully next time I'll encounter a nice Dee Springer. I will be back to try again!!!