My First River Tweed Salmon

Last week I was fortunate enough to find myself fishing on the River Tweed for the first time in the company of Philip Black and John Fyfe. This meant getting up a 4am to arrive at the beat for 9am. It was also my first time fishing in November.

Safely in the net at last!

The early start was well worth the effort as I managed to land a cracking fresh fish late in the day. It weighed in at 20lb and fought like a tiger! It used the current and depth of the pool to it's advantage when ever it could. After an epic tussle which had my Hardy Cascapedia reel singing a merry tune, the fish was finally in the net. Not a bad fish to open my Tweed account with! It couldn't resist a Willie Gunn tube fished on a H/I/S1 line and a 10ft 7ips versi leader.

A quick photo before release.

Another one for the scrap book.

Ballogie - River Dee

I spent three days on the River Dee at Ballogie from the 3rd-5th March and this was in place of my usual three days a bit further up stream at Carlogie which I had taken for the previous five years. Ballogie is a beat I've had good success on in the past but I had never fished it in the Spring months and was really looking forward to it.

Looking upstream towards the hut in Upper Gannets.

Top Gannets from the hut.

The water had risen about 1ft a few days before I arrived and hopes were high despite the poor catches leading up to my days. The water height was hovering around the 1ft 5in mark on the Thursday and it remained fairly steady until the Saturday where it rose to 1ft 10in. Pretty much ideal river conditions for this time of year.

Middle Gannets looking good in the spring sunshine.

Looking upstream from the Lower Gannets.

Thursday was my first time on the beat since the flooding caused by Storm Frank at the beginning of the year and I was eager to get a proper look at the place. The damaged caused by the flooding was evident up and down the whole river and Ballogie has fared no different. Some pools have had a good wash out and the banking around the Sands and Slips have taking a bit of a pounding but having said that, below the Potarch Bridge looked to have escaped the worst of the damage and it fished really well during my days there.

Looking downstream from the hut towards Middle Gannets.

I started my trip off on the upper part of the beat first and Ian Fraser, who was standing in for Sean Stanton, suggested I start up in the Top Gannets and work my way down through Middle and Lower Gannets before fishing the Sands before lunch. The Gannets yielded nothing but I did mange to land a small kelt from the Sands which wolfed down a 2" Willie Gunn conehead.

Fishing down the Sands. I got a kelt out of here on the Thursday.

Looking upstream from the Slips.

The Slips. Large amounts of shingle have appeared on the Borrowston bank after the winter floods.

After lunch it was the pools below the bridge I was fishing and I worked my way down through the Bridge Pool, Burn of Angel's, Upper and Lower Inchbare, Kelpie and Bulwarks. I didn't get an offer but I had one more run through the Bridge Pool just before 5pm and I managed to land a well mended kelt just as I was speaking to fellow rods on the beat. It took a 7mm Monkey fly just near the tail of the pool and once it was returned I decided to call it day and headed off home.

The famous Potarch Bridge pool. I had another kelt from here at last knockings on Thursday.

My second day saw me start where I had finished off the night before. I fished through the usual "hotspots" in all the pools and despite the fact we had a good water and over head conditions, I sadly didn't temp anything and my offerings remained untouched for the morning session.

Looking upstream towards the Potarch Bridge.

Burn of Angels.

Upper Inchbare.

The afternoon saw me back up on the upper pools and it was the same old story as the morning. Good looking pools, good water heights but just nothing willing to show an interest in any of my flies. At that time, doubt in my tactics started to creep in and I changed lines and flies numerous times in an attempt to temp even just a kelt but to no avail.

Fishing down the Flats on the Saturday. 

I didn't go home that night and instead, spent the night in Ford Cottage with my pals Ade, Rory, Philip and Paul, who were fishing upstream at Carlogie. Philip managed to land a cracking fish of around 12lb from Commonty so the drams and beer were flowing all evening and the craic was top class. There was tears of laughter at times and we chatted the night away telling stories of fish and fishers of past and present. I woke up in the morning raring to go again and with a fresh approach to the river. Rain over night had risen the river about 6" and we were all looking forward to get going.

Ade, Philip and Rory enjoying the drams in Ford Cottage.

Ade, Patrick and Rory ready for another day on the river at Carlogie.

Ian had offered us a cast down at Commonty so I fished the upper pools on Ballogie in the morning before heading downstream to fish Commonty during lunch time. I did see two fresh looking fish in the Loop at Commonty but try as I might, they weren't interested. It was good to fish Commonty again and seeing a couple of fish kept the enthusiasm going. Philip had never fished Ballogie before so I offered him my rod and I fished the rest of the afternoon on Commonty. Philip manged to land a couple of kelts from the Bulwarks on Ballogie during the afternoon but my day was blank.

Fishing down the Kelpie in a good height of water.

The bottom pool at Ballogie - Bulwarks.

Depsite the lack of fish it was great to fish Ballogie in the Spring and it's something I will look forward to every year from now on. The pools on Ballogie are great for fishing the fly and if Storm Frank hadn't had the river up over it's banks from most of December and January then I am sure there would have been a head of fish occupying the pools. The sediment and debris flowing down the Dee all winter would have not been ideal conditions for salmon to run so we will get a better idea of fish numbers as the season progresses. There might even be some excellent new pools created as a result but only time will tell. Until then, my next trip is on the River Tay at Stobhall later this month and I am hoping conditions are favourable where I will be pitting my wits against the famous Linn Pool. Can't wait!

The top hut at Ballogie which overlooks the Gannets.

Opening Day Success On The Dee At Park

I was delighted to accept an invitation from Philip Black to fish Park on the opening day of the salmon fishing season 2016. I had attended the ceremony earlier on that day (Monday) and made my way down to the beat around 11.45am. The water levels were sitting around the 31" mark but were beginning to rise due to snow melt. The gale force wind made things that bit more tricky as well but if your fly is in the water then there is always a chance.

A fresh run opening day springer from the River Dee at Park. 12lb and covered in sea lice.

Park Estate head ghillie, Keith Cromar unhooks my fish from the Durris Stream.

At around 4pm I had an offer in the Durris Stream and a strong fish took off down river like a steam train. It's first initial run had the backing tearing off my reel and I actually thought I'd foul hooked a kelt. I followed the fish down just to get the fly line back onto my reel. Philip called Keith the ghillie and he arrived with the much needed net. After a dogged tussle lasting ten to fifteen minutes I managed to get the fish up and I drew it into the waiting net. The relief and delight at seeing a fresh run opening day fish was fantastic. It was a cracker around 12lb and covered in sea lice. the fish took a 2" Willie Gunn tied on an aluminum tube with a black tungsten cone. A big fly for the big water.

Everyone was over the moon. Park has had a lean time of it during the Spring months these past two or three years and ghillies were just as pleased as I was to see the fish in the net. Hopefully it signals a return to form for the beat and an upturn in fortunes for the river as a whole.

Just another photo of me posing with my fish.

And one more before slipping it back.

 I'm back at Park again Friday and Saturday and I can't wait! Hopefully there are a few more sea liced springers about. Looking forward to it.

Franc N Snaelda Salmon Flies

I have been busy tying up a few Franc N Snaelda tube flies for next Spring as this pattern turned out to be my most successful fly I used in 2014. It accounted for 5 out of 11 salmon I caught this year and it shall be my "go to" pattern again next year.

The pattern was invented on the banks of the River Dee by Ballogie ghillie, Sean Stanton and it incorporates both Francis and Snaelda characteristics. These types of flies were extremely popular, not only on Deeside, but on all rivers, so Sean decided to marry these two deadly patterns together and so the Franc N Snaelda was born.

Some Franc N Snaelda tubes I've tied up recently.

Some Pink Franc N Snaeldas which did well for me during the back end of the season.

Blank and Yellow Franc N Snaelda. Very popular colour combo for Spring fishing.

Green Highlander Franc N Snaelda. Not a pattern I use much at all but like the look of it tied in this style.

Junction Shrimp Franc N Snaelda. This pattern served me well during October on the River Don.

Munro Killer Franc N Snaelda. I really like this pattern tied in the Snaelda style.

Cascade Franc N Snaelda. Had some success with this pattern back in August.

Willie Gunn Snaelda. A very popular pattern in the Spring months.

Some Flamethrower Flies

I had a few spare hours tonight and spent them at the vice tying up some Flamethrower flies for the coming months. As well as some of the more popular Flamethrower patterns like the Willie Gunn or Cascade I tied up a few different ones such as the Thurso Dog and the Munro Killer.

Thurso Dog Flamethrower

Black Bear Flamethrower

Willie Gunn Flamethrower

Munro Killer Flamthrower

Cascade Flamethrower

Ghillie Fly. Not a Flamethrower but I had one #12 Gold Esmond Drury Treble left and the Ghillie fly suit these hooks down to a tee.

Flies For The Spring

I've been busy at the vice lately and have been tying up all the usual patterns for fishing the Spring on the Dee and Don. Tying flies is a great way to pass time during the dark nights and to restock the fly box for the season ahead. As usual I have tied up plenty, probably more than I'll use, but when fishing deep  early in the season, there is always a chance of snagging up and losing your fly. Here are some flies I've tied. They are tied on a mixture of Copper, Brass and Aluminum tubes, bottle tubes and plastic tubes. Some with cones, some without. Hope you like them.

Dee Monkey. This has been tied on a silver Yuri Shumakov bottle tube and has a black Eumer cone head. The Scandinavians introduced this pattern to Scotland and I'm glad they did! Catches lots of fish and fishes well all season, not just in Spring.

Willie Gunn Snaelda. Tied on a 1/2" Copper tube, it also has a black Eumer cone head for added weight and stability.

Kinermony Killer. I've tied this on a 1 1/4" brass tube. A proven catcher of fish on the River Spey. Not fished these in the Spring but will be giving them a swim this February coming.

Tummel Monkey. Devised by expert angler, Donnie Whiteford to replicate the deadly Orange/Gold Rapala lure. I've tied this on a 1 1/2" copper tube. Ross Macdonald had this as his fly of the month in the Trout & Salmon magazine last month. It would not be in there if it was not a catcher of Salmon.

Gold Bodied Willie Gunn. Probably the most famous fly ever and one that catches scores of Salmon through out the season but it's particularly deadly during the Spring months. A must for any fly box.

Alistair. A fly designed on the Helmsdale river and one that catches plenty fish all over. I know a few good anglers on the Don who use nothing more than this fly during Spring and do very well. I love the simplicity of this fly and one I will be using a fair bit in 2013.

Black And Yellow. Another must have pattern for the Dee in Spring fishing. This fly accounts for numerous fish every year on every river. The old ones still hold their own against the new patterns.

Park Shrimp. Last but certainly not least! This fly has a huge following and was designed by Ross MacDonald. It catches tons of Salmon and is found in nearly every Salmon fisherman's fly boxes. It's a fly I've done well with and I always carry a few where ever I'm fishing.

First Outing Of The Season - Park On The River Dee 11/02/2012

Fished on the Park beat of the River Dee yesterday. I was drawn Beat 5 before lunch and Beat 1 after. Conditions were perfect, rising river temperature, nice height, clear and no wind. Sadly no fish either. A ghillie from the Spey's Wester Elchies beat landed a springer about 6lbs under the wires in the Durris Stream from the South bank. The beat was fished by some top class anglers on both banks(not me!) yesterday. Plenty kelts caught through-out the day and I could only lose 1 in the morning from Durris Stream and had another on and off later on. I tried various lines from a Guideline H/I/S3, Vision ACE S1/S2, an intermediate AFS and an AFS floater. A varied range of tips and many different flies of all sizes and weights. Nothing worked for me yesterday, just one of those days I think. I'll have to wait until the 23rd and try it all again. Here are some pictures from my day.

Fishing down the Durris Stream. The fisher on the South bank had a 6lb Springer about 5 minutes after I took this picture.

Making my way down the top of the Celler. Cracking pool to fish.

A photo of the hut at Park from the middle of the Celler.

Working my way down the Celler Pool. Most of the fish showing were over at the far bank and required wading out and a good long cast to cover them.

I started my afternoon in the Silver Spoon pool which is named after the spinning lure. Interesting to hear how pools get their names.

Looking down stream towards Bulwarks from the Park Inn hut. Fished all the way down from Silver Spoon through the Boat pool and Park Inn without a touch. A rod on the South bank landed a kelt from the Boat pool.

Keith Cromar the ghillie told me to fish Upper Kirks for the last hour before dark. I fished it all the way down to Lower Kirks but day light disappeared quickly and I called it a day about 5.15pm. Had a wee pull just off the stones but that was all for my afternoon's efforts.