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Post by diverdave on Sept 4, 2010 21:36:05 GMT
Taken in a deep pool in the Dee, in what is very dark water. Because of the lack of light, eg none, and the poor viz at one meter the quality is poor but let it run. It shows a catatonic salmon, waiting for water to run. It eventually wakes up after a bit of encouragement from me. it has some jaw damage, perhaps as a result of a hook injury as a parr or adult, we will never know, but interesting never the less. The Eels are also interesting, look at the eyes, both the salmon and eels have very bright eyes, makes me wonder i the lures we use should emphaisie this. Certainly shows why fish will take no interest in a lure for months at a time, if a big fat diver poking it on the head cannot get a reaction! www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfnlIWBdky8D www.wader-repair.co.uk
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Post by diverdave on Sept 4, 2010 21:50:53 GMT
I cant wait to show the next one, it is very special.
The Dee cannot allow it to be seen until the end of the season, i have never seen the like and i have done over 5000 dives. The quality is great, the fish perform for the camera and it is stunning viewing. Perhaps in 5 weeks or so!
D
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Post by diverdave on Sept 5, 2010 20:44:20 GMT
The follow up video, edited by River Dee Trust Director and River Don Trust Chairman Iain Morrison The first images are of a large parr, in a waterfall pool, 5 mtr deep and with the current hurtling past. It is not keen to move because of the large flow and the number of big trout down stream. It performs well for the camera before moving into water too fast for me to comfortable follow and video. The dots flying past are bubbles from the waterfall. I then drop back through a narrow gorge, the rocks polished over the millennium by rocks thrown downstream by the current, I do a barrel role to avoid the camera umbilical before finding a superb brown trout, in a rock bowl. This fish is a couple of pounds in weight and not best pleased at seeing me! I travel over a rock bed, before dropping vertically into a sink hole, the rivers flow goes down vertically through this interesting “pipe” of natural erosion into a deep and dark pool. You will see the bubbles going straight down and my umbilical lying against the rock face. I check my computer, and in the darkness I am at 4.2 mtr, maximum depth so far 8.2 mtr and 14 degrees. Continuing down I hit bottom in 8 mrt and find a friendly blue eyed eel. Note how it swims backwards, leading me to the catatonic salmon. The fish clearly has mouth damage, I have no idea why but it appears to be in a coma, conserving its energy before its hormones once again drive it upstream. I reach out and gently tough it and you see its breathing change, it is suddenly aware that I am there. I continue to gain confidence, stroking its head and shoulders before gently lifting the fish, a specimen of perhaps 8 lbs. It decides enough is enough and swims off downstream. Notice however that it has been facing Aberdeen all the time, it is facing down stream! I continue downwards, 7.2mtr, following the fish into a deep bowl probably 8 – 9 mtr deep. Again on the bottom I find eel after eel, perhaps 6-8 in the small pool I am in. I again hit bottom and then lay the camera down. As a solo dive, even in shallow water I have checks to do and I have to do these, the discipline of this is vital and with the camera on the bottom I do these checks, they take seconds, perhaps spoil the video, but I need to do them. Dropping down again I again find blue eyed eels, 2, 3 , 4 of them in a small space and again the lead me to the fish, again lying against the rock face. We can clearly see the damage to the maxillary bone, spots on gill covers, and below the lateral line. It has what looks to me likt a wrist to the tail but could it be a sea trout I think, and try to show all I can to allow a decision to be made. Again I gently lift the fish, before it proceeds upstream, and I slowly surface for a Dee dram and fine sandwich.
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Post by madkeen on Sept 5, 2010 21:01:37 GMT
Interesting stuff Dave thanks for sharing
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Post by fishdee on Sept 6, 2010 12:59:40 GMT
Recent CatchesAs I write I am delighted to advise it has been the best week of the salmon fishing season for catches on the River Dee, with so far 395 salmon and 34 sea trout being reported by FishDee beats and perhaps a few more to come once Saturday evening numbers are reported. There were some excellent daily results with days of 99 and 95 in midweek. Well done to the party of anglers fishing at Cairnton who had 21 salmon to 22lbs which will have pleased expert Ghillie David Cowie. Park reported 73 salmon for their week, Lower Crathes reported 35 to 2 fishermen for their week which delighted Ghillies Robert Harper and Robert Fettes, and Jim Paton's Upper Drum beat reported 24 salmon. Good to see catches over the 20 mark also reported from Altries and Ballogie. We had good falling river levels last week which encouraged fish to get on the move and it appears there were good runs of new salmon and grilse. Some milestones were achieved last week with Karl Revel commenting 'Hi Ken, I'm glad to report that our 200th salmon of the season was caught on Friday 3rd Sept. It was a small grilse, one of four salmon caught by regular Dee visitor Jim Reid from Edinburgh. All of the fish were taken on Carron Shrimps neatly tied by himself. Tight lines! Karl'. Ballogie Ghillie Sean Stanton also reported catching their 200th salmon of the season to his own rod. Edward Humphrey wants to congratulate Aboyne Castle Ghillie, the popular Alec Coutts, who so far this season has had his best ever season since he joined in 1989 with 170 salmon beating his previous best year of 165 salmon. Edward mentioned 'All our anglers will want to recognise Alec's fine achievement in reaching this milestone and we are homing in on the all time beat record now' There will have been many happy anglers and Ghillies on the river last week. All these fine catches last week take FishDee beats through the 5,000 mark for the salmon season with a good few productive weeks to follow, where there are still rods available on the FishDee website. I would urge anglers to book fishing now as there are good numbers of fish throughout the catchment with some super back end beats in the lower river offering rods. Gill Donkin playing a salmon at BallogieI was very pleased to receive an e-mail from well known fisherman Richard Donkin, who's an excellent writer and is published widely. He is a regular Deeside visitor with his wife Gill, and he reported 'Just back from the Dee after a good week at Ballogie. I had six fish but my wife Gillian, had the big ones - 20 lb, 19lb and 16lb. I lost a very big one, but there we are. I wrote up the catches on my blog and there are other pictures there. I would be happy if you wanted to use any on the FishDee site. Best regards, Richard' Like all keen salmon fishers it's always exciting reading stories of peoples success, even more so when big fish are involved. Richard sadly lost a huge fish and you can read fully about his dramatic exciting encounter on his entertaining blog Tight Lines - Richard Donkin's fishing notes: Big Salmon and one that got away....again .I will give you a little sample to digest, lifted from his blog, which I always find highly entertaining. Richard writes 'There were some big fish about on the Aberdeenshire Dee last week. Really big ones, the sort you dream about, that entice you back to the river time and again in the hope of hooking in to one. I did just that a few years ago. It tore off down the pool with such power and at such a rate I felt utterly helpless to stop it, and when, finally, I put on the pressure in an attempt to turn it, it took my hook. It was a little after 7 pm when I waded to the top of the pool and cast in to the spot that I knew held some good fish. I could see the boil around a submerged rock and it was around that boil, just two casts later that my line stopped dead. The thought that I might have snagged the rock had barely formed in my head as in a swirl of water, a great fan shaped tail broke the surface and the biggest salmon I have ever hooked began to run, stripping line from my reel at an alarming rate.' He also comments in his article 'How big was it? It was very big; into the forties I would guess, knowing this is bound to attract the sceptics. It was fresh too and full of fight. I've had several fish around the 20 lbs mark, some of them springers - the biggest running to 23 lbs - and none of them came remotely close to this one' So there you have a flavour of a tremendously exciting encounter for Richard on the River Dee with one of our big back end salmon. I know only too well how he felt after playing a salmon myself this June, estimated to be between 35 and 40 lbs, which sadly slipped the hook after a dramatic 30 minute encounter which left me numb for some time . This fish made a run of over 250 yards where I was astonished at the raw power of this freshly run salmon. To see a leviathan of this size cart wheeling about the pool 3 times was just astonishing to observe, and my guide commented 'very special fish!' To this day It still haunts me. Can I please take this opportunity to remind visiting anglers to ensure they fill in a Gyrodactylus Salaris declaration prior to fishing. This can be downloaded from the FishDee website as well as being provided by river beats. As European rivers are now open to anglers it’s imperative that we remove the risk of this lethal parasite entering our river which would wipe out our salmon stocks. There are disinfection stations available at Somers of Aberdeen, Orvis of Banchory and the Post Office at Kincardine O'Neil where visiting anglers can have their tackle fully disinfected for a nominal charge. I would be really most grateful if you would forward any stories or anecdotes and pictures to me at ken@riverdee.org and remember to log onto River Dee Trust & Dee District Salmon Fishery Board: Home: Welcome to access our latest newsletter Copyright FishDee Ltd, September 2010 ProspectsAfter the best weeks catches for the season last week I would pray for the same again this week. Whether these prayers are answered is a different matter-time will tell. We have a real autumn feel to the weather now with a strong depression homing in on Scotland over the next few days with strong winds forecast and the potential for some really heavy rain at times during the week. If it is not too much then it will be a blessing as the River levels have dropped to between 4 inches and 8 inches on the Sepa gauges. Air temperature maxima will be around 18 degrees however the winds will make it feel considerably colder. This may well put a lot of fish in the mood to respond to a well presented fly. The maritime influence sees high tides rising from 4.0 metres during the week to 4.8 metres on Friday and Saturday which should bring new fish forward into the lower beats which are really starting to see really good sport. There will be a mixture of Grilse and big back end salmon and perhaps we may see some real big ones landed this week. I would urge anglers to snap up what fishing is available as there will be really good potential for some good sport. Jim Coates for example has had over 20 salmon during his last 4 days on the River fishing in the lower reaches. Gill Donkin with her 16lb fish being returnedFinding yourself on the riverbank with pools full of salmon is tremendously exciting, but to get them to take your fly can be a different matter. To give yourself the best opportunity of success then listed to the wise counsel from your beat Ghillie. Our expert team of Ghillies can really make the difference and ensure you have the best chance of good sport by providing advice on fly choice, line selection, and where to fish in your allotted beat. I always listen to their advice and am always delighted to report to them successes based on their suggestions. If you do not have the services of a Ghillie to call on then you should select your equipment to suit the conditions, which may be changeable through the week. I would think a floating line with sink tip would be useful to utilise with fly, perhaps a size 8-12 hook. Popular patterns at this time of the year are Park Shrimp, Allys Shrimp (in orange or red) Flamethrower, Silver Stoats tail, small sunray or monkey fly. Another option would be to fish a small heavy Willie Gunn or Pot Bellied pig tube fly, and work it across the stream a little faster than a conventional down and across cast. Fish will be found in greater numbers in the pool tails now as well as in the main taking lies. Mornings and evenings may see the best movement of salmon and perhaps the best opportunities for catching fish with lower beats seeing fish coming off every tide and entering the river. I would urge anglers to handle fish carefully and return them quickly to the river. Can I please take this opportunity to remind visiting anglers to ensure they fill in a Gyrodactylus Salaris declaration prior to fishing. This can be downloaded from the FishDee website as well as being provided by river beats. As European rivers are now open to anglers its imperative that we remove the risk of this lethal parasite entering our river which would wipe out our salmon stocks. There are disinfection stations available at Somers of Aberdeen, Orvis of Banchory and the Post Office at Kincardine O'Neil where visiting anglers can have their tackle fully disinfected for a nominal charge. I would be really most grateful if you would forward any stories or anecdotes and pictures to me at ken@riverdee.org and remember to log onto River Dee Trust & Dee District Salmon Fishery Board: Home: Welcome to access our latest newsletter Copyright FishDee Ltd, September 2010
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Post by fishdee on Sept 13, 2010 13:43:36 GMT
ProspectsSummer looks to be well and truly over with weather forecasters predicting snowfall in the mountains this week. We have a series of autumnal lows sweeping in from the Atlantic which may see river levels fluctuating throughout the week. Looking at the forecast in more detail sees forecasters suggesting periodical heavy rainfall on Monday and again perhaps on Tuesday accompanied by thunder with the other days seeing regular showers and quite breezy. Air temperatures are forecast to reach 20 degrees Celsius but I have a feeling that this is ambitious. I would expect temps to be in the range 0f 10-15 degrees Celsius and evening lows falling under clear skies to perhaps under 5 degrees. Heavy condensation on my car over the last week in the mornings has been an indication that temperatures are dropping significantly with the onset of longer nights. The barometric pressure is set to fluctuate a bit this week but will be influenced by low pressure. The maritime influence sees tides falling back from 4.4 metres to 3.6 metres through the week however the Sepa gauges are running between 8 inches and 1 foot 4 inches as I write which should allow new fish to come forward of every tide. There has been a web camera installed at Ballogie beat overlooking the Potarch bridge which has gone live today so people with access to the internet can look at current conditions by visiting www.farsondigital.co.uk/potarch_bridge/live.php We have also set up a Facebook site with hundreds of images and video links related to angling on Deeside and readers can visit this site at www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=15517&id=112852245438009#!/pages/FishDee/112852245438009?ref=ts 7lb Brown Trout Caught at CrathieWith the tricky weather conditions forecast its difficult to predict how big the catches could be as many are reporting fish to have been on the dour side last week. There are many fish in the river system but just because they are there in big numbers doesn't mean they are easy to catch. I would think the lower beats will get the best of the weeks sport however catches will come from throughout the whole catchment and persistence is called for. To ensure you give yourself the best chances however I would strongly recommend you consult your Ghillie for advice on your chosen beat Our River Ghillies are very knowledgeable and have a keen eye when monitoring river conditions and they can give you the best advice on where to fish and what to use. If you do not have the services of a Ghillie to call on then you could use a sink tip line with confidence and use fly’s or small tube fly’s. As the water cools the cock fish can become more aggressive as they become territorial and chase of intruders. Fly choice could see the use of Red Francis or Black Francis patterns, Willie Gunn, Ally's shrimp in yellow, orange or red and the Monkey fly. I managed to winkle a fish out on a German Snaelda last week which was fished deep. The Park shrimp tube fly is one I will use when I visit a lower beat for 3 days so will be keeping my fingers crossed for some action. Can I please take this opportunity to remind visiting anglers to ensure they fill in a Gyrodactylus Salaris declaration prior to fishing. This can be downloaded from the FishDee website as well as being provided by river beats. As European rivers are now open to anglers it’s imperative that we remove the risk of this lethal parasite entering our river which would wipe out our salmon stocks. There are disinfection stations available at Somers of Aberdeen, Orvis of Banchory and the Post Office at Kincardine O'Neil where visiting anglers can have their tackle fully disinfected for a nominal charge. I would be really most grateful if you would forward any stories or anecdotes and pictures to me at ken@riverdee.org and remember to log onto www.riverdee.org to access our latest newsletter Copyright FishDee Ltd, September 2010 Recent CatchesAnother steady weeks sport on Deeside which saw catches from the top to the bottom of the catchment with the lower beats seeing new fish coming forward. As I write FishDee beats have reported 211 salmon and 23 sea trout with Park reporting 40 salmon and grilse, Tilbouries did very well again with 27 salmon and grilse, Middle Drum reported 13, Borrowston 12 and Lower Crathes 11. Given the wild conditions and big river on Wednesday I am sure anglers that day would have been delighted with their catches which saw a very coloured river drop and clear slowly over the remainder of the week. Quite a few anglers reported seeing new fish in the lower beats which seemed a bit reluctant to take the fly so perhaps these fish will settle in taking lies this week and be a bit more obliging. Rosalind Chrisp from Park Estates with only her second salmon-a grilseI received some feedback this week by phone and e-mail and thank people for getting in touch. Ghillie Archie Hay reported the capture of a 7 lb Brown Trout at Crathie and the fish has been taken for scientific analysis by the River Dee Trust. This is a very rare capture as the River Dee is not renowned for big brown trout. I was pleased to receive a photograph of this fish this morning. Alex Knox wrote 'Enjoyed two days on Park (North) 31st Aug 1st Sept. James and his son Alexander Knox landed 13 salmon and a sea trout. This was the best of them, a 19lb salmon off the Greenbank pool (see picture).My dad landed 7 salmon of 5lb Sea liced, 8lb coloured, 8lb coloured, 14lb fresh, 31st Aug! 19lb fresh, 7lb coloured, 7lb sea liced, 1st September, I landed 6 salmon of 8lb coloured 5lb sea liced, 6lb sea liced, 10lb sea liced, 4lb sea liced, 6lb sea liced. All fish caught on half in orange Pot bellied pig tubes (if you want one then ask Keith because I gave him a couple!) Shooting head floating lines with 10 foot 2.6 inch per second sink tips. The beat was full of fish.' I also received an e-mail from Steven Reid who I had met during the week at Middle Blackhall. Steven was one of a number of visitors to Deeside enjoying the very kind hospitality of Paul Devlin from Glasgow Angling Centre, who had booked both Middle and Little Blackhall beats for his visiting guests. Quite a number of angling representatives were visiting the beats for the first time. Steven Reid, who is an AAPGAI casting instructor and gentleman, landed a fine fish approaching 19lbs following advice from hugely experienced and talented Ghillie David Gibbon. He commented 'Good to have met you again yesterday Ken, pity we didn’t get more of a chance for a blether but I had a long drive home. Please find attached a picture of the fish I caught yesterday, the fish was caught on a 1 1/4 inch plastic body sunray shadow, the fish was holding just behind one of the large stones this side of the beat, a few gentle plucks were followed by a long draw and the fish 'was on' The first run was way into the backing followed by 2 only slightly shorter runs, then a dogged head down 15 minutes slog when it turned to show 'the tail' giving us the first glimpse that it was a good fish, shortly after it was netted, weighed, David took scales and a DNA sample and the fish was returned. A great day was had, in good company, with one of the nicest ghillies I have had the pleasure to fish with, all in fantastic surroundings. Hope to see you up there again soon.' I was delighted to spend time with many of Paul’s guests during the evenings last week and it was a real pleasure to see so many well known people enjoying the challenges that faced them throughout the week. Certainly the evening’s entertainment was worth the trip alone in the local hostelries so well done to Paul and his guests for a memorable week with the Karaoke being a popular way of having fun. AAPGAI'S Steven Reid with a fine 19 lb salmonI also received a picture from Rosalind Chrisp from Park who was fishing as a guest of Jim Coates at Park and was delighted to catch only her second salmon with Jim providing much needed support and encouragement. The fish was newly in from the tide and was covered in sea lice. Jim had advised he had 28 fish from his last 5 visits to Deeside so was more than happy to guide for Rosalind for the day. Can I please take this opportunity to remind visiting anglers to ensure they fill in a Gyrodactylus Salaris declaration prior to fishing. This can be downloaded from the FishDee website as well as being provided by river beats. As European rivers are now open to anglers its imperative that we remove the risk of this lethal parasite entering our river which would wipe out our salmon stocks. There are disinfection stations available at Somers of Aberdeen, Orvis of Banchory and the Post Office at Kincardine O'Neil where visiting anglers can have their tackle fully disinfected for a nominal charge. I would be really most grateful if you would forward any stories or anecdotes and pictures to me at ken@riverdee.org and remember to log onto www.riverdee.org to access our latest newsletter Copyright FishDee Ltd, September 2010
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Post by fishdee on Sept 20, 2010 11:57:16 GMT
Recent CatchesThe best week of the season and for many years with FishDee beats reporting to date 522 salmon to 26 lbs and 33 sea trout to 5 lbs. What makes this all the more remarkable was the tricky river conditions over the week with the river rising and falling a number of times which is never ideal. There are some FishDee beats that have not reported catches so it's reasonable to expect catches to have exceeded the 600 barrier for the week. Catches are well ahead of the 5 year average and 2009's excellent catch, and with good water levels and numbers of fish in the river, things are set for a dramatic conclusion to the season. Let’s hope the weather is kind to anglers for the remainder of the season. As it's been a fantastic week there are many reports pouring in to me from anglers and Ghillies and I am grateful for all for getting in touch. Individual beats saw some remarkable catches last week with both Park and Crathie reporting 64 salmon each, Monaltrie and Lower Invercauld reported 33, Tilbouries 32 and an amazing finish to the week saw Aboyne Castle report 31.It's very encouraging to hear of catches from virtually every River Dee beat, with new fish being observed running the river at the ADAA water at Aberdeen. I had a cast for a few days on a lower Dee beat last week and saw many fish during my visit and was delighted to catch 7 salmon on Saturday and a sea trout. I don't think I have ever seen so many fish in over 25 years fishing the River Dee. Firstly Congratulations to River Dee Bailiff Mark Walker who had his best ever days catch on Saturday with 6 salmon/Grilse to his small monkey fly on a Middle Dee beat. His smile was as wide as the river when I met him on Saturday evening. Now to the reports which have arrived over the weekend and this morning. Mr Paul Christie wrote and advised 'Just dropping you a line to thank you for your advice on the beats for the Dee. I fished the Commonty beat, as suggested, yesterday, and had a most enjoyable day. I managed to catch a fish, and the only downside was the absolutely fierce wind, which made fishing very difficult. Thanks again for your assistance.' Middle Drum Ghillie Shane Christie advised 'Hi Ken, Just dropping you a line to let you know that the anglers fishing with me last week enjoyed landing some 20 salmon, which included two fish of 22lbs and 24lbs caught on consecutive casts for regular Dee angler Eddie Sinclair. Chris White also managed to land his first salmon a fine sea liced fish of 12lbs.'Invery Ghillie Karl Revel wrote to me advising 'Jamie Urquhart, biologist for the River Don Trust, was treated by his partner's Dad, Scott 'Ginger' Macleod from Shetland to a day's fishing at Invery. Jamie was very happy to catch his first ever salmon, a 6 pound grilse, in the Greenbank Pool. I was pleased to net a 10 pound hen fish for Ian Wilson who was having a successful day on Knappach. Ian who has The Gun Shop at St. Boswells on the Tweed was using a Posh Tosh, the fly he invented (see T&S Feb 2010). He kindly opened his fly box and gave me a self tied sample to thank me for my assistance. I also lost my Maclean Weigh net in the river on Saturday and would be grateful if anyone comes across this get's in touch as the net has sentimental value-reward offered.' Karl can be contacted on 07875 892839. Billy Johnston with Aboyne Castle Beats 200th salmon of the seasonI have also received an e-mail from Edward Humphrey commenting as follows 'I think I will start by quoting Ghillie, Alec Coutt’s, comments he wrote for me on Sunday morning: What a week, 31 fish caught and safely returned, with the beat record at 184 beaten and we are also through the 200 barrier, now 208 with Saturday being the best day in my time on the beat with a total of 16 salmon & grilse. Billy Johnston had 10 to his rod & Jock Gubby 6 to his rod, including finishing a remarkable day, a 20 pounder from Symons. This week will be hard to match. Ken you and I have been rebuked by Alec for giving him too much publicity, but at the risk of incurring his displeasure again, how can I not thank Alec on behalf of the beat owner, my brother Simon & myself and all the visiting anglers throughout the season who have benefited from his knowledge and enthusiasm. Sorry Alec, but I had to say something after such a tremendous season, not finished yet, and indeed to Billy & Jock for their fantastic day on Saturday. I am sending the photos of the 200th fish caught by Billy Johnston in Crofts being released back into the river by Alec Coutts.' For a 2 rod beat the catches have been tremendous this season and Alec and his anglers deserve plaudits for their achievements. Ghillie Alec Coutts returns Billy Johnston's fish safelyRegular visitor to Deeside and correspondent Bjorn Riise from Norway commented 'I've just finished my annual trip to the Dee together with some friends, and it made a lasting impression! We had 2 rods on Waterside & Ferrar wed-sat, 2 on Deecastle Thu – Sat and one on Dinnet on Sat. Not all rods fished at the same time, so we made 13 rod-days. The weather was awful at times with very high winds. Together with a lot of rain and the river rising twice in the period, it put a lid on the fishing at times. But we pushed through, since the river was full of fish and these beats are a joy to fish. In total we landed 15 fish: 2 sea trout, 4 grilse and 9 salmon in the 8-15 lbs bracket. With most of the salmon being in very good shape and around 10 lbs. I caught 9 of these fish myself (1 st, 2 grilse and 6 salmon), and it’s no wonder that I was very pleased.' and finally I am also delighted to hear of remarkable sport at Crathie where Ghillie Archie Hay has reported some excellent sport. 'Hi Ken, just a short note about the fantastic weeks fishing on Crathie, the week started slowly with 16 being caught between Monday and Wednesday, with father and son team Kenny and Peter Scott accounting for 5 and George Renwick a first time visitor to the beat catching 7, considering the conditions high winds and on Tuesday very heavy rain. By Thursday the river was 2' 6" and dropping nicely with fish showing in great numbers, visiting French angler Mr Carlos Ribeiro had a great day catching 8 salmon, George pitched in with 3 and Mr G Corbett 2 and 2 Sea Trout. Friday saw George Renwick catch another 5 totalling 15 for his week, the Ford party took 4 and Ian Johnstone 1. Saturday Donnie Whiteford another first time visitor caught 4, Ian 2, Greig Thompson 2 and Mike Ford 1. I fished throughout the week and caught 18 to my own rod with several others catching singles. The successful flies were silver Ally's, Cascades, Red Francis, orange pot bellied pig, Crathie, and Park shrimp.' These reports give a flavour of how things have been on the river and there are still rods available to let at tremendous value for money. If you are looking for your first fish then please come to Deeside where you will have every opportunity to succeed. Can I please take this opportunity to remind visiting anglers to ensure they fill in a Gyrodactylus Salaris declaration prior to fishing. This can be downloaded from the FishDee website as well as being provided by river beats. As European rivers are now open to anglers it’s imperative that we remove the risk of this lethal parasite entering our river which would wipe out our salmon stocks. There are disinfection stations available at Somers of Aberdeen, Orvis of Banchory and the Post Office at Kincardine O'Neil where visiting anglers can have their tackle fully disinfected for a nominal charge. I would be really most grateful if you would forward any stories or anecdotes and pictures to me at ken@riverdee.org and remember to log onto River Dee Trust & Dee District Salmon Fishery Board: Home: Welcome to access our latest newsletter Copyright FishDee Ltd, September 2010 ProspectsAs we approach the autumnal equinox we have a real mixed bag weather-wise forecast this week. The weather models I look at are suggesting periods of heavy rain, regular showers, sunny interludes and cool night. The air temperature maxima this week will be 17 degrees Celsius and river temperatures are around 9 degrees Celsius. River levels are currently ideal with heights currently between 1 ft 4 inches and 2 feet on the Sepa gauges. The maritime influence indicates tides rising from 3.8 metres to 4.3 metres this week which will bring new fish forward. The barometer is reasonable steady this week and will rise later in the week as conditions improve. There has been a web camera installed at Ballogie beat overlooking the Potarch bridge which has gone live so people with access to the internet can look at current conditions by visiting River Dee Webcam - Potarch Bridge We have also set up a Facebook site with hundreds of images and video links related to angling on Deeside and readers can visit this site at FishDee 1 | FacebookWith really good numbers of fish in the river and water levels ideal it's hoped that catches will continue strongly this week; whether they match last week is difficult to predict as catches were tremendous. I do hope that catches bear up strongly and would encourage anglers to fish hard until it gets dark. At this time of year fish are on the move and there are good populations of resident fish in pools which are getting stirred up as waves of fish move through the beats. Now the water is cooler more anglers are using a variety of tactics to encourage salmon to take their fly. The best advice I can offer is to consult your Ghillie who will give you excellent sound advice about what tactics to utilise. By looking at the latest catches you will get an idea of the flies that are doing well. If you do not have the services of a Ghillie to call on then I would suggest a sink tip line or intermediate line allied to a strong leader and fly. The patterns that are doing well are Monkey fly fished square and with a slow retrieve, Pot Bellied pigs and Francis flies, Park Shrimp or Ally's shrimp. Bottle tubes or large doubles may do the trick. Perseverance is called for and do be afraid to ring the changes during the day if fish are slow to respond to what you offer them. Can I please take this opportunity to remind visiting anglers to ensure they fill in a Gyrodactylus Salaris declaration prior to fishing. This can be downloaded from the FishDee website as well as being provided by river beats. As European rivers are now open to anglers its imperative that we remove the risk of this lethal parasite entering our river which would wipe out our salmon stocks. There are disinfection stations available at Somers of Aberdeen, Orvis of Banchory and the Post Office at Kincardine O'Neil where visiting anglers can have their tackle fully disinfected for a nominal charge. I would be really most grateful if you would forward any stories or anecdotes and pictures to me at ken@riverdee.org and remember to log onto River Dee Trust & Dee District Salmon Fishery Board: Home: Welcome to access our latest newsletter Copyright FishDee Ltd, September 2010
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Post by fishdee on Sept 27, 2010 16:38:09 GMT
Recent CatchesAnother solid weeks sport last week for anglers fishing the River Dee with FishDee beats reporting so far 360 salmon to 25 lbs and 22 sea trout to 5 lbs and there are still rods available for anglers to come and fish the river during September, with the season extension fortnight until the 15th October for scientific research. As we head into the last few days of the salmon fishing season there is no doubt that there are good stocks of fish in the river as they are visible, with the cock fish becoming more aggressive and territorial. Now to individual beats results; Park reported 53 salmon for their week, Kingcausie reported 38, Upper Drum reported 30 for the week and Tilbouries had another excellent week with 28 fish, giving the beat their best seasons total for many years. The river is full of fish from top to bottom which is really encouraging to see for visiting anglers, with many commenting favourably about their experiences on the river. We all hope that the fish go on to spawn successfully and start the lifecycle again for another generation of River Dee salmon. Top ladies caster Nicola Jackson with a fine fresh salmonNow to the reports which have arrived over the weekend and this morning. Firstly Mr Robert Fuller wrote 'The Hawkins Week- I thought you might like to attach the following report concerning the activities of the 11 members of the Hawkins Week (named in memory of the late Richard Hawkins who died in 2008).This relates to our week’s fishing commencing 13th September through to Saturday 18th September last. The 11 rods fish on 5 beats being Birse, Carlogie, Ballogie, Borrowston and Park South (Durris) rotating so that each member fishes different water every day. We managed to land 27 salmon and 4 sea trout which very much reflected the difficult conditions experienced with the water rising and falling with effect from Monday evening through to Thursday. The best sport was had on Monday morning, Friday and Saturday with Peter Stovold landing 4 fish to his own rod at Ballogie and Borrowston during Saturday. The recipient of the Hawkins Trophy for the largest cock caught before Friday evening went to Graeme Dixon with his 16 ½ lb fish which he took out of the Gannets at Ballogie Unfortunately Richard Taylor managed to better this on Saturday with the largest fish of the week being a 20lb cock taken out of the Greenbanks at Borrowston which didn’t qualify. Unfortunately 4 of the team managed to blank all week (possibly as a result of extended lunches) with Messrs Peter Stovold and Paul Saunders catching 5 each and the team leader Robert Fuller catching 7 and a sea trout even though he only fished on 5 days. All in all another wonderful week and it is so exciting to know that the salmon fisheries of Scotland are returning to their former glory. Regards, Robert Fuller.' It sounds like they had an enjoyable week with some successful and some not so. How true the motto of the Fly fishers club 'PISCATOR NON SOLUM PISCATUR' (It is not all of fishing to fish). Raymond Drysdale in action at SluieI was also delighted to receive an e-mail from Raymond Drysdale who had a very enjoyable time visiting Sluie for a few days and he advised ' Dear Ken, On only my 2nd visit to the Dee I had fantastic sport catching salmon each day and a Sea Trout, I had salmon of 9lb - a bar of silver, 6lb, and three 3lb grilse and a 2lb Sea Trout. On the Saturday I also had a magnificent cock salmon of 20lb which put up a terrific fight making this a visit I will never forget, catching most on Stoats tail flies and the 20lb one on a Park Shrimp. I must add I received good advice from the beat owner Richard Strang Steel when the river levels rose. I have enclosed some pics of the 20lber, all were safely returned. Regards Raymond' I have to agree the photographs indicate a truly impressive salmon in full 'wedding dress'- if you didn't know the lifecycle of salmon you could be forgiven for thinking that the Spring Atlantic salmon and autumn Atlantic cock salmon were two different species of fish. Where for example, the appearances of the Atlantic salmon can be compared to the Pacific Coho salmon in the spring, and the Pacific Chum salmon in the autumn as it approaches sexual maturity. Finally I would like to mention Roy Anderson who was fishing at the productive Kingcausie beat last week with some success who commented to Henry Irvine Fortescue 'Many thanks to Ghillie Gordon Welsh for being on hand to net my big fish for me. Couldn't believe I then went on to catch another one around 15lb and finally a grilse about 6lb but just out of the sea. I had a brilliant day.' I am delighted to see anglers enjoying good back end sport at Kingcausie and hope many more fish are caught before the fishing season finally concludes. Raymond returns his big autumn salmonCan I please take this opportunity to remind visiting anglers to ensure they fill in a Gyrodactylus Salaris declaration prior to fishing. This can be downloaded from the FishDee website as well as being provided by river beats. As European rivers are now open to anglers it’s imperative that we remove the risk of this lethal parasite entering our river which would wipe out our salmon stocks. There are disinfection stations available at Somers of Aberdeen, Orvis of Banchory and the Post Office at Kincardine O'Neil where visiting anglers can have their tackle fully disinfected for a nominal charge. For anglers looking for ideal equipment to use on the River Dee then please look into or consult the tackle dealers who advertise on this site as well as our FishDee Megastore for products and advice. I would be really most grateful if you would forward any stories or anecdotes and pictures to me at ken@riverdee.org and remember to log onto River Dee Trust & Dee District Salmon Fishery Board: Home: Welcome to access our latest newsletter Copyright FishDee Ltd, September 2010 ProspectsAs we enter the last few days of the 2010 River Dee salmon fishing season we are delighted to have reasonable weather conditions forecast for our anglers. There will be a two week experimental extension until the 15th October to allow scientific research to be undertaken. Any fishing undertaken during this period is strictly fly only and all fish must be returned to the River-Bailiffs will be patrolling the River to ensure these guidelines are adhered to. The air temperature maxima will be between 11 degrees Celsius during the days and dropping back overnight to a few degrees above zero. There are some showers forecast with perhaps heavier rain on Wednesday and again later in the week. It will be reasonably calm for the first few days of the week however winds are expected to to get stronger as we head in to the weekend. Current river levels are between 9 inches and 1 foot 7 inches on the Sepa gauges which are really ideal now that they have dropped back from a significant rise last week. The maritime influence shows high tides dropping back from 4.2 metres to 3.5 metres and rising again at the weekend to 3.7 metres. There has been a web camera installed at Ballogie beat overlooking the Potarch bridge which has gone live so people with access to the internet can look at current conditions by visiting River Dee Webcam - Potarch Bridge We have also set up a Facebook site with hundreds of images and video links related to angling on Deeside and readers can visit this site at FishDee 1 | FacebookRoy Anderson with a fresh run salmon at KingcausieWith decent conditions for angling forecast, it is hoped catches will continue in the same vein as the last few weeks, promising good end of season totals. We have been most fortunate to have been blessed with reasonably good water levels for most of the season and this pattern appears to be continuing. With water temperature now around 5-6 degrees then it is advantageous to seek the advice from your Ghillie on how you fish the beat with falling water temperatures. The River Dee Ghillies will give advice on what flies to use and where to fish on your allocated beat. The Ghillies are extremely knowledgeable and can enrich the value of your fishing experience on the Dee. If you do not have the services of a Ghillie then you will want to fly fish and the patterns to use will be Flamethrowers, Park shrimps, Ally's shrimps, Pot Bellied pig tube flies, Monkey tubes or Sunray shadows fished with a slow retrieve. Make sure you wrap up well as the air does feel significantly cooler these last few weeks. River Dee biologists and bailiffs are out radio tagging rod caught fish and tracking them, so you may encounter the River staff during the course of the week. You can follow progress of radio tagged fish migrating upriver throughout the winter at our new website River Dee Tracking Please ensure you handle fish very carefully as they need all their strength to see them through the arduous spawning process over the next few months when the spawning season commences. Roy with another sea liced Autumn salmonCan I please take this opportunity to remind visiting anglers to ensure they fill in a Gyrodactylus Salaris declaration prior to fishing. This can be downloaded from the FishDee website as well as being provided by river beats. As European rivers are now open to anglers it’s imperative that we remove the risk of this lethal parasite entering our river which would wipe out our salmon stocks. There are disinfection stations available at Somers of Aberdeen, Orvis of Banchory and the Post Office at Kincardine O'Neil where visiting anglers can have their tackle fully disinfected for a nominal charge. For anglers looking for ideal equipment to use on the River Dee then please look into or consult the tackle dealers who advertise on this site as well as our FishDee megastore for products and advice. I would be really most grateful if you would forward any stories or anecdotes and pictures to me at ken@riverdee.org and remember to log onto River Dee Trust & Dee District Salmon Fishery Board: Home: Welcome to access our latest newsletter Copyright FishDee Ltd, September 2010
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Post by fishnapper on Oct 4, 2010 17:02:17 GMT
Dee extension. If the Dee extension is fly-only, can anyone explain why it seems to be Spinning only at Kingausie??? I stood at the bridge on saturday morning and watched 7 fishers fishing, with 6 of them spinning. Also well done Bob Oram with 50 fish for his season, who was also spinning. Things are bad enough with Polmonier's column in the T&S giving the extension a good kicking without Kingcausie adding fuel to the fire!!! FishNapper.
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Post by macd on Oct 4, 2010 22:11:35 GMT
very poor show...to put it mildly
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Post by fishdee on Oct 5, 2010 14:10:50 GMT
Recent CatchesThe last week of September was all about the size of the spates across the river as rain lashed across Deeside on Wednesday and Friday. For those that persevered between the spates the river gave good sport and produced 406 fish to the rods, including a fine 28 lb specimen from Borrowston. Anglers were very nervous at Aboyne Castle last Thursday afternoon as the beat approached the milestone of 250 fish, which would have been an all time record for this two rod beat. Alec Coutts remained calm throughout and guided his anglers through this milestone, with the 250th fish caught at quarter to five by Ian Scott. There may have been more fish caught later that day if not for the impromptu celebrations that arose on the riverbank. The sport was not just linked to the upper beats as fish were caught in good numbers from Kingcausie to Crathie. Of particular note was Bob Oram who had his 50th fish of the year from Kingcausie with a decent autumn salmon last week. Charles Jeffrey wrote in to let us know of his time at Crathes – ‘Just home from a terrific 3 days at Crathes. Brian Sim was in great form and we kept him busy with ghillieing duties and cracking jokes. On Saturday morning, I hooked a huge cock fish in the Cash n Trough and Brian safely netted it and we returned it carefully. Whilst playing another some 20 minutes later, I had to phone Brian to say I'd hooked it's brother or sister and was having a bit of trouble getting it to come in. We safely netted it as well and estimate the fish to be 18lbs and 17lbs respectively. Not a bad mornings work. There was plenty of humour as it was suggested that he'd have time to have his lunch before netting the second one which was spanking new. A fish of 6lbs on Thursday was sea- liced and a wee beauty.’ Ken will be back next week so please forward any stories or anecdotes to him at ken@riverdee.org. Visiting from Holland angler Dick Laarman with a fresh autumn salmon Prospects for coming weekWe are now into the third and final year of the two week trial extension to the fishing season. The forecast is looking like that river will finally settle down, as whilst rain is forecast for the next few days it is likely to be light and interspersed with periods of Autumn sunshine. As river levels start to drop then the catches should come alive as there are plenty of fish throughout the catchment. In short it should be a good week to come fishing. With the recent high water the fish will have been moving around the beats so please consult your Ghillie to find out the best tactics into how, where and when to fish. As this is a trial extension to the season we would like to remind all anglers that fishing is by fly only during this two week period and that all fish must be returned to the water as quickly as possible. Can I please take this opportunity to remind visiting anglers to ensure they fill in a Gyrodactylus Salaris declaration prior to fishing. This can be downloaded from the FishDee website as well as being provided by river beats. The simple steps outlined in these declaration forms can help stop this devastating parasite coming to the Dee. There are disinfection stations available at Somers of Aberdeen, Orvis of Banchory and the Post Office at Kincardine O'Neil where visiting anglers can have their tackle fully disinfected for a nominal charge. For anglers looking for ideal equipment to use on the River Dee then please look into or consult the tackle dealers who advertise on this site as well as our FishDee Megastore for products and advice at www.fishdeemegastore.com.
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Post by diverdave on Oct 6, 2010 20:42:54 GMT
I had a rather good day today. I was fishing a lower Dee beat (asked not to say which one), and it was the first time I had fished as part of the extension, since year one, when I had a day at Maryculter, and blanked! My day started quite badly. Aberdeen was busy, and it took an hour and a half to get from Bridge of Don to Deeside, which is mad, perhaps we should build a bypass! I was hoping to get to the river at 0800 latest, but it was fully 0855 when I arrived, not my style, l like to be properly early. The others were all basically set up, and ready to get going so I left them to get away to their chosen beats and was happy to be left a couple of minutes to get my gear and thoughts together. I was taken to a stunning pool, a fast stream leading into a powerful run and glide. It looked very fishy. I was fishing an intermediate line with a short sink tip and an inch brass willie gun, kind of typical autumn set up. I was to wader deep initially, working into and onto the bank as I made my way down the pool. Now I don’t like wading, I am happy to dive, but deep wading is not my thing, I do it, but I prefer bank work so I worked quickly down to where I could get onto the bank. I had 3 pulls in quick succession on my first run down the first pool, and was getting ready to change my double for a treble as I though this may be the problem; it had to be the tackle and not me! Then I had a really good pull and hooked firmly into a fish of about 10lbs, a coloured hen, which fought really well, a real tough fish. I was just returning it when my Ghillie appeared, flashing the truck lights to stop me putting it back right away. He managed to get some scale and genetic samples from it. I feel that this I both valuable to the river and to aid the science studying the extension to the season. I fished the rest of the morning and had the odd knock but no serious offers. A leisurely lunch with great crack and then a change of beat, again south bank, and my favourite casting side, I was happy about this. However the downstream wind was going to prove difficult. Again plenty of fish about though, and great to see again many were residents, to be expected at this time of year. Though many were coloured residents, but I saw some bright shiny fish charging upstream, heading for the hills I guess. In the afternoon I had another knock or two then a solid take from a larger fish, probably 14lbs, a silvery cock fish that fought very well taking me well into the backing, loads of jumps and hard runs. I had to walk it well upstream to find a place to land it. It had been in a few days but nothing serious, probably a week or so. It had a tiny kype, and was only just definable as a cock fish to me, so properly fresh. So 50 / 50 clean and coloured, probably what you would expect back end any Scottish river in dropping water. Again I had the odd knock and then a really solid take and a fish that splashed on the surface and then gave a real dogged fight. The ghillie on the other bank shouted to ask if I needed help and I shouted back that I thought it was a good one, so he phoned my ghillie who drove round to help. The fish gave a really good account of its self, a dogged fight but also some spectacular runs. I had seen its tail a couple of times, and it was both large and a long way from where my line was entering the water. It probably took 25 minutes to land, expertly netted by my ghillie. Again this was a large hen fish, quite coloured and it weighed 21lbs, an absolute cracker, my largest on the fly, actually my largest on an anything! We got our genetic and scale samples and took a quick photo. I held the fish gently in the current, supporting it on the bottom. We discussed the fish and its condition, and that it was recovering well. Its dorsal fin rose up and I could see it was recovering fast. It then the fish shot off in a shower of spray, clearly none the worse for its encounter with angler and bank. I fished on, but as I was floating a couple of feet above the bank I did not mind what happened next. Mark Bilsby, river Director visited me and during our discussions he watched me expertly miss an obvious take, but who cares, a red letter day, and my last day of the season on the Dee So overall a good day out!
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Post by madkeen on Oct 6, 2010 20:54:31 GMT
Thanks for the report Dave and well done on your PB
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Post by macd on Oct 6, 2010 23:24:28 GMT
proper fish and a proper cheesy grin to go with it.
well done dave
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Post by kingfisher on Oct 7, 2010 6:19:08 GMT
Well done Dave and an excellent day out was had by all accounts.
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