Post by scanny on Feb 16, 2010 1:21:25 GMT
I had heard and read about the Park beat on the River Dee many times and when i found availability on Fishdee in January three rods were booked and the wait began.
After a brisk early morning drive and a coffee in Banchory we arrived at the beat and made our way to the main hut situated across from Park House.
Having only been there for a matter of seconds, the fish began to play and boil in the House pool feet away. Bert introduced himself and offered refreshments whilst we set up. The skies were overcast with a light wind blowing downstream, the rain and strong winds forecast thankfully had as usual, not materialised.
The drawing of the beats was done by picking a playing card, i drew a 3 of spades so was set to begin fishing beat 3 for the morning and then rotate to beat 4r for the afternoon. Excellent news as the fish continued to boil every five minutes just behind us.
Beat 3 included Green Bank just upstream of the hut, Castleton just in front of the hut and the House Pool downstream. Green Bank looked to be an inviting stretch of water with the run to the North bank side and starting on the shingle at the neck of the pool. From here progress is made down the pool casting to the far bank and fishing across a rocky riverbed and into the flat glides. Starting of at only a few feet a Hover/Intermediate Shooting head with a Maggies Shrimp Conehead was used.
The pool is fished down to the tail then slightly further of the island wading covering a croy and the confluence of the flows either side of the island.
Castleton is a deep pool with the main channel close in on the South bank. In excess of 10ft deep the heaviest head available was used and the fly changed to a 1" copper black and yellow with the cast being fished to the dangle then retrieved using a figure of eight.
The House pool tail had a fast run along the north bank with a shelf. The flat glides along the dge of the fast slow were the target here so an S1/S2 was cast into the flow then fished along the edges of the flow with a black and yellow bottle tube.
A 15lb springer was taken on a monkey on Beat 1 in the morning so the afternoon saw a change of tactics and the Dee monkey used, in 3 and 7inch variants. After lunch Beat 4 was my destination and the Durris Stream. This long stretch of the River has a run which enters on the south bank and follows it down and then around the corner to Jetties then Redwell. The area i was told to concentrate on was from the Durris hut down to under the power lines.
As i passed under the power lines for the first time i had a pull and ten minutes later a 10lb Kelt appeared on the bank, a nice start to the afternoon and a sign of things to come possibly. There were fish again boiling on the surface through the pool however i continued through the pool without any further success.
Around the Corner Jetties is followed by Redwell, a long pool with the run switching to the North bank and a shallower water. This allowed wading toward the middle of the river, and then down the pool to the broken tree, at which point a second run through Durris Stream was made.
The day ended at 5pm and the rain then began. A thoroughly enjoyable day on an excellent beat, the finest fly water i have fished. Bert, the ghillie, was superb. A very knowledgeable and helpful man and continually checking up on how each of the party were doing on the river during the day and offering further advice and tips.
The first of many trips to the River Dee i hope. Roll on next year.
it fought better than most fish and stripped a fair bit of line off too. I thought i might have been into a springer at first but it was not meant to be. The mantle now passes to Martin to put me onto a springer on Saturday