KS Shrimps For River Dee Auction

I am delighted to donate a box of flies to the River Dee Trust auction again this year. These 12 flies are tied on silver Fulling Mill hooks of various sizes and will be presented in this Greys fly box. I was thrilled when I was asked last year and it was great to see my flies sell pretty well. It's all for a very good cause and I was a glad to contribute a wee bit to the final total.

I have varied it slightly this year and have tied 6 original Kitchen Sink Shrimps as well as 4 yellow KS Shrimps and 2 red KS Shrimps. Hopefully these will sell equally as well as last year.

Details of the auction can be found by following the link so please register and bid for any of the great items which will be on offer. The auction goes live on 1st November with all proceeds going to fund projects carried out by the River Dee Trust.

River Dee Trust Auction 2016

The Greys fly box with the dozen flies ready for the auction.

The original Kitchen Sink Shrimp.

Yellow KS Shrimp

Red KS Shrimp

 

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Report for W/E 15th October 2016.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Report for W/E 15th October 2016.

The salmon fishing season on the Tay in Perthshire has now ended for 2016 with the weather not being ideal at times but we are now in Autumn and there has been a very weak run in the past few weeks however catches have improved mainly due to colder conditions. The river has had settled water from a reasonable spate last week after some heavy rain giving excellent autumnal conditions for fishing plus cooling temperatures are seeing catches maintained despite the lack of fresh fish. Expectation was high for the last few days plus settled weather in early October gave everyone a chance of landing a Tay Salmon.

A few autumn salmon have been running and landed throughout last week with excellent conditions for autumn fishing and catches have continued to spread with more water and dropping temperatures making the resident salmon more aggressive. It was another steady week with excellent conditions with around 280 fish landed and the biggest one recorded was in the mid-twenties from several beats. Spring transferred into summer and steady runs came into the river plus better weather was making fishing easier with lower water however plenty fresh water in recent weeks encouraged more fish to run the river with summer disappearing as Autumn came in however no run developed. Traditionally large fish are caught at this time of year which was in evidence again last week.

On the nature front the Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows have been all over the skies but departing south one by one, Ospreys have gone off south for the winter, Ducks have broods of mature young, Sand Pipers are on the river banks and Dippers and Kingfishers dart past. We are now seeing the arrival of large skeins of Geese as the temperatures start to drop. The splendid autumn colours are here again for another year with turning leaves due to the colder nights, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay. A salmon can be a bonus!!

Friday night saw the Tay Ghillies Association hold a race night in the Tayside Hotel in Stanley to raise funds for the river. There was a good enthusiastic attendance of fishers and locals generating �2676 which will go towards a project involving the Hatchery at Almondbank. Thank you to all who attended and the generous donors giving prizes to make the night a tremendous success.

Beat catches reported (week ending 15th October)
SALMON & GRILSE: Almondmouth 25, Waulkmill 17, Lower Redgorton 8, Luncarty 2, Upper Redgorton 3, Fishponds 8, Benchil 3, Catholes 1, Upper Scone 14, Burnmouth 4, Stobhall 11, Taymount 29, Ballathie 17, Cargill 28, Islamouth 13, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 18, Kercock 14, Delvine Burnbane 3, Murthly 1 2, Murthly 2 11, Newtyle 3, Dunkeld House 3, Dalmarnock 1, Dalguise 7, Lower Kinnaird 16, Upper Kinnaird 4, Findynate 1, Farleyer Upper 5, Lochlane and Laggan 3, Keithick Mains 5, Ericht Fishing 1.
Total: 280 Largest: Meikleour and Upper Islamouth & Murthly 2 & Upper Kinnaird 25lbs
SEA TROUT: Waulkmill 1, Fishponds 3.
Total: 4 Largest: Fishponds 5lbs

The majority of the salmon were caught in the lower river in early spring, which is understandable with the cold conditions but that has changed with warmer water allowing fish to run further giving improving results up the river including fish from Loch Tay, Loch Faskally and beyond now as fish spread in the system. The lower river has been the barometer for the runs as they enter the river with water temperatures falling to around the low 50�s F. Fish were starting to be caught in greater numbers due to cooling water temperatures plus recent spates should have encouraged more salmon to run and shake the residents up as well.

This past week saw a more fish from the lower river scattered throughout the beats encouraging everyone however the summer run disappeared and an autumn run did not develop. The beats at Stanley and below were seeing steady sport with small runs entering the river and now earlier run fish have dropped back towards their final destinations of Almond, Shochie and Ordie which can only help sport in this area. The beats just above the tide continue to produce fish on a regular basis with Almondmouth, Waulkmill and Lower Redgorton catching 51 between them in a better week. Luncarty had a couple in the week with Canadian Craig Cook landing a 6 pounds fish on a Toby.

Fishponds had 8 for the week with some heavy fish caught up to 18 pounds and including the odd fresh run beauty. Upper Redgorton had a corporate week of guests and managed a couple. Upper Scone had a reasonable week with experienced rods doing well which included 7 from Benchil on Monday. Jack Fryer caught a superb 18 pounds fish on the fly in Horsey on the Pitlochrie beat, Chicken Bob Shaw had a great week with several fish with colleague Gary Blanco Perks.

Tim Greenfield and

Charles Savage enjoyed success on the fly from Benchil landing fish at the same time up to 18 pounds.

Later in the week Marc Herman caught a 13 pounds fish from the same beat in the Plain Water on the fly as well. This week at Stanley we have been remembering the late Neill John Williams who sadly passed away from a long illness late last year. Neill fished on the Tay over several years. Burnmouth had 3 on Monday above Catholes Weir and Robert Galbraith landed a superb 16 pounds fish from the tail of the Black Stones on the Catholes on the fly. Taymount had a good last week with around 30 fish meanwhile Stobhall had a much quieter week with Ray Baileys party. Ballathie and Cargill had good last weeks with 45 between them. Cargill good success with fish landed up to 22 pounds in the week.

The fly proved successful for many anglers with Neil French doing well again and Ian Jardine landing the beats 300th fish of the season. Towards the end of the week the Muir party had fun which included Diana Boreland landing her first ever salmon and hooking several others. Islamouth finished their season with several fish taking their tally for the year close to 500 making it the most successful beat on the river and most were caught on the fly with only odd fish caught spinning in high water. Upper Islamouth and Meikleour had a good week with 18 culminating in a great last day with 9 including a fish at 25 pounds.

The last day saw Scott Sykes landing 3 to 11 pounds, Matthew Allin caught a 24 pounds fish and Andrew McCaig caught his first ever fish weighing 19 pounds. His brother Oliver them landed a 25 pounds fish and Gordon Bissett and John Baillie also had fish.

The middle river has slowed down over recent weeks and were praying for rain and a late run to liven things up. Kercock had a good last week with 14 fish which included

Sam Datta and

Tomas Lundquist.

Delvine and Burnbane finished with a few fish which included Sandy Pringle and Jamie Cumming catching fish up to 12 pounds.

Fish were caught on the Murthly beats and up on Newtyle Steven Cope caught his first ever fish on the fly.

On Dunkled House Brian Joseph managed a 16 pounds fish on the last but one day. Dalmarnock had a quiet end with a single fish however further upstream Dalguise had a good end with 7. The Kinnaird beats fared better with 20 fish including a beast at 25 pounds on the last day.

The upper river was seeing sport with odd fish caught and recent fresh water has improved activities with fish recorded on Findynate and Farleyer beats.

The Tummel is continuing to see limited sport from the Port-na-Craig beat administered by Pitlochry Angling Club and there is now over 6350 fish through the Dam resulting in fish being recorded in Loch Faskally and fish are running the Garry. This is a high figure in recent years caused by the temperature coming up quickly earlier in May and encouraging the fish to run.

The Isla are seeing salmon run up the river and progressing to the Ericht and 6 fish were reported last week from the Keithick Mains and the Lower Ericht. Further up the Ericht above Blairgowrie Michael Preedy ventured down for a last cast of the season on Saturday and managed to catch 5 grilse sized fish, all on the fly within the space of 4 hours, one of which was straight out the sea, the others being slightly to very coloured. Not a bad last few hours on the 2016 season!

Fish have been reported running the Lyon however there was no news from that part of the river last week.

Fish have also been running the Earn with Lochlane and Laggan reporting 3. Other fish are being caught now throughout the river but they are not registered on Fishpal.

The Spring and Summer Salmon fishing seasons are over as now the Autumn with the last few days of the season in October with great expectation. Last week�s catches were more encouraging however trough be told there has been no autumn run to speak of. There is now clear evidence of a cyclical change towards the Spring. Hopefully as we now look forward to spring 2017 there is an increasing run. See you on Monday 16th January 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

River Don Salmon

Finally opened my account on the River Don today and not unlike buses, two came along at once! I normally have a Don fish in my book long before now but with no water for months it was finally good to see the Don with a spate running off and to get out fishing knowing you had a chance of connecting. The water was carrying a heavy peat stain but was otherwise in very good shape.

Both fish were taken on a 14mm Junction Snaelda fished off a floating line a 7 inch per second poly leader and were released quickly. The second fish I caught today made my total for the season pass last year's total so it was very pleasing to see it in the net.

My first fish of the day. A hen fish around the 5lb mark. Junction Snaelda did the trick.

My second fish of the day. Another hen fish but about 7lb. Junction Snaelda did the trick again. This fish made me pass my total of last year.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Late Autumn Salmon Fishing on Tay, Perthshire 2016.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Late Autumn Salmon Fishing on Tay, Perthshire 2016.

It is now the last few days of the Tay, Perthshire 2016 salmon fishing season with changing weather and dropping temperatures making salmon far more aggressive.

There has not been an outstanding autumn run so far on any Scottish river however dropping river temperatures make the resident fish more likely to take.

This was an 18 pounds fish caught by Tim Greenfield on Benchil caught on the fly from the Long Shot.

Charles Savage with a reasonably fresh 16 pounds fish caught on the fly from the Long Shot on Benchil.

This week at Stanley we have been remembering the late Neill John Williams who sadly passed away from a long illness late last year. Neill fished on the Tay over several years.

There is now a commemorative bench on the Catholes in fond memory of Neill.

Cheers Neill, we all hope you are resting in peace and fishing a good river in heaven.

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Report for W/E 8th October 2016.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Report for W/E 8th October 2016.

The salmon fishing season on the Tay in Perthshire has now seen Summer although the weather has not been ideal at times but we are now in Autumn and there has been a weak run in the past few weeks and catches have improved however we are now looking for an increase in runs after another steady September despite some unsettled conditions at times. The river has had settled water from a reasonable spate last week after some heavy rain giving excellent autumnal conditions for fishing plus cooling temperatures are seeing catches maintained despite the lack of fresh fish. Expectation is high for the last few days plus hopefully settled weather will continue with an improving run in early October to give everyone a chance of landing a Tay Salmon.

A few autumn salmon have been running and landed throughout last week with excellent conditions for autumn fishing and catches have continued to spread with more water and dropping temperatures making the resident salmon more aggressive. It was another steady week with excellent conditions with 250 fish landed and the biggest one recorded was in the early thirties on Islamouth. Spring transferred into summer and steady runs came into the river plus better weather was making fishing easier with lower water however plenty fresh water may have encouraged more fish to run the river with summer disappearing and hopefully an autumn run develops in earnest as temperature start to drop. The fish that have been caught so far have been superb quality and of a good size overall, Autumn is upon us and traditionally large fish are caught which was in evidence last week.

On the nature front the Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows have been all over the skies but departing south one by one, Ospreys have gone off south for the winter, Ducks have broods of mature young, Sand Pipers are on the river banks and Dippers and Kingfishers dart past. We are now seeing the arrival of large skeins of Geese as the temperatures start to drop. The splendid autumn colours are here again for another year with turning leaves due to the colder nights, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay. A salmon can be a bonus!!

Beat catches reported (week ending 8th October)
SALMON & GRILSE: Almondmouth 18, Waulkmill 7, Lower Redgorton 13, Luncarty 2, Upper Redgorton 10, Fishponds 6, Benchil 1, Catholes 1, Upper Scone 11, Pitlochrie 2, Burnmouth 1, Stobhall 31, Taymount 35, Ballathie 5, Cargill 27, Islamouth 16, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 10, Kercock 10, Delvine Burnbane 1, Murthly 1 6, Glendelvine 2, Murthly 2 4, Newtyle 5, Dunkeld House 2, Dalmarnock 3, Lower Kinnaird 4, Upper Kinnaird 1, Findynate 1, Farleyer Upper 5, Farleyer Lower 3, Upper Aberuthven 2, Keithick Mains 1, Ericht Fishing 3, Ruan Ruarie 1.
Total: 250 Largest: Islamouth 32lbs
SEA TROUT: Waulkmill 1, Lower Redgorton 1, Taymount 1.
Total: 3 Largest: Waulkmill & Taymount 2lbs

The majority of the salmon were caught in the lower river in early spring, which is understandable with the cold conditions but that has changed with warmer water allowing fish to run further giving improving results up the river including fish from Loch Tay, Loch Faskally and beyond now as fish spread in the system. The lower river is now the barometer for the runs as they enter the river with water temperatures falling to around the low 50�s F, plus fish are now starting to be caught in greater numbers in the lower river with the developing run and the spate should encourage more salmon to run and shake the residents up.

This past week saw a more fish from the lower river scattered throughout the beats encouraging everyone however the summer run seems to have come to an end and we await an autumn run to develop in earnest. The beats at Stanley and below are seeing steady sport with small runs entering the river and now earlier run fish have dropped back towards their final destinations of Almond, Shochie and Ordie which can only help sport in this area. The beats just above the tide continue to produce fish on a regular basis with Almondmouth, Waulkmill and Lower Redgorton catching 38 between them in a better week.

Some big fish are being caught throughout the river now and that was the case on Lower Redgorton with James McKay catching a 25 pounds whopper. A further 24 pounder came from the beat as well in the week. Luncarty had 2 in the week with Peter Varney and John Norcliffe both catching.

Fishponds had 6 in the week which included a 24 pounds beast and lady anglers having success. Upper Redgorton had 10 for a Swiss party. Upper Scone had a reasonable week with 11 fish largely caught from the boat.

At Stanley Peter Varney and David Brown both caught in the week and Mick Beham caught on the 11th hour on Benchil with a floating devon.

On Catholes John Crossland caught a 12 pounds fish on Toby from the Catholes Stream. Stobhall and Taymount had very good weeks with over 60 fish between them. On Stobhall Ray Baileys party enjoyed a good week with fish shared out throughout the party. Ballathie had 5 in the week but Cargill had another consistent week with 27 and the fly proved to be the most successful method with fish landed up to 25 pounds.

Islamouth had a good week with 16 fish for Alan Parker�s party and an absolute whopper for lady angler Iona Hoare weighing 32 pounds caught on the fly from Donnits on a Cascade, for good note her husband, Paddy also was not to be outdone landing a 20 pounder as well. Upper Islamouth and Meikleour had 10 for the week. Success was achieved by Paul Moodie, Willie Colquhoun landed an 18 pounds colourful fish, Tony Taylor and Claire Fuller both caught and a French party enjoyed success with the fly under Ian Gordon�s guidance.

The middle river has slowed down over recent weeks and are praying for rain and a late run to liven things up in the weeks to come.

Kercock had 10 fish which included a massive 26 pounds fish on the fly for Douglas Galbraith. Fish were caught form the Murthly area with Ian Scrutons party enjoying success with Donald Tritton. Newtyle had 5 and Dunkled had 2 with Dalmarnock and the Kinnaird beats contributing odd fish.

The upper river was seeing sport with odd fish caught and recent fresh water has improved activities with fish recorded on Findynate and Farleyer beats.

The Tummel is continuing to see limited sport from the Port-na-Craig beat administered by Pitlochry Angling Club and there is now over 6350 fish through the Dam resulting in fish being recorded in Loch Faskally and fish are running the Garry. A fish was reported from Ruan Ruarie. This is a high figure in recent years caused by the temperature coming up quickly earlier in May and encouraging the fish to run.

The Isla are seeing salmon run up the river and progressing to the Ericht and 4 fish were reported last week from the Keithick Mains and the Lower Ericht.

Fish have been reported running the Lyon however there was no news from that part of the river last week.

Fish have also been running the Earn with Upper Aberuthven reporting 2. Other fish are being caught now throughout the river but they are not registered on Fishpal.

The Spring and Summer Salmon fishing seasons are over and we are now in Autumn as we see September disappear for the last few days of the season in October with the expectation of a developing late run. Last week�s catches were more encouraging. Let us hope there is a sign of an upturn in catches as we go into the last 2 weeks. Tight lines!

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire prospects w/c 10th October 2016.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire prospects w/c 10th October 2016.

The Salmon fishing season is now deeper into Autumn on the mighty Tay in Perthshire, Scotland as we enter the final week on the mighty river in October after a settled week and good conditions for anglers with settled river levels mostly to enjoy the elements in pursuit of that magical salmon. Hopefully that will continue for the last few days and maintain catches in the coming week. The summer run has petered out with grilse sprinkled in amongst some heavy summer salmon and the prospect of improving catches hopefully will be maintained from last month with more autumn arriving giving better sport in the coming week with settling conditions and more fresh salmon running. The weather is looking more settled in the coming days with the chance of a little rain which will hopefully not unsettle conditions and continue to benefit and enable a greater chance of producing some sport and some "Bars of Silver" if you are prepared to brave the elements.

On the nature front the Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows are all over the skies but departing south one by one, Ospreys gone off south for the winter, Ducks have broods of mature young, Sand Pipers are on the river banks and Kingfishers dart past. We are now seeing the arrival of large skeins of Geese as the temperatures start to drop. The splendid autumn colours are here again for another year with turning leaves due to the colder nights, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay. A salmon can be a bonus!!

Currently the river is settling back after fresh water and is above summer levels (Just above 2� and falling on the Ballathie gauge) and hopefully will remain settled at a lower level for the Tay in the coming week.

The weather has been more settled last week and hopefully will settle down further in the next few days with good conditions which should improve this coming week. There does look like some rain later in the week but hopefully not enough to unsettle the last few days. Some heavy downpours have given the river water from rain last week and the river is dropping back again with clear water and a better autumnal weather forecast. This current week looks good with little or no rain forecast in the east until later. The feeling on the system with fish all over the beats and only a few fresh fish running is that we could do with a massive spate to stir things up and hopefully encourage more fish to run. That is exactly what has happened with excellent water levels for the time of year and ideal autumn conditions. Calmer weather will settle the river back to good levels and make ideal autumn fishing conditions. The water temperature is now dropping which is good news as well with colder nights causing fish to become more aggressive is currently around or just below 53.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 12 degrees Celsius last week and should remain at that level in the current weather conditions. These are typical temperatures for this time of year. The lower river is currently doing best in the current conditions and this confirms historical results later in the season. Hopefully there might be a chance of a fresh fish anywhere in the river.

As to methods, in settled conditions fishing by any method will have to be a bit quicker with large lures to catch the elusive Tay salmon. 20 pounds main line with a 15 pounds leader plus favoured lures include Devons, Toby Salmos, Vision 110�s and Rapalas, for spinning and smaller Temple Dogs, Tubes, normal dressed flies and Monkies for fly fishing. The Tay is a large river but modern lines such make turning over and casting larger flies easier and the fish tend to be near the bank in larger waters. Floating lines and sink tips are now on the agenda as we go over the magical 48 degrees and into summer. Harling is also a favoured method on the river to cover the lies for the less experienced.

The Tay Ghillies Association are continuing their popular FISH OF THE MONTH AWARD to encourage good catch and release practice on the Tay. Each month the winner will receive 2 personalised crystal Whisky glasses engraved with details of the catch and they will automatically be entered into the fish of the year competition for a Stylish Crystal Engraved Decanter. Full details of this initiative.

Popular hotels to stay in the area are the Tayside Hotel in Stanley, Ballathie House, The Meikleour Arms, The Anglers Inn in Guildtown, Murrayshall Hotel, Scone and the Royal Dunkeld Hotel.

The Tay in Perthshire is a prime spring salmon fishing destination so why not give it a go?

Finally, you are reminded that the Tay's policy from June to the end of 2016 Season is that
� All hen fish of any size and all cock fish over 10 pounds should be released.
� All coloured and gravid fish to be released.
� No more than one clean fish weighing, where possible, less than 10 pounds should be retained per angler per day.
� Anglers should not use worms in September or October in any part of the district.

Salmon are a scarce and precious resource. Please help preserve both them and the long term future of your sport by following the recommendations. It is vital the river system follows these guides to ensure the draconian rules do not get extended in seasons to come.

When releasing salmon please try to keep the fish in the water as much as possible to give them every chance to recover prior to release. Releasing fish from boats in the river is not recommended. Further information on the policy and good release practice.

If you have any news or pictures of catches or experiences on the Tay and you would like to share them please email me on robert.salmonfishing@googlemail.com to be included in the reports.

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Ballogie - River Dee

I had a great time on the Ballogie beat of the River Dee this week where I was lucky enough to catch 5 salmon in just over a day's fishing. The water levels have been low recently but with a drop in water and air temperatures the fish seemed to be reacting to this and became much more willing to take the fly.

An underwater still of my salmon being returned on Saturday.

The first of my 5 fish came on Thursday. I was only able to fish for an hour but during that time I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time for a change. The water height was 8" on the Potarch gauge and my set up for the day was my 14ft 9in Guideline AWM rod and a Rio AFS floating shooting head. Attached to this was a 3.9 inch per second (ips) tip. I started in the Top Gannet and on only my 3rd cast of the afternoon I lifted into a nice fish. It was a coloured hen salmon of around 7lb and she was soon landed and sent back on her way after a quick photo. I managed to get the whole experience on my GoPro camera and I have attached the clip below. The fly was a 1/2" Red Frances tube.

My first fish on Thursday on only my 3rd cast! A 7lb hen fish taken on a Red Frances.

After fishing through the rest of the Top Gannets without another offer, I carried on down into the Middle Gannets. About half way down the pool I felt a fish take my fly but it was reluctant to turn with it. It just so happened I had been watching a Mikael Frodin YouTube video the night before on low water tactics. He had the same scenario with a fish in Russia where he let the fish to chew on the fly for several seconds before he felt it turn and take the fly properly. Only then he lifted into it and he duly landed the fish. With this fresh in my mind, I did the same. I let the fish to gently tug on the fly until my line had came out the current and straighten out. The fish reacted to this newly added tension and turned with my fly. I sharply lifted into it and after a spirted fight it was quickly landed and released. I also got this on my GoPro and have posted the clip below.

My second fish from Thursday. A 6lb hen from Middle Gannets. Also on the 1/2" Red Frances tube.

Thanks to another kind invite from Sean, I found myself back at Ballogie again on Saturday. This time I was able to fish the full day and I couldn't wait to get going. The air was cold in the morning and the fish took a while to switch on. I didn't start fishing until about 10am as we waited for the air to warm up.

My 7lber from the Top Gannets on Saturday ready for release.

I started out with the same set up as Thursday but the water had dropped to 6" on the Potarch gauge. I fished through all three of the Gannets pools without and offer so I headed back up to the hut for a re-think of my set up. I changed my tip over from a 3.9 ips to a to a 2.6ips and removed the Red Frances fly and replaced it with an All Black Snaelda but of the same size. I waded out to the next of the Top Gannets and within two or three casts I lifted into a strong fish. It was another hen and was roughly 7lbs again. I played it hard to minimise any unnecessary runs etc and it was soon beached and released back into the Dee again. Just fishing that wee bit higher up in the water made all the difference and my confidence was restored. I landed the fish about 11.50am and decided to have a bite to eat before heading off downstream to fish the lower pools on the beat.

On arrival to the lower part of the beat I met up with Sean and he advised me that there were two fish caught. One being a cracking cock fish of around 16lbs. Both were taken on the Pink Franc N Snaelda but I kept faith in my wee Black Snaelda and headed off upstream to begin in the Slips. About half way down the middle Slip I had a fish grab hold of my fly but it didn't stick unfortunately. That was to be the only action I had despite the presence of numerous fish in the pool so it was off on down to fish the Flats.

The fly that did the damage on Saturday - All Black Snaelda.

The Flats is a cracking pool and is lovely to fish a fly through in all heights of water. I had a fresh 10lber from here back in July and it fought like a demon due to the strong current so playing any fish in here is a challenge. I started out right at the top of the pool in the white water and began to work my way down the pool. Again sticking with the 2.6ips tip and Black Snaelda. I got about 20 yards down the pool when I had an almighty take! The fish thrashed about on the surface but I couldn't really get a glimpse of it. I tightened up on it and the fish began pulling back hard. Much harder than the smaller fish I had landed earlier. This fish wanted to stay deep and I was anxious about loosing it given the amount of submerged boulder in the pool. The fish pulled and ran up and down the pool but it was clever and used the current in it's favour. I tried to do the same and pulled hard against the fish all the while trying to make sure I didn't change the angle too much and pull the hook out. The fight went on for a good 7 or 8 minutes and I eventually had the fish ready for beaching. I reached down and got hold of a nice hen fish around 14lbs. I quickly removed the hook and returned her back into the river to continue her journey. I fished down the rest of the pool without an offer so decided to make my way back to the hut as it was about 4.30pm. I also managed to capture the action on my GoPro and have attached the clip below for anyone interested in viewing it.

A big hen salmon of around 14lbs ready to be released.

I got back to the hut and had a quick run down the neck of the Top Gannets but it didn't provide anymore action. I carried on down for one last go in the tail of the pool when Sean arrived. I was just about finished fishing the pool, or so I thought, when Sean told me to carry on into the lip just before it drops into the Middle Gannets. And would you believe it, just as my fly was swinging round in front of the white water, I had a good solid take. I lifted into the fish and it was on. The way the fish was pulling in the fast water, if I had lost it there and then I would have sworn in was a double figure fish. It was soon subdued though and Sean grabbed hold of a small grilse of no more than 3lbs! Despite it's size, it was very welcome and I was delighted to land my third fish of the day. A fish I would have not landed if Sean hadn't been there as I would have not fished that part of the pool. I will be from now on though, that's for sure! We carried on into the Middle Gannets but nothing was interested and I called it a day around 5.30pm more than happy with my day.

Ballogie ghillie, Sean Stanton about to release my last fish of the day. A cock fish of around 3lb.

Ballogie is a beat that is always good to me as I seem to do pretty well there when ever I fish it. It's a pleasure to fish knowing you are covering fish and this makes a big difference to the confidence. Several of the pool changed after Storm Frank but it's very encouraging to see a good head in all the pools.

The long season is now drawing to a close but it's good to see the beat pass last year's total, as have many of the beats on the river. Lets be honest, it wouldn't have taken much after the disaster on 2015! The totals for the Dee in 2016 up but overall, catches are still a long way off recovering to what they should be. At least it is heading in the right direction though and with one thousand or more fish caught this year than in 2015. Long may that continue and here's to a good run in 2017. Tight lines.