Invery - River Dee

I was lucky enough to get another day on the fantastic Invery beat of the River Dee last Friday. The water was sitting around 1ft 4in on the beat gauge and with news of a few fish about the day before, I couldn't wait to get going. My set up for the day was my trusty 13ft Hardy Uniqua rod, an AFS floating shooting head and a 6ft intermediate tip.

Ghillie, Karl Revel and Paul Pritchard outside the hut.

I arrived at the beat around 8.15am and was greeted by the ghillie, Karl who introduced me to the other rods who were over from Norway and Sweden. Karl informed me that I would be fishing over on the opposite bank and pointed out the most likely spots to concentrate my efforts on. As I had never fished the water from that side of the beat before I decided to start at the top and fish my way down through the pools.

Signal Pool looking into the Station Stream.

The first pool I was to fish was the Signal Pool. This is the upper most pool on the beat and no sooner had I started a few fish showed just opposite where I was standing. I covered them several times but I couldn't temp one to take my fly. I did however, hook a small trout which took a liking to my #10 Kitchen Sink fly. Apart from a few parr I didn't touch anything else so it was on to the next pool.

A stunning view looking upstream from the path which runs along the banks of the Dee.

The next pool down is the Station Stream. Like a majority of the pools on the beat, this fishes the fly very well and is a pleasure to fish from either bank. As temping as it looked though, I didn't see nor touch a fish as I fished the pool. I'm sure there would have been fish in the pool but the bright sun and a cloudless sky wasn't helping and this maybe put them down.

Looking upstream from the Station Stream.

Karl suggested giving the Kirk Pot a go since I was passing so that's just what I did. The Kirk Pot is a short but deep pool which looked like it could harbour a fish or two. On this occasion it wasn't giving up it's bounty so it was on to the next pool.

Looking upstream into the Kirk Pot.

I made my way down to the Holly Bush and Karl had told me to really give this pool a good go as there were fish hooked in here the day before. Unfortunately, they weren't landed but it was a good sign and I was eager to get in there. I waded out up at the neck of the pool to the broken water that Karl had pointed out and fished my way down the pool. As inviting as it looked though, the fish had other ideas and I fished through the pool without a touch.

Wading down the Holly Bush.

The S Pool. I didn't fish this pool but I just went down to take a photo.

Fishing down most of the likely spots in the morning proved to be fruitless apart from a small brown trout and several salmon parr. It was good to see plenty parr about down the margins which will hopefully bode well for the future. Given the current crash to fish stocks in the river, a healthy juvenile population is always a welcome sight. The lack of fish returning to the Dee is very worrying though. Juvenile fish are leaving the river in good numbers but once they are out into the North Sea who knows what's happening to them. The ever growing population of dolphins and seals ambushing the returning fish is, in my opinion a major factor in the decline of fish returning to the Dee. The narrow harbour entrance is perfect for these creatures to get their fill of salmon without much effort at all. Anyway, it was back over the river for some lunch down in the floating bank hut.

The Hut at Invery.

After a very entertaining lunch with Karl and the fellow rods, it was back to business so Paul and I made our way up to fish the top beat but from the opposite bank this time. I was to follow Paul down so we started at the top and fished our way down through all the pools just like I did in the morning. First up was the Signal Pool but, by this time the wind had really whipped up and it was raining quite heavily. In between showers, the good old Scottish midge was out in force and I think I spent more time fending these little buggers off than concentrating on the fishing! As a result, I fished down through the pool without an offer.

Looking upstream in the Killing Hatch with some welcome cloud cover.

Paul and I fished our way down through all the pools without so much as a pull but we were encouraged to see a few fish showing. Especially in the Greenbank where a good run of sea trout appeared to be moving through the beat. Try as we might though it just wasn't our day. Paul decided to call it a day but I went downstream to give Floating Bank a going over.

The Floating Bank. A lovely cast and there were a few fish showing in here too.

I always really enjoy fishing the Floating Bank whether it's from the Crathes bank or from the Tilquillie side. It's just a cracking pool to fish and there were a few fishing showing up near the rocks at the neck of the pool. I covered them several times but to no avail. I called it a day around 6.30pm and headed home to treat my midge bites!

Invery - River Dee

Thanks to a last minute shout, I was offered a days fishing on the Invery beat of the river Dee last Wednesday. Invery is a beat I always enjoy fishing and has some fantastic pools so I didn't take long to accept the invitation. The river was sitting around 2ft on the gauge and was is good shape with water temperature hovering around 46f. My set up for the day was a 15ft Mackenzie Shooting Head Rod, Intermediate shooting head and a 9ft tapered leader. Fly of choice was the Sunray Shadow.

The well maintained fishing hut at Invery.

Looking upstream at from the neck of the S Pool.

I arrived at the beat around 8.20am and met the ghillie Karl Revel at the hut along with fellow rod Craig. We were given the choice where to start and I opted to have a run through the S Pool first and then work my way down from the Signal and into Greenbanks. I started up at the neck of the pool and fished it down with a Red Frances to begin with but this didn't produce an offer so I had another run down with a Sunray Shadow this time. Again, it didn't attract a fish so I made my way up to the Signal to give it a go.

On my way up to Signal I stopped to chat with Craig who said he'd had hold of a fish on a Sunray Shadow which sadly threw the hook. This was encouraging so I was eager to get going. I started right at the top of the beat and began to work my way down, concentrating on the areas Karl had said were the most likely spots. There were one or two fish showing just down from the beginning of the wall but I covered them several times without a take. As well as the pool was fishing it proved to be a fruitless run through it so I made my way down stream a little to have a cast in the Greenbank.

Looking upstream from the Killing Hatch. A cracking pool.

Not long after starting in the Killing Hatch I spotted a fish show just downstream from me. I couldn't really see if it was a fresh fish or not but at least I knew where a fish was lying. I made my way down the pool with a Sunray Shadow and as I was level with the burn mouth my fly just stopped. I was stripping it slowly so I pulled on the line as normal and this seemed to wake the fish up! It made one or two short runs but I soon had it beached and it turned out to be a very well mended kelt. Not the springer I was after but at least I knew my tactics were working. I fished the rest of the pool and into Greenbanks without and offer so I headed off down stream to have a crack in the Jetties before lunch.

Looking upstream into the Greenbanks.

The Jetties as this height required a long cast to get into the likely areas so I stripped plenty line off my reel and fished my way down the pool. I saw a fish show just out in the streamy run so I covered it a few times but it didn't take. It showed a few minutes later and it appeared to be a kelt anyway but it's a good sign that kelts are in the pool just to help slow down the running springers.

The Jetties. You can see the concrete jetty where the pool takes it's name.

At lunch time my pal Paul appeared for a cast and after swapping stories and with fellow rods and Karl it was time to get going again. I was allocated the lower part of the beat along with Craig. Craig started in the Floating Bank and I started in Pantoch. We were to swap over mid session.

The Pantoch. There were several fish splashing about in here during the afternoon.

As I arrived at the Pantoch pool I spotted a fish show about mid river. This was followed by another soon after. It looked as though they were sea trout. Not like the kelt that have been around of late as these were short stocky looking fish. I fished through the pool first with a #7 Kitchen Sink and then second tIme down with a Sunray Shadow. Neither run through the pool produced anything so I made my way down to have a crack at the Floating Bank.

The hut on the lower beat over looking the Floating Bank.

Fishing down the Floating Bank. Probably my favourite pool on the beat.

The Floating Bank is up there as one of my favourite pools on the beat. It is a classic fly pool which fishes very well. There are usually a few fish lying in this pool and today was no different. As I made my way down the pool there were fish showing down it's whole length. They were howerver, what looked to be kelts and they didn't seem interested in what I had to offer. I fished the pool from top to bottom without a touch. Maybe the bright, sunny conditions were putting the fish off. I made my way back to the hut at 5pm to say goodbye to Karl and thank him for his advice. Karl suggested we fished on as the sun was now cooling down a bit. I decided to give it a few hours so I made my way back up to the Signal whilst Craig and Paul headed off downstream to fish the lower pools again.

An evening cast on the Dee at Invery.

The sun setting on another day fishing the Dee.

My evening didn't produce any offers unfortunately and I called it a day around 7pm. At least I got a bend in the rod from a kelt and there were a few other kelts caught through out the day also. Just a pity that springer didn't stick for Craig in the morning. That would have been a good start to the day for him. It's a fantastic beat and has plenty pools to keep you occupied all day long. Each has their own characteristics and charm and they all produce fish from opening day until the last day of the season. The ghillies, Karl and Jim are great lads too and are always eager to help the vising anglers giving advice when needed and to point out the likely spots where fish can be taken. I will hopefully be back one day for another cast on at Invery in the future.

Ballogie - River Dee

Back in March I was fortunate enough to get a rod on the famous Ballogie beat on the River Dee. I was to fish the lower part of the beat which is from Potarch Bridge down stream to the march with Commonty. As I have never fished Ballogie before, I was very excited by the prospect.

I arrived at the hut around 8.30am and was met by ghillies Sean and Ian. The water was still a bit on the low side and was reading about 7" on the bridge gauge but hearing that there was plenty fish in the pools was all the encouragement I needed. After a discussion on tactics and flies, I tackled up with my 13fy Hardy Uniqua, AFS floating shooting head with a 6ft 1.5ips tip attached. Sean advised that nearly all the fish last week were taken on a Red Francis so that was the fly I opted for too.

The beat gauge on Potarch Bridge reading about 7".

The hut on the lower Ballogie beat which overlooks the Bridge Pool.

Ian took me down to the bottom half of the beat and showed the the likely spots and where to concentrate my efforts. I decided to start my day off in the Lower Inchbare pool which Ian had suggested would be a good bet to pick up a fish. I made my into the river and worked my way down the pool. I had fished down about 20 yards or so and I got a subtle take on my fly. I initially thought it to be a trout and tried to get it in as quickly as I could but as the fish got nearer, I noticed it was a small grilse. It took off downstream as I attempted to land it but I soon had it back under control and drew it into my waiting net. I couldn't have asked for a better start. Sean's size 10 Red Francis did the trick and his flies can be bought from his website francnsnaelda.com. They come highly recommended if you didn't know about them already. I didn't get another touch through the rest of the pool but there were several fish showing.

Lower Inchbare. Still a bit misty when I started this morning but it soon burnt off.

Looking upstream from the hut at Lower Inchbare.

A fresh grilse taken on a size 10 Red Francis from Lower Inchbare not long after starting.

The next pool down was Priest's Hole. Sean had said this pool used to produce fish many years ago but it's mostly overlooked these days. Since I might never be back again, I thought I'd might as well give it a go. This pool has some obvious lies where you might pick up a fish or two but sadly, not for me today. I fished the rest pool without a touch and carried on downstream to fish the Corner Pool.

Priest's Hole. Tricky wading but more due to slippery rocks than anything. A few fish were showing in here but I couldn't tempt any.

 Carrying on downstream the next pool is the Corner Pool. I started just above the trees on the bank and gradually lengthened line  every cast until I was covering a couple of good looking lies. I could have only had about 7 or 8 cast when the line went tight and I lifted into a lively fish. This fish had a good bit of weight to it and made several cracking runs off the reel. After several minutes, I got the net off my back and attempted to land the fish. As the wading was tricky, I decided to try to land the fish where I was standing. The fish made it's way upstream and I managed to get it's head up and draw it towards the net. Trying to pull the fish into the net was the easy part. Lifting the net was proving to be a lot more difficult. With the net soaking wet and the current sweeping it downstream, I couldn't lift the net to get the fish landed and when the fish got out, it darted off into the main flow of the river again. This happened 3 times and I was extremely lucky to land the fish but managed to get my net positioned below the fish and scoop it out that way. I made my over to the bank to remove the hook but it had came out in the net! I got it just in time. I estimated the fish to be around the 15lb mark and it also took the size 10 Red Francis. I fished down the remainder of the pool without a touch and head off to fish the Kelpie.

Corner Pool. Never seen a splash in here but landed a fish.

Safely in the net at the 4th attempt. As you can see if you click on the photo, the fly has came out in the net! Probably been in about 2 weeks.

A quick photo before release. Went back no problem.

After landed my second fish, I made my way down to fish Kelpie. There were plenty fish splashing about in the run at the top of the pool and I had decent pull about 30 yards down from the big rock but it didn't hook up. I fished on through the rest of the pool and all the way down into the Jetties but didn't get another offer so I headed off back to the hut for some lunch.

Kelpie. Plenty fish showing in here and I had an offer not long after starting which didn't stick.

Looking upstream in Kelpie. I had the offer about 10 yards down from the big rock.

Jetties. One or two fish showing in here but couldn't tempt any.

After a good chat over lunch to fellow rod Peter and his wife, I headed down to fish the Burn of Angels and Upper Inchbare pools. Apart from the odd splash in Upper Inchbare. I didn't see or connect with anything else. Both these pools fished very well and you were expecting that pull every cast but not this time.

Burn of Angels. A lovely cast but nothing showing in here today.

Looking upstream toward Potarch Bridge.

Upper Inchbare. A few fish showed just at the tail but none took any interest in my offerings.

I headed up to fish the famous Bridge pool about 4pm and started on the big rocks above the bridge. I worked my way through the pool with the Red Francis without any interest so I changes over to a heavy Monkey tied on a tungsten tube and started again. A fresh fish showed just off the boil about half way down which was encouraging but apart from a follow as I strip my fly in, I had no joy in this pool. Still, it was a pleasure to fish it and at least I can say I have fished it now.

Bridge Pool. Cracking pool in the Spring months. Often produces a fish on Opening Day.

Looking upstream in the Bridge Pool at Potarch Bridge.

Fishing down the Bridge Pool. A very iconic location of Royal Deeside.

I left the beat around 6pm after having another run through Lower Inchbare and Kelpie. I didn't get an offer but was more than happy with how my day went. It was great to finally get to fish on Ballogie. It's been a long wait since I booked it back in March and to get 2 fish was the icing on the cake.

Invery - River Dee 06-06-14

I was back at Invery on the River Dee for a days fishing on 6th June thanks to a kind invite to fish as a guest. The water was sitting at around 2ft 3in on the beat gauge and was carrying a heavily peat stained colour in the water. It was to drop almost 9" through-out the day though and was a good height for intercepting running fish. My set up for the day was my 14' 6" Guideline rod and a float/intermediate Scott MacKenzie shooting head. Fly sizes ranged from 6s-12s in various patterns.

I started my day off on the lower part of the beat and was to fish Floating Bank, Pantoch and Birkwood. Apart for a couple of small brown trout which both weighed about 1/2lb each, I never touched anything else in either of these pools. Pantoch especially looked very good at this height but was very quiet considering.

The afternoon saw me fishing the top half of the beat. I started at the Signal Pool and worked my way down through the beat taking in pools such as Killing Hatch, Greenbank, Jettis and S Pool. These are some of the finest pools on the lower Dee but I never saw a salmon jump all day. I did however move a sea trout in the Signal Pool around 10pm but it didn't connect.

I fished for 14 hours in total and never so much as had an offer from a salmon. Maybe the dark water colour, which was very close being black put the fish off, who knows but I gave it a good go. Unfortunately for little reward. Still, if it was easy to catch salmon it would get quite boring. It's that buzz when you get hold of a fish is what keeps us all going back. Hopefully next time at Invery I get lucky.

Here are some pictures from my day.

Looking downstream in Floating Bank. Good to see the pools with a bit more water in them.

Pantoch. Looked very good at this height.

Birkwood. Another nice looking pool at this height of water.

Signal. I moved a sea trout in here with a Sunray Shadow just as it was getting dark. It didn't connect though.

Looking downstream from the bank at Killing Hatch.

Fishing down through Greenbanks.

Looking upstream from the neck of the S pool into Jetties.

Looking downstream in the S Pool.

The Greenbank Pool at dusk.

Invery - River Dee

I was on the River Dee at Invery today on what is the last chance of catching a Spring Salmon for this year. As of June 1st all salmon caught are classed as Summer salmon. I was very kindly asked to fish the afternoon by a friend of mine as he had a prior engagement and had to leave the beat early. As I had never fished the beat before, I was very grateful for the opportunity. The sun was high in the cloudless sky making conditions less than ideal but with the gauge reading 10" there was always the chance of picking up running fish. The temperature in the afternoon peaked at 23C. My set up for the day was my 13ft Hardy Uniqua, floating line, short intermediate tip and a selection of small flies ranging from size 10 to 14.

I arrived on the beat around 11.30am and met the Jim the ghillie at the top hut. He instructed me to head down to the bottom part of the beat as I was to fish the Pantoch and Floating Bank pools before returning for lunch at 1pm. I made my way down to the Pantoch but there was a rod from the Crathes bank fishing the pool so I carried on down to the Floating Bank. I had only ever fished this pool from the opposite bank so it was good to give it a go from the Invery side. I chose a wee size 11 KS Shrimp for my fly and I made my way to the neck of the pool. I fished down the pool and when I was about adjacent to the hut, I had a good solid take from a fish. Unfortunately, it didn't stick but it was encouraging to know that there were fish in the pool. Several more fish showed as I fished it through but were not interested in my fly.

As I had never fished the beat before it was good to have a chat with Jim during lunch. We chatted about the recent catches on the river and about stories from days gone by which I always enjoy listening to from any ghillie or fisherman.

After a bite to eat, Jim took me up to fish the top pools of the beat. These included Signal Pool, Greenbanks, Jetties and S Pool. I fished all the way down from the top of the beat without seeing a splash but the blazing sun and clear blue skies didn't help. There were also a group of young kids swimming in the Greenbanks pool which is not ideal either but given the fine weather, who could blame them for that? I would have done the same not so long ago. I missed out that part of the pool and made my down to the Jetties. Again, I fished it through without seeing a splash so I headed down to the S Pool. The neck of the pool was a nice fast, streamy piece of water which in these conditions, might have been a good chance of holding a fish or two. No luck to be had in this pool either.

I headed back to the hut around 4.30pm for a chat with Jim before deciding what to do in the evening. Jim informed me that there was a 4 1/2lb Salmon landed downstream by one of the other anglers. Always good to hear of fish being caught on the beat you are fishing. As I was the only rod left, Jim gave me the choice of where to go. As I had seen a few fish earlier in the Floating Bank, I headed down to the bottom pools of the beat again. As the Pantoch was free I give it a run though before I fished the Floating Bank. Nothing doing in here but was good to fish it regardless. I fished the Floating Bank twice before giving the Pantoch another try but to no avail. The sun was still high and bright so I called it a day around 8pm.

Invery is a lovely part of the Dee and when conditions suit, it can be very good indeed. It's a beat I will look forward to fishing again some day in the near future. Sadly, no May springer which ends my run of getting a fish every month so far but I would have gladly taken that at the start of the season so I can have no complaints. I will eagerly wait on the arrival of the grilse to both the Dee and Don which can provided some quality sport on lighter tackle. Hopefully there will be here in greater numbers than in previous seasons. We will soon find out.

Here are some pictures from my day.

Floating Bank. Had a good offer from a fish in here but it didn't stick.

Signal Pool which is the top of the beat.

Killing Hatch. Have spent many hours looking into this pool from the high wall on the opposite bank.

Fishing down through Killing Hatch.

Looking upstream from the tail of Killing Hatch.

Greenbanks. Lovely pool but equally attractive to swimmers today.

Looking downstream into Jetties.

The hut at the bottom of the beat with its immaculate banks.

S Pool. A nice run which goes into deeper water on the left bank.

Pantoch. Was good to fish it from the Invery bank.

Looking upstream in the evening sun from Pantoch.

A final run through Floating Bank before heading home.

The new hut at the bottom of the Invery beat which looks onto the Floating Bank..