3 Days On Ballogie - River Dee

I had my annual 3 day trip to the Ballogie beat of the River Dee last week in pursuit of the ultimate prize in salmon fishing; a fresh run springer. Water levels remained steady during my three days with levels reading 1ft 6in on the Potarch Bridge gauge. The only significant change in levels occurred on Saturday afternoon when the river rose to 2ft on the gauge just after lunch time due to the torrential rain which fell through out the day. River temperature rose slowly from 35f on Thursday to 37f on Saturday.

About to return a cracking springer of around 7lb back into the Dee.

I had to the beat to myself on Thursday and this gave me scope to move around and fish all the best pools. I set up with my 15ft Mackenzie DTX shooting head rod and a H/I/S1 Guideline PT Scandi line. Flies consisted of the usual spring flies like a Willie Gunn, Black & Yellow or a Monkey.

Action was few and far between despite the near ideal conditions above and below water level and it seemed the fish had other ideas. I did however land a very large kelt in the afternoon which took a 1" Dee Monkey cone head. It fought very hard and if I had lost it mid fight I'd have sworn it was a good fish that got away. Unfortunately, the springers were not playing ball even though there were one or two that showed themselves during the day. Even though no springer was caught it was great to be back fishing at Ballogie again.

A cracking springer from the Bulwarks which was taken on a 1" Monkey cone head.

The next day I was joined by my good pal Philip Black. With there now being tow of us covering the water, this gave us a great opportunity to fish the beat a bit more thoroughly in an attempt to find a so far elusive springer. My set up for the day was exactly the same as the day before except I changed my versi leader from a 5.6 inch per second to a 3.9. This seemed to do the trick as not long after starting I had a fish on lower most pool on the beat which was the Bulwarks. This turned out to be a well mended kelt but just like the one I caught yesterday, this one fought like a tiger! I quickly return the fish and retied my hook. I waded out to the same spot where I came out to land the fish and made my first cast. My 1" Dee Monkey was swinging round nicely when it was snaffled again by another fish. The fish didn't really do much to begin with and I played it as though it was just another kelt. After a short battle the fish jumped out the water to reveal lovely thick set flanks and that shiny chrome colour that fresh run fish carry. This was no kelt and my attention levels rose sharply! Not long after, the fish was ready to be landed and I had soon beached a cracking fish around the 6lb mark. It was quickly photographed as I was returning it and it was set on it's way to do what nature intended. A great start to my day but this turned out to be the only action any of us would have.

A beauty about 9lb or so ready to be returned. Again, taken on a 1" Dee Monkey tube.

Heavy rain poured over the Dee valley all Friday night and into Saturday as well. The ground was sodden and we were expecting a sharp rise in river levels. Fortunately for us that didn't happen and the river was still showing 1ft 6in as we arrived at the hut on Saturday morning. I kept the same set up that was successful for me the day before and I decide to fish the Lower Inchbare pool first as I never got round to doing it the day before. Sean Stanton, explained where all the good lies were and I made my way downstream eager to begin despite the torrential rain overhead. I had fished down the top part of the pool without a touch but as I neared the tail I had a thumping take out in mid stream. The fish pulled hard in the fast water and I scrambled about the rocky river bed trying to make my way into the bank to land it. The fish fought hard but after 10 minutes or so I managed to tail a belter of a fish which weighed around 9/10lbs. What a start to the day! I removed the hook form the fish and set her on her way after a quick photo on her return. My camera was drenched after that so I made my way over to my car to try and dry it out before starting to fish again as I did not want to have the chance of catching a large fish and not having my camera for evidence (sore point of social media at the moment) so I spent 20 minutes or so with the heated seats on full blast as well as the heaters. The camera was dry again and I went back into the river where I came out to try and catch another fish. I waded out into the river again and began fishing down the pool. No sooner had I started again when I had another good take from a lively fish. I immediately knew this was no kelt and made my way back to the bank to play the fish. After a cracking scrap which lasted 7 or 8 minutes I managed to beech the fish in between two stones. As soon as I beech the fish, Sean appeared right on queue to take a few photos of me with the fish.It was fresh as paint and weighed in the region of 7lb or so.

My second fish from Lower Inchbare on Saturday morning. A cracker of 7lb which also took a liking to a 1" Dee Monkey.

Catch and Release. (also see photo at top of page) 

Sean suggested I went back in again to try and get my hat trick. This I did and I couldn't believe it when my line went tight only a few cast after restarting again. This was another good scrap and the fish stayed deep through out. The fish took a lot of line which prompted Sean to run and get his net. The fish was just not for showing itself and stayed out in the current even though I tried to bully it in towards the bank. This continued for a good few minutes before I eventually got the fish up and ready for the net. Sean slid the net under the fish and we couldn't believe it when we noticed it was a kelt!! It wasn't even a well mended one either as it was still coloured. We quickly returned the fish and watched it swim off in astonishment that it put up such a fight for being a spent fish. By this time it was nearing lunch so we headed off back to the hut. It was still raining hard.

A fine early spring day on the Ballogie beat of the River Dee last week.

After lunch the rain was still falling but by this time the burns had started to fill and the river was colouring up and rising as a result. The gauge was now reading about 1ft 8in and I was due to fish the upper pools on the beat with Philip giving the Bulwarks a run through. I fished through the Top Gannet without a touch but the river was visible coloured by this time and I was ready to pack in. Sean arrived just as I was making my way down the pool and he suggested giving the Lower Gannet a go as the main flow runs down the far bank and the fish move close in to get out of the flow. I wasn't holding out much hope but I did have some excitement when a good fish took my fly about half way down the pool. This felt like a really good fish and it fought hard for a good ten minutes or so before I finally drew it into the bank for ghillie, Sean Stanton to tail. This fish didn't know when it was beaten and we were convinced it was a good springer but alas it turned out to be a 36" kelt! If I had lost it mid fight, we'd have sworn it was a big springer which got off. We couldn't believe just how hard fighting these kelts were! i fished out the remainder of the pool without a touch and we called it a day around 4.45pm more than satisfied with landing two springers for our day.

With that, it was the end of my trip. If someone told me I would catch three springers before I went I would have bit their hand off! All the fish took exactly where Sean Stanton had said the would so without his expert knowledge who knows what might have happened. It was pleasing that the fish were all caught using the same fly fished off the same set up as well. It makes a huge difference not having to change tactics all the time in an attempt to find the correct formula so to speak. Interestingly enough, I didn't get an offer using any other set up.The conditions played a big part too and we couldn't have asked for better during our trip. If the same happens next season I will be delighted. There's a lot of fishing to be done before then though but I can't complain with way my season has started this year and long may it continue!

Ballogie - River Dee

Last Tuesday I found myself fishing on the Ballogie beat of the River Dee courtesy of ghillie, Sean Stanton. The river was sitting around the 11" mark on the Potarch Bridge gauge and overhead conditions were pretty good given the time of year. There had been a few fish caught from the area in the days leading up to my arrival and I was hopeful there might be a few about. My set up for the day was my 14ft Hardy Demon, 9/10 floating shooting head and a 10ft intermediate tip. Fly of choice to begin with was a small Dee Monkey.

A fresh run 10lb salmon from Ballogie which fell to a 1/4" tungsten Dee Monkey.

Looking downstream towards the tail of Top Gannets.

Looking upstream from the tail of the Top Gannets.

After speaking with Sean via text the night before I was to start off in the Top Gannets. On arrival to the beat around 8am a splash from a fresh looking fish immediately caught my eye and raised confidence levels from the off. I tackled up and made my way to the neck of the pool. This pool has undergone a few changes after the flooding caused by Storm Frank back in December but it was still a nice looking pool and the lies are fairly obvious given the new shingle which has found it's way into the pool. I started off with a short line and covered the likely areas whilst lengthening all the time. I worked my way down the pool without an offer but I knew I was covering fish from the off as a good run made themselves known as the entered the pool. Sadly they weren't for taking my fly so it was off down to fish Middle Gannets.

Looking downstream at the neck of Middle Gannets.

Looking across the shingle to Middle Gannets.

Middle Gannets is a lovely looking pool and there is a nice deep run down the Ballogie bank up near the neck of the pool which is easily covered with a very short cast. I made sure I kept a low profile as I was fishing so close to the main flow but the pool widens the further down you go and such stealth isn't really required but it would do you no harm to fish it carefully. Unfortunately, I didn't get an offer in here so it was off downstream to fish the Lower Gannets.

Looking over the Lower Gannets.

Looking upstream from near the tail of the Lower Gannets.

The Lower Gannets is a cracking pool with very easy wading which adds to the pleasure of fishing it. With a nice flat, shingle bottom you can see why a fish might stop in here for a rest before tackling the fast water of the pools above. The main flow, for the large part of the pool, travels along the Borrowston side, which is the beat on the opposite bank but it is easily covered with a medium sized cast. I did see the odd fish in here but try as I might. they weren't for catching and I fished out the pool without getting an offer. I carried on fishing my way downstream and next up was the New Pool.

Looking onto the New Pool from the high bank. 

The New Pool is a pool which has always intrigued me. Probably due to the fact you can see whilst driving along the North Deeside Road past Portach. As a result, I've always thought it looked fishy. Having said that, there isn't many stretches of water that I pass anywhere which I don't imagine myself fishing at some point! I started up at the neck where there are a set of steps which lead you down to the water. The wading is quite easy in here too and it is not difficult to see where the fish might be lying either. I fished my way down the pool but sadly, without seeing or touching anything. The pool fished really nicely at this height of water though and I was just waiting for the line to tighten with every cast.

Fishing down the Sands pool.

Looking upstream from the Sands. There has been a fair bit of shingled movement in here which was more visible this time of year than it was when I fished here in March.

After fishing the New Pool I had a quick run down through the Sands before lunch. There were a few fish present further down the pool but I didn't see anything up in the Sands itself. The pool has changed a lot since the floods back in December and the top end of the pool is much shallower than it used to be. It's still a nice cast though and is still producing fish for visiting anglers. It will be interesting to see if it all changes again if we get another big spate this winter too.

The Dee Monkey

Looking upstream from Mid Hole and into Sands.

After lunch I was to fish the lower part of the beat which consisted of Mid Hole, Slips, and Flats. I thought I'd start up at the top and work my way down so I headed upstream from the Potarch Hotel car park and walked up to fish Mid Hole. On my way upstream the heavens opened and the rain began to pour. It was lashing it down and as luck would have it, I'd left my jacket in my car as it was such a nice day when I set off! As I was already soaked I thought there was no point in getting my jacket so I carried on regardless and began fishing down through Mid Hole. There were several fish showing on arrival to the pool and my concentration levels were raised a notch. I kept the same set up which had worked well the previous day and fished it down with a small Dee Monkey tied on a 1/2" tungsten tube. I fished out the pool without a touch but the rain was still really heavy and I was hoping this might get a fish or two excited as I made my down to fish the Slips.

Looking upstream into Mid Hole from the Slips.

Looking down towards the Slips.

The Slips is another pool which has changed since Storm Frank got his claws into Deeside last year but it was still holding quite a few fish. The bank has been damaged as a result and because of the areas SSSI status repairs have had to be put off until the necessary permissions were granted. These permissions have been granted as far as I'm aware and the banks will be repaired in due course. Anyway, back to the fishing. I once again kept the same set up as I felt confident that it would be fishing the right depth that I required it to and I fished on down the pool expecting the line to tighten after every cast. Unfortunately, it didn't happen but I saw plenty fresh looking fish to keep me occupied and the relentless rainfall kept on coming. I thought it was only going to be a matter of time before the river started to rise.

Fishing down the Flats shortly before landing a hard fighting 10lb salmon.

The next pool down was the Flats. This is ghille, Sean Stanton's favourite pool and you can understand why when you are standing on the bank. The pool is quite fast in nature but has numerous slower pots along it's length which hold fish all year round. I waded out at the neck of the pool and covered as much of the river as I could a the fish tend to sit close to the opposite bank. I was absolutely soaked to the skin with the rain by this time and my clothes were drenched. Fishing was becoming a chore and my concentration levels had dipped as I just wanted to get home and dried off. However, there was still plenty fishing to be done and I stuck it out. I'm glad I did because about half way down the pool, just where Sean pointed out a good lie, I cast out and almost as soon as my Dee Monkey hit the water it was hammered by a good, strong fish. The fish thrashed about on the surface but I gave it some slack line and this seemed to calm it down a bit and the fish started behaving a bit more. It made some really strong runs and with the fast water, it was just a case of playing the fish and the river. For anyone who has fished the Flats at Ballogie before, it's not the easiest place to try and back out of the pool with a strong fish attached. I carefully made my way back to the bank so I could try and gain more control over the fish and this seemed to do the trick. By this time , the fish began to tire and I soon manged to beach a cracking fresh fish of around 10lb.

Back he goes. Releasing my fish back into the Flats just before 5pm.

A 1/2" tungsten Dee Monkey which did the damage.

After a quick photo the fish was released unharmed and it thought this was a good way to end my day. I doffed my cap to the fish as it swam off strongly and I cut my fly off my leader and packed up for the day. I couldn't wait to get in the car and home for a hot bath! Was it worth getting soaked for? You bet it was!

Ballogie - River Dee

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

Looking upstream towards the hut in Upper Gannets.

Top Gannets from the hut.

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

Middle Gannets looking good in the spring sunshine.

Looking upstream from the Lower Gannets.

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

Looking downstream from the hut towards Middle Gannets.

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

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

Looking upstream from the Slips.

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

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

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

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

Looking upstream towards the Potarch Bridge.

Burn of Angels.

Upper Inchbare.

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

Fishing down the Flats on the Saturday. 

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

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

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

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

Fishing down the Kelpie in a good height of water.

The bottom pool at Ballogie - Bulwarks.

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

The top hut at Ballogie which overlooks the Gannets.