Little Blackhall & Inchmarlo - River Dee

I was grateful to ghillie, Martin Robson for inviting me over to fish on the delightful Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo beat of the River Dee last week. The river was dropping away nicely after a rise the day before and was it carrying a peat stain. The river was sitting at roughly 1ft 4" on the Woodend gauge so tactics for the day were my 14ft Hardy Demon, floating line and a 10ft slow sink tip. My fly of choice to begin with was a #8 Cascade.

A nice touch to the fishing hut. A map of the beat hand drawn by ghillie, Martin Robson.

I arrived at the beat about 8.30am to be greeted by Martin and his springer spaniel, Fly. We discussed the current conditions over a cup of coffee and we planned out our tactics for the day ahead. Martin suggested we start off on the upper part of the beat and fish the Otter Stone down to the Laird's Cast covering all the usual lies as we went along. I started up in the Otter Stone whilst Martin fished the Fawn.

The well equipped hut on the Inchmarlo bank.

Looking downstream from the Otter Stone.

The Otter Stone is a nice bit of water and is often a good bet to pick up a fish or two in such conditions. Martin pointed out all the recent hot spots and where fish had been holding before making his way down river. I started off as I normally do fishing a short line and lengthening it out to a full cast before working my way down the pool. There were a few fish showing further down the pool and every now and again there were splashes upstream. The fished just seemed to be bombing through with the good water and occasionally showing themselves on their way by. It was good to see decent number of fish though and there is always a chance if your fly is in the water as they pass by. Unfortunately, I didn't temp any of them to take my offerings so it was off down to the Fawn.

Looking upstream from the Fawn.

Looking upstream from the tail of Fawn.

The Fawn is a cracking part of the beat and there were decent numbers of fish showing in here as they came through the white water below. I covered the pool as best I could and concentrated on the areas where the fish seemed to be showing the most. Try as I might though, nothing took any interest in my fly but again, it was pleasing to know I was covering fish. I just needed to figure out a way of getting one to take my fly. Easier said than done sometimes though!

Looking downstream into Laird's Cast just before lunch.

As there were a good few fish moving through the beat I decide to go back up and fish down through from the Otter Stone again in the hope I might intercept one of these running fish. All down the length of the pools there were fish showing every now and then but they just weren't interested. I tried heavier flies, small flies, fast sinking tips, full floating line but nothing would slow them down and take my fly. By this time it was nearly lunch so I made my way back to the hut for a bite to eat and to catch up with Martin and find out how he was getting on.

Just about to cross over to the opposite bank in the boat with Martin.

Fishing down the Fawn from the Little Blackhall side in the afternoon.

After lunch Martin thought it would be a good idea to fish from the Little Blackhall bank and cover the areas where the fish were lying in the Otter Stone and Fawn. Just really to give them something else to think about with a fly coming past at a differnet direction and angle. There were still one or two fish splashing about in these pools and we were confident that we were covering fish with every cast. I changed tactics and opted for a Sunray Shadow fished off a 10ft fast sink tip. Despite this confidence and the change of tactics, the results were the same as the morning. The fish seemed to have other ideas and we just couldn't temp any salmon although we each had encounters with greedy brown trout.

Looking down the Roe Pot from the hut on the Inchmarlo bank.

Fishing down the famous Roe Pot from the Inchmarlo bank.

The famous Roe Pot was next up and we crossed back over to fish it from the Inchmarlo bank. The afternoon was wearing on but there were a good few fish splashing about. I thought about changing tactics but decided to stick it out with the Sunray Shadow, purely just to try and induce a take from one of these fish. I cast it out square and stripped it back at various speeds and covered most of the pool in this way. I still couldn't get a fish to take my fly. It was very frustrating but at least I knew I was covering fish as I went through the pool and it was very pleasing to see such decent numbers of fish moving through the Dee again.As was the same the previous week when I was fishing at Carlogie. Time got the better of me and I had to call it a day at 5pm as I had other things to do in the evening. Although, looking at it again now, the evening might just have been the best bet for getting a fish.

The invite from Martin to fish here much appreciated. It was good to be out fishing at Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo again as it's a beat I always enjoy fishing. It was also good to see plenty fish around too. Catching them on the day proved difficult but Martin will do his utmost to put you onto a fish and with scenery and surroundings as nice as anywhere on the Dee, it really is worth having a go here. Current prices are only �45 per day and you certainly can't argue with that for a day's salmon fishing. For detail of the beat follow the link - Little Blackhall And Inchmarlo

Little Blackhall & Inchmarlo - River Dee

My good pal Charlie Robertson and I found ourselves on the Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo beat of the River Dee the other week courtesy of an invite from beat ghillie, Martin Robson. Conditions on the day were good and the river level was sitting around 1ft 8in on the Woodend gauge. Fish were running the river most days and the beat manged to land a nice, clean fish on the Friday before we arrived. My set up for the day was my old 15ft Vision GT4 Catapult with a F/H/S1 shooting head and a 4ips tip. Fly of choice to begin with was a Willie Gunn tube.

Looking upstream from the Fawn.

Fishing down through Sandy Bay and the Otter Stone.

Covering the Roe Pot from both banks.

We were to be fishing with local angler, John Fyfe who is an expert in most disciplines of game fishing. He has certainly been in about the springers this year on the Dee and anyone who can catch fish like John can is a real asset to the river during these lean times.It's great to see the success he is having and long may it continue.Charlie and I were to start off fishing the upper part of the beat. This is where the fish was caught the previous day and we we encouraged by that. We started up opposite the gauge on the far side and fished right on down to the Floating Bank. Unfortunately neither of us touched anything for the morning and we saw nothing either. The water was in really good shape and we were both surprised not to have at least seen a fish moving.

Looking upstream from the Floating Bank.

Lunch time was spent chatting away in the hut to John about his fishing this season and how and why he has been getting the success he has. I'm never shy in asking good anglers about tactics and successful methods as you're always learning in this sport. Advice and tips from an angler of John Fyfe's caliber can be extremely valuable. We took on board all the John was telling us and after lunch we headed across the river for a crack at the Roe Pot from the South bank.

Looking upstream towards the hut from the Little Blackhall side.

I hadn't fished the Roe Pot from the South bank since February 2009 and was really looking forward to it. back then the pool was renowned for producing early spring fish and even today, it's still one of the more famous holding pools on the river. On arrival to the pool we were greeted with the welcome sight of a fish showing out from the hut. This really spurred Charlie and I on and we eagerly began fishing down the pool. I had changed tactics slightly and opted to get down a wee bit deeper. I started up the top of the pool and Charlie went in mid way down. We both covered the pool well as did John form the opposite bank but despite seeing six or seven fish thorough-out the afternoon neither of us could temp these running fish.

Charlie and I working our way down the Roe Pot.

Charlie and I decided to give the New Fawn a cast so we made our way up to this cracking bit of water for a final chuck before calling it a day. Again, it fished really well at this height of water but try as we might, we just couldn't temp any salmon with our offerings so we decided to call it a day about 6pm.

Looking downstream in the Roe Pot from the Inchmarlo bank.

Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo is always a pleasure to fish and it was no exception on this day. The water is perfect for fly fishing at anytime of year but especially in the Spring month where it excels. If you are looking to fish the Dee anytime and you could do a lot worse than fish here. It's all off the bank fishing and a pair of wellies is all you need. Check out their page on the FishDee website by following this link Little Blackhall And Inchmarlo. Maybe see you there some time!

Little Blackhall And Inchmarlo - River Dee

I had a day on the Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo beat of the River Dee last Saturday thanks to the ghillie, Martin Robson. The river was in fine fettle and was sitting at around 1ft 9in on the FishDee gauge. My set up for the day was my 15ft Mackenzie DTX rod, AFS Hover shooting head and a 10ft super fast sink tip. My fly of choice was the good old Willie Gunn.

Fishing down the Otter Stone.

The granite on the far bank has been exposed after the winter floods. I think it looks quite good.

Looking upstream in the Fawn.

Fishing down the Fawn Pool.

Looking upstream in the Fawn.

I fished the top part of the beat in the morning along side Martin and we covered the water pretty well but despite favourable conditions, we just couldn't temp a fish to take our offerings. Every pool was fishing the fly nicely and it was good to be back on the beat again. This was one of the first private beats I ever fished on the Dee and it's always good to come back. The fishing is easy whether it's off the bank or shallow wading, you just know that there is every chance of connecting with a fish given the right conditions.

The fishing hut at Inchmarlo.

Looking down the Roe Pot from the Inchmarlo hut.

Fishing down the Roe Pot. A classic River Dee salmon pool.

One of the Little Blackhall huts over looking the Roe Pot.

The Roe Pot is always a good bet to pick up a fish on the beat and I fished it down willing the line to tighten with every cast. As I neared the tail of the pool just above the timber pier in the picture above I had a good offer but sadly it didn't come to nothing and that was to be it for my day.

Looking downstream across the tail of the Roe Pot.

The Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo beat looks a lot different since my last visit here in 2015. All the croys which were once a feature of the famous Roe Pot have all but gone and large areas of granite banking have been exposed on the Little Blackhall bank on the upper parts of the beat. As well as this, much of the road leading to the upper pools was washed away and repairs are ongoing to get the beat back to full working order.

Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo is a cracking part of the River Dee and you wouldn't know it's just a few hundred meters away from the bustling town of Banchory when you are fishing the pools. It's always a pleasure fishing here and I will look forward to returning again soon hopefully. 

There is still some availability for the beat this year and if you fancy a day then have a look at the Little Blackhall And Inchmarlo on the FishDee wesite by clicking the link. It's great value and well worth a visit.

Little Blackhall & Inchmarlo - River Dee

I had a days fishing on the River Dee at Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo yesterday thanks to ghillie, Martin Robson. The river is currently quite low at the moment and was it sitting around 9" on the gauge. It did however, rise a few inches throughout the day and also took on a bit of colour too. Due to the low water, tactics for the day consisted of mainly small flies and Sunray Shadows. My set up for the day was my 13ft a Hardy Uniqua, a floating AFS shooting head with a 6ft Rio 1.5ips tip.
 

One of my favourite views on Deeside. Looking towards the Inchmarlo hut from the Roe Pot.

Looking downstream from outside the hut.

I arrived at the beat and was greeted by the beat's new ghillie, Martin Robson. This was the first time I had met Martin so it was good to get acquainted over a cup of coffee before fishing. Fellow rod Ken Rothwell arrived soon after and as we were the only two rods fishing we each had half the beat to fish. I was to start in the Roe Pot and Ken headed off upstream to fish the Mill and the Fawn pools. 

Fishing down the top of the Roe Pot. As you can see the sun was splitting the stones!

Further down the Roe Pot. I had two small brown trout in here which took a Sunray Shadow.

I always enjoy fishing the Roe Pot and because of the low water conditions we were experiencing Martin suggested concentrating our efforts on the upper part of the pool. Fishing it down with a conventional fly the again stripping a Sunray Shadow. This is just what I did and after a fruitless run down with a small Crathie fly and changed over to a Sunray. I had a two trout using the Sunray and both were around the 1lb mark but I couldn't temp any salmon so Martin suggested I head upstream to have a go in the Fawn before lunch.

Fishing down the Inchmarlo side of the river just before lunch.

Looking downstream from Sandy Bay and Otter Stone.

Looking upstream from the Fawn. A lovely stretch of river.

After an extended lunch in which Martin, Ken and I exchanged stories of fishing outing past and future it was back fishing the beat we were on today. By now the air temperature was around 20C and really balmy. Not ideal for salmon fishing in low water conditions but we gave it a good go regardless.

Not the ideal air temperature for low water salmon fishing during the afternoon.

Looking upstream from the Fawn before fishing Seatie's and Laird's

Looking upstream into the Fawn.

Fishing down Seaties. I did see a nice fish show in here as I worked my way down the pool but I couldn't tempt it.

The afternoon was wearing on and Martin returned to say that Ken managed to winkle out a nice 3lb sea trout from the Roe Pot. He suggested that I move down stream to have a cast in Laird's as there is often fish rest in there after pushing up through the fast water below. Again, it was fish it through with a small fly first and then back down with the Sunray. I gave it a good half hour in here covering the most likely lie in the pool but there was nothing doing.

Fishing down Laird's with a small Silver Stoat.

Away to have my second run down the pool with a Sunray Shadow this time.

Although conditions on the day were far from ideal, it was good to meet Martin for the first time. He is a very knowledgeable ghillie and tried his best to put us in the most likely spots to try and get a fish. Inchmarlo is a beat that has always been pretty kind to me in terms of catching salmon but it wasn't to be this time around.  Still, it was a pleasure to fish this fantastic beat again and I will look forward to my next visit whenever that may be.

River Dee At Little Blackhall And Inchmarlo

When I was kindly invited by Ken Reid to come over for a cast on the Dee at Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo, I didn't need to think about it for long before accepting his offer. The beat had caught a few fish recently which is always good to hear and this added to the anticipation of getting out onto the Dee again in pursuit of Salmo Salar.

I met Ken and Terry Paton, the Inchmarlo ghillie, at the hut just before 9am. The water had risen quite sharply the night before but we were pleased to see it was dropping nicely for us when we arrived. The gauge was reading about 4ft and the water was carrying a nice peaty colour to it. We sat in the hut for an hour or so having a good discussion on all things fishing related before deciding to give the upper pools of the beat a run through. Fishing deep was to be the order of the day so I tackled up with my H/I/S3 Guideline 3D shooting head and a 10ft 5.6 inch per second tip on the end of that. My fly of choice was an 1 1/2" Swallow tied on a copper tube. I chose this fly because of the nice, bright orange and yellow fox wing which is a good combo for the peaty water.

I  was to start at the upper most pool on the beat called the Ice House and fish my way down from there. I fished the Ice House and Holly Bush pools without a touch and made my way into the Nellie Hogg pool. Terry had came up to see how I was doing and told me there was a good spot just off where the bank stuck out further than the rest. Sure enough, just as my fly came round, it was taken by a fish. At first, I thought it was a Brown Trout as it didn't really do that much apart for some little head shakes. Soon enough though, we realised it was a salmon as it took off upstream and kept on boring down into the deeper parts of the pool. The fish put up a cracking scrap for it's size and after several minutes, Terry slid the net under a sparkling fresh fish which on closer inspection it was still carrying some sea lice on it. Terry weighed the fish in the net and it was 6lbs. Ken arrived just as we were returning the fish and he suggested we head off for a dram to celebrate. Ken and I fished the rest of the morning without seeing or touching any other fish so we retired to the hut lunch.

After lunch, I was to fish the famous Roe Pot pool but the wind was now blowing strongly down stream and this made casting very difficult at times. However, I fished on through the pool without a touch so Terry suggested heading back up to the top of the beat for another crack at it. Again, I was to start at the top of the beat and work my way down. As the water had dropped and cleared a good bit, I changed flies to a Monkey. I fished on through the Ice House, Holly Bush, and Nellie Hogg pools without a touch but almost every cast you were just waiting for the line to tighten. As the afternoon wore on, the wind was nearing gale force so I decided to call it a day about 4.30pm.

It's always a pleasure fishing the Dee and big thanks to Terry and Ken for inviting me along. It was good getting a fish when I was invited onto the beat and when that fish was a cracking wee springer, it's all the sweeter!

Here are a few pictures from my day.

The fishing hut at Inchmarlo.

The Ice House Pool at the top of the beat.

Fishing out of Ice House and into the Holly Bush pool.

Nellie Hogg Pool. Lovely for fishing the fly.

My 6lb Springer for the Nellie Hogg Pool. It was still carrying some sea lice.

The Swallow. The fly that done the damage. I copied the pattern from Ian Gordon's website http://www.speyonline.com/

Terry and I have a wee dram to toast getting a fish.

Floating Bank. At this height fishing the fly hard into the bank was required.

Looking upstream from the lower part of the Roe Pot.

The Roe Pot. Looking downstream on one of the most famous pools on the River Dee.

Looking down stream into the Roe Pot from outside the fishing hut.