River Tay Opening Day 2017

Thanks to a kind invitation from Tony and Philip Black I found myself fishing on the fantastic Murthly 2 beat of the River Tay on it's opening day which is January 16th. The river was sitting at 4ft 6in on the beat gauge but was running clear considering the rise the night before. Regardless of the river height it was just good to be out on the river banks again after the long winter months.

John Fyfe fishing down through Willie's.

The evening before the trip was spent sorting out all my fishing gear in anticipation of fishing the Tay on Opening Day. I had never fished the River Tay on Opening Day before and couldn't wait to get there. I set off at 6.30am to get through the Aberdeen traffic and I arrived at the gates to Murthly Castle at 8.30am where I was greeted by Philip Black and fellow Aberdonian, John Fife. I followed on behind John and Philip along the castle road down to the hut where toasted in the new season with a wee dram of whisky. After a good chat about how excited we were for the new season and how we fared in 2016 it was time to set the rods up and get out on the water.

The entrance to the long driveway which leads up to the fishing.

My first cast of 2017.

Philip showed us the pools on the beat and where to concentrate our efforts and I was to start of in the Meetings Pool. This was a lovely bit of water even though the levels were on the high side. The water an along the side of the an island where it met the flow coming down the far side of it. This created a lovely seam through the centre of the river and it was in this area where Philip pointed out as a good spot to pick up a fish. I firstly fished through the pool with a 30g Toby Salmo but I didn't temp anything. I had another quick run down the pool with my fly rod and a 2" Willie Gunn but again to no avail.

Looking out to the Meeting's pool. Can be a very productive pool.

The next pool down was Willie's. This was another nice looking stretch of water and I opted to begin in here with the fly. John was fishing the tail just in front of me and landed a wee kelt just as I was starting. About half way down the pool a kelt had a go at my fly but it didn't take properly. It was good to know the fly was fishing attractively though. By the time I fished out the pool it was lunch time so it was off back to the hut or a bite to eat.

Fishing the fly on the Tay. I had a good offer from a fish just of the point of the corner, It didn't stick unfortunately.

One of the well equipped fishing huts at Murthly 2.

After lunch we didn't do much fishing to be honest as we spent most of time chatting and catching up after the winter. Having said that, I did have a run through the pools again and despite my best efforts with the fly rod and Salmo I couldn't temp anything. At this time of year though, fish are few and far between but it was great to be out on the water again.

Fishing a Salmo down through the Meetings Pool.

I find myself heading back down to Tayside this weekend for another go so we shall see what happens there, but again, it's more of a social gathering than a proper fishing trip. Any fish caught will be a bonus.

Scale Sample Results

Every season I try to collect a few scale samples from salmon I catch and these scales are kindly read for me by River Don bailiff, Martin Webster. Last season I managed to get scales from three fresh run salmon which I caught during the summer months. All three fish were 10lb or above and the scales read as follows:

Fish No.1:

14lb Salmon from the River Spey at Tulchan C

This 14lb hen salmon was caught on the 25th June 2016 from the Tulchan C beat of the River Spey. The scale reading from the fish pictured above shows 2 sea winters growth and some growth last year. It spent 2 winters in the river as a juvenile before smolting to sea. The scale reading confirmed this was a summer salmon. I for one am glad this beauty made it back to the river as it was my first ever River Spey salmon.

Fish No.2

A cracking 10lb River Spey salmon also from Tulchan C 

This 10lb salmon was caught from the Tulchan C beat on the same day as the 14lb salmon above and was as fresh as they come. The scale sample read it was a 2 sea winter fish and it also sent 2 years in the river as a juvenile before smolting to sea. The scale reading confirmed this was a summer salmon.

Fish No.3

10lb summer salmon from the Rver Dee.

The final scale reading was taken from a fish caught at the Ballogie beat of the River Dee on 5th July 2016. It was roughly 10lbs in weight and was very fresh. The scale confirmed it was a 2 sea winter summer salmon which spent 2 years in the river as a juvenile before smolting to sea. 

It's always really interesting getting the information back from the scale readings. Hopefully I'll catch a few more salmon this season and get the scale readings done again. Big thank you to River Don bailiff, Martin Webster for taking the time to read them for me and providing such detailed feedback. It's much appreciated. 

Merry Christmas!

I would just like to take this oppertunity to wish readers of my Blog a very Merry Christams and best wishes for 2017.

I have a lot of exciting fishing trips lined up for 2017 and I hope you will all continue to join me again next year in my persuit of Atlantic Salmon here in Scotland. Tight lines! Craig

Salmon And The Kitchen Sink Shrimp

My Kitchen Sink (KS) Shrimp fly has really started to prove it's worth this season with good numbers of fish falling for it's charms from various corners of the Northern Hemisphere. So far it has been successful in Russia, Norway, Iceland, Ireland and several rivers here Scotland such as the Dee, Don, Spey, Lochy and Naver to name but a few. It has a small band of faithful followers and hopefully it's success will grow as the pattern becomes a bit more widespread.

A lovley 13lb Summer Salmon caught by my good pal Charlie Robertson on the Manar beat of the River Don in July. The Kitchen Sink fly sitting on it's flank.

Here are a few pictures of salmon which have taken the Kitchen Sink Shrimp fly this season. Thank you very much for the use of the photos, David Littlewood, Paul Pritchard and Charlie Robertson. Much appreciated gents.

A batch of freshly tied Kitchen Sink Shrimps ready for action.

A Kitchen Sink Shrimp fresh from the scissors of a 14lb salmon on the River Spey in June.

The very exclusive Yellow version of the Kitchen Sink which is now picking up the odd fish throughout Scotland.

Another photo of Charlie's salmon from the River Don.

A cracking 16lb Salmon caught by David Littlewood from the Upper Dee.

Yours truly with a 14lb Salmon caught on the River Spey in late June.

Kildrummy Inn proprietor, David Littlewood with a nice River Deveron springer caught back in May.

My pal Paul Pritchard with a March springer from the River Dee which took a liking to a small tube version of the Kitchen Sink.

Paul Pritchard with the first of a brace of March springers from the River Dee on 11th March.

His second March springer of the day for Paul Pritchard from the Dee. This wee cracker also fell to a Kitchen Sink.

A nice close up shot the a Kitchen Sink Shrimp in the mouth of a nice River Dee springer.

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!

Redd Counting On The River Dee

I spent the day on the Upper Dee yesterday with bailiff Mark Walker on one his redd counts to monitor the spawning activity in the Dee catchment. The river had been quite high at the beginning of the week after some heavy rain and due to the high water a majority of the redds we would encounter would be fresh ones. The river was dropping away for us yesterday though and new redds we came across were pin pointed by Mark using a GPS device. This gives the bailiffs and biologists a better idea of where the spawing occurs and it's a good reference to look back on from previous seasons as to where spawning activity usually takes place.

Two freshly cut salmon redds side by side.

Ideal spawning habitiat on a tributary of the Dee near Braemar.

Good spawning in the upper catchment of the Dee

A lovely view of the river and surrounding hills near Balmoral Castle.

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A cock fish sitting on a redd awaiting the arrival of another hen fish to do the business with.

A salmon kelt which make easy meals for the Otters.

Another otter kill. Hopefully this fish had done it's job.

An old bridge over a tributary of the upper Dee near Braemar.

Despite the poorest angling season on record on the River Dee the redd counts have been encouraging and we certainly saw decent numbers in various locations yesterday as well as a decent number of fish present. This bodes well and hopefully the next generation of fish make it back to the river in four or five years time.

To find out more info about what happens on the River Dee through out the season follow the link and browse their informative website and publications. The River Dee

5lb Grilse From The River Don Tonight

I was out for a cast after my work tonight on the River Don and I was fortunate enough to land this salmon of around 5lb. It put up a good fight and was very acrobatic but after a few minutes, I manged to beach the fish. I took this quick photo before it was returned safely to the river.

October silver from the River Don.

More Sea Liced Salmon For Bill Cook

It's been a good week so far on the River Don for my friend and prolific angler, Bill Cook. Firstly, landing a sea liced Grilse on Saturday but on Monday evening he ran into a pod of fresh run grilse and landed 3 out of 4 he hooked. Prior to that he landed a coloured cock fish in the pool above a few minutes earlier. All were taken on a small Cascade with 9" on the gauge. Not bad for an hours fishing!

Bill's 2nd fish of the day. A sea liced Grilse about 6lbs.

Fish No.3 Another sea liced Grilse about 6lb.

Fish No.4 Like peas in a pod! Sea liced Grilse also around 6lb.

Sea lice on the back of the fish. Must be running hard at the moment.

 On Wednesday evening, Bill was at it again when he landed a cracking fresh run hen Salmon of around 11lbs. He caught it using a fly of his own fly called the Highland Park Shrimp. Good going considering the water has dropped back to around 6" since Sunday.

Bill's 11lb sea liced Salmon from yesterday. Perfect condition and covered in sea lice.

Pictures courtesy of Bill Cook.