Manar - River Don

I was back on the lovely Manar beat of the River Don with my good pal Charlie last Saturday. The water was sitting around 4.5" on the beat gauge and crystal clear. My set up for the day was my 13ft Hardy Uniqua, floating AFS Shooting head and a 6ft intermediate tip.

The cracking new hut at Manar on the River Don.

This was my first trip to Manar this season and it was good to be back there again. It has to be one of the best kept beats on the entire river and it would grace any of the famous river is Scotland in terms of upkeep. It was also good to see the new hut as I hadn't been down since October last year when the old hut was accidentally burnt down. Charlie and the Manar regulars have been very busy over the close season and have done a fantastic job with the new hut and area outside.

Fishing down the Chapel pool in the morning.

As Charlie and I were the only rods on the beat, we had the pick of the pools so decided to give the Chapel a go first of all before the sun was on it. We made our way down and fished through the pool but neither of us had a touch so we made our way back up river to have a go in the Sheep pool.

The Corner Pool.

I went round to have a run through the Corner Pool and Charlie followed me down fishing the Sunray Shadow. I had finished the pool and fished through the Sheep Pool too without a touch. There were plenty trout rising so I made my way back to the hut to get my trout rod. I had just arrived at the hut when I heard a shout from Charlie. His rod was bent into a lively fish! I ran up the bank to assist him with the net and after a very hard fought battle I slipped the net under a chrome bright springer of around 12lb.

Charlie fishing the Sheep Pool.

Charlie fighting hard with a fresh run River Don springer.

Safely in the net!

What we are all after. Charlie with his cracking 12lb River Don springer.

Horseshoe Haugh. Nothing doing in here but a nice cast regardless.

We decided to go for lunch after Charlie returned his fish and we sat in the new hut reflecting on whats was a pristine specimen of a Don salmon. It just goes to show, you don't have to spend a fortune fishing expensive beats on the Dee or Spey when you have fish this good right on your doorstep. It is great to see the Don picking up the odd fish in what has been a lean season for most rivers. There is just something special about a River Don springer and you can see why.
After lunch we decided to head upstream to fish the Horseshoe Haugh and then into the Long Pool. Charlie let me have first run through the Horseshoe but it proved fruitless so we made our way down to the Long Pool. The Long Pool is a nice bit of water but we could see nearly every stone in the pool. Despite this, Charlie thought there might just be a fish lying in the channel which runs down the far bank. By this time, I had changed fly and was now fishing the Sunray Shadow and Charlie let me have first run down again. I must have had about a dozen casts when there was an almighty swirl at my fly. A fish had followed it right across the river and hammered it just as I was about to lift my rod to recast. I felt the weight of the fish and lifted into it but no sooner was the fish on, it was off again! It took me completely by surprise and if I had been expecting a take so close to the bank I might have been able to set the hook better. Sadly though, it was another fish lost for me this Spring which brought the tally to 4 having lost fish on my last 3 outings on the Don previous to this one. I was really miffed and I fished the rest of the pool but couldn't temp another fish to have a go.

Yours truly fishing down the Long Pool shortly before losing a good fish further down the pool.

We decided to call it day around 6.30pm but it was great to see the Don producing the good again when very few rods would have been out in such low water conditions. The fish are running hard just now and if you're in the right place at the right time when they stop, there is a good chance of connecting with one. I'll be back at Manar again very soon and I will look forward to it. Hopefully next time there is a springer with my name on it waiting for me in one of the beat's pools.

Manar - River Don

The last Saturday of the salmon fishing season on the River Don at Manar is traditionally seen out with a BBQ at the hut. This year was no different and despite the lack of salmon running the river there was still a good number of us there to give it one last go before hanging up the gear for another year. As well as many of the Manar regulars, friends of mine, Bill Cook and Kenny Carr had taken day tickets to fish the beat. It was both their first time on Manar and they were very impressed with the set up and what the beat had to offer in terms of quality fly fishing.

The river was sitting at around 7" on the beat gauge when Charlie and I arrived just after 8am. The day started off with little wind and the river was flat calm, but just like someone had flicked a switch, the high winds which battered Scotland all week were back and this made casting very difficult at times. Regardless of the conditions, we all gave the beat a good going over before stopping around 3pm to enjoy the vast quantities of meat and alcohol back at the hut. The burgers, chops and sausages were expertly cooked by Fred and Charlie on the beat's BBQ. They went down well whilst sat in the hut enjoying a glass of Fred's delicious Damson Gin and mulling over what has been a dreadful season on, not only the Don, but a majority of rivers in the Northern Hemisphere.

Unfortunately, these are the last pictures you will see of the Manar fishing hut. There was an accidental fire which sadly took hold once we were all gone and burnt the hut to the ground along with many years worth of memories and photos. A lot of hard work went into maintaining the hut year on year and it was a welcome place to enjoy your lunch in front of the fire on a cold spring day or to enjoy a drink after flogging the river.Still, plans are in place for a replacement hut and will look forward to seeing it come Spring time.

Bill Cook concentrating hard whilst fishing the Ree Pot.

Bill Cook, Mike McBain and yours truly discussing the fishing over a beer.

A decent turn out for the BBQ which went down a treat as per usual.

Ian and Duncan having a beer round the table.

A quick picture before the light disappeared. L>R Mike, Ian, Duncan, Pam, Charlie and me.

A Salmon From The Don At Manar Today

I had a good day on the River Don at the Manar Fishings with my friend Charlie Robertson yesterday. The water levels were at a good height for the beat and were steady at 11" on the gauge. The water was carrying a peaty colour and the river temperature had dropped away nicely due to the rain and recent spate.

My successful set up for the day was my trusty 13ft Hardy Uniqua and a Rio AFS floating shooting head with a 6ft 2.6ips tip attached. My fly of choice to begin with was a 3/4" silver Ally Shrimp tied on a copper tube and for the slower pools I changed to a Cascade Franc N Snaelda.

As Charlie and I were the only rods fishing we had the pick of the beat so we decided to have a run through the Sheep pool before heading down river to fish the Upper Wood and Lower Wood Pools. Neither of us had any joy in either of these pools so we carried on down river to fish the Chapel Pool.

Charlie kindly allowed me to have first run through the Chapel and about half way down I had a thumping take. I lifted into a very lively fish which nailed my 3/4" Ally Shrimp and took off down river like a steam train. It almost had me into the backing when it decided to about turn and head up river. I managed to keep up with the fish as it swam up to just about opposite me. As it did this it began to thrash about on the surface before deciding it wanted to run again. It made a short, but ferocious burst down stream before turning around and heading upstream again. I stupidly said to Charlie that this fish must be well hooked because it was pulling so hard but seconds after I said it, the fish was off! Throwing the hook as it splashed about on the surface. It was a nice clean fish around 12lbs so I was a wee bit peeved, especially after getting it back under control after several long runs and jumps. However, that's fishing and Charlie urged me to carry on down the pool. I changed my fly over to a heavier Cascade Franc N Snaelda and I also changed from a double to a treble hook. I began working the fly through the pool and 10 minutes or so after losing the first fish my line was tearing off the reel once again! Again, it was a very lively fish which thrashed about the surface but he tired after a few minutes and I was able to draw him in to Charlie's waiting net. A very welocme coloured fish around the 7lb mark. Another run through the pool proved fruitless so we headed off for lunch.

After lunch we decided to give the top pools of the beat a go. We headed to the Horseshoe Haugh and then fished on through the House Pool and the Long Pool  taking in the Corner Pool and the neck of the Sheep pool again. Apart from a pull in the Long Pool neither of us hooked anything so we has a quick cup of tea in the hut and made our way down to the Lower Wood. Charlie changed over to one of his Sunrays and began to strip it through the pool. Not long after starting he moved a clean grilse at the tail of the pool but it didn't connect. That was to be the last action of the day and we headed of back to the hut for a well earned beer.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday.

The fishing hut area at Manar. Probably the best kept beat on the whole of the River Don.

Sheep Pool. The first pool of the day and a good holding pool.

Upper Wood Pool. A pool that has been good to me and probably my favourite on the beat..

Lower Wood Pool. Charlie moved a clean grilse at the tail using a Sunray Shadow.

Chapel Pool. Always holds fish and produces fish from the first day of the season to the last.

I landed this 7lb cock fish shortly after losing a cracking fresh fish around 12lb. Cascade Franc N Snaelda did the trick.

Horseshoe Haugh. Can be a good pool for picking up running fish. I landed a lovely Springer from this pool last May.

Looking upstream to the House Pool.

Long Pool. I had an offer in here on my 3rd cast but it didn't stick unfortunately.