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I remember clearly the enjoyment of the first Gierach book that I read, it was like being on the river with your best buddy, I simply 'got it'.
I was fishing this one at Loch Insch the other day in size 16, it was the fly that tempted a few fish, but as usual I struggled to keep it floating
For the river, I favour Sandy's CDC Spiders and Sedge patterns.
Quite hard fishing, but managed to tempt a few on dries
I’m always impressed by how they look underwater, this one decided to have a rest before taking off.
A few photos from Sandy's River Don post today.
Click on 'Quote from: Sandy Nelson' to view the full post.
So I managed a lovely evening .....
Who is going this year?
Stoneflies everywhere today. All different kinds.
impressive insects, lots of shucks on the rocks
And on the reeds
Some different adults too, this one has me away to check my books to see what it is as its not the usual orange stripe one we see on the Don.
Definitely a member of the Perlidae family.
Pretty sure its the large pale stonefly Perla bipunctata
round 1 .
The clear water makes these things fun.
See the latest June edition of Fly Fishing & Fly Tying magazine.
Some fascinating stuff in there and it made me think - if we took modern technology and materials out of the equation, then not much has changed in the last 400 years.
Even then, in the mid 17th C, old Izaac and his mate Charles Cotton were using fly patterns known as the 'Dames Dozen' that were established almost 150 years before.
So, I'm looking for an 18' Hazel rod with a tapered whalebone tip and a spliced horsehair line.
The Large Dark Olive aka LDO
An ultra simple fly for reservoirs and stillwaters. Shipman's fish well as part of a team, cast out into a wave when buzzers are hatching off in open water ........
Click on the photo to view Magnus's step by step guide to tying the Shipman's Buzzer.
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A new fly line for the river - Barrio Troutstream - to be launched over the next couple of weeks.
The tee is still on the go; bit faded and decrepit; I can relate.
Taken on a Hebridean island loch, with a very distinctive shallow sand flat before it drops off. Bonus points for anyone who can name it!
Euan Innes, Hamish & I fished it once together, and Eddie Sinclair stood me up and didn’t fish with me the day I took this picture. I think he had whisky flu….
Get a drink - this is a long one.
This story starts with a phone call from a family friend named Gerald in early 2023. Gerald has been a good friend to our family and perhaps some of you who read this story will have a friend who is a bit like Gerald; someone you really enjoy catching up with and wish that you did so more often, but somehow seldom do. Gerald fits in this category, I really do enjoy speaking with him and I should have been in more regular contact with him for years.
Anyway, this true story is a bit about memories of days gone by, a bit about friends and family but is mostly about a wooden clinker-built fishing dinghy called Uncle Ray. Incidentally,...
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An enjoyable wander down the river for a few hours today
Nothing was rising, but this went on first for a bit of prospecting anyway - as it was well chewed from last year.
I gradually saw sense in the bright conditions and fished a couple of nymphs - not that they made any difference to the outcome
There are 300+ items in the catalogue, see https://www.auction.wildtrout.org/categories
Sprite S2100 barbless Buzzer with Semperfli 8/0 pale olive Classic Waxed thread and light olive Kapoc dubbing thorax.
Fish as an emerger, just under the water surface. Works well early season when March Browns and similar upwing flies are hatching mid-stream.
Click on the photo to view Magnus's step by step guide to tying the Hare's Ear Spider.
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The March to the River Don on the first Saturday of the Salmon season falls on the 17th this year, meeting up from 8.30am for teas/coffees at St Andrews Church Hall, Inverurie.
The March to the River will commence at 9.30am, with piper Paul Malley leading the procession to the Don Bridge. Glen Garioch Whisky Distillery are sponsoring the event, and the Paton Trophy will be presented to Stuart Mathewson of Alford for the first salmon caught on the river in 2023 .
Speakers will include Inverurie Angling Association President - Steve Corsar, Aberdeenshire Provost - Judy Whyte and Director of Don District Salmon Fishery Board - Lorraine Hawkins.
The March To The River Don also signals light at the end...
I'll be there on my little WAFT stall. Be nice to see you there.
I'll be showing some flies recommended for wafting tied by James and Hamish.
Quite a few of the raw silks have the tiniest hint of colour when finished. Fine on a coloured Blank but not on a proper clear glass. This one doesn’t