[Jim Eddie]

I had my first try at Grayling fishing on the Earn yesterday , no luck with the Grayling. The strech we fished ( poached ) honest guv the beat map on the permit was pish  , was absolutely hoaching with Salmon , Its a lot of years since I saw so many Salmon in a 500 yard stretch of river.
There were a lot of coloured fish (some right monsters to) but there were also a lot of bright silver fish  , it made up for the lack of success with the Grayling  . I'm sure we would have had great sport with a Willie Gunn or a Cascade but unfortunetly those are not allowed for Grayling fishing 

  

Jim

[Iain Goolager]

Hi Jim,

pity about the grayling.  Anyone in your party catch?
I'm hoping to try the Isla tomorrow (wee man is going to his grannies) but you know how it is when family are involved - by the time they've performed their routines with the usual 'lack of urgency' poor little Iains' fishing time diminishes & a days fishing turns into a triffling (is that how you spell it?) 2 hours.

Need to wet a line!

me

[Ben Dixon]

I caught more salmon when grayling fishing last year than I did all season when fishing for them!!

How were you fishing for the grayling and did you see any fish?


Cheers

Ben

[Jim Eddie]

We were trotting maggots , trouble is we stopped off on the way down from Aberdeen for the maggots and did not realise until we got to the river they were a bad batch all dead and rotting.
It was blowing a hooligan downsteam so not good conditions for bugging. This is the beat we were supposed to be on  : http://www.fishingnet.com/fishing_maps/dupplin.htm

Iain one of the best bits is supposed to be the confluence of the Dean and Isla.

 

Jim 

[Iain Goolager]

Jim,

I've a map of  the fishings with two hot spots marked on it and indeed the confiden....confledn.............meeting of the two is one of them.

cheers

Iain

[zeolite]

I have fished that "hot spot" a few times with no success whatsoever!
However last winter I couldn't get the river clear at all so I reckon the secret is to avoid the brown water. The confluence is quite heavily wooded on the banks.

[Sandy Nelson]

The confluence is pretty well wooded, but if you are fly fishing.
You can wade into the centre of the river upstream of the confluence and wade upstream in the isla and cast under the trees, lots of good fish here.
If you are using maggots then i would rate the Dean as a better bet, it suits trotting and holds a good head of fish, not so good for the fly though. You dont need to go to far up the dean either.

Would echo Iain feelings about coloured water though Have caught lots on the isla but only in clear water.

Sandy

[Iain Goolager]

Fished the Isla today - as I forecast it was a right muck aboot this morning so never got down to the river until 11:30. Unfortunately I didn't net anything but did hook 2 fish from the same pool downstream of the meetings with the Ericht, Grayling or Trout?

Spent a while trying to bug a few pools the Dean - or more to the point freeing my flies from the surrounding trees This is the first time I've seriously used the catapult cast and it does allow you to access those non-fly friendly areas.


I met a guy who knows the local well - he had 6 Grayling at the confluence Hot Spot trotting the maggot. He told me that the Grayling were making a comeback but the water was still high and slightly more coloured than usual. He also said that cormorants were a problem and that they were splitting up the shoals. Another 'trotter' had a Grayling at the junction.

Sandy I did enter the water upstream of the other anglers on the Isla so that I could at least lob a few bugs but I couldn't travel very far as I was 'up to my t**s' as it was. Yes both banks are tree lined.


The Isla down stream of the Ericht junction is more the size of the Don and more fly friendly but it was getting late before I fished there. Lots of Salmon showing, a good few fish showing too so for the last 1/2 hour I fished a Klink but the constant icing up of the line in the rings beat me.


A very good day out will be back for sure & another place for the future when the loon is old enough to hold a rod.

Ah well!

Iain

[Jim Eddie]

Well done Iain , good report 

 

Jim