Currently viewing ……….. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE RIVER DON
CONTENTS
HOME PAGE
FORUMS & NEWS
TACKLE SHOP
BARRIO TACKLE
BARRIO FLY LINES
BARRIO FLY ROD
BARRIO FLY REEL
THE LOCHS
INTRODUCTION
HADDO FISHERY
DELGATIE CASTLE
MILL OF ELRICK
PITFOUR LAKE
MIDMAR FISHERY
ARTLOCH FISHERY
LOCHTER FISHERY
RAEMOIR FISHERY
LOCH INSCH
GLEN TANAR LOCH
BRAESIDE FISHERY
MOSSAT FISHERY
RIVER DON
INTRODUCTION
FISHING BEATS
TROUT TACTICS
TROUT FLIES
WHERE TO STAY
OPENING MARCH
FISH HATCHERY
CASTLE FORBES
MONYMUSK
COLQUHONNIE
GLENKINDIE
ARDHUNCART
TACKLE & PERMITS
PLUS
"HADDO TV"
FISHING LINKS
FLY FISHING BOOKS
CONTACT
MIKE BARRIO
The River Don is well known for being a good salmon river, it also has a very good reputation for sea trout, but the reason why most anglers visit the Don is to fish for the wild brown trout.
The Don has some excellent fly water with plenty of fast flowing streamy runs and rocky pools.
You will also find some lovely glides and slow deep holding pools where the trout rise freely in the evening to abundant fly life.
You will hopefully catch plenty of brown trout from six to twelve inches long and a few larger ones from around one to three pounds.
There are some huge specimens in the River Don, but these are not easily caught.
April and May are the best months for finding the larger trout, but June and July can still be very good early in the morning and in to the evening.
Use your favourite flies with confidence, all the popular ones will produce fish in the right conditions. There are no special secrets to success.
With such a variety of water you can try dries, wets, spiders and nymphs. A small black fly will usually produce a fish or two and most anglers on the Don swear by the Greenwells Glory!
The upper reaches of the river can produce superb brown trout sport in April and May, after which they become more tricky and local anglers will often concentrate their efforts on the middle reaches in June and July.
The brown trout season opens on April 1st and closes on September 30th. Please note that there is a brown trout protection order in place on the River Don, which means that Sunday fishing is not allowed.
Salmon fishing is usually good from around mid March, with sea trout starting to appear in April and then the grilse in May. Runs of grilse, salmon and sea trout continuing throughout the season depending on water levels.
The heavier Autumn salmon usually arrive in mid September and October. The salmon season on the River Don opens on February 11th and closes on October 31st.
For sea trout fishing on the Don, there is nothing like a Silver Stoat's Tail and a Black Pennell in my opinion. For salmon, I would try a Munro's Killer, Willie Gunn, Ally's Shrimp and perhaps in coloured water, a Yellow Tosh.
You will find lots more fishing information covering beats, flies, tactics and photos in the "River Don" section of this website, so please have a quick look round.
