River Don 2023

« **Reply #25 on:** 29/04/2023 at 12:39 »

( This is a back up post - originally posted by Michael Kearney )

I've fished different beats over the previous three days, all featured emergences of Olive Uprights with trout rising to feed. My tie of Sandy's CDC spider on a size 14 hook was good enough. The river and its inhabitants are in great condition.

« **Reply #26 on:** 30/04/2023 at 09:47 »

Nice one Michael, fingers crossed for some settled weather this week

« **Reply #27 on:** 30/04/2023 at 14:23 »

Nice fish Michael, great to see a few of you out and about.

The last couple of weeks have been varied between the bright sunshine

Which makes for great underwater shots in our lovely clear water

So plenty LDOs coming from from lunchtime with the March browns kicking in a touch later meant even with the bright sky there were still some great fish to found feeding off the top

My fishing buddy found a couple too

And the week was a blast, then last weekend. It went back to snow and hail and negative o-night temps. This dropped the water temp from 11 back down to 7 in the space of a couple of days and the fish started to sulk.
Still one or two rising to the March browns as the water cleared nicely, even though it stayed cold

Mid week last week I saw the first swallows over the river, the martins have been back a couple of weeks but these were swallows and not 30mins later did the Olive uprights start to appear

This extended the small rise from a handful of fish right up until 5pm. The last couple of days has seen a rise and fall in the river again but we have a nice relatively warm week ahead so fingers crossed I can find a fish like this , which was the best from a couple of weeks ago caught by a good friend on the dry

« **Reply #28 on:** 01/05/2023 at 13:56 »

Fantastic stuff guys and interesting to see MBs still around.

« **Reply #29 on:** 01/05/2023 at 13:57 »

Quote from: Allan Liddle on 01/05/2023 at 13:56

Fantastic stuff guys and interesting to see MBs still around.

I guess the weather is currently more March than May

« **Reply #30 on:** 01/05/2023 at 14:53 »

oooooooft - some nice trout there

« **Reply #31 on:** 02/05/2023 at 21:59 »

A cracking afternoon upriver with Sandy and Simon today

« **Reply #32 on:** 08/05/2023 at 17:43 »

Ive been out a few times over the past few days, the weather has not been pleasant, but it was good for the fishing

Some great hatches of olive uprights, times seem to vary and sometimes they were in bursts and sometimes in sustained hatches

some good fish looking upwards

Lots of wandering around to find some fish, but if you found one there was often 3 or 4 together

Included one of the prettiest fish i've ever seen and it was a chunky monkey too

Another week of holiday left to go and find a few more, so hopefully the rain doesn't spoil things too much

« **Reply #33 on:** 08/05/2023 at 17:45 »

Magic Sandy,

Saturday I'll be out and about, can't wait.

Steven

« **Reply #34 on:** 08/05/2023 at 19:10 »

Great stuff Sandy, nice pics

« **Reply #35 on:** 08/05/2023 at 21:23 »

Was out on Don today cracking few hours on the dry's. No pics but fish to 3lbs. Worth getting wet!

« **Reply #36 on:** 14/05/2023 at 17:31 »

Been varied conditions this week, Tuesday afternoon I got totally soaked and watched this guy from under a tree for a while

The rising water, washed out the upper river on Wednesday but Thursday afternoon I found some fish happily picking off olives

Friday saw a variety of flies with some Brook duns in the mix along with hawthorns and grannom

Different fish seemed to be after different flies
So a bit of careful watching was required

A lot of them were quite close in but Friday was a good afternoon

Today I found lots of grannom clustered together on the vegetation, interesting as I’ve. Not noticed this before

When the rain stopped they took to the air in a biblical mass, not a fish to be seen other than a few wee ones taking the uprights.
Lots of spinners about too including the Brook duns which are very impressive insects

« **Reply #37 on:** 14/05/2023 at 18:38 »

Great fly pics Sandy

« **Reply #38 on:** 17/05/2023 at 20:45 »

A lovely day on the Don today. The water is noticeably warmer and at a good level. As I’ve seen for a week now, thousands of adult Grannom drifted upstream and downstream from 10am. The rising trout were more interested in Olive Uprights, although they ignored my size 14 CDC Spider. I switched to a Jeremy Lucas Plumetip in a size 16 and, when that was refused, a size 18. That worked.

« **Reply #39 on:** 17/05/2023 at 21:58 »

Nice one Michael, all part of the daily jigsaw puzzle

« **Reply #40 on:** 21/05/2023 at 23:21 »

Hello,

Funny day today where I was ......... cold North wind

........... still managed a good few bonny fish, fishing Clyde Style, 'Yellow of the Mavis'.

It surely has to be better days soon!

Steven

« **Reply #41 on:** 22/05/2023 at 14:44 »

'Yellow of the Mavis' ...... I like it

« **Reply #42 on:** 24/05/2023 at 19:25 »

Nice stuff, good to see a few folk out and about.
I've stuck to daytime hatches with plenty to choose from ,Uprights still appearing and their spinners are dancing too

Been some good sport if you take the time to watch and figure it out, even on the brighter days.

hawthorns, grannom, other brown sedges,

Small dark olives and even a few iron blues make for getting the fly choice right a bit tricky.
I've found fish in different parts of the same pool picking off different bugs

I've not been down for an evening mooch around yet, but I will be giving that a go next week. im expecting to start to see yellow mays very soon too.
Getting warmer already, which is never great, even though the water looks really beautiful just now with the trees in full leaf

« **Reply #43 on:** 25/05/2023 at 09:19 »

Nice pic of the upright Sandy

« **Reply #44 on:** 25/05/2023 at 13:41 »

Some lovely fish above. On the subject of Uprights, I fished the Tweed last night for my first evening session. There were few duns hatching but the air was thick with spinners and before long so was the water. I found the usually reliable polywing spent spinners completely ineffective. I had noticed that a lot of the spinners coming down were not truly spent, with wing(s) still upright so dug around and the closest I could find was a Greenwells Glory tied with a reddish furnace hackle and cdc wing. That sat much higher, was easy to see and worked a treat for the brief spell the rise continued. It was reminder not to dismiss the traditional fully hackled flies we used to rely on in a spinner fall . A few pheasant tails and greyhen and rusties need to be tied!

« **Reply #45 on:** 25/05/2023 at 14:22 »

Makes perfect sense John

This photo captures the underside of the upright spinner that I had and it just screams Greenwells with a reddish hackle

even down to the gold rib.

« **Reply #46 on:** 27/05/2023 at 21:13 »

It has been my good fortune to spend most of the previous five weeks on the river. The mid and upper Don offer engaging fishing in glorious country. Being on the Don in springtime is special. I hope to return next April.
I want to thank all who participate in this forum for generously sharing their insights and experience; visiting anglers can get a head start by paying attention.

I’m grateful to Mike, Hamish and Sandy for making the effort to ensure that FTFS thrives.
I’ll be in Tasmania in September and October, and South Island, NZ in November and December. If these places are in your plans, get in touch, I’ll do all I can to help.

« **Reply #47 on:** 28/05/2023 at 07:35 »

It was nice to meet up with you on the water, Michael.
Have safe trips back around the globe and we shall see you again for next seasons prime time on Don.

Sandy

« **Reply #48 on:** 28/05/2023 at 09:57 »

Great stuff Michael, I'm really pleased that you enjoyed your time on the river

Best wishes
Mike

« **Reply #49 on:** 29/05/2023 at 12:42 »

Quote from: Sandy Nelson on 25/05/2023 at 14:22

Makes perfect sense John

This photo captures the underside of the upright spinner that I had and it just screams Greenwells with a reddish hackle even down to the gold rib.

That's a great photo which demonstrates perfectly Sandy.

Hopefully these will fit the bill