Hi Rolf
Velkomen til alle gruppe, (I think ???) I wasn't sure whether i was qualified to reply to this one, as despite all the best laid plans, i failed to get near the Don this season.
Between house hunting/moving/decorating and work i've had little chance to wet a line at all, except whilst on holiday elsewhere.
However Irvine is pretty much on the money, from what i could gather this year was a lot like last year and the best hatches started in May.
I found this a bit surprising as the weather in April was great so should have had the river jumping. I always find the Don responds best when a hatch is on and you can get at the fish with the dry fly or spiders, but yes the session doesn't last very long usually 1 or 2 bursts of 10-20mins at lunch time, although if you spend the afternoon prospecting in likely looking spots with a dry then you will catch fish.
Personally I tend to find a spot and sit and wait for the hatch to start, then its dries (greenwells or natural cdc spiders) The rest of the afternoon i'll prospect with either the same dry flies or I'll put on a hares ear spider or nymph on the point and a greenwells type wet or spider on the dropper and fish runs, riffles and features.Sometimes if you cover the water 4 or 5 times the fish comes up on the next drift.
Must confess i tend to fish upstream or across, very rarely downstream. This goes for April/May ,mind the rest of the year would be different. I Always carry a Grey partridge and Peacock tied slim and sparse when near the Don in a size 12-16 its possibly the best allround fly, all year, for me anyway.
The other thing worth trying is a Lure, something like a silver stoat/butcher (size eight), it can often produce some really cracking trout when there is little hatching, work the margins and edges of riffles.
You got me daydreaming now though
Sandy