River Don 2011

« **Reply #150 on:** 31/05/2011 at 10:39 »

Quote from: An Chuileog on 31/05/2011 at 10:22

Think we all know that kinda sick feeling when the line goes slack. I wasn't 2 disappointed, was good to make contact. Now I know where it lives so I will prob set up a semi permanent camp at that pool

Fair play Noel.... I know someone else who would do the same and I applaud your mutual dedication

Hope you get it next time

H

« **Reply #151 on:** 31/05/2011 at 23:56 »

Enjoyed a nice evening on the middle Don with plenty of sedge, spinner & midge (not Mary, Mungo & Midge

) activity

Fish seemed to switch from sedge to spinner and back to sedge as the evening progressed.

Lots of activity and I found a spot that was abundant with fish in the 1/2 - 1 3/4 lb bracket.

1st fish of the day (landed) was well received as it was a downstream cast as he rose consistently to sedge.

Quite a few more followed to stimulators, F-flies & paraduns and as many again were pricked or lost, the evening culminating in four impressive leaps from a fish in the 1 3/4 lb bracket then Slack City .

No fuss, great evening and 23:00 before packing up time so lots to look forward to.

Purchased a rubberised scoop net 'bag' for the McCleans hand net as I'm bored of the net getting caught up on the fishes lower jaw, fly falling through the net, etc plus the pan type shape lends itself to easier handling and release of the size of fish I typically catch (1/2 - 1 3/4 lb)

A fish admires the new Hydros Reel from Orvil

Iain

« **Reply #152 on:** 01/06/2011 at 07:19 »

Down the river again last night. It was busy, met 4 other anglers including Mr Windknot (any luck Mike) and Mr Goolager with his new net bag and reel that I didn't notice til now

Fished a good section of the beat and picked up a few small fish but of course I was always gonna end up at a certain pool where I had unfinished business with a certain trout.
There was some fish rising to an olive hatch and a few sedges also on the go but I just sat and waited to see if my friend would put in an appearance.
Well he did.. He started to rise at exactly the same spot as the previous night but this time he had company. There were 3 fish rising in a tight group. I picked out what looked like the best one and covered it. It took and I initially thought it wasn't the one as it felt like in the 2/3lb category. Then it put the Pressure on...rod bent double and stayed like that for more than 5 mins with forearm aching and no sign of this fish tiring. I was never in control of the situation and couldn't even take a second to get my line back on the reel. Then it made a sudden long dash for fast water and ping, leader snapped. Gutted doesn't cover it. Hate that it has a fly stuck in it and that I haven't ever seen it. Will be fitting a new tapered leader tonight to reduce the amount of weak points and hopefully I will get another chance...

« **Reply #153 on:** 01/06/2011 at 09:02 »

Quote from: Goolager on 31/05/2011 at 23:56

Enjoyed a nice evening on the middle Don with plenty of sedge, spinner & midge (not Mary, Mungo & Midge ) activity

Mary, Mungo & Midge Iain.........didn't know you were that old!!

« **Reply #154 on:** 01/06/2011 at 09:30 »

Bumber about the fish Noel

If your feeling depressed or he is starting to get you down i would be glad to help, Just point him out next time i see you and ill catch him for you, take a picture of the two of you together and ill even let you slip him back.

The one i was waiting on when i spoke to you never came up again

1st night on the river for two weeks so had a blast playing with the 8-12inchers for longer than i should have most took a small olive paradun. After playing with them went looking for a good fish found one around 2lb who rose in busts for an hour or so but couldnt get it to eat

. Gave up at 1130 still plenty fish rising at that time.

Michael

« **Reply #155 on:** 01/06/2011 at 10:24 »

Hi Michael,

seen your car but didn't see you (you obviously saw me

). Although there was a wee bit of wind now and again it was nice to be on the river of an evening with some decent fly life.

Peter, I'm older than you think (although the wooden tops would be more your era

)

Noel,

I brought my bino's last night and I know where your fish lives - size 10 Klink and 2X leader, he's mine tonight!

Iain

« **Reply #156 on:** 01/06/2011 at 10:41 »

Hard lukc Noel, as I was driving home from the golf last night (

work related and marginally better than an afternoon in the office) I was thinking I bet Noel and Irene are out thrashing the water tonight. And also wondering whether you had got the beast or not.

Quote from: Goolager on 31/05/2011 at 23:56

A fish admires the new Hydros Reel from Orvil

More new tackle Irene? When are you selling off some of your old stuff? I'm in a market for a gucci reel at knock down prices!

« **Reply #157 on:** 01/06/2011 at 17:31 »

Noel

Sounds like a pig of a Trout...I think we are all waiting to hear how heavy it is when /if you reattach yersel to it...third time lucky? Go for it!

Re: your hook straightening out, don't know what you're using but obviously don't use anything that says "lightweight" in the description for Don trout. We use Mustad R50's and have never had one straighten or break. Get them from John Norris or The Essential Fly. They are very strong without being too heavy.

Re: Leader breaking-sounds like it twanged on a straight run. If it's pinged at a knot then you'll be kicking yourself and if it's pinged on any other part it could be down to abrasion beforehand during the fight. We both lost Trout last year and Paul lost one the other day when we were out, through the teeth shearing the tippet (looks like a flattened end)-these big boys have fearsome gnashers on them and nowt you can do about that. Paul is currently considering/testing more abrasion resistant tippet material.

You put too much effort,thought and daydreaming about big Trout to be let down at the last minute so do yourself a favour and always check the knots. Good luck-looks like tomorrow night and Friday night will be belting nights out for evening rise.

BTW what Olives are you getting hatching at that time. We are seeing Olive Uprights and possibly Medium Olives (though we have not ID'd them-better things to do!). Last 2 nights when we have been in Scotland, the hatch has started at appx 9:15pm with activity ceasing appx 10-10:10pm

Richard

PS Glad you boys are getting into some big fish at last!

« **Reply #158 on:** 02/06/2011 at 02:05 »

Too late to write.

Out tonight, felt colder but action did come as darkness neared.

Few 1/2lb fish and a nice one about 1 1/2 lb

Tried the skalka hooks for the first time and impressed with the hooking and holding performance even though they felt 'possibly, flimsy' when at the vise.
here's a balloon caddis type thingy showing the hook profile

Three varieties of upwing on the go - Olive Upright I'd guess (from a distance and in poor light) for the largest, some medium sized spinner? dark body long tails (2 off) and the most prevalent were these;

He's clearly got 3 ringed tails but as he's slightly cripple I can't see the hind wings. One of two I think..........

bedtime.........ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Iain

« **Reply #159 on:** 02/06/2011 at 08:20 »

Quote from: Goolager on 01/06/2011 at 10:24

Peter, I'm older than you think (although the wooden tops would be more your era )

Woodentops? come on Rag, Tag & Bobtail for me

« **Reply #160 on:** 02/06/2011 at 10:22 »

Iain,

Three tails and light yellow colour;looks like a male Yellow Evening Dun. Excellent, well caught!

Richard

« **Reply #161 on:** 02/06/2011 at 12:15 »

Bandy net and and Jar on the list for next outing as it's difficult enough sometimes for an amateur escapologist to identify stuff let alone in twilight.
Also caught a large sedge - well I was actually stopping it from headbutting me when I inadvertantly caught it and I'm positive it had a distinctive orange section on its body

likened to the hot spot on a gammarus

Iain

« **Reply #162 on:** 02/06/2011 at 12:27 »

Quote from: Goolager on 02/06/2011 at 12:15

Bandy net and and Jar on the list for next outing as it's difficult enough sometimes for an amateur escapologist to identify stuff let alone in twilight.
Also caught a large sedge - well I was actually stopping it from headbutting me when I inadvertantly caught it and I'm positive it had a distinctive orange section on its body likened to the hot spot on a gammarus

Iain

Did you ever have a look at instructions for a killing jar?

Cheers

Ben

« **Reply #163 on:** 02/06/2011 at 12:41 »

I certainly did Ben

But I would prefer to put them into a container as they are caught (saves missing the rise) and do the Dr Evil stuff later. Knowing my luck I'd nod off mid cast, drop my nose into the jar, collapse and wake up at the mouth of the Dee.

Iain

« **Reply #164 on:** 02/06/2011 at 12:58 »

Out for a walk along the river bank at lunch time. Lot's of flies about and saw what looked like some nice trout rising.

« **Reply #165 on:** 02/06/2011 at 13:16 »

Iain,

Stick them straight into a killing jar and they'll be dead enough (quite quickly) to photograph when you get home.

Ben

« **Reply #166 on:** 03/06/2011 at 00:31 »

Just back from the river and sitting in the garden with a large dram. Warm enough in a t shirt at midnight which is great. Tonight was an entomologists wet dream. The air was alive with beasties and I was nearly submerged by the weight of caddis that were crawling about my person. My entomoligy is shite but there were spinners by the hundred 2 different types, at least 3 types of sedge from large to some about 3 mil long. At one stage the air was alive with millions of smuts? Moving downriver in an unhurried procession. But alas with all the activity on the wing there was not much actually on the water. Some sedges and a few spinners dropping their cargo. Loads of small fish moving but the big boys were not surface feeding. I did see some BIG movements but they were all one offs and I'm sure they were hitting smaller trout... At one stage there was a boil from what must be a double figure fish followed instantly by a 3 lbr leaping high out of the river 20 yards away. A minute later 50 yards down stream a half pounder leaped with a big boil behind him. Maybe tonigh was the night for a big streamer! Think it's time I rested this pool, that's 4 nights I have haunted it this week.

« **Reply #167 on:** 03/06/2011 at 07:35 »

Bit of an anti climax last night :z19

Stood around for ages while sedge, and Yellow Eve Duns (predominantely) milled about. Less than usual but still a few smaller fish showed but I waited patiently for Mr Big...............................then waited some more.
after a good 3/4 hour I threw the Yellow CDC Dun at a rise and a 1/2lb fish willingly accepted. Seen two larger fish that turned out to be one timers (can't spell oncers).
Feeling that the night was going to be fruitless I cast for another smaller fish, with a Stimulator, which turned out to be a spirited 1lb fish.

One highlight was standing watching a wave of easily 1,000,000 + micro caddis move slowly past, it's the most flies I've seen in the air at any one time. I did video it but for some reason the video didn't come out - I think it was because I don't know how to use my camera and tried to take a still mid video - the still did download but was of poor quality and looked more like splashed water on a dark surface. It was an awesome sight, the hatch not the junk photo.

wandered lonely as a cloud for a while looking for something, anything to aim at but it was not to be.

Materials for Killing Jar purchased and am going to try to get some decent photo's over the weekend.

Iain

« **Reply #168 on:** 03/06/2011 at 08:44 »

Aye it would have been good to be out on a warm night, tonight looks like a scorcher again

Thermals out for the week-end as its due to drop 10 deg C

Iain you must have had to take your socks and shoes off to count up to a million

Jim

« **Reply #169 on:** 03/06/2011 at 12:01 »

Quote

Iain you must have had to take your socks and shoes off to count up to a million

With my pongy feet, not on your Nelly/ Nellie?

Iain

« **Reply #170 on:** 03/06/2011 at 17:37 »

Could anyone give me a pointer to good flies in this weather? Have been out the past couple of days with little success, though the flies have been out in numbers.
Thanks

« **Reply #171 on:** 03/06/2011 at 18:49 »

Hi, I have seen you most evenings this week. I would suggest that you are going home 2 early. The better fish only come on the take at the moment just as its getting dark so from 10pm onwards. As for flies it depends on what the fish are taking but good general patterns that are working for me are cdc &elk and klinkhammers.
The fish you will see rising every evening above the bridge and a few other locations up the river are very difficult to fool. Most of them are very small as well!! I usually have a shot at them as I walk pass but 9 out of 10 will refuse my offerings. Out of interest do you take a few for your dinner or put them back?

« **Reply #172 on:** 03/06/2011 at 23:25 »

Blown off the Don tonight

getting little reward for a large bit of sweat. C'mon the Sea-Troot.

Young gun, were you out tonight? was that you in the white T-shirt? Do you usually wear a Red or Yellow Hoodie? The water is low and clear and there isn't much, if any, cover on a lot of the beat so with highish banks silhouette is also something to be considered.

Adding to Noels flies I'd say F-Flies (if you like CDC), any sedge pattern in anything from tiny to unfeasibly large (check what's flying about where you are) & any colour of paradun, from yellow to black. Also in failing light you could use bulky sedge wets (Invicta for example) fished down and across to showing fish or even try a muddler.

Stick at it young man, it'll come good.

Iain

« **Reply #173 on:** 04/06/2011 at 00:19 »

Just back in wind got up around 1045 and blew us off aswell

Managed what is probably a new PB for me for the beat so turned out to be a good night

, unfortunatly it wasnt noels moster but a fish around 1 3/4lb better than the usual 8-12inchers i usually get. He took a black klinkhammer at around 10:30 just before the wind really picked up.

Struggled to get alot of rises to drys fish were preoccupied with something just under the surface.

Michael

« **Reply #174 on:** 04/06/2011 at 00:45 »

Thanks for the help guys will be sure to add a few of each to my tiny fly selection. Really need to start tying my own. Yeah have been out most days this week usually in a yellow or red hoodie, tonight was out in t-shirt as it was baking hot. Would have liked to stay out later however mother was hassling me to get home. Only had a few tiddlers tonight, lost one of around 3/4lbs. But all safely returned to fight another day.
Thanks again