River Don 2016

« **Reply #25 on:** 14/03/2016 at 11:34 »

Quote from: Rob on 14/03/2016 at 08:02

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....two fish lost!

One was a kelt, long and thin, that splashed on the surface for a bit with the typical thump thump fight, but the second fish may have been fresh. Fought differently, several long runs and when I got it on the surface, it looked nice and deep. Just as I was drawing it to me, the damn hook pinged out.

I lost a couple of fish last year on the same hooks, (Loop) so they have been binned and I am looking for a successor.

I have some Mustad classic double(size 4, 8, 10, 14). I'd like someone to give it a test. Please let me know if you want to have a go. Cheers.

Regards,

Mark

« **Reply #26 on:** 14/03/2016 at 13:55 »

Rob! It's not like you to start the season dropping a fish... unlucky

« **Reply #27 on:** 14/03/2016 at 14:56 »

Quote from: IainCameron on 14/03/2016 at 13:55

Rob! It's not like you to start the season dropping a fish... unlucky

That's 3 dropped so far!! Out again tomorrow on the way home from work...see if I cannot get one to stick!!

Out of interest, why is the Brown Trout Season for the ADAA waters different to the rest of the River Don?

« **Reply #28 on:** 14/03/2016 at 16:13 »

Quote from: Rob on 14/03/2016 at 14:56

Out of interest, why is the Brown Trout Season for the ADAA waters different to the rest of the River Don?

Since when? I thought all the Don beats started on the 1st of April

Sandy

« **Reply #29 on:** 14/03/2016 at 16:16 »

I've always wondered the same Rob?! I think it's because it keeps the trout bums out of the way of the salmon tofts

Liam

« **Reply #30 on:** 15/03/2016 at 07:39 »

Quote from: Sandy Nelson on 14/03/2016 at 16:13

Since when? I thought all the Don beats started on the 1st of April

Sandy

Nope, have a check on FishDon. There are people from this forum out today

« **Reply #31 on:** 15/03/2016 at 11:03 »

Kildrummy and Monymusk I think.......

« **Reply #32 on:** 15/03/2016 at 11:05 »

Sunset yesterday.

« **Reply #33 on:** 15/03/2016 at 11:12 »

Am confused.com Kemnay AC & on Council, is 1 April, & 15th on ADAA .

Am working anyway,

Have fun for those who venture out.

Col

« **Reply #34 on:** 15/03/2016 at 11:15 »

A dont mind waiting until April for the troots. Things could be worse when i was a school kid in 70s you could have as much as 20 kids worming for broonies am sure you can guess the rest

.

Inverurie trout fishing got so grim they stocked it. a think that was around 82.

« **Reply #35 on:** 15/03/2016 at 17:11 »

Yes,i would have been one of those kids in the 1970s who would gather above the old Don Bridge on Saturday morning to worm for troot.
There were certainly a few deep hooked fish but on the whole I don't think we did much damage to the fish or to the fish population.If you got one trout of around a pound you went home very happy.
I used to look forward to my Saturday fishing all week and found it a very exciting method of fishing for a kid.

I sometimes wonder if we could attract more youngsters to our sport if we were to allow worming for juniors only.Obviously using barbless hooks and striking immediately a troot takes.
I think we have to try something as there is no fresh blood coming into our sport.

Duncan

« **Reply #36 on:** 16/03/2016 at 06:50 »

Quote from: Rob on 15/03/2016 at 07:39

Nope, have a check on FishDon. There are people from this forum out today

Cheers, everyday's a schoolday. Might have to try one myself next week

So did any of the Forum members see any flies or fish?

Sandy

« **Reply #37 on:** 16/03/2016 at 07:44 »

Quote from: Duncan on 15/03/2016 at 17:11

I sometimes wonder if we could attract more youngsters to our sport if we were to allow worming for juniors only.Obviously using barbless hooks and striking immediately a troot takes.
I think we have to try something as there is no fresh blood coming into our sport.

I still say that if the ADAA opened a small coarse loch where kids could go and catch fish to their hearts content on whips and rods (a reasonable whip costs around £20) they would attract many more into the general sport. Once "hooked", there is a very good chance they would want to try for trout and salmon...but they will have already gained vital skills such as unhooking, fish handling and catch and release.

It would be cheap for the kids to get into, cheap for others to try, once stocked, cheap to maintain (no re stockings, weed not an issue and the banks don't have to be kept as clear as a trout fishery) and above all else, a place where the pastime can be enjoyed without rules and regulations that put kids off.

Portsoy angling club did this with Loch Soy and used to get 10-15 kids fishing it with the whips they supplied at the weekend. Unfortunately the loch was hit by vandals that broke the sluice gate, so a lot of fish were lost and then it was flooded 2 winters on the trot

« **Reply #38 on:** 28/03/2016 at 09:02 »

I was out for a few hours on an ADAA beat on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. No Salmon, but a couple of trout around the 1.5lb mark. Not much fun on 14 and 13 footers.

However, did see some upwings about and a few nice trout taking them. Also saw some fry in the margins, about an inch long. Not as much as last year, but nice to know they survived the floods.

« **Reply #39 on:** 28/03/2016 at 13:12 »

Quote from: Rob on 28/03/2016 at 09:02

However, did see some upwings about and a few nice trout taking them.

Roll on Friday

« **Reply #40 on:** 01/04/2016 at 18:10 »

Today was tough going in very poor conditions, I should have gone to my old hunting ground but decided against it!

I ended my day with 3, the biggest a little over a pound. One came to the nymph early doors and the others to a big Klink as I prospected with the Duo.

Hopefully tomorrows weather is kinder to me!

« **Reply #41 on:** 01/04/2016 at 20:57 »

Well done, good start considering the conditions.

« **Reply #42 on:** 02/04/2016 at 18:35 »

After the disappointment of yesterdays sneak out after an unexpected morning at work.
Where i saw a handful of flies and no real rising fish and only bothered to have a couple of play about casts to get the fly wet
Today was a different proposition.

Nice and warm, light breeze and the hatch started about 1pm, LDO's and March Browns. They continued to trickle off in small waves right through till about 4.

Sitting and watching was the way forward, spotting the rising fish brought me some great sport all afternoon

My first Don fish of the season on a size 14 DHE, a lovely acrobatic 19"er

Great way to start

, and closely followed by a few more 15"/16" fish, all targeted and only spotted after watching the water for a good few minutes to identify where they were.

Saw a few big ones too, but managed to miss most of them although i did keep picking up decent fish as i found them

The fly that seemed to be the favourite today.

So a beautiful afternoon to be on the river and really pleased to see not too many changes and a decent amount of flylife for early April. If you are out take the time to sit and watch and you will see a few fish feeding

Sandy

« **Reply #43 on:** 02/04/2016 at 18:51 »

Great stuff Sandy

All the recent posts and photos from everybody are just what we need to get enthusiastic about getting the waders wet

« **Reply #44 on:** 02/04/2016 at 19:36 »

Sandy those photos are even better on the full size monitor!!

The weather was kinder and the fishing was better today. I nymphed for a couple of hours in the morning and picked up a good number of fish doing so. Nothing big but still good sport early in the day. At around lunch time I took a wander up river and couldn't resist running my nymphs through what I know is good fish holding water. I was just prospecting into likely looking lies and plopped my nymphs to the side of a boulder. My line twitched, I lifted, everything went tight and then all hell broke loose! I eventually landed it about 100 yards downstream of where it was hooked, after deciding to run the rapids.

My biggest Brownie to date on the nymph:

Cuffed to bits I took a seat, changed spools and waited. A few flies began to appear around 1pm followed by a handful more....... Soon there was a good mixed hatch underway, LDOs and MBs came sailing downstream but not many were intercepted by fish.

I managed a few to the Emergers but nothing bigger than 14" or so.

Great start anyway, long may it continue!

« **Reply #45 on:** 03/04/2016 at 19:10 »

I ventured out again today. Conditions weren't great in the morning but things turned out okay in the end. My usual 1-2 hours of nymphing in the morning didn't produce that much, a few dropped 1lb Trout and a Sea Trout of 1.5lb.

Same as yesterday I sat and ate something, changed line and fly and waited for the trout to rise. 1pm was again when the first flurry appeared and the hatch trickled off until 4pm. Pretty isolated in places so it was worth wandering and keeping your eyes peeled. I picked away at some nice fish on a Deadly Emerger pattern (special thanks mate

) but kept on the move all the time.

My walking was rewarded when I came to a pool where several big noses were popping out taking the upwings as they drifted past. Most of the good fish were out of reach although I did have a 7-8lb salmon torpedo itself out the water at my emerger, I'm not sure if it went for the fly or was just coincidence.....

However there was one steady riser tight to my bank, on my hands and knees I crawled towards it and waited for him to show. He nailed the next two flies that past over him, paused and then took the next one. I covered him pitching the fly about 3 ft above his position, the drift was perfect - Gulp!!! I knew he was big but got a shock when he came out the water, holy s**t my knees were shaking and my heart was racing. After a good 10 min tussle I slid him into the net, let out a victory roar and had a few fist pumps!

A solid fish which I measured at around 23" although I have a couple of sources double checking that. Weight wise I have no idea but as you can see from the pictures it was chunky.

« **Reply #46 on:** 03/04/2016 at 19:16 »

Well done young man, thats a well won fish

Cracker

« **Reply #47 on:** 03/04/2016 at 19:21 »

Thanks Sandy

You pretty much put me onto it yesterday!

« **Reply #48 on:** 03/04/2016 at 19:59 »

Confirmed by 2 reliable sources at making 24" and being over 5lb!!

So thats a new PB for me!

« **Reply #49 on:** 03/04/2016 at 20:05 »

Cracker

The hours spent at the river bank are certainly paying off....well done, you deserve it