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Went over to Skye for a few days this week 
Cold and windy - certainly blew away a few cobwebs 
This place at Talisker make a great coffee 
The martins have been back for a week or two but now the swallows are here, so the OU can start to hatch
Montana? New Zealand? Or the upper Don valley
Caught a few fish too ..... bonus
This afternoon I watched a Stonefly begin its emergence from its nymph. I spent 3 hours watching it and then had to go home.
I had no idea it took so long for them to break out of the body. I did get a few step by step photos up to the point where I had to go home. would have been nice to see the whole thing, but 3 hours was enough even for my patience 
Looked like they were rising to March Browns and Large Dark Olives, but I really struggled to tempt them on dries.
I went back to some old favourites - and then it was a totally different ball game!
I've had the New Barrio GT125 out in both 5wt and 4wt forms over the last couple of days.
Orange has always been my favourite colour for a line and this orange is just perfect, easy to see but low profile.
The new hydrophobic coating that the UK made line has, makes this the best floating line I've used, its incredibly easy to mend and floats pretty high so its easy to track the tip.
I've used it with dries and with an indicator and tungsten nymph and it turned over both equally well, although I would usually be using this as my dryfly line because the aerial stability is superb and the control is just fantastic. Needless to say, I'm smitten 
The weeks Sepa chart is an interesting story
Cold but fishable
But current weather conditions don't really invite me to come out of hibernation just yet - I imagine the Don will be rising a fair bit today
This year's auction catalogue is now live and bidding starts at 9am on March 17th.
https://auction.wildtrout.org/categories
Great to see so many friends donating lots of awesome items again this year!
Grab yourself a Barrio Pocket Fly Box in lots 83 and 84 and check out Sandy's superb McFarland 7ft 6in glass 3wt dry fly rod in lot 96, which comes with a Barrio DT3F fly line.
... 
However It does mean I have a rather lovely collection of agate guides for building this year.
(I may have done the same with Wooden real seats
)https://thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com/2023/02/sandys-custom-fly-rods-sandys-ethos.html
https://freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/pond-clinic/identifying-creatures-pond/freshwater-pearl-mussel/
“it is with pride and pleasure I can report that our first springer was taken from our Haughton beat yesterday. An 18lb fish was successfully hooked and landed by Stuart Mathewson then safely returned to the river.”
Well done Stuart
Out for a cast with Steven, blowing away the cobwebs
Great company and banter, working our way through a few boxes of feathers and fluff, the Soldier Palmer was a clear winner on the day 
Needed snipe wings and a new golden plover. Can’t get the plover any time soon. So I got a whole snipe. The back feathers aren’t that different so I shall be experimenting.
A most enjoyable March to the River Don opening ceremony today ..... and some impressive first casts of the season from Provost Judy Whyte!
Great to catch up with so many friends 
The River Don Salmon season opens on February 11th and the March To The River Don to celebrate the river takes place on the first Saturday of the season, so the two actually coincide this year.
The event is open to all who would like to attend and Inverurie Angling Association hopes that a good number of anglers, guests and public will be there to enjoy the event.
As usual, everybody will gather at the Kintore Arms Hotel in Inverurie from 8.45 onwards for tea/coffee/biscuits, and then the March To The River will commence at 9.30am.
The event will follow the traditional format, with Piper Paul Malley leading the march down to the river bank below the Don Bridge, IAA President Steve Corsar will say...
Sandy and Pete Tyjas sit down and chat about fly rods, Sandy's guide to the 'Natural Flies Of The River Don' and 'Sandy's River Fly Box'.
A discussion that expands on the content in the guides, with lots of useful tips to pick up along the way.
I really enjoy these podcasts, nice and relaxed, just like a blether in the hut.
Listen to the Fly Culture Podcast here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/402997/11952253-sandy-nelson-rods-fly-boxes-and-mayflies
Natural Flies Of The River Don:
https://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/river-don-natural-flies.html
Sandy's River Fly Box:
https://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/sandys-river-fly-box.html...
The fly tying fair for RSAA coming up soon on Saturday 21st Jan, with doors open at 10.00am until 4.00pm.
Another cracking local tying show with some cracking tyers on display without the need to drive for hours and book overnight stays by heading way down to Stafford in February.
Make a day of it, drop in past and have the craic.
... Each skein will usually contain 15+ lines along its length.
Some more great step by steps recently added by Magnus and Robert
Black Pennell: https://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=9802.0
Faber USD Dun: https://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=9804.0
Hackle Stacker Emerger: https://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=9806.0
Sooty Olive Waterhen Bumble: https://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=9811.0
A quick walk along beat 7 on Christmas Day. Sadly a huge pile of Grade A spawning gravel has been washed onto the bank. Some from the huge flooding a few years back and added to with the latest flooding.
What a waste 
A couple of great step by steps recently added by Magnus
Red Tag Dry: https://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=9792.0
Cove PTN: https://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=9793.0
I have just finished another new page for the website, written by Sandy
'Natural Flies Of The River Don' is proving a really useful resource, and there is now a second stage to enjoy
You can read it here https://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/sandys-river-fly-box.html
... 
