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Photo by Stewart
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Last day on shift yesterday, lovely evening so I thought id take the new Steffen 804 I finished 24hrs previously, out for a spin.
What a little gem, nicely christened with one on a spent spinner
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Several more followed, then it was onto sedges as the light disappeared, small window, but lots of fun, gave the rod a good workout.
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So yet another seriously impressive Blank from Mr Gray. Still have a couple more to build up and try out....
and I'm busy boxing them up and filling the shelves
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The final taper design for the new U.K. made Smallstream line got some testing in the garden this morning, with my arsenal of glass
And I was a little earlier than expected home after todays Chores, so I nipped down the river with my favourite 4wt glass rod and did some proper R&D. All I can say is for small stream work up to 50 this line is just superb, presentation is delicate but the short head is punchy and controlled, roll casts really well and you can progress from just the tip of the line to the whole head , which will be really handy on those tight brushy wee burns. I was doing reach mends with a small RH hook to get a fly over a current to a rising fish, no problem, even got the drift
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
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Montana? New Zealand? Or the upper Don valley
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Caught a few fish too ..... bonus
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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!
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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
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The weeks Sepa chart is an interesting story
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Cold but fishable
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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
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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.
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However It does mean I have a rather lovely collection of agate guides for building this year.
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(I may have done the same with Wooden real seats
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https://thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com/2023/02/sandys-custom-fly-rods-sandys-ethos.html
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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.”
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Well done Stuart
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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
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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.
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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
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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...
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