Introduction from afar

[Bill Davidson]

Hello folks,
                         Just joined as a member, as I'm looking to plan a trip home to fish the fly on the River Don for trout. I lived in Aberdeen for many years and the Don was my second home when I could manage to get on the water. As I began in the 70's Inverurie was my place of choice, as I could get the train there. I fished the Don and the Urie and in my younger years was there every Saturday snow, rain, hail, shine, flood, you know just a normal day in Scotland.  However I have fished many beat on the Don but my memory fails me on the locations.

I live in a place called Ador near Valencia, Spain. Where I'm hoping some day to return back to Aberdeenshire. My last home there was the Old Mill of Durno,  I even had the rights to the Urie stretch that ran past the house, a fisherman's dream you may say.

I've been fishing rivers in Spain near the Pyrenees, the best one called the Rio Noguera Ribagonzana (7 hours drive).  However, my initial visits to the stretch at Alfarras were amazing. Then used my old tackle and caught some very large wild brownies, it's catch and return. However, I could only go once a year and as the years went by, it became very popular, with anglers who knew no etiquette eg. wading quickly through the stretch you were fishing. Now a few locals have become guides and access is reduced, as they guide the wealthier angler to definitely catch a large fish, then of course after that the fish are down for a few days. So I've not been back.

I have adapted to the Spanish Nymphing style, long (up to 12 ft ) rod, mostly thin multicoloured leader and perdigon nymphs. Hence my need for the correct tackle for the Don. I need to buy a fly rod, reel, line, etc. As my stuff is old Sharpe's 9 ft cane fly rod. etc.  However, I want to buy it in the UK and ask a friend of mine to store it (Brexit mean Spanish IVA at 21%)

My wife and I are looking at options as we are selling our house, now I'm over 65 no tax on the profit! Some things are good here! One of the options is to have a small place in Aberdeenshire and travel, as we need the heat now after 18 years abroad.

As I get older, I'm yearning to get back on the Don, the river of my youth. So I'm eager to try and fish there every year, whatever our decision will be.

Though  I'd imagine things (the water pathway, the beats themselves ) have changed quite a bit. So I'd be looking for advice on the best beats and I'd imagine the fly life is similar but the tying of the artificial massively upgraded, so any help would be appreciated.

I'm looking to come in say late April early May, I remember that for being a good time for larger fish on the drys.

Looking forward to chatting with fellow anglers with the same passion.

Take Care

Bill Davidson

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Bill, thanks for the introduction, and welcome to the forum 

Although the river sees changes each year, those changes are just the river evolving and I'm sure it will feel like an old friend when you visit.

Looking forward to your posts and maybe crossing paths at some stage in the future.

Cheers
Mike

[Michael Kearney]

Hello Bill, and welcome to the Forum.
I think you are going to enjoy your return to home waters. As Mike says, the river evolves; Enjoy the experience of recognising older features as you acquaint yourself with the new.
I am neither an expert nor local on the Don, but I do hold the river in very high esteem. It holds a good population of wild trout, and unlike many rivers, its waters are clean enough to support healthy insect populations. In late April and May you are likely to enjoy good fishing to rising fish. Sandy's post here on the Forum tell you all you need to know about the insect species, their nymphs, duns and spinners, and his advice on imitations that he uses certainly holds true for me.
As to tackle, your Spanish set-up and technique will catch you fish on the Don, so I'd fish that way when fish are not feeding at or near the surface. I'd also consider a shorter rod as this will increase accuracy when presenting dries, emergers and unweighted nymphs to individual fish. Different anglers enjoy different rods so I won't try and suggest a specific make or model. If you have not tried a modern fibreglass rod, they are certainly worth investigating. For me, fishing with glass makes for an enjoyable experience,  and the feel all the way down into the butt as a good fish runs and shakes its head is magic. Once you have chosen your rod, contact with Mike and ask for his advice on a matching line. Mike's lines are excellent . With cleaning and dressing  they continue to perform.
I'm planning to fish the Don in April and May 2025 and I look forward to meeting you on the river.

[Sandy Nelson]

Hi Bill

Welcome to the forum, over the years i have put a few things together on the main site to help folk with many of the questions you have.
You will find them here under river don fishing, if you haven't found them yet.
https://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/index.php?page=6

The river hasn't changed much in the 40 years I've been fishing it, except we seem to have a few more, better sized rising fish these days. Catch and release works.
I'm sure it will be like visiting an old friend where you slip back into a familiar relationship very quickly.
Michaels comments on tackle is pretty fair, the euro-nymph gear will do a grand job when there is little surface activity, but when you switch to the dry, whatever mid weight outfit suits you, will be the one to go for. Whether that's Carbon, Bamboo or Glass or a 3wt, 4wt or 5wt. I'd err towards the 4 or better still a nice 5wt as you will probably have some wind to deal with at times and there is a good chance of 20" plus sized fish, so you don't want to be under-gunned. perhaps a longer rod of 9ft if you are on the lower middle river is an advantage at times, but anything in 7ft6" to 9ft will work. It just depends what you are most comfortable casting.

April and May are the best months for getting the big girls off the surface so if you are in the area let us know and maybe we can cross paths 

Sandy

[Bill Davidson]

Hi Mike, Michael and Sandy, 

Thank you very much for your warm welcome, information and tips, it's truly appreciated. I'll check out your link after this Sandy.

I love dry fly fishing, it's my favourite method for trout. So I will be purchasing a 9 ft 5 wt rod, new reel to match, fly lines, cast line and imitations. As I need to upgrade, if I plan to do this longer term. Mike I realise you sell lines and that Sandy makes rods, so I'm be looking to link up with you both to build my new outfit, advise on a reel to match, cast line and artificials is welcome too, as I know technology will have advanced.

I'd also love to get my hands on a map of the Don with all the stretches named, so I can get an Air B&B close (physically) to middle/upper stretches I chose to fish, I've got the info for booking tickets from Sandy's brilliant link! I apologise for all the questions, however I think I may come over early May to avoid Easter and School Hols, as the flight prices are no longer cheap.

Thanks again for your support and hopefully you can point me in the right direction and I can make contact for the equipment side.

Thank you again,

Bill