River Don 2025

Graham Nicol · 28/02/2025 at 08:15

Only just over 2 weeks before we can wet a line for the trout. In the meantime has anyone heard of any early salmon being caught?

Fred Hay · 01/03/2025 at 06:01

No fresh salmon that I've heard of - only a few kelts up and down the river

Mike Barrio · 15/03/2025 at 08:45

Brownie day

A frosty morning, but from a brief look at Facebook I can see that some of you are on the water already - enjoy

Sandy Nelson · 22/03/2025 at 09:14

Well despite being restricted to gentle walking only for a few weeks. I took a rod with me for Thursdays amble in the sunshine. It was a glass rod so it was only gentle casting

There was a nice wee hatch of LDOs around 1230 and then some MBs from 1330. I only spotted one regular riser.

The earliest I've had a fish on the dry (cdc spider ) so I'm up and running, which I didn't expect for a while yet

Eddie Sinclair · 22/03/2025 at 20:51

Nice one Sandy, I got one on the dry, a version of JT olive. I saw two risers and got one of them. Also good to be off the mark.

Mike Barrio · 22/03/2025 at 21:24

Great stuff Sandy/Eddie, cracking trout

Sandy Nelson · 03/04/2025 at 18:33

Bright conditions, summer level water and sporadic hatches at varying times of the day have made things a challenge over the last few days.
Managed my best one so far, today during a MB hatch. I saw just two rising fish in 3 hours on the river.
Worth the effort though

Colin Sunley · 05/04/2025 at 19:37

First outing today, killed my PB

Mike Barrio · 05/04/2025 at 19:53

Great stuff Colin, cracking fish

Michael Kearney · 06/04/2025 at 08:46

I've been fortunate to enjoy good fishing on the Don over the previous seven days. Because I target feeding fish most action has been between 12.30 and 14.30. In places where the river flows down a relatively steep gradient and over rocky substrate, March Brown duns emerge from fast and broken water in good numbers but only for short periods. Further downstream, where the gradient settles into a glide as the river flows over a settled bed, duns of LDOs are on the surface and drifting through the air.
On 20 April last season, Sandy posted that he caught a good fish on a spent spinner. This got me thinking. While spinners provide exciting early season fishing in Tasmania and New Zealand, I have not found references in books to anglers using imitations of spinners of either MBs or LDOs in the UK. Anyway, I tied some spinners on size 12 hooks with pheasant tail as an abdomen and a thorax of brown dubbing wound through with white hackle interspersed with a few turns of black hackle as a wing.
I recently purchased a copy of "Angling Letters of G.E.M. Skues" edited by C.F. Walker and came across this quote from the great man written on 24 March 1937 "You must have noticed how often trout will take the imitation of the spinner of the fly on the water in preference to an imitation of the fly" - although he didn't use the term dun, Skues must mean that imitations of spinners often outfish imitations of duns.
One day last week I was sitting on a bank below fast water on the look out for emerging MBs. Wagtails and chaffinches hawking in the air caught my attention, closer observation revealed large numbers of MB spinners on the wing; these are large and impressive creatures. As I tied on one of my size 12 reddish spinner imitations I saw a rise, quickly followed by another further upstream. Over the next hour I landed 6 fish, each trout taking my spinner with a confident rise.

Mike Barrio · 06/04/2025 at 09:00

Nice one Michael, really interesting thoughts

And another cracking Brownie!

Sandy Nelson · 06/04/2025 at 09:52

Nice observations Michael

On Thursday we sat on a bridge for a while watching the MB spinners dancing and carrying egg sacs. Regularly dipping the water. It was interesting as like you we saw the spinners during the same period as the hatch of duns and in the same water.
I've gotten to a point over the last 2 years where I fish more Spinners and cripples than emergers or duns.

Missing my camera, this not wading is challenging at times

Mike Barrio · 11/04/2025 at 21:28

I finally found a window from work, so it was first time on the water this season for me today

I thought things were going well when setting up, I hadn't forgotten anything for a change, but I later realised that I'd only picked up one fly box - the one that I used last year for stashing the flies that weren't working for me on the day

Interesting conditions, certainly a bit bright and warm for April, I found the river to be running at pretty much summer level and gin clear.

Despite the wrong flies, in the wrong sizes ..... I managed to net a few fish

Fooling the larger ones was not going to happen, I managed a few half hearted takes, but they laughed at my incompetence

All very enjoyable, I'll sleep well tonight

Sandy Nelson · 16/04/2025 at 14:49

Dull and cold today, went for a walk and spotted a few LDOs hatching. Some risers could be seen in the feed lanes.

Michael Kearney · 16/04/2025 at 16:42

I was out today. A few fish fed at the surface in response to a steady emergence of LDOs. The insects were welcomed by birdlife. This year on the Don I first saw Sand Martins on Tuesday 8 April. Today among a big mob of Martins I saw a pair of Swallows.

Sandy Nelson · 17/04/2025 at 07:57

The swallows appearance usually heralds the start of the Olive uprights

Duncan McRae · 18/04/2025 at 21:57

Managed to get down to the river for a couple of hours this afternoon.
A lovely day to be out and very enjoyable.

No trophy trout today but several decent sized hard fighters.
Had a couple of smolts but there didn't seem to be much of them on the go today.

Duncan

Mike Barrio · 18/04/2025 at 22:19

Great stuff Duncan.

What's the water like after the last few days of rain? I know it was light, but consistent drizzle can often be wetter than you think.

Duncan McRae · 18/04/2025 at 22:44

Water still low and clear Mike.
I don't think there was any rise in water which is surprising as there was some heavy rain in the Alford area.

Duncan

Mike Barrio · 18/04/2025 at 22:59

Thanks Duncan

What's your rod by the way? Looks interesting .....

Duncan McRae · 18/04/2025 at 23:21

It's a 10ft Sharpes Scottie cane rod that used to be my father's rod.
Fairly heavy outfit when combined with the Youngs beaudex.I could feel my arm starting to tire after a couple of hours!

Good fun though.

Sandy Nelson · 19/04/2025 at 11:23

Well done on getting some fish yesterday

The river lifted about 8cm on Thursday night but it stayed clear and cool and was dropping back quickly.
I think it put the fish off rising on Friday, but the easterly wind didn't help either. Plenty LDOs but I think we are in the transition phase from MBs to OUs when the trout often gorge on grannom pupa. Hopefully this coming weeks see the OUs appear

Matt Clark · 27/04/2025 at 17:14

Brilliant afternoon down at Inverurie, a cracking couple of hours between 12 and 2pm lots of cracking fish up to 2lb of with an Olive Jingler pattern I tie.

Duncan McRae · 02/05/2025 at 20:44

Managed a couple of hours on a favourite middle beat this afternoon.
Plenty of smolts rising to the fly but no sign of trout feeding.
Decided to fish a couple of wets down through the streamy water and ended up having a very productive session.

Great sport on the cane rod.Feels so much better when playing fish than my Graphite rods.
Even managed to get a tune from my old Beaudex reel with the biggest trout

Duncan

Mike Barrio · 03/05/2025 at 11:10

Nice one Duncan, sounds like a great afternoon