Fishing The Fly Scotland Forum

Jay Scott

Re: Grayling
« Reply #30 on: 23/10/2009 at 21:49 »


Looks a nice fish... 3lb 4oz?  :wink



Iain Cameron

Re: Grayling
« Reply #31 on: 24/10/2009 at 11:20 »
Whats interesting Iain is that the fish looks pretty damn fresh.

You could catch fish from a puddle ;)

a puddle is about my maximum casting distance these days (i'm still sciatica-bound at home; even tried a fishing simulation on the iTouch, i'm that desperate!)

that grayling was pretty fresh, the cut in its belly was still clean and not ragged or decomposed. I would *love* it if there were grayling here, but until I actually see one caught alive, I'll remain sceptical. 

The lower don stretches are fished reasonably heavily, so if grayling were present, you might expect the odd one or two to appear (even though as someone pointed out the salmon/trout techniques probably aren't the most common grayling catching methods).

But also I've been talking with a few folks this year who have fished the upper stretches of the Don, and expressed their surprise at how little those stretches are fished (opinion, i don't know if that is the case for sure)  - so if grayling are only populating the upper reaches, they're less likely be appear.

I want to believe...  :-)


Irvine Ross

Re: Grayling
« Reply #32 on: 24/10/2009 at 12:21 »

But also I've been talking with a few folks this year who have fished the upper stretches of the Don, and expressed their surprise at how little those stretches are fished (opinion, i don't know if that is the case for sure)  - so if grayling are only populating the upper reaches, they're less likely be appear.

I want to believe...  :-)

Don't hold your breath. I've been fishing the upper stretches of the Don for 9 years now with dries, wets, spiders & nymphs. If there were grayling present, I would have made contact by now, and the local keepers would know about it if anyone else had. Anyway, if they were there, why should they confine themselves to the upper reaches.

My guess is your grayling came out of someone's deep freeze and was intended for the lunchtime barbeque.

Hope the sciatica gets better soon.

Irvine


Dave Gordon

Re: Grayling
« Reply #33 on: 24/10/2009 at 16:30 »
The Don Trust has done a substantial electrofishing survey of the catchment and sorry to say we have found no grayling. We found good numbers of stone Loach, lampreys and Gudgeon, which was a surprise. The very occasional pike and perch are taken from time to time, i guess washed down from some of the ponds in floods, however none were found during our surveys. A past survey, i think 5 years ago found a roach, but this was a single specimen and no others have ever been recorded. From time to time Rainbow trout are also found, again escapees from past floods, but that is it for the Don. Good news is brown trout numbers are excellent, with good numbers of salmon parr, and it was particularly interesting that clearly salmon spawn in good numbers in the rivers lower reaches.

D

Rob Brownfield

Re: Grayling
« Reply #34 on: 24/10/2009 at 21:36 »
Why was the Gudgeon a suprise? They have been reported many times from the Don right back until Victorian times when they where used as live bait for Trout and killed and mounted and spun for Salmon. (They are mentioned in the North East Scotland Local Biodiversity Action Plan)

What supprises me is that no Dace where found as I am not the only one to have seen them at Kemney. Ok, I saw them when I first moved up, perhaps about 85(ish) but I have seen reports about them more recently...infact, I think someone on here mentioned them.

Would be interested on where you think the Pike have been washed out of.

Mike Barrio

Re: Grayling
« Reply #35 on: 24/10/2009 at 21:55 »
The Don Trust has done a substantial electrofishing survey of the catchment

Crikey :shock The trust have been busy, I wouldn't have thought you would have had time for something as substantial as that yet Dave ................. :z4

Best wishes
Mike

Dave Gordon

Re: Grayling
« Reply #36 on: 24/10/2009 at 23:04 »
Yes Mike, I suppose widespread would have been a better choice of words! :z4 Surveys from Dyce to above Strathdon so far

We have surveyed around all the obstructions that we are easing on the catchment, and in a number of places in the main stem, both to see what is there and more importantly not there, above the obstructions. An example of this is the Goval Dam, where a good population of Salmon parr was found below the dam, but only one above, showing that adults have real problems leaping the dam. Excellent Brown Trout were found both above and below the dam, showing spawning happens above the dam, but it is incredibly unlikely that adults could jump the dam.

Rob, it was not a surprise that Gudgeon were present, it was the numbers found and the wide spread of speciments that was the surprise. I have never seen them in the river so this is why, to me it was surprising. I have seen stone loaches, and caught some whilst diving a pool as part of a survey. Again, found in surprisingly large numbers. However I guess that the majority of anglers would not know these species were present. No dace found to date, perhaps as we are searching spacific areas of the catchment as part of the FMP we are not searching good dace habitat.

As for the pike, i am no expert, do you have any ideas as the where they may come from? The only ones i have heard of were in the lower Don, so perhaps Lilly and Bishops lochs near Dyce? Jim kerr would know i am sure.
I cannot think of any other lochs linked to the Don that hold pike, does Corby have any? There is a wee pond near corby that is full of perch, and although i dont know if this one, or for that matter if Bishops or Lilly are linked to the river i would expect that they are.

D

Rob Brownfield

Re: Grayling
« Reply #37 on: 24/10/2009 at 23:17 »
That makes sense Dave :) Again, I have heard (but not seen) that shoals of gudgeon can be seen.

Although they feed on bloodworm etc I doubt anyone would be fishing hard on the bottom and so would not catch on the fly.

Maybe this is why the Don throws up big Brownies...perfect food.

As for the Pike, thats why I asked as I cannot think of anywhere above Dyce that has lochs with Pike nearby.

Certainly Corby "may" have contaned pike at one stage, but speaking with the chap that runs the water, he is adiment there are none in there now. Lily loch next to it is all but silted up and the next one (cant remember the name now) is goingt he same way although when I moved to be Bridge of Doom in the 90's I caught small Pike from there...but how they would get into the Don I do not know.

I think the Pike are actually spawning in the river. there have been some big females taken over the years. The largest I know of was a 23 pounder from The Cothal area. Killed unfortuantly. They must have been around for a good 50 years as I have heard of folk catching them as kids, especially around Inverurie (Left over from the canal maybe?)

Dave Gordon

Re: Grayling
« Reply #38 on: 24/10/2009 at 23:25 »
Pike could certainly spawn in the lower Don, there is actually some good habitat for them. But would there not be more caught if there was a viable population of them? They would certainly do no harm in the system, but i guess over the years all pike caught on a salmon spinner would have ended up on the bank.

Sandy Nelson

Re: Grayling
« Reply #39 on: 25/10/2009 at 01:03 »
I've caught pike and perch out of kemnay water, several times
always beleived them to be river fish. Have had pike from other parts of the catchment too
no reason to suspect them as washouts.over the years having spoken to many locals, the run off from the slaughter houses in inverurie used to run straight to the river. This is why they believe there are many reports of pike and big trout from Inverurie water in days gone by. It's an interesting theory anyway.

Never seen roach or grayling in 25 years of looking. But have seen and caught rainbows. Thinking about that I also remember catching a 7" pike on the fly once at fetternear. So my association with pike and perch is with the upper middle river.

I always used to wish it had grayling in it too. But something are just not meant to be :cry

sandy

Rob Brownfield

Re: Grayling
« Reply #40 on: 25/10/2009 at 09:46 »
Pike could certainly spawn in the lower Don, there is actually some good habitat for them. But would there not be more caught if there was a viable population of them? They would certainly do no harm in the system, but i guess over the years all pike caught on a salmon spinner would have ended up on the bank.

Dave,
I started my Pike career on the Rivers Lea, Thames and Chelmer and I would always look for deep, dark pools or slow sections. Then, 99 times out of a hundred I would trot a live roach or dace through the area, or ledger the same on a sunken paternoster rig. It was very rare to catch on a deadbait or indeed a lure of some kind. Although many people spin or use rapalas for salmon, I think they tend to stick to the more "lively" water, rather than deep down in very slow pools.

Just a thought.

I have also seen Pike in the Dee, but cant recall anyone saying they have caught one. As I am sure you have seen yourself, they are up at the Linn o Dee in the deep water there. How Pike survive in the dee is beyond me!

Dave Gordon

Re: Grayling
« Reply #41 on: 25/10/2009 at 11:16 »
The dee has plenty of salmon, I fished many years at the mouth of the Culter burn maryculter beat, and had a couple, but heard of more, up to low double figures. I have reasonable video of Pike in Lynn of Dee, but they are there one day and gone the next, so must be slipping down, as they would not jump the falls, i would have thought. I have only seen small ones, up to perhaps a pound in the Lynn.

I would be surprised if many of the deeper, slower and less attractive salmon pools will hold a pike or two, and there is at least one pool named after pike in they system.

D

Malcolm Copland

Re: Grayling
« Reply #42 on: 28/10/2009 at 10:25 »
There are loads of pike and perch on the lower, slower beats of both the Dee and Don. Blairs and Ardoe particularly on the Dee and Persley on the Don. When younger I regularly caught pike and large bags of perch on both.

cerbfan

Re: Grayling
« Reply #43 on: 28/10/2009 at 16:14 »
Am I allowed to have a crack at the Gudgeon and Perch with a float rod and maggot on the Don or is this a big no no??

Jim Eddie

Re: Grayling
« Reply #44 on: 28/10/2009 at 17:37 »
Am I allowed to have a crack at the Gudgeon and Perch with a float rod and maggot on the Don or is this a big no no??

No I do not belive this would be allowed.

 




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