[Tam Greenock]

Is it essential on The Don or can l get plenty of decent casting from the bank.                                                              l have to admit that lm a wee bit worried about getting out of my depth as l havent done any wading for over 30 years.
So, until l get used to wading,what would be the best beats for me to start off with.

Thanks
Tam

[Jim Eddie]

Tam

I'm sure Iain , Mike,Bri, Noel, Ben to name a few will be better able to give specific advice on the Don , however I would reccomend you get a good wading satff and wear a life jacket.

 

Jim

[Ben Dixon]

Hi Tam,

Totally depends upon where you are, the river changes character and bed substrate many times over its course.  Get a good pair of polarising sun glasses so you can see where you are putting your feet, if you can't see where you are about to put your feet, don't put them there!!  As for wading staffs, I like the Snowbee Telescopic staff.

Whether or not you need to wade depends upon the pool some of the water I fish is over 10' deep in places so fishing from the bank is the only option.  I do like to get within about 15 yards of a target fish and prefer to wade is possible.

Cheers

Ben

[Irvine Ross]

Tam

I often fish from the bank. As Ben says, many of the pools are very deep. I always wear waders even when I am bank fishing because you are often crawling on hand and knees through wet grass and it's the only way to keep dry. Sometimes you have to wade just to get space for your back cast but if you are already kitted up in waders it's no big deal.

Irvine

[Noel Kelly]

You could find it very frustrating confining yourself to the bank especially when you see a good fish rising that you cant cover.
I wade when I need to and try to get as close to the targeted fish as possible. Helps with accuracy, presentation and preventing drag. Wind is an almost ever present feature and with my crap casting if I only fished from the bank there would be a lot of days I wouldn't be able to fish at all.

I am a careful wader (most of the time ) and on the beat I mainly fish Kintore I can cover a lot of water wading no deeper than waist level.   
I don't use a wading stick, have tried and would like to but I find the bloody thing is always in the way and a tangle magnet for the flyline.
One of those fishing waistcoats with a built in lifejacket would be an excellent purchase, speaking of which I must get off my ass and buy one myself.
Beat wise I couldn't say which would be best from the bank, which beats are you thinking about? Is it the council beats?   
   
 

[Iain Goolager]

I think it's all been well said in previous posts and here's my version.

It depends where you are fishing and what method you're using.

IF for some reason you were confined to bank fishing only then there are more than enough fishable spots, if it's the same beats I think you're on about.
But you will have to pass some cracking bits of water where the ability to wade is paramount if you want to cover fish and from the right  correct angle.

 Unless it was a 'grab the rod for a stolen hour' type fishing I would feel severely hampered fishing the Don without chest waders (even when bits of the river are showing their ribs).

Caution, as has been said, is advised when wading as there are hidden hazzards everywhere - muddy/ silty bottoms, large boulders, loose shingle bottoms & steep drop offs are 4 such hazzards which I've had experience of. A lifejacket is a good bet although I don't wear one (but should).

I would strongly advise wearing waders.

Iain

[Richard Tong]

Tam,

Since you specifically ask which would be the best beats maybe to get your confidence back why not try Strathdon to get your confidence back,if you are prepared to travel? Especially on the upper part of this above Corgaff Bridge,a lot is fishable from the bank. Having said that, the wading is so easy,a lot of the time well below knee depth. Be prepared for plenty of walking but in the right conditions plenty of fish too! You can 'pull them up' much of the time even when they are not rising which you cannot say is a tactic that works lower down but it is great fun

Richard

[Tam Greenock]

Thanks folks, a lot of good advice 

[Sandy Nelson]

Tam

The other thing to remember is that there are often good fish close to the bank you are standing on
And by wading straight in you disturb and miss out on some great fishing opportunities

I got by for years with thigh waders only, around Inverurie and various upstream beats and have taken many good fish from the bank. Watching "Duncan" catch fish i couldn't reach as a youth with his chest waders on, always made me feel ill equipped. But having used Chesties for the last few years i have found only one or two occasions when they would have made a difference.
Learning to cast properly helped more than bigger waders.

My advice . Get a wading staff and a chest sling to push it behind you when fishing.
Use thigh waders to start with and you wont get out of your depth without getting wet first
Always take a mobile phone. An inflatable waistcoat is a good idea, but with thigh waders i wouldn't bother personally.
Don't wade unless you feel comfortable. And always fish the water near to you before entering the water

Have fun

Sandy

[Iain Goolager]

Right Sandy, I take all of your points and agree with most of them but I guess there's a couple of points here -
Firstly I wouldn't advise the purchase of thigh waders (nothing the matter with using them if they are already in your inventory) but breathable chesties are the way forward.
Now, wearing them does not mean that their existence is so that I can stand up to my 'thruppeny bits' in aqua, au contraire. 

Handy for sitting on a wet and muddy bank and watching the river
for fiording the river and fishing the other bank
for added security when returning to the bank after fishing a 'waded' run (lots of sections come to mind that increase in depth righ at the bank).
I also remember having to drop into the river to tail a Salmon (high Summer with the usual bankside vegetation and absolutely nowhere to beach it) water was up to my jewellery.

I could go on but I know you get my drift.

The post was 'to wade or not to wade' (for fishing purposes) so I agree with your sentiments on this .

don't take it personaly Sandy 

reg's Iain

[Matt Henderson]

I'm with Iain on this one too.  Even in winter chesties are a great idea to keep warm and dry. 

Also depends how tall you are ? If you're only wee then waste deep might only be very shallow eh Iain??

[Iain Goolager]

Also depends how tall you are ? If you're only wee then waste deep might only be very shallow eh Iain??

Matt, carefull or I'll take you to the European Court of Human Heights


 

Wee Iain

[Sandy Nelson]

don't take it personaly Sandy  

reg's Iain

not likely mate

my reasoning for the the thigh waders are , if you are not confident in the water
then it stops you inadvertently going beyond your waist by getting you wet.
The thought of this should stop you venturing to deep

I agree with the points you make   I was just offering Tam a less intimidating starting point and perhaps a slightly more pocket freindly way of trying something out, a pair of pvc thigh waders will be a fair bit less than a set of breathable chesties, to find your feet - so to speak

Sandy