Fishing The Fly Scotland Forum

Ben Dixon

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #465 on: 18/05/2012 at 01:08 »
:z4 :z4

I should have been more specific!  :X1 How soon/what month can we expect the bonanza?  :z12

Liam

The time is general knowledge Liam, the dates are a secret  :z4

When I think it's going down by me I'll drop you a PM.

Cheers

Ben

Rob Brownfield

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #466 on: 18/05/2012 at 08:21 »
Rob,
well done on your Trout from Castle Forbes, oops, sorry that's possibly too close to the bone    :z7 :z4

Thanks, but it was not Castle Forbes, but close..lol

As for your down stream dry, I thought we British only did upstream drys, leaving that down stream nonsense to the Americans, New Zealanders, Canadians, Spaniards, French...oh..hang on..I get it now...we are the ones in the wrong :) If truth be known, thats the only way I used to fish a small burn by my house as I could not get in down stream of the fish. I just wish I could fish it with the skill you have.

Rob Brownfield

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #467 on: 18/05/2012 at 08:28 »
My god it was a bloody horrible night last night. Started fishing at 5.30, packed up at 9.30. I saw one fish rise at about 8 and then as I was walking back to the car a very good fish rose close to the bank. All excited I changed from Czech nymph to dry fly, and sat and waited...and waited...and waited. It never came up again!

The only flies I saw was at about 8.30 and they were tiny olives. About a size 20!!

I thrashed the water to a foam and did not even get a touch. It was 5 degress when I got there, 2 when I left and it never stopped raining the whole time.

I how I hate fishing!!

Loxiafan

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #468 on: 18/05/2012 at 12:43 »
When do the big evening hatches tend to begin guys?  :z8

Not sure they are big Liam, but thankfully they occur after I finish work in the evening weekedays  :z18 Late May onwards....

Iain no, not being subtle - I am as subtle as a brick as they say !

Sitting here 'designing' and making a new leader for w/end. Have been using a Dibble Furled 5 ft but experimenting making my own mono tapered leaders. However, I didn't like all those water knots rattling about in the rod rings with the two pounder though, was fair crapping myself  :roll Having a bit of a rethink, may even needle knot on a Furled  :shock

What do you guys do/recommend ? Should a mono/copoly needle knot be whipped over just to make it a bit smoother....I have always used RM Braids up till now but reckon turnover/presentation is being compromised at times ? Having the option of changing leaders for diff tactics is not a prob, I can stick with one leader as I tend to fish dries/emergers. My tippet is usually 0.14 Stroft GTM (approx 5x ).

Lindsay

Loxiafan

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #469 on: 18/05/2012 at 12:50 »
Downstream dry, as I see it, is actually way more skillful ! You may only get one chance at a fish as when you lift off to recast you will invariably spook it. Other than this, the only other disadvantage is that you will be striking the fly out of the fishes mouth, so care needed ( and a slow or calibrated strike).

There is often a down stream wind on the Don and this tactic is absolutely valid. It is one of the reasons I am interested in the Leader to Hand thingy as J Lucas does fish down stream with this method when conditions dictate and preseumably the thinner mono causes way less disturbance when recasting = Advantage.

L

Matt Henderson

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #470 on: 18/05/2012 at 14:41 »
Ok so I've been embarrased on the camera front..news flash.... middleman now has my camera and is dropping it off on Saturday so we can now be nerdy photo geeks.

Happy now?

Iain XX

Much better now dear. 

Also you appear to have forgotten this spectacular photo I took of you...




cheers

matt

Irvine Ross

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #471 on: 19/05/2012 at 17:59 »
The upper river was in good fettle today. There was a hatch of mixed upwings going at 1pm and it lasted until at least 4:45. I wasn't wading so I could not get close enough to indentify the flies but there was the odd LDO amongst them which looked big by comparison. The water is tea coloured but visibility is very good.

I made contact with 3 fish in the first 15 minutes but contact only lasted about 2 seconds in each case. A wee while later a nice 2lb fish took a parachute Adams and came to the net and I took scale samples. A bit later a nice half pound fish came to the net also. After that the fish started to refuse anything I put in from of them. The were some small dark chironomids coming off with the upwings so maybe they had switched attention to them. All in all, a good afternoon. :z16

Irvine

Allan Liddle

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #472 on: 19/05/2012 at 18:52 »
There's some amazin hatches and falls of black gnats mixed in with the olives and the troots are lovin them.  Had to switch to a wee black emerger a couple of times recently despite there bein more uprights and ldo's about with instant positive results.  Generally smaller troots though with the trophies still fussy for the olives, but great sport.

Loxiafan

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #473 on: 21/05/2012 at 22:55 »
My (lack of) exploits recently were Kemnay yesterday (Sun) - not much happening, very little fly on the water and consequently not great for dries. Sat about most of the day waiting for things to kick off but unfortunately they never did. Loadsa Grannoms with many females egg laying - possibly the kiss of death that, as a sign at least ? Got a good tan.

Today, Kintore/Torryburn, and again very very few Olives where I was, just lots of little black sh*te and few Yellow Sallys. Got bored and did a bit of "glory" casting to wee fish on the opposite bank a) to see if I could reach them, b) could I maintain decent line management and c) could I convert any that were hooked. Failed only on the latter, perhaps unsurprisingly !

On the way back to the car late afternoon I did lose an absolute growler of a trout though, well big, possibly a PB for the Don for me  :cry Took a size 19 JT Olive and went mental. Eventually got the fish level with me midstream with some sidestrain (I was wading in quite fast deep water) after it had careered downstream and was just trying to 'gently' encourage it slightly upstream of me ready to net when "ping". Thought the leader had broke but thankfully hook still attached to leader and intact (size 19 103BL too !). For once, I didn't do anything wrong, just bad luck I guess ? Ar*e ! I know where he lives though. Topped up tan from yesterday, look like I've been on my hols....

Lindsay

Rob Brownfield

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #474 on: 23/05/2012 at 17:54 »
I have had quite a few on the dry these last few days, but frustratingly, I seem to lose a lot more than I land, and anything that was big enough to put a healthy bend in the rod, broke the leader!! Getting very annoyed about it. In 35 years of angling I have never had so much hassle from broken line!!! I use a lot of very light line for my roach fishing, down to 12oz breaking strain and size 24 hooks, so I think I am ok on knots, but everything I have tried recently has led to broken leaders, normally the hook knot. Not a happy bunny!!
 
Currently I am using (for the tippet) 3lb Drennen Sub Surface, 3.3lb Orvis Mirage, Wychwood 3 or 4lb Fine and dry.

As for the succesful flies, mainly olive F-flies in size 16-14 or olive paraduns in the same size.


Jazzaman1234

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #475 on: 23/05/2012 at 19:19 »
Hi

Was fishing the don around the Inverurie area today.Fishing was crap due to people and there dam dogs swimming
It was like union street in christmas eve. :z14

If they are going to let there dogs of the lead and go swimming in the river they should be paying a permit of some sort.  :cry

Regards

James

Allan Liddle

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #476 on: 23/05/2012 at 22:13 »
I have had quite a few on the dry these last few days, but frustratingly, I seem to lose a lot more than I land, and anything that was big enough to put a healthy bend in the rod, broke the leader!! Getting very annoyed about it. In 35 years of angling I have never had so much hassle from broken line!!! I use a lot of very light line for my roach fishing, down to 12oz breaking strain and size 24 hooks, so I think I am ok on knots, but everything I have tried recently has led to broken leaders, normally the hook knot. Not a happy bunny!!
 
Currently I am using (for the tippet) 3lb Drennen Sub Surface, 3.3lb Orvis Mirage, Wychwood 3 or 4lb Fine and dry.

As for the succesful flies, mainly olive F-flies in size 16-14 or olive paraduns in the same size.



What rod n line you using Rod?  I know it's an obvious question.
Try Maxima green 3lb.

Marc Fauvet

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #477 on: 24/05/2012 at 07:58 »
hi Rob,
where does it break (fly, connecting knots or in between) and how old is your material ?
even if it isn't that old it might have been damaged by sun or getting wet and drying on the spools (not thoroughly).

cheers,
marc

Rob Brownfield

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #478 on: 24/05/2012 at 09:36 »
What rod n line you using Rod?  I know it's an obvious question.
Try Maxima green 3lb.

Two...both Orvis Zero Gravities, 9.5 actions, one being a 5 weight, one a 4 weight.

I have to say the 4 weight has had less breakages so I had worked out that 5 weight might be a bit too beefy, BUT, I have not had this trouble before, playing fish hard at Mikes on the same gear. The 5 weight is my go to rod at Midmar for rainbows in the 3-5 pound mark and I put a proper bend in the rod. Its only this year I have had an issue.

Rob Brownfield

Re: River Don 2012
« Reply #479 on: 24/05/2012 at 09:41 »
hi Rob,
where does it break (fly, connecting knots or in between) and how old is your material ?
even if it isn't that old it might have been damaged by sun or getting wet and drying on the spools (not thoroughly).

cheers,
marc

I had a bit of an issue with knots at the dropper going, but I changed from a 3 turn water knot to a "seguar" knot that has stopped that completely :) Now it is at the hook.

The Orvis line has a 2013 use by date, the Drennen Sub Surface was bought 2 weeks ago and the Wychwood at the beginning of the year. All lines are kept in pockets in my waistcoat or in a bag so not exposed to light or wet.

The knots I use for the hook are a five turn grinner which I have used for 30+ years, on all sorts of lines. I have also tried a 3-5 turn blood knot, tucked and untucked, but they all seem to go far too easy. As I say, I have never had issues with these knots before.

 




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