Fishing The Fly Scotland Forum

Dave Robb

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #165 on: 30/04/2017 at 10:16 »
Some stunning fish this season, love those fatties.

Scott Cumming

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #166 on: 01/05/2017 at 23:55 »
Was out for a couple of hours yesterday and the best part of today. The Don is clearing nicely and the water temp is on the up.

Caught several fish on the nymph both days...






but when the Uprights made an appearance it was time to do some proper fishing, and the trout took a real liking to my dry fly... :z16






Wee Aaron wanted in on the action and helped play, land and return several fish  :wink




and he can take a good photo too




Cheers
Scott C

Rob Brownfield

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #167 on: 02/05/2017 at 08:24 »
I always hate putting catches up as I got home last night pretty chuffed with the fish I got, only to see what others have been catching which make my fish look tiny! lol

Anyway, out last night, fished a favourite bit for 3 fish, all around the 1lb mark on PTNs so decided on a move as a pesky Salmon was making a bit of a commotion.

Moved to a very fast section that is pretty deep and passed by most. On went a silly weighted GRHE that is more like casting a stone! First cast I hit a 19" fish that shot of down stream at speed. Not sure why but it went mental with loads of jumps. Glad I had a "proper" net with me!

Another Salmon started to pop its head up and after the commotion of the previous fish I nipped back to the car for the switch rod and Sunray Shadow.

Cast square, down stream mend, strip strip BANG. Something nailed the sunray 5 feet from the far bank in a big spray of water. Whilst I hoped it was the salmon I had seen 20 minutes before, it turned out to be a 16" Brownie that gave a pretty good scrap on the Switch.

All the fish seemed to be turbocharged last night, fighting a lot harder than normal.



A size 10 facet tungsten bead with extra wraps of lead GRHE! Check the teeth!


And finally the sunray smasher.

Dave Robb

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #168 on: 02/05/2017 at 08:33 »
Some very nice fish.  I was out on the Don on Sunday and just couldn't get going at all with the wind really gusting.

Even went seeking shelter but it just wasn't happening.  I couldn't get in the groove, got fed up with it all and quit early.  Wind aside, it was a nice day and the water was looking  good.

Last night I left the river alone and went on to the Parkhill fishery. 

Hopefully get out tomorrow, need to get me one of these bigger beasts.

Kevin Bell

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #169 on: 03/05/2017 at 11:59 »
Just got to say lads the quality of these fish is somethin else,absolute stunners

Been a long time since Ive been on the Don,gonna have to organize a trip up the road  :z16

Liam Stephen

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #170 on: 04/05/2017 at 00:13 »
This solitary lump was the only fish to end up in my net today. It was a bloody belter though!  :z14

The upper river definitely has a proper trophy hunting feel to it. Thanks Ali for taking me along.





At only 22" it fairly pulled the scales. Huge across the shoulders and a big belly.



 :z18

Mike Barrio

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #171 on: 04/05/2017 at 08:13 »
Nice one Liam :z16

Rob Brownfield

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #172 on: 04/05/2017 at 08:33 »
Just got to say lads the quality of these fish is somethin else,absolute stunners

Been a long time since Ive been on the Don,gonna have to organize a trip up the road  :z16

Better hurry, we had a muppet on Facebook last night telling us to kill them all because they are eating all the salmon...

Sandy Nelson

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #173 on: 04/05/2017 at 08:46 »
we had a muppet on Facebook last night telling us to kill them all because they are eating all the salmon...

Still beggars belief, whenever I hear that :X1 :X1 the Salmon and Trout have lived in the river since the last ice age, with no issues, just the interference of man that buggers the Salmon and thats not even in the rivers!!
Not just the Salmon either, the drop in the eels has been dramatic in the last 30 years and I don't think the trout are eating many of them either.

I will resist getting on the soapbox of the Don being a Limestone based Trout river that happens to have a run of Salmon more akin to the Test and Avon rather than being a 'proper' Salmon river, which is why it is historically cheap to fish for Salmon but Famous for its Trout. :z16
 
ooops  :oops couldn't help myself :X1

Sandy

Liam Stephen

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #174 on: 04/05/2017 at 08:49 »
Thankfully the fish mongers are now a dying breed. Long live the big beautiful trout!

 :z18


Rob Brownfield

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #175 on: 04/05/2017 at 10:23 »
Don being a Limestone based Trout river that happens to have a run of Salmon more akin to the Test and Avon rather than being a 'proper' Salmon river,

Which is why it would make the perfect Barbel river ;)

The "chap" saying this last night is well known to me unfortunately.  He used to be on a certain Deveron club Committee a good few years ago and I have seen him chap small trout on the head and throw them up the bank. He was not the only one back then either!

I am glad to say he is well into his 70's now and I very much doubt he has fished for a good number of years.

James Laraway

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #176 on: 04/05/2017 at 16:57 »
never heard of the don being described as a limestone based river ?

Sandy Nelson

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #177 on: 04/05/2017 at 17:28 »
Hi James

I did my Final year Geography project on the Don, at school , During the project I covered many of the feeders and did an in depth analysis of the water, to find out why it is so prolific when much of the surrounding high ground is Acidic based. We found that there are areas of limestone high in the catchment which contribute a lot of the nutrients to the river, hence the fantastic Ranunculus beds and huge insect population and why it fishes really well in its upper reaches.

When they did the last Don Mangement plan in 2009 they also picked up on this along with Sandstone And Schist which add to the flavour.
"2.2 Geology and Hydrology
The bedrock of the Don catchment is dominated by quartz-based acidic rock types and to
a lesser extent localised areas of granite, both of which are weathering-resistant.
Consequently they introduce relatively low levels of nutrients into the river and offer
little buffering capacity against acidic rainfall.
Some localised areas of the catchment are naturally more nutrient-rich. Basic rock types
such as the gabbro and allied types underlying the Urie and around Strathdon are
important for introducing nutrients to the water, as are areas of Old Red Sandstone
around Kildrummy and the limestone and hornblende-schists upstream of Strathdon.
Typically much of the water chemistry for the Don is reasonably good by northern
Scottish upland standards."

So perhaps not the classic Spring fed Limestone rivers of the south, but very much a limestone infused alkaline chemistry in an area where it is uncommon.

 :z18

Sandy

Liam Stephen

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #178 on: 04/05/2017 at 17:35 »
That's why I fish with Sandy so often!  :z4

Everyday is a school day. Great post mate.

 :z18

James Laraway

Re: River Don 2017
« Reply #179 on: 04/05/2017 at 17:41 »
Hi James

I did my Final year Geography project on the Don, at school , During the project I covered many of the feeders and did an in depth analysis of the water, to find out why it is so prolific when much of the surrounding high ground is Acidic based. We found that there are areas of limestone high in the catchment which contribute a lot of the nutrients to the river, hence the fantastic Ranunculus beds and huge insect population and why it fishes really well in its upper reaches.

When they did the last Don Mangement plan in 2009 they also picked up on this along with Sandstone And Schist which add to the flavour.
"2.2 Geology and Hydrology
The bedrock of the Don catchment is dominated by quartz-based acidic rock types and to
a lesser extent localised areas of granite, both of which are weathering-resistant.
Consequently they introduce relatively low levels of nutrients into the river and offer
little buffering capacity against acidic rainfall.
Some localised areas of the catchment are naturally more nutrient-rich. Basic rock types
such as the gabbro and allied types underlying the Urie and around Strathdon are
important for introducing nutrients to the water, as are areas of Old Red Sandstone
around Kildrummy and the limestone and hornblende-schists upstream of Strathdon.
Typically much of the water chemistry for the Don is reasonably good by northern
Scottish upland standards."

So perhaps not the classic Spring fed Limestone rivers of the south, but very much a limestone infused alkaline chemistry in an area where it is uncommon.

 :z18

Sandy

being a geologist by background  i hate to say it but i understand most of that !!! Not sure that some patches of LMST in the upper river justify the description of the don as a 'limestone based river though ?

 




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