[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Filip, nice fish 

[Filip Adamcio]

 

Great stuff Filip, nice fish 

[Stevie Rennie]

Nice fish you’re catching Filip,

I only encountered the one small seatrout mid river for the short time I had home but on the same outing thought I’d connected with a 20lb salmon as I stealthily hid behind reeds casting square across and letting  my fly swing out of sight to the near bank.

On first retrieve the line went tight, a huge thump and the line started screaming off the reel. I had to emerge from the head height reeds to a beachy bank lower down to see what I was into and about 30 yards in the distance and now into my backing line observed a swan heading for norway with my fly firmly lodged in its flipper.

It thankfully stopped and headed back upstream towards me, so I frantically began recovering line only for it to start a second run downstream.

With no option other than to hold the remainder of recovered fly line tight and snap the leader, I held on as it stretched and parted at the fly.

The swan unamused then came ashore where I’m sure it removed the fly and after a few minutes thankfully returned to the river and recommenced feeding as if nothing had occurred, even coming directly to me where I got a good visual to satisfy me that it was now ok.
I recognised him from last season as he had a malformed wing and he often frequented the beats I do, so made my sincerest apologies to him and mortified with myself, headed for home.

[Sandy Nelson]

Having taken a Hiatus for a couple of weeks when the water temp went over 20 degrees, last weekends rain might not have increased the level by much, but it did drop the temp down below 18.
Some nice evenings to be out over the last few days



Early evening has very much been a spinner event with the BWOs in evidence in huge numbers



Some other olives and iron blues spinners around too, this male could be either as they are  all a similar colour



Once the light was gone, the fish turned to the sedges and emerging BWO duns and some good sport was had, especially on Friday



The bad news is, by Sunday the water temp was creeping back up at 19 and we have a warm week with little rain forecast. None of this is good for the fish, so it will be saltwater or sunbathing for me again

[Ivor Duffus]

I think the Don need to find funding like the Dee and start planting trees along the open stretches to cool the river.


I know nature Scotland have cash to give out for this. The Dee as usual in first for a handout. 

[Filip Adamcio]

 

I think the Don need to find funding like the Dee and start planting trees along the open stretches to cool the river.

I know nature Scotland have cash to give out for this. The Dee as usual in first for a handout.

[Ivor Duffus]

Bottom of Littlewood and Breda.

Drove past here a couple weeks back. The Trees 🌲 are gone 🤷🏻‍♂️

I guess a few come down during last year’s storm and they decided to chop the lot ☹️ . Or the people in the house wanted them down. Seems a shame when the river is in desperate need of more trees.

Strangely enough for such a great looking pool I never had a fish or even a pull on the fly fishing it  🤔.   





Ivor

[Stevie Rennie]

A real bonnie bit of the don there Ivor, shame it didn’t provide something.

I haven’t been up there for a good few years but always had some kind of interest for my efforts.

With the recent rain and cooler water temperatures I tackled a middle stretch in the evening and on arrival a few smaller fish were seen steadily rising to olives but thought it best to wait it out until later when something bigger might show.

I headed downstream and explored a while, then returned to my intended spot as dusk fell.

There wasn’t as much surface action,  so call me crazy but a change of leader and on went the damsel.
I began covering infront of a rock, along the side and behind. Was just about to head upstream but threw one last upstream cast and covered alongside the rock again and all hell broke loose on my £35 #6wt daiwa.
With the fading light, I thought I was into the brownie of my dreams but not in the least bit disappointed realising after the first run that it was a hefty salmon.

Several runs and a few jumps later and  it was safely in the net.



Handled gently, it recovered well in the cool water temperatures and swam off strong.





It humours me a bit that this cheap temporary rod and reel set up have seen some serious action but they’ve performed well and handled another fine sized fish admirably. I on the other hand was petrified the whole time.

[Duncan McRae]

Nice fish Stevie

Funnily enough,I use an old cheap Daiwa on the Ythan Estuary.
It's never let me down!

Duncan

[Ivor Duffus]

Cracking fish 👍

[Stevie Rennie]

A pal was out early yesterday after the recent rainfall and lifting of both water level & restrictions. He reported that the conditions looked great and his mentioning of strong tea coloured water was all I needed to hear to spend my busy day thinking about the river.

My thoughts of how it would be that evening finally got the better of me and I put off all other priorities and headed out for the last few hours.

The river was now perfectly tinged like I imagined and just as the light faded, I was fortunate enough to encounter, net, admire and release this spotted beauty.

[Mike Barrio]

Headed down to the river mid afternoon yesterday to test a couple of prototypes of the DT line that I have in development. Conditions were very bright and breezy, water has cooled down a bit, but the river is still running very low. Pleased with the line, coming along nicely, just a couple more tweaks and it should be good to go and we can start production 

My intention was just to test the lines for half an hour or so and then head home, but after a while, since the lines were performing well, I removed the bit of fluff that I had on the point of the DT2, tied on a dropper, and played with a Spider and wee Pheasant Tail Cruncher in the runs and pocket water ....... next thing I knew it was getting dark 

You get some interesting pics when you're keeping them wet in the net, loving the eye on this fish, it's a good clue as to which one of the flies it fancied.



The river fished well with these tactics until the light started to fade, I had around a dozen fish, nothing big, but great fun, as like many folk, I haven't fished it for a month or two.

It was good to see that all the fish were looking bonnie and healthy following this summer's conditions.



I scouted a couple of pools at last light for something bigger, but this was disappointing, I only saw a couple of one off rises, which despite waiting, didn't come up again.



A couple of boxes ticked ..... and very lucky to have a river like this on our doorstep 

[Stevie Rennie]

Cool pics Mike, here’s to a great last month 

[Duncan McRae]

Headed for the middle Don yesterday afternoon for the first time since the Spring.
After chasing seatrout all summer on the Ythan estuary i was looking forward to switching to  Salmon fishing, especially now that the water height is up a bit.
However,it was seatrout once again as i covered the first couple of pools.One was a hefty,heavily coloured cock fish.





I fished on for another couple of hours with nothing else doing and just as i was thinking of calling it a day i connected with a wee grilse.
I then took another three in quick succession and also lost a couple.
I'd obviously come across a big run of grilse.What a bit of luck 

The first of my four grilse.



Duncan

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Duncan