[Mike Barrio]

Hi Scott,
Welcome to the forum

That is a cracking trout!

Best wishes
Mike

[Iain Goolager]

Hi Scott,
  1st time I've actually seen the picture

 Nice one, hopefully see you out n'about.

Iain

[Iain Goolager]

Lindzer,

you're taking this much too seriously  ............stop faffin' about and get a JT olive wet (or should it be a PP fly now that you are are a trophy hunter).

Iain

[Mike Barrio]

Lindzer,

you're taking this much too seriously  ............stop faffin' about and get a JT olive wet (or should it be a PP fly now that you are are a trophy hunter).

Iain

Agreed     

[Ben Dixon]

Welcome to the forum Scott, nice fish  (Please don't mention waders  )

This is a big fish I got in 2009 being released, not the best pic but only on I have at work


No red spots on this chap from memory, will check another pic when I get home.

Cheers

Ben

[danbruce]

Managed out on the Don today between 2pm and 4pm, steady stream of March browns and LDO's during the 2 hours i was there. The trout weren't showing much interest in the duns so i decided to sit and watch for a while. I chatted to one of the guys fishing for Salmon (with out a net  ) who said the there werent any decent trout there and the only rising fish were small. I said that you never know and even what looks like small rises are worth covering. Was then told to "stop trying to teach yer granny to suck eggs" which was wierd, always nice to bump into someone when your fishing though.  

Any way determined to get off the mark i spotted a small rise mid river and just on the limit of my casting distance, after a few goes  with a DHE i swapped to a CDC Dun, first cast out and a nice nice sized trout took my offering confidently. Unfortunately when i hooked up, the fish bolted straight for me and i couldn't take up the slack line....fish off, bugger!

I decided to move up stream slightly and sit for a while, i noticed a few trout moving to something just sub surface, giving themselves my causing areas of the water to buldge. Off went the CDC Dun and on went a Waterhen Bloa. Casting from just below the sighted fish i covered it twice but no joy, third time lucky and fish on, it made a dive for the river bed and after a few seconds out popped the hook, bugger!

2 Decent fish (for me anyway) dropped, a little disappointing but at least i am getting myself in the right places and presenting the flies well enough. Maybe get another crack at them over the weekend if the weather holds.

 
Dan

[Noel Kelly]

Dan think I may have been tackling up as you arrived? Handsome chap oozing charisma but possibly slightly dodgy stripy wooly hat  sound familiar 
Well my times are similar, there were lots of olives and a salmon fisher with no net.
My results are similar as well. Seen 3 risers hooked 2 landed 1. That one was bout the lb one I lost was closer to 2. The risers I seen were all in a pod other than that walked to the top of the beat but seen nowt. A great afternoon, how good is it to be back walking the banks and targeting rising brownies looking forward to tomorrow and a walk along an old favourite beat 

[danbruce]

Dan think I may have been tackling up as you arrived? Handsome chap oozing charisma but possibly slightly dodgy stripy wooly hat   sound familiar  

Sorry Noel if i had known it was you i would have stopped for a chat, will know for next time. Glad you got some action and landed one.

[Loxiafan]

Well done on your PB, a cracking Don Brown Trout. I've looked through my big trout pics and there isn't a red spot on any. I never bother taking photos of sea trout kelts wish I did now - might help educate you know who!

  Aye, might start doing that too ! Thanks for the comments, a fish of a lifetime for me but "an also ran" for you ! Actually, I should have probably measured it rather than weigh - will use the photo as a reference against rod and reel position.

Dan, well done on the hook ups - you've gotta be in it too win it !

Iain, aye JT Olive is temporarily 'relegated' but only cos the types of rises were indicative of fish taking something just subsurface.

Cheers,

Linz

[Noel Kelly]

Sorry Noel if i had known it was you i would have stopped for a chat, will know for next time. Glad you got some action and landed one.

That's ok dan you didn't get much chance! It wasn't a race or anything obviously but if you'd tried to get up the river before me I may just have rugby tackled you as you passed not sure what the adaa rule book says bout that! 

[danbruce]

if you'd tried to get up the river before me I may just have rugby tackled you as you passed

 

[Loxiafan]

Was then told to "stop trying to teach yer granny to suck eggs" which was wierd, always nice to bump into someone when your fishing though.  

The same guys were telling me that when I caught the biggie (and lost a decent one). If I'd taken the advice on the rises I'd have caught feck all.

Tell him to F off and buy a net - how does he intend to safely land a fish (he has to return) on steep banks  If he tails it chances are it will knack the vertebrae. Should be a rule, period, but all bravado I guess ?  I've generally got little time for these guys

L

[Scott Cumming]

Very little fly life on the don this afternoon, managed a couple on the dry, best at 20" similar colouration to Lindsays cracker yesterday

Scott

[Loxiafan]

Nice Brown Trout Scott and in decent condition too !  

Noel, well done, off to a flyer hopefully  

Anyone else out ? Iain, did you manage to skive off at 12 to try your top secret adapter dry, sooper dooper improved curvature industrial strength emerger hooks    

I feel like I missed a good day today but fishing was red carded, plus the 3 valiums I took last night hadn't worn off !

Lindsay

[Noel Kelly]

Hmmm can't see any red spots. Another sea trout kelt then cracking fish scott well done!

[Iain Goolager]

Didn't get away at 12 Lindzer  11:59, shout for equipment 
 
was on the water - further upstream than you guys - for 2:15 when the 1st upwing appeared, these trickled for 15 min's (I was watch checking) then reduced in trickleage for the next 30 min's before finishing in a poor finale.

I never saw one fish rise, not a one. I chose two pools which had sections of likely water in between and never saw one rise. What an anti climax. I even had my bamboo with me.

1st afternoon on the Don and not a rising fish in sight, to add insult to injury I threw on a nymph in disgust and across and downed the blaggard and hooked a fish that although not huge would have been most welcome on the dry. I was so annoyed that I slid him back and packed up (well ok - had a lip on but also an eagle eye on the water in hope as I stormed back to the car).

There were no MB's and I wasn't close enough to be certain of the model of upright.

Don't think I'll be out tomorrow which is grating and I have decided that this season is going to be a dry fly and camera year, nothing subsurface - it bores me! (spiders to showing fish are excluded from that)

Well done to you guys out today 


Noel & Dan - get a room!

Iain

[Loxiafan]

Didn't get away at 12 Lindzer  11:59, shout for equipment 
 
Don't think I'll be out tomorrow which is grating and I have decided that this season is going to be a dry fly and camera year, nothing subsurface - it bores me! (spiders to showing fish are excluded from that)

I have spent at total of 4 hours nymphing on the Don without so much as  a knock, and at times I have almost looked like I know what I am doing    I even did an hour and a half with the French Leader on the Helios yesterday (difficult !) and was all looking good, could see how it could be effective but just no action. In contrast, most fish I have seen rising that I have cast too I have at least hooked. Says it all really. Spiders to showing fish is fair game though, maybe even more difficult (in take detection).

I will be oot, don't know where. Off to tie some "Don proof" DHE's ! 

Lindsay

[Iain Goolager]

Good Luck tomorrow 

[Eddie Sinclair]

Linds,
congratulations on your cracking troot, i just saw the thread tonight after a blank day on the Dee chasing the silver vermin. The limestone lochs in Durness must be full of sea trout kelts because I have been catching fish up there for years and none of them ever had a red spot.

Do not let nonsense like the comment that you saw put a damper on the fish of a lifetime.

Well done again.

Eddie

[Loxiafan]

Thanks Ed !

I have cancelled Monday mornings therapy session !

Yep, must have been a lot os Sea Trout in Loch Leven ( and the river) when I were a lad 

L

[Loxiafan]

There are some hooks that I wouldn't use when there is a possibility, however remote, of a decent wildie and the 2200 is included. I do like the Tiemco 212Y and it hasn't let me down with fish to the 3 lb mark (rainbows) but would I'd have to be uber giddy to intentionally target a large river brown with a fly tied on one.

Just some more thoughts on this - the 212Y, though looking stronger, this opened way more easily than the 2200BL. I have used the Varivas 2200BL-B's and had Browns and Sea Trout to 3 lb as well so that seems to be the magic figure. So in the 'real' world it would normally be safe to fish them.

That said, I now wonder if my 'dropped' fish are these fine hooks opening when the fish is hooked but re-setting so they look ok on losing the fish ? The bigger more powerful fish just opened them and this was obvious.

On re-visiting the B100's I like them - hook point slightly offset can't be bad. Will be using these bad boys incase a 6 pounder comes along ! 

L

[Sandy Nelson]

Scott

Thats a bonny fish Scott, nice one in cracking condition as well, loving the blue cheeks. Welcome to the forum by the way
This casting at a small pod or solitary feeders seems to be the way at the moment. Doesn't leave much room for error
Don't you just love a challenge.

Sandy

PS. well done Noel, i guess i'm falling behind now roll on Monday

[Loxiafan]

One of the things PP asked me was if I measured the fish. I didn't but am now wishing I had given it not being at fighting weight !

However, I did take pics with rod and reel as scale. The first female join in my rod is pretty much bang on 25.5 inches to the edge of the Hydros II :




Here is the bad boy again for reference:




His nose isn't quite up to the reel but flat edge of tail is past the rod join. Not sure what part of tail you measure to ( tip in Marine Lab  ) so would appreciate what you guys that do measure think. I know it cant be dead accurate I make him around 25"" and at least 24"" ?

Tape measure in my bag today !

Cheers,

Lindsay

[Iain Goolager]

Lindzer,

Will you get yerself out fishing!!

[Sandy Nelson]

I'd give you 25" nose to centre of tail (if not a little bit more) that would keep in well with my own PB which was 24" nose to centre of tail but in better condition with a bit more girth being a June fish. Both are the same weight.

Now all you have to do is catch him again in August

Sandy