River Don 2013

« **Reply #200 on:** 13/04/2013 at 17:05 »

First salmon on a Dry!

Interesting day on the river today. Caught up with Rob in the morning, a few casts, no fishes.

Took a wander in the increasingly windy (and cold) condtions looking for some rising fish, having abandoned earlier attempts at nymphing.

Drinking coffee, I spotted a wee fish rising. Put a DHE more or less in his view, and his big brother nailed it sweet as you like:

Lovely trout, 18 inches (about 2lb?) - first trout of the season! hurrah!

This was the wee guy I thought I'd been aiming at - it's so much easier when you think it is a little chap. I got him eventually!

Back to the coffee, and despite the wind, a lot of beasties floating downstream. MId water, in a bit of a wavy chop, a big fish , I mean BIG! was heading and tailing for the LDOs or MBs or whatever the heck they were. Was rising quite steadily, and clearly taking beasties off the top.

Ok, so had to have a go at him. First couple of tries put him down; stopped, waited, he came again... DHE in his lane... sweet as a nut he nailed it and went deep. Very heavy, very silver, very shiny brown trou... oh bugger, I've hooked a big salmon on the dry (trout tippet, 4lb.... gulp.)

Was of course geared up for trouting, with 5wt helios and 4lb tippet. Somewhat nervously I had to hang for a long time, it just kept sounding, crossing the stream, and finally sulking a rod's length away. Couldn't bully it, and had to jump in baw deep to try scoop it into trout net... Got it eventually, with some jubilation! DHE firmly in lower jaw. It had rolled a bit and had tippet round its maxiliary, so I thought I'd snip the flee before photos... blooming fish rolled, kicked, stuck the DHE in my finger and escaped.... doh!!! Oh well, no pics...
apart from this bloody pic

oh, and a few scales left over in the net.

Size? probably 30" or so (just shorter than my arm) so probably what, 8lb or so?

Kelt or Springer? Well, I had a kelt on April 1st. Today's fish was solid, shiny, purple hued, and had that nice thick body shape; so I'm going for a fresh fish. I had it in my hand and it was solid.

Great fun on a 5wt - and not too often I'm going to sight fish, target, hook and land a salmon on a dry!

« **Reply #201 on:** 13/04/2013 at 17:14 »

Well done Iain, good trout and especially the Salmon on a DHE ! Paul Procter caught two salmon kkkk-kelts (sorry have trouble saying it now) on a DHE yesterday or the day before. I suppose you have some scales you can give to Jamie.

Well, well, well, so Salmon do feed in freshwater

Salmon on the dry fly indeed !

L

« **Reply #202 on:** 13/04/2013 at 17:18 »

Well done iain

Sounds like a fresh fish to me, Kelts don't usually shed their scales very easily, and those look like they came off very easily if they were in the net

Who needs a DH rod all you need is a DHE fly

Sandy

« **Reply #203 on:** 13/04/2013 at 17:36 »

Well done Iain getting the big fella to the bank. I had a kelt take a dry fly a few years back. I didn't get a close look as it sawed through the tippet in quick time but it was early on in the season and well above Alford so I guess it must have been a kelt.

Irvine

« **Reply #204 on:** 13/04/2013 at 18:49 »

That's some day Iain

« **Reply #205 on:** 13/04/2013 at 19:02 »

Well done Iain, I've had quite a few kelts on the dry but never a fresh fish.

I arrived on the Don at 12:15 and was welcomed with a steady trickle of LDO’s but no sign of any trout. Around 1:30 I noticed a nice trout 30ft upstream and only a foot or so out from my bank. I waded into position and waited, it soon came up again, quickly covering the trout it took my dry with confidence - fish on! After a decent fight he was on the bank, my biggest of the season so far at 24” a bit lean but to be expected. I fished until 4pm catching another 2 around the lb mark and a nice trout at 19”

24'' Brown caught on the dry.

A nice plump 19''er safely returned.

Cheers
Scott

« **Reply #206 on:** 13/04/2013 at 19:26 »

Excellent stuff guys

Iain,
as I was reading through your post I thought that due to the scales coming off in the net then I'd place my money on it being a fresh fish (I see Sandy beat me to that one).
Well done on the other trout too.

Nice fish as usual Scott, I do like the girth on the 'smaller' fish, quality.

Well us boys upriver were wondering what was happening elsewhere. On the beat I was on things looked promising as at 13:20 there was a mini hatch of olives and MB's which brought up a fish.....just the one mind, but the DHE winkled him out.

Not too much longer after that the weather changed and only a sparse trickle of upwings were seen now and again. No more fish were sighted

All you big fish hunters look away now......

Still, that's the first fish to the dry so at least we're off.

Iain

« **Reply #207 on:** 13/04/2013 at 19:51 »

Awesome fish Scott you're consistency in finding these large fish is very impressive

Lovely pic Iain, my new camera was here when I got home it seems pretty good.

I was out today very near where Iain goo was fishing. Got there for 1 and a march brown landed on my hand as I was pulling on my waders. A trickle of mb's when I reached the water which had increased to a thick hatch by time I reached the first pool. Seen 2 trout rising as I approached, covered the better one which took, jumped and off.. Bout a lb so not a disaster. The wind was increasing by the minute and quickly got so blowy that if there were 100 fish rising I wouldn't have been able to see them or my fly in the wind whipped water. Searched for a sheltered area but didn't really find one. Met up with Iain and we had a good bitching session bout shite aberdeen weather conditions and the beats we probably should have tried today.

Tomorrow's mission find some sheltered spots cause its forecast to blow harder than today.

« **Reply #208 on:** 13/04/2013 at 19:56 »

Quote from: An Chuileog on 13/04/2013 at 19:51

Awesome fish Scott your consistency in finding these large fish is very impressive

Seconded

I need more practice to get my Trout eyes back

Sandy

« **Reply #209 on:** 13/04/2013 at 20:02 »

Some cracking fish being caught guys. Can't wait to get back from offshore and maybe enjoy some days on the river.

« **Reply #210 on:** 13/04/2013 at 21:26 »

Great stuff guys

Cheers
Mike

« **Reply #211 on:** 14/04/2013 at 08:42 »

Great stuff guys, good to see something happening at last. Won't be long before the fish are at fighting weight either.

« **Reply #212 on:** 14/04/2013 at 09:08 »

Quote from: Spiderman on 13/04/2013 at 17:18

Sounds like a fresh fish to me, Kelts don't usually shed their scales very easily, and those look like they came off very easily if they were in the net

I couldn't remember whether it was fresh or kelt that tended to shed scales.
I've taken scale samples from the trout and the salmon.

doing the length to weight, it could have been around the 10lb mark - a double on a DHE. sweeet!! it was 6lb tippet i think, 0.16mm/5X grand max stuff - good tippet, i like it.

Gutted I didn't get a picture with the DHE in the salmon's jaw, but I wanted to get it unhooked asap, and since it was too big for net, and still in the water, it was kind of inevitable. I don't like to take fish out of water for photos, which is why my fish snaps are all over the place.

Great fun though, and the fish swam off nae bother

« **Reply #213 on:** 14/04/2013 at 09:10 »

Quote from: klinkhammer on 13/04/2013 at 19:02

Well done Iain, I've had quite a few kelts on the dry but never a fresh fish.

thanks Scott - and looks like you're getting in to some great fish again this season. As the other posters have said - great consistency in being able to track em down!

cheers
iain

« **Reply #214 on:** 14/04/2013 at 11:42 »

Bugger just been out for a run to the shops to find the river is high and coloured!!!

« **Reply #215 on:** 14/04/2013 at 13:33 »

Looking at the webcams on the ADAA site the Don and Dee are rising, The Ythan hasn't changed much so must be the Snow Melting

It could have waited till wednesday

Hopefully it clears a bit for tomorrow

Sandy

« **Reply #216 on:** 14/04/2013 at 22:45 »

Quote from: Goolager on 13/04/2013 at 11:13

Lindzer,

Will you get yerself out fishing!!

And there was me away to share my theories on the importance of black midge and why 'decent' fish don't seem to come up to March Brown Duns on the Don (from what I saw on Saturday where I was ) !

But since it is all pseudo-babble I'll keep it tae masel

Great fish as usual Scott, I was upstream of you but only bandies rising my side of the river

Had the first Osprey on Monday and first Swallows and Sand Martins over the river on Saturday. Summer is here !

L

« **Reply #217 on:** 15/04/2013 at 08:01 »

Quote from: Spiderman on 14/04/2013 at 13:33

Looking at the webcams on the ADAA site the Don and Dee are rising, The Ythan hasn't changed much so must be the Snow Melting
It could have waited till wednesday Hopefully it clears a bit for tomorrow

Sandy

I was stood on the bridge at Kemney yesterday watching as the river visibly rose 6 or so inches in a 30 minute period! Lots of debris and so on coming down too and it was over the banks by the time I had driven up to Monymusk

...so I went home in a huff!

« **Reply #218 on:** 15/04/2013 at 13:44 »

Fished a beat near Alford on Friday and was very surprised to take 4 Salmon kelts.I would have expected them to be further down river at this time of year.

Lindsay

Well done on your fantastic Brownie.

In my opinion your fish is nothing like a sea trout kelt.In my experience, sea trout kelts taken in April are generally silver with the odd spot here and there. Also their overall shape is different.

Duncan

« **Reply #219 on:** 15/04/2013 at 13:48 »

Quote from: Spiderman on 14/04/2013 at 13:33

Looking at the webcams on the ADAA site the Don and Dee are rising...

...rising, and how! here's a glimpse on web cam https://www.farsondigitalwatercams.com/live-webcams/scotland/Don/Kintore/

« **Reply #220 on:** 15/04/2013 at 18:20 »

Quote from: Duncan on 15/04/2013 at 13:44

Lindsay

Well done on your fantastic Brownie.

In my opinion your fish is nothing like a sea trout kelt.In my experience, sea trout kelts taken in April are generally silver with the odd spot here and there. Also their overall shape is different.

Duncan

Thanks Duncan. So far it seems there is only one person who thinks it's a Sea Trout kelt !

L

« **Reply #221 on:** 16/04/2013 at 21:07 »

Upper river on the rise again. May need to make alternative plans for this weekend.

« **Reply #222 on:** 17/04/2013 at 12:18 »

River was almost looking good for today but this rain has put her up a bit, but only locally to Aberdeen it seems- upper river is still falling so presumably no snowmelt or rain there. If there is no more of the wet stuff it could be good for weekend !

L

« **Reply #223 on:** 17/04/2013 at 19:19 »

Quote from: Loxiafan on 17/04/2013 at 12:18

River was almost looking good for today but this rain has put her up a bit, but only locally to Aberdeen it seems- upper river is still falling so presumably no snowmelt or rain there. If there is no more of the wet stuff it could be good for weekend !

L

Check the SEPA site for river levels Lindsay, it updates several times a day whereas Fish Scotland only updates twice daily. Don was on the rise at Culfork as of 12PM......

Doesn't look like I'll make out tomorrow morning either

Ben

« **Reply #224 on:** 17/04/2013 at 21:29 »

Hi Ben,

Yep I dinnae bother with Fishpal, I always use the SEPA gauge - in fact, during the season "Parkhill" is always on my browser page ( how sad is that !).

Weatherman has got it totally wrong - this rain was not meant to have lasted or been so heavy. River will definitely bloat again which is crap after it dropping so well !

Oh, well got to re-tie flies on stronger hooks anyway

Might be out Friday for some more hooks etc.

Lindsay

Iain Cameron

Loxiafan

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Irvine Ross

Noel Kelly

Scott Cumming

Iain Goolager

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Geoff Gill

Mike Barrio

Allan Liddle

Iain Cameron

Iain Cameron

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Rob Brownfield

Duncan McRae

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Loxiafan