[Duncan McRae]

Hi Lindsay

There's a picture on the ADAA Website of what i would describe as a very typical April Sea trout kelt.I would say nothing like your Brown trout.
Might be of interest.

Duncan

[Loxiafan]

There's a picture on the ADAA Website of what i would describe as a very typical April Sea trout kelt.I would say nothing like your Brown trout.
Might be of interest.

Thanks Duncan, I saw that the other day. The 'question' I raised of my fish was hypothetical, as indicated in my initial post on the matter. I knew for sure it was a Brownie for the reasons I cited - it was merely to canvass 'public' opinion as the individual who made the ridiculous suggestion that it was a sea trout, never mind a sea trout kelt, would have visited this thread !

Probably best to put this one to bed now and think about new fish to catch ! 

 


PS they have never got back to me on the 'status' of my fish.
Lindsay

[Loxiafan]

Forecast is not great again for Don Trouting over next few days 

River is rising a wee bit again, possibly the overnight localised rain. Tomorrow is fair but very windy. Sunday is windy and pishing down all day and Monday will be a write off depending how bad Sunday is ! So Saturday or broke it is.

Wishing I'd got out today as it looks fine, light winds, could be good if water is clearing and there is a decent hatch. Iain, get awa fae work at 12 dude   

I might explore the Ythan on Monday....


L

[Andy Finlay]

Well I don't feel so upset being stuck offshore for the next 2 weeks. Didn't get anytime on the Don last time home either. Did have a week up in Aviemore but no trout, spey was low and absolutely freezing. Roll on May, hopefully things will start to warm up a bit by the time I get home.

[Iain Goolager]

Went for a brief wander along the banks at 1pm - there was a very respectable  hatch of MB's along with lesser amounts of Olive cousins.

No rises though  but as I didn't have the rod it was academic anyroad.




Iain

[Noel Kelly]

Was on the river for 3. No wind for a change and quiet warm No uprights to be seen so unsurprisingly no rises or troots. At 4 the wind switched on again and suddenly the riverbank wasn't such a pleasant place to be anymore so I abandoned.

[Loxiafan]

Just back from the river ( 12.30pm till 5.30pm). Never made a cast in anger. A few Olives on arriving but only small fish on opposite bank going at them very briefly. Around 4pm onwards mega hirundine activity over the water - struggled to see what it was they were hoovering and eventually did, thousands of small black Simulids of some type. No interest from fish at all at the surface. Wind picking up all the time, from the SE early on then SW (down stream !) as I left. Becoming silly really 

Pants. And tomorrow is not looking good either if the forecast is right.

Hope some of you guys had a better day upstream ?

L

[Iain Cameron]

Pants. And tomorrow is not looking good either ...

Jeez... Went to the Adaa bothy this morning for the casting day. Stupidly windy & cold. Did have a quick word with Hywel Morgan, which was nice....

Thought the river would be unfishable... But SW wind, I found some shelter. Took a Don stroll. Found a rising fish. And another. Both sooked down the dry, nice and sweet. One a tiddler of 1/4 lb, the other a nice fit brown of 1lb, good result -  12 casts, 2 fish, went home

[Loxiafan]

After the glory of last weeks trophy fish, Lindsay realised normal service had been restored

[Peter McCallum]

After the glory of last weeks trophy fish, Lindsay realised normal service had been restored

 

[Sandy Nelson]

Nice Lindz

At least the baby ones have red spots you know they are Brownies.

Looking forward to a blast tomorrow.

Sandy

[Irvine Ross]

Blowing a hoolie on the upper river today. It was sheltered where I parked the car so I tackled up but when I got to the river it was hopeless. Walked up the bank hoping to find a sheltered spot but there were none. Saw one upwing on the water and that was it.
It will maybe be better later this week, month, year?

Irvine

[Loxiafan]

Blowing a hoolie on the upper river today.

Much the same 'down' river. Ended up taking a rod for a walk  Fly coming off but not one single rise all day.

L

[Sandy Nelson]

It was blowing a bit this morning so i headed up towards Kemnay for some shelter from the trees but the sun must have been shining because i came home with light sunburn, even under the daft floppy hat .

Water was looking perfect and weather playing ball too, even if it was a bit breezy at times. So i scouted out the area, had a quick word with Ben to see if there was anywhere else i might have missed and made a loose plan of where i would fish, I de-camped at the best looking bit and waited for the hatch.

So lunch dispensed with A steady trickle of March Browns and Olive uprights started to hatch off around 1230. Almost like a normal April day on the Don. A few good rises, which when they were spotted the second time looked to me to be grilse , but some broonies moving too.

Armed with the new Prototype Barrio Epic on its maiden voyage, i started to try and temp some of them with the dry, seemed like everytime i got the flies out to where they needed to be the wind would get up and put the fish off, well impressed with the rod though, it dealt with the wind and the tree lined banks and kept putting the fly out where it needed to be Good Shit
Anyway having moved up and down the stretch i earmarked and not had much luck with anything other than a couple of misses from fish about the 8" mark, i headed back to where i started.
A change of flies now, Waterhen Bloa on the point and a size 14 CDC olive spider on the dropper with the intention to fish "damp" and try to fool a fish into taking a cripple, working the flies over a spot i'd watched earlier and seen a fish, up he came and confidently took the CDC spider, Awesome...
After a cracking fight on the Fiberglass rod and thanks to my new telescopic net i got him in. 3lb 7oz on the scales in the net



What a great way to christen the new rod Well chuffed. Don't think i'll ever fish with a silly Tennis racket net again

Another nice head shot of the fish just before he disappeared back to his watery home




Here is the fly in question, size 14 SLD, no damage/bending on a 5wt rod and a 4x leader and a decent fish, good hooks




great day out

Sandy

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Sandy and awesome photos ........ You said you were going to net an Epic Don trout

Cheers
Mike

[Hamish Young]

Well done Sandy, a bonnie fish

H

[Noel Kelly]

Well done sandy and on the epic as well! Awesome!

[Iain Goolager]

  and there's the fish.

A beaut!

Nice cripple too.

Nowt wrong with tennis racket nets though.

Good report and an all round 'job done' day 

Iain

[Loxiafan]

Wasn't going to be back on here but I must congratulate you Sandy on that fantastic fish ! Well done, you really deserve that after last week and so great you could do it on a prototype rod - it obviously works !

    

PS I had a handful of SLD's in my hand at Orvis today but stuck em back. I am am finished with 'limp wristed' hooks, I'm going 'nuclear' from now on 

See yiz,

Linz

[Eddie Sinclair]

Sandy,
cracking fish. I am overseas at present but I have a day booked on the middl of the river a week on Friday and hope I can come across a fish like that.

Well done,

Eddie.

[Sandy Nelson]

Cheers Guys

Really pleased i went and got a proper net after the last episode If i'd bumped a second one then i'd be well pissed
Big trout are like Crack Cocaine, i haven't had a proper hit for about 5 years, now i'm well and truly addicted again

Sandy

[Scott Cumming]

Well done Sandy, thats a bonnie trout.

I'm with you on the tennis racket, used mine once - never again!

Roll on the weekend.

Scott

[Rob Brownfield]

A proper brownie indeed. I have my eye on a couple of big fish I have spotted but the buggers don't seem to feed! Been watching them for a couple of hours at a time and even though there are flies crossing there snouts, they just don't move to them.

I think an articulated Monkey Butt will be the next approach!!

Still intrigued with the white bean pole!!

[Jonathan Kerr]

Hit the lower river for a cheeky hour after work around 3.30 today. Was optimistic about seeing a wee hatch as the weather looked good, warm and sunny between the odd shower, but was a bit disappointing really  very few sizeable bugs and only saw a couple of tiddlers. oh well, always next time. Great to see others having success so far this season, only one measly sea trout kelt about a pound and half to show for my fairly limited efforts of late! time to pick up my game I think!

[Allan Liddle]

Cracker Sandy