[Sandy Nelson]

Good stuff, next time get the sun in front or to the side of you

Nice fish though, especially on the dry


Sandy

[Noel Kelly]

That's a fine trout Geoff, well done

[Loxiafan]

Don't know other people's opinions but I see far more benefit from fishing a single dry fly than fishing two especially when there are big boys about and you are casting to a specific fish.

Me three, though I believe Dr. Baigent fished two dries on the Don !

Nice fish Geoff sounds like you were at the right place at right time 

An affy lotta droppers breaking ? 

Forecast 'challenging' for next few days I see ! 

L

[Noel Kelly]

Who the Fek is Dr Baigent?

I also now only fish one dry but I used fish 2 back when I first started fishing the don. Back when I caught my pb and regularly caught good fish......hmmmm.

[Iain Cameron]

The fish i caught yesterday as per above post.

cracker, sounds like you hit the river at just the right time there

cheers
iain

[Iain Goolager]

An affy lotta droppers breaking ?

tippet breaking maybe but droppers breaking? has there?

Dr Beigent! I'm not fussed if Dr Zhivago fished three dies on the Urie, it is for softies.

I also now only fish one dry but I used fish 2 back when I first started fishing the don. Back when I caught my pb and regularly caught good fish......hmmmm.

Trig, Shotgunning is a step backward you daft Irishman

Iain

[Loxiafan]

Who the Fek is Dr Baigent?

Some southern softie that is reported to have fished twae flees on our beloved Don:

http://www.practicalfly.co.uk/Baigent'ssbs.html

Possibly fished them like wets, eg. "blind" and not to rising fish ??  

Goo - Geoff's dropper broke, Sandy lost a nice fish when a dropper pinged whilst netting it........just saying. I think there should be a full discussion of this in the next issue of my own personal favourite monthly read "Twat Fisherman": A journal for the modern regressive angler. Particularly enjoyed last month's issue calling for a Kingfisher cull with reports of 5lb stocked Rainbows succumbing to stab wounds inflicted by the plucky little birds.........

Not inferring you guys are tits for fishing droppers btw, I do myself but if you are going to bugger about with droppers do yourself a favour and use MAXIMA ! It never breaks. Ever. Really.

L

[Ben Dixon]

I NEVER fish a dropper when on dries.  What sense does it make when you are usually pitching your best guess pattern to one seen rising fish that could be a PB?  We put so much effort into reducing drag, getting a good presentation, trying to get fly on target etc.  Why complicate things or bring in another potential drag factor?  I have in the past lost too many decent fish when fishing multiple rigs, both salmon & trout.
Even on a loch in anything other than a decent ripple I'd be on one fly.

Probably deserves a thread of it's own save clogging up the reports section.

Cheers

Be

[Loxiafan]

Have done that Ben 

L

[Ben Dixon]

Thanks, good to see you back dude 


Ben

[Loxiafan]

Thanks, good to see you back dude 

Been lurking man !

L

[Allan Liddle]

Two dries for me guys, catch plenty 'Rod Benders' and i believe the advantages outweight the disadvantages.  Like everything else you need to learn how to do it properly.

Yes i've had breakages but these are mostly down to fish teeth rather than the fact i'm fishing a dropper.  Yes Maxima green 3lb gives you a lot of strength and yes on some 'spooky' fish i will drop down to pre-stretched and one fly (or when on 'flat water').

Not a Dr so no preconceptions here. 

In the end, like all other methods we use, if you don't like it then don't use it, but don't lambast someone else who does / can.

BTW i always fish two dries on lochs, again a learned method but very, very effective, there's one or two on here who've watched me in action doing this and can vouch for the devastating effectivness when conditions suit (can't underestimate this though  ).
In the end i like fishing two dries because it offers so much more versatility and i really enjoy it, can't say any more than that.  (Iain it was two 'dries', ginked up static Hogs to be precise, i was using on a water near Inverness last year, seemed to work ok there eh?)

[Iain Cameron]

(Iain it was two 'dries', ginked up static Hogs to be precise, i was using on a water near Inverness last year, seemed to work ok there eh?)

naw, i was in the other boat, so I didn't see you catch a thing...

two dries is something i sometime use too, mostly stillwaters. Occasionally on river to create a hatch if prospecting.
sometimes a large dry can be used as a sighter for smallwe dries.
but, sure, for targetting a rising fish, then one dry only

bob fly voodoo - do the trout see the other fly as competition... Bob W

[Eddie Sinclair]

Gents,
after many years I finally went back to the Don today hoping to get my first brownie on the dry from there for a very long time.

Reading the posts on the forum and speaking with some of the guys I have been slaving away at the vice making all sorts of spiders and nymphs as well as JT olives and DHE. So with my newly made box of flys my new 4 weight rod and SLX line I set off with one of my mates (we will call him Gordon, because that is his name) to a well known hotel with a lot of beats on the Don above Kemnay and below Castle Forbes to buy permits for the day.

When I left the house south of Stonehaven the temperature was reading 8 degrees C and there was no wind. I thought to myself maybe we will see a hatch today.

Anyway permits bought and arrive at chosen beat. Easterly wind howling upstream and f*****g freezing we tackle up and look at the beat.







Water looks good but as expected early in the day no sign of fly activity or rising fish. Undeterred I set up with a 2 fly rig of a size 18 tungsten beaded nymph on the point and a size 16 waterhen bloa on the dropper and start to work my way slowly upstream fishing a short line exploring every inch that I can. This is thoroughly enjoyable and the outfit is working well but the fish are not impressed. Stopped for something to eat at 14.30 still no sign of fly hatch. Headed to the pool that looked most likely earlier and decided to sit and stick it out looking for rising fish and give the blind nymphing a rest.

Finally at 16.00 the first trout shows in the pool so I chuck out a dry JT olive which I had replaced the nymph with and first cast bang all the waiting is worthwhile and the freezing hands as a small but feisty trout of about 10 ounces comes to the bank and is quickly released but I still did not get it on the dry as it took the spider on the dropper which I had left on through laziness more than good planning. Same thing with the second rising trout 40 minutes later again to the Waterhen Bloa. This one slightly larger at just shy of a pound.




Then the temperature dropped even further and the wind and rain intensified so it was back to the pub for a pint on the way home. 2 rises 2 hooked all in all a great return to the Don, many thanks for all of you for reminding me about what I have been missing I will be back next week hopefully better weather and get something on a dry.

Eddie.

[Allan Liddle]

Sounds like it all worked out in the end Eddie. Nice pics

[Iain Goolager]

Yup, the weather is not quite there yet  

Nice report and good photo's too     glad you like the new rod (I recognise that handle).

Iain

[Eddie Sinclair]

Iain,
I was unsure about the rod with a short line. I knew that it had the back bone to punch out a serious line into a wind but I was amazed at how responsive it is close up with the SLX. This will be used on the limestone lochs from the bank at the end of May.

However there will be several trips back to the Don before then.
 

Steven you were right I cannot believe that I have left it so long to go back to the river where I cut my teeth on dry fly fishing, I will not make that mistake again.   


Eddie.
 

[Simon Bruce]

After a period of working abroad and ill health, got to fish the don this week.
For the first time in about 2 years. Was fishing around about alford and had a couple of cracking days. Not the biggest fish but was nice too get out and about again.

[Iain Goolager]

Nice fish Bruce,

What you get it on?

Hope the ill health thing is behind you

Iain

[Simon Bruce]

Aye the ill health is hopefully behind me now. And i can get more fishing on Don.
waterhen bloa was what i was fishing

[Eddie Sinclair]

Bruce,
Nice fish, well done hope it is one of many to come the old spiders certainly seem to be doing the business.

Eddie.

[Jim Eddie]

Nice fish and reports from Bruce and Eddie 

 

Jim

[Geoff Gill]

Was down river for an hour today and caught this on size 16 greenwells, is this a sea trout?
Good wee fight either way. Packed up when it got too windy.
 
Geoff

[Steven Sinclair]

Bruce,
Nice fish, well done hope it is one of many to come the old spiders certainly seem to be doing the business.

Eddie.

[Steven Sinclair]

Iain,
I was unsure about the rod with a short line. I knew that it had the back bone to punch out a serious line into a wind but I was amazed at how responsive it is close up with the SLX. This will be used on the limestone lochs from the bank at the end of May.

However there will be several trips back to the Don before then.
 

Steven you were right I cannot believe that I have left it so long to go back to the river where I cut my teeth on dry fly fishing, I will not make that mistake again.   


Eddie.
 

Dad,

I'm glad too see that you have FINALLY come to your senses!

The way things are going I'll hopefully be able to join you for some real fishing next season!

You know what I'm like, dee beats full of silver tourists and I'll still throw up the 3# if I see any chance of a troot rise. Mind you that does tend to throw up some interesting predicaments!

I'm sure you remember the incident at Shane's when we both thought my wee peregrine was going to disintegrate!

Cheers,

Steven.