[Liam Stephen]

Good luck for the new season guys. Hope it's a cracker   

Liam

[TimTheFlier]

Thanks Liam - might try a few hours this afternoon to practice some of the stuff you taught me last year on a few of our favourite beats. 

Good to hear from you - I bet it's a bit warmer down there !

Tim

[Iain Cameron]

Good luck to everyone out after broonies tomorrow. Will be good to meet up with old faces and new, say hello.

well, I managed a few pleasant hours in the fresh air. Quite warm when the sun shone, but then I was fairly layered up!
The addition of a flouro pink CDC over-wing on my F-flies was great for improving visibility. Didn't bring any trouts up though!

A few midge, and a few upwings - very few! Saw one rise - small trout, splashy but wee - all day. Day didn't really get warm until post 2pm. THe Don was very clear, and still kinda cold!

Didn't meet a single soul all day, and only managed a couple of tugs, and a kelt which gave a spirited fight on the single hander before swimming happily off.



Ah well, was great to shake off the casting cobwebs.

Hope someone else connected with a few trouts.

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Iain

[Iain Goolager]

By all accounts it was another chilly one today.
It would have been nice in the sun & the rod got bent Iain so all in all 

Roll on the weekend.

Iain 2

[Loxiafan]

Well done Iain, pity I didn't catch you I could have done with some company !

I fished a beat ending in "Y". Arrived around 11am, farging freezing easterly wind, but there was that hint of promise as well. Thermo said 10 degrees C but windchill was knocking at least 5 off that. It did rise to 18 degrees at one point 

I was set up to fish dries so just stalked about fishy looking lies. First LDO spotted at 1.25pm, and a scattering of a few more. Then some more. No rises, no fish, no interest, no hope ! There was still the odd Olive fluttering about when I left at 3.45pm, resigned to another fishless opening day on the Don.

Highlight of the day was an Otter that frolicked about for half an hour in the pools above me stakeout:

Hey Lindsay. Needing Any Otter's Oxter Mate ?

Great day to be out but I really am going to have to get ma heid round nymphing or this is going to be a long hard month on the Don ! 

Lindsay

[Geoff Gill]

Hi Lindsay,

I too was out at lunchtime, trying for the first time a more 'tactical' and patient approach instead of just fishing regardless. Conditions were same, low clear water, cold and very few flies with no fish showing whats so ever. Tried nymphing and spiders with no luck. Headed home for 3pm.
Good to be out again though.

cheers

Geoff

[danbruce]

Well done with the fish Iain.
It was a nice afternoon to be out, I was also fishing a beat ending in 'Y' but guessing it was a different one to you Lindsay. Was another fishless day for me but as always good to be out. I know what you mean about fishing the nymph, something I have never really spent anytime doing. Hopefully bump into Mr Goolager sometime soon on the river bank to pick up some tips on all things nymph.

Dan

[Ben Dixon]

Left the DHD at home and took the trout rod only.  Arrived about 11:30 and saw a small number of LDO's from about 1PM odd small trout moving to them but nothing worth chucking a fly at.  Bloody freezing in that wind!

Cheers

Ben

[Iain Goolager]

Cracking photo Lindzer,

Pity about the fish, I wonder if anyone was seeing hatches or showing fish on any other beats?!

Iain

[Loxiafan]

@ Dan, throw away all your nymphing vids where guys are tossing them straight upstream. Pish at this time of year I reckon unless it is to fish that are hitting ascenders. I did this picture perfect on Saturday and was out fished by Goolager.

@ Geoff, I still remember that biggie you had a year ago. Would be nice to bump in to you again ! Good luck if you are out again.

@ Ben, Dude at least you saw some fish actually hitting flies !!!

@ Goolager, if a certain individual posts PB lunkers that he caught on the dry fly today then am' gaen hame ! 

Lindsay

[Iain Cameron]

Well done Iain, pity I didn't catch you I could have done with some company !

drop me a PM and we'll sort out an afternoon. Nice otter!

[Mark Zhang]

Hi, I fished from 3pm to 5.30pm in Kemnay. Saw a fish rise a few time. tried dry CDC, black spider and some golden head nymph, but no luck, will back again this weekend to see if it's still there. there were quite a lot of small flies next to the river bank. It's a surprise because I didn't see any of them before. good to be out, tight lines.

[Loxiafan]

drop me a PM and we'll sort out an afternoon. Nice otter!

  Probably next affie I can do on the Don is Sunday, should hopefully be a few of us out ? Might sneak in a morning to around 2pm sesh later this week though.

Lindsay

[Irvine Ross]

I was out from 1pm to 3:30pm today up above Alford and there was no sign of life in the river. No flies and therefore no rises. The air temperature was only about 5C with no sun at all so it's hardly surprising. Roll on some warmer weather.

Irvine

[Rob Brownfield]

Managed a few hours yesterday. Got out the car and although the sun was out th wind was cold, so I set up the salmon rod and had a few casts. 5th cast saw me land a fish of about 11 pounds. I think it was a kelt, but another angler said it was a fresh fish. Belly was to straight for me, so I will settle on Kelt. Warmed up a little around 3pm so went back to the car for my "trout" gear and started throwing streamers as nothing was moving.

Small hatch of LDO's and some kind of sedgey thing but no fish coming up for them.

Out later in the week I hope

[Iain Cameron]

Probably next affie I can do on the Don is Sunday, should hopefully be a few of us out

I'm gigging in Peterhead on Saturday night, late night, rock'n'roll etc....so Sunday will not be an early start for me, but should be able to make it out for an afternoon cast or two. Drop me a note in the morning saying where you'll be

Cheers
I

[Mike Barrio]

Gigging, Rock'n'roll etc ......... beware of plastic stacking chairs

[Marc Fauvet]

speaking of Giggling Rock & Roll, whatever happened to Howard (?) that sang such charming tunes for us at the 2010 Gathering ?  
 

[Iain Cameron]

Gigging, Rock'n'roll etc ......... beware of plastic stacking chairs

Ooucha... no chairs at the venue... just polystyrene fish crates nicked from the harbour. Still stackable though, so i'll be careful with my tackle

[Iain Cameron]

Well, a mostly enjoyable afternoon Donside today. Great being back on the river and wandering about having a few casts, apart from falling on my a**e. It's ok, nobody saw...

Hmmm. Cold wind, some sun, a little hail/rain. Some upwings made an appearance around 3 ish, 3.30. But not a single rise seen... Worked a dry & nymph upstream for a while - nothing touched me - probably fished too high in water, but I was using the day to get the cobwebs off of the casting arm so persevered with that method. Fished the pockets, the foam lines, the seams... Happy with how I fished... Meh, guess the brownies are still sulking!

Worked back downstream swinging wets, just enjoyable to be out on running water again.

Fave new accessory of year - fingerless gloves! Kept my hands warm enough to stay out for a few hours.

[Loxiafan]

apart from falling on my a**e. It's ok, nobody saw...

Good to know it's not just me and Goolager, think we had a couple of 5.8's for artistic impression on Saturday !  Hopefully catch you tomorrow - seemed almost spring today except for the hail ! Still very cold though so meagre pickings for the dry flyer still.

Lindsay

[Rob Brownfield]

Wel, today I tried a different pool, a much faster one, hoping to avoid the kelts, and 5th cast, I hooked a kelt! This one about 11-12 pounds again.

However, I did get a surpise in the way of a 3lb brownie, and joined the falling on ones arse club whilst returning it.

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Rob ...... Where's the Brownie photo, I know you've got one

Cheers
Mike

[Rob Brownfield]

No idea how to get the photo from my phone or facebook onto here Mike. I guesss you saw it on Facebook? Thats a double handed rod next to it and a large salmon reel, will work out the length later.