[Iain Cameron]

Invicta was always a good fly on the Don for me too, especially the silver version in the evenings

love a wee shiny invicta or two...  I've gotten back into wet fly fishing on the rivers a bit now and again, quite relaxing and metronomic, and keeps me active (i'm just too twitchy to sit and await a hatch all the time).

[Loxiafan]

Back from U. Parkhill. Very Dour, hard going and water higher than last night despite SEPA gauge saying it was dropping. At 2.45pm some fish started rising to LDO's at the tail of Cockers but way to far out to cover. Found one rising two feet out from the bank on the Goval and finally tempted it with JT Olive dry. Nice plump 3/4 pound Brownie that gave a surprisingly good account of itself.

Bumped into Iain (Goolager) just before tempting the fish and had a good chat after !

Forecast for the week looks variable 

Lindsay

[Loxiafan]

The sea trout kelts start feeding again before heading back out to sea. With the unusually early spring this year and large hatches of flies, the kelts will be in much better condition than usual. They will have regained much of their shape, but as they have not returned to sea, they are still technically kelts. Fresh sea trout are much more occasional feeders and this usually only starts after they have been in freshwater for some time. So if you are catching actively feeding sea trout this early in the season, you can virtually guarantee they are kelts.

I understand what you are saying G Richie but I still reckon they were fresh, and based on your criteria how would you tell that they weren't ! ? I would like to think I could recognize a Sea Trout kelt and have caught over wintered Finnock (in April) on the Don that were obvious. I have also caught Sea Trout in lower beats of several rivers where they hadn't been in the system long so not sure I agree. Sorry, I don't want to come across as defensive ! If they were kelts, still in the system in April, then would these these fish return to spawn again this year ?


Cheers,

Lindsay

[Graham Ritchie]

I have caught sea trout kelts as late as the first week of May. They will drop back to sea and may only stay there for 2 to 3 months before coming back into the river. I know it is a bit of a grey area, some of the ones which have been feeding hard regain quite a lot of their condition. There can be some overlap with the very first of the fresh sea trout entering the river and the last of the kelts leaving.

[Noel Kelly]

Result Iain  delighted for you. I also enjoy fishing wets on the river and do get quiet a few fish on them but never had anything bigger than say 1.5lbs.
So you didn't see that fish rising then I take it?

[Loxiafan]

I know it is a bit of a grey area, some of the ones which have been feeding hard regain quite a lot of their condition. There can be some overlap with the very first of the fresh sea trout entering the river and the last of the kelts leaving.

Cheers min. Maybe they just decide to become Brown Trout again  !   

I did record them as Sea Trout on the ADAA catch return, and tbh if confronted with fish in that condition I would again. I did read reports of very early sea trout on other east coast rivers this year but with this grey area of such well mended fish who knows what any of them are for sure.

It is all very fascinating for sure.
Lindsay

[Ben Dixon]

Cracking fish Iain, well deserved.

Cheers

Ben

[Loxiafan]

River looks like it is dropping a bit if you believe the gauge - I may brave it from 2pm ish today and see what it is like.

Thinking more about the Seat Trout kelt issue. I will take scale samples next time and send them to Jamie that way I will know for sure. Either way not a huge issue as all my fish go back alive but if no fresh fish run the system in March early April then maybe the Sea Trout season shouldn't start on 11th Feb ? Given that no Salmon at all are to be retained before 1st June then all the hooha about Salmon kelts is redundant anyway other than for recording ? Seems it would be better to make anglers aware of Sea Trout kelts/over wintererd Finnock and/or no Sea Trout should be retained before 1st June ( and not at all if I had my way !) to avoid problems. Really, we should be moving to 100% C+R for all trout (and Salmon) at all times.

Cheers,

Lindsay

[Sandy Nelson]

If the scales don't come off on your hands, then you shouldn't even have to bother

Sandy

[Loxiafan]

If the scales don't come off on your hands, then you shouldn't even have to bother

Not sure I follow Sandy, but my hands weren't covered in any scales at all after handling the two ST's so were they fresh or kelts ! ?  

Lindsay

[Loxiafan]

Not sure I follow Sandy, but my hands weren't covered in any scales at all after handling the two ST's so were they fresh or kelts ! ?  

Kelts. Of course, my fish handling technique is exemplary so none of my fish lose scales ! 

L

[Sandy Nelson]

In my experience any fish, fresh from saltwater usually deposit scales everywhere.
The net,rod handle and skin always seem to get a few even when you don't handle them .
Not sure how long they need to be in freshwater before this starts to change, i'm not the biologist.
But i would love to know Jamie
To me the scales are always an obvious indication of a fresh fish , if i don't notice them then i would be less sure i'd got it right even before checking.

Sandy

[Geoff Gill]

Hi all,

just wanted to share the fish of a lifetime for me that i caught at upper parkhill today, guess it to be roughly 4 lb after a quick photo and safe release followed by shaky legs 
Also like to thank forum member Goolager to whom i used his SBS to tie the PTN that i caught it on after attempting flytying at xmas for the first time 
I would attach an image but it says file is too big and i dont know how to resize 

Geoff

[Geoff Gill]

Got it. 

Geoff

[Mike Barrio]

Welcome to the forum Geoff ........ What a cracking trout

Best wishes
Mike

[Loxiafan]

Hi Geoff,

I saw you land it ! I was the guy opposite and up from you on the south bank patiently (stupidly) waiting for a hatch - very well played and netted expertly, very well done !

That thing has got a heid like a dog and will be even more of a beast when it gets a bit of a belly back on it !

Lindsay

[Iain Cameron]

and a tail like a shovel too. nice one geoff!

[Noel Kelly]

That's a cracker geoff

[Loxiafan]

In my experience any fish, fresh from saltwater usually deposit scales everywhere...Not sure how long they need to be in freshwater before this starts to change, i'm not the biologist.

Hi Sandy,

I was joking about my exemplary handling of fish, though I do make a big effort  The weight of argument from anglers more experienced than myself is that they were most likely ST kelts which I can accept - don't want to come across as a dick on this. However, there are are 'well mended' kelts and then there were these things I caught - to me they looked like any river sea trout I have caught before from late April/early May onwards. Don't know about when they stop shedding scales but I have caught what I considered 'fresh' fish and haven't noticed mass descaling so it must ease up ???

I still wonder why the  season is 11th Feb and why it is legal to retain Sea Trout during this period (unlike Salmon).

I have submitted them as 'Sea Trout' in the catch return for ADAA - is this wrong, should they be cancelled  ?

Lindsay

[Sandy Nelson]

Cracking fish Geoff Well done

I have submitted them as 'Sea Trout' in the catch return for ADAA - is this wrong, should they be cancelled  ?

Can't see why its "Wrong" they could well be fresh fish and all we are talking about are a few records which are fairly subjective anyway, given all the fish are returned.

Like you, I am surprised the rules don't call for the same return rules as for Salmon, perhaps this is something the committees should consider over the season.

I'd like to know more about the scales thing, almost all the sea-trout i've caught have been either in or very close to the sea, so if they get tighter over a period of time in freshwater, then it would be interesting to know how this works.

Sandy

[Iain Goolager]

Ian C,

Cracking fish  . IMHO the water height and colour of late has been the perfect conditions for sub surface work  and hindsight is a great thing but I've spent  the last 3 outings walking up and down the banks searching for something to aim at, two of them resulted in me not wetting a fly in anger. Left work at 1 ish and headed for the river hoping to lift the curse from my new rod.

Two hours and two pricked fish later with very little in the way of any hatch and an ominous chilly breeze I started to sob. 

I had been watching a fish showing regularly under the opposite more sheltered bank which brought hope and now and again the suns' warmth could be felt through gaps in the cloud so I didn't give up hope.

The bloke working his way up the opposite bank hooked into a good fish that was airborne a few times before he got it under control and into the net.    Well done Geoff  .  are the hands any steadier yet?

That was during a mini warm spell, even a mini hatch had started and two fish showed steadily at what I'd call at the extremity of casting v's presentation range. Needless to say out went the CDC and after an unbearable wait one sucked down the fly, the rod was bent and the duck was broken. Nowhere near as leviathan as those of the 'big boys' but a plump 1 1/4 lb of pure pleasure.
Wasn't sure about going back to a 5wt after being a dyed in the wool 4 wt'er but the Orvis Access tip flex is a very sensitive and enjoyable tool to play a fish on.


Wind has been harsh of late but I think we were lulled into a false sense of hope during March's out of character Warm spell - now it's back to the norm.

Well done again the those finding fish.

Oh,  hello officially Lindsay.

Iain

Sea-Trout from the sea/ brackish have historically, for me, thrown scales at you - almost like Herring, but I've yet to have any from Dyce upwards show this tendency. Yes, how long does it take for freshwater or low salt or whatever to have an effect on scale 'shedding'?

[Liam Stephen]

Nice fish Geoff 

Was down at Kintore today, it was another poor day    had 3 fish to 1lb all on Iain's PTN fish NZ style. It's deadly!!   

Parkhill it'll be tomorrow me thinks   

Liam

[Iain Goolager]

Well done Trigger Jnr. 

I hope the wind is kind to you tomorrow and you see a decent rise.

Iain

[danbruce]

Looks like some good quality trout being taken so far this season. Hopefully I will get off the mark at some point. 3 short visits to the river and still no trout....the wait continues.

[Liam Stephen]

Can't get to Parkhill today  guess it'll just have to be Kintore again. Fingers crossed there's a good hatch and the fish are hard on the feed 

Liam