[Liam Stephen]

Duo to start as always! 

2.5lb and around 18". A bit lean but he will be nice in a month or so.



Then dries when the hatch got going. My best on the dries was 13" but I did get a ST kelt and a nice little finnock.



Another enjoyable day on the Deveron!

 

[Iain Cameron]

eschewing the more traditional fishing attire, Liam has adopted the relaxed pyjamas and slippers style...

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff guys

[Eddie Sinclair]

First day out this season and good to catch up with Iain and Sandy and also to meet Liam. I am so glad that Liam did not show the telly tubby/Kermit outfit until after the fishing was finished.

I saw a few fish rising and managed to spook a couple and prick the other one while all the other guys had some success. I was about to move to another pool as the hatch was petering out when I met Liam coming up the bank. I went up to show Liam where I had seen a couple of fish rising earlier as we sat on the bank blethering and the fish rose again. Liam graciously told me that I should give it another shot so I waded in and got in position. As per sods law as soon as I got into position the wind got up and although it was not an issue to shoot the line into place the blo##y fly was being blown towards the bank about 6 feet off target for about half a dozed casts. All of a sudden the wind dropped and the fly (fortunately landed in position A up he came and after a short but spirited fight a wee 12" trout in spanking condition as in the net and quickly released without a photo. Not a trophy but very welcome first of the season and a very happy boy.

Thanks for the day out guys, most enjoyable hope to see you on the bank again soon.

Eddie.

[Liam Stephen]

As my mate Ash has just pointed out I was merely matching the hatch. Guys I'm dressed as a Large Dark Olive! 

 

[Eddie Sinclair]

Fair enough but not big enough to be a March brown

[Steven Sinclair]

A solitary 12" troot???

Liam, he's just jealous. He talks of days gone by when he used to catch trout of memorable proportions.  I strongly suggest that you carry on with your onesie, safe in the knowledge that these older gents can only dream of the caliber of trout that our youthful abilities are capable of capturing.

Dad,

Its beginning to look like we need to have a day or two together on the river again 

 

Steven.

[Eddie Sinclair]

Steven,

Whilst I may be impressed not jealous of the trout that Liam had today and on his other visits, I am certainly not in the least bit jealous of his attire. And yes we do need to get out on a river sometime soon to see if the old guys have still got it or not. I have a feeling that I will be content with whatever the trout gods are willing to share with me and that you will frenetically trying to prove your manliness while I am enjoying the moment. I have reached the point where fishing means more than size or numbers of fish and I am sure that all of us get there in the end.  It is great to see some young blood with passion for our noble art and I am happy to see them doing well even if you remind me that I am getting old and missing takes. I was one of you young boys once but now I am a guy who enjoys the day. However next time on the river I am going to show you that us old boys can still fish a bit.

Let's have a dry fly only day and see what happens😁😁

[Iain Cameron]

Quote from: Liam Stephen on Yesterday at 21:20:38

As my mate Ash has just pointed out I was merely matching the hatch. Guys I'm dressed as a Large Dark Olive! 

 

Brilliant.

[Ashley Thomas]

eschewing the more traditional fishing attire, Liam has adopted the relaxed pyjamas and slippers style...

He tells me it's waterproof   Fine swap for those leaky simms Liam!

Ash

[Mike Barrio]

I've got a Snowbee fleece type thing like this that I've had for years and not worn ..... maybe I should shake the dust off

[Liam Stephen]

Get it on Mike. Join the revolution and F the haters! 

 

[Steven Sinclair]

Steven,

Let's have a dry fly only day and see what happens😁😁

Where's the fun in that?  Catching rising fish is the easy part...

Cheers

Steven.

[Sandy Nelson]

The river had this to say to me today.



Still running at 5'C but clear and quite low, decent hatch after 1pm but very few rising fish and those i did see were very spooky, again Lovely day to be out on the river though.

Sandy

[Colin Sunley]

 Got to love the fishing Onesie Liam  they say people go shopping in them, This craze might catch on,

[Liam Stephen]

I had to fill my car yesterday wearing it! 

 

[Mike Barrio]

I think you should maybe change your avatar Liam

[Sandy Nelson]

A sneaky couple of hours this afternoon.

Water low, very clear, now running 8'C, Bright sunshine, little cover....what could go right

Lots of flies hatching off but not a single rising fish to be seen, so i opted for the dark side and went pocket picking in the deeper channels with a wee PTN.



Just the one, but given the conditions, i was happy

Sandy

[James Craig]

First day of the season for me today, and first time on the Deveron. Great to open my account with one on the nymph and two on dries - a PTN and size 14 DHE respectively. Nothing big, but chuffed all the same.

There was a brief hatch of what looked like both MBs and LDOs between 11 and 12 and for a period of about 30 seconds an almighty cloud of flies came down the river on the wind - and then it was all over.

Looking forward to returning...

[Iain Cameron]

a wander and a daunder up the Deveron today - 6 hours, 8km and apparently 4,500 calories consumed (burnt off, not eaten by me). Not sure the calorie count is accurate as I spent most o the day watching water in which no fish rose.


Finally, around 2pm, some olives and scutter of MBs brought a big nose up a nosing. My first trophy trout of 2017 was worth the wait, netting in at 3 1/4lb. On a size 18 plume tip thing that looks nothing like a MB.

[Iain Cameron]

another Deveron outing today, though cut short by increasingly uncooperative downstream, in-ma-face, winds.


Had a cast at three trout. One came in at 2lb, which I'd have been happy with in the conditions. But a wee flurry of MBs brought up a better lad, that netted in at 3 & 3/4lbs, so I was delighted with meself.







He had been moving about hoovering up the flees. I'd planted my backside on a rock at the tail of the pool. He popped up right in front of me, about two rod lengths away - a wee flick of the fly out to my side was all it needed to fool him. Me still sitting down, of course.


called it a day at 2.30 as the wind just became horrendous

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Iain

[Ali Mcewan]

Great day on the upper river today.
First wee pool produced this


In the next pool I picked up this fish, note the yellow tag in its dorsel , any ideas?




Moving up the river I bent into some more







Reaching a long deep pool I sat and had a smoke while watching a fish sip off the top every 30 secs or so. Trying to remember sandys words of wisdom, I changed to this cdc jobby with scruffy buzzer body 😎 Up he came & sipped it down





Here's the proof sandy 😎




Here's a couple of the pools I came across








Watched this in the hope a monster would tackle him 😂




Not to be though, he made it safely across..

[Sandy Nelson]

Brilliant stuff Ali

I'm sure I was reading about those tags the other day in a DBIRCT newsletter, but I'm not sure where.... I'm pretty sure they are the tags the Moray firth trout initiative were using when they were recording the movements of the fish a couple of years ago.
Allan would know he was involved with the project.

Looks like lovely water, cracking day for it too

Sandy

[Mike Thornton]

Ref. your tagged trout.   That is a standard type of tag used widely for tagging both trout and salmon.  If you had looked closely the tag would have shown an individual identification number, and a telephone contact number  for reporting capture details.