[Mike Barrio]

Just shows that it is worth giving it a go, despite the weather.  Well done Sandy 

Spring feels like winter this year at least it does today anyway.

[Sandy Nelson]

10" of cold additional water, Strong Tea colour but dropping.

There was a good smorgasboard of flies about though.
Plenty LDO's as there has been for weeks



And finally confirmed Olive Uprights (i managed to catch a few)





I even saw my first Hawthorns of the year



Seemed it was the one, that the fish that were feeding in the blackwater had a fancy for. looks like the start of the best weeks of the year



Plenty big chunky dries to chuck at willing trout

Sandy

[Mike Barrio]

Don District Salmon Fishery Board
River Don Monthly Report April 2021

https://riverdon.org/2021/05/11/river-don-monthly-report/

[Sandy Nelson]

Don was runnning a bit dark for the dries today, but the Ury was clearing nicely.



A good walk up the water with my 3wt glass and a dry, had me stopping regularly to target a rising fish, mostly fairly modest but extremely pretty



With the occasional better one, picking off the sporadic Olive uprights.



Around 3pm there was a proper hatch and a good rise and lots of fun



So yet again , the wee river provided me a huge amount of fun on a day when i was struggling on the Don. some good fish too




Sandy

[Filip Adamcio]

Well done Sandy

[Steven Kidd]

Great sport Sandy!

We wont go into what happened to me today..........suffice to say I am now 2-0 down to a particular specimen.......and this is the second week of extra time!

Steven

[Geoff Gill]

Nice fish Sandy .
Some Bonny red spots in that first one 

[Allan Liddle]

Nice Sandy, Ury fish are bonny.

[Duncan McRae]

Well done Sandy.
Great to see the Ury getting fished.

Duncan

[Mike Barrio]

Cracking day on the Don in great company 

[Steven Kidd]

We'll need to meet up for a day on the Don soon Mike,

I've had an emotional two days........pure torment actually......tempted three very good fish to the fly, hooked, played and eventually lost...... ......but I now where they live!!

Had a good wee day today fishing a new stretch of water, funny kind of day where I was, the hatches were very sporadic and short spells of 10-15mins,  I had great fun fishing my usual wee Clyde Styles, note the front row.....(tied by Peter McCallum no less).......pity to get them wet to be honest!

Anyhoo, landed a good few brownies over two days, great sport, I love the colours on the wee fella,







Steven

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Steven 

What size Clyde Style flies?

I was dropping fish today as well 

[Steven Kidd]

Hi Mike,

They're all size 14s, pretty much my go to size,

There is one particular trout that has haunted my dreams for all last week.......and will be doing the same next week!!

Steven

[Mike Barrio]

It's good to have dreams 

14s have usually done best for me too.

[Stevie Rennie]

Hi Mike,

They're all size 14s, pretty much my go to size,

There is one particular trout that has haunted my dreams for all last week.......and will be doing the same next week!!

Steven

Don’t give up on that dream Steve, I had the same fish haunting me from last season and tried countless times to get it. The problem was there’s no upstream approach, so countless stealthy downstream attempts were made, fading light, darkness, rain cover the lot, wet, dry, nymph & streamer, with only one cautious pull on a streamer to show for it.

Out trying for a salmon earlier this week the conditions just before the recent spate were in my favour, tea tinged water, & fired up fish.
First cast was perfect and swung into his last known location and on retrieve I felt a hit and thought aaaargghhh that was my chance. Then second cast swung in to the exact same spot and on retrieve saw an almighty bow wave follow and a very firm grab.

5 minutes later a 5lb bar of gold was admired and having never left the water, safely returned to his lair to contemplate.

My only regret is that it was on a small single hooked silver spoon while out salmon fishing and he unfortunately shares the spot where I’ve had my biggest salmon.
I hadn’t succeeded previously with the fly and stealthy approaches.

Knowing this is a fly related forum and that’s the main reason I’m here but don’t want to offend anyone by posting a fish that my ever  improving flyfishing skills didn’t  deserve.

It leaves me with a question of have you guys experienced one that just won’t take your fly based offerings?

[Steven Kidd]

Steve,

Ah, well....see this particular trout has taken my fly offerings twice........but he's a wiley old fox and threw the hook the first time and snapped, (or bit) the line clean of at the fly the second time.....

We'll see if he is still where I left him after the river returns to condition.

Steven

[Stevie Rennie]

 
Sounds like you’ve got his number, good luck 

It’ll bother me that I never got mine on the fly but feel that my skills don’t quite match my quarry yet.

Something to strive for 

[Mike Barrio]

Out for a couple of evening hours for the first time this season last night, plenty of fly life and a few fish rising 

[Sandy Nelson]

well after the hiatus due to the Rain and then the river level, i finally managed a few evening out this week

Yellow mays, Uprights and their spinners seem to be quite prolific, but the Sedges seem to be the focus for the fish.
An early evening riser proved to be an unusual colour for a Don fish, with strong orange fins and a very dark look.



A late afternoon fish proved to be more usual but they were few and far between during the day, if you were searching with dries



however it was the late evenings when they started to feed, a fairly tight window of 1015-1130pm depending on when the wind dropped. and the sedge could scuttle across the surface. the week turned into a series of lost fish for me, but some very hard fighting strong smaller ones kept me entertained, with one slightly better exception



last night though, the fishing gods were through with taking the Piss and despite getting snapped twice, we found a line of good fish all tucked up, under a far bank that were sipping the sedges as they past, every fish was bigger than the rise suggested and smaller than what the ensuing fight promised. But some superb sport was had to Size 14 Dry sedges.



So now i feel like my Mojo is back, just in time for work tomorrow

Sandy

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Sandy, I had a feeling it might pick up last night, as the wind dropped earlier ... and it just felt right 

Cheers
Mike

[Steven Kidd]

Lovely Sandy,

I just hope i'm allowed out that late this week,

Steven

[Steven Kidd]

Nice wee outing last night after work .

A good mixed hatch and the sedges arrived at about 2200, didn't last long though.  Caught a nice couple trout to the 3/4lb mark, nothing big showing where i was , but great and very satisfying to have consistently caught fish on another Clyde pattern.

The Marled Corncrake, stated in John Reids book.....'Associated with June evenings and well into July'....its true!,

Apologies no pictures, my phone went in the drink last week.....waiting on a replacement.

Steven

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Steven 
I'll maybe give some Clyde style flies a swim next time I'm out .....................

[Gavin Stevenson]

Nice wee outing last night after work .

A good mixed hatch and the sedges arrived at about 2200, didn't last long though.  Caught a nice couple trout to the 3/4lb mark, nothing big showing where i was , but great and very satisfying to have consistently caught fish on another Clyde pattern.
The Marled Corncrake, stated in John Reids book.....'Associated with June evenings and well into July'....its true!,
Apologies no pictures, my phone went in the drink last week.....waiting on a replacement.
Steven

Steven, I knew John Reid very well when I lived down south, was member of a fly tying club he set up. Many happy memories and learned a lot from him. 

[Steven Kidd]

Gavin,

Great stuff, i have become fascinated by the history and the style of these wee flees.

We are all familiar with the North Country Spider, etc, however far less is said about the Clyde Style.

Steven