Friday 30 May 2014

Dinnet Beats Update - Lairds Cast-

Well the second week of May has always been the Lairds week and often a very productive week here at Dinnet and Deecastle. This year even with very good river conditions it proved to be a difficult week however most rods were rewarded with much effort and perseverance. The week started off very well but it appeared that we lost quite a lot of fish on the Monday night and we only saw a slow trickle of fish throughout the week thereafter.

River conditions were perfect all week starting at 11" and dropped down to 6" by the end of the week. Temperatures began at 52 degrees but dropped down to 49 mid week and peaked again at 52 on the Saturday. A perfect height for all the main pools and classic conditions for floating lines and small flies fished slowly on top.

Monday Ian Scott began the week with a cracking 9lber from Logie Pool and David Conroy followed close behind with a 10lb sparkling fish from Pol Slachd. Finishing the first day with 4 fish recorded spirits were high and they improved again when the Dinnet Estate Laird Edward Humphrey skillfully landed a very feisty fish of 9lb from Pol Baw at 10pm on the Monday evening. Unfortunately the fish on the beat proceeded to continue upstream and left us very quiet for the next two days. Marcus Humphrey broke the quiet spell with a 10lb fresh fish from Pol Slachd on the Thursday and Colin Somerville kept things rolling with a sealiced beauty from Red Brae on the following day.

Saturday we had great celebrations after I was fortunate enough to instruct and ghillie Amanda Kavanagh's first ever Salmon which she caught and played extremely well in Red Brae. It is a great part of the job being able to share moments like these and I am convinced Amanda will continue to catch salmon in Scotland. We finished the week with 10 fish which for May is disappointing however in tough times those fish are remembered and very well deserved.

Successful tactics were fishing full floating lines and small flies patterns like the crathie, silver stoats, ghillie flies and munro killers in sizes 8 to 12.
Amanda Kavanagh fish on


First Fish!! Well done!!


Edward Humphrey with a feisty
evening springer



Sunday 11 May 2014

Dinnet beats update - Things are looking up

The first week of May should be a very good time to salmon fish here at Dinnet. Last weeks river conditions were acceptable with heights ranging between 10" and 1'4" and temperatures 52 degrees and above the majority of the beat fished well throughout the week. We started off to a slightly slower start with only three Springers landed by Wednesday but a wee rise in water on the Wednesday night certainly brought some fish into the beat. Thursday our rods landed 8 fish with catches on every beat it was encouraging to see the fish spread out throughout the beat. By Saturday evening we finished with a respectable 18 salmon landed for the beat.

Michael Trafford landed a 16lb fish from the tail of Bruich which was the first for the pool this season. Mark Beaty also broke the duck for Pol Slachd and we proceeded to catch some more from this pool. Even with the river rising and dropping during the week fish continued to take small flies on floating lines and it is always a pleasure to fish in this way and often even see the take on the surface. Successful patterns were the Crathie Fly, Stoats Tail, Silver Stoats, Dee Sheep in sizes 9 to 11, Waddingtons, and Black and Yellow tubes all fished on floating lines.

Evening fishing has also been successful with several fish this week taken in the last hour of daylight. It is always important to rest your evening pools and last week beginning your cast at around 9pm was about perfectly timed. There have been some sea trout catches further down river this week and I would expect to start seeing some sea trout on the beat in the next week or so.

Tight Lines
Mark Beaty's lovely fish from Logie

Fish On

Anticipation


Monday 5 May 2014

Dinnet & Deecastle beats update

Well my forecasts of full moons, big tides, and shoals of fish entering the river; I am afraid did not materialize with us here at Dinnet. River conditions for last week were satisfactory beginning the week with a low river at 5" and rising to 1' on Tuesday the river was in perfect order. As the week progressed snow in the hills proceeded to melt and the river fluctuated  between 1' and 1'6" so really not bad heights. Temperatures were on the way up sitting between 47 and 50 degrees. Unfortunately not many fish were caught or seen during the week, Mark Trasenster landed a very fresh 6lb springer from Red Brae on the Tuesday yet despite great efforts by a great team of fishers that was the weeks total catch. A wee spate rose on Saturday afternoon and brought in a run of fish and plenty were seen in the boat pool late Saturday and one was lost.

I feel Sunday would have been a great fishing day!!

Monday morning our new enthusiastic rods arrived and we certainly saw more movement of fish than what we saw the previous week. Fishing an evening rod I started the week with a 6lb springer on the Monday evening from the Haugh Pool. Returning guest Graham Forbes caught a beauty from Red Brae on the Wednesday of 8lbs. Colin Lowsen's guest Craig also took a fresh fish from Logie on Wednesday night after moving the fish twice with other flies first he persuaded it to take a small red Frances third time lucky. Mike Forbes who has been visiting Deeside for 50+ years took a lovely 10lb springer from Red Brae on a size 10 crathie fly, and Roy Willingham also broke his duck with a fiery springer from Logie in the evening. Returning rod Harry Dimmey caught a lovely fish from Red Brae on the Friday as did first time Dinnet Deecastle rod Ian Brindly from cobbles. I finished the week with the first fish of the season on a Toucan fly at 9.30 from Red Brae.

The river had fluctuated between 1'3" and 5" and temperatures have remained above 50 degrees each day which is great news for the upper Dee. Now with resident fish in all our major pools we should see fish holding for longer on the beat and with temperatures much warmer then May last year I would predict a much better May this year at Dinnet/Deecastle

Tactics are now floating lines with poly leader tips leaving 15lb nylon and moving to 12 and doubles from size 8 to 12 will be the fly of choice over the next few weeks. Even fishing occasional hitch tubes on the surface and small collie dogs could well produce fish for anglers when the small traditional patterns are not so effective.

Unfortunately
I have not received many pictures of fish this week so here are a few shots I have taken during the week.

I have a feeling it will be a good May :-)

 Casting practice
 Enjoying the new benches at 'Pretty Hut'
 Spring time
'The Toucan' What else could a fish want?