Recent Catches
The cold water of winter has taken its toll on the few anglers out on the river. The river has been lightly fished and returns are quite low; but given the winter conditions it is no surprise the fish are quite unresponsive with water temperatures so low. Beats have reported 48 Springers to 18 lbs with the lower beats seeing some sport. It is a pity there are not more rods out on the lower beats as there are prime Springers about. Top beats were Altries and Crathes this week and congratulations go to Ghillies Kevin Fleming and Cleeve Cowie who have managed to get their fishermen some fine February Springers.
David Adamson with fine Springer from Park
I do hope angers will take advantage of the availability on the lower beats as there are fish to be caught. The banks and roads are clear of snow and the river is running clear and cold. I had some fishers on the river on Upper Drum & Lower Durris this week and they had an enjoyable time with Jim Paton. One of our rods , Mr David Gordon turned up at lunchtime on Monday and had a fine sea liced Springer within an hour of starting fishing. What a fine specimen it was at 9lbs and in fantastic condition. Dave commented “For the record the fish took at 1430, on a intermediate line with a 10
foot slow sink tip. The fly was a 2 inch cascade tube. The fish gave a very good account of itself before being expertly tailed by David Reid. It was in sparkling condition with about 10 long tailed sea-lice on its back. After a couple of very quick photos it was returned and very quickly swam strongly off.”
Dave Gordons sea liced Springer
There were other catches reported to me by Hardy casting academy instructor Jim Fisher at Ballogie – a fine fish of 16 lbs. Jim Coates reported a fresh 9lb fish. And I was delighted to receive a picture from Stuart Yeats who managed the fishing at Blairs with a very fresh 15 lb fish. So well done to all successful anglers and please remember to drop me a line and let me share your anecdotes and pictures with our readers. You can write to me as always at
ken@riverdee.org-remember the River Dee Conservation Code is in place for 2010 and details are on the FishDee website. There are rods available on the river due to the cold winter so please take advantage of the rods available and come and fish the River Dee. Ken Reid © FishDee Ltd, February 2010
Prospects
Fishermen who are seeking the highly coveted prize of a Dee Springer this week will be watching the river levels and weather forecast closely. As of Sunday evening we have had a relatively milder day than of late with rainfall falling steadily today. We also have High Tides of 4.3 metres forecast for Tuesday which coinciding with higher and slightly warmer water will hopefully encourage a new run of fish. Altries, a lovely lower river beat had 5 fish on Friday and has been very lightly fished so it shows there is potential for sport for those venturing out.
Stuart Yeats Cracking Springer
The weather forecast is in line with last week suggesting some cloudy days with light winds and overnight frosts. There may be some rain or sleet showers and hill snow higher up the valley. There is a good reservoir of snow at the top of the catchment and this augurs well for spring fishing providing we don’t get a “warm spell” where the snow melts rapidly. As you would expect at this time of year you need to fish deep and slow. Sunk lines are the order of the day and the best taking times will be around lunchtime when the river and air temperatures are at their highest. If you have the services of a Ghillie to advise you then please ensure you heed their wise advise. The River Dee Ghillies know their water and will give you the best advice on how to catch the prized Dee Springer if they are in your pools. There are a few Kelts about and please treat them with care as some of them will make it back to sea and will return to the river again to spawn.
Some final pieces of information of note which I hope you will find of interest. Firstly the Dee Dram whisky is being delivered this week to the valley. George Strachan of Aboyne has a delivery of 100 cases arriving on Thursday so please make sure you order some. You can now order on line by going to
The Dee Dram to place an order or by visiting Georges shops and the Stag Hotel in Banchory where they have stocks. This initiative is so important in helping raise funds for the River Dee Trust and helping restore the river to its former glory. The fish of the month award is up for grabs with a fine prize from our sponsors available for the biggest 2010 salmon caught. It is a hard struggle to find the winning fish but what a superb achievement it is to win the accolade. Finally I would like to finish by reporting that well known Ghillie Archie Hay from Crathie is in hospital and sadly is quite poorly. We extend our best wishes to him and his family and hope he has a speedy recovery and will be back holding court at “McLaren” with his many guests enjoying the fabulous fishing and surroundings. Tight lines to all who are fishing, and to those that are thinking about it well please come and fish and enjoy Deeside’s hospitality. Ken Reid © FishDee Ltd, February 2010