Hi peeps!!!!
When the last season finished, I must admit i was quite relieved....... the pressure was off.......I could get back to catching fish again.
I'd put in litterally hundreds of hours for a handful of fish (every one worth its weight in gold, as they went back on their journey upstream), and so many lost, i thought i was cursed!!! When number 9 in a row shook the hook i didnt half do a wee war dance
As the winter depression's set in.................. the bucktail and arctic fox came out! And now I'm readying to start again.
In march mind........... for the price of a pair o neopreans i could get some fishing
Where are you eager beavers laying your hope?
i quite fancy dalmarnock on the Tay, just before the price goes up.... considerably, for 4 or 5 days. Or maybe Altries and lower drum on the dee for 2.
the whiteadders a cracker, but i do love the double hander, and getting away at a moments notice to catch the spate is a real problem.
Hmmmmm, decisions decisions?
More days with a fraigrant chance of a lunker, or fewer with a tad more optomism. And all on a shoestring budget!!!!!!!!
Or better still, some thoughts of association water with a recognised spring run, which i could frequent during the summer too?
Any ideas to help me through the comming weeks would be most appreciated!

Tight lines

Rod

Fish won't start to be caught in anything other than the odd single fish at Dalmarnock, until the prices go up again.

It's really nice water to fish the fly, as long as the water isn't high.

Thanks for the reply GFL.
I guessed as much........... its cheap for a reason, but there is a magic to swinging a fly rod over a big river where there is a chance.
Watching the prices I've learnt you can be lucky "the week before" so to speak.
Any hot tips?

All the best for the comming season and tight lines.

Rod

I'm just curious as to what it costs to fish in the place you guys are talking about.

Ard

No tips mate, never cracked it on the Tay. It's like throwing a sausage up a close in the spring water.

Just the usual tips, tubes to suit the water conditions. There's fresh fish entering the Tay every day of the year they say so there is always a chance. The last time I fished there was same time of year and the water was up a couple of feet and the usual howling gale (Dalmarnock is so exposed) made life hell never mind the fishing. We did see fish going through though.

Dalmarnock Bank, right at the top is a lovely bit, as is the Steps. I can't remember the names of the other pools but if you get the chance to cross the water in the boat and walk up about half a mile and fish down the right bank that's also a lovely bit of water. The last pool at the bottom on the left bank, just above the road bridge is also lovely fly water.

---------- Post added at 01:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:17 AM ----------

Ard, we're talking about a beat (there a few who offer the same deal) who do 2 rods for the price of one in early spring. Until mid or end March I think it's about £28 per rod (2 rods on the deal) and it goes up to £35 in April, if memory serves me right.

We were at Stanley Mills last week and lost count of the silver bars charging up the river....mind you they were not hangin about. With Kenmore on monday which is a social rather than a proper days fishing there will be fish caught but springers ?. We are at Newtyle on Tues and with the mild weather who knows. Rain forcast over the weekend and it was sitting at 7 on the gauge when we were back at Stanley Mills yesterday might be a washout and the fly will be hard going. But one advantage....nice and mild. One thing for sure...We wont catch them battering away on a keyboard
as GFL says.....it is cheap for a reason

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BROWN TROUT:THE RED SPOTS HAND PAINTED BY GOD

There was a springer caught on opening day at Kenmore last year, in a really big water. Mind you it was caught on two large tobies fished tandem.

That's interesting, I've never dabbled in salmon fishing but those prices are less than I was expecting. Even the high price is what you'd pay for a day ticket + your "half" of a boat on a big midlands ressie for example. Mind you, in my case you'd also have to add in travel and accommodation, a few days of fishing to make it worth the trip, not to mention new gear....

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Jeff,
if you have a tackle tart mindset ,salmon fishing is an excellent excuse,it is as you say comparable ticket wise with a days boat fishing in the Midlands and south of England ,stretches out my angling year and is good fun,puts a whole new angle on fishing as there is always a new wrinkle to learn .

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

Of course there is always a chance of a spring salmon on the beats mentioned but the price is the clue - probably only 4 or 5 salmon for the month amongst up to 8 rods. Similar weeks on the Dee which has a good spring run would be about £120/day and on 1 beat about £350/day (plus vat)

All very difficult for the travelling angler but for those within commuting distance when the conditions are ideal it is a different matter.

That being said if you are on a good river with a good ghillie then the experience is priceless