Just a heads up for trout dry fly addicts and all trout stalkers about a brand new book that is available. It is called "Dry Fly Memories: Extracts from a Don Diary" by John C. Walker. John is a comitted brown trout angler and only fishes dry fly, mainly with vintage equipment and small hackled dries. The book follows his 'journey' of fishing the private and association beats of the River Don in Aberdeenshire over the last 50 years.

I fish these same beats and found it fascinating how much these beats have changed with regards fly life over the years (although they are still fanatastic to fish). In this day and age of "tactical" trout fishing and apparently having to have every technique (and fly) at one's disposal I for one found it thoroughly inspiring to read about an angler who chooses to only fish in a particular way and with only a couple of dry fly patterns. John catches way more fish than I do so maybe I should take heed ! Don't expect screeds of technical info and fly patterns but expect to be inspired by an angler who fishes very sucessfully in the 'classic' dry fly style and with outmost respect for his quarry - it's what river trout fishing should be all about.

The book retails at £15 plus p+p. Further details on the book and how to order it can be found at http://www.adaa.org.uk/pdfs/book.pdf

It is a limited edition and it is selling well so hurry up - why not make it a Christmas prezzie to self ! I'm off to tie a few claret and badger hackled dries like he uses for next season, size 18 of course !

Lindsay

thanks, will be ordering this

Thanks for this....the Don is a brilliant river . At Fettenear very Easter in the 70's + 80's I used to fish dry March Browns in the tumbling hatches that popped up each day at 11.30-1.00. Often it would be snowing and the air temp a bold 40degrees or blazing hot and a big 60 deg F. Once the hatch was over it was back to a wet greenwells and butcher!
I have since been told these were 'merely' olives and not March Browns - I am off to find out from a knowledge!

I likewise recall the March Brown hatches occurring in a blizzard. The fish would go manic and then turn off as quickly. Similarly the sedge hatches on the lower Don in the evenings were fantastic; in fact to the point there was too much fly about! Sadly those days are long gone
G

Thanks for the interest in the book guys.

Sedges are still important, especially June to September, but last season hatches of all fly was 'brief' and sporadic to say the least - sometimes over before you could change your fly ! Even in mid April there was fly activity at the usual middle of the day time but rises were few and far between making upstream spiders a bit of a lost cause - across and down was more succesful. LDO were often seen on the water but in dribs and drabs. Likewise BWO Dun 'hatches' were very sporadic where and when I was fishing - the 'rise' often lasting 10 minutes.

Tactically, fishing emerger patterns pays of as you can fish before, during and after the hatch. Personal fav Wyatt DHE which I am going to start the season with !

Lindsay

I was speaking with the Author John Walker today. The book is continuing to sell well and has been well received by those who have read it.

It is a limited run and as I understand there are no plans for it to be reprinted. I am not going to say how many are left but let's just say if you are interested in this book I'd be reserving a copy pretty darn quickly ! Ordering details can be found in the first post in this thread.

Lindsay

Understandably so.
It's a fine read , scribed by a man who clearly knows , and loves , his river.

Don't expect a "how to " volume , but there are more than a few pearls of wisdom hidden in it's pages.

Worth every penny.