River Dee Fishing Report – Week 25 commencing 13th July 2026
The week was dominated by the continuation of lousy weather. It is all a matter of perspective; some people enjoy this sort of thing, but high pressure, unbroken spells of blazing sunshine and just two clouds isn’t my idea of a nice day out on the river. Always competitive, Deeside once again found itself vying for Scotland’s warmest location of the week (go Deeside), with temperatures climbing into the mid-20s and an official Scottish heatwave declared after several consecutive days above the 25°C threshold.
For anglers and ghillies, this manifested as another frustrating week. There was virtually no meaningful rainfall across the catchment. River levels remained stubbornly low and water temperatures inevitably crept upwards through the afternoons, making early mornings and late evenings the most productive times to fish.
Monday was quiet, with only an early morning grilse from Dess reported. Tuesday was much better, with eleven fish reported. Brian Sim picked up two at Park, weighing 7lb and 8lb, from the Long Pool and Greenbank respectively. Jason Scott also had a grilse from Greenbank, while the Long Pool produced another for Ger McLean. Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo also enjoyed a good day, with four fish reported between them. Lower Crathes, Dess and Dinnet all chipped in with one apiece.
Little Blackhall picked up another fish on Wednesday, as did Sluie. Carlogie had two. Sluie added another on Thursday, as did Lower Crathes. Lower Dess Estate Director Jossie Clayton, fishing with her father Jeremy, was rewarded for her early start with a fish from Dess on Thursday.
Julian Pullan landed Park’s final fish of the week, a nice grilse from Upper Kirks on Friday. Tilbouries had a sparkling fresh 4lbr, landed by Andrew Cuthbert. Ewan McLaughlin had a couple on Saturday and lost a couple more. There are a few fish holding there now, and Nicol Paton is confident this bodes well once conditions become more favourable.
Crathie had an 8lbr on Saturday, while Dess finished the week with a brace shared by Owen Findlater and Malcolm Ewan.
Outlook
The intense heat has finally taken a step back. Temperatures return to something much closer to being acceptable, with cooler nights and a little more cloud cover. Sadly, the forecast still falls well short of delivering the sustained rainfall the river needs. We may begin to see a greater chance of showers towards next weekend, but for now it remains a case of making the best of low-water conditions and hoping the weather gods eventually remember where Aberdeenshire is.
The ghillies will have their own thoughts on fly choice, but the usual mix of small dressed doubles, Silver Stoats, Crathies, small Cascades, Flamethrowers and similar patterns should cover most eventualities. Full floating lines and a selection of polyleaders remain the basic staple.
As ever, listen to your ghillie.
Ross Macdonald