The river was up and down like a yo-yo last week, according to several ghillies and anglers I’ve spoken to recently, but thankfully it began to settle by Saturday. I’ve also heard that more fish are starting to run, so fingers crossed they continue making their way into and up the river.
News from the beats
We held our first Come & Try Day of the year at Banchory last Saturday with a keen group of ten participants. Everyone picked up some new—or long-forgotten—skills from Blaine Lyon of Twin Peakes Fly Fishing, supported by our fantastic team of volunteers. The weather was kind, although a chill developed in the afternoon, so we took regular breaks to stay warm and motivated.
Our thanks go to the Banchory beat for hosting, and to Jordan Sinclair for sharing his wealth of experience with anglers throughout the day. We look forward to welcoming some of the group back to the Dee later in the year to chase a salmon or two.
At Cairnton & Middle Blackhall, John Webb landed his first two fish of the season on Monday—an 8lb salmon from Malt Steep and a 9lb fish from Floating Bank. On Tuesday, Stewart Horne caught a 10lb fish from Grey Mare, and Andy Ashcroft landed an 8lb fish from Malt Steep. River conditions were very unsettled on Wednesday and Thursday, with levels peaking at just under 7ft late on Thursday before dropping back to 4ft and becoming fishable again by Friday morning. Saturday brought the best weather of the week, with no wind and excellent overhead conditions. Two fish were landed that day: a 9lb salmon by Charlie Robertson from Kelpie, and an 8lb fish by John Webb from Grey Mare. The usual go-to spring patterns—Willie Gunns and Monkeys—proved effective throughout the week. Water levels were variable: 1’11” on Monday, 2’11” on Tuesday, 3’4” on Wednesday, 2’8” rising to 7’ on Thursday, 4’ on Friday, and 2’10” on Saturday.
Woodend recorded a couple of spring salmon last week—one from the Garden Pool and one from the Moral Pool. Both fish were reported to be around 11lb, and one was very fresh with long‑tailed sea lice.
Angus Rutherford reported another quiet week on Upper Blackhall, with river conditions remaining unsettled due to fluctuating water levels and ongoing snowmelt. The river rose and fell rapidly throughout the week, peaking on Wednesday at around 2.13m—one of the highest levels recorded on the beat this season—and carrying considerable colour. With more settled weather now forecast and the river beginning to drop, prospects for the coming days look more encouraging. There is still some last‑minute availability this week, so please get in touch with the beat if you would like the opportunity to fish Upper Blackhall at a good height.
Local Aberdeenshire angler Craig Fleming landed two salmon on Ballogie last week during his annual visit, both caught on Thursday, with a third fish unfortunately lost. There is limited availability on the Ballogie beat over the next couple of months:
- April: Thursday 16th – Saturday 18th (1 rod)
- May: Thursday 28th – Saturday 30th (2 rods)
For bookings, please visit FishPal: https://www.fishpal.com/scotland/dee/ballogie/
At Birse, I heard that Mark Lough landed a springer in Murrays Pool of around 7lb, and on Saturday local rod Neil Stephenson caught a very fresh 6lb fish from the Trees Pool. Birse has some availability later this month—full details can be found here: https://www.fishpal.com/scotland/dee/birse/
Arni Baldursson was fishing at Deecastle this week and landed a fish from 29 Pool at 4pm on Saturday, after a week of sheer perseverance in tough conditions. Well done, Arni — and haste ye back!
If you’ve always wanted to fish the iconic Balmoral beat on the Upper River, they’ve recently released rod availability starting from £75. You can view the details on FishPal here: https://www.fishpal.com/scotland/dee/balmoral/
Altries beat on the lower river is a beautiful place to fish, and they’ve let me know that they have several availability slots in their summer calendar, including prime weeks commencing 31st August, 28th September, and 5th October. They also offer a lovely holiday let at Altries, giving you the perfect base on Royal Deeside with the ability to walk straight onto the fishing beat each morning. If you’d like more information, drop me an email and I can pass your details on.
In other news…
We have now published the dates for Aberdeenshire Fly Fish 50 — our programme designed to introduce both adults and young people to fly fishing on local trout lochs. Details for the three consecutive Tuesday evenings in May can be found here:
Fly Fish 50 in May at Insch
The dates for the three Wednesday evenings in June at Lochter Fishery will be released soon. If you would like to join the mailing list, please drop me a note.
Thanks to the team at Twin Peakes for helping us deliver this programme, and to our volunteer anglers. If you are keen on stillwater fishing and would like to help, please get in touch — you don’t need to commit to every date.
Tight lines.
DC
Debbie Cooper
debbie@riverdee.org