The week brought typical spring weather to Scotland—four seasons in a single day and little predictability. The northeast experienced noticeably cooler conditions than the central belt, and fish seemed reluctant to move, holding tight in the deeper pools.
It was, however, a welcome change to gain more daylight as the clocks went forward on Saturday, giving us longer days to enjoy on the river.
News from the beats
We had fish to the rods from Lower Crathes & West Durris on the lower river near Banchory, right up to Deecastle on the upper river close to the village of Dinnet.
Banchory Beat reported a couple of fish this week. Gerald Middleton landed an 8lb fish from Sandy Haven on Tuesday, and local Dee angler Fred Chadwick caught a 6lb fish on Friday.
At Cairnton & Middle Blackhall, a couple of fish were landed on Tuesday: Andy Ashcroft managed a 9lb fish from Malt Steep with Ian Ogden on the net, and Arni Balderson landed mirror bright silver spring 7lb fish from Mill Pool. I heard there were a few other likely takers, but overall, it was quieter than in previous weeks. On Friday, they reported seeing fish moving through, although they weren’t showing much interest in anglers. The flies that worked this week were the Dee Monkey and the Willie Gunn. Water levels ranged from 2ft on Monday to 1ft 5in by the end of Saturday. Levels have since dropped again and are now looking quite low and in need of a refresh.
Cairnton & Middle Blackhall is a beautiful place to fish, and they have limited availability over the next five weeks. If you fancy a trip in May or June, they can put some days together for you. Contact Sarah for details at sarah@cairntonestate.co.uk
Woodend Beat reported a lovely fresh fish of around 6lb from the Long Pool, and anglers also observed fish moving through. Andrew Goodenough commented that it’s the first time he has seen fish showing in March since 2017—a hopeful sign that spring fish are on the move.
At Birse, they said that the weather brought its challenges, with cold, extremely blustery winds making conditions tricky for fishing. The river dropped to its lowest level of the season, which at least allowed access to some pools they had not yet been able to fish. Nicol Paton managed a cast on Monday and caught a nice fish of around 6lb on a black and yellow Snaelda fished on a float‑sink 3. Shortly after starting, David Niven hooked a fish, but it thrashed on the surface and unfortunately threw the hook. On Thursday, James Simpson from London hooked and landed a beautiful 6lb fish on a Willie Gunn fished with a 10ft intermediate tip. The fish was split fresh, as shown in the video on the Scottish Fly Fishing Co’s social media. On Saturday, Hamish Prestige hooked and played a lively fresh fish but unfortunately lost it just as it was about to be netted.
The Scottish Fly Fishing Co have availability throughout April at Birse, as well as rods on the Cambus O’May beat near Ballater, drop them a note if you want to find out more.
Deecastle Beat reported an 8lb fish for regular Dee rod Neil Stephenson from Logie on Tuesday.
Other beats reporting fish this week included Lower Crathes & West Durris with two fish up to 8lb, Little Blackhall & Inchmarlo with three up to 9lb, and Carlogie on the Ballogie Estate with three up to 10lb. If you were fishing at any of these beats, please drop me a note with your story.
This week, three smolt traps were operating—two in the Muick and one in the Culter.
No salmon have been caught yet, but with river temperatures in the upper tributaries still low (3–4°C), we wouldn’t expect significant fish movement until it warms up. Check our social media for updates on this.
Easter holidays are here, and there is availability on FishPal for a range of Dee beats, with prices per rod ranging from £30 to £140 depending on your choice of location.
I am away next week on a break to the Isle of Mull, so my colleague Mark Walker markw@riverdee.org will be taking care of the report, which will be published on Tuesday due to the bank holiday.
Tight lines & Happy Easter.
DC
Debbie Cooper
debbie@riverdee.org