Week 20, Top Dogs again!

Last week was another productive week for Aboyne Castle rods.

Low water, bright conditions weren't enough to stop this weeks rod's catching, we had not seen many fish showing all week but were averaging 2 a day!

The Norman party took Waterside & Ferrar and Aboyne Castle for the week, a great party with lots of laughs! Monday started fish less for us and we didn't see a lot which didn't bode well.

However by Tuesday Harvey got us off the mark with a 4lb fresh grilse from Upper Plantation, and Alex landed a nice sea trout from the Lorne, I'm excited to see if the sea trout will arrive in some numbers this year! I have been hard at the vice with some sea trout killers!

Peter Wheelhouse and George  had two from crofts on the Tuesday for the Craigendinnie rods, so I was keen to get back to the upper beat. 

On Wednesday I had the first view of my beat which I hope to see many more of during the season. As I looked up Crofts on a beautiful day, with the hills in the background and both of my rods playing a fish! There's no better feeling as a Ghillie!

Thursday we continued the success with Mike Stevens landing the first fish of the season from Lower Fontie and Richard breaking his duck with a cracking 16lb'r from Tanarmouth!

Friday and Saturday we continued to land fish from Jockie Fyfe, Jim Norman landed a nice 6lbr from Crofts and another for Micheal Trafford from the Lorne of the Saturday.

A successful week, and Aboyne Castle rods were yet again top on the river!

Lets hope next week we can keep it up. The water has been dropping steadily and i'm sure a little rise soon won't go amiss. Next week has forecast showers and easterlies which isn't ideal but I as ever remain optimistic!

Week 19 Top Beat!

Last week was one to remember for me on the beat so far this season.

The water height on Monday was 1"5' and due to fall all week, so after last weeks rise and  no rain forecast I was sure this week we were going to see salmon in some numbers.
Nick Marriner and Andrew Robertson who have both fished here for over 30 years were my rods for the beginning of the week, I had Nick two weeks before who spurred me on to open up the New Pool so I was keen to learn some more of his secret spots!

Monday started pretty average, we were seeing a few fish in Crofts and Symonds but couldnt seem to induce a take, wee doubles and floating lines were the choice, that failing we tried a sink tip etc but to no avail. Nonetheless it was encouraging to see a few more fish about and we were optimistic!
On Tuesday we were out of it a little on the lower beat, whilst George and his rods on Craigendinnie had a cracking morning with two fish landed from Crofts and one lost from Jockie Fyfe.
We had touched one in the Lorne but all seemed a little quiet on the bottom beat until 5:00pm when Andrew managed to winkle one out of the Lorne. A fish of about 4lb's.

So with the duck broken we were eager for Wednesday to start with the water at 1"2'; 50F (perfect) and us back among the fish!

Andrew started off the morning with a flying start, 3 fish from Crofts on the first run down!! A real mixed bag with a sea liced Grilse, a Fresh 6 lb salmon and a slightly coloured 7lb'r. There had obviously been a movement of fish from the middle river. Nick in the afternoon landed a spanking fresh 10lb spirnger from Symonds! The phone rings and George has a salmon and sea trout to book in for Aboyne Castle bank from Browns Hole.

This was Andrew's last day and one of the best mornings he has had on this beat in a few years so a great way to finish the 3 day trip! Nick Still had a day to bring the Tally up, which he proceeded to do in style!

Thursday morning, Nick landed a 6lb'r from the Lorne before heading up to Plantation, he has caught the first fish of the season from plantation for 3 years on the trot and wasn't going to let us down this year, by the time lunch time had arrived he had two fish from the tail of Upper Plantation!

Before leaving on the Friday he called with yet another to book in from Crofts the evening before! Actively following Fishpal with Crathes not far behind, our two rod beat was in the lead! Something I must admit I wasn't expecting to happen in my first season.

All good things must come to an end as the old adage goes, and it seemed by Friday the fish had moved on through and things went very quiet. A real shame for Tom and his Micheal who fished for the last 3 days but hopefully next year they will be among the fish aswell.

It seems the Upper Dee is starting to perform a little better now, I'm sure not like many of you will remember from the good old days, but for a young green Ghillie to the Dee like me it is certainly nice to get my net wet a little more.

It seems floating lines and wee black doubles are doing the trick, size 12 - 14. and the evenings are definitely worth a cast!

I am hopeful for next week and confident that if they are there we will catch a few!

Not many pictures this week so just a couple of wildlife shots.

Top Beat!!

Couldn't resist...... Yesterday and today saw Aboyne Castle as the top beat on the Dee!! The fish seem to be here in a few numbers now! I hope they are going to stay around for a while. For just a two rod beat I must admit I'm chuffed to bits and very proud of my rods!

Week 18

Last week started promising, fish were seen in most pools in the upper beat, the river at 1"4' and 50'F.
Eric Wardle (Craigendinnie rod) landed a 6lb fish from Tanarmouth on the Monday. Unfortunately the river rose and things went a little quiet on the beat, fish were reported up stream but seemed to keep their heads down.
Wednesday morning, the river was up and coloured, Richard landed a 7lb'r from Symonds on a Park Shrimp Conehead with a sink tip, followed by his father David who lost another. By Thursday we were at 1"9' and falling, another fish from Symonds was caught by Richard Franklin who had just joined the party a beauty 10lb fresh springer from Symonds, Craigendinie bank.
This week was testing to say the least with the water up and down, which kept the fish moving on through, Richard managed to move a fish in the New Pool which has now been opened up as a high water pool, and lost another in Lower Fontie. Craigendinnie rod Robert Hall Jones caught another fish from Symonds in the evening.
This week saw the first fish from Symonds on the Aboyne Castle bank, and I'm sure the first of many!
A thoroughly enjoyable week with lots of laughs and some exploring new waters, despite the unfortunate rise which pushed fish down the perseverance payed off with 4 on the bank and others lost.

I am very optimistic for next week, with no rain forecast the river should be dropping nicely, and fish moving upriver watch this space!

Week 17

Last week  certainly saw more fish moving up river with the fish pal catches showing a general move to the upper Dee. The river height started relatively high at 1'9" on the gauge, dropping nicely, with a small rise on Wednesday due to rain and melt then continuing to drop throughout the week.

We Landed 5 fish in total between the Craigendinnie and Aboyne castle banks. A much better week than what we have been having, the majority of fish were caught on floating lines with sink tips and Monkey flies. Although as the water temperature pushed up to 50F we were trying smaller doubles and floating lines as well.

Karlheinz landed the first fish this season of about 8lb's from Tanarmouth, (about time!) which took quite a large monkey on a hover intermediate with a slow sink tip. Jense had a nice 6lb'r from crofts, AC bank.

Craigendinnie rods landed one from the Lorne pool AC bank and two from crofts, one was a beauty of 18lbs!! All of the fish on crofts were caught well down the pool at the fence and below, they seem to like it down there at the moment!

So a much better week than previous but they still seem to be a little tricky to catch. With mild temperatures and only showers next week, I'm hoping we will start getting some residents building up in the pools. We will be moving on to floating lines and doubles now with water temperatures rising, although worth keeping some sink tips or intermediate lines handy. Keep ringing the changes.

Here are a few pics taken during the week.

Please feel free to visit our Alastair and myself's new Facebook page TwinPeake's Media which will include fly fishing media from royal Dee side.

Twin Peake's Media Facebook Page!

TwinPeake's Media facebook page has now launched!

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Week 16

The week started well with on Monday Nick Marriner landed a 5lbr from crofts, below the fence from the Aboyne Castle bank. That's a few fish caught down there now, I'm told usually the upper part is better but at the moment it seems to be producing the odd fish, which in tough times is well received. Mark lost what would have been Tanar Mouth's first fish of the season on the Monday evening

Peter Jensen fishing the Craigendinnie rod had one from Jockie Fyfe on Monday evening and a cracker from Symonds on the Tuesday,both Craigendinnie bank.

So with high spirits and a little relief I thought we would start catching some numbers and that the fish were starting to arrive in some numbers.

Wednesday we had a spate, the water rose and we saw very little for the rest of the week, a little disappointing!

Nonetheless it was a most enjoyable week, making the most of Craigendinnies new hut. I must admit it was nice for me to talk to the likes of Tom Wheelwright and Nick Marriner who have fished here for over 25 years, great to hear their experience of the beat!

Staying ever optimistic, they will arrive in numbers any day now!

P.s apologies the blog is a little behind, on the plus side the new pool is now opened up from the Aboyne Castle bank after Nick said it used to produce fish between 2" and 2"6'. Would be nice to have another higher water pool on the lower beat!

Not to many pictures from this week however Richard Illingworth and I did a little photo shoot of his  very well behaved bonnie black lab, I'm sure he wont mind me sharing a couple of action shots.