Post by jimthefish on Mar 18, 2007 17:39:45 GMT
Have just returned from a great 5 day trip to the Dee. My week started on Tuesday at Lower Crathes fishing with good friends from south of the border. I let the Monday rod go as I was up on the Helmsdale the week before and felt a couple of days at home with Mrs. Fisher was required.
I arrived at Banchory on Monday night to learn that they had 8 springers for the day and all 4 rods had caught. Had I let the best day go ?
The Tuesday dawned bright with high pressure and 3' on the Lower Crathes guage and dropping. Everything seemed in our favour apart from the strong and at times very gusty wind. Robert Harper head ghillie was keen to see us all started and the quiet air of optimism and excitement was almost palpable.
I started in the Mill Pool wading it from the South Bank and had my first take at 9.10am which turned out to be a kelt. That disappointment vanished when I had a strong take 30 minutes later which turned out to be a 12 pound cracker. To cut a long story short, I ended the day with 4 sparkling springers..... three like peas out of a pod at 12 pounds and a smaller sealiced fish about 9lbs.
A day of 4 springers is a cause for celebration but it was made all the more special by a number of factors:
1) We had a very lean time the week before on the Helmsdale fishing over apparently empty water. It was a delight and fantastic contrast not only to see fish moving but to catch them
2) I caught a springer in every pool I was sent to.
3) The fish were really walloping the fly and were either hooked securely in the scissors or well back in the mouth. The only fish I lost all day took on the dangle in Riddell's Pool.
4) I had the company all day of the delightfull Doug Murray who apart from netting fish kept me entertained between pools with a seemingly inexhaustable supply of ghillie and keeper tales.
The Beat ended with 7 for the day with only one very experienced rod blanking.
I went on to catch more springers later in the week including a day of 3 at Invery on the Thursday but that day at Lower Crathes will remain a highlight for me in a spring which is already rich in fishing memories.
THE FIRST OF THE DAY GOES BACK
INTO ONE IN KELPIE
SAFELY IN THE NET
THE LAST FISH OF THE DAY ON LOWER BRIDGE
DOUG DOES THE NECESSARY
PERFECT WATER RUNNING ON INVERY
An interesting sidelight to this story. Back at the digs in the evening I met the famous Robert Gillespie who had the 25pdr on Park on Monday. He and his mate Granville had blanked on the Tuesday. At the bar he asked me to show him the fly I had my 4 fish on which I duly did...... a Francis Grant Drowned Mouse tied on a 1.25" tube with jungle cock eyes.
The next day he and Granville were invited by my mate to have a cast at 5pm on Lower Crathes on the Wednesday evening. They duly appeared on schedule having both blanked at Park. Second cast at the Neck of Upper Bridge, Granville lands a sealicer and his first Scottish salmon. The Fly ? A drowned Mouse of course, Robert having gone to his room the night before and tied a few. Nice one ! Delight all round.
PS Invery was not recording the daily catch last week. Something to do with the joint ownership of the beat and one of the owners not contributing to the Website. They might record the numbers at the end of the week or in the weekly report, I'm not sure.
For the record we caught 12 in our 3 days at the endof the week and the rods in the first half of the week had 5. We did well on Saturday in comparison to other beats landing five one of which was a sealicer in Floating Bank estimated by the rod (not me) at 20+.
I arrived at Banchory on Monday night to learn that they had 8 springers for the day and all 4 rods had caught. Had I let the best day go ?
The Tuesday dawned bright with high pressure and 3' on the Lower Crathes guage and dropping. Everything seemed in our favour apart from the strong and at times very gusty wind. Robert Harper head ghillie was keen to see us all started and the quiet air of optimism and excitement was almost palpable.
I started in the Mill Pool wading it from the South Bank and had my first take at 9.10am which turned out to be a kelt. That disappointment vanished when I had a strong take 30 minutes later which turned out to be a 12 pound cracker. To cut a long story short, I ended the day with 4 sparkling springers..... three like peas out of a pod at 12 pounds and a smaller sealiced fish about 9lbs.
A day of 4 springers is a cause for celebration but it was made all the more special by a number of factors:
1) We had a very lean time the week before on the Helmsdale fishing over apparently empty water. It was a delight and fantastic contrast not only to see fish moving but to catch them
2) I caught a springer in every pool I was sent to.
3) The fish were really walloping the fly and were either hooked securely in the scissors or well back in the mouth. The only fish I lost all day took on the dangle in Riddell's Pool.
4) I had the company all day of the delightfull Doug Murray who apart from netting fish kept me entertained between pools with a seemingly inexhaustable supply of ghillie and keeper tales.
The Beat ended with 7 for the day with only one very experienced rod blanking.
I went on to catch more springers later in the week including a day of 3 at Invery on the Thursday but that day at Lower Crathes will remain a highlight for me in a spring which is already rich in fishing memories.
THE FIRST OF THE DAY GOES BACK
INTO ONE IN KELPIE
SAFELY IN THE NET
THE LAST FISH OF THE DAY ON LOWER BRIDGE
DOUG DOES THE NECESSARY
PERFECT WATER RUNNING ON INVERY
An interesting sidelight to this story. Back at the digs in the evening I met the famous Robert Gillespie who had the 25pdr on Park on Monday. He and his mate Granville had blanked on the Tuesday. At the bar he asked me to show him the fly I had my 4 fish on which I duly did...... a Francis Grant Drowned Mouse tied on a 1.25" tube with jungle cock eyes.
The next day he and Granville were invited by my mate to have a cast at 5pm on Lower Crathes on the Wednesday evening. They duly appeared on schedule having both blanked at Park. Second cast at the Neck of Upper Bridge, Granville lands a sealicer and his first Scottish salmon. The Fly ? A drowned Mouse of course, Robert having gone to his room the night before and tied a few. Nice one ! Delight all round.
PS Invery was not recording the daily catch last week. Something to do with the joint ownership of the beat and one of the owners not contributing to the Website. They might record the numbers at the end of the week or in the weekly report, I'm not sure.
For the record we caught 12 in our 3 days at the endof the week and the rods in the first half of the week had 5. We did well on Saturday in comparison to other beats landing five one of which was a sealicer in Floating Bank estimated by the rod (not me) at 20+.
