First Time on the Dee

[paraffin]

I have some fishing coming up at Waterside & Ferrar in June.
Never fished the Dee before has anyone got some advice about flies /lines etc we should expect to use at this time. Any help appreciated

Tx

[tyneandrew]

If the water heights are 'normal' and the weather mild then i would certainly recommend keeping the cast fine and flies small. The Dee generally runs clear like no other river i have seen, apart from the Don perhaps.

Silver stoats and stoats tails sparsley dressed would be my first choice at that time of year and have certainly been the number one patterns on Aboyne in June, looking at the catch returns.

Also, antisocial fishing hours also seem to pay on the Dee at this time of year if your prepared to fish into and out of the twighlight hours.

Good luck.

[toucan]

Waterside has one major holding pool - the famous Waterside Pool itself - and all the rest is relatively shallow streamy water but it fishes well even in low water. It is a good beat for sea trout and grilse and the numbers of these fish should be picking up from mid-June.

The wading is very easy and you don't need to wade deep in any of the pools.

Andrew's advice on flies and nylon is very sound - you will want a floating line, fine casts and very small flies for most of the fishing. If there is a rise in the water at this time of year, the water can be peaty for a day or so and then a few brighter flies might be useful but for normal conditions size 10 doubles and smaller will be your best option. I would suggest you consider taking a light line outfit as well as the usual 15 footer.

Mornings and evenings will be the most productive times to fish.

Enjoy your visit, keep an eye out for the osprey and don't forget to ask Davie the ghillie where the 88 pounder was caught.

[macd]

we have club water on the lower Dee- wee flies are the order of the day. also try 1/4" plastic tubes.
R

[paraffin]

Tx for that info will have to watch and not go to light if there is a chance of that size of fish

[tyneandrew]

That plastic tube you sent me looks really good in the Dee's water Ross.

I thought it looked a bit basic when i first saw it, but when i put it on it certainly looked the business rushing about in the water....

[toucan]

Paraffin,
The 88 pounder was a slip of the ghillie's finger when dialing in an 8 pounder on the Fishdee website. He is still living it down!

I should have included one of these

I would suggest you let the size of fly determine the breaking strain of your leader. A rough calculation is that fly size plus breaking strain should equal 18 to 20. So a size 12 fly would need 8 pound line and a size 6 would need 12 to 14 lb.

Good luck.

[paraffin]

I see good sea trout returns throughout the Dee this week,are the majority caught through darkness.Any gauranteed killers for both salmon & seatrout trying tp prepare a box of flies now.

Dan

[betanut]

Medicine fly - always works on the Dee for me.

[toucan]

Wee doubles - black pennel, butcher and the like - will catch their fair share of sea trout and can easily pick up a salmon at night or a grilse in the streams during the morning. Presentation is far more important than fly choice though in low water. Fish quietly and you'll have success.

Fish right down into the tails of the pools and maybe a few yards beyond.

Tight lines,

Mark