Dunkeld House Boat & Bank

[castlikeaghille]

Greetings Knights of the Rod and Line

Yesterday Splash, Collie Wuff, Dr Kildaire and me took a trip over to the Tay's most consistent beat; Dunkeld House. To give ourselves a sporting chance we hired a boat and two bank rods. Tay means an opportunity to put away the fly rods and to do some real fishing.



Dunkeld House is situated in scenery that is very pleasing on the eye. Jim Frier, who leases the fishing, makes you feel welcome including fixing you a welcoming beverage at the well appointed and equipped hut.



The fishing is a bit like Coupar Grange except 4 times as large, a lot more trees and no one quite like Guie Fuishie. There is some good fly water, holding pools and deep pots more suited to cutlery and snakes.

The picture here shows Dunkeld Bridge (the bottom of the beat) in the background while Splash and the boat are in the Guage Pool.



Here from the car park you can see the lower Lady Pool, under the wires and downstream to between the Croys and the Mouse Trap.



On with the fuishyin'. Splash and I had the morning in the Boat with Ian Kirk. Ian is absolutely first class; fishing with him is more like fishing with a guide ( a trend that is pleasingly on the increase in the UK). He has fished a lot of places and is very creative in his approach. In the morning we made our way up through the neck of the Lady pool casting upstream into the run. Splash caught a nice trout and I caught a snag

We then moved up into run above the island continuing to motor slowly upstream fishing as we went. By the time we had worked our way tot he top of the rock we hadn't seen a fish, but it was a very entertaining way of fishing. Ian said it was time for Plan B Between the Croys.

So we motored down stream through the lady pool stopping to have a few casts, inevitably, under the wires before anchoring up above the first croy. On the right bank Jim Frier was about to land a sealiced 9lber taken on the Snakes. A few minutes later he was in again and a 7lber was landed.

At last we were seeing some fuishies including one hog of a salmon jumping down in the Mouse Trap. I don't often fish with Snakes these days, but once in a while it is entertaining Feeling the bait bounce down on the braid while thumbing the multiplier is touch fishing at its best. Twice fish took, picked up the bait, moved away with it and spat out the bait leaving not much worm. Ian was not very impressed with the efforts of his guest; nor was his guest who has booked himself a refresher lesson at the Snakey Jakey master school.

My instinct was to switch to the wee floaty red devon, but we persevered with the snakes. Nothing. So Ian took the boat on the oars down through the 20' deep Mouse Trap. A fish grabbed Splash's Flying C. I reached for the camera and the fish was in the net setting a new world record for landing an 8lbs salmon. Here it is. It's a lot fresher than you can see in the photo.



Shortly after we packed up for lunch. In the afternoon Splash and I were on the bank and Collie Wuff and Dr Kildaire were in the boat. I had to leave early so only had time to fish the Guage Pool through once with flee (see above). I made the mistake of trying to fish it with the long headed Jocky M when the enclosed bank and upstream wind meant the shooting head was the way forward especially as the fish were showing across a wide area. I also think the boat pinched the only takable fish while we were tackling up - Here we see Dr Kildaire's fish being netted - the Snake again...."I think I'm snagged" Dr Kildaire attributed



Just as I was crossing the Forth Bridge, very slowly, I had a text in from Collie to say he'd just taken a 10lb licer on the flee from the boat in the Cathedral Stream. So 5 fish for the day and contact with others; nae bad.

Meanwhile, the Master of Blankersyde was down on Isla[Blair]mouth where they had 1 for three days. P.A.T he'd stopped taking my calls by lunchtime

In summary, Dunkeld House is a excellent option for those who are prepared to fish the methods open to them. If there are four of you then the boat and two bank rods makes an excellent day of two halves; one of the most enjoyable day's salmon fishing I've had in a while.

Regardeth

CLaG

[elwyman]

Nice report CLaG.

The Tay sure is a big river down there. By way of contrast, I fished the Elwy for sea trout last night - you could almost jump across it in places.

[splash]

Splendid report ClaG and I can really only echo what you say. If you take the half day boat half day bank option its a nice way to have a crack at all sort of methods. Ian Kirk is really first class and works overtime to put you onto fish, retaining a high degree of enthusiasm and an open mind at all times. Interestingly Colliedogs and "Kildaire's" fish were within an ounce of each other but one was a Tummel fish with different colouration on its back (more of an olive/gold tint). Although its a reasonable cast, a short bellied spey line of shooting head is useful for fishing the flee in pools like the Guage, due to the relative proximity of cabbage on the backcast

cheers

Splash

[pertempledog]

CLaG perhaps the battery on his phone went flat after the time it took to make all his congratulatory comments.......

P.A.T.

[hornet]

Good report Clag and some nice pics too.

Have you ever used the snakes on a single hook with the fly rod.


Hornet

[splash]

hornet said:

Good report Clag and some nice pics too.

Have you ever used the snakes on a single hook with the fly rod.


Hornet

Jesus Hornet don't give him ideas ! Seriously though, I grew up using this method for trout. We used it very much like Czech nymphing with a cast (lob) upstream and then checking the pace of your worm and controlling depth or exploring different water by varying your weight of your split shot. We hooked a fair number of salmon using this set up although landing them was a different matter on the trout rod.

cheers

Splash

[hornet]

I was watching a bloke yesterday fishing the worm and it is quite an art in itself.

It made me wonder using the fly rod with a bunch of snakes to see what the difference would be from the fly.

I may give it a go the next time.


Hornet

[castlikeaghille]

Low water snakes on the single handed fly rod sets apart those who can catch fish and those who talk a good game.

The Don showed me how to do it once. Single handed fly rod. Roll out a rod's length of floating line with 12 ft 6lbs leader a single BB split shot 3" from a size 10 hook and one snake. Then you literally walk down the pool at the pace of the current steady with the line...see that method for grilse on the Mary Whitehouse Pool at Coupar Grange...heh, heh, heh Yolandey

However, the real experts of that art, surprisingly, live just upstream of the home of whammin' it oot while wearing Tweed - Mature Macallan County is the place to see it in action; or at least you used to on the Badlands of Grantown AA. As for upstream in small rivers, I defer to the Tafia for advice on that one.

All fun and games

CLaG

[splash]

castlikeaghille said:

Low water snakes on the single handed fly rod sets apart those who can catch fish and those who talk a good game.

The Don showed me how to do it once. Single handed fly rod. Roll out a rod's length of floating line with 12 ft 6lbs leader a single BB split shot 3" from a size 10 hook and one snake. Then you literally walk down the pool at the pace of the current steady with the line...see that method for grilse on the Mary Whitehouse Pool at Coupar Grange...heh, heh, heh Yolandey

However, the real experts of that art, surprisingly, live just upstream of the home of whammin' it oot while wearing Tweed - Mature Macallan County is the place to see it in action; or at least you used to on the Badlands of Grantown AA. As for upstream in small rivers, I defer to the Tafia for advice on that one.

All fun and games

CLaG

You don't need to defer to the Tafia but just head to the middle Clyde to see that done to perfection. I wonder if anyone's ever caught a salmon on a gadger?

[colliedog]

Good report CLaG. Thank you for picking a picture of me stuffing my face! I have found the answer to a bringing a labrador perfectly to heel - carry a sandwich.

It's a nice friendly beat with a good range of water at all heights. The Cathedral Stream down at the bottom of the beat is a beautiful bit of fly water. You get a bit of an audience when you hook a fish - fine when they stay on but might not have been suitable for family viewing had I lost it.

CD

[pertempledog]

CLaG I have now spoken with the Master of Blankerside who informs me that once he had established the methods that gave rise to the "success" no further phone calls were necessary, - or even called for....

P.A.T.

[zephead]

Hornet,

Many a happy hour had snake drowning.

Fave method was to fish a 12 ft coarse rod with a freelined worm down to the fish with a slightly weighted leader with the rod held high and a belly in the line-a bit like the flee rod method above-running free line through your fingers.For even more devastating effect fishing upstream down the side swell of rockier pools is often good-especially with a centre pin and using a catapult cast.

My old Shakey hollow glass "Strike" used for pechuer a la crustace in my youth is a good tool but I always aspired to a Hardy's Richard Walker Farnbrough carp thing made out of helicopter rotors for a bit more stick when a fish was hooked.

Trotting can also be good on a relatively clear bottom where you can fish a longer trace and "lay on" as you trot-surprising how the rising snake often produces a take.

Always a fan of pennel tackle and/or if fishing a snake like a fly using a few sparse turns of sheeps wool from a barbed wire fence (did you know barbed wire was invented by a woman incidentally?) for keeping snakes on whilst gently flicking them into the stream.

Should not someone open up a separate Worming Amnesty thread so we can all reminisce in peace...................................................?

ZH.

[splash]

zephead said:

Hornet,

Many a happy hour had snake drowning.

Fave method was to fish a 12 ft coarse rod with a freelined worm down to the fish with a slightly weighted leader with the rod held high and a belly in the line-a bit like the flee rod method above-running free line through your fingers.For even more devastating effect fishing upstream down the side swell of rockier pools is often good-especially with a centre pin and using a catapult cast.

My old Shakey hollow glass "Strike" used for pechuer a la crustace in my youth is a good tool but I always aspired to a Hardy's Richard Walker Farnbrough carp thing made out of helicopter rotors for a bit more stick when a fish was hooked.

Trotting can also be good on a relatively clear bottom where you can fish a longer trace and "lay on" as you trot-surprising how the rising snake often produces a take.

Always a fan of pennel tackle and/or if fishing a snake like a fly using a few sparse turns of sheeps wool from a barbed wire fence (did you know barbed wire was invented by a woman incidentally?) for keeping snakes on whilst gently flicking them into the stream.

Should not someone open up a separate Worming Amnesty thread so we can all reminisce in peace...................................................?

ZH.

Interesting peice on trotting ZH, a much underestimated skill IMHO. True three dimensional fishing where you have to calculate, depth, flow, the effects of microcurrents and drag and where the fish are taking in the water column. Last winter I hooked and landed 3 salmon while trotting for grayling using 4lb fluorocarbon and size 14 hook. A 12 ft match rod gives you a good shock cushion. All took a single maggot. I also lost one absolute belter of an early running springer which I had on for a couple of minutes and which eventually threw the hook. Its amazing how they will take such a small bait in low clear water. Holding back often induces a take, particularly if you know where a fish is lying.
cheers
Splash

[zephead]

Splash,

clearly a true gent of hill and stream of the old school.

The 12 ft match rod is just much lighter to run away from the bailliff with,it's cushioning effects in the take and fight being an added bonus..................!!!!!

Regards

ZH

[woburn]

Agree with CLaG on the expertise shown by Upper MWC regulars with an upstream snake. My first experience of salmon fishing was with my Grandad on the Avon at Tomintoul on the Richmond Arms hotel water. We couldnt believe some of the spots the regular fishers would 'produce' salmon from in the streamy runs and pots. Not an easy skill to master mind you, and worm husbandry is a whole new hobby on its own. Nothing quite like the smell of a wormery gone bad..........

[wilbert]

Nothing quite like the smell of a wormery gone bad..........

Your not wrong and its surprising how quickly those buggers turn to liquid in a hot car. You always see warning stickers about dogs in hot cars well I think tackle companies should make them about worms too. The smell is possibly the worst thing I have ever been unfortunate to get a lungful of. My mum said that she would valet my car that day before the worms were discovered and true to her word she cleaned the car, thanks mum.

[hornet]

The more i read of worming the more i want to try it. I fished Benchil on Sat and hooked a sea troot and nearly launched it onto the bank when i struck into it. I managed to hand line it under control then banked it. After a close inspection of my first fish from the Tay i returned it.

I fished it again last night only to hook a blue rainbow, totally amazed . I was told it must have escaped from a hatchery in Blair. I chapped it and left it for the otters.

Cheers

Hornet