Head Ghillies job River Dee

[storlaks]

I'm not convinced the Dee will compete with Russia/Norway/Iceland in terms of numbers, but yer man Baldursson is certainly trying to put it in the same price bracket. £330 a day is outrageous! Unfortunately there will always be people willing to pay that. I would be a bit pi$$ed off if I was an existing client and received that letter through my door!!!!
Let's hope the Dee doesn't go down the same road as the Tweed, if catches continue to improve.

[toucan]

Storlaks,

I admire your optimism but I fear the situation on the Dee is less positive than you (or Mr Baldursson) think. Regarding the post-1995 catch reduction, you'll remember that 1995 was the first year of the Dee Conservation Code. In that year the fly-only rule was introduced and the C&R rules allowed one fish per week to be kept. I don't think the reduced catches after 1995 can be linked significantly to stopping spinning (which had in theory stopped in 1995 anyway) or significantly reduced rod pressure (which took a couple of years to fall off). I would agree that the recent increase in catches is probably linked to a increase in fishing pressure, partly thanks to better marketing (FishDee website), and perhaps a small increase in stocks.

In the upper river, the scale of the remaining problem is evident by the end of the spring, not just in lower catches but more significantly in the numbers of fish one can see in the pools. The great holding pools that were traditionally dark with serried ranks of salmon are nearly empty.

So while catch statistics provide an indication of stock, in the low clear waters of summer, a much more accurate picture emerges - the weight of fish is a small fraction of what it was.

How that situation justifies Baldursson's prices I cannot begin to understand. He'll have fun explaining a week of grue, upstream blizzards or 2003-style low water to a party he's just relieved of £8000!

Mark

[scotia]

storlaks said:

I'm not convinced the Dee will compete with Russia/Norway/Iceland in terms of numbers, but yer man Baldursson is certainly trying to put it in the same price bracket. £330 a day is outrageous! Unfortunately there will always be people willing to pay that. I would be a bit pi$$ed off if I was an existing client and received that letter through my door!!!!
Let's hope the Dee doesn't go down the same road as the Tweed, if catches continue to improve.

Unbelievable the way people can take their regular customers for granted.Cant think of any justifiable reason why one would treble their daily rod rate.Would hope you would get a side of smoked salmon just for turning up at these rates.

[jimthefish]

Unbelievable the way people can take their regular customers for granted.Cant think of any justifiable reason why one would treble their daily rod rate.Would hope you would get a side of smoked salmon just for turning up at these rates.[/quote]

I think that is the whole point. Arni probably doesn't expect all of the regulars to return and will have a band of overseas clients only too ready to step in to a prime beat. Sad but I suspect that is what will happen.

[tyneandrew]

If the demand is there then it has hard for most people to turn down a lucrative business proposition.

It would take a strong person to put the ethics of the 'sport' before £££

[fishingd0]

Although for the Dee this is very expensive and may set a very unwelcomed trend, when you look at some average to good beats on the Tweed, they pay far more, or does the Tweed have superior fishing to that of the Dee?

[storlaks]

The Tweed is vastly overpriced.....that's the problem.

[tyneandrew]

The Tweed is seriously pricey.

Personally i'd feel like i was getting a better deal fishing for Dee springers at Lower Crathes for £2000 a week rether than Tweed autumn fish for £4000 a week.

The Dee is also a more reliable option. There were a lot of prime autumn weeks lost on the Tweed this autumn. You loose very few days on the Dee.

[altmor]

For by the fact Tyneandrew, the Dee is a much more pleasurable river to fish !! Have fished both the Dee and the Tweed on good beats on both rivers, and given the choice - I'd plump for the Dee every time !!

[iainjay]

Do you think if you apply ,you get to try it out for a day?