Kingcausie Beat River Dee

[greenalert]

Hi Folks

Have been watching this forum for a while & think it is superb

Does anyone have information on the above beat?

The reason I ask is that I have a possibility of a week there in February

I am relatively new to salmon fishing & any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thank you & wish all a Merry Christma & a Happy New Year

[jollyrodger]

Hello Greenalert.
I've fished it a few times and there are a few nice pools on it. You'll be hoping that we have a very cold spell in January early February to slow the fish down when they enter the system. If it's relativly mild they tend to run on through to Park and the middle beats.
If you are starting at the top of the beat the first pool is the Bridge Pool. If you are fishing from the left bank you'll need a fairly good cast to hit the other side where the fish tend to lie.
If you are wading be very careful because there are some very big boulders just at the bridge and not far off the bank. Once you've waded down about 100yds they are a lot smaller and won't pose you much of a problem. From the bridge pool you can fish all the way down to the flats. There are big trees on your opposite bank and again fish can be caught there.
The best pool though IMO is the Powberry. It's the last pool on the beat and it often holds good stocks of fish. It's a fair hike from the bridge to the Powberry though especially with neoprenes on. I'd drive round if I were you.
Kincaussie tends to be a better back end beat but as I said if the water temperature is low you may have some success.
Tight lines and let us know how you get on.

[Sloggi]

Hi Greenalert.

Yes, I've fished here on various occasions. You will see from other threads that the lower Dee is not the place to be in the spring

Kingcausie is excellent in August and September - but that's it. You can forget about it the rest of the year. Occasionally if you hit the beat about 1-2 hours after high tide you can be lucky and pick up a grilse passing through in the summer.

Sorry for the miserable reply, but I wouldn't pay to fish there during the spring - go upstream ;D

If you do go, the Powberry and Wood Pools will be your best bet although if you fish the submerged rocks at the Flats (between the Wood Pool and the Culter Bridge) you may pick up a resting fish. Nothing lies in the Blairs' Run during the early part of the season except the odd kelt.

[Sloggi]

The Pool order is thus (from the Culter Bridge downstream):

Bridge Pool (with large rocks) - goes right down to the hut on the far bank.

Flats - see the bit about submerged rocks

Wood Pool - good at the bottom end of the pool

Various little bits from here until the large bouldered man-made bank by the Island. Fish the last stretch of this boulder-strewn bank (not easy walking). The best bit is right at the end of the boulders.

Powberry - dont wade too far out, if at all, as the fish do lie close in as well as at the far bank.

Blairs Run - fish lie on opposite side which is syndicated out. The beat stops half-way down the pool for some obscure reason.

[greenalert]

Thanks for the information lads, nowhere have I found a forum as informative as this

Keep up the good work

Cheers

Graeme

[greenalert]

Hi Folks

Please excuse my ignorance but can anybody tell why it appears that as stated in previous replies the lower Dee is not much good in the Spring yet appears to be the place to be in August & September according to the Fishdee website catch statistics

Do the fish just swim straight through in the Spring, but hang about in the Autumn?

Any information would be most appreciated

Thanks in anticipation

Happy New Year to all

Cheers


Graeme

[say]

Graeme,

Yes, the lower dee does not hold fish early in the season, the pools down there are long, shallow shingle bottoms with slower flows. It's not until you get to Park where you get the 'white water' that slows up the fish in Spring.

However at the back end the majority of the run tends to spawn below Banchory, which is just as well for us lower dee fishers.

[Sloggi]

What you find in the lower Dee is that you are very lucky to see a salmon until August. Everything just runs through unseen. I guess it's nature's way of dispersing the year's fish. In the spring and early summer the fish push on through the river stopping at Park etc as a natural resting point and travel up through Ballater in April/early May with an even spread throughout the upper middle and upper part of the system. Then the late summer/autumn fish fill up the lower river - do they know the upper river is full up? Who knows

However, with August comes the first exciting splashes of fresh fish holding up in the lower river. The beauty of the lower Dee in September is the number of sealicers coming in - some days it can be breathtaking. The pools fill-up and fun can be had with the ever increasing numbers of residents while we wait for the tide to bring a run of fresh fish.

Occasionally, the moment arrives when the pool at Leggart Terrace empties of fish and they all arrive in your beat - the water is boiling with salmon for a hour or so, then they are gone.

A few years ago, sea-trout appeared to remain in the lower Dee a bit longer but now they also seem to pass right through.

One of the main issues with wider, gravel-bottomed pools is that with floods the pools change every year destroying old lies and, hopefully, creating new lies. However, I know a few pools that have never recovered from a flood a few years back.

[greenalert]

Very infomative lads, thanks very much

I now have a clearer understanding

Cheers


Graeme

[greenalert]

So would I be right or wrong in saying that a running fish would not take your fly if it met it on the way upstream?

I don't know

Again any help would be appreciated

Cheers


Graeme

[Sloggi]

Tens of thousands of salmon must pass through the lower Dee without so much as a splash. You'll see on FishDee that the odd one is caught. I don't understand the ways of the salmon and can't answer your question with any refulgence