Wednesday 4 February 2009

Spring Salmon Fishing a Fickle Affair

Each year on the completion of the shooting season my thoughts turn immediately to salmon fishing and I experience a desperate yearning to get the rods out and get started. So when Frank rung with an opportunity to kick the season off on the River Dee fishing West Durris and Lower Crathes I said “yes” immediately. It is a world famous beat that I had never fished before and was a chance to get started a week earlier than usual.


We commenced fishing with the two Roberts on Monday 16th February on a nice morning but with a rising water, which sadly by the end of the day was up to 6ft and still rising. I did get an appreciation of what a fantastic beat we were on, a veritable oasis of fly water for nearly all heights of water. Though unfortunately for us not at 6ft plus. We did fish on the Tuesday and caught a few kelts, but the highlight of the day was a casting demonstration from world champion Gordon Armstrong who was fishing with us. Equally remarkable was watching Franks 12 year old son Tom casting after just one day of tuition from Gordon. Not a big lad for his age but using a 14ft rod with a full sunk line he gave a perfect imitation of Gordon’s technique casting a good 25 yards plus with fantastic turnover of the fly. A lesson for us all in that timing and technique are a lot more effective than power!


On Wednesday though the water had dropped below 6ft and was falling and we felt we had more of a chance. I was put in second pool below the bridge and although the water was still very high it was possible to slow the fly down enough to stand a chance. As I got half way down and was covering the stream past a little promontory I had a good solid take just as I was slowly stripping line near the end of the swim. A good fight followed and I started to look for a beaching place, but to no avail. I then tried On Wednesday though the water had dropped below 6ft and was falling and we felt we had more of a chance. I was put in second pool below the bridge and although the water was still very high it was possible to slow the fly down enough to stand a chance. As I got half way down and was covering the stream past a little promontory I had a good solid take just as I was slowly stripping line near the end of the swim. A good fight followed and I started to look for a beaching place, but to no avail. I then tried ringing Robert on my mobile but no signal! The fish was still fighting well and perhaps had been on for 20 minutes when Mike French and Robert hove into view to change pools a welcome sight. The fish soon netted we estimated at 17lbs, what a start to the season. I then offered the pool to Mike who said "no finish it of" I went back to about a pace behind where I had hooked the fish and lengthened out my line and first cast hooked another fish of some 12lb. Both fish had been in the river for a few weeks and we speculated that they had possibly come back down stream on the flood.



This first trip was also notable for the extreme numbers of kelts that we caught many of which were fish quite recently spawned that had run the river late. A mention also for The Banchory Lodge Hotel where we were very comfortable, well looked after and the food was especially good.

Salmon Fishing Breaks

Political Rant

Just a couple of heartfelt gripes to get them of my chest! In the last budget the chancellor put duty on alcohol that has mainly hit the responsible middle classes and used the excuse of binge drinking and under age drinking to try and appear socially responsible. If he really had tried to do something about the problem of excessive drinking by young people with some of the extra money he garnered I think most of us could have stomached it as a package. But to hide the need for extra revenue which he does need behind a few pious utterances makes ones blood boil!
The excessive booze consumed by binge drinkers and youngsters largely comes from supermarkets who use alcohol as a loss leader to attract people to spend money on other products priced properly. Though it is nice to have a cheap bottle of wine or can of beer cheaply at home the effects are far reaching. Pubs have become very expensive and no longer especially in rural areas provide a centre point for the community. When we grew up our local had people from all generations in it and you mixed and picked up social skills and went there to meet people. The presence of older people who you knew perhaps helped prevent the worst excesses! This community has been lost. Youngsters get together in groups on their own and the culture is to get wrecked sometimes before you have even gone out!

I feel the chancellor should have adopted the following measures. Prevent supermarkets selling booze as a loss leader. He would receive more revenue from duty and VAT and actually make binging alot more expensive. It would allow pubs and independent retailers to compete on a level playing field and create jobs. Secondly have a campaign a bit like the aids one years ago explaining the dangers of alcohol to young still maturing bodies. The reason that you cannot buy alcohol until you are 18 is not because you cannot vote! It is actually because the liver is capable of regenerating itself if you give it a chance when you are adult but does not when you are young. Alcohol cannot be processed properly and it will permanently damage the liver for your entire probably fore shortened life. Having this explained to me when I was a young teenager would have changed my habits especially accompanied by a few gory pictures of damaged livers. It would educate both teenagers and parents and though it would not stop everybody it could only help.

Sadly our government is shallow and only concerned with staying in power, never with doing the correct thing. All problems are shelved of onto future generations instead of risking anything that maybe difficult for the electorate to chew on. We are financially bankrupt after years of good times with nothing put by led by a weak people just obsessed with their own situation.

End of rant, at least I feel a little better! Must stress that these are purely personal views and anybody is welcome to disagree!

Tufton Arms Hotel