The last days on the Dee, my biggest yet this year!

On Thursday the rain up in the mountains made the river rise half a foot. All the fish that we saw on Wednesday was gone, heading for Dinnet and Balmoral beats. It was a pity we actually had a chance for some really good days, but you know how it is, good fishing is as fresh as newly picked strawberries and don’t stay long. On Thursday we went to Aberdeen to see David and Collin at Somers Fishing. A good visit in a very nice tackle shop, I think it must have been 12 years or so since last time. On our way home we visited Arni Baldursson on Lower Crathes, great meeting but sad to hear the fishing was tough with only few springers landed.

Thursday night water started dropping back from 2 foot and clearing up. A pull and lost fish on a straight line was all I managed this night. Friday David showed up and fishes as our guest. Unfortunally he couldn’t manage to get one but being happy as always it was a great visit. I put a hover tip and a 5 mm longer Dee Sheep with a metallic yellow cone on and managed to hook one in Mill. A bigger than average fish and with 84 cm and 15 lbs my biggest so far this year! A great fight and happy release. Very few fish was showing and as always is middle Dee best on stable conditions with fish moving thru slow. On Saturday we had planned to leave after lunch. I fished thru many places and the take came again in Mill. A fresh sea liced 7 lbs was the fifth and last fish for this year.

To sum things up I think I did good with my 5 fish for the week. The runs are not like they used to be, and Dee is really suffering. I believe we again se fish farming industry to be the biggest problem. Smolts on their way to the open sea has to go thru the sea lice belts up north. Again, the solution is not hatcheries but to clear the way for the wild fish. No on my way home to prepare for the Russian season coming up shortly.