Newsletter - August 2015 

Welcome to the August FishDee newsletter. It contains everything you need to know about fishing on the River Dee. 

You can find and book fishing, and find accommodation to suit. You can also discover more about the work being done by the Dee Fishery Board and River Dee Trust to manage, improve and develop our river. 

If you require any further information, please contact the River Dee office on 01339 880411 
or by email at Denne e-mail adresse bliver beskyttet mod spambots. Du skal have JavaScript aktiveret for at vise den. 

Tight lines
Ross Macdonald
01339 880411 Denne e-mail adresse bliver beskyttet mod spambots. Du skal have JavaScript aktiveret for at vise den. 

July Summary

A cracker from Dess for local rod Phillip Wood.

The first two weeks of July were slow on the river with them accounting for 42 and 49 fish respectively. The second half of the month showed a marked improvement and we had our best week of the season with 88 during the wb 20 July. We have enjoyed plenty of water this month, although it has been unsettled, moving up and down almost daily. At the time of writing there are another 50 in the book for wb 27 July and there are a few more days of fishing to go this month. We move into August with some cautious optimism that we will see a consistent improvement. Sea liced grilse have been taken as far up as Cambus O May and very fresh grilse have also been landed at Monaltrie and Lower Invercauld and Crathie

As we get into August the lower river should start to produce some good sport. You can check the latest availability here

An 18lbr for Mr Fielding at Lower Crathes

Jordan Sinclair is awarded the 2015 River Dee Bursary

Jordan Sinclair

The 2015 recipient of the River Dee Bursary, which is now in its third year, is 21 year old Jordan Sinclair, a seasonal ghillie at Lower Crathes and West Durris.

Jordan is in his second year on the beat and has had some work experience at Banchory and Upper Blackhall. He is following in the footsteps of his father, Raymond, who is the ghillie at Upper Blackhall and his Uncle Jimmy, who is the ghillie at Canterland on the North Esk. Read More

First Salmon Fry found on Culter Catchment for 250 Years

Following the high water in July the River Office staff had their first opportunity to do some electrofishing on the Culter catchment on the 28th. They returned from the Gormack Burn very excited, with news that they had found the first salmon fry to have swum in the catchment for around 250 years. The team made three sweeps of a 100m sq section of the Gormack Burn and found 22 salmon fry approximately 13km above the fish pass installed in October 2014. The first salmon ascended the pass on 3 October 2014 and we will be keeping a close eye on how the fish are repopulating the area.

For more on this important habitat restoration project see the River Dee website

Banchory Croys Removal

This August work starts on the River Dee at Banchory and at the Sluie and Commonty fishing beats downstream of Potarch, to restore the River Dee's natural channel and flows and to improve habitat for freshwater pearl mussels and salmon.

At Banchory 15 boulder croys, including those visible from the Dee Street Bridge, will be broken up and the boulders re-distributed in the River. The boulders will provide habitat for freshwater pearl mussels as well as lies for salmon. A further 9 croys will be removed from Sluie/Commonty with the additional benefit of allowing gravel salmon spawning beds to recover.
Read More

Events on Deeside

There is always a lot happening in Aberdeenshire during the summer. The Ballater Highland Games on 13 August and the Lonach Gathering. on the 22nd.

See Visit Royal Deeside for the latest updates.

Dee Board Welcomes Scottish Government Conservation Proposals

Dee District Salmon Fishery Board (DDSFB) has warmly welcomed the forward thinking salmon conservation proposals announced by Scottish Government on 23 July.
Under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003, the Scottish Government is proposing to introduce a licensing system for the killing of wild salmon in Scotland and to prohibit “the taking of salmon outwith inland waters”. In essence this will mean an end to the killing of salmon in coastal waters.
Full details of the proposals are available on the Scottish Government website

A Fly to Try This Month - The Red Frances

The Frances has a growing army of followers on the Dee. Ballogie Head ghillie, Sean Stanton, loves this fly more than any other. It takes fish throughout the season. Check out the FishDee blog to read more about this excellent Icelandic pattern.

The Frances and other deadly patterns available to buy from Sean's online store.

Martin Robson Takes Up The Reigns at Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo

Martin Robson took over at Little Blackhall and Inchmarlo in the spring of this year. He brings a wealth of skills and experience to Deeside. Read More About Martin

Controlling Ranunculus on the River Dee

We are trialling a chemical treatment this summer for the widespread aquatic plant, Ranunculus (water crowfoot). Ranunculus can be a real pain for the angler. It seems to prefer those parts of a river where the salmon fisher can be found and low water conditions it can hook the fly on almost every cast. The River Dee staff carried out trials on the river this month where herbicide was applied at two small sites where Ranunculus is a significant problem. Read More

Dee Ghillies Association

Shane Christie, Dee Ghillies' Association

The Dee Ghillies Association represents the interests and opinions of our ghillies, and also makes an important contribution to decision making on the river. Important legislative developments such as the Wild Fisheries Reform are shared and discussed, as are the the thoughts and feelings of anglers on the riverbank. The Dee is fortunate to have a body of excellent ghillies and they are not shy about sharing their views!!

Shane Christie, of Middle Drum, chairs the Association.

'The ghillies are on the front line and have direct contact with Dee anglers, owners and the board. We play an important role in communicating what is happening on the Dee and also feeding back to the board at our monthly meetings. It has been a frustrating year for us all, but we will stick together and continue to give our rods the best possible service. We have been here before!'

Diva Fluvius

Read Diva Fluvius Here

Alex Simpson, father of Lower Blackhall and Kinneskie ghillie, Colin prepared a manuscript about the River Dee. It dates from the 1980s and Colin has allowed us to present the document here. It has been scanned and preserves some of Alex's hand written notes. It is a fascinating piece on the course and history of the Dee. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at Denne e-mail adresse bliver beskyttet mod spambots. Du skal have JavaScript aktiveret for at vise den.