S
Sandy Howie
Guest
Welcome everyone
I am sincerely hoping that we have no technology challenges later once this weeks report has been published.
July has now begun, we are well over half way through the season but yet it has not exploded into life.
Last week was a nice mixed week of weather giving us all conditions on the river and a rise in levels, albeit not a huge rise but welcome in some quarters as it would have stirred the fish up a bit.
Things continue a pace in the countryside with crops continuing to ripen for harvest next month, tatties planted locally are showing a grand purple bloom as I drive to work each day and more colour is appearing in local gardens. The pheasant poults have been released where I work and they are being seen in huddles like children in a playground but it is when they get somewhat bigger that they seem to become suicidal when it comes to traffic on the estate.
Right let us see how things have been during the last week.
Simon Crozier at Castle Grant reports that the cooler water and better overhead conditions saw a few more salmon caught across the beats. Fiona Cunningham had a nice fresh grilse from the manse on Monday. A 10 lb fish came from the Garra on Monday also. Seatrout continued to provide sport with Peter Bentley catching a 9lber from Pollowick, a few more salmon came to the net across the week with the small rise in the water waking up the residents. Katie Tighe had a thumping 9lb seatrout from the Race Croy late on Saturday night. . With a bit a rain forecast for next week we look forward to better fishing to come.
Katie Tighe with a belter of a seatrout about 9lbs from Croy Race
Downstream at Knockando, Home Beat ghillie Archie Baillie advises that although conditions are still proving to be challenging we managed to land a few fish this week. Six salmon to 16lb, four grilse to 5lb and nine sea trout averaging 3lb. the fish were mostly caught in the witching hour just as darkness is approaching. This can be a frenetic period of activity of they fish are there and in the mood to play.
Mrs Jenks and her fine 12lb fish
Archie with Mrs Henderson’s 16lber
At Laggan, Max Mckinstrie reports the low water conditions do not suit them and the beat was lightly fished during the week with just a grilse and a couple of seatrout to show for their efforts. They are desperate for a rise to lift the fishing.
Fine fish in the darkening
Next on our journey doon the water is Delagyle where David Smillie reports two salmon in book, both 12lbs. the lucky captors being David Astor and Phillipe De Pass.
David Astor with a fine 12lb fish
At Kinermony one lucky rod, Mark Mcallmont had a good week, landing 4 small grilse between 1 1/2 and 3lbs but 7 more were lost during the week.
Malcolm Newbould reporting for Wester Elchies reports 5 fish were landed, a mix of fresh grilse and some older fish, with a few more lost.
At Craigellachie they got into the action too with some grilse landed for their week according to ghillie Dougie Ross
Continuing down river at Easter Elchies, Orn Sigurhansson reports another week of low water with some welcome rain. The rain was localised and only slight rises in the water. Water temperature around 62 and gauge hovering about -8. Despite this, we had good salmon, grilse and sea trout sport throughout the week. We had a good start to the week with 7 landed on Monday from the Red Craig, Upper Dips and Fiddich. Tuesday was fruitful again with 7 fish landed from the Red Craig, Lower Dips, Upper Dips and Fiddich. Wednesday proved to be a difficult day with a couple of fish lost. Thursday was again difficult with good conditions but only a single fish landed from the Upper Dips in the morning, a lovely 5lbs grilse.
On Friday most of the action was in the morning with 3 fish landed by 10am from the Upper Dips and Red Craig including another lovely grilse from the Sandy Bank at the head of the Red Craig. Graeme Ritchie also had a great day on Friday with 1 salmon, 2 grilse and 1 sea trout from Inverfiddich. We had a rise in the water on Saturday morning but managed to land a grilse and sea trout from the Pot in the Heathery Isle before lunch. We finished off the week with an acrobatic grilse from the Fidddich at 5.30pm. All in all a good week with 23 salmon and grilse and further 9 sea trout.
A well guarded EE fish
Chris Harold with his second of four fish landed, 11lb Fiddich Mouth
Orn with another of Chris’ fish
Wee grilse Upper Dips
Fish ON!! – Red Craigs
Fish on in Upper Dips – “ghillie” ready with the net
Down at Rothes and Aikenway, Robbie Stronach advises they had a quiet week with just 2 fish for the week . Mr Fletcher with a fish from Geantree 14lb and Mr Barbor with a grilse from Creeky, 4lb . A couple of others lost.
Delfur had Mr Nicky Mountain fishing his 70th season on the water reports Mark Melville. Amazing changes he’s seen since 1953, and still as keen as ever to cast a long line and catch fish. He led the way as usual by catching a fish first thing Monday morning and continuing to catch through out the week. We managed to got into the 20s with a mix of grilse and salmon.
Nicky Mountain playing a good fish in Otterhole with an ever attentive ghillie
Nicky with a lovely fresh fish
Tom Maccabe with his first salmon
Camilla Mountain with a beautiful fresh fish
Henry Mountain with a cracking fish
Henry again
A Wee Delfur grilse
Andy Gunn at Orton reports another good week for them with 16 for the week with many more lost. Piers Blewitt fishing until Thursday lunchtime landed 7 fish to 14lb, Bee Griffith fishing for the very first time landed fish of 8lb &12lb, Hugo Bain caught 2 at 12lb on Tuesday morning, James Haggie managed fish of 6lb on Tuesday and 12lb on Saturday, Rob Hutchison landed a Grilse from the Willows on Friday morning with Nick Duthie and Caleb Sutton both landed fish of 8lb on Saturday.
Piers with his 14lb cracker from Junction
Piers with a Cairnty Fish
Nick Duthie, 8lb from the Junction
Bee Griffith with a sealiced beauty from Junction
Next of the downstream journey is Gordon Castle and Brae Water, where Lewis Webb reports a great start to the week getting into the 20s by the end of play on Tuesday, the small rise on Wednesday seemed to switch the fish off for a while. On the whole a good number of grilse were on the go with plenty parting ways with us before they could reach the net.
The grilse are here
Lesley Rann’s first ever fish
Katy Baxter with a bonny fish from Upper Brae
Katy and her grilse from the Castle Water
Gary and his Saturday fish
Fochabers Angling Association also had a fair week reports Andy Milne with a good start to the week started with 5 fish landed, a 14lb salmon each for Gordy Young and myself from Braehead (both with net marks) and a 7lb salmon and 2 grilse for Charles and David Brew in the Quarry. On Wednesday Ian Tennant joined in the catches with a 7.5lb fish in the Upper pot. On Thursday Tom Brew had a 4lb grilse in Braehead and again on Friday, Tom had one from Braehead and one in the Quarry.
Gordie Young and his 14lber.
Ian Tennant with a lovely fish
Close encounter marks
I am lead to believe that some fish were also landed by the members of Speymouth Angling but as they do not report into the Board we do not know the numbers etc.
The week ahead looks a bit mixed with rain, sun and a bit of a breeze. I am not sure if the rain will be sufficient enough to facilitate a rise in water levels but we will wait and see.
Tight lines to those out and about
Sandy
Continue reading...
I am sincerely hoping that we have no technology challenges later once this weeks report has been published.
July has now begun, we are well over half way through the season but yet it has not exploded into life.
Last week was a nice mixed week of weather giving us all conditions on the river and a rise in levels, albeit not a huge rise but welcome in some quarters as it would have stirred the fish up a bit.
Things continue a pace in the countryside with crops continuing to ripen for harvest next month, tatties planted locally are showing a grand purple bloom as I drive to work each day and more colour is appearing in local gardens. The pheasant poults have been released where I work and they are being seen in huddles like children in a playground but it is when they get somewhat bigger that they seem to become suicidal when it comes to traffic on the estate.
Right let us see how things have been during the last week.
Simon Crozier at Castle Grant reports that the cooler water and better overhead conditions saw a few more salmon caught across the beats. Fiona Cunningham had a nice fresh grilse from the manse on Monday. A 10 lb fish came from the Garra on Monday also. Seatrout continued to provide sport with Peter Bentley catching a 9lber from Pollowick, a few more salmon came to the net across the week with the small rise in the water waking up the residents. Katie Tighe had a thumping 9lb seatrout from the Race Croy late on Saturday night. . With a bit a rain forecast for next week we look forward to better fishing to come.
Katie Tighe with a belter of a seatrout about 9lbs from Croy Race
Downstream at Knockando, Home Beat ghillie Archie Baillie advises that although conditions are still proving to be challenging we managed to land a few fish this week. Six salmon to 16lb, four grilse to 5lb and nine sea trout averaging 3lb. the fish were mostly caught in the witching hour just as darkness is approaching. This can be a frenetic period of activity of they fish are there and in the mood to play.
Mrs Jenks and her fine 12lb fish
Archie with Mrs Henderson’s 16lber
At Laggan, Max Mckinstrie reports the low water conditions do not suit them and the beat was lightly fished during the week with just a grilse and a couple of seatrout to show for their efforts. They are desperate for a rise to lift the fishing.
Fine fish in the darkening
Next on our journey doon the water is Delagyle where David Smillie reports two salmon in book, both 12lbs. the lucky captors being David Astor and Phillipe De Pass.
David Astor with a fine 12lb fish
At Kinermony one lucky rod, Mark Mcallmont had a good week, landing 4 small grilse between 1 1/2 and 3lbs but 7 more were lost during the week.
Malcolm Newbould reporting for Wester Elchies reports 5 fish were landed, a mix of fresh grilse and some older fish, with a few more lost.
At Craigellachie they got into the action too with some grilse landed for their week according to ghillie Dougie Ross
Continuing down river at Easter Elchies, Orn Sigurhansson reports another week of low water with some welcome rain. The rain was localised and only slight rises in the water. Water temperature around 62 and gauge hovering about -8. Despite this, we had good salmon, grilse and sea trout sport throughout the week. We had a good start to the week with 7 landed on Monday from the Red Craig, Upper Dips and Fiddich. Tuesday was fruitful again with 7 fish landed from the Red Craig, Lower Dips, Upper Dips and Fiddich. Wednesday proved to be a difficult day with a couple of fish lost. Thursday was again difficult with good conditions but only a single fish landed from the Upper Dips in the morning, a lovely 5lbs grilse.
On Friday most of the action was in the morning with 3 fish landed by 10am from the Upper Dips and Red Craig including another lovely grilse from the Sandy Bank at the head of the Red Craig. Graeme Ritchie also had a great day on Friday with 1 salmon, 2 grilse and 1 sea trout from Inverfiddich. We had a rise in the water on Saturday morning but managed to land a grilse and sea trout from the Pot in the Heathery Isle before lunch. We finished off the week with an acrobatic grilse from the Fidddich at 5.30pm. All in all a good week with 23 salmon and grilse and further 9 sea trout.
A well guarded EE fish
Chris Harold with his second of four fish landed, 11lb Fiddich Mouth
Orn with another of Chris’ fish
Wee grilse Upper Dips
Fish ON!! – Red Craigs
Fish on in Upper Dips – “ghillie” ready with the net
Down at Rothes and Aikenway, Robbie Stronach advises they had a quiet week with just 2 fish for the week . Mr Fletcher with a fish from Geantree 14lb and Mr Barbor with a grilse from Creeky, 4lb . A couple of others lost.
Delfur had Mr Nicky Mountain fishing his 70th season on the water reports Mark Melville. Amazing changes he’s seen since 1953, and still as keen as ever to cast a long line and catch fish. He led the way as usual by catching a fish first thing Monday morning and continuing to catch through out the week. We managed to got into the 20s with a mix of grilse and salmon.
Nicky Mountain playing a good fish in Otterhole with an ever attentive ghillie
Nicky with a lovely fresh fish
Tom Maccabe with his first salmon
Camilla Mountain with a beautiful fresh fish
Henry Mountain with a cracking fish
Henry again
A Wee Delfur grilse
Andy Gunn at Orton reports another good week for them with 16 for the week with many more lost. Piers Blewitt fishing until Thursday lunchtime landed 7 fish to 14lb, Bee Griffith fishing for the very first time landed fish of 8lb &12lb, Hugo Bain caught 2 at 12lb on Tuesday morning, James Haggie managed fish of 6lb on Tuesday and 12lb on Saturday, Rob Hutchison landed a Grilse from the Willows on Friday morning with Nick Duthie and Caleb Sutton both landed fish of 8lb on Saturday.
Piers with his 14lb cracker from Junction
Piers with a Cairnty Fish
Nick Duthie, 8lb from the Junction
Bee Griffith with a sealiced beauty from Junction
Next of the downstream journey is Gordon Castle and Brae Water, where Lewis Webb reports a great start to the week getting into the 20s by the end of play on Tuesday, the small rise on Wednesday seemed to switch the fish off for a while. On the whole a good number of grilse were on the go with plenty parting ways with us before they could reach the net.
The grilse are here
Lesley Rann’s first ever fish
Katy Baxter with a bonny fish from Upper Brae
Katy and her grilse from the Castle Water
Gary and his Saturday fish
Fochabers Angling Association also had a fair week reports Andy Milne with a good start to the week started with 5 fish landed, a 14lb salmon each for Gordy Young and myself from Braehead (both with net marks) and a 7lb salmon and 2 grilse for Charles and David Brew in the Quarry. On Wednesday Ian Tennant joined in the catches with a 7.5lb fish in the Upper pot. On Thursday Tom Brew had a 4lb grilse in Braehead and again on Friday, Tom had one from Braehead and one in the Quarry.
Gordie Young and his 14lber.
Ian Tennant with a lovely fish
Close encounter marks
I am lead to believe that some fish were also landed by the members of Speymouth Angling but as they do not report into the Board we do not know the numbers etc.
The week ahead looks a bit mixed with rain, sun and a bit of a breeze. I am not sure if the rain will be sufficient enough to facilitate a rise in water levels but we will wait and see.
Tight lines to those out and about
Sandy
Continue reading...