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The Scottish Dee opened today.

7K views 40 replies 17 participants last post by  Willie Gunn 
#1 ·
The Tweed system and the Dee opened today.
I am pleased to announce that I caught and returned my first salmon of the season on the 16ft Meiser, good way to christian the rod.

Graham Ritchie who frequents these boards could not catch a springer as he was too busy catching kelts(black salmon) 19 for the day + others lost at his feet. Barely at cast without a tweak.
 

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#10 ·
Willie Gunn??

Congratulations, an opening day fish is always special.

The fly? Willie Gunn?? doesn't look like it on the pic unless its a local variation??

Yesterday the Tyne opened, perfect day, had a few kelts to Willie Gunns to whet the appetite, haven't heard of any fresh taken yet.

Tweed looking good, there on the 18th Feb.
 
#11 ·
Grrr...you guys are lucky. To start a season as soon as January and close it late in fall. We have put our rod on the rack last september (october for some in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) and won't fish on fresh fish before June (or last couple days of May on the Causapscal). So reading you is just pushing the pressure and anxiety before our first casts.

I guest I will trade my annual Caribbean trip for a Scotland trip in 2006...
 
#14 ·
TYNE SPEYCASTER said:
Congratulations, an opening day fish is always special.

The fly? Willie Gunn?? doesn't look like it on the pic unless its a local variation??

Yesterday the Tyne opened, perfect day, had a few kelts to Willie Gunns to whet the appetite, haven't heard of any fresh taken yet.

Tweed looking good, there on the 18th Feb.
The Tyne produced four reported fish on opening day. Three to Norman Patterson at Meggs Mill on the Bywell Syndicate water and one came off the Tyneside Anglers Syndicate water below Bywell bridge.
 
#15 ·
No it wasn't a Willie Gunn(shock horror) I'm afraid it was a Pot Bellied Pig. And no before anybody asks I will not be changing my name. I may resemble one when wearing neoprene waders, when will someone produce a pair that flatters the fuller figure.

For a pot bellied pig dressing ask Gordon Armstrong fishingdo he is the expert.
 
#17 ·
Pot bellied pig

Pot bellied pig :tsk_tsk: Malcolm there are trends and then there is tradition. You off all people I find this hard to believe. To see the proud Scotsman that I met fall to such depths makes my heart ache. :( The next thing we know you will be telling us that you are drinking Johnny Wallker Red or some such. :eek: I assume that in the near future we will see some posting of a grand Dee fish that was grassed on a Gordon or Akroyd or at least a blue charm.
With hopes for redemption ; Ramsay
 
#18 ·
Ramsay,
I see where I went wrong yesterday, I fished Cairnton without a Blue Charm in my box, there was a fine collection in the rod room.Arthur Wood would recognise the room if he returned today, all his line winding machinery is still attached to the walls.

I came across this story from writer and journalist Bruce Sandison

One of the most famous angling developments in the middle years of the last century was that of greased line fly fishing for salmon, invented on the River Dee at Cairnton by legendary Arthur Wood. Wood claimed great success fishing for salmon in low water conditions using a line which floated on the surface of the water, rather than using a sinking line below the surface. His most successful pattern of salmon fly, he alleged, was a the Blue Charm, and every angling magazine in Britain was full of the story.

However, Jimmy Ross a gillie at Rothes told me a different story. As a young man, Jimmy used to gillie at Aboyne on the Dee and knew Arthur Wood’s gillie. In the pub one night, Jimmy plied his colleague with drams and quizzed him about “all these fish supposedly being killed on a wee Blue Charm fished on a floating line?’ “Don’t you believe it!” replied Wood’s gillie. “It’s a great big Jock Scott on a sinking line doing all the damage with — and everybody for miles around lashing away with wee Blue Charms catching nothing!”

Just who was telling the truth?
 
#20 ·
Last week was a wash out on the Dee and Spey when the snow decided to melt. The Spey ran at +5ft from Wednesday to Saturday.
This week has been great on the Spey, I had 4 to my own rod from various beats.
Wester Elchies,possibly,Ashley Coopers favourite beat averaged a fish a day, Arndily had over 20. I finished the week on Delfur, arguably the best beat on the Spey and saw 2 fish landed, the first 17lbs and the second 20. The 3 winter fish are making an early return this year.
The Dee has been steady I am unsure of details as I'm not there till the first week in April
 
#23 · (Edited)
Willie Gunn said:
Nice fish, two of my favourite pools, though I've never managed a fresh fish from the Grey Mare.

which side of the Roe Pot were you? Inchmarlo or Little Blackhall?
Little Blackhall, at the top of the pool. We also fished The Waterside and Ferrar for 4 days, a very nice beat on the Upper Dee. Caught one there too, but no picture.

Still over 2 months until the season starts in Norway :roll:
 
#25 · (Edited)
I got two of them on a Silver Willie tube fly

Tag: Oval silver tinsel
Tail: Orange SLF hanks
Body: Silver holo tinsel
Rib: Oval silver tinsel
Front hackle: Black hen
Wing: Orange fox, yellow fox, yellow flash and black fox. The first section should reach to the tail and the others a little longer each.​

The other one took a Silver Shadow tube fly


Body: Silver mini flatbraid
Rib: Oval tinsel
Fronthackel: Black hen
Wing: White fox, pearl flash and black fox. The wing should be dressed like a sunray shadow.​
 
#26 ·
Willie Gunn said:
This week has been great on the Spey, I had 4 to my own rod from various beats.
Wester Elchies,possibly,Ashley Coopers favourite beat averaged a fish a day, Arndily had over 20. I finished the week on Delfur, arguably the best beat on the Spey and saw 2 fish landed, the first 17lbs and the second 20. The 3 winter fish are making an early return this year.
Willie Gunn,

Crikey, it's all all looking pretty good, don't forget to let some through to Tulchan B for this Thursday, Friday & Saturday, I see Craigellachie has had 5 for the last 2 days! Which day are you on Tulchan C?? We may meet at the beat march and swap some flies although mine surely won't come up to those Pot Bellied Pigs!
Tight lines any way, we will be just enjoying the experience, fish will be a bonus.

Mike
 
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