Fishing News for rivers Spey, Avon, Dee and Findhorn - 2002

The new Salmon fishing season is now upon us. We feel an air of optimism for 2002 following the much improved Salmon runs of last season. In fact it was good to hear of a fresh 11 pounder being taken at Kenmore on the Tay on opening day. The Aberdeenshire Dee fared particularly well in 2001; so much so that the start of it's season this year has been brought forward to the 1st February, as was traditionally the case. Ian and Mike are looking forward to fishing Park on opening day and are hoping to tempt one of those beautiful early Dee springers. Watch this space for early news from the highland rivers.

Update 1st Feb 2002: Well the new season on Dee came in like a lion. We arrived at Park to find the gauge at 44 inches. The river was big but clear. The wind was gusting to 70 miles an hour and the rain came down in sheets! Undeterred, we ventured forth with big rods. windcutters with fast tips and brass tubes. It was good to be searching for salar again; Ian was sure there were springers in the system. Well, Mike soon took a well mended kelt and Ian a fresh little finnock, so the fish were seeing our flies. By mid morning, however, it was clear the river was rising and colouring: by lunchtime our chances looked slim. By late afternoon the gauge showed 62 inches; ironically the rain and wind had started to ease. We reflected on those silver torpedoes which were no doubt nosing into the system.

Update 5th Feb: Well, Ian was right. You guessed it. By monday the river was fishable and three springers were taken at Park. One, an 11 pounder was sea liced, the others probably moved in during January. A further fish was taken the following day. Of course, all were safely returned. An auspicious early start to the Dee season.There will be many more stories to follow.

Update 15th Feb: The Spey season is also off to a good start. Four fish have been taken around Aberlour with one caught above Grantown! River levels have been very variable with the recent heavy rain so the fishing could be really good when things settle down. Back on the Dee, Park continues to fish well. Sixteen fish have been taken so far including four springers to the rod of Ian Ogden on the 11th. Willie Mair couldn't wait to get home from the Rigs to fish his favourite river. He had Park to himself today and took a cracking 8 pounder on a 1 inch Silver Stoat brass tube. In the excitement he forgot to take a picture: he could have had his first Spring fish of the season on this very page!

Fish have been interested in a variety of fly sizes from 2 inch tubes to size 8 doubles: needless to say all were presented deep. It is now 6 years since the introduction of compulsory catch and release on Dee; perhaps the rewards are now starting to show. The Park beat is lightly booked until the end of February so give it some thought. Few beats will give you a better chance of an early steel-blue springer.

You might well think this is a fine Spring Salmon. It is not. This is an excellent example of a well mended kelt caught by Ian on the Spey recently. The only clue to it's identity in this picture is the protruding vent. It should also have gill maggots, another confirmatory feature. Always take care to look at "Spring" Salmon carefully and if in any doubt always return them to the water.

Update 23rd Feb: Well, the weather has been wild. Rain, sleet, snow and wind in February yields less than perfect fishing conditions but at least it tops up the corries with tons of snow and ice that will feed these great waters well into June.The rivers so far have been lightly fished and a number of salmon have come to the flies of gillies "just having a cast."

All things considered the start has been good. The Findhorn is off to a start with 2 fish so far. The first was taken from the excellent Forres town water and the second, a 17 pounder, further upriver. The Spey system has now seen 8 springers taken and no doubt things will get better when the winter weather subsides. The Dee is an early Spring river and all lower beats are seeing a steady movement of fish through their waters. Park, Invery, Crathies, Kincardine O'Neil and Aboyne are all fishing well. The river has been in flood first day, showing grue the second and showing head and tailers the third! We hear that the 2001/2002 spawning has been excellent and that the 3 Dee system hatcheries are brimming with fry. Those who brave the elements will be rewarded for their efforts. As Billy Connolly once said " There is no such thing as bad weather in Scotland, just inadequate clothing!"

Update 5th March: The wild weather continues. The rain lashes at the windows as I write. The early start on Dee has been a success. A total of 173 fish were taken in February, and every one returned. Fifteen fish were taken below Park and the rest between the latter and Aboyne. Considering that fishing pressure has been light and that conditions have been fierce this result is very encouraging. Some fish have been in high teens and sea-licers have put in a regular show.

The Spey, being a later starter has been steady so far. Fish have been taken in the middle and lower beats but again fishing effort has been limited. The Findhorn has not really started and the Avon comes in during April. If the weather starts to soften as the days become longer the true potential of 2002 will show through.

Update 12th March: Well I thought we might have something to report from Park today. Mike fished with friends Graham Walker and Peter Duncan under the exquisite supervision of gillie David Bain. The day was as good as can be hoped for in the month which comes in like a lion. The gauge showed 27 inches of pure cold water (36 deg f) from the Cairngorm plateau. The river was full of fish which continued to show throughout the day. Despite much swinging of lively brass tubes across Park's delightful streams these determined runners would not take an interest. We rounded the day with a dram by the fading light over the House Pool. The sploshes continued into the night.

Update 20th March: The Spey is now seeing a good run of fish. All middle and lower beats are having as good sport as can be remembered in March. Many fish, we are pleased to hear, are being returned. The Spey anglers are now following the fine example of their neighbours on the Dee. The Findhorn is also picking up with at least 3 fish from the Town water in the last few days. The fishing at Darnaway is nothing short of excellent. This augurs well for the months of April and May. The fish at Park on Dee have resumed their taking ways and we are delighted to hear of more success for Willie Mair with 2 fish in 2 days. Looks like Willie will get the first picture of a fish on this page after all!

PARK ESTATE, RIVER DEE, WEEK COMMENCING MARCH 25th

Warm bright sunny days are unusual in March but we saw plenty this week. Casting was hampered on some days by strong downstream winds: it also seemed to put fish off the take. It was, however, very encouraging to see so many fresh Spring Salmon in the river. Despite ideal weather temperatures and water conditions, these fish seemed to be interested in only one thing-running,running and running! With the apparent lack of kelts in the beat following a succession of floods, gillie David Bain was of the opinion that the fresh fish would stay on the move. Water temperatures fluctuated between high thirties and low forties deg F later in the week as daytime temperatures began to soar!
Monday 25th, Keith Clarke from Guernsey was first to score with a fine 7lb fresh sea-liced fish from the Durris Stream, followed very soon after by a lively sea-trout of about 3lb. Both fish taken on a sparse size 8 Silver Stoat on an intermediate tip! Ros Clarke and Rod Boswell both had brief encounters with salmon on the same day.
Tuesday 26th saw Rod Boswell from Somerset hook and land a really beautiful sea liced Springer of 11lb from Bakebare on a 2 inch Willie Gunn Waddington. After taking 6 or 7 photos of the fish, it was returned to the river only to find out that there was no film in his camera!
Gale force winds on the 27th made fishing conditions very awkward, but Keith and Ros Clarke both hooked and lost a fish apiece.
Thursday 28th saw the river rise by several inches due to snow melt before Keith Clarke hooked and landed another magnificent sea liced 12 pounder from the Cellar. With water conditions improving and winds easing off, the mini heatwave set in and both air and water temperatures began to climb over the final two days.
On Saturday 30th Barry Connally from Stourbridge decided to try his luck in the afternoon with a wooden Devon minnow and was rewarded with a fine fresh fish of around 8lb.

Fish were seen continuously in most pools: there were some very big ones amongst them. Most seemed reluctant to take an interest in our offerings but it is very encouraging to see the River Dee in such good shape again and this can only bode well for the future.
Staying at Park House was a real delight; sublime comfort of a grand house complemented by superb food prepared by Ruth Shannon. Thanks also go to Ron for making our stay so welcome. Last but not least thanks go to David Bain for all his hard work and service on the riverbank. I now have the appropriate tow rope for my next sticky 4WD adventure!!

Ian Neale.

Update 8th April: The weather has gone a bit strange. The days have been mild, still and surprisingly warm. I think we are being lulled into a false sense of security. The rivers are actually quite low and need a good rainwater flush. There is actually not a lot of snow in the Cairngorms to sustain the levels on the warmer days so rain will be important over the next few weeks. Do not fear, Spring in the highlands is rarely without a shock and I can sense a cold snap, big rain or snow anytime.

The Scottish flora and fauna are taking advantage and the Salmon is no exception. Fish are generally running hard and making the best of the unexpected high water temperatures. Thermal gradients at falls are not an issue on Dee, Avon or Spey but the Sluie falls often hold fish back on the Findhorn. Well the latter's fish are through already and are taking up residence in some of the beautiful streams of the middle river. The next few weeks are going to be interesting.

Update 20th April: We are still needing rain. All rivers are now desperately low, not a familiar phenomenon at this time of year. The Spey is running below summer level but fish are still running. Aberlour town water has had 16 fish and Grantown Association 8 fish so far. The Findhorn is very low and in need of a good flush with rain water. The Dee continues to be influenced by fish which are hot in pursuit of the spawning grounds. Fish are into the upper river already whilst anglers at Park have caught grilse this week! The weather forecasters suggests more warm dry weather next week: let's hope they are wrong!

Stop press: Park anglers have taken 12 salmon, 13 grilse and 3 sea-trout this week. The river is running at only 6 inches. Floating lines and micro flies did the trick! Glenferness on the Findhorn is also starting to fish. Despite the low water and minimal fishing pressure from family and friends, 3 fish to 16ibs have been taken this week.

DALLAS LODGE FISHING PARTIES 29th April to 11th May 2002. Rivers Findhorn and Avon.

After a prolonged dry spell since late March our rivers were certainly shrinking to below summer levels. Also, with very little snow to melt in the mountains, rain was needed to encourage our Spring fish to run. Despite this, numbers of fish had already been caught on our beats by mid April after very light fishing pressure. Our prayers for rain were answered and the rain Gods were more than generous on Sunday 28th and Monday 29th April.

29th April: Ronnie Sneddon was the first to score with a fine 7.5 lb salmon, having already pulled a fish in Levrattich pool, Glenferness on the Findhorn. Meanwhile over on the Avon (A'an) Speyside, Iain Ross having already caught and returned a 2.5lb sea trout was soon into another fish. This time a huge 16 lb salmon from Polly pool, fishing full floating line and size 8 Ross Munro special! This fish was also returned. The heavy rain continued to pour over on the Findhorn catchment and the river was rising quickly by mid afternoon. However, the sight of a head and tail rise in the tail end of Skerries pool soon produced a sea liced beauty for Alan Sneddon of 9lb. The river rose over 4 feet and that was it as far as fishing was concerned for the day!

30th April: The Findhorn was big but clearing and looked promising for the days ahead.The rain didn't affect the Avon as much and Keith Clarke from Guernsey took a fine 12lb fish from Sandy Bay in the afternoon.
1st May:The Findhorn continued to yoyo all week as heavy rain showers peppered the Monadhliath Mountains. Ian caught a fish of 8lb from the Duillain pool on Logie on a small brass tube as the river started to fall. Graham Bruce-Gardner landed his first fish of the week, a fine 10 pounder from Upper Craigroy on the Avon.
2nd May: Thursday morning and the Findhorn was back up another foot. However, fishing the tail of Brahan pool, Logie gave Ros Clarke her first fish of the week, another sea liced 10 pounder on a size 8 yellow Ally.

3rd May: The weather was still unsettled with heavy showers and high water. Graham Bruce-Gardner landed his second fish, a 12 pounder from Factors Burn pool at Glenferness on Findhorn. David Clark also landed his first fish after losing one or two, from Skerries, Logie, a fresh fish of 8lb.

4th May: The last day and both rivers began to fall quickly, on this a settled day of light winds and sunshine. Alan Sneddon landed another fish of 7.5 lb from Upper Craigroy on the Avon. Peter Grimwade caught his first fish, a 10 pounder from the tail of Scum pool on Logie. Meanwhile Graham Bruce-Gardner was on a roll as he was yet again tackling a 10 pounder, this time from Lang tail at Glenferness on the Findhorn!
It was a truly enjoyable week and great sport for all. It came as no surprise therefore that Graham Bruce-Gardner took home the much coveted Avon trophy for 2002!

6th to 10th May: The Monday morning saw a real turn around in weather conditions, with bright sun and blue skies, which persisted for much of the week. However, our American friends from Maine were determined to get stuck in and to explore the beautiful pools of the Findhorn. Just before lunch Robert Clough from Bangor, Maine was delighted to catch his first Scottish salmon, a super sea liced fish of 12 lbs, from the Island Stream at Glenferness. Whilst we managed to see numbers of other fish running and despite a few other pulls along the way, our party didn't catch any more. I understand another 5 salmon were taken from the Glenferness beats that week, which under such conditions was very encouraging.

The week was finished off in true Scottish tradition with a Full Highland dress dinner at Dallas Lodge accompanied by the skirls of our own resident piper Douglas, who played some stirring tunes as the mist began to fall over the gardens.

Update 18th May: The River Spey has been seeing some good runs of Spring salmon, especially on the lower beats. Aberlour town water has now caught over 30 fish so far. The Tulchan and Castle Grant beats have been having mixed sport, some beats hitting the fish and others not. Grantown Association has landed approx.30 fish so far.
The Dee has also been patchy we gather. At Park on Monday 13th they caught 3 salmon, 2 grilse and several sea trout. On the 4th May the river rose up to 32 inches and fell back to 16 inches by the 5th after heavy rain in the Cairngorms.
The Forres Town water on Findhorn has been quiet with only a few early grilse and sea trout being caught. A total of 13 salmon have been taken off the Association water to date. It would appear that the fish are just pouring through into the middle beats. Logie and Glenferness continue to produce some good numbers of fish. Ian was out on another middle beat yesterday and saw many fresh fish in all pools. Fish are clearly intent on running and are not being deterred by the current low water.

Palmer Party Fishing at Park, River Dee May 27th-29th,2002.

After several days of very heavy rain the Dee had peaked at 70 inches by May 23rd on the Park gauge. It was looking promising for the Palmer party on 27th. However, as often happens in the Highlands, it continued to rain in the mountains so the river was rising and falling every day. Despite seeing very few fish, it was apparent that there were a number of fresh Salmon still running through. It became apparent that there was also a good run of Sea Trout coming in, which gave the rods some added sport. The water remained clear with temperatures between 48 and 52 de F.

On the 27th the water height was 25 inches and falling slowly during the day. Peter Wing got us started when he caught a fresh sea-trout from the Durris Stream on a Silver Stoat tail, size 10.

After some more prolonged heavy rain overnight the river was up to 32 inches on the 28th. Michael Baughan was really unlucky not to land his first Salmon which he hooked at Park Inn. It came off literally by the net. Unfortunately, his misfortune continued later in the day when he lost two more from the Durris Stream! Meanwhile back at Park Inn, there was more activity with Brian Palmer hooking and landing a beautiful fresh sea liced 14 pounder. Again the fish taken on a small Silver Stoat, size 10. Brian Palmer and Peter Wing decided to brave the elements by a return to the river in the evening and were rewarded with a Sea Trout apiece. With the onset of more rain it was decided to beat a hasty retreat to the comfort of The Banchory Lodge Hotel and a warming dram to complete a great day!

By Wednesday 29th May the gauge was reading 37 inches, rising to 40 inches by lunchtime. However, it was still relatively clear and there were fish to be caught. Frances Presley landed a fine 2lb Sea Trout from the Bridge pool before lunch. Later in the day Ron Presley and Brian Palmer both had a Sea Trout. Poor Michael Baughan, still battling away hooked and lost his fourth salmon in three days, this time from Bakebare! Having a breather from casting, Ron gave the rod to Ian and he managed a very fresh sea liced Sea Trout before pulling two more (one definitely a Salmon) in Castleton Pool.
On the final evening all the party returned to the river. Brian Palmer was still weaving a spell with 2 more Sea Trout from Castleton.

Despite the up and down water conditions it was a very successful 3 days and as ever our thanks go to David Bain for making our visit so enjoyable as always.

Ian Neale

Update 8th June: Well the unsettled weather continues as sunshine and showers continue to bless the hills. All rivers south of the Great Glen have seen the benefit which bodes well for the Summer fishing. I am slightly worried about my old friend the Thurso River which has missed out on this summer bounty so far!

The Spey is currently fishing well with a late run of Spring fish. This time of year can sometimes be a struggle in this transitional period between the Spring and Summer runs. Not so this year with the lower beats, particularly, are seeing some great sport. Kinermony had 11 fish to two rods and Carron and Laggan 18 fish for the last week of May. The upper beats are having steady sport with Salmon but good numbers of Sea Trout are already starting to show. The Sea Trout fishing at Kincardine, Kinchurdy and Abernethy Association can be spectacular if you hit the right conditions.

The Findhorn is enjoying some good fishing in the middle reaches as the water levels have been constantly augmented by early summer showers. Glenferness, Logie and Coulmony are still seeing activity with late Spring fish. When the Grilse arrive the sport will get hotter. Many fish will have progressed to the higher reaches around Tomatin in these conditions and we will update with news in this area in the next report. Sadly, the fishing is still slow on the Forres town water with only 12 fish for the season so far. This just goes to show that if fish are intent on running they will carry on regardless and ignore any offerings encountered on their journey. This beat has some excellent pools however and should not be ignored as we await the start of the Findhorn Summer run.

The Flanagan's on Speyside, Week commencing June 18th

Sean Flanagan from U.S.A. was really surprised to get his Christmas present last year as a week of Speycasting with Ian on the Spey! His wife Joy decided this would be a great way to enjoy the pleasures of Speyside and get to grips with some salmon fishing for both of them. They arrived at Craigellechie on the 18th June to fish on the small Inverfiddich beat nearby. Conditions were far from ideal as gale force winds lashed down on them for the first 3 days. The river was running at summer level and looked good. After several hours of hands on instruction they were both casting a very respectable double Spey cast which was improving every day. The weather was more settled by Thursday and some runs of fresh fish started to show in the beat. Expectations were therefore running high. Sean pulled a fish on Thursday afternoon, but it turned out to be only a brief encounter. Sean and Joy had both managed to savour the delights of a wee slip into the river, both obviously keen to cool off in the waters of Speyside and sample a taste of Scotland. I think a visit to one of the local distilleries would have been better!

However, on the morning of Friday 21st Sean changed to a Ronnie Sneddon bottle brass tube on his first time down the home pool. In three casts he connected and landed his first ever Atlantic salmon, a sea liced grilse of just over 5lbs. He was delighted to get a fish and well deserved too! Despite seeing runs of other fish going through, there were no more to report.

If any readers are interested in fishing this beat I still have 3 days available for the 23rd to 25th September 2002.

Update 24th June: We can report that the Findhorn is starting to see the first run of grilse entering the river in the last few days. Local anglers on the Forres Town water have started to catch several fresh fish. I was down there today and it was really encouraging to see fish running through off the high tide. Some locals reported seeing some very big fish in high teens of pounds too just above the sea pool. The middle beats are also catching fish but rain is needed right now to bring these fish up in any numbers. The Spey is starting to see grilse runs but remains rather patchy overall, again rain would bring the fresh fish into the river system. However, I can report that the middle and upper beats are seeing big runs of sea-trout and night fishing sport has been very good here. The Grantown Association is about 100 sea trout up on their total at this time last year.
The Dee is seeing some movement of fish with runs of grilse and sea trout moving in. Again a good flush of fresh water is needed to move fish into the river right now. Last week at Park there were 4 grilse, 1 salmon and 4 sea trout taken. The gauge is now down to only 8" so summer rains are welcome to get the best conditions for grilse and summer salmon.

Thurso River, July 1st to 6th 2002.

Mike travelled north to fish the Thurso River with good longtime fishing friend Bernard Pagdin. Ian has been off to Costa Rica sampling the delights of teasing a Sailfish on fly! (report will follow) We met up, as usual, with good friends Nigel Griffiths, Geoff Badland, Terry Dobbs and Bob Sedgewick. We found the Thurso in good order after heavy rain over the catchment on Sunday 31st June. There were plenty of fresh fish in the system but with many running hard to the upper beats. We took six fish between us, best 10lbs, and many had long tailed sea lice! One of my fish had a little assistance on her journey to the headwaters. Having landed a nice fresh 5lb grilse from the Bridge pool on beat 13 on the Elver I unhooked the fish, carried it over the Dam wall and released it into the loch. Her safe passage to the spawning grounds is guaranteed! Our friends had good sport also during their stay. Of particular note was Nigel's achievement in taking an average of three fish per day for his 9 days with many being returned. His best was 18lbs with long tailed lice! See the Thurso River website for details and weekly updates on sport at www.thursoriver.co.uk

Update 20th July: to the week ending 14th July, the main 3 rivers in this area had all begun to produce some good grilse catches. The weather has been unsettled with some heavy rainfall which lifted water levels to encourage a good summer run.
Fishing on the Lower Spey beats was very encouraging: Rothes had 53, Wester Elchies 57 and Orton 39 for example, with other beats in the area doing very well too. The middle to upper beats were picking away with Ballindalloch 16, Knockando (2 beats)14. The Grantown association water now has over 100 salmon/grilse for the season, but the sea trout fishing has been spectacular with over 500 taken so far. The average weight is 3lb, but with a good number in the 5-8lb bracket. I was on Inverfiddich for one day with a client who hooked and lost a big fish.The other rod also lost one when he was broken. The Aberlour water has been doing pretty well also. I heard of an Italian gentleman wanting to fish for salmon, so he went to Munro's tackle shop and bought a ticket for the day. Having never even held a fishing rod he went down to the water and on his 10th cast caught a fresh 10lb fish on a devon minnow. He then reeled in and went off on his travels feeling very satisfied and with plenty of time to see the many other attractions on Speyside!
The Findhorn is also doing very well, with the Forres Town water producing over 50 fish these last 2 weeks. I was down at the Sea Pool last Saturday and watched dozens of fish pouring in through the riffles on the high tide. Quite a sight too! The middle beats are all doing well with Glenferness and Lethen taking over 90 fish for the week between them. I heard of 2 experienced rods taking over 40 fish off Logie for their week.
Meanwhile on the Dee, I heard from David Bain that there have been a lot of fish running, a number of fish to 16lbs have been taken but many others are not stopping to look at the fly. The season total on Park to 14th July is 159 salmon, 63 grilse and 250 sea trout.
All rivers are currently running high after heavy rain over this weekend. More rain is forecast for the North East for the week ahead so with the large numbers of fish running these systems the fishing should be good.

FISHING IN COSTA RICA. Ian hooks his first sailfish on fly. July 2002.

I had always longed to try my hand at fly fishing for Sailfish and it was good fortune that I was introduced to Gene Watson, an American skipper originally from Montana, who now resides in Costa Rica with his wife Elizabeth. They have lived here for 8 years now and Gene takes people fishing in his 31 foot Laurel hulled Gamefisher boat. The Flamingo 11 is immaculately maintained and powered by a new very quiet 315hp Yanmar diesel engine. She has a comfortable cabin with head and is clean and fast, cruising at 22 knots with a top speed of 27. Gene is a quietly spoken former Rythym and blues guitarist, having backed many well known celebrities such as Al Green. His passion for Marlin and Sailfishing remains the joy of his life. He says, "You never lose that buzz, that adrenalin surge every time a Billfish appears behind the teasers- it's such a thrill." I liked this guy and knew we were going to be friends very quickly. Gene has a very able assistant by the name of Noe. These two work together as a team and remain cool and calm whenever the action gets started.

We set off from Flamingo Marina a little after 7.30 am on another glorious day here in paradise, on the North Western shores of Costa Rica.
As we motored offshore into the deep Pacific Ocean we passed huge turtles basking in the early morning sun and flying fish and an assortment of sea birds came to give us a closer inspection. I was by now becoming truly excited but slightly nervous at the prospects of action that lay ahead of me. We had only been travelling some thirty minutes when Noe set out two teasers to the stern of the boat, leaving my side of the boat clear to cast a fly. The teasers are large plastic lures that bounce enticingly over the water and attract the billfish up to the surface. My fly rod was an #18 single handed Fisher, with upper cork handle for extra leverage when playing a fish. The reel was a Billy Pate saltwater reel, with #18 fly line and what seemed like a half mile of backing! Gene called down to me from his high steering seat that it would be good time to get used to the rod and line and suggested some practice casts while it was quiet. Little did I know what was just about to happen!

The routine is really quite easy. Noe began pulling in the teasers and called out to me "Cast, cast, cast!" I obeyed his every command and began to cast the line and enormous pink feathered fly with buoyant popper attached at the head. Looked as though I was casting half a chicken! Anyway, I was soon getting the idea and after only a couple of practice chucks Gene said "Well done, try again." Then suddenly his voice changed and he was pointing to the furthest teaser, "Sail up now Ian, this is for real !" Noe pulled the teasers in and I suddenly caught sight of this huge sailfish nosing it's bill on the surface. "CAST CAST CAST" came my instruction from above. I made one good cast right onto his nose, when Gene called to me "Let him bite it Ian." I watched in disbelief as this Sail turned and took hold of the fly. "Hit him hard Ian." said Gene again. I hit as hard as I could, two solid pulls to set the hook and then all hell let loose as I tried to hold on. The rod bent into a vicious arc as I laughed aloud at the fun of it all. Soon it was up on it's tail walking across the surface when it threw the hook! Couldn't believe it! Adrenalin was flowing and legs were shaking as I reeled in the slack line. Even though my fish was off, it had been a dream come true, just to hook one. It was 8-30 a.m. and I was dripping with sweat. "It's no good guys, I need a cold beer." With knees wobbling and heart racing I sat back and reflected on my experience. Gene indicated the fish was of average to big size, with Sails averaging 80lbs in these waters.

It can be a bit of a waiting game as the boat prowls the deep blue ocean for the Billfish. Nevertheless, the first incident happened so quickly. Before long another appeared at the teasers and I was up and ready to cast. Awaiting my instructions from Noe, I made a perfect cast right onto its'snout. Up he came and the fly disappeared in a huge swirl. This time I really made sure to set the hook as the action started again. It took off, about the same size as before, but just electric! I kept this fish on for quite a while and felt happy that I was getting it under control when again suddenly the hook came out! This time it was not my fault, the hook had straightened- such is life! Gene said that I had done everything perfectly, just a bad hook! But it was fun anyway.

Now it was the turn of my partner Rick. This time, a combination of teasers and lures were trailed from the stern of the boat, as he is not a fly fisher. The tackle now was Gold Penn and Shimano TDL reels on custom wrapped Calstar rods of 12, 20, 30, 50 and 80lb class. We cruised over the Ocean swell for quite some time searching for new quarry. This time I joined Gene up in his high steering platform as we watched for movement behind the teasers. Other boats in the area were reporting some hook ups on Marlin and Gene was sure we were going to encounter one soon. The water temp was 85 degrees and looking so very blue with ideal conditions for fishing. As we waited I took a short nap under the canopy. Soon Rick found himself playing a large Tuna of about 60lb. After a long tussle it threw the hook right by the boat. Would have kept us in Tuna sandwiches for six months! Then, all of a sudden, there were four Sails up to the teasers at one time. What a sight that was! Rick and I were then fighting two Sails side by side. This was great fun, even though they were hooked on the heavier gear. Both fish were safely landed by Noe, quickly photographed and carefully released to the sea. They were each around the 90-100 lb mark. We had another fish to the boat a little later, which was again swiftly released. Gene is a great conservationist and he uses only circle hooks, which ensure a clean release of the Billfish unharmed.

Despite trying once more with the fly, there were no more takers to be found that day and we reluctantly headed for home. It had been the thrill of a lifetime with 2 Sailfish hooked on fly, a Tuna hooked and lost and another 3 Sails to the boat. I had never experienced anythinh like this before. I intend to go back again soon and get my Sail on the fly, this time to the boat!

Please do get in touch if anyone is interested in a week's fishing here in this wonderful paradise. I am planning several Costa Rica fishing parties for next year and I will put a weekly package together, very soon. We will be staying in a very fine comfortable Hotel close to Flamingo or during the Winter months (January to April) we will be based further South at Playa Carillo. I can be contacted as always on: ian@speycaster.net

Ian Neale.

Ponoi River, Kola Peninsular, Russia. August 4th to 11th, 2002.

The Ponoi River was already running into the record books in terms of catches this season, before the Ian Neale party descended on the Kola. With over 8000 salmon taken by early August we arrived with incredible anticipation of some exciting sport. In addition the first of the big Fall Salmon arrive this week. We were not disappointed!

Weather conditions could not have been better as we touched down at the Ryabaga Camp on the Eastern coast of the Kola Peninsula. The water levels were just perfect and water temperatures varied between 50-55 degrees F. A hint of rain was also in the air as we arrived. It was, if anything, unseasonably chilly for early August and all my guests were really buzzing with excitement as we tackled up for the forthcoming week.The weather remained pretty much the same all week, with the very odd burst of sunshine from time to time. Water levels remained steady throughout.
Fishing on Lower Tomba on Tuesday 6th we saw huge shoals of the first Fall Salmon moving upstream. It was therefore no surprise to hear that Keith Clarke and Michael Banton had both taken a big sea liced fish that same day! Keith, a magnificent 18 pound salmon from Purnache beat and Michael another beauty of 10 pounds off Gold Beach. As always the run had arrived right on time for Roddy's birthday! As the week progressed the catches improved with a magnificent 119 salmon landed on the last day alone. This brought the grand total of 678 salmon for the week to 16 rods, an average of 42 fish per rod! The Home Pool was also on song with some 76 salmon landed, these being caught mainly in the evenings and early morning.

Most fish were taken on floating lines and a variety of flies and sizes. Small Templedog tubes and bottle brass tubes were particularly successful. As always our thanks go to Roddy, Tania and their superb team of staff and guides, who all make this week so very special. The triple birthday celebration party was, as always, quite simply the best with plenty of vodka, whisky and good music! The added attraction of pole climbing and pole dancing was particularly interesting! The Ryabaga Camp continues to improve every year in every way and for me it is always a special place to return and meet my old friends.
We are already talking about and looking forward to next season on Ponoi. As always, if anyone may be interested in joining my team for early August in 2003, please contact me by e mail.

Ian Neale

Mid August 2002, River Helmsdale:

Well, what about this for an achievement. Ann Weir, head Medical Photographer at my hospital, was invited to the Helmsdale for a weekend with friends. She took this, her first ever Salmon of 6lbs, on a small Executioner from the Garden Pool on Beat 1 above. Not only that, but the fish took a dibbled fly, something that many Salmon anglers have still to achieve. She was ably assisted by that famous Helmsdale gillie, Johnny Hardy, who is pictured with her.

The O'Brien Party at Dallas Lodge, August, 2002.

On returning from a hectic week on the Kola peninsular in Russia, I hurried back home to Dallas, to welcome my new guests from the U.S.A. The O'Brien party consisted of Steve and Susan O'Brien, Steve O'Brien Jr. and Cinnie O'Brien, Boyd and Lora Lane, John and Betsy Ashton, Peter and Judy Van Dyke. A week of mixed sporting activities had been scheduled for the week. We started off with a bang with a day of walked up Grouse shooting on the glorious 12th, on the Lethen Estate at Dunearn. It was a perfect day with plenty of sport to the four guns.

Whilst the men were blasting the ladies were casting! Fishing conditions were perfect after heavy rainfall over the weekend. So it wasn't long before Susan O'Brien was playing her first Scottish salmon from the Garden Pool on the GlenFerness Estate water of the Findhorn. It was a lovely bright fish of 5lbs and Susan was delighted as it was quickly returned to the river. Meanwhile having bagged up on the grouse moor by mid afternoon and still feeling fit to fish, the men were keen to hit the river. This time it was the turn of Steve O'Brien Jr. who also caught his first Scottish salmon. This was another fresh fish of just over 5lbs, taken from the Garden Pool, photographed and safely returned. The opportunity of a McNab* was on offer, but Steve decided it was time for a well earned dram back at Dallas Lodge before dinner! The River fell away through the week and without anymore rain, fishing conditions became difficult, despite seeing many numbers of fish in all beats.

Another day of grouse shooting on the 14th gave our guests another fantastic day of sport up at Dunearn. A feast of these young birds back at Dallas Lodge was truly enjoyed by all! Their busy schedule also included several days golfing on some testing courses in the area including the magnificent links course at Nairn. The ladies also enjoyed some wonderful horse back riding out from the Logie riding centre along the banks of the Findhorn River. All in all the week proved to be a great success and gave the party a truly mixed bag of some of Scotland's finest sporting opportunities. I look forward to welcoming them back to Dallas Lodge again next year.

*A McNab is the achievement of catching a Salmon, shooting a brace of Grouse and stalking a Stag all in one day - not many have achieved this.

Ian Neale

If anyone is interested in organising a fishing/shooting/golfing party, please contact me for further information.

Update, Sept 1st:

It seems that everywhere has been suffering from the August doldrums, despite the fact there are plenty of salmon in all of the main 3 rivers in this area.
Ian was on the Findhorn with clients the week commencing August 19th and after heavy rain the river rose by over 4 feet at Glenferness. Hundreds of fish were seen over the next two days, but taking our flies was not on their agenda! It was exactly the same scenario over on the Dee at Park, where plenty of fresh fish were showing in ideal water conditions. Very frustrating!
We hear it's pretty much the same on the Spey, but some of the lower beats are still doing quite well. September always sees a surge of fresh fish coming into all of our rivers and maybe this will encourage some of these older coloured fish to become a little more aggressive too. Another heavy spate on the Findhorn yesterday appeared right on time. Ian has another busy month ahead and with all these fish in the rivers the results have got to get better.

GLENFERNESS ON FINDHORN, SEPTEMBER 2002.

After a somewhat frustrating spell through the month of August, it was time to look ahead to the last month of Salmon fishing in this part of the Highlands.
The week beginning September 2nd saw higher water levels and a promising start to the week. Water temperature were around the 52 deg F mark and conditions for the fly were good. After plenty of summer rain there was certainly no shortage of salmon in all the middle to lower beats.
The first fish of the week was taken by Peter James; a lovely fish of 11lb from the Lang Tail on Levrattich beat on a small Ally Shrimp Waddington. On the Tuesday Graham Bruce-Gardner hooked and landed another good fish from the Upper Sawpit on Altnaharra beat. Again, this was a nice fish of 9lb on a small brass tube fly. As the week progressed without further rainfall and generally bright summer conditions, the water level fell away quickly.

It wasn't until Friday night that some heavy overnight rain brought the river level up by about 4 inches on the Saturday. It was enough of a rise to move the fish through the pools and stir up some interest. Roger Pardoe took a fine fish of 5lb from the Boat Pool, on an Ally size 8.This was his third time down through the pool and he was ably guided by Mike who had made a brief appearance for a couple of days at Glenferness. The highly sought after Findhorn Challenge Trophy was taken home by Peter James and was thoroughly deserved too. Peter is one of our fishing stalwarts; we often put him through the hardest of wades in an attempt to cover the most challenging lies. Well done Peter!

Having prayed for rain all week it finally came in torrents through Saturday night and early Sunday morning. The Findhorn was roaring through the gorge on Sunday morning up by over 6 feet and quite a sight it was too. Prospects for the next few days were looking very promising. By Monday morning although still in spate the river looked good and carried relatively little colour. My next group of anglers were all keen to be on the river. By lunchtime, 3 salmon had already been landed! Keith and Ros Clarke had taken a fish apiece from the Chain Pool on Levrattich, pulled two others and had seen plenty of fish running hard. Ros landed a beauty of about 12 lbs and Keith was happy with a fish of about 7lbs. Rod Boswell took and fine bright fish of 5lb on his third cast from the Princess Pool on Altnaharra.

By Tuesday morning the water levels were still looking good. Keith Clarke was soon into his second fish of 4lb from the Boat Pool on Altnaharra. The pools were stuffed full of fish and we saw many fish running up through and past us, going strongly for the upper reaches. Steve Lingard hooked and lost a good fish from the Hawk Stream on Church beat on the Wednesday. Steve however, was rewarded with another fish of about 6lb, this fish was taken from the tail of Chain Pool on Levrattich. By midday Thursday it was really very hot and summer had descended on the Highlands. We were really pleased to see many big fresh fish turning up especially on the Daltra beat, but these were clearly not too keen to look at our offerings as the heatwave conditions prevailed. On the last day, Ros Clarke persisted in the Garden Pool and eventually hooked and lost a good fish on a Purple Hayes, size 10. Just goes to show that if you keep your flee in the water…….! So on the strength of her great fishing ability I was delighted to award our new Findhorn Shield to Ros Clarke to take home to Guernsey. Well done Ros!
All in all it was another great two weeks and despite some tough fishing conditions everyone had a great time. Our accommodations up at Glenferness Estate in the Wooden House were simply superb and it was really ideal to be so close to our fishings. I look forward to welcoming all my old friends and new friends to this very special part of the World next season. If anyone would like to have more information on my forthcoming fishing activities for next season please contact me on:ian@speycaster.net
The new fishing calender for 2003 will shortly be available on our site, detailing the fishing venues and accommodations for the season.
Ian Neale.

Robert Booth fishing Inverfiddich, River Spey, September 26-28th.

Robert Booth had every reason to be pleased with his 50th Birthday present. His partner Anne had bought him a surprise of 3 days Speycasting instruction and fishing with Ian at Inverfiddich on the Spey. The river was actually on the low side for this time of year, although there was a slight rise in level after some heavy rain on the 25th September. There was, however, certainly no shortage of fish in all pools, including some really very bright silvery fish on the move upstream! We also saw some very large darker models of over 20 lbs over the course of the next few days. We tackled up a Bruce and Walker Norway 15 foot Speycaster with a Rio Windcutter floating line. This was Robert's first ever attempt at Speycasting for Salmon, although already he was established as a keen trout fisher. After nearly taking a very early dunking he was soon getting to grips with a right handed double Spey cast and by the end of the day had made significant progress. Friday 27th was much milder and it felt very fishy. We were both optimistic of a fish. A size 8 Executioner fished on a slow sink tip Poly leader provoked an early response from a large fish. The reel screamed and Ian screamed and it was all over too soon. The fish had gone after a brief encounter! Both tutor and pupil were shaking with the excitement of this first salmon contact and this gave Robert the confidence to know he was covering the water effectively.
Saturday 28th and it was back to business. By now Robert's casting had really improved and each cast covered the stream efficiently with ease. Sadly, no more offers were forthcoming until one last concerted effort at 6 p.m. The light was fading slightly but it was a nice warm evening. Robert was determined to catch his first Salmon and this he most certainly did. Three casts at the top of the pool and his reel screemed out again. This time there were no errors and a fine hen fish of 6lb was played out and then netted by Ian. After being admired and photographed it was safely returned to the river. What a fine gesture by Robert on the occasion of catching his first fish. This was a classic end to his first salmon fishing trip and a great way to finish the season on Speyside. Well done Robert for your persistence! Ian Neale.

Update: 30th Sept
It seems hardly possible that another season draws to a close in this part of the Highlands. Generally it has been a very warm and unusually dry September, so accordingly the fishing has been pretty slow on many rivers. The Spey is down to summer level but holds many fish. Catching them has been another matter.
I was below Craigellachie last week with one of my clients and we were seeing fish all day long, including some very nice bright silvery salmon. I gather that down at Fochabers there are plenty of fresh fish still running in off the tides. The Grantown-on-Spey water caught 4 salmon,4 grilse and 7 sea-trout last week. It has been a great year for sea-trout on the Spey and Dee and it is particularly good to see runs of these fine fish recover.
The Findhorn has also been low and slow. Again it's the same old story; plenty of fish in all of the middle to lower beats, but they are not taking a thing! Sandy the keeper at Forres town water told me he hooked and lost a really fresh silver fish last week. Overall however, it has been a generally quiet finish to the season.

There are always exceptions in Salmon fishing and talking with David Bain over at Park on the Dee they had a pretty busy end to the season. Last week they took 28 salmon, 15 grilse and 1 sea-trout off both banks at Park. The best of 18lb was apparently very fresh. For the total number of fish there were 45 fresh and 40 dark fish caught during September. This is a firm indicator of a genuine run of silver fish running the Dee during the final month of September. In fact, there is even talk of extending the season into October next year, not bad for what is often considered a "Spring" river.
The total count for Park is 264 salmon, 175 grilse and 269 sea-trout making a grand total of 708 fish caught. This compares to 733 for the 2001 season. All in all this is a very good result and reflects the health of the Dee system.
So this will be our last update for a few months until the new season opens again on February 1st 2003 on the Dee. February 11th sees the opening of the Findhorn and Spey.
There are always plenty of early season opportunities for catching a beautiful fresh Springer through February and March. Please do contact Ian if you would like to brush up or even learn the art of Speycasting at this time. It is often a beautiful time of year in the Highlands and what could be a better way to start off the new season. The Spey and Dee offer such possibilities, so please contact Ian if interested at :ian@speycaster.net
The website will be getting a serious makeover in the forthcoming weeks, with some exciting new pages. Also keep posted for the forthcoming 2003 calendar listing all of our fishing events and activities throughout the season. Look out for news of new fishing regulations on Spey and Findhorn.
Thanks to everyone for your support over this season and please keep checking in with www.speycaster.net

Ian Neale and Mike Leach.

CLICK HERE FOR AN OVERVIEW OF THE 2001 SEASON