Dess Beat
It was late June and great to see the River Dee fishing well again. After a slow start, catches on the river appeared to be going from strength to strength. We had already fished on the river earlier in the season and managed to land a nice salmon as well as a couple of sea trout and were keen to experience some more Dee magic. I had arranged to fish on the beautiful Dess beat which is situated just downstream from Aboyne and my good friend Gary Harkin was going to be my fishing companion for the day.
The stunning Dess beat spans over two miles of the middle River Dee and boasts nineteen named pools. The beat is under the excellent stewardship of the vastly experienced and knowledgeable Eoin Smith. The weather was to be set fair for the day, according to the forecast, so what could go wrong?
Saturday morning dawned anything but fair! There had been heavy rain overnight and as we drove towards Fettercairn we could see many of the rivers and streams were in flood. Our hearts sank, as we knew that our day’s fishing was now in jeopardy. We stopped at the beautiful Cairn O Mount viewpoint to absorb our breath taking surroundings, which were a combination of low cloud, rain and thick fog. We could feel all the optimism for the day ahead seeping away.
Driving down the valley and into Deeside, we saw many of the small burns swollen and chocolate in colour. All this water was heading for only one place, the River Dee. We were however surprised that the River Feugh (a tributary of the Dee) was not so coloured. I had my fingers crossed with the Dess beat being much further upstream, that if it had remained dry towards Braemar, our fishing might just be salvageable. As we drove across the bridge at Banchory, we got a pleasant surprise. The Dee looked crystal clear and running at a manageable fishing height. After a quick stop in town to buy some lunch we headed up the North Deeside Road towards Aboyne. Unfortunately, the rain just kept falling. In this day and age with all the latest technology, how could the weather forecasters get it so wrong?
The beautiful Dess Estate
Driving through the gates of the Dess Estate, we were both immediately struck by the sheer beauty of our surroundings. The magnificent fishing hut known as the "Rod Room" was set on a right-hand bend on the river and oozed character. The views up and down the beat were truly spectacular. It did not matter about the weather, both Gary and I were in salmon fishing heaven. The river looked in good order and had a slight peaty tinge to it. Eoin was in the car park attending to one of the other guests. He came over and greeted us with a big smile. I had fished with Eoin around fifteen years prior on the Glen Tanar Estate and he was a fountain of knowledge on that occasion. We were both encouraged to hear that Eoin was optimistic about our chances. He explained that the river was rising but very slowly. We enjoyed a cup of coffee in the hut and discussed tactics. Eoin felt that as long as the river did not rise too quickly, we would have a chance of making contact with a fish or two.
I decided to set up my fifteen-foot rod with a five-foot sinking poly leader tip. At the business end, my weapon of choice was an inch long slimly dressed yellow and orange cone head. I opted for a bright fly as the water had a hint of colour in it. Gary decided to use a similar setup but instead of the cone head, he opted for a small Cascade bottle tube. Eoin suggested that we fished the lower half of the beat in the morning and then rotate with the other guests after lunch.
Looking downstream from the hut, I could not believe how well the riverbanks had recovered after the recent floods. The banks had not only been repaired but they were already beginning to mature into their beautiful surroundings. This was a testament to all the hard work carried out by the team on the estate. In fact, if you had not known, there was little evidence that there had been such a devastating flood only a few months prior.
The tail of the Mill pool
Eoin suggested that Gary fished the Mill pool, which was located just downstream from the hut. It really looked fishy and I was gutted as I hoped to get the chance to fish it first! The Mill pool had a lovely even paced current and just looked perfect for the fly. Eoin explained that the fish were likely to be lying quite close to the near bank. There were big boulders at the tail of the pool throwing up tantalising boils and you could just picture your fly line tightening as the fly swung through them.
Eoin took me further downstream to fish the famous Jock Rae pool. As soon as we arrived at the pool, we saw a fish move. The pool was long for River Dee standards and would take me the entire morning to fish. It looked in terrific condition. There were a number of large boulders close to my bank, which were just showing, and Eoin indicated that fish were often hooked behind these. Eoin pointed out a few more likely lies before heading away to check on the other anglers. I was itching to get started but I just sat back on the bank and took a minute to absorb my magnificent surroundings. The rain had now stopped and the sun was just beginning to peak through the clouds.
The mouth watering Jock Rae pool
I started fishing at the head of the pool with a short line as Eoin had instructed. Decent numbers of fish were showing around the big boulders close to my bank. The fly was swinging around a treat in the current. It looked like the water was dropping and clearing. I had only fished half way down the pool and it took me over an hour. I saw a number of fish, which I covered to the best of my ability but had no response. I felt that my fly was coming around in the current just a tad fast. I therefore had a look through my box and found a flamethrower cone head around three-quarters of an inch in length. This fly was heavier than what I had been using. I went back up to the top of the pool and started again. I could not have been fishing for any longer than ten minutes when my line tightened just where Eoin said it would. I lifted my rod up and I was into what felt like a good fish. It was a textbook style take, exactly what all fly fishers live for. Initially, the fish stayed deep and was difficult to move but then it appeared to wake up and tear line off the reel. The fish then came up to the surface of the water. I caught a glimpse of it’s bright silver flank. It must have been around twelve to fourteen pounds. It then started to come towards me at a rate of knots and I had difficulty keeping in contact with it. Suddenly, without warning, the line went slack and the fish was lost. I was gutted. I examined the fly in my hand and the hooks were perfect. After uttering a few expletives, I started fishing again!
A nice Dee sea trout
Fish were now showing on a regular basis and I was confident that I would get another opportunity. The fly was swinging around at just the right speed. I was around ten yards downstream from where I lost the fish when the fly line got ripped out of my hand. It was the most aggressive take I had all season. The fish took off towards the far bank and then sat behind a larger boulder. Soon after, it surfaced. It looked quite small but silver in colour. The fish went on another brief run before I managed to beech a fin perfect sea trout of around two pounds. After a quick picture, the fish was released unharmed and I sat back on the bank reflecting on what had been an action-packed morning. Looking down into the water I was sure that it was getting murky again. In the distance, I could see Gary walking down towards me. He had really enjoyed his morning but had no pulls. Gary said that he felt the water was rising again and when I looked towards the shingle bank on the far side, our suspicions were confirmed. As it was just after midday, we decided to spend the remainder of our time before lunch both fishing the Jock Rae pool. We saw no other fish moving, which was surprising as I had seen so many earlier that morning. When we got back to the hut, we could see from the gauge that the river had been rising fast and Eoin confirmed this. Looking towards Braemar, the mountain tops were shrouded by very dark angry looking clouds and in the distance we heard a rumble of thunder. I just hoped that it was not going to be an electrifying afternoon for all the wrong reasons!
Gary casting a nice line at the head of Jockie Rae
One of our fellow guests had also seen a few fish in the morning on the upper beat but returned to the hut empty handed. It was great chatting to Eoin over lunch about his past experiences on the river. He is now one of the longest-serving ghillies on the Dee. He recollected how years ago on opening day anglers would have to regularly break sheets of ice on the river, just to wet a line. Often these would be the most productive days. After a nice lunch, I began to get comfortable in the warm confines of the hut on a comfy armchair. I could feel an afternoon snooze coming on. However, Eoin, had other ideas as there were fish to be caught.
What a view to enjoy, whilst having lunch!
We all got a shock when we stepped outside the hut and peered at the water gauge. Unfortunately, the water had come up another four inches and was now quite coloured. We did not let this dampen our spirits and Eoin kindly drove us to the upper half of the beat. With the weather being the way it was, the excellent vehicular access to all the pools made such a difference. Eoin suggested that Gary fished the Rossachs pool. He explained that it was one of the best high water pools on the beat. As soon as he had uttered those words and as if by magic a cracking fresh fish of around twenty pounds leapt out of the water. It did not take long for Gary to pick up his rod! Eoin and I then drove to the very top of the beat. It was now raining hard again and the rumbles of thunder were getting closer.
The rain just got heavier and heavier
Eoin therefore took the opportunity of showing me the hut on the upper beat. The hut was truly regal in character and built in the Scandinavian style. It had a beautiful balcony and the inside was tastefully decorated. It looked like the perfect place to enjoy a long leisurely lunch coupled with a nice glass of claret. As we drove back towards the pool where Gary was fishing, we could see the rain getting heavier. The water was now almost chocolate in colour. Eoin went downstream to check on the other guests. Amazingly Gary had lost a fish at the tail of the pool, in spite of the adverse fishing conditions. I decided to start fishing behind him. I was just about to make my first cast when a huge streak of lightening lit up the dark cloud laden sky. Gary and I looked at each and decided to call a halt to proceedings. We took refuge in a charming fishing shelter by the side of the pool. The rain teemed down and the bellows of thunder became more frequent. We were both quickly realising that the river was rapidly becoming unfishable. We sat in the hut and put the world to rights. After an hour the rain subsided, so we decided to make our way back to the main hut. The water had risen another six inches through the course of the afternoon and the common consensus was that things were not going to get any better.
The stunning view downstream towards the main hut
It was so frustrating as between us in conditions that were far from ideal, we had managed to lose two salmon and land a sea trout. We could only imagine what the sport would have been like if we did not have a rising river to contend with. The worst thing was that the heavy rain and thundery showers had not even been forecast!
We enjoyed another cup of coffee with Eoin before we headed home. Eoin had been great company and it was clear that he had an intricate knowledge of the beat. As we headed back home over the Cairn O Mount, we reflected on what had been an excellent day. Yes, it was frustrating that the water conditions were not perfect but we still enjoyed some good sport. In all honesty, the weather did not detract from our day. How could it, when you are fishing such lovely fly water in the heart of Royal Deeside? We are both looking forward to coming back to fish on the Dess beat again, in the not too distant future. Next time though, I will make sure not to pay any attention to the dreaded weather forecast!