Coming to fly fish on a classic salmon river requires a proficiency and touch, to maximise the enjoyment that the visit can provide, which covers casting, wading, choosing suitable methods of presentation and choice of the fly. Anglers develop their skills at different rates, and for some it can happen very quickly and for others a little longer. Many anglers develop their skills by learning to fish at trout fisheries, of which there are a number throughout Deeside, and some learn 'feel and touch' by sea fishing and beach fishing. Fishing on Deeside is mainly carried out from river banks and from wading, very occasionally deeply and extremely rarely from a boat with less than a handful of Dee beats having a boat

It is advantageous to be able to Spey cast and utilise double handed fly fishing rods in the 13-16 foot range with floating to sinking lines. There is an option to Spin on the river in the early season and later in the season, but by and large the river Dee sees the majority of anglers fly fishing. There are instructors in Deeside and this website has instructors details available for reference. It is always easier learning a new skill with instruction and angling is no exception. It can be a most enjoyable diversion taking youngsters to the local trout fisheries as they can catch fish there considerably easier than they would on a salmon river, this is because the trout feed in the stocked trout ponds and Salmon do not feed in the river.

We arrange to visit schools throughout the catchment and present the "Salmon in the Classroom" programme to school pupils. This presentation is provided by River Dee Trust biologist Adrian Hudson and is a highly entertaining and informative presentation which allows local school children to learn about the environment, the inhabitants of the river and river bank, and the commercial value of fishing through angling tourism in Deeside. Local schools who want to see the presentation and be involved in the programme are welcome to get in touch with us.

We have been given a super opportunity by Mr Ron Low and his business partner Mr John Wallace, to use the local Raemoir trout fishery in Banchory where there have been a number of ponds created to produce invertebrates to provide natural feeding for the...

Fishing in Deeside

Adrian Discussing the Lifecycle of the salmon to school pupils and teachers.

...trout stocked in the trout ponds. It will be an interesting addition to the schools programme where we can take the school pupils to the fishery, and allow them to use bandy nets and scoop out invertebrates and identify these with the use of a key chart. We will then hopefully be able to tie fishing flies to imitate the natural invertebrates and then allow the school children to try out fishing in one of the trout ponds. We are most grateful to Raemoir for the support provided for the schools programme as we are aware how socially inclusive angling is for all children as an activity. The fishery has details on the FishDee website

If it is possible we shall then arrange a follow up visit to a River Dee beat where the school pupils will get the chance to see Adrian and his assistants Stephanie Third and Pamela Esson, carry out electro fishing and will catch a variety of river inhabitants like salmon parr, trout, eels, and lampreys, as well as freshwater mussels, and explain how the food chain works and how all the inhabitants in the river live together. The pupils will also be given the opportunity to try out casting with a salmon rod onto the water.

It is very important to get some support for the schools programme, and we have been given 20 new fishing rods, reels, lines for the schools programme by the Glasgow Angling Centre's managing director Mr Paul Devlin. We are most grateful for the support provided by Mr Devlin and the Glasgow Angling Centre, as it allows us to offer a first class visitor experience for the school children whilst visiting the fishery and river as detailed above. The river Dee trust is a charitable organisation and relies on donations to support the environmental and education work that the River Dee Trusts biologists carry out. It costs a considerable amount to finance the work undertaken and we are always grateful for any support provided by the local community and businesses in Aberdeenshire, and throughout Scotland by supportive benefactors. Any donations to the River Dee trust do qualify for tax relief, and donations can be forwarded to our office at 4 Mill of Dinnet, Dinnet, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, AB34 5LA or please call us if you wish to discuss how you can support the River Dee trust on 013398 80411 where we will be delighted to discuss this with you.

*************
RIVER DEE
GRAND AUCTION
*************
A collection of fourteen fabulous auction lots have been donated to help raise vital funds for the River Dee. Full details can be accessed here
.

For the largest fish caught on the Dee each year - see:

PARK TROPHY