Scotland 2011

the Ghillies Hut on Delfur

Monday 6/3

I can just say that it was no problem waking up on Monday morning when fishing on the Delfur beat in River Spey in Scotland was on the agenda. The night before i had checked all fishing tackle i brought with me from Sweden twice so i should be ready for the first cast of the year. Alex turned up at 7.30 and gave me a ride to the river. I was invited to the Ghillies Hut for a cup of coffe and to meet the Ghillies. At 9.00 my Vision Cult 14,7 with an XLA reel loaded with the inter/S2 line was ready and the Head Ghillie Mike took my up to Sourden pool. It was one of the nicest Salmon pools i ever seen and i started my fishing with a Black/Yellow fly. I fished the pool but had no strikes on the fly so we went down to the next pool, Holy Bush. Also a just lovely salmon pool and i fished it with out any fish contact to it were time for lunch. It was quite windy but we could sitt outside the hut and have our lunch in the sun. After lunch i was off the fish the collie pool and there i had a strike on the fly but not any thing else. At 17.00 we stoped fishing and went back to the hut for a wee dram. I can say it feelt good with a warm bath and a nice dinner that evening and need i say that i sleept like a baby that night?

The Bridge at Delfur

Thuesday 7/3

The first thing i heard when i woke up on thuesday was the wind howling and then i know that is was going to be a hard day on the Spey. Willie picked me up with his car and we sat of to Rothes beat also on the River Spey. When we arrived it was cold and very windy so it was nice to change to my vaders inside Mikes and Robbies hut by the fire. My ghillie for today was Robbie and i strated my fishing on the upper pools of the beat. I can say it was problem just to stand up as the wind sweept trough the spey valley and it was even harder to get the line out in the water. But after awhile i got the line out quite good with snak rolls and Robbie was just on his way down to have a look at the other fishermans my line stoped out in the river and then started to move and not by the wind. I never feel the take in the rod because of the strong wind but when i raised my rod the fish was hooked. Nice start after 15 minutes of fishing i had fish on and i called out fish on to Robbie that came running with his net ready but then the fish shaked him self lose and my rod went straight......... no, a lost it! But i started to fish the pool again and if theres one fish in the pool it could be some more just standing and waiting for the fly. Had a pull further down and a couple of fishs showed them self. I went down stream to see how Willie was doing but he had gone back to the hut so i fished the pool quite fast before i also took shelter in the warm fishing hut. When we were having are lunch the sky opened up and a wall of sleet was going trough the spey valley and it looked like we was going to make a early stop for todays fishing but at 14.00 the slett was gone and the wind was almost gone so we took are rods again and headed for the lower pools. Started to fish pool but now Salmon was home so i walked up to the junction pool to Willie and he had not seen or feelt anything either. I fished the junction and had two pulls in the full but the fish did not want to get caught. at 16.15 we decided to end the day and went home.

Jamison's cast

Wednesday 8/3

Woke up with a sore throt and had a head ache comming on. But after a cup of coffe i felt better and was ready for day two at Rothes. It was quite windy today and after changing into my fishing clothes i started to feel dissy and was totaly soaked in sweat and my throt started to hurt again... If i don't catch anything else i sure catch the flu. But i took a paracetamol and went down to the junction with Alex and started to fish from the burn. Halfway down to the boat i had a pull on the fly. I backed up 2m and went over the spot again but did not feel anything else so i continued fishing down to the boat. After a while i started to feel real bad again and got dissy and my legs was as jelly so then i decided to quite the day after no more than an hours fishing and went back to hut and called my wife Kicki to come and pick me up. Went to the parmacy and got some flu medicine and took a very hot bath and a couple of big whiskys and went to bed. Woke up later that evening and felt better and maybe i could do some fishing tomorrow.

Sourden pool at Delfur

Thursday 9/3

Woke up early and was feeling much better than the day before but i got myself a cup of flu medicine and a whisky before it was time to jump in Willies car and go to Delfur for the last day in Spey. It was very cold morning and the weather forecast did not looked good. At Delfur we was having a cup of coffe in the ghillies hut and suddenly the wind picked up and tryed to take the roof off the hut. Not looking good at all for fly fishing. Mark and I went up to Sourden, the nicest pools i ever seen and fished. The wind was terrible and it the sky opend up and it was rain and snowing so you could not see the other side of the river and it was also so windy that it was hard to just stand still. I fished sourden then we went back to the hut and after an hour we dicided to end are day at Delfur before lunch time. When we had changed from are waders the weather got a wee bit better but both Willie and I was already chillied to the bone so we went home to Portsoy. It was my last day on the magnificent River Spey for this time but i sure will be back next year and hope that not the weather and the flu wont spoil my chances for a springer then.

The Boys at Delfur

Friday 10/3

Today Willie and I went for a trip down to River Dee and the Lower Crathes Beat. The water height looked perfect when we arrived after an hours drive and we were both quite sure to get some fish today. I started the fishing at Upper Bridge pooland after standing in the water for a couple of minutes i noticed that the water was much colder than yesterday because the snow that had fallen in the mountians had started to melt so the temperature had dropped quickly. A couple of fishe showed them self down by the bridge and i had one chasing the my fly but no strike. We changed pools two times before lunch and we watched a couple of springers that was showing them self in the pools but not any one would have a go on our flies. After lunch we were going to the lower parts of the beat and we fished pool after pool but did not feel anything even that we see fish in all of them. So by 5.00 in the afternoon we went back to the hut and we ones again was defeted by the salmons. But we had a great day on the River Dee and the Lower Crathes beat and if i ever get the chance to fish there again i don't have to think twice to go there.

Delfur in sunset

 That was my early week in march in Scotland and even that i had no fish on the bank i'm very pleased just to have had the chance to start the season here with my friends Willie and Alex. Thank you guy's for inviting me to fish those great beats. And i also would like to thank Mark and the Delfur ghillies and Mike and Robbie at Rothes and Robert at Lower Crathes for exellent service and also Malcolm and Graham for letting me fish there rods. Now it's not long before the season starts here in Sweden but my hearts is always in Scotland. I can just say one thing... I'll be back!