A Good Day at Dinnet

My pal Jim Coates, enjoys a well deserved break from the office....

It wasn’t a vintage start to the working week... the usual diet of sell more, spend less etc felt like it had been supersized!... then, things suddenly looked up as an email pinged up on my laptop screen.

'Jim, fancy a day at Dinnet in my week?' Carlsberg don’t do fishing invites,if they did they might involve a call from the owner of a prime Dee beat to come and have a cast during his week in May. I can’t think of a more mouth watering prospect than a day at Dinnet in late May. My day had been made.

Over the next few months I had happily drifted into anticipation many times, savouring the prospect of swinging a small fly through the fast clear pools. Its often fatal to look forward to a day too much, but I just couldn’t help it!

The day arrived and the water was at a nice fishing height, about 4 inches above summer level and clear as a bell.

I met Edward and Euan, the new ghillie, on Dinnet bridge just before 9am.

Euan fancied a full floater and a small Sheila fly; we headed up to the top of the beat to fish our way down the Dinnet bank to the lunch hut at Cobbles and 29. A lot of fishing and some gorgeous pools to cover. What more could a man ask for?

In truth I never really fancy a full floater, I’m not quite sure why but it never quite feels right to me. A combination of the strong wind, brand new line and my silly mental block with full floaters ended up producing some pretty ordinary casting. I felt a bit of a berk. I just wasn’t feeling confident and was cross with myself for not fishing well.

I may have been as giddy as a schoolgirl in the build up to my day, but I am at least wise enough to know that fishing is all about being confident and enjoying yourself. After we had fished the first couple of pools I told Euan I just didn’t feel I was doing things justice.

Euan empathised and we shared a Dee dram from the hip flask. “Let’s pop a wee poly leader on and try a different fly in another pool, I’ll show you the Haugh”. I could have been the whisky but I think it was Euans experience that put me at ease, knowing how to switch things up to get his rod performing. A short hop in the land rover and we were at the Haugh pool.

Much of my fishing enjoyment lies in the anticipation and I had been sat in the fly tying room the week before, playing about with a few new ideas... what would the perfect May fly be? I came up with an entirely derivative sort of a thing but I liked it. It embodied most of my favourite ingredients. A nice long mobile runner tail, a good proud hackle and a failsafe black, yellow and silver colour scheme, set off with just the right amount of flash and some jungle cock for good measure. In my eyes it couldn’t fail! I was really pleased when Euan homed in on the very fly and tied it on. The combination of fortifying dram, change of pool, poly leader and my new fly having been hand selected suddenly made me feel ten feet tall and I started to fish like I’d tried waders on before. More importantly I started to relax and the hours of anticipation gave way to pure enjoyment as I savoured every cast.

All was well with the world as we picked our way down the fast bouldery run leading into the Haugh pool proper.

Euan was telling me about his previous life at Gordon Castle on the Spey and his defection to Deeside when the reel suddenly interrupted the comfortable patter and a fresh Dee springer launched into the mid morning sunshine. The new fly was christened.

After lunch I was proudly shown the opposite bank by Deecatle’s expert ghillie, Colin. More delicious water was laid out at my mercy. With killer fly, poly leader, good lunchtime dram and a fish under my belt things were looking good. The awful wind was now at my at my back and causing a helpful ripple on the glide pool.

My contented daydreaming was interrupted when I noticed some underwater glinting; I know your already there, but it took me a few moments to figure out it was a pod of fresh springers. Let’s face it, it’s not the most common sight! It was about the same time the penny dropped that the line tightened. A lovely deep fish of about 8lbs was expertly netted by Colin. A quick photo, a souvenir sea louse removed and she was back on her way.

After the traditional 5’oclock rest at the main hut and some friendly banter with the other rods it was farewell to Euan and Colin and time for a final evening session. Cobbles pool is intimate, a brief pause in the heavy stream as the Dee negotiates a sharp bend. Its classic highland pool but with more than a passing resemblance to one of the northern Kola rivers. The hat trick came with a diesel built 9lb bar of silver. A tense 'hook and hold' right at the lip of the pool gave way to a spirited fight as he changed tactics and made for an escape via the run at the top of the pool.

I beached him, stole a quick photo and sent him on his way west. It was time for home. Thanks to Edward, Euan and Colin for a special day and memories to savour.