Leaning over Culquoich bridge, I stared down into the peat-tinged depths of the Aberdeenshire Don and marveled at its beauty. There is something about a salmon river after a summer spate that is inviting and filled with the promise of fresh run fish. It draws you to it and urges you to cast a line across its glides and pools.
Never a broad river, the hurried nature of the Don betrays its mountainous birth in the hags and corries of Aberdeenshire’s high hills. Often bypassed by those who journey to the Spey and Dee, it is a jewel fixed in a perfect setting.
Taking rod in hand once again, I crossed the bridge and, climbing a stile placed with the angler in mind, headed upstream toward the Doctor’s Pool. In pursuit of summer salmon, I waded through waist-deep willowherb, whose flowers splashed the bankside pale pink, while comfrey carpeted the ground in blue.
Emerging from the vegetation, I stood on the open bank and surveyed the pool. The Doctor’s might have been crafted from an angler’s dreams, for it is simply perfection. Deep, shelving, and with a backdrop of towering firs, this pool holds salmon in any height of the water and challenges the angler to fish it well. With some surprise, I noticed a great, dark, elongated object, not seen before, lying on the bed of the pool, about halfway across its width and in approximately 4ft of water. It was the shattered trunk of a huge spruce tree, carried down by the recent spate until, in falling water, it had grounded on the Doctor’s gravel bar.
Sunken spruce
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 11, 2021-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 11, 2021-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside