Situated in the north-east of Scotland, the Grampian region is renowned for its dramatic scenery and fine malts. But the quality of its wild brown trout fishing is perhaps something often overlooked.
Fed by high springs and snow melt, the rivers Deveron and Don in Aberdeenshire possess quality wild brown trout little matched in the UK today. With abundant insect life, and a genetic propensity to grow large, brownies in excess of 7lb are not uncommon here. Thickset and beautifully spotted, Salmo trutta on my local river Don are wonderful to behold and a quarry fit to quicken the pulse of any fly angler. These wild fish are preserved by a laudable policy of catch-and-release, for the quickest way to destroy any fishery is the indiscriminate killing of mature fish.
The stocked rainbow trout of lowland lakes are wonderful to fish for, but the wild brown trout of Deveron and Don are a very different prospect. Evolved over millennia to survive their native rivers, they are wary in the extreme. Make one poor cast and they won’t charge away like red deer, or make a demonstrative exit like a cock pheasant; they will simply vanish. Refreshingly, the cost of such quality fishing is often a fraction of that incurred by the visiting salmon angler.
Frigid days
Bu hikaye Shooting Times & Country dergisinin May 12, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Shooting Times & Country dergisinin May 12, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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