and although the river is running clear sealiced fish are being reported as far upriver as Inverurie. The upper beats are really needing a rise in levels to kick start their season, although fish are lying up in the deeper pools they are proving difficult to tempt.

Catches of Sea and Brown Trout have been picking up on a few beats although when the evening haar comes in off the coast it’s better to call it a day. A few nice Brown Trout are being landed up to 3lbs from the ADAA beats along with the Aberdeenshire Council fishings with early mornings or evening fishing proving popular at present due to the warm spell of weather.

Grilse should be arriving on the coast soon and will move into the system even in low water. The lower beats at Cruives Grandhome and Parkhill will score if the river remains low. Whilst rain is forecast for later in the week the farmland crops and forestry around Donside will soak in most.

Any reports of catches or photos are greatly appreciated. Send to donfish2@btinternet.com

Martin Webster

received an unexpected layer of fresh snow. By Saturday the sun shone bright in a cloudless sky and temperatures rose to a giddy height of 20c. The river was falling away nicely and running with a tinge of colour till Thursday, when a lift in levels caused the Don to colour up on the Friday and into Saturday.

Reports of fish landed have again been slow to come in but it appears that beats from Monymusk upstream to Alford have enjoyed the best of the sport with anglers fishing at Castle Forbes and Breda landing some nice fresh Salmon up to 18lbs. The water conditions clear more quickly after a rise and in a few hours’ rods can be on fishing again. The lower river beats suffered from coloured water and debris later in the week and lost a couple of day’s fishing.

Only the odd Sea Trout has been landed on the lower beats at Grandhome and Cruives. With the evenings still being chilly not many rods have been out targeting them yet.

Brown Trout anglers are reporting seeing a good variety of flies hatching out but many days the bigger trout seem disinterested and fail to rise to them. I did hear however from an experienced angler who while fishing Kintore stretch report seeing as many decent sized trout feeding on the surface for over an hour as he has in many a year. These unpredictable feeding patterns can make the Don a very frustrating Trout river but perseverance pays off for many anglers as some specimen Trout up to 5lbs have been landed in the past week. Plenty of small Trout up to 8inches are being landed on dries and wets.

The Smolt run is well underway with anglers fishing down at Parkhill being constantly pestered with them taking their flies. Many rods stopped fishing so as not to damage any more. Hopefully a good number will make it out to sea and then onto the feeding grounds.

Any reports of catches or photos are greatly appreciated. Send to donfish2@btinternet.com

Martin Webster.

mixed bag of late with spells of sunshine quickly followed by hail and rain showers but more annoyingly has been the gusting winds which do not seem to have let up since April. Water temperatures have varied daily from 52f to 56f.

Catches of Salmon have been low throughout the river with just the odd fish being reported here and there, a few have been fresh but the odd older fish is now also being landed. The lower beats are seeing fish come off the tides but in fewer numbers than in previous weeks. A few middle river beats are holding fish in their pools but the low clear water has put them off the take. I think the “spring” run has tailed off and we now await the arrival of the Grilse and summer Salmon. When the water clears catches should improve again.

Sea Trout are appearing in the lower river and a few have been landed on the fly in the 2-3lb bracket. The next few weeks will tell if we are going to see a marked increase in numbers than last year.

Brown Trout fishing has shown an improvement as river conditions of late have been more preferably with feeding fish being spotted and tempted on the dry fly. DHE patterns seem to be working well at the moment. Trout of 21 and 24 inches have been landed from Monymusk beats. Breda, Inverurie and Parkhill have also been producing some big trout action.

Any new, catches or photos are greatly appreciated. Send to donfish2@btinternet.com

Martin Webster

at a great height for angling and salmon entering the system have been taking full advantage with sealiced fish being reported as far upriver at Breda.

Water temperatures are on the increase and rose to over 50f yesterday for the first time this season. Gusting winds during the day have made casting a fly difficult at times but conditions have improved in the evenings when the winds dropped away.

Throughout the week most beats from Grandhome upriver to Breda have reported landing the odd fish, nothing spectacular but considering the ever growing numbers of Seals and Dolphins that are being seen in the bay it’s surprising that anything has made it into the river.

There has again been some lovely short fat fish landed of late with the average weight being around 10lb, the heaviest landed was a beautiful fish at 24lbs from the lower river. Fly fishing has proved best as the water clears with the usual patterns of Cascades, Park Shrimps and Ally’s being used to good effect.

Sea Trout have started trickling into the system with a few being landed up to 5lb from the ADAA lower beats.

Trout fishing has been a bit hit or miss with short lived hatches of Olives and March Browns appearing daily bringing fish up to the surface, only to disappearing just as quick. Trout have been landed from beats at Strathdon and Kildrummy on the upper river downstream to Parkhill beats, with a few around the 4lb mark falling to emerger flies. Spider patterns fished wet have also been working well.

Please contact me with any news, catches or photos at donfish2@btinternet.com

Martin Webster

introduction to the life of this fascinating mollusc. He asked me to write the Foreword to his book, which I quote below because the context of the Freshwater Mussel FWM (Margaritifera Margaritifera) is perhaps more relevant today than it was then, largely because of increasing public awareness of its ecological importance.

Fred Woodward worked at the Kelvingrove Gallery in Glasgow in a team of distinguished natural historians and biologists. In that capacity he became a member of the European Invertebrates Survey and of the Bern Invertebrates Specialist Group, among other influential roles, including fellowship of the Linnaean Society. I remember Fred talking about the importance of the freshwater mussel and its relationship with juvenile salmonids, especially Atlantic salmon parr. At that time he was drafting the guidelines for the EU's Habitat Directorate, which ultimately led to EU legislation to protect the FWM.

Why are freshwater mussels (FWM) important?

My own interest in Margaritifera Margaritifera stemmed from living on the banks of the River South Esk in Angus, which was famous for the quality of its FWM pearls. In the 1980s it was still legal to collect pearls by opening up the shell of the living mollusc, invariably killing it in the process, and occasionally finding a pearl inside. South Esk FWM pearls were highly sought after, so much so that the late Queen Mother was given a necklace of a selection of the purest irridescent and graded pearls.

Quite often we would find heaps of opened shells beside the river, with dead mussels rotting and stinking in the summer warmth. It was obvious to me, even before I met Fred Woodward, that the plundering of the river's stocks of FWM could not continue if they were not going to become extinct.

Hence, when Fred asked me to write the foreword for his book, this is what I wrote:

"The freshwater mussel is a biological indicator of the health of our rivers. It is also the prized quarry of pearl fishermen, and in Scotland there is a common right to fish for them. There are few such privileges given to the ordinary person, above the rights of the riparian owner, and it is significant, as public access to Scotland's wilderness areas is now a major political issue, that we now know that this practice is no longer sustainable, if the Scottish pearl mussel is to survive.

Traditionally the pearl fisher killed every mussel in the search for the elusive and valuable pearl. It is this, in the context of the longevity and slow growth of Margaritifera Margaritifera, which made it obvious to Scotland's small group of professional pearl fishers that they needed to devise a method which did not involve killing the mussel. This they succeeded in doing by developing tongs which prise open the shell-halves sufficiently to allow inspection and removal of a pearl from the mussel's mantle without harming it. Unfortunately, it was impossible to communicate this method to the much larger number of amateur pearl fishermen, and it therefore became necessary to introduce legislation in 1989 to protect the animal by making it illegal to kill them, or interfere with them in any way.

Fred Woodward is the champion of Margaritifera Margaritifera. His interest in its natural history, its exploitation by man since pre-Roman times, its global context and the politics needed to ensure its survival, are the subject of this book. His main concern is for the mollusc's wellbeing, and yet he manages to introduce an elegaic sympathy for the Scottish group of professional pearl fishers, Bill Abernethy, Peter Goodwin and the McCormack family. It is well worth reading Peter Goodwin's book, 'The River and the Road - Journal of a Freshwater Pearl-Fisher' (Hale 1985 ISBN 0 7090 2341 3) which describes the lives of pearl fishers, an activity which sadly but understandably no longer exists.

The 1992 Rio conference on the global environment highlighted the issue of biodiversity, and it is therefore important that each threatened species has its champions. Fred Woodward's commitment is much more important than championing the cause of a single species however, because his holistic approach has much in common with the Scottish biologist and philosopher, Patrick Geddes, in the way he invites us to think globally and act locally. Margaritifera Margaritifera is more than yet another threatened species or biological indicator; ultimately it is a measure of our commitment to sustaining our environment."

Since 1993 the EU has introduced Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to protect fragile species such as the FWM. Because of the mollusc's relationship with juvenile salmon, which are hosts to the FWM's larval parasite (Glochidia), it is the relationship between the two species which has become the target of EU conservation efforts. In salmon rivers where the freshwater mussel still exists, SAC status is predicated on the wellbeing of both species in that particular ecosystem - the freshwater catchment.

TA on 6/5/2013

being lost from the lower beats near Grandhome to as far upstream as Breda. Beats at Kintore, Inverurie, Manar and Kemnay are also reporting seeing small runs of fish going through most days. The middle and upper beats should see these fish appear and hold in their pools in the next week or so. There seems to be a decent spring run developing this year with the quality of fish being landed in great condition apart from the seal damage on many. A good percentage being landed are between12 and 16lbs. There has been 40 fish reported since last Monday with most still carrying sealice. The only disappointment is to hear that the odd salmon is being killed on certain beats.

Even in less than ideal fishing conditions anglers have been out in better numbers and many have been successful with a few lucky anglers landing 2 or 3 fresh fish for their day efforts. The daily blustery westerly winds have made casting a fly difficult and very dangerous at times and quite a few anglers have chosen to fish the spinner if their rules allow.

With the river currently running at 1ft on the middle reaches fresh fish are scattered with no particular area better than other at present, an increase in water temperature to 44f has also helped keep fish on the move. The vast majority of kelts have now all dropped downriver having taking full advantage of the recent bigger water, but I did hear of one being landed yesterday at over 20lbs much to the disappointment of the angler who had hoped it would be his biggest spring fish ever.

As we near the end of April most beats from Alford down river have landed fish and prospects for the first week of May look promising. The feeder burns are still holding a good level and this will help to keep the main river topped up. The odd fresh Sea trout should start to be appearing soon, hopefully this season we will see a better run than last years.

The Trout fishing has been sporadic mainly due to the changeable weather conditions which has limited surface sport with just a few short lived hatches of Olives and March Browns each day, but Trout up to 5lbs have been reported landed from the middle and lower beats. Catches should improve as the river drops and the temperatures increase. Anglers fishing on Monymusk beats have been landing some decent Trout as well as Salmon.

Can I remind all anglers to please try and remember to collect a few scales if possible from their catch be it Salmon or Trout. Scale packets are available from the Don Bailiffs or by contacting the Trust Biologist Jamie on 01330 830080.

Many thanks to all anglers who have sent me catch reports and photos.

Please contact me with any news, catches or photos at donfish2@btinternet.com

Martin Webster

around 1ft on the middle and lower beats, but continue to run very clear. Water temperatures increased to 37f during the day which encouraged fish to move upstream.. There is still a huge amount of snow to thaw on the hills, but with temperatures only predicted to increase slightly for the coming week a significant rise looks unlikely.

With an increase in angling effort, last week’s catches of spring fish improved with a total of twelve being landed from the lower and middle reaches. There was a push of fresh fish into the system last week as Grandhome, Parkhill, Manar and Kemnay beats all landed fish, the biggest at 15lb. Manar area saw three fish landed and one lost last Friday as a run of new fish moved through the pools. The remaining kelts would suddenly begin to show and jump as new fresh fish moved into the pool. It’s nice to see the fish spread out already giving all beats a chance of landing a spring fish. There has been none or very few anglers out fishing above Alford, but I predict there will be a few fish landed up there soon as we move into April.

There were a few trout anglers out on the river today, but after chatting to a few it seems it may well be a few weeks yet before there is any chance of some good surface activity. There were sightings of the odd LDO around 1pm but with a bitterly cold wind blowing upstream conditions were far from ideal. The odd trout was taken on nymphs and wets but nothing of any size was reported.

Martin Webster