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Fishing Newsletter

The Fishing Season ’24

We are a little more upbeat after the last season as the fears of a repeat dry summer, as that of 2023, faded away. We eagerly awaited the start of the new season, Alice and Abby attending the River Dee Opening Ceremony at the Milton of Crathes on Saturday 1st February, our ghillie, Sean, was (naturally) on the river. 

The first cast at the opening ceremony was made by James Wynn (14) who was awarded the Callum Mackenzie Cup last year. Heather Mackenzie presented the cup to this years winner, Ryan Taylor (17) as this years best junior entry. It is encouraging to see these young, local anglers coming through. Winners are rewarded with two rods on Commonty.

Commonty Ghillie

We had a lovely send off for Ian Fraser on his last day as Commonty ghillie down at the fishing hut at the end of the season. Ian has been part of the Estate since 1976 and there is very little which he has not been involved in over the years, between property, wildlife and forestry. Many memories.

We’re delighted to say that Shane Christie will be joining us as ghillie for the Spring season at Commonty. Shane has been a ghillie for most of his life and works at Park on the Dee from June onwards. We’re sure he was happy to find out that his first guest, who booked the first three rods on the first day of the season, was Ian.

The River Dee Trust

Thank you to Neil Weir for representing the Ballogie anglers and their contribution to the River Dee Trust last season. The total sum raised from the levy was £1495.00.

Every year we donate fishing at Commonty towards the The River Dee Trusts annual auction, a lot that raised £300.00. The total sum raised from the event last year was an incredible £26,703.00 and will be used to deliver vital work to restore the river. Keep an eye out for when the 2025 auction goes live!

Save the Spring

The Save the Spring campaign is now well underway, now 9 months into the smolt-to-adult supplementation pilot programme. Sean has been down to Stirling University to meet the project leaders and learn more about the programme. Monthly reports are available on The River Dee website, so that you can keep up-to-date with the projects progress, and challenges. 

Pictured – Our first Spring salmon of the 2025 season!

Save the Spring | River Dee 

The Cattie Burn Restoration project 

The Cattie Burn Restoration project was led by the Dee Fishery Board. It has been incredible to watch this project unfold after months of planning. The project included working on three key stretches of the Cattie Burn, re-meandering upstream, removing weirs and creating wetlands downstream.  

  • 700m meandering new channel created in place of a canalised stretch of the burn.   
  • Two manmade weirs removed.  
  • 31 Large wood structures installed to enhance instream habitat and spawning opportunities for salmon.   
  • Widened water margins and wetland creation  

Cattie Burn Restoration Project nears completion | River Dee 

The success of the project is testament to everyone involved – skilled local contractors, hydrologists and the expert team at the River Dee Trust.  Abby has donated a significant amount of her time to assist with the project and we are so happy with the outcome.  Thinking environmentally and working with nature is a key ethos of Ballogie Estate. We look forward to seeing the site develop in time.

Top Catches!

Congratulations to all the top catches for the 2024 season –

Ballogie Beat – P Ness caught a 20lber at Top Gannets 

Carlogie Beat – K Sundbeck caught a 20lber at March 

Commonty Beat – M Philips caught a 16lber at Boat 

Top Pools and Top Flies

The top five pools, top five flies and five year averages can be found in the below links:

Lastly…

John Miller has published ‘What’s in a Year, A Countryman’s Tale Through the Seasons’. John has fished with us every June (apart from 2020) for over 30 years, is a trustee for the Atlantic Salmon Trust and has helped with the launch of the Save the Spring campaign. You’ll find a copy at Ford Cottage, with some wonderful excepts about fishing on Carlogie and Ballogie (we’re looking forward to our sales commission…) Congratulations, John.

 
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