Salmon and Sea-trout season-  11 February 2011 to 31 October inclusive.
Brown trout season  15 March to 6 October Inclusive.

NEW FOR 2012
 
CASTING INSTRUCTION
 
We can now offer tuition to anglers on a one to one or group basis from a fully qualified instructor.
 
Learn to Spey cast, cover that spot where fish are -but is always just out of reach or just brush up on your skills.
We can arrange it for you or if your beat gillie has no objections it can be done on your beat at a time to suit you.
Please ring Frank on 01888 562428 to book a slot- it will improve your "luck"

Update 22 December 2011

JUST ARRIVED  
 
The next great variable pump rifle is here! If you enjoy the adaptability of the AR platform then you're going to love the M4-177. The airgun features a rifled steel barrel and shoots both pellets and BBs. The rifle's variable pump action is easy to use for right or left-handed shooters.

Expect velocities up to 660 fps with BBs and 625 fps with 7.9gr, .177 calibre pellets.

There's plenty of picatinny rails for mounting your favourite accessories, plus the front and rear sights and stock are removable for the ultimate in upgrade possibilities.
Includes a Firepow'r 5-shot pellet clip
Reservoir capacity of 350 BBs
Adjustable stock to fit every shooter
Loop slots for adding a gun sling
Windage and elevation adjustments
Two aperture sizes instantly available on rear sight: just flip up the small one for stationary or bull's-eye targets or the large one for moving or large targets.
Removable magazine stores pellet clip and sight adjustment tool

Update 5 December 2011

Winter has finally arrived over the weekend with temperatures below freezing and a covering of snow. Rain and sleet initially in the hills has also raised river levels to around one foot above normal.
The highest since the end of the season. More rain is forecast for mid week before more snow arrives on Friday so levels might be up again.
At least the shooters are having a better time than the last few years.
Remember we have plenty hats and gloves in stock and clothing by Deerhunter, with Ram Camo jackets at £200. Gaitors and boots along with Aigle Neoprene zipped wellington boots- ideal for the cold.
Huglo .410 over and under shotguns at £555 and Silver select over and under 12g shotgun, ( wood stock version) multi choke on special offer at only £600.

Update 2 December 2011

As has been the case during the season we have and continue to miss all the heavy rain in our corner.

Central and southern Scotland are suffering severe floods and we only had a few inches  of a rise over the weekend. The mild weather has also continued and these two weather combinations are not good news for the fish. Many have suffered with fungal disease due to stress and some have not made it to spawning. The main stem of the river has seen large numbers of redds as the small burns are extremely low and the fish have not entered them in great numbers.

Obviously if we can avoid any large floods damaging them this could spell good news for the future as the main stem has been devoid of fish in numbers for a few years now and the complaint from anglers has been of fish running hard to the upper river.

There is always a down side and the goosanders are right behind the spawning fish digging in the gravel eating eggs and the cormorants are here in numbers too.
The forecast for tonight is to be minus 4 degrees so the first real cold night since the season ended and the cold is to continue into next week.

Update 1 December 2011

Deveron Bogie And Isla Rivers Trust AGM is to be held at St Ninians Church Gladstone Terrace Turriff at 7pm on 15 December 2011.
 
All are welcome and can I just say that there is no worry about getting voted on to any committees etc. We have a few minutes on the Financial state of the Trust and then the rest of the meeting will inform on the trusts work during the year and an open discussion on anything that any person wishes to bring up. So please come along if you can manage.

Update 8 November 2011

The last week continued to be tough. Once again we had a rise of water on Wednesday but it made very little difference. Fish were caught but not in any great numbers and certainly not in relation to the actual amount of fish running the river. Most beats were into double figures but some struggled. D Greenwood had 4 for his day on Friday at Turriff, 2 at 12lb and the others at 15 and 17lb, whilst B Arnold landed a 14lb sea-liced fish, J Gardner had tow to 12lb and R McDonald had two to 15lb- again all at Turriff.
Conditions remained very mild and indeed a few fish are showing signs of a fungus on the skin and this is indicative of warm conditions. Indeed only since Sunday have we seen frosts at –4 degrees in the morning but today at the same time it was +10 degrees so not a great help.
We will be starting to look at bookings at the end of November so if you want to be considered for anything get in touch.
 
Please remember we operate a mail order service so so you can still get you Christmas presents from us no matter how far away you are. For those of you more local we have shotgun cartridges and ammunition, along with gun lights etc for “Charlie” and a range of Deerhunter jackets and trousers along with waterproof gloves, socks and hats. Indeed everything to keep the winter out when you are in the field. We have 410 shotguns by Huglo in stock as well as some .17hmr Quad and .22 by CZ rifles on the shelf. Air rifles are always popular and we have some combos ideal for youngsters and rifles starting from £80. Our current top deal is on a Beretta Silver Pigeon 111 12gauge 28” barrel multi choke at just £1950 cash price- no trade in.

Huglo 410 shotguns 28” barrels , full , 3/4 chokes, single trigger ejector now in stock £555.

Update 29 October 2011

Thursday 20 October saw levels at one foot and dirty.Great numbers of salmon were seen running hard but very little would tempt them. Friday saw a better day with levels at seven inches. L McTavish and G Barron saw fish of 12 and 11 off Turriff and D Bremner landed his first ever salmon off Turtory on the fly at 12 lb. Saturday was the better day of the week and again lots of fish came off the river. Totals for the week saw most beats in mid teens for numbers with one beat in the thirties. A lot of fish were in the 18-22lb category and indeed one lucky angler at Upper Netherdale and Carnousie landed fish of 25 and 28lb on the fly for his week.

By Monday 24 October levels were down to plus three inches and it was very windy- again the fish had gone off the take. Tuesday saw levels further down at plus one inch and the wind was now gale force and many people never ventured out. Rain during the day Tuesday saw levels up to two feet on Wednesday and a few fish came off the river. John Gardiner returned two at Turriff of 8 and 10lb whilst a 7lb brownie was caught at Turriff. Despite low catches the river was stuffed full of running fish again- with a large number of fresh grilse running on Tuesday morning. Thursday saw levels down to one foot and many fish in the mid teens of pounds were hooked and lost. Friday saw levels down to plus six inches and Turriff recorded 10 for the day – 2 at 12 lb, 2 at 8lb, two at 15lb , 1 at 17lb and a long tailed sea-liced fish of 14lb. D Greenwood was top rod with four of those at 12, 12, 15 and 17lb. Many other beats struggled as they saw less fish than they had and caught even less. I know of some beats who are empty handed for the week up until Friday night and cannot believe that so many fish have ran past them and they have not managed to hook one, others have only caught three or four. One day left on Monday so we will see what happens.

Do not forget we will have all our shooting equipment out on display from Monday- so plenty to keep you going throughout the shooting season. If you are into the new craze of airsoft we can supply all the kit required- from rifles to clothing and boots. Enquiries for 2012 bookings are now being taken and offer letters to existing clients will be out in the next six weeks. Will any Turriff Angling Association member reading this please remember to hand in your returns before the 14 November. Looking ahead to 2012 please mark down the opening day – Saturday 11 February  for the opening ceremony which promises to be the best and biggest yet- as it is at the weekend and we will have the presentation of the Morison Trophy for the heaviest fly caught salmon of the season.

Update 20 October 2011

Turriff Tackle in Association with David Burgess(G Loomis pro Guide) will be running some courses on fly casting during 2012. The number of courses will depend on demand but it is envisaged that the early courses will be ran in the spring time for salmon tuition and in the summer for Brown Trout.
We are currently in talks with a local hotel and should have a cost in the next few weeks. Courses will run over four days and anglers will get the chance to visit several beats to enable right and left bank tuition.  I would be grateful if anyone who was interested would contact me either on e-mail or by telephone (01888 562428) and we can gauge the level of initial interest.

Update 18 October 2011

Challenging sums it up. There are fish in most pools and small pods of clean fish are seen running every day but trying to catch them is proving very difficult.

Monday 10 October saw levels up at plus three inches and R Breakell recorded 2 salmon whilst J Lorimer at Turriff returned a fly caught fish well over 20 lb. As levels dropped away to below normal by Thursday reports were slow. R Cowie visiting Turriff landed a 12lb Fish and R Breakell recorded another at 10lb off a middle beat. Saturday saw Dunlugas land three with 2 to Brian Arnold at 9 and 5lb and one to D Burgess. Reports from Keepers and anglers point to most beats taking around 3- 5 fish for the week with Montcoffer reporting one per day which is working out better than most.

This week continues in the same vein at the moment although we missed the heavy rain in Southern Scotland yesterday we are having heavy squally showers today with temperatures this morning only at 4 degrees.

For those of you locally and who shoot do not forget we stock bullets, shotgun cartridges, decoys, shotguns, rifles , lamping equipment, cleaning products and clothing by Deerhunter. We also have hand and feet warmers along with an extensive range of hats and gloves to keep out the winter chill.

Update 10 October 2011

Another tough week but there were some highlights.

Levels kicked off at plus 8 inches and catches were reasonable. D Plumpton on Castle Water Huntly landed 4 fish – best 15lb. R Breakell landed one at 10lb and another at 16lb lower down the river. Turriff saw 3 grilse and Laithers landed 8. Levels dropped 4 inches on Tuesday to plus 4 and Turriff saw a 15lb fish to R McDonald. Scatterty landed two at 16lb on Wednesday and with levels down to normal on Friday Carnousie saw G Noble land one at 10lb and another at 17.5lb. Forglen reported fish of 17 and 23 lb whilst Mountblairy landed a fish of 27lb- more details to follow.

Eden, Inverichnie and Lower Inverichnie reported a combined total of 35 for the week up until Saturday – many sea-liced and a few first time salmon fishers landed fish including one young lady landing three to 13 lb on Friday.
It is a bit cooler now – in fact cold at nights so hopefully the fish will come on the take. There are plenty fish being seen including many clean ones right up and down the river but they have been reluctant to take.

Update 6 October 2011

I  now have some fishing available in the next few weeks.

Castle Water Huntly has two rods fly only for week 17 October, Marnoch has three rods week 10 and 17 October inc accommodation and Turtory has one rod week of 10 and 17 October.
 
More reports in today of fish to 18 lb coming off the lower river with Eden having the best of it with quite a few sea-liced fish out of their double figure catches so far.

Update 3 October 2011

Last week was a real struggle with temperatures in the mid twenties and the sun shining brightly. There seems to be plenty of fresh fish leaping around on all beats but their mouths are welded firmly shut. No doubt like “us fishermen” they did not like the conditions. Thankfully we had a bit of rain over the weekend and the river is up to plus 8 inches this morning. Temperatures are much cooler and it is overcast. There are reports of a few salmon and grilse off first thing this am to 15lb.  Marnoch Lodge has some availability for 3 rods and a cottage w/c 10 and 17 October and a few day tickets available on Turriff and Huntly Lodge.

Update 27 September 2011

3 rods and a cottage available Marnoch Lodge for week of 10 October and 17 October.

Update 26 September 2011

Last week saw levels drop about one inch per day so levels were reasonable for the week. Turriff saw G Clark land a sea-liced fish at 14lb whilst G Barron landed two sea-liced fish at 7 and 4lb.
Mr M McDonald reports 4 salmon and 5 grilse for his week at Muiresk with C Mackay landing his first ever fish and his 12 year old son Bailey loosing his first two but with a little “help” landed one at 4lb.
Other beats accounted for around a dozen fish with reports still to come in. Montcoffer is reported to have landed a fish of around 19lb, Upper Netherdale saw a fish lost at the net after a 50 min fight on fly with the gillie who landed the 29lb fish last week saying this fish was larger than that. Then on Friday C Wyness landed a fish measuring 48.5” long and est. weight of around the 40lb mark. Pictures can be found here. Again this fish came off Carnousie beat part of Upper Netherdale and Carnousie fishings.

Fish caught by C. Wyness

Update 20 September 2011

Monday 12 September saw levels open at plus six inches. J Brock had two salmon at Inverichnie and W Woods returned a fish between 20 and 30lb at Muiresk. Tuesday saw levels up to plus nine inches and Duncan Egan landed his first Deveron Fish at Muiresk- a grilse of 5lb. Eden plugged away slowly but by Wednesday the river was at two and a half feet and very dirty. Thursday saw levels down to one foot three inches, seven inches by Friday and back up to one foot and very muddy on Saturday rising to just under two feet after lunchtime. The Butcher Party at Avochie landed a few grilse and sea-trout along with Salmon to 11lb and a 5lb Brown Trout .Mountblairy had 6 by Thursday inc one at 20lb. The Meikle Party at Eden had three fresh fish on Friday to 14lb and Upper Netherdale reported a 25lb fish.
C Wyness had sea-liced fish of 9 and 11lb off Upper Netherdale and on Saturday The Marshall Party on the same beat reported several grilse and salmon of 16,17 and 18lb during their week.

Mrs Jean Marshall ,fishing a flamethrower size 8 on Saturday on her 12’6“ rod, eventually saw Gillie David Low safely net a fish Measuring 43” in length, 23.5” in girth and tipped the scales at 29lb. It was safely returned.

Sunday saw levels at three feet and the river opened on Monday at two feet six inches and a little too dark. Today this has cleared a little and levels were at one foot one inch first thing. A few fish are coming off today but not in any quantity. A strong run off fish pushed through the upper reaches over the weekend and things look good from a spawning perspective. As for the main river there seems to be plenty of fish but they are very reluctant to take in any numbers which is very frustrating for anglers.

I have just come off the telephone from an angler on the Tweed and they seem to be experiencing the same thing ,yesterday and today, although last week they had a fantastic time unlike us.

There are still a few day tickets available between now and the season end on 31 October and three rods for a week with a cottage at Marnoch Lodge week 17 October.

Update 12 September 2011

September 3rd saw levels at 11 inches and fish continued to come off in reasonable numbers. Kinnairdy reported nine, Turriff 6 , Dunlugas 5  and Mountblairy saw M Walder land 7 in one run down a pool.
The party inc. D Brooks, A Howell and D Shannon landed 30 for their week. Forglen lost the first two days to the flood – but boy did they make up for it in the last four days with great numbers of salmon coming to the fly.  11 Year old Ciaran Grant landed 8 fish to 10 lb for his holiday and R Bayly landed a 13 lb fish on the fly at Eden; his first ever – and D Stevens landed an 18lb fish.

Levels dropped away during the week and by the following Monday we opened at plus six inches on 5 Sept. Levels fluctuated by day but every morning until Friday they were at plus six inches.
A much harder week with fish showing and running but just not that interested in taking. Reports suggest beats recorded between 6 and 12 for the week with many fish 14-18 lb in weight.
 
Levels were between 9 and 12 inches yesterday but open today at plus 6 inches with a slight peat colour- looking great .
 
May I remind anglers about the Morison Trophy.  As yet any angler who has caught a large fish have been reluctant to fill in the competition form- so we are still looking for a winner- any fish over 18lb will be worth entering and remember to have it witnessed and measured. If returned the winning angler gets a £700 G Loomis rod.
 
For those of you shooting this season we have new ranges of Deerhunter jackets, trousers, gloves and hats in stock along with stalking boots by Crispi and Jack Pyke. These will be displayed once the fishing season stops, so in the meantime, if in store, please ask as only limited items will be on display.

Update 3 September 2011

Rods available at Avochie on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday next week.

Casting club tomorrow Sunday 4 Sept at Turriff Angling Association. open to all and no charge - totally free. Starts 9am

Update 2 September 2011

Fishing has been mostly hard going with a few bright spots.

Week of Aug 15 saw lower beats do very well with Eden well into double figures inc a fish of 21lb. The Smith Party at Upper Netherdale had 8 to 14lb, 12 came off Montcoffer and Forglen with a 20lb fish off Scatterty as levels dropped away to plus 4 inches by the end of the week. Levels opened at plus 2 inches on Monday 22 August and again a few fish came off . Fish of 11 and 12 lb came off L/Netherdaleand D Griffiths had an 18lb fish off Mountblairy. Catches nearly halted after Tuesday as levels touched normal and cleared out. One angler managed 5 on Thursday morning at Mountblairy so fish were still there but uninterested for the most part.
Saturday 27 August  saw rain arrive around midnight and this did not stop on the lower catchment until 24 hrs later. River levels reached 8 feet above normal and stayed their for 12 hours. Despite this, Turriff managed a sea-trout and a 7lb salmon on the Monday  but with levels down to 2 foot 4 inches on Tuesday 30th catches rocketed. Marnoch saw 2 sea-trout, 7 salmon to 12lb and 3 grilse. Dunlugas , Forglen, Muiresk, Mayen, Corniehaugh all reported fish with Eden landing 7. S Horsford at Marnoch, a first time Deveron Angler, straddled the weekend and went away happy having caught 8 for his week.
Tuesday continued with great catches, Turriff saw 3 at 7lb, Kinnairdy saw the Horrill Brothers rewarded for fly fishing only with two salmon and two grilse in the evening and Marnoch had another good day with 6 to 15lb. Thursday saw levels at 1 foot 2 inches and again things went well. Many beats were into double figures for the day as many more grilse appeared at 5lb and in great condition. Many fish at 11lb to R Leak,and R Wood amongst others with G Wilson landing a 16lb fish at Dunlugas whilst an unlucky angler lost a fish est. over 30lb at Marnoch.
 
I have three rods and a cottage week 16 Oct at Marnoch Lodge just come in . Call for details.

Update 15 August 2011

What a week.
Sunday 7 August saw the river still below normal but rain overnight and all day on Sunday saw it reach 4 feet by 5pm. Monday opened at 5 feet above normal but with rain overnight and all day Monday it peaked at about 8pm between 12 and 14 feet. Tuesday saw it open at 6 feet and it continued to drop quickly. Wednesday saw it open at 2 feet 2 inches at Turriff and a slight peat stain .
The fish had arrived and many beats did well. Muiresk landed three and lost around 4 on the Fly, I lost two and landed one on the fly, Mountblairy also reported a fish on the fly. Dunlugas landed a 15 lb sea-liced fish and most beats caught something.
Rain all Wednesday afternoon and evening saw levels back up to 6 feet on Thursday and another wash out. Friday opened with levels at 2 foot 8 inches and again the fish obliged. R Miller landed two to 13lb before work, J Gardiner had three to 14 lb at Turriff , I lost two and landed a sea-trout again on the fly; top beat was Marnoch Lodge where N Briant reported 14 for the day with the best being a 16 lb sea-liced fish on the fly.
Saturday saw levels at 1 foot 6 inches and looking perfect. However it turned out to be warm and sunny and the fish although seen running turned off. D Burgess managed two on the fly first thing at 17 and 14 lb and then waited until 5pm before losing another.
Today, Monday 15 August, levels are at 11 inches above normal and look perfect. Lets hope the fish want to play as well.

Update 5 August 2011

Poor- sums it up. The weather is hot and sunny with the odd dull and rainy day. A few salmon have come off but nothing to shout about. Most beats are reporting only one or two for the week with one week 5 being the most I heard. We had a six inch rise in levels early this week but it quickly went. Fish are being seen entering the river at the mouth- both grilse and fish in the teens but they are not running the river in numbers. We just need rain to lift levels and these fish will appear up and down the river.

May I ask any angler who catches a fish with a tag to record the fish size- weight and length and take a few scales before releasing it. The Hatchery staff have tagged a few fish-inc brown trout and some of these brown trout and sea-trout are now being caught this season. Please pass on the details to R Miller on 01466 711 388 and claim a reward.
 
Please also remember about the Morison Trophy for the heaviest fly caught fish . Despite a fish between 35 and 45 lb being caught last week the picture has been deleted- so the competition is still open.
Measure length. Girth and take a few pictures if you can not weigh it with a witness and ask for an application form. If you release the fish you could also win a £700 G Loomis rod.

Update 23 July 2011

Levels on the 22 June reached two feet 7 inches and by Thursday they were at one foot and dirty. Avochie and Forglen managed a couple of salmon to 10lb but Friday saw a better day with more beats landing fish with the best being six landed at Marnoch Lodge to 13lb covered in sea-lice. Upper Netherdale and Laithers landed fish in the mid teens on the Saturday.

By Monday levels were down to around normal or just below . Many beats landed fish . Dunlugas had two sea-trout at 8lb each and Scatterty had two salmon and two sea-trout. Upper beats faired best with Mr A Sharp reporting his guests at Corniehaugh and Mayen landing 18 salmon and 12 sea-trout for the week. Another small rise mid week kept things going up river but it slowed right down on the lower half. With Levels around nine inches below normal for week 4 July it was very hard going. Lower Netherdale and Forglen reported salmon to 14 lb and a few sea-trout  and Dunlugas reported a grilse.A small tsunami of 18 inches came down the river on Monday 11 July after heavy rain in the Cabrach but by Wednesday we were below normal and many beats were blank for the week. A fish of 20lb plus was returned by B Sowton off Marnoch on the Saturday.

This week of 18 July Forglen had a few salmon on Monday but it was tough going at 6 inches below normal. Tuesday saw the river reach two feet six inches in an hour and as it fell back during the day it went back to two feet around midnight. This left us dirty and then very black with peat stain. A few grilse appeared but salmon were scarce.
Thursday saw the best day with a decent run of fish entering the system. Most middle and upper beats picked up a few salmon to 12lb and one was lost at Forglen – estimated at well over 30lb. By Friday levels were back below normal but still dark. Grilse are here in small pockets but several beats report seeing “big” fish and indeed Forglen reports a fish on fly today measuring 47 inches in length- so 35lb plus depending on what scale you look at. We just need to have some rain to help levels recover and then have them maintained.

Update 5 July 2011

Wednesday 22 June saw us open with a river at plus seven inches and rising, eventually peaking out at about two feet nine inches and very very dirty. Thursday saw levels down to one foot and fish were reported at Avochie and Forglen. By Friday fish were on the move up river and Muiresk saw sea-trout whilst Upper Netherdale and Carnousie had fish to 9lb and lost more than were landed. Marnoch Lodge reported 6 for the day to 13lb with many sea-liced. Again on Saturday Upper Netherdale landed fish to 13lb and G Eyles landed a 15lb fish off another middle beat.

Monday 27 June saw levels down to around normal but with slight peat stain. Upper beats did very well and Huntly saw sea-liced fish caught to 14lb with many seen running hard. Scatterty had two salmon and two sea-trout and Dunlugas 2 sea-trout of 8lb, Eden 9lb and Upper Netherdale saw salmon and two grilse as did Dunlugas on the Wednesday- at least three were on time !! but as with other low beats the fish pushed through leaving very little activity for the end of the week.

Upper beats continued to fish well and Mains of Mayen/ Corniehaugh fished well with Mr Sharp reporting 18 Salmon and 12 Sea-trout for the week. Showers in the catchment kept levels around the normal level with just a few inches of a rise in the lower river. These also brought some colour into the river and from Thursday last week right up until today the river is carrying a lot of peat stain. Things are slow as this week kicked off but rain is forecast so the end of the week should pick up if we get a spate.

Update 22 June 2011

The last few weeks have been very hard work with only some small rises in water not reaching normal summer level.
4th June saw Eden take salmon at 9lb and a 6lb sea-trout.
Monday 6 June saw levels still around –8 inches but D Kamsley took an 8lb fish and N Smith a 13lb fish at Avochie. Eden again managed salmon to 16.5lb. Forglen saw a 12 lb salmon on Tuesday and a few sea-trout the rest of the week. D Kamsley managed another 10lb salmon off Avochie on Wednesday and any other beats reporting fish had around three salmon but no sea-trout.

Levels remained low into the next week and G McPherson landed a sea-trout at Dunlugas. Friday saw levels up about an inch at Turriff but the Isla was well up at Grange. This eventually gave about six inches at Turriff but did little to move any fish. The river blackened up over the weekend as the Cabrach caught some rain and sea-trout have been moving this week with Turriff, Muiresk and Forglen all reporting them.

Today we have seen levels rise to +7 inches at 8am at Turriff and it is still rising. This should be a tremendous help to the river and bring in fish over the next few days. The first real rise since late March.

Next week we have daily tickets at Mountblairy, Avochie, Turtory, Castle Water Huntly, Huntly Lodge, Turriff , Upper Netherdale, Marnoch Lodge,Euchrie and a weekly rod for 4 July at Forglen. So plenty on offer at the right time.

Update 02 June 2011

I have day rods available on Dunlugas w/c 13 June.
Also never available before day rods on Mountblairy for 27 June to 2 July and 11 July to 16 July.
Ring me if interested.

Update 30 May 2011

The festival week was a great success and around 230 anglers were on the river fishing and getting help from the various companies involved. Despite low water festival anglers caught around 10 salmon and 15 sea-trout over the week. Many of the salmon were sea-liced. I know it is getting on but when I get a minute I will post up some pictures of the week. In the meantime I have a few short video clips up on YouTube. Just call up YouTube in your search engine and type in turrifftackle (all one word) and our channel should come up.
 
Last week again saw low levels and despite all the rain in the west it missed our catchment and with the Spey and Dee being well up we only managed three inches. We really need a good three feet to clear out all the weed and algae- but as time marches on we will not want to see a big flood as it will allow the sea-trout to run the river too easily and we will miss out. For several years in a row we saw floods of 10-12 feet in June and it ruined the fishing as well as causing bank damage. We will not be looking for that this year.
A number of fish came off last week with Montcoffer recording one at 16lb and Avochie , 14lb and Dunlugas 12lb. Also sea-trout coming in in small numbers to 4lb. These are well spread out through the system.

This Saturday 4 June is our open day with Jim Fearn and Willie Banks from Rio and Vision giving demos and tuition along with David Burgess from G Loomis. It is free to all and you can try the new switch rods from Vision and the NRX from Loomis. This is followed on Sunday by the usual casting club- again it is free and all are welcome.  We might manage to have another company along with M Evans rods and lines but they may not manage. The venue for both days is the Turriff Angling Association. 10 am on Saturday and 9am on Sunday.

Update 14 May 2011

Just in time for the Deveron Festival next week and despite water levels around normal, high tides have brought in the fish this week. A few sea- liced fish to 15 lb have been caught up and down the river and the fine specimen below is just under 22 lb and was caught today Saturday May 14. Sea-liced sea-trout have also come off today so we are all looking forward to a great time and we may even get some rain on Sunday to raise levels just a little.

Update 9 May 2011 G Loomis Stinger Offer

Update 5 May 2011 Deveron Festival

All anglers please note that the following will apply during the festival (from Deveron Festival Website)

You may or will not be aware of the bio security threat posed by invasive non native species (INNS). During the Deveron Fishing Festival 2011 the Trust will be taking all necessary procedures to combat the infection of new INNS to the district. I think you will agree that by hosting a festival of this magnitude the possibility of accidently transferring one species to a new location is moderately high. This is largely due to the fact that anglers from across all corners of the UK and Europe will be participating. During the festival we will be attempting to prevent the induction of known INN parasites and invertebrates, such as the GS virus and the newly UK established Dikerogammarus Villosus profoundly nicknamed "The Killer Shrimp" for its ability to attack and kill all native river invertebrates. To prevent the introduction and preserve our district from foreign invasion. Participants will be asked to disinfect all fishing equipment at their festival opening. There will be no charge for this service.

Full details can be found here :- Deveron Festival Biosecurity

Update 1 May 2011

Conditions continue to be difficult. We have had white frost in the morning and have been taking ice off windscreens. By late morning it has been hot under a blazing sun. Early evening has seen the heat go out of the day and it has turned cold very quickly. Levels are below normal and we can see every rock on the bottom.

Despite this a few fish have been taken up the river above Marnoch and an 18 lb fish reported around Rothiemay.

A large fish was lost at Forglen and a 6lb brown trout came off Avochie.At the casting club this morning under blazing sunshine and despite lines landing everywhere five salmon swimming together in a shoal made their way slowly past the chaps and we followed them up the river until we lost them in the ripples. It was a great sight and just goes to show the conditions we are having are  not stopping the salmon from running.

Update 25 April 2011

A very slow week with levels dropping away below normal level and the sun and heat putting anglers off from venturing out. Montcoffer returned a salmon on Tuesday and we had to wait until Saturday to hear of anything else. A 6lb fish to A Mathew off Laithers on their annual outing. Sea-trout continue to be seen but I have no reports of any being caught. There are still many weeks available to let in prime time so please check out the availability page.

The Deveron festival is not far off now and we will be offering some discounts on G Loomis rods ordered during that week- either pop in or call for the details.

Update 17 April 2011

Monday April 11 saw levels at plus two inches and running clear. We had rain late morning. B Arnold returned a 14lb fish off Muiresk. Tuesday saw levels up a couple of inches. This dropped back to plus 2 inches on Wednesday and a 7lb fish came off Lower Inverichnie. Levels remained the same on Thursday. Friday saw Turriff produce a 12 lb fish to J Lorimer - returned in accordance with the club rules and Montcoffer returned a 14lb fish. By Saturday levels dropped back to normal and D Burgess returned a 15lb fish at Forglen. Another fish came off the river further up. Their was plenty fish in the river this week but not too interested in taking what anglers had to offer. Frank Myher Hanson and his friends from Norway lost three fish and another middle beat reported two for the week. Reports suggest that some higher beats did well last week. The seasons total is now around 45. Low water and high temperatures are now going to count against us. The forecast for the next three weeks is dry and warm. This will not help levels and some places are very shallow already.

Sea trout continue to be seen in the lower river and they look like our best target if levels drop.

I have posted up a few more videos on our YouTube channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/turrifftackle. I will try and get a few more over time and post them up so check back frequently. Hopefully I can get a few of fish being landed as well.

I still have three rods at the Wrack in October and cancellations are still coming in every week so check out the availability page.

Update 10 April 2011

April 1 saw levels up to 1 foot 2 inches after a little rain on Thursday. By Friday this was down to plus nine inches. G Barron returned an 8lb sea-liced fish from Avochie and S Mutch followed  with a fish of 7lb. G Eyles reported a fish at Laithers as well.

Monday opened at  7 inches and Marnoch Lodge reported a fish of 8lb to R Henderson. Levels dropped slightly each day as temperatures reached 22 degrees but the wind was gale force. Sea-trout were reported from the Wrack to Laithers who had a great week with salmon as the beat was fully let. Upper Netherdale reported a 14 lb fish to D Coull on Friday which was followed by another 14lb fish to R Walker on Saturday and a 10lb fish to G Harker.

Decent numbers of fish were seen in these beats with fish running all week. We are still short of decent numbers of anglers out to intercept them.

If you are looking for fishing later on we have cancellations in from Forglen and Mountblairy and some of it with accommodation. Have a look at the availability page for the dates.  Last year many weeks in June were not let and the sea-trout fishing was great. Again this year the sea-trout are here early and other small rivers in the district round the coast are reporting sea-trout. It all points to another great sea-trout run- something the Deveron was famed for and it would be criminal if these prime beats remained empty.

Some anglers who come in September now come in April as well and do well for fish numbers. If you enjoy the exhilaration of Sea-trout fishing June and July is for you.

Tickets are now on sale for the Trusts Tenth anniversary dinner at Aswanly - sponsored by Donald Russell. Please visit www.deveronfishingfestival.co.uk for details along with the lots up for auction.

Update 31 March 2011

Sorry for the lack of updates in the past two weeks. But do not forget you can get daily river levels and fish catches on my Twitter page , or , as of today, directly here at the top of this page via my Twitter feed.( My twitter page is updated daily, unless I am away for the day.)

14 March saw levels at 5 feet and unfishable. This fell to 2 feet 9 inches on 15th but by the next day it was back up to 4 feet. This had fallen again by the 21st to three feet but by Saturday 21 it was at two feet and had cleared out .

Turriff Angling Association had an outing to Lower Netherdale and L McTavish landed a sea-liced 12.5 lb fish weighed photographed and returned.

As temperatures went on the rise the snow in the hills melted and we were back up to five feet and unfishable.

By  March 25 we were down to one foot and things were perfect. On the Thursday we saw fish off Boat Of Turtory and Dunlugas .Saturday then saw fish off Marnoch Lodge, Turtory and Forglen. Some sea-liced.

This week we have seen levels drop from just under one foot to 8 inches. Wednesday saw Avochie land two sea-liced fish. 9lb to I Masson and 12.5lb to S Mutch.

Do not forget the casting club this Sunday at Turriff , with a start time of 9am.

Marnoch Lodge

Forglen

Update 13 March 2011

Levels dropped slowly about an inch per day and settled around plus 6 inches. Thursday 3 March saw M Ritchie land a fish at Forglen. By March 9 levels were still steady but it clouded up slightly. Thursday saw gale force winds and a little sleet and rain which upped levels to plus 9 on the Friday. Although  the day started off cold it warmed slightly by late afternoon and R Ewen returned a 10lb sea-liced fish at Forglen. By Saturday levels were at plus 7 but snow and gales returned by mid afternoon. Thankfully here- the snow has been more sleet and rain overnight but levels are up today and I suspect substantially up by Monday as we are now having torrential rain.
Last weeks casting club saw a great turnout and many novice casters got some great advice. Remember it is the first Sunday in every month and as I keep getting asked- IT IS FREE. A qualified instructor and all the latest Loomis NRX and Stinger rods to play with. Bring along your own gear and get your problems sorted out.
 
In the shop Rio Skagit Mow Tips have been replenished along with Many Rio  fly Lines. Vision Switch rods went down well at the Casting club and new stock will arrive soon. Please take a look at the Availability page as some prime weeks are still available. Three rods at the Wrack for week of 24 October. Avochie House is now available for let on a self catering basis for a minimum of 4. Please ring for availability and rates. It can still be rented on a full board basis if required.

10lb sea-liced about to be returned 

Update 1 March 2011

The river continues to look in great shape . It is running at eight inches above normal and clear. The Weather remains mild by day but chilly overnight.

Our total now stands at eight spring fish. Two came off Laithers on Saturday to G Slater and G Eyles and G Anderson had one off Forglen at the end of last week. All returned to the river. 

There are some excellent beats available to let this year and cancellations are still coming in. I have just had three rods come in for the Wrack on the last full week of the season- and do not overlook the May Week there. If the Sea-trout are back in numbers it could be a cracking week.

I also have an October week come in at Waterside for 4 rods and the Lodge. Another great week with averages in the mid twenties. Last week in July at Mountblairy is also a great week. Please give me a call for more details.

Also do not forget the casting club this Sunday morning at Turriff Angling Association.

Update 20 February 2011

A great start to our season with two fish on opening day as reported earlier. Another two fish at 10 lb and 8lb sea-liced came off Turtory this week to G Mickley on the fly and again both were returned. Conditions have been mixed with rain causing a dirty three feet on Wednesday. It remains bitterly cold and not ideal for fishing. The forecast again has us wet for the middle of the forthcoming week but it should get a little warmer.

If you are looking for fishing please check out the letting availability as I have plenty to offer and more to come this week so check back for updates. Also- Avochie house is now available on a self catering basis if required and you do not have to be fishing there to book it.

Turriff Tackle are now a G LOOMIS PRO DEALER. The new range of NRX rods are going well and orders are being taken for the next delivery into the UK in March. Now I am well aware these products are expensive. If you are interested in any of these rods then you can try before you spend all that cash. Stingers and NRX rods are available to try if you give me a little notice before you come up. A full range of lines can also be made available to try on them as well. I can provide a pro guide to help you out and in addition for the locals they are all available to try at our casting club which takes place at Turriff Angling Association on the first Sunday in every month. Everyone is welcome to come along and it is very informal- no need to be shy or embarrassed - thinking everybody will be looking at you.- it could not be further from that and everyone benefits from our instructors knowledge.

Opening ceremony 2011

The Day dawned bright but frosty with the temperature at –2.5 Celsius. The River height was 1 foot 2 inches and it was running clear.
A crowd of just under one hundred turned out to see DR Aly Bain MBE (Scottish fiddle playing sensation) launch the Morison Trophy after a few words from The River Board Chairman, Malcolm Hay and The Trust Chairman Robert Shields.

Dr Aly Bain Launching Trophy. Whilst Mr G  Morison of Mountblairy estates looks on

Trophy and other related Catch and Release incentives.

The gathering was then piped down to the river where Mrs Pam Ingleby blessed the river with 18 year old Malt donated by our sponsors Chivas Brothers. Her Brother Mr V Beamish then undertook the first cast.

STV’s Business Correspondent , Cheryl Paul, was there with a camera man and various interviews took place which many of you may have seen on the STV news in the evening at 6pm.
It was then back to Turriff Angling Associations comfortable hut for tea, coffee sausage rolls and plenty of drams again provided by Chivas Brothers.

It was great to see so many people turn out and make the morning a memorable one for all concerned. Dr Bain went fishing in the afternoon and his young companion caught a kelt, to great excitement. 

The first fish of the day, and indeed the season, fell to Mr S Bremner at Mountblairy on fly.

A small fish of 5lb . He will be awarded his prizes later. Another fish of 8lb came off the Turriff Angling Association a couple of hours later. I have no other reports of more springers as yet. 

Below are some more pictures from the ceremony.

What a season we have coming up in the first few months.

Opening day will be at Turriff Angling association again and we are hoping many of you can make it. 

As you may have seen last season we have the Morison Trophy to fish for and this will be officially launched on opening day, Friday 11 February.

It is hoped we will have a celebrity to launch the trophy and if we succeed in this matter we will have a marquee and some hot food laid on to make it a memorable occasion.  Watch this space for all the details if we can pull it off. 

Then on Week of 16 May we are having the Deveron Fishing Festival. Most of the river has been generously donated by the owners and many of the top tackle Companies have agreed to attend.

They will have three days on the river and anglers willing to participate will be allocated via a ballot- their choice of manufacturer to spend a day trying all their tackle and get expert tuition from their in house professionals- many of which are famous names in the angling world. This should allow each angler to spend three days with different companies trying all the latest kit.

More information on this will be in the February and March Edition of the Trout and Salmon along with an application form. It should also be available on  the Trust Website which is having a section designed to take all the information. Again I will keep you posted as we finalise the details.

At the end of this week we are having a dinner to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Deveron, Bogie and Isla River Trust and an auction will take place during the evening to raise funds for the trust. Tickets will be limited to 250 and I will let you know when they are released for sale. 

 New stock will be arriving in the shop from February. We will have a complete range of the new MOW tips by Rio for the Skagit lines along with tip pouches. New boots and waders from Vision and also a new range of reels. There are also jackets, rods and fly lines all new to the range. 

For the ever increasing popularity of sea angling we have a complete new supplier in Jarvis Walker. They are one of the biggest suppliers in the southern hemisphere based in Australia and their range of tackle is  of superb quality at even more superb prices in these stringent times.

Fishing lets are being worked on currently and have been since November. If you had a beat last year and have not yet had a letter give me a call as some post sent in November has still not reached its destination. It looks like there will be some superb sea-trout availability in June- despite some being snapped up quickly after last years superb run of these fine fish.

The voluntary code for 2011 has also been changed . It now requests that all Salmon caught before 1 June are returned. In return anglers will be given a side of smoked Salmon from Sutherlands in Portsoy or an engraved metal fly box. Some beat owners are also going to give the angler a day fishing the house rod later in the season if they return a fish in the spring. 

It is hoped these incentives will encourage the angler  to continue to come and fish the river and be given something in return -for them giving the river something back.

Figures show that the Deveron used to produce, at its height ,nearly a thousand fish before the end of May. This figure is now about a fifth of the peaks seen in the fifties and in the seventies. If we can get the return rate of spring fish up to those levels seen for the sea-trout we might see the improving spring numbers in the last few years  get even better.