Added by Reuben Sweeting 3 days ago

Despite reasonable water levels throughout much of the week, including a couple of lifts both midweek and again towards the weekend, the fish remained fairly unresponsive. Anglers had to work hard for their chances, with 8 fish landed by the close of play on Saturday.

Sunday brought a much more significant rise in water, giving the river a real freshen-up. We now wait to see whether this bigger lift will be enough to change the fish’s attitude and encourage a little more cooperation in the week ahead!

Added by Reuben Sweeting 1 week ago

Although anglers arrived on Monday morning to find the river sitting at what appeared to be a reasonable height, sadly the fish seemed to have switched off. The arrival of bright, hot conditions certainly did little to help matters, and despite there being fish present throughout the river, persuading them to show any interest proved extremely difficult.

The remainder of the week followed much the same pattern, with temperatures continuing to creep upwards in both the air and the water. Understandably, fishing effort was reduced during the warmest periods, and action was correspondingly limited. Nevertheless, perseverance was eventually rewarded with a single fish landed during the first part of the week.

Thankfully, and much as forecast, Friday brought a welcome change. Cooler conditions, a change in the wind and some rain helped to bring water temperatures back down, while the river responded with a modest rise to around 6 inches. The improvement certainly appeared to “liven the fish up”, with noticeably more activity following the change.

Unfortunately, seeing fish and catching them remained two rather different things. Despite the more encouraging conditions, genuine cooperation continued to be in short supply, with just one further fish landed, bringing the weekly total to 2 fish.

After several days when summer seemed determined to make one final appearance, the outlook for the coming week is rather more encouraging. The next seven days remain changeable, with showers forecast on a number of days and, crucially, temperatures looking much more in keeping with cooler, autumnal conditions.

With September nearly upon us and fish well distributed throughout the system, a combination of cooler water, some wind and the occasional lift in river levels could be just what is needed to encourage a little more cooperation.

Added by Reuben Sweeting 2 weeks ago

The main theme of the week was undoubtedly inconsistency. After two reasonable rises in water, conditions appeared good, and expectations were understandably high. At times the fish seemed to agree, while at others they proved remarkably reluctant to cooperate, leaving anglers wondering quite what had changed.

Despite this stop-start nature to the fishing, a very respectable 40 fish were landed for the week. While not an exceptional total in terms of numbers, what made the week particularly memorable was the number of anglers who landed their first-ever salmon. There are few moments in fishing quite like that first fish, and it was wonderful to see so many people experience it on the Halladale this week.

One lady in particular clearly decided that catching her first salmon was merely the beginning. Having broken her duck, she promptly followed it up with another four fish, finishing with five for the week and leaving little doubt that the first one was certainly no fluke!

Added by Reuben Sweeting 3 weeks ago

Following on and continuing the catches of the last week was always going to be a difficult task, particularly as river levels continued to fall and the wind, so vital in low-water conditions, was largely absent. As a result, the fish proved stubborn during the opening part of the week and, with periods of bright sunshine and an abundance of midges to contend with, fishing effort was understandably reduced at times.

Hope was pinned on the promise of rain forecast for Thursday, although as the day approached it appeared increasingly likely that the river might once again miss the worst—or perhaps the best—of it. Thankfully, an initial thunderplump caught the edge of the catchment late on and provided a welcome lift in water levels. More widespread rain followed overnight, and by Friday morning the river was rising, eventually peaking at around 17 inches.

The fresh water brought an improvement to conditions, and with the river beginning to settle, Saturday produced the best sport of the week, with a good spread of catches bringing the weekly tally to a very respectable 22 fish.

Added by Reuben Sweeting 1 month ago

Prospects at the beginning of the week remained every bit as bleak as they have been in recent weeks, with the river still well below zero. Unsurprisingly, this kept action to a minimum and those anglers who did find success had to work hard for their rewards.

Attention was focused on the promise of heavy and prolonged rain forecast for the middle of the week. Unfortunately, as the event drew closer, the quantities predicted steadily diminished, and while the rainfall ultimately failed to deliver the substantial rise we had hoped for, it did at least provide a very welcome lift in river levels to around the one-foot mark.

After such an extended dry spell, a considerable amount of weed had accumulated throughout the river and, frustratingly, the rise was not sufficient to clear it completely. Nevertheless, the additional water certainly freshened things up and provided a much-needed improvement in conditions.

The fish responded accordingly, and after such a difficult spell, catches improved considerably as the freshwater helped move fish through the system. By the end of the week, 49 fish were landed, providing a welcome change of fortune after the challenging conditions of recent weeks.