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The first full week of May began with a mix of sunshine/cloud and amazingly a bit of warmth in the air but from Tuesday onwards the chill had returned from south to south easterly direction and a few showers here and there. Ross Macdonald had his first of the season at 7lb on Monday in the Grey Mare on a Heather's Shrimp. Tuesday we had a 9lb er in the Grey Mare on a Shitey Whitey and on Thursday, Norman Morrice had our first sea trout of the year at 3lb. We did see fish over the course of the week however they didn't look as though they were hanging about for too long and keeping on the move. Water heights this week were 1' 2" on Monday and down to 8" on Saturday.  Water temperatures were 46/52 Fahrenheit. 

On a real positive note it is really encouraging to see good numbers of smolts on the move each day.

Cheers Brian

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Hard to believe we are 3 months into the season already and as we are into May now which is traditionally the last month of the spring fishing and often the best, with air and water temperatures creeping up, longer days, lighter fishing setups, full floaters, lighter tips and smaller flies. 

Last week was pretty quiet on the catches for the Nutter party with a few really bright sunny days and a couple of overcast ones but over all conditions were good enough with water levels at 1' 2" on Monday and by Saturday sitting at 11". Water temperatures were 51/53 Fahrenheit.

We have availability on both banks over the next few weeks so please get in touch with Sarah directly to book. 

Cheers Brian

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This week we had a party from Italy, led by long time Dee regular Vittorio Spasciani and Max Malli, with all the rods being dedicated Salmon fly fishers and really know their stuff. Manlio Ramasco ended our catch drought with a lovely 14lb fish in the Douglas pool late on Monday and was on a Willie Gunn. Things were pretty quiet the following few days with a couple of fish on and off later in the week. The weeks weather was a mix, the first 3 days being overcast, followed by frosty mornings and bright sunshine all day with Saturday a mix of sunshine and cloud. Water heights were 1' 9" Monday and by Saturday 1' 2". Water temperatures were 43/50 Fahrenheit. 

It was also great to see the first brood of mallard ducklings on the beat on Thursday and were probably only hours old.

Cheers Brian

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Plenty of typical April weather this week with sunshine and some very heavy downpours of rain and hail floating around and again the wind was an issue most days which made for some tricky casting. A great effort once again from the fishers but we had to settle for a very hard fought blank. Two fish lost, and a few offers was our week with just an odd running fish seen. 

We also saw a few Swallows appearing late on Saturday which is the same date as last year

Water heights were 3' 11" on Monday and down to 1' 11" Wednesday with a rise on Thursday to 3' 6" and by end of play Saturday 3'   Water temperatures were 42/48 Fahrenheit.

Cheers Brian

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A blank week in salmon fishing is not uncommon and unfortunately this past week we had one and the first so far this season.  Conditions were good apart from the wind, most days being bright with light cloud and the only rain falling on Saturday morning. On Monday we had a couple of offers and saw a few travelling fish with the following 4 days being very quiet. We did have a rise in water on Saturday by over a foot which did waken things up, most of the party getting good offers but just didn't hang on. Great effort by James Gilchrist's party (1st half) and Roald Meyer's (2nd half of week)

Water heights were 2' 8" Monday, and gradually dropping all week with Saturday morning at 1' 9" and by midday over 3ft. Water temperatures were 38/48 Fahrenheit. 

It was also nice to see the Sandpipers and Sand Martins arriving back for their summer vacation. 

Cheers Brian

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This week we had a fair mixture of weather conditions from strong winds to bright sunshine plus some wintery showers which is sort of expected for this time of year. By mid afternoon on Saturday the temperatures dropped quite dramatically marking the start of Storm Dave with sleet, rain & snow in the forecast aswell as strong winds from a westerly direction.  The fishing this week was surprisingly quiet considering we did see an odd fish or two each day but they did look like they were on the move. The first fish of the week came on Wednesday for Mark Blair in the Malt Steep and was 7lb on a Monkey. Thursday was a quieter day, then on Friday we had success at both ends of the beat with Alan Rankin landing a lovely 10lber in Upper Ferroch on a Snaelda and Euan Mellis landing a 10lber in Invercannie on a Willie Gunn. Saturday looked pretty promising until the afternoon when the storm started moving in. The river today is up a couple of feet and bodes well for the week ahead.

Water heights were 1' 8" to 2' 8" 

Water temperatures were sitting around 40 Fahrenheit apart from Wednesday when it jumped up to 46 Fahrenheit with the previous days sunshine and warmth. 

Cheers Brian

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British summer time begins today and noticeably a bit more light in the evening's and the days stretching from now on although last week felt like we wound the clocks back a month or two with the wind and proper wintery showers giving us some fairly challenging conditions. We did have a couple of fish on Tuesday with Andy Ashcroft managing a 9lb er from Malt Steep with Ian Ogden doing the netting and Arni Balderson managing a 7lb er from Mill Pool. We did have a hold of another couple but it was a bit quieter than previous weeks although on Friday we did see some fish coming through but they weren't entertaining us.

The fish this week were on a Monkey and a Willie Gunn. 

Water heights were 2ft Monday and 1ft 5" by the end of Saturday. 

Water temperatures were 38/43 Fahrenheit. 

We have limited availability over the next 5 weeks. Please check our website for dates available. If you fancy a trip in May or June we have good availability to put some days together for you. Get in contact with Sarah directly to book. sarah@cairntonestate.co.uk

Cheers Brian