This is the view of the River Dee from the Banchory Lodge Hotel in Banchory. The Banchory Beat has exceptional salmon fishing and especially through the Summer months when accompanied by a professional River Dee salmon fishing guide. On the other side of the river to the right of frame is the mouth of the River Feugh which is a significant spawning tributary for salmon & sea trout in the Banchory area of the Dee.

River Dee Tilquhillie Salmon Beat is located close to the Aberdeenshire town of Banchory. This is a superb fly fishing area of the River Dee for salmon fishing trip guests.

I took this shot of the beautiful Lower Blackhall salmon beat on the River Dee near Banchory. Our River Dee salmon fishing guides bring our Dee salmon fishing trip guests to this pool and they fish it from the opposite bank where you see the sand and then cast their salmon fly across to this riverbank letting the current swing the fly back across the river.

The River Dee has some exceptional salmon fly fishing water as you can see here on the lovely Crathie Beat near Braemar. Look at the beautiful fast flowing streamy water and boulder strewn riverbanks. A perfect Scottish salmon river stream for a salmon fishing break.

The River Dee is beautiful throughout the Scottish seasons as you can see here. This lovely riverbank shot was taken during late Spring on the Upper Blackhall salmon fishing beat which is a popular destination for our Scottish salmon fishing holiday guests.

Here's a shot from the famous Lower Blackhall salmon beat of the River Dee which is slightly upstream of the Aberdeenshire town of Banchory. This area of the Dee Valley has some of the best salmon fly fishing beats on the entire river and many of our River Dee salmon fishing guides host our guests in this middle area of the River Dee.

River Dee Salmon Fishing

By Jock Monteith

The beautiful River Dee is located in the North East of Scotland and at 87 miles in length it represents some of Scotland's finest salmon fly fishing. The Dee's catchment is 800 square miles and its origins commence 4000ft up in the Cairngorm mountain range before finally reaching the north sea at Aberdeen.

This famous Scottish river has some beautiful towns positioned along its riverbanks such as Banchory, Ballater & Braemar. The upper area of the Dee Valley is known as Royal Deeside due to Queen Victoria building the majestic Balmoral Castle there.

River Dee Fishing Season

The River Dee salmon fishing season opens on the 1st of February and finishes on the 30th of September each year (or the 15th of October in some individual beat cases). The Dee is very much a perfect fly fishing river with beautiful boulder strewn clear water pools that ebb & flow down through tantalising glides and fast water rapids throughout its entire length.

River Dee Catch & Release

20 years ago the River Dee's management had the wisdom & foresight to make the river 100% 'Catch & Release' and in recent times the River Dee salmon stocks have been good even through naturally ocurring low stock cycle periods as a direct result of this worthwhile globally acceptable initiative. The River Dee has around 50 famous salmon fishing beats throughout its length and when the river opens at the start of February it is normal for many Spring salmon to be caught. Salmon stocks build up throughout the lower & middle Dee through the Spring months until the river water warms during late Spring when salmon will also appear in numbers in the upper Dee salmon fishing beats. Excellent salmon fishing is achievable on the Dee at any time of the salmon fishing season and I'm always amazed how many salmon are present especially during the Autumn months. At this time of the season it's normal to see 2 or 3 Dee salmon jump at the same moment.

I caught this fine 16lbs specimen Spring salmon in February on the River Tay near Dunkeld as hard proof that early run Scottish salmon certainly do exist. Look at the caliber of this perfect fish which is exceptional and easily caught too for those who know how & where to fish during the early Spring months in Scotland.

Big Salmon In The River Dee

The River Dee is one of Scotland's shallower salmon fishing rivers although the Dee has a history of producing heavyweight salmon with 20lbs fish being common. Occasionally a 30lbs plus salmon will be landed or be seen by salmon fishers. The nearest city to the River Dee is Aberdeen and Edinburgh isn't that far away either with good road systems in place to keep driving easy and to a minimum. Both Aberdeen & Edinburgh benefit from international airports and transfers are easily arranged from either travel hubs to the River Dee's fine accommodation options.

River Dee Fly Fishing Equipment

Fly fishing equipment for the River Dee is typically a 14/15ft ft double handed salmon fly rod with a floating line with sink tip. In low Summer water conditions a full floating line can also work well. In the early Spring months an intermediate line or a longer heavier sink tip can be added to a floating line and either rig fishes well. With tradition and fly control at distance in mind I would stick with these longer rod suggestions for fishing the Dee.

Always carry a few coiled up spare leaders in your fly box like you see here just in case needed while out on the river. Learn how to prepare your salmon fishing approach via tuition from a professional salmon guide. This Wheatley fly box includes my main favourite salmon flies like the Jock's Shrimp & Copperass salmon fly patterns.

River Dee Salmon Flies

The highly popular Spring salmon flies are the Dee Monkey and the deadly Park Shrimp works well too in the early months. Both should be tied on copper tubes to take them down a little bit in the cold higher Spring water conditions. During late Spring when the water warms move onto single or double hook versions. Other salmon fly patterns that fish well on the Dee are the Ally's Shrimp, Dee Sheep, Calvin Shrimp, Sunray Shadow, Cascade & the Stoat's tail to name a few. In lower Summer water conditions I've had great success with the smallest and lightly dressed Stoat's Tail or Silver Stoat patterns which are deadly during these conditions that require a more subtle approach.

Here's a good selection of my studded boot chest waders for our Monteith guided salmon fishing guests to use. Chest waders are essential on the bigger Scottish salmon rivers for effective fishing and for waterproofing on wet fishing days. This selection of all sizes of chest waders is kept in this shipping container in the River Tay Valley which is a popular venue for our salmon fishing trip guests.

River Dee Fishing Equipment

Studded boot chest waders are essential on the Dee to get a good grip of the riverbanks and riverbed stones when wading. Polaroid sunglasses are essential too which in certain water & light conditions can actually help you to pin-point where salmon are lying in a pool. Wading sticks are useful too to help you navigate around some of the bigger stones that make up the riverbed terrain. A life jacket on all Scottish salmon rivers is mandatory just in case you should lose your footing at any point. The majority of River Dee salmon pools do however offer easy wading.

Here's a perfect fresh run February Spring salmon which was caught in front of the Park North Beat fishing hut during February by my colleague Russell Kay. Early Spring fish like this can be a real challenge to get your fly in front of but if you do they're always keen to take a fly like this fine specimen. You can see the Park Beat water gauge behind Russell in the shot.

Booking River Dee Salmon Fishing

The River Dee is a very popular Scottish salmon fishing river and many international salmon anglers visit its glorious salmon beats annually. The limited salmon fishing access that's made available each year is best booked well in advance to guarantee your salmon fishing such is the popularity of this amazing Scottish salmon river. There are beautiful hotels located in the Dee valley in or near its major towns to compliment the quality salmon fishing the Dee offers.

Here's myself with 2 highly knowledgeable Scottish salmon fishing guide team members. This shot was taken outside the Crathes Beat salmon fishing hut on the famous River Dee in Aberdeenshire.

The River Dee Fishing Guide Experience

The River Dee offers a truly exciting Scottish salmon fly fishing experience and is located in one of the most amazing natural areas of Scotland with a beautiful & highly visual Cairngorm mountain range backdrop. This snow clad mountain range assures good river water levels with snow melt during the Spring & early Summer months before the Autumn rains come into play each year. This is myself with 2 of my most talented River Dee salmon fishing guides who help many Dee salmon fishing holiday guests to catch salmon each year.

Fishing Holidays On The River Dee

Personally I love the Dee Valley and fishing it's perfect salmon fly fishing beats and regardless of the month of year there's always a good chance of an interview with one of its special marine predators. Many salmon anglers return to the Dee each year such is her amazing natural beauty and salmon fishing magic. This lovely fly stream is a deligtht for our River Dee salmon guides to teach our fly fishing trip guests how to fish for salmon.

The Town of Banchory on The River Dee is located right beside the River Dee as you can see here in this aerial shot. This white building is the beautiful Banchory Lodge Hotel where many of our River Dee salmon fishing holiday guests love to stay each year.

River Dee Towns & Hotels

Many popular & picturesque Scottish towns are situated in the River Dee valley such as Banchory, Braemar & Ballater and the city of Aberdeen is located where the River Dee's fresh water meets the north sea. There are many quality hotels in the River Dee valley and the majority of which are located within easy travelling distance to the best salmon fishing locations. All of the River Dee Valley hotels provide evening meals, packed lunches and a have a great selection of Scotland's finest malt whiskies for an evening dram to wind down the fishing day with.

A Perfect Scottish Salmon River

This beautiful Scottish fly fishing salmon river has to be experienced to really be apprciated and I would say it's definitely one of the very best in the world. Once you've fished the beautiful River Dee and met some of the river's professional ambassador ghillies you'll understand the level of briliance this Scottish salmon fishing destination truly represents. My experience has been that those visiting global salmon fishers who experience the magic of the Dee just once will go on to make this river a life long obsession.

Here's professional River Dee salmon guide John Fyfe holding 1 or 3 salmon that he landed on the River Tay near Dunkeld during the month of August. I personally guided him this day to eliminate him guessing where the salmon were holding and his professional salmon fishing presentation expertise did the rest. This Summer salmon was landed at the Green Bank Pool on the Kinnaird beat and you can see the Tay salmon boat in the background.

Book A Professional River Dee Salmon Fishing Guide

If you're new to Scottish salmon fishing or in need of some tactical salmon fishing tuition book a River Dee salmon guide who will supply all of the required salmon fishing equipment and teach you how to fish for salmon on a quality salmon fishing beat of the famous River Dee.

Salmon Fishing Beats

Invery & Tilquhillie

When It Comes To The Fabulous River Dee You Would Do Very Well To Position Yourself Better Than On The Famous Invery & Tilquhillie Beat Which Is Located Close To The Popular Aberdeenshire Town Of Banchory.

L. Blackhall & Kinneskie

When It Comes To The Fabulous River Dee You Simply Must Experience Salmon Fishing On This Naturally Beautiful & Perfect Fly Fishing Beat.

Banchory

On The World Renowned River Dee You Would Do Very Well To Position Yourself Better Than On The Prolific Banchory Beat Which Is Located Within Walking Distance From The Beautiful Town Of Banchory.

Crathie

When It Comes To The Fabulous River Dee You Would Do Very Well To Position Yourself Better Than On The Famous Crathie Beat Which Is Located Close To The Beautiful Aberdeenshire Towns Of Braemar And Ballater.

Aboyne Water

When It Comes To The Upper Middle River Dee You Could Not Select A Better Venue To Fish Than The Lovely Aboyne Water Which Is Located Close To The Picturesque Royal Dee-side Town Of Aboyne.