Can Two Rods Solve the River Don?

0:00 Intro
0:33 River Don First Impressions
1:16 New River, New Tackle
3:30 Lochindorb Fishing Memories
4:34 Two-Rod River Fishing Plan
7:38 First River Don Trout
8:15 Wading Fall and Safety
9:26 Nymphing Setup Lands Best Fish
12:33 Wet Waders, Stunning River
13:23 Two-Rod Tactics Pay Off
14:56 Dry Fly Finale

This fly fishing video follows a day on the River Don at the Littlewood section in Aberdeenshire, using duo, dry fly and Euro nymphing tactics to catch brown trout in clear summer conditions.

The session covers how to approach an unfamiliar Scottish river, choose water, and switch between two rod setups as conditions change. The River Don is fished on a FishPal day ticket, with attention to access rules, wading safety and the differences between flat glides, riffles, pocket water and deeper pools. The video also documents catches on the duo and nymphing setups, a wading mishap, and a late dry-fly opportunity after cloud cover brings fish to the surface.

What’s covered in this video:

- The Littlewood section of the River Don in Aberdeenshire is introduced as a new venue, with a £30 FishPal day ticket covering approximately 4.5 to 5 miles of water.
- Google Maps and the FishPal beat map are used to plan parking and access before fishing an unfamiliar stretch of the River Don.
- The two-rod approach combines a Loop Opti Nymphing rod for Euro nymphing with a Loop Z1 7 ft 9 in 3-weight rod for dry-fly and duo fishing.
- The Euro nymphing setup uses a Loop Opti Dryfly reel, Airflo nymphing line, a sighter, clear tippet, and interchangeable 2-weight solid and 3-weight hollow nymphing tips.
- A visit to Lochindorb is discussed, including memories of catching small brown trout there and the effect of introduced pike on the loch’s fishing.
- River Don water types are assessed, including riffles, long glides, deeper pools and faster pocket water, with the aim of finding trout in more oxygenated flows during hot weather.
- The double-nymph rig uses a 2 mm-beaded Mary Nymph on the point and an unweighted shrimp three feet above it, with the Mary Nymph producing the best fish of the day.
- Duo fishing produces the first River Don trout while a low profile, careful movement and avoiding a bow wave are used to reduce the chance of spooking fish in crystal-clear water.
- The video explains the ticket boundary rule requiring the angler to remain on their bank and not cross the river’s midway point, where the opposite bank belongs to another estate.
- A slip while wading leads to practical safety points about fishing alone in remote locations, using a wading stick, and checking that wading-boot studs are fit for purpose.
- The difference between the traditional rolled-carbon 3-weight nymphing tip and the solid-carbon 2-weight tip is considered, including recovery speed, sensitivity and protection for light tippets.
- Dave Murray visits the top of the beat and comments that the River Don would benefit from several solid days of rain to flush the river through.
- A change in cloud cover produces rising fish, prompting a switch from a lost nymph to a small dry fly and a final trout before leaving the River Don.

Mentioned in this video: River Don, Littlewood section, Aberdeenshire, FishPal, Google Maps, Loop Opti Nymphing rod, Loop Z1 7 ft 9 in 3-weight rod, Loop Opti Dryfly reel, Airflo nymphing line, Euro nymphing, European nymphing, duo fishing, dry-fly fishing, double nymph rig, Mary Nymph, unweighted shrimp, Lochindorb, brown trout, pike, salmon, riffles, glides, pocket water, wading stick, wading boots, boot studs, Dave Murray.