Rawner

Second day fishing on the Dee.

The day didn't start off too bright, with the water cut off in the hotel - so no showers, taps, or flushing toilets. (which isn't too great after a day's fishing and several beers).

Things picked up when we got to the river. Dave landed a 13lb fresh spring salmon. His best salmon caught on the fly.

About 4pm I caught a kelt (a spawned salmon).

Just as I was putting my hat back on, the gillie had a shot of my rod to see how it casts. Within two casts he hooked something. A bit embarassed, he gave me the rod to play the fish.

After a battle of about 20 minutes I landed this ugly monster. - It's called a rawner - a male salmon that has come into the river months ago, but for some reason hasn't made it to spawn.

Salmon go through some big physiological changes when they enter the rivers - the males change colour from silver to this reddish brown colour and their jaws grow into the hook you can see, called a kype. This is a bit of a freak and no one knows why they don't make it to spawn. If I had caught this fish when it was just out the sea it would have been in the mid-twenties of pounds - a fish of a lifetime.

Great day, lots more fishy stories to tell.