Freestone · Mixed · North East / Aberdeenshire, GB-SCT

Don

A tranquil, tree-lined bend of the River Don near Kemnay, Aberdeenshire
Fair · Atlantic Salmon
Gold-bodied Willie Gunn · tube
Fairlive now
Decent — worth a look
River steady at a fishable height. A patient day. Cover water properly.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.85 mLast reading 1h ago
  • Water temp12.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Gold-bodied Willie Gunn
Gold-bodied Willie Gunntube
River-specific pack, filled from the regional salmon default.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.85 m
Last reading 1h ago
Water temp12.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather13°C
WindSE 30 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent8.6 mm
Rain · ahead10.8 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Fair conditions based on river hydrology and migration patterns.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 14:00

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
2
2
GrannomHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Atlantic Salmon
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 5
Ythan
25 km
85
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Deveron
23 km
50
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Don (Aberdeenshire)
14 km
Salmon · Brown trout · Sea trout
Dee (Aberdeenshire)
21 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Grayling
Dee (Aberdeenshire)
21 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Grayling
Gallery · 7
  1. A tranquil, tree-lined bend of the River Don near Kemnay, Aberdeenshire
    River Don near Kemnay, Aberdeenshire
  2. The River Don flowing serenely through agricultural land near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, in early spring.
    The River Don near Inverurie
  3. Looking downstream along the River Don from Bridge of Alford, the river channel flanked by bankside vegetation.
    Downstream River Don from Bridge of Alford
  4. The River Don at Monymusk in winter light, a clear pool between wooded banks.
    The River Don at Monymusk
  5. The River Don running through wooded bankside at Paradise Wood near Monymusk, Aberdeenshire.
    River Don by Paradise Wood
  6. The River Don at Colnabaichin in Strathdon, the upper river running through a wooded valley.
    River Don at Colnabaichin
  7. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

SEPA WFD 2022 — River Don (Inverurie to Dyce): Good overall classification; a heavily-modified water body ('Good ecological potential', ecological element Moderate). Corrected 2026-06-18 from UKSC023320 (Gormack Burn, a tributary; recorded status was Bad). Source: SEPA WFD 2022 classification (spatialdata.gov.scot).

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC023269

Directions
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Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 11 February → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingAtlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methods
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