Over the past few seasons, I’ve been traveling frequently to Scotland to fish its legendary River Dee. In 2020, for obvious reasons, I wasn’t able to enjoy its waters, and honestly, I’ve found myself thinking about them quite a lot during these winter months. So I decided to dig through my archives and create this project, built from clips gathered here and there, but which I hope does justice to this river.
The River Dee is part of the history of our sport. In fact, one could say that in some way, modern salmon fly fishing took its first steps along its banks in Banchory, at the hands of Arthur Wood.
Through four chapters spanning from spring to autumn, and as a tribute to one of the most iconic figures in Scottish culture—the ghillies—I will try to show you a different way of life surrounding salmon fly fishing.
You’ll find the video below. Today is January 21, and the film won’t be available until January 31, the eve of the opening of the salmon season on the River Dee, which I hope we’ll all be able to visit again at some point this year.