Week beginning 10 April 2017
Monday 10th April. A nice sunny day again but a bit of a chilly breeze. 1’7” and 48 degrees and squeaky clean. Antony Hajimitsis was top banana this morning getting a cracking 8lb fresh seatrout from the Cauld on the fly, there were a couple of other fish which showed in the lower cauld and slap but his seatrout was the only pull of the day. The websites were very quiet today with only 4 fish being reported, the one from Tweedhill gives us a wee bit of encouragement that some are below and yet to reach us. The osprey gave us a fly past this morning which is the first I’ve seen this year, Paul tells me there were two here on Saturday. No sign of a swallow yet and no hatch of fly on the river so it looks like this year there will be no March Brown madness, there is always next year.
Tuesday 11th April. A very windy day with no sun. 1’6” and 48 degrees squeaky clean. I never saw a scale all day, Paul and Andrew saw a Kelt a couple of times in the slap but that was it on the fishy front. There was a wee hatch of a small type of olive but it looks like there will not be a March brown hatch round here this year, something serious has happened to them perhaps the huge winter floods of 2016 has done for them as I hear reports of March Browns at Kelso. Still no sign of the Swallows yet but they have been seen elsewhere on the river. I cut the paths round the beat for the first time this year, it’s nice to keep on top of things, and it would also be nice if that wind buggered off. Seven fish reported off the river today so not too much to get excited about just yet.
Wednesday 12th April. Blowing a bloody hoolie again so no need to go to the gym tonight as had plenty exercise rowing the boat this afternoon. Steve turned up today to take over from Antony and it was well worth the effort of a one day trip as he lost a good fish in the teens in the slap then hooked another which ran him through the cauld but was safely landed and would have tipped the scales at around 8lbs. The rest of the team never had so much a sniff at a fish but the wind was making casting everywhere apart from the glide a challenge. The Osprey was with us again this morning but the highlight of the day (depending on your point of view) was a Red Kite flying up from Learmouth, that’s the first Red Kite I’ve ever heard of here let alone seen. No trout rise and no March Browns. The catches were low again on the river but there were three caught below us so that gives us hope. I was looking back at last year report for this week and it was colder and wetter, I also noticed that I’d put my onions into the beds which I came to regret , not this year they’re safely snuggled up in the greenhouse and will be staying there for another two weeks unless there’s a bit improvement in the weather.
Thursday 13th April. Lees wind today thankfully, 1’5” and 46 degrees. There were fish in the Slap this morning at least half a dozen of them and Neil’s fly was amongst them but they didn’t want to know, we tried several flies but not a nibble was had. One big fish showed at the bottom of the Cauld and we gave it a fair go, even tried a big sunray but no nibbles. Paul and David fishing Learmouth also saw a fish but also couldn’t get a pull. This afternoon Paul and Paul were on the Slap and this time a 10lb Tidelicer was there and in the mood which put a very large smile on Paul Dixons face which was still there at 5.00pm. Looking at the websites things are a bit grim with only two fish reported by 8.15pm, one at Rutherford and the other being ours, there might be a few others by tomorrow morning as some rods might still be out fishing. Easter tomorrow apparently so I might treat myself to an Easter egg.
Friday 14th April. A cloudy day but much less wind, 1’4” and 46 degrees. Michael Black and Bruce joined us today and saw fish but couldn’t get a pull off any of them. Alex was here today also and decided to have a look at the river bed in the Duddo stream getting a soaking along the way, he disgraced himself again shortly after that by losing a fish in Learmouth stream. Yesterdays score ended up at 4 reported off the river still nothing to get excited about. The Osprey gave us a fly past today and I’ve yet to see a Swallow at the Lees, also on the wildlife front there is a Tree creeper nesting in the wall of the old wooden hut. It’ll be better tomorrow.
Saturday 15th April. The nice girl on the telly described the weather as sunny spells with a brisk wind, well I think it’s about time she had a go at rowing a boat over the last two weeks and we’ll see how she likes brisk. Anyway 1’4” and 46 degrees and squeaky clean. Jonathon redden was with us again today and this time he was the top banana getting a liced 11lber from the cauld this morning. Fellow Kelso resident Graeme Hogg was also here for the day but sadly failed to score. I also saw 3 fish down at the Iron Gate this afternoon but no pulls. The local vet was at the cauld this morning flying his Lanner falcon which is a sight worth seeing, and when I nipped home at lunchtime the Jehovah witnesses were at the door and they took a bit of persuasion to bugger off, but they did, so it was sort of mixed day. So 3 fish for the week and 3 Carrion Crows, reports from upstream are at the fish in the pools are starting to get a white spot or two about them and that really puts them off the take. It usually clears up once the water temp rises but that’s not going to be next week as the same wee girl on the telly tells me the “brisk” wind is going into the north and there’s every chance of frost.
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©M Campbell 2017
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