Week beginning 10 August 2020
Monday 10th August. A lovely warm summer day, perhaps a bit too warm for salmon fishing. 1’2” and 60 degrees and nice and clean. Phil Fisher here with Colin Chisholm and Local rods Steve Robins and Paul Mitchell. Paul had a fish landed from the Slap this morning before the rest of us had even left to go down to the lower beat, it was a 4lb cleanish grilse which he returned, Steve was soon on the scoreboard with a 10lber from the Back of the Wall this time, it was an older cock fish which we tagged and returned, it took a micro tube fished on a wee sinktip. Down at the Glide and Duddo there were plenty fish showing both old and new but they as is happening a lot of late would not take, they wouldn’t even come to a sunray pulled across by Colin. This afternoon Phil got himself onto the scoreboard getting a lovely fresh hen around the 15lb mark, this was also tagged and returned and Steve had another from the Glide at 10lbs. 4 for the day and two of the lads are going to have a wee chuck before sunset so it might increase. Again this afternoon I’m hearing reports from a good source that there are 100s if not 1000s of fish in the lower river, we just need them to come forward, they’re not hauling them down there so the fish might as well come to us and let us try. It did increase final score 7.
Tuesday 11th August. Daan Sauth it was about a million degrees C whilst here it was raining all day until 5.00pm. 1’1” and 62 degrees. Phil Fisher was the first to score getting a 5lb fresh grilse from the Cauldstream on a #10 shrimpy type thing he also had another boil at a sunray in the Slap but no pull. Paul Mitchell who runs Duncan house in Kelso if you’re looking for somewhere to stay has a 4lb grilse from the Duddo which was also fresh. This afternoon in the rain Colin hooked a heavier fish in the Bags which was offski before he had a look at it and Phil Fisher by name and nature lost a fish in the Duddo. The river is up 8” at 9.00pm at Sprouston I’m told, I say this as the timing of the gauges is so bloody random nowadays you never know when to look to find out the height, anyone trying to plan a trip must find it hard to know whether to set off or not when the levels are 12 hours or more out of sinc. Still hearing about millions of fish down above the tide but no one can catch them.
Wednesday 12th August. It was a day of a rising river, humid temperatures and loose horses charging about the Lees. 1’9” and 62 degrees, Russell Sanderson had a 5lber from the Cauld on his 4th cast, he had lots more casts but no more fish, Graham had a 5lber from the Back of the Wall early on which was also his only fish and Colin Chisholm had an 11lber from the Glide, conditions were against the lads as the river was becoming cloudy as the day went on and no more pulls were had, 3 for the morning was good looking at the scores across the websites. The photos on instagram were of a very brown river coming towards us but with no height to bring it down it’ll be tomorrow before the colour is with us. The horse had been separated from its foal and was running around the Lees looking for it, it sadly was never going to find it as it was that time for the foal to go elsewhere and become a horse. Scores were very low due to conditions but fish are about and down at Tweedmill, not Tweedhill which is further down one lucky rod had a 32lber, not the freshest fish but a big brute of a thing weighed and returned. Tomorrow? Brown water I fear.
Thursday 13th August. The water was very dark beer coloured, not brown milky coffee, gauge at the Lees sitting at 1’6” and 62 degrees. There was not a single bit of sun today just grey skies a north east wind and drizzle. The team fished round the beat covered all the fishy bits, saw a fish or two but not a pull was had, even the osprey which came for a look this morning failed to catch a fish. The only fish I saw caught was a trout around the 4lb mark from Cornhill bend by local nymphing expert Lee Ross. Catches across the websites were low again due to conditions, even the lads on the other bank who were giving the spinner a chuck in all directions blanked. It’ll be a bit clearer tomorrow so hopefully that’ll help the fish feel like playing.
Friday 14th August. Another dull shitty day, it was more like late October this morning just a bit warmer. Team Houldsworth here for a couple of days. 1’3” and 60 degrees with just a wee tinge of colour. It took a wee while to get everyone sorted out and socially distanced then it was off down the beat, Nigel lost a decent fish in the Middle stream, Simon had an epic battle with a 4lb grilse in the Cauld and everyone else blanked. There were plenty fish about and some very silver ones in amongst them but they just would not pull. Tam at South Wark backed up the Temple a thousand times but never had a pull and there’s a lot of fish in there. Cornhill had a couple from the top of the Bags, it seems the thin streamy water is working better so we will have to give the Bags a lot more attention maybe an earlier start will help down there.
I got the scale reading back from the foundation on the 13lb seatrout that Richard Summers caught last month, it spent 2 winters in the river before heading to sea, the scales show it put on exceptional growth prior to its first winter at sea, it had also spawned twice before so it was on its third spawning trip. We also found a tagged fish dead in Cornhill bend, tag number 300, it was one I tagged last week an old cock of 9lb in the Back of the wall, it appeared to have a touch of fungus on top of its head and hadn’t been dead all that long (well not for days). It’s a shame as it seemed to swim away well enough and wasn’t bleeding. I popped cack along tonight for a look and pulled a big Collie over the slap a couple of times but had no reaction; usually something boils or follows but not tonight.
Saturday 15th August. 1’1” and 58 degrees clean. Another day with not a hint of sun and a cool north east wind. Simon Blaydon had a grilse out of Learmouth this morning; Andrew had a couple from the Annay, Duchess of Sutherland Jnr had a fresh grilse from Duddo and Duchess of Sutherland Snr had a fresh grilse and lost another from the Cauld, not bad going at a sprightly 90 years old. There are a lot of fish showing but they are not in the mood to take, with the amount showing we should be catching double figures not that 7 today is a small catch. Louisa Hopkinson nearly had one from the Duddo this afternoon but held on a bit too hard, fish were splashing all around Cuthbert in the Glide but he couldn’t tempt one, we never tried the collie dug today, it might have worked, it might not have. We got them today on wee Cascades and a wee Red Frances conehead. Floating lines with a 5 foot fast sinktip is fine.
Forecast next week is to be more unsettled, that usually means wind which I’m not so happy about.
As ever see instagram for photos and clips. ©M Campbell 2020
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