Week beginning 10 July 2017
Monday 10th July. A wet day yet again, not enough to flood the river but enough to make it a miserable day. Paul on duty till Wednesday, I was going to get the grass cut and all the paths Strimmed and the bottoms of the wooden boats tarred but it’ll have to wait now. On the fishing front. Last week team Harper did well on their three days getting 4 on Monday and 11 on Tuesday then flooded off on Wednesday. I think we ended up with 19 for the week. Today team Tunmore are here for three days and Phil Burnham started his trip off well getting 4 before lunch, 1 from the Slap and 3 from the Cauld, Paul text me to say the other two had another 3 between them this morning lower down the beat, so 7 before lunch thats good fishing any time of year let alone July. Latest Chris Tunmore had another wading the Lower cauld this evening, so 8 for the day and 1 seatrout.
Tuesday 11th July. Another damp start but at least the rain has stopped. Chris Tunmore was anything but damp though getting 5 this morning, 2 from the Temple and 3 from the Cauld plus losing one in the Cauld. All five were fresh the best being 15lbs. Miles and Phil weren’t so lucky as they never had a pull although Miles did see a few fish in the Glide/Iron Gate Point area. After lunch Chris was soon into action getting an 18lb fresh hen from the Back of the Wall and followed this up with a 7lb fresh fish from the Iron Gate, all this from a man who is the worst caster on the river by his own admission. So it looks like July is becoming the new September (I bet you’re wishing you’d booked some summer fishing now). I got the floorboards pitched and painted and got some strimming done so a good day all round.
Wednesday 12th July. Miles Gasbey was on the Slap and Cauld first thing this morning and had a pull in the Slap which came to nothing, Paul then took him into the Cauld and he had a fish on the bank in no time, it was a fresh 8lber and is the first one I’ve seen this year with red vent syndrome. Chris and Phil didn’t see a fish lower down the beat but they are there. Phil was up top this afternoon and reports I have are of two fish being landed 1 from the Slap and 1 from the Cauld. I got more boards painted and the cauld bank strimmed and set a few more mole traps. 1’4” and 56 degrees, the weather is warming up now so that will not help the fishing so for the rest of the week an evening approach could be the way to go.
Thursday 13th July. A nice dry day with high cloud but that was as nice as it got as by lunchtime the wind had picked up. Chris Ladley and Ian Leatham here for a couple of days along with Gareth Ireland who’s here for the day. Try as they might the lads couldn’t get a pull today, the closest we got was a boil at a sunray in the Slap. I did see a couple in the Cauld this morning but they only showed the once so are maybe above somewhere by now. The Cauld at this height is too low as the currents pull the water off the main stream at a 90 degree angle leaving the fish nowhere to lie in peace. Chris is having a go tonight so we might have something on the scoreboard tomorrow.
Friday 14th July. 1’1” and 60 degrees with a south west wind. Chris Ladley and Ian Leatham were joined today by Shansuke Washiya and it’s a good job as well as Shansuke was the only rod to score getting a liced 7lber from Learmouth stream this afternoon. There were very few fish showing today and the catches across the websites reflected that.
Saturday 15th July. What a difference a day makes, 1’1” and 60 degrees again with a warm wind from the south. Neil Wilson, John Little and Chalky here for the day. John took himself off down to The Iron Gate point and at 11.00am he was on the phone to tell me that he’d landed 5 fish, at first I thought he was taking the piss but he really had. 14lb, 12lb and 3 at 7lbs all fresh. There’s a saying right time right place and for John this morning it was certainly true, he was using a floating line with a 5’0” inter tip and a #8 dressed treble which he’d tied himself, a sort of cascade coloured thing. Up to lunchtime no one else had a touch apart from John and in fact hardly any fish were showing, there was a couple of old ones in the Slap and one off the point in Learmouth. I’m hoping to get a text from Neil later to say he’s bagged up but I’m not going to hold my breath. I was wrong Neil popped down to the Iron gate point and promptly pulled out a fresh 9lber, so well done Neil. Forecast for Monday Tuesday next week is hot and sunny so that is going to make it a bit of a challenge, evening fishing will come into play.
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