Week beginning 10 June 2019
Monday 10th June. Team Blobby here for the week and Yorkshire's top Spey caster Graham Scott was soon on to the Slap croy and with a wee bit of help from a North East wind his fly landed just in the right place and the result was a 10lb river fish. There were a few fish showing in the Slap but the rest of the beat was quiet, the only other action being Graeme Whitty having two pulls in the Learmouth stream. 1’4” 54 degrees and very beery with us at the Lees. Went out in search of a trout with the dry fly which is a long process when its a bit cold with a north east wind, at this time of year its about 10.15 before a hatch starts and the odd trout starts to rise, had two casts in the Annay and had two trout.
Tuesday 11th June. 1’2” and 54 degrees. Graeme Whitty had a pull in the Slap first thing and a fish or seatrout followed his sunray right across the mouth of the Slap without touching it. Graham Scott blanked down in Learmouth and that was all the action for the day until this evening when Perry had a fish around the 7lb mark from the Iron Gate. Rain to come in around midnight and to rain all day tomorrow so this might just produce the big flood we’ve been waiting for.
Wednesday 12th June. If there was ever a definition of a dreich day it would be today, a north east wind and steady light wet rain all day. 1’2” and 54 degrees. Graeme Whitty was top dog today getting a 10lber from the Cauldstream and following that up with a 14lber from the Slap which took a sunray, he was heartily congratulated by Graham Scott who’d already fished the Slap for a considerable time, just shows right place right time. The forecast is for the rain that has been soaking Englandshire for last two days to move up over us tonight and tomorrow with talk of 80mm which is over 3” so if correct that will flood the river. It’s not to catch the whole system sort of middle to lower. A really big flood would do a lot of damage to ground nesting birds that are close to the river.
Thursday 13th June. It rained all night and all day mostly in the east until later in the day. We got a few casts in before the weed and other bankside rubbish became a problem, both Graeme and Graham hook something and both lost whatever they had hooked. The gauge tonight at the Lees is reading 3’7” and rising and its very brown. Once it drops back in and clears there could be some very good fishing I hope, though I doubt if that’ll be tomorrow.
Friday 14th June. 3’6” this morning and 50 degrees, all the rods headed for home this morning as it was very dirty. Tonight it was down to 2’6” and still a very beery red colour; it will likely produce a seatrout tomorrow in the thinner water I should think as it nearly did tonight, I had one on about 4lb off the bottom Croy in the Cauld was just pulling it ashore when “Jock the ginger dug” jumped on it and away it went! He’ll be on a lead tomorrow.
Saturday 15th June. 1’11” and 52 degrees, the colour was still there nothing like as bad as yesterday but when wading down the Back of the wall the water up to my groin I couldn’t see my feet but I could feel the water leaking down my left leg from the groin area. There were very few fish showing but the seatrout were biting just not staying on the hook. Quentin had a 4lber from the Lower cauld and had another one on and off, he followed this up with a 8-9lber which he almost got to the side when it jumped (on a very tight drag I have to say) and snapped the line. I popped in to show him how to do it and stupidly caught a 16lb fresh hen salmon when I really wanted a seatrout to go with my new first early spuds. Further down the beat Rory with his clutch of bairns never had so much as a touch despite seeing fish in the Glide. I tried the Glide after lunch and didn’t have a touch, then went round to Cornhill bend and had two very hard seatrouty pulls, I didn’t bother with Duddo as it was being rapped plus my legs were rather cold by now. Nick is having a go later so scores could increase. The fishing is looking good for next week barring any floods/heatwaves/plagues etc so get some booked somewhere.
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©M Campbell 2019