Week beginning 11 February 2013
Monday 11th 2’5” 38 degs and clean with a bad south/south east wind which is the worst direction we get at the Lees, blowing upstream it makes casting very difficult, we had one Kelt but that wasn’t the only excitement for the day, things of an unfishy nature proved to be much more fun. It’s Terry Harper’s week and something’s always going on, first thing, a random walker comes by the hut just before lunchtime Terry is in the hut and invites him in for a dram, after several drams the old boy who’s never been there before decides to head back to town so he is directed along the back of the woods to the town which is the quickest way, the drams have by this time kicked in and the last we see of him is rolling about in the ploughed field behind the hut covered in mud and then on his hands and knees trying to regain the footpath, he must of made it as there were other walkers on the path later on and no bodies reported. The second thing, we have fitted a very sensitive (as it turns out) smoke/gas detector in the hut following a health and safety check Terry being large in stature as well as character breaks wind and sets off the detector which has a woman’s voice telling everyone to evacuate the hut, as it happens no prompting was required! And that’s just the first day of his ten day trip what’s in store tomorrow? Tuesday 12th Calm start 2’3” 38degs and clean a couple of Kelts from the Temple on a wet 2 line and a #3 gold treble got the boat on to Learmouth stream for the first time this year and had a Kelt plus lost another two which I reckon were Kelts as they had little fight about them, no dramas in the hut today and the smoke/gas alarm wasn’t set off. Wednesday 13th A cold dreich day with snow showers in the morning and rain this afternoon but it didn’t deter Richard Harrison and Graham Whitty who both managed to land a Springer from the Cauld one of them plastered in lice. Richard casting like a demon with his new line had an 8lber from the boat and Graham a 12lber wading the tail end of the Cauld a cast that has saved many a blank day, Terry of gas alarm fame opted to stop in hut and have a dram and Frank came back from the bottom of the beat looking like he had been beaten up with the wind and rain but sadly fishless. Thursday 14th A lovely sunny day but the river rising and colouring, up to 3’7” by lunchtime, the rods took themselves off to Kelso to the tackle shops buying some fly lines and Toby spoons for tomorrow as spinning starts and we are expecting the river to still be on the big side. By lunchtime the top gauges were rising again likely with the sun melting the snow in the hills. Friday 15th 3’7” and mucky this morning 38 degs. Well the lads gave it a go off the bank, hurling Tobys, Condoms and all sorts of other things at the far bank (Richard was in heaven) but to no avail, Terry consoled himself with a dram or two whilst waiting for our resident Otters to appear which they did right outside the hut again, during the day the river did drop but only about 3 inch we really need to get it down below 2’0” to start holding fish down here. But it was a lovely sunny day so knocked up a new rod rack and a new bench at the tail of the Cauld a great place to view the river. Saturday 16th Another nice day with the river down to 2’10” on lees gauge, a load of Kelts, a Baggot and a nice fresh six and a half pound Seatrout to Graham Whitty who also lost a double figure Seatrout in the Cauld this Afternoon which went mental all over the pool before throwing the hook. The forecast is looking good over the weekend so next week should see the river getting down to a better height for us. Apart from the Otters daily visit we had a Kingfisher with us today which is the first time I’ve seen one this year.
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