Week beginning 12 October 2015
Monday 12th October. The day started nervously as I had a dental appointment at 9.00am but when I got there it was closed as my appointment is next Monday! Anyway back to the river and it’s a new week with a new team but the same old fish. 8” on the Lees gauge and 50 degs sunny spells along with a north east wind. Dick Stebbins was on the Slap and Cauld this morning and managed to land one and shake off three others, Piers Pollard had a boil at the skimmer in Cornhill bend and Nick Davenport lost a fish in the top of the Bags, that was the action for the day I’m afraid to say, there were far fewer fish showing today and I didn’t see a silver one. Cornhill were the lucky boys getting three out of the Duddo this afternoon, I suppose it helps when you meet some fresh ones they are much keener to take a fly. The Dub had a good day getting 10 (so that’s where our fish have gone). Floating lines with sink tips are still the order of the day and fly wise try everything in your box. On the wildlife front there are more Kingfishers than I’ve ever seen, every pool you fish you see a Kingfisher somewhere.
Tuesday 13th October. A nice bright day and about 8” on the gauge with the temp at 48 degs, I was on the Cauld and Slap with Nick Davenport, we blanked on the Slap and were soon into the boat in the Cauld which is more of a float about really, we tried the skimmer first and blanked then put on a wee bottle tube and in no time had a 7lb old hen into the net, that was all the action in there. Stebbie down on the Duddo had a 12lb old hen on a wee bottle tube also a black and orange this time. Like yesterday there were not so many fish showing, well if it were the spring you would say it was stuffed but for mid October it’s not so busy, I saw one fresh fish in the Duddo this afternoon but couldn’t get a pull, the Bags had a good few in it right up at the top in the narrow. A story has filtered down river about someone getting 10 for the week on a floating black beetle, so anything floating always attracts me and by chance I had one deep in one of my boxes which I dug out and gave it a swim and caught bugger all, I then followed that with a bomber then a Chernobyl ant all had the same effect on the fish but it filled in part of the afternoon. Paul and Piers managed to tempt a 4lb old fish from the Cauld this afternoon and that made up the bag for the day. Forecast for tomorrow dry and sunny.
Wednesday 14th October. A very foggy start so it was fog horns and navigations lights on the boat, I was in the Cauld with Billy, we tried a wee bottle tube first and had a wee pull on it then switched to a conehead bug I tied last night on a single saltwater hook and promptly had a 9lb hen thrashing about in the net, singles are so much easier to get out of the fish as well (and your head). This afternoon Billy who had taken ownership of said fly was in Learmouth stream and had another fish an 11lber this time so the price of the fly is now up to £50. Piers lost a fish in Duddo and Nick had a pull in Cornhill bend. The two junior members of the team are fishing on tonight so I hope they score. The sun came out this afternoon making it a classic autumn afternoon except there are not enough fish to make it anything near classic. River rose 2” during the day from an overnight shower and we’ll get a couple of inches on Friday from the freshet that is being released tonight. I hear through the grapevine that South Wark had a fresh fish today and Tillmouth had 12 today but I don’t know if any were fresh. So at the moment the score for the day is 2 salmon and 2 grey squirrels. I’m off to tie another couple of the “bugs”.
Thursday 15th October. No fog today just bright and sunny also flat calm, these conditions affected the catch on the river today as the scores are well down. On the Lees we had two fish, one from the Cauld at 18lbs an old cock and one from Duddo which was under 4lbs but fresh, I did see another fresh looking one in Cornhill bend but that was it for the day as far as fresh fish go. Piers had a boil at a stripped sunray in the back of the wall which is no mean feat as its like fishing on a mirror when its calm and sunny. Stebbie tried out various lines and rods and has settled on a 15’ rod teamed up with an Eion Fairgrieve ultra cast system which fairly zips out. The Kingfishers are still with us in numbers and the Otter was fishing the bottom of the Babyhouse this afternoon, there’s not much more to tell you today unless I make it up, nice day on the river just quiet on the fishy front.
Friday 16th October. Another quiet day on the Lees with 3 landed and a couple lost, the fish came from Cornhill bend, Duddo and the Back of the wall all were old fish. Billy Davenport lost two in the Cauld this afternoon the first one seemed a bigger fish but it never showed before it threw the hook, the second one was all of 2lbs fully clothed and black as a dog. We are still on floating lines with either intermediate or 5’ fast sink tips and flies are anything you care to try really as we have caught on almost everything. 9” and 46 degs today with cloud cover all day and no wind, in fact this has been one of the calmest autumns I’ve ever known not that I’m complaining as you all know how much I love the wind. We did see fish but not fresh ones although some were just little head and tails in the streamier bits and I couldn’t see if they were fresh or not. The catches downstream are disappointing again, I suppose if you are down there and get a nice fresh fish you won’t be complaining but I would like to see bigger numbers being landed.
Saturday 17th October. An overcast cloudy day with a north air 8” on the gauge and 46 degs. Not so many fish showing today, saying that you see a fish in splashing in every pool but I didn’t see a fresh/silver one. The lads stuck to the job in hand and it’s a credit to them that they gave it 100% all week in these conditions. Billy had a pull in the Duddo this morning as did Stebbie but by lunchtime the lads decided to wave the white flag, maybe it was all the dancing last night, it’s a wild place Cornhill on a Friday night I’m told. Andrew managed an old 9lb Cock whilst wading the Temple and Nick had an 11lber from the cauld also an old cock. Will a flood make any difference? I’m starting to doubt it but we’ll never know until we get one which isn’t looking likely. The stars on the river today were Tillmouth getting 12 I hope they were fresh and some come to us by Monday.
© M Campbell 2015
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