Week beginning 13 March 2017
Monday 13th March. It was an almost perfect day for spring fishing, 2’1” and 44 degrees with the water very clean. Chris Elcock here along with Dean MacAlister and mum Sue and local rod James Henderson. Dean was in the Cauld this morning with me and its about the best it’s looked this season, we were soon into a fish and then out of it just as soon, a half hour later we had another one on but it was off again just as quick, to be honest we never saw either of them and they were only on for a few seconds so could have been kelts but I like to think they were springers. The rest of the day was without a pull until Dean’s last cast of the day in the Glide and at last one stuck on and we had a lovely fresh fish about the 6lb mark on the books. There were a few fish caught upstream and Junction were the top banana getting 10 today all fresh, that’s a bloody good spring day.
Tuesday 14th March. Well I won’t be needing to go to the gym tonight as an afternoon rowing in the cauld in that wind is too much. 2’0” and 46 degrees nice and clean. The sun was shining and if it hadn’t been for the wind it would have been another cracking spring day but the waves were running down the Temple and over the Cauld and up the Bags and Duddo, it was difficult to find some shelter today apart from in the hut and just as difficult to find a salmon as we never had so much as a touch. Learmouth reported a fish today but it was caught on Monday. Junction didn’t fair so well today only getting two (I wouldn’t mind getting two) and Colin Bell at Upper Floors reported seeing fish scooting past him this morning so that’s where the Junction fish and there pals went.
Wednesday 15th March. Oops! Forgot to do a report today and can’t remember what happened now.
Thursday 16th March. Another windy start, the gauge showing 1’11” 46 degrees and nice and clean. Neil Morris and team here for the day tow of whom have fished the lees a few times. John Okell was in the glide this morning a pool he knows well as he fell in once and had a good look at the river bed, anyway he hooked and lost two fish this morning one throwing the hook when it jumped. This afternoon I gave Neil a run through the cauld but never had a pull, Neil decided he fancied a cast further down the beat so took himself off for a wander, Stuart Hibbard was also wandering about looking for something to do so I got him into the cauld and half way down the right bank when we were both agreeing it looked perfect, I had just said this is where you should get a zzzzz, zzzzz, zzzz on the reel when it happened and we ended up with a 10lb tide liced springer, thats the first from the cauld this year and we’ve fished it twice a day for 6 weeks. Another cheery sight was 3 sandmartins flying up the river this afternoon so summer is just round the corner, I wish.
Friday 17th March. Another blowy day with rain all afternoon. Two Neil’s here today and its maybe the name but both Neil’s caught a fish, Neil Andrews had a liced 9lber from the glide and Neil Wilson had a liced 7lber from the lower cauld, their respective fishing partners Steve and John failed to score. 1’9” and 42 degrees which is a perfect height for the Lees, it’s also coming right for the lower beats with both Ladykirk and Milen Graden getting a fish today. My afternoon was cut short as Sally (wife) crashed her car at work and had to be cut out by Kelso fire brigade so many thanks to them and the paramedics who attended. She is ok just battered and bruised and like a good cocktail shaken and not stirred. Sadly the rain today will put paid to the fishing tomorrow just when it’s coming right for us so we wait again for a prolonged spell of dry weather. It won’t be better tomorrow.
Saturday 18th March. A rising colouring river was what met us on Saturday morning, 3’3” so no fishing today. IT was just coming right for us and it looked like we might stop a fish or two in some of our pools but that’s scuppered for now. On the bright side though the rugby scores were a lot better than last week.
Sunday 19th March. A wet morning followed by a sunny afternoon, looking at the gauges tonight there is 4’5” at Peebles and 3’0” plus in both the Ettrick and the Teviot so it will be a big brown river tomorrow again. Forecast for the start of next week is colder with showers.
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©M Campbell 2017
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