Week beginning 14 July 2014
Monday 14th July After a hectic weekend it’s back to the fishing and team Tunmore are here, Chris (Norfolk’s finest rat catcher) has fished the Lees as long as I’ve been there and is still using the same double taper line that he had then! We thrashed all the usual spots and never had a touch. Cut some grass and caught a mole then slavered to a German TV film crew who happened by about the referendum as you do. 7” and 64 degs clean with a south wind and the odd shower, better tomorrow maybe.
Tuesday 15th July 7” and 61 degs warm sunny and clean water, Chris trashed the Slap and the Cauld to no avail then indicated he might try the Ledges, I said that the only fish I’d seen lately were in the Ledges and top of the Temple but were more than likely Seatrout so off he went. I was busy setting some mole traps down the Cauld bank and looked up towards the ledges and saw a nice silver fish jumping out which was obviously attached to Chris’s line, jumped into the jeep and set off to help out got there just in time to land a lovely 8 ½ lb Seatrout which was the 3rd one he’d landed, all the more amazing in the conditions. All three took a #10 gold bodied stoat tail on a full floater, just goes to show your better being lucky than good! And all that on a 30 years old line! Kelso to Hume rideout tonight, 170 horses which is a good turnout for a Tuesday night.
Wednesday 16th July A nice sunny start to the day but it didn’t last long it was soon replaced by showers, the only action was a couple of splashes at a Sunray in the Cauld which is the first action in there for a couple of weeks. Chris tried to repeat his success in the Temple but he must of cleaned it out yesterday. The club is fielding a full team tonight of good fishers so that will tell if there’s anything down the bottom end. I hear reports that some Seatrout are moving into the lower beats but that’s not reflected on the websites catch pages so who knows? Garden is coming along fine and Clancy the Onions are looking braw, I’ve also got some more pipes to put round the Leeks, hopefully not too late to blanch them. Sally has made a load of raspberry jam and blackcurrant jam and the first of the pickled beetroot which is yummy. Almost finished the new potatoes, Maris bard this year and I would have them again they were really good spuds. Kelsae the dug is turning out to be a really good dug and the dummy training is going well, now on two dummy’s ( three if you include me ) one to the right and one to the left retrieved one at a time I’m impressed and hopefully she’ll be as good with pheasants. I had a visit from our MSP today a Tory who came into the garden to give me some no leaflets, we parted as friends and he should be able to see out of his left eye in a week or so. I didn’t argue with him I just explained why I was right!
Thursday 17th July Another hot sunny day Rodger Oxtiby here and up to his usual speedy standard if he was any more laid back the Salmon will all be Kelts before he gets onto the river! Having said that no point in rushing about. I was off down the beat to find the Annay boat chain and do some strimming but it got too hot to strim but I did find the chain and got some new marker posts in. I saw Rodger and Clarence at lunchtime but they had failed to score and were going to give it a go tonight. Another couple of moles caught so a good day (not for the moles).taking son up to Kelso ball and its a 5.00am finish tomorrow so have told him to get a taxi this time. I get to Kelso and go for a look at the river and there’s more water so there must have been a cloud burst somewhere, Colin Bell tells me that it’s up one and a half feet with him so that could be a game changer tomorrow. The extra water was from a freshet which came down the Ettrick.
Friday 18th July A nice sunny start with the gauge showing 1’2” and 64 degs clean. Rodger said that they were getting weed or grass cuttings on the hook almost every cast last night so gave up. Clarence went up to the Ledges while Rodger did the Cauld and both of them failed. It clouded over this afternoon and there is some rain on the way for tomorrow so we’ll see, it’s been very heavy in the south of England and its to be with us tomorrow. Got some spraying done and branches cut back from the road so you lot don’t snag your rods when driving past. Saturday 19th July The thunder storms that everyone else are getting have not arrived here, a damp morning and a wet spell this afternoon but no heavy rain. No fish either or none reported anyway. At Kelso Yetholm rideout today 236 horse and lots of fallers, but another great day out. Grant stayed on so the Champagne is still safe in the bottle.
.
our twitter feed