Week beginning 14 May 2018
Monday 14th May. It was a belter of a day, sunny calm for most of the day until after lunch when an east wind picked up. 1’7” and 54 degrees, clean but a bit of the stone dirt is starting to lift off the bottom. Michael Cary and Roy Trevor joined us today along with Graeme Hogg and Michael Bax so we had a full team on the water. This morning a couple of fish were seen in the Slap and Cauld and I had one follow on a sunray but no pulls. This afternoon Graeme Hogg decided not to fish and to return this evening so the best of luck to him. I saw another two fish in the Slap this afternoon one of which was brand new but again no pulls. Suspicious by their absence are the trout, there has been some good hatches of fly this spring from march browns to olives and now a fair mix going down but no trout to be seen taking them. Mid May evenings the river should be bubbling in places and I popped down tonight for a look and didn’t see a trout. At lunchtimes I text another 10 ghillies to see how they are getting on and today I asked if they have been seeing any decent rise of trout, no one has. Now this is not very scientific but I’m laying the blame squarely at the door of the cormorants. That huge flock that was going about last backend and winter must have devastated the trout. (They can’t have eaten them all) I can hear you saying, but when you turn up at 8.30am and there are 200 on the temple and they could have been there since daybreak they won’t be long in emptying a pool and they are at it every day.
Tuesday 15th May. Another cracking day depending on your view of blue cloudless skies. It will be letting the garden catch up, it’s also letting the grass and weeds grow of course. 1’2” and 56 degrees still nice and clean with just the odd bit of stone dirt coming down. Roy Trevor was on the Slap and Cauld this morning and we saw a nice fresh fish first thing followed by one in the Cauld, that was the only time we saw them and the only fish we saw all day. There are large numbers of smolts on the move and at the moment no goosanders or cormorants to bother them (not at the Lees at least). Graeme Hogg and Michael Bax fished the bottom half but had the same result as us which prompted Graeme to skip the afternoon session and try again tonight. Michael Cary had some swan trouble in Learmouth stream but no fish either. This evening it has clouded over and there is some light rain, forecast tomorrow is for north winds and a much cooler day which might help, what would really help is the appearance of more fish.
Wednesday 16th May. Another nice day but much fresher with a north wind blowing. 1’1” and 56 degrees. The lads gave it a go this morning but the back of the wall and the Glide were difficult to fish due to the wind. A couple of fish were seen in the Slap and cauld but Graeme Hogg couldn’t tempt them until he put a sunray over them and had two bow waves but no connection. By lunchtime the lads decided to wave the white flag and headed home apart from Graeme who is made of sterner stuff and lives in Kelso who is coming back tonight. I had to go to the Borders general hospital to pick up the wife who’d had to make an unplanned visit, it was 8.00pm when I got back and my internet isn’t working as I’ve just changed supplier. It’ll be seamless they told me, it’s had 12 hours so far. I met Lee Craig and Doug Tait outside the Coop and Lee told me he’d had two licers this morning, but it was a familiar story there one minute and gone the next. Doug was just shrugging his shoulders. The lack of springers is a worry and that man at Berwick is trying to kill as many as he can, it’s not on. Also the drifters are still going on this year thanks to an EA cock up I’m told, so in one of the worst springs on record fish are still being killed before they reach the river to be killed and sold for profit. Lee and Doug have also noticed the Osprey doing a lot of fishing but very little catching = a lack of trout and grayling = Cormorants out of control over the winter and early spring.
Thursday 17th May. Another lovely day with just a wee north east wind to stop it becoming hot. Down to 1’0” on the gauge and 56 degrees. Team Godden here for three days along with Chris Bryce who’s doing the evening shift. There were four clean fish in the slap this morning and one was in the teens, Nigel Crosskell was on the slap croy doing his best but the fish decided it wasn’t good enough and didn’t stir to any of his offerings. Toby down at Learmouth did see a couple of fish off the point end but had the same result. Gene fishing the bottom end didn’t see a fish all day until he came up to the Slap when one of the usual suspects jumped a time or two for him. I went along tonight to see what was going on, I did manage to see a couple of trout taking flies for the first time this year but only two. The otter was wreaking havoc in the Temple stalking a family of ducks, I suppose there’s no trout left thanks to the cormorants so it has to feed on ducks. It submerged then surfaced among them scattering the young ones with mum pretending to have a broken wing, the otter was having none of it and stuck with the ducklings until it got one. Walking back through the woods I thought I might see a hedgehog or two, but of course we are overrun with cuddly badgers and badgers eat hedgehogs, but you never hear a mention of that on springwatch with Mr Packham who maybe reckons they only eat grass and worms. And to cap it all I had to get an engineer/IT bloke down to sort out my broadband. “seamless” said the man from Vodafone, what a lot of shite! I‘ll be emailing them tomorrow night when I have time. (Reports of a flock of goosanders near Hendersyde this morning numbering 96). Time for a very large dram.
Friday 18th May. Another lovely day down at the Lees, 1’0” on the gauge. Toby Kemball was on the Slap and cauld and had a bow wave at his fly on the second cast, he hooked a fish in the Slap later on which ran down into the Cauld and got off which was a bugger when they are hard to come by. The rest of the team didn’t have a pull or see a fish all day, but it was a lovely day out. Chris Bryce reported last night that he did see some running fish in the Glide and Cornhill bend he also had a pull in the Slap. They must be running hard as Mick Charlton at Middle Pavilion had a fish today on a sunray which was liced, now that’s going something at this height as Middle Pavilion must be nearly 50 miles from salt water. Saw my first Swift tonight so that’s summer here now. The Oyster Catchers have had a bad time as out of 5 nests there’s only one nest left thanks to the Carrion Crows, I zeroed in the rifle today so the Crows are in for a fright. Right its time to email Vodafone.
Saturday 19th May. Another cracking day with blue skies and sunshine.11” on the gauge and 56 degrees. Gene had a boil at a #12 cascade in the Slap, we then changed fly up to a #8 cascade and it took a hold but not a good enough hold. The rest of the team didn’t fair any better and by lunchtime the lads decided to head down the road to home. I spent a very pleasant afternoon in the garden planting out my French beans and the likes and putting up some hanging baskets. Might watch the royal wedding highlights this evening then again I might go out for a pint.
Forecast is dry and warm for the start of the coming week, we could do with a wee lift of water and some fish as well.
© M Campbell 2018
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