Week beginning 14 September 2015
Monday 14th September. A dreich sort of day but at least the south east wind has stopped, 1’0” so up 4” from Saturday and 52 degrees. New team on as they’re all keen to be at them. Edward was on the top end with me and we/I decided to have a sail up the Temple as the weed problem didn’t seem too bad, it paid off as the only fish of the day came from the top end, a grilse of 3lbs! John Mitchell did hook and manage to lose one in Cornhill bend this morning but that was all the action for the day. There are plenty fish showing in Learmouth and the Duddo area but I have to say I didn’t see a fresh one. Checking the gauges tonight I see that the top of the Ettrick has a couple of inches in it but thats all. The good news today is having watched the weather forecast the rain that was staying south of us is now going to hit us and it looks useful for Wednesday night and all day Thursday, so lets hope they are right this time. There are still a few Swallows and Martins here, the swallows are young ones as they still have short tails. There were some good trout rising this morning and I kind of felt we might of had more fun chasing them but being fishermen we’re always optimistic that the next cast will bring that fresh 20lber.
Tuesday 15th September. Well we didn’t get the optimistic 20lber it was a 3lber again and an old one at that but we also lost a fish in the Bags and Learmouth Stream. It was fairly quiet all day until about 4.00pm when a few more fish started to show in the Duddo and the Glide, we didn’t get anymore pulls but at least we saw some. Having just seen the 6.30pm forecast I have nothing to smile about, the rain that is going to deluge the south of the country is pushing off into the North Sea before it reaches the catchment, so that’s a bit of a disaster as it’s also to be a warm sunny weekend. The catches down the bottom end of the river are starting to pick up so a wee lift of water would help but even that is looking unlikely. It’s getting harder to write this as there’s nothing happening, each day just seems to produce the same 3lber, should maybe smack it and see if something else wants a go, maybe going to try some Grayling bugs as the trout anglers seem to pick up a few Grilse when they use them.
Wednesday 16th September. It was a lovely day out with not a cloud in the sky this morning but very quiet on the fishy front, I backed the Temple up with Clarisa but only caught the odd bit of weed, the rest of the team didn’t fair any better. This afternoon Edward on his first cast in the Cauld landed a liced 15lber and down on the Cornhill Bend and Duddo we had some fresh fish jumping over the line but couldn’t get a pull from them but they were a welcome site. There is no meaningful rain to be seen on the forecast and a high pressure is building for the weekend so fishing is going to be a challenge next week and the rest of this week.
Thursday 16th September. Another day another Dollar as they say, George Cumming Bruce here for the first time in two years and he wasted no time in getting into the action, Cornhill Bend on a #8 lightly dressed Editor double he soon had an 11lb sea licer on the bank. There were fish showing in Duddo as well and some of them fresh/clean but that was the only pull. Edward round the corner in the Iron Gate and the Glide had two 1@4lb and 1@9lb both old fish, that was all the action for the day apart from the odd swirl at the fly. I keep hearing reports from downstream of pools full of fresh fish but the catches do not reflect that. On the weather front there is a bit of rain coming through the catchment tonight but I doubt if it’ll do anything. There was one lonely Swallow fliting about today, looking for his mates I presume, its time he was away south as well. There is also a big covey of Grey Partridge in the Glide area about 14 of them which is nice to see, what wasn’t nice to see was 100 plus Goosanders on the bottom of the Cauld the last two mornings so they have been chased off using rockets and they don’t half shift (bit like the saying really)
Friday 18th September. I’ve just read last years report for the same week and I could just have copied and pasted it would have saved a lot of time. Today 10” and 54 degs clean with an overcast sky. George C Bruce was the lad today and landed a 12lb cock fish from the Iron gate, Bridget managed to have the line round the back of the reel when a fish pulled in Cornhill Bend so the rest is history, there wasn’t so many fish showing today but I went back along at 7.30pm and the Cauld was alive with fish all of them black. This morning whilst rowing whats left of the Cauldstream a large flock of Swallows came over all heading south it never ceases to amaze me how those little birds do it. Maybe a huge run of fresh fish is on its way as I write and it’ll be a numbers game tomorrow.
Saturday 19th September. It was a lovely day out on the river with wall to wall blue skies, now if the river had been running about 2’0” and 50 degs it would have been even better but it’s not it’s 9” and 51 degs. There were fresh fish showing in Duddo and Cornhill Bend again this morning but like yesterday we couldn’t get a pull from them and we gave them a selection of flies and different methods. Reports from downstream are of very small fish some at 2lb which is not what you’d expect and not as many fish as should be there for the time of year. Its a worry also as thats what we have to come to us if we ever get a lift of water. Tonight’s forecast is for rain tomorrow and a wee bit on Monday but it’s not enough. Today I tried #12 doubles up to 5” Sunrays, Skimmers, Poppers, bright and dull flies on everything from full floater to fast sink tips with plop tubes and couldn’t get a pull so sometimes its hats off to the fish and wave the white flag. It’s Saturday night so unlike 35 years ago when it was onto the motorbike and have a blast round the borders its been sorting out the garden until dark then a wee sook at a bottle of red followed by a dram or two then bed but I’m told every age has its good bits. Sunday tomorrow that’s the day before Monday.
our twitter feed