Week beginning 15 April 2013
Monday 15th-- 4’1” and looks like milky coffee also blowing a gale, water temp has jumped to 48 degs so that should shift a few fish upstream along with the flood, more rain forecast tonight and Wednesday so not looking good for first half of the week, loads of Sandmartins and plenty flies to eat today. Tuesday 16th 2’10” fair bit of colour sunny spells but it’s blowing a hoolie from the south west, waves all down the Temple and Cauld and you can hardly stand outside the hut so there’s no chance of fishing today, also the river is rising in the middle sections this afternoon and with the wave action on the shore the colour is getting worse. Wednesday 17th The day started fine calm and dry but it was only a matter of time before the forecast was right and by 10.00am wind and rain with us again. 2’10” and 44 degs with a fair bit of colour we covered the likely spots with spinners but nothing doing, I see that it’s more rain for tonight and tomorrow morning and not really settling down till Friday, the Otter followed us up the Temple again this afternoon make you wonder if its waiting for us to throw it a fish but I reckon it’ll have more luck than us at the moment. Lots of Swallows and martins today and a bit of a hatch of March Browns. Thursday 18th River rising and coffee coloured no chance of fishing today, made about 9’ on Lees gauge doubt if it’ll be any good tomorrow either. The wind the last few days has been up to 60 mph and has had a strange effect on my garden paths which are covered in bark chips between the raised beds, all the paths running east/west are fine but all the paths running north/south are bare not a bark chip to be seen and I can’t see them anywhere, I’m also amazed there are no trees down must be that there are none in leaf. Friday 19th A lovely warm day and calm at last, has to be the nicest day this year by far but the river is coffee coloured and 3’7” on Lees gauge so not much use for fishing. The trees are thinking about leafing all the birds are singing their heads off and flying about with nest building materials in their beaks. It will fish tomorrow but will still be on the big side for us and better tackled with a spinner but the lads are fly only but that shouldn’t stop us getting a fish if they are still there. Saturday 20th I had my worries that with two back to back floods and the river temperature jumping up all our fish would bugger off upstream, but in the Cauldstream this afternoon we had two fish about the 8lb mark which were clean and looked as if they have been in the river a couple of weeks, so we still have some down here to decoy some fresh ones into staying with us as the river drops back in. It was a bit of a reality check getting two for the week instead of 22 or 21, but things are warming up now and tactics will change as long as it drops I might even be tempted to break out the Skimmer. An odd March brown coming down today and a pair of Sandpipers on the Croy in the Cauld, Kingfisher in the Temple and our too friendly Otter following the boat again. We’re now on 76 for the season so very happy with that.