Week beginning 15th October
Monday started with a frost and clear blue skies but the river was still suffering from the flood the week before and was on the murky side, the catches reflected this not only on the Lees but on the whole river with our total of six for the day being the best score, there were plenty fish showing at the top end of the beat but not keen to play. Tuesday was a wet start and the river still not as clean as I would like and with all the top gauges rising it was not going to be a great day. A couple of text later and the coloured water was found to be at Kelso, we had three fish for the morning and one other in the afternoon by which time the water was on the rise and that stopped all action on the fishy front. We had two young Otters with us in the morning peeping and whistling to each other or maybe they were calling for mum but she was nowhere to be seen, it’s maybe time for them to branch out on their own. Wednesday. Here we go again heavy rain from 9.00am till 2.00pm all the gauges rising by 1.00pm and by 7.00pm in full flood again it just never ends. Thursday, sunny start but not any sunny faces watching the river race by yet again, it’s a long way to come from America to be flooded off but that’s fishing (at it’s worst!). Friday Well at least it’s dropped and cleared, a bit, in fact it’s lost three and a half feet and a fair bit of colour, but rising again at Crook Inn and Boleside so no fishing today yet again the rods took themselves off to Alnwick to visit the castle and have a look round Hardys when they are there I’ve asked them to blag me a new sintrex rod, we’ll see what they turn up with tomorrow. Saturday, No new rods but there you go shy bairns get nowt. A misty start then sunshine and no wind thankfully as it’s 3’8” on our gauge and with a downstream wind we would never be able to hold the boats, one fish in the morning and another three this afternoon so worth the effort, David Scully getting two from the Cauld, he was only here for three days so was a very lucky boy to be fishing at all. Plenty fish showing and older ones amongst them so they haven’t gone in all that big water. We were fishing wet 4/5 type lines to get down and 1.5”-2” tubes anything with a bit of contrast in it and a bit of sparkle did the trick.
David Scully playing and about to return a nice Autumn Cock