Week beginning 17 October 2016
Monday 17th October. I wasn’t expecting the wind this morning but there it was and it was from the south south/west making casting in learmouth stream a bit of a bugger more so when you put a sink tip on to a line that already has a sink tip on it. Team Thomas here for three days and they are Lees virgins so as last week we were hoping they would get into the fish. Steve had a nice 10lber out of the Cauld and a couple of other pulls, Mark in Learmouth pulled his hat off with the fly and played it in the stream for a while, Richard found out that he’d left his wading boots at home so had to go to Kelso for a new pair, a puncture in a front wheel made up the morning for things that go wrong, but a clean fish from the Middle stream made up for it all, it was only 6lb but the cleanest fish we’ve seen in weeks. We had a 14lber from the Glide and Richard wearing his new boots had an 18lber from the Cauld and that on his new double spey cast. 1’2” and 48 degs still nice and clean, all the top gauges were rising this morning and at lunchtime it was making its way downstream adding 8” to the gauge at Bemersyde so if we add in the Teviot effect and 3-4 hours of rain thats forecast tonight we might not be fishing tomorrow. There was a congregation of Golden plover over the Cauld this afternoon there much have been 200 of them, the Dipper( there was only one so no collective noun) was busy dipping at the Duddo and the resident Kingfishers and Otters were busy, didn’t see the swallows today so maybe they’ve pushed off south. The forecast after tonight looks dry so if we do get some water as in two weeks ago it’ll shuffle the pack a bit and the fish should come on the take as long as they don’t all bugger off upstream. It’ll be better tomorrow.
Tuesday 18th October. Bit less wind today but the river was up 9” and had a wee tinge of colour, this didn’t deter Team Thomas one bit and they were ready for action apart from Richard and Mark who were both off to Kelso to buy new waders. We fished all day but never had a pull, by lunchtime the river was rising again and Richard had cast his hat into the river unfortunately not attached to his hook and it floated off downstream never to be seen again. Not so many fish showing today which is the norm with a rising river, they might have buggered off upstream or just have their heads down time will tell. Checking the gauges tonight the Teviot at Roxburgh is sitting at 2’10” and Sprouston at 2’3” so no doubt it’ll be coloured tomorrow. The Osprey was here today it must be a young one building up reserves for the long flight in front of it as it should be away by now. There were Otters all over the place today, one playing on the Slap croy first thing and one at the grid in the Temple and two in the Glide. We were on intermediate lines today teamed with bigger flies and tubes to see if we could catch a fishes attention but the nearest fish caught to us were two at West Learmouth this morning. No more rain forecast but the wind is to go into the north so its winter woollies time and maybe a switch to neoprene waders.
Wednesday 19th October. A nice mild calm day but the river is filthy thanks to the Teviot effect down here so it was long faces all round, Richard pondered on some casting practice but I mentioned I don’t need the rowing practice, decision was made to visit Holy island so I hope they checked the tide tables. The days been spent doing all the wee jobs that need done but you never seem to get the time, getting supplies from kelso and remembering when I got home that I need more nylon in the 18lb class, taking the old raspberry canes along and dumping them, burning all the accumulated rubbish round the hut, painting the floor of our hut to keep the dust down, washing the floor in the rods hut and even had time for a wee squirrel hunt which reduced the Lees squirrel population by two today and also remembered I forgot to get some bird scaring rockets for the Seal thats heading this way. 1’11” at 4.00pm and still very dark it’ll be a bit better tomorrow but more like it by Friday.
Thursday 20th October. New team on today and after a bit of the usual chaos getting everyone sorted out with lines, flies, where they’re going, wrong rods, lines, remind them where they are going, we got going. Victor was in the Cauld first and he has only fished twice in the last 200 years but we soon had him knocking out a reasonable double spey cast and it was reasonable enough for a 12lb hen salmon to grab the fly. Mark Clarfelt (of the “Clarfelt fly fame”) and team leader had a fish of 8lbs from the middle stream which he added to this afternoon with an 11lber from Learmouth which was the cleanest landed this month. 1’8” and 50 degs, still had a strong beery tinge to it this morning but was clear by this afternoon. The rest of the team thrashed their way round the beat with varying degrees of enthusiasm and skill but couldn’t manage a pull.
Friday 21st October. A nice enough day on the river today even though we didn’t connect with a fish, the closest we came was Jeremy who was fishing a hitched sunray down the Duddo had a fish boil at it when he wasn’t watching as he was passing the time of day with the other side (I bet he thinks I was just saying it to egg him on). There were just enough fish showing in the Duddo to keep it interesting, the Glide was quiet as was the back of the wall, Learmouth stream had a good few fish splashing about but no pulls. There were a few issues with lines and the definition of the spey cast and marrying the two but it seems to be sorted now. The team set about their duties with an enthusiasm not seen since Scotland last qualified for a major football tournament but it was all to no avail, silver fish are at a premium to say the least but I did hear of a tide licer down at Milne Graden but it weighed in at under a pound so we’ll not get too excited. The top lads today are Birgham Dub and the Junction getting a 30lber at the Dub and a 36lber at the Junction so well done them. On the gardening front (as I know you like to hear about it) the pumpkin show is next Thursday and I won’t be winning this year and I’ll have to take mine in a carrier bag as it’s started to rot and if placed on the scales it’s likely to run over the floor. Hens continue to lay well even though the daylight hours are shortening. 1’5” and 48 degs and squeaky clean so a good height for most of the beat. It might be better tomorrow.
Saturday 22nd October. Run up the flags fire a 21 gun salute the autumn run has started! We had a tide licer today, we really did, it was only 3lbs but it was liced it came from the Cauld on a scruffy fly I’m told as I was down the middle stream at the time with Stevie sorting out the world in the rain, Jeremy was in Learmouth for a while with Paul until he decided that he didn’t like catching nothing in the rain, Mark was casting to the far bank down the Glide and Duddo but all to no avail as it was the beginners that got the fish. Chris had an 8lber from the Middle stream this morning and it was Isobel who hauled out the licer this afternoon. There were other fresh fish caught round about us, Learmouth had a licer this morning and Carham one also, I see on the web site that ladykirk had 5 so I’d like to think some of them were fresh. 9 fish reported caught below us yesterday so it seems no change really. East winds tomorrow and showers.
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©M Campbell
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