Week beginning 18 February 2013
Monday 18th A lovely day for February sunny with a touch of frost, we covered the whole beat and had 10 Kelts for our efforts all on spinner though we did give the fly a go. Didn’t see a Springer but at this time of year you have to be looking right at them to see them. Tuesday 19th The day started the same as yesterday with a bit of frost and clear blue skies but it was not to last the cloud started to build from the east at 10.30 and covered the sun, the temperature dropped like a stone. The only contacts were Kelts with another 10 landed, highlight of the day was one of our resident Otters fishing outside the hut all morning and catching something small as when it surfaced it was a couple of chews and whatever it was eating was gone. There are a few fish being caught above us so they must be going through, it’s a perfect height for us and it’s not for the lack of effort the fish are not stopping on the Lees at the moment, maybe tomorrow. Wednesday 20th A bloody cold east wind blowing straight up the river took J Clancy out in the Cauld and managed one Kelt. Clancy is Yorkshires Onion Champion and yesterday we talked Onions in the boat until we had to give up due to failing light. It was a great trip for him as he had about a dozen kelts and for a man who’s never fished before very exciting, and if you can catch Kelts if there’s a Springer about you can catch them, I on the other hand should now be able to grow Onions of biblical proportions so look out Coldstream vegetable show in September (I’ll keep you posted on this one). Thursday 21st Another bitter cold day but we had a Springer to liven things up from the tail of the Cauld again, it’s a great spring cast it fact it’s a great cast any time of year. The fish was a fresh 10lbs but no lice and took a conehead tube on a wet 2 type line caught by Jerry Corke; we also had 7 Kelts on a mix of fly and Toby spoons. The river is now down to a perfect height for us but there does seem to be a lack of fish at the moment. Friday 22nd A calm day but still cold 1’10” and 36 degs squeaky clean. Two Kelts and a liced Kipper was the score for the day, I expected more with the good conditions but never saw a fish all day, could all change tomorrow when that big shoal of fish just off the coast comes charging up river, that’s spring fishing. Saturday 23rd Another cold day with heavy snow showers in the afternoon not a touch all morning and nothing seen of any interest. In the afternoon I sent Quentin McLaren down to Learmouth stream he wasn’t too keen to leave the warmth of the hut but he was rewarded with a 9lb Springer, not fresh but a Springer none the less. About 4.00pm I was in the hut stoking the fire came out and nearly tripped over one of the Otters that was walking by the door it then ran down to the Slap Croy where Jerry was fishing ran right up to him gave him a hard stare as if to say this is my Croy then popped into the river, it was one of those moments where you wish you had a camera in your hand the captions would of been endless. Anyway two for the week and a few Kelts but it’s still February but there doesn’t seem to be that many at the moment, or is it that we were spoiled last year with the number of fish and the size of them.
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