Week beginning 18 July 2022
Monday 18th July. Well the forecast heatwave has arrived. Norman and Stuart set off at 2.00am and we started fishing at 6.00am, I was up in plenty time as my neighbour has a bloody cockerel and it had me awake at 4.30am. The water temp was 66f at 6.00am, 72 at lunchtime and I’ll bet its 74f now at 7.30pm, I’m just going along to take the dogs for a swim so will take temp. It’s off the gauge but the weed wasn’t too bad first thing by lunchtime there was a lot of weed floating down lifted by the heat. We had a balmy 30 degrees here today and forecast for 35 degrees tomorrow, SEPA are letting a freshet away tonight I think or tomorrow morning to combat the heat, that will stop the fishing as it will lift all the weed into the river and it’ll be weed every cast. Just back with cooled down dogs and the water temp was still 72f, it didn’t really cool the dogs down but made them wet and smelly.
Tuesday 19th July. The bloody cockerel had me awake at 4.30am again so that was a fight with the neighbour; I got to the fishing hut and Kelsae the black lab had a fit and she nearly tumbled off bank into river luckily she got caught in the bushes but it was a bit of a job to get here out as she was fitting so she didn’t fall through and into river, one of the fishers Stuart arrived back at the hut after fishing since 5.00am saying he didn’t feel well, I gave him a covid test two thick red lines appeared straight away so he was promptly evicted out of the hut as I held my breath, everything sprayed down with dettol including me. The river is warm 69f this morning and its weed on the fly every cast, I’ll pop along later to check temp as it has been so hot today, a breeze picked up and it was like a fan oven door had been opened. A dead fish rolled out of the Glide and another was wallowing about on the surface then sunk out of sight, I’ve no doubt they will not be the last. Another thing today was the harvest lice, cutting round here has begun in earnest and the tiny wee black flies are everywhere, millions of them stuck your face in the sweat. Apart from all that it was a nice day, river at 8.30pm was a toasty 76f.
Wednesday 20th July. Norman and Covid Stuart had been out since 5.00am but caught nothing but weed on every cast; they then headed off home as it’s a fair drive to where they live in middle Englandshire. Mike and Robin arrived to fish at the normal time they had been down at Ladykirk yesterday and had seen a good few fish but no takers, I put them through the fishy bits but there was a lot of weed, even the hitch was getting covered, they decided to leave it until later in the day to see if the weed settles as the temp was well down on yesterdays new Scottish record of 35C. It was like a fan oven door had been opened yesterday afternoon the wind was so hot, in the afternoon I stayed indoors with the curtains shut until 5.00pm even then it was very hot. Four new rods on tomorrow so I don’t know how we will get on, it’s much cooler today and tonight 20C was the high so hopefully the weed drops down as the river temp drops and the lads will get some fishing in.
Thursday 21st July. An overcast start and in fact it stayed overcast all day plus an east wind picked up after lunch which kept the temperature down, the water is in minus territory on the gauge and sitting at 66f this morning. Four rods on so its a bit of a challenge to fit them all in especially when you also have rods on the other bank, it was made easier by the fact it was two teams so they could share half the beat each. Yesterdays weed due to the freshet has settled down and it wasn’t weed every cast maybe just every other cast. There are still a good number of seatrout on the beat but they don’t want to take, down in the tail of the Glide you can see them swimming away from the fly its so shallow. At least its not 35C anymore.
Friday 22nd July. Nothing much to report today the water was a tickle lower and a wee tickle cooler but there was less weed, just a wee bit less weed as it was still finding the hook every other cast. The lads again fished all the fishy bits and not so fishy bits, Alex F Scott had a bit of a pull in Learmouth he tells me and that was all the action for today. Ladykirk had a better day getting 7 fish not quite a fish per rod but a decent day. I got some strimming done, sorted out a couple of carrion crows and varnished the hut windows.
Saturday 23rd July. Another warm day but cloudy, minus whatever on the gauge and 62f. Lots of weed coming down and getting onto the like and fly almost every cast. The lads gave the pools that are worth fishing a once over then headed for home. The catches on the river were as expected very low and mostly on the bottom end of the river apart from two. There is a wee rise going on at the moment (Sunday) but its only a few inch and all it will do is shift more weed.
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©M Campbell 2022
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