Week beginning 18 June 2018
Monday 18th June. The day started off well enough with Steve Turff and Brian Cook who are new to the beat turning up. Colin’s never caught a salmon before so on a Monday morning there was only one place to put him and that’s the Slap, floating line, 5’0” inter tip and a #8 cascade and it was job done with an 8lb fresh fish landed and safely returned. Steve had a run through the Cauld but no action. We then took a tour of the beat and I pointed out the hot spots, Colin was obviously paying more attention as he caught his second of the day which was a fresh 4lber from the Glide. The wind really picked up this afternoon making casting more than a tad difficult but two landed for a first time will do me.
Tuesday 19th June. 1’0” on the Lees gauge and 56 degrees with a south west wind blowing harder than I like. Steve was on the Slap and Cauld and despite covering two fish that showed mid cauld as we were there we had no pulls. West Learmouth had three river fish this morning from the back of the wall this morning so there are some residents. The lads went off round the beat this afternoon and I haven’t heard any news from them as yet. Forecast a wee bit of rain coming in tomorrow but it looks like most of it if not all of it will be above us.
Wednesday 20th June. Well I got that forecast wrong as it absolutely pissed down from 10.30 until dawn. All gauges at top end rising with the top of the Ettrick up to 4’6”, 3’0” plus in Tweed and Teviot. The Lees gauge was showing 1’0” this morning with a temp of 60 degrees and clean. Brian Cook was on the Slap and tried it with a #8 cascade but didn’t get any interest, he then put on a sunray and managed to add a seatrout to his total for the trip, that’s the first seatrout we have had this year. I took a drive round at 8.00pm tonight for a look, well I was trying to get the Carrion Crows that are taking the young ducks but they are so sly as soon as they see that black jeep they are offski. I came across a couple of hogweed plants that were showing due to the wind blowing the other vegetation down so they got the chop. The gauge was showing 3’8” tonight and very dirty with a lot of branches and the likes coming down. Tomorrow's rods have called off very wisely but Friday/Saturdays rods are getting a wee bit excited as should Mondays rods, if anything is about this has to bring something in.
Thursday 21st June. 3’5” and very dirty with all sorts of crap coming down so no fishing.
Friday 22nd June. 1’6” and 56 degrees, spot on for the Lees apart from the colour which was still very beery. Team Brymer here for two days, Young James had a Brown trout on a sunray in the cauld whilst Dad had a pull of something in the Iron Gate. There were a few fish running this afternoon so hopefully as it clears overnight some of them will still be with us.
Saturday 23rd June. 1’3” and 58 degrees with a bit of a beery tinge. There were some nice silver fish showing in the Slap first thing but we couldn’t get a pull off them, we fared better in the Cauld though with James Brymer getting a liced 6lber on a green butt cascade, that was all the action for the morning and in fact the day. I popped along this evening to lock up the hens and had a couple of casts at the slap 1 pull on a cascade and another pull on a sunray, one of these time one will stick on. Forecast is for hot and sunny weather so next week will be a bit of a challenge.
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©M Campbell 2018