Week beginning 18 November 2019
Monday 18th November. 2’10” 40 degrees and a bit murky but the skies were blue and the ground was white with frost so no rain for a change. Brian Perry had decided not to fish today and keep his powder dry for another go later on in the week. David Easty our other rod also decided not to fish also and wait until tomorrow when the river will have dropped in a bit and cleared. Very little was happening on the river and the websites only showed one fish off the whole river which was caught at Boleside. Another hard frost is forecast for tonight getting down to -6 in the towns and lower in the countryside so that will pull it in a bit.
Tuesday 19th November. Hard frost again this morning and blue skies. Just the one rod on this morning so he had the place to himself, it made no difference as not a pull was to be had and in fact I don’t think a fish was seen. I spent the morning clearing up round the hut, it’s amazing how much stuff seems to collect itself round the back of the hut and in the log shed so a bonfire was organised and a trip to the local scrap dealer to get rid of the old wheelbarrow and other stuff like an old metal dustbin lid thats came down the river, when there I picked up some old weights that’ll do as anchors/drag weights. Two rods on tomorrow and the height will be a lot better for us but if there are no fish it wouldn’t matter if we had 20 rods on. We’ll find out. One fish reported off the river today up at Holylee. We were at the end of October on 290 and thought we’ll surely get another 10 to take us to the 300 mark, looks very unlikely now.
Wednesday 20th November. The frost has lifted so it was a bit warmer until a south east wind picked up. 2’2” and 36 degrees so you wouldn’t want to fall in today. Brian Perry joined us today and I gave him a run up and down the Temple, we did see a couple of Kelts but that was all. David Easty spent his morning in the Cauld and had the same luck as Brian. It was a big day across the websites as the catches went up from one fish a day to two fish today; it really has shut itself down. On the wildlife front two Otters were busy in the Cauld and Lower Temple and were catching plenty of whatever it was. There was one Cormorant sneaking about and a flypast from five Goosanders, apart from that all is quiet. No rods booked in for tomorrow.
Thursday 21st November. Near perfect conditions today and only 1 fish caught off the whole river which was at Upper Floors, I think that puts them on 2 for the month. 2’2” and 38 degrees this morning, water squeaky clean and no wind apart from Jock the ginger dug. We had no rods booked in today so there was a wee bit of maintenance round the place and a trailer load of logs gathered.
Friday 21st November. 2’0” and 40 degrees squeaky clean, so perfect conditions really, Brian Perry was the only rod today so we gave him a paddle round the Cauld then off to Learmouth for a chuck, it was wet cold and dull so by lunchtime Brian had enough and headed for home . I didn’t see a fish all morning and the catches were one fish at Upper floors. Nothing to add to that.
Saturday 22nd November. A wet dull, dreich morning 1’11” on the gauge, no rods and no fish.
It’s over for 2019.
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