Week beginning 1 May 2023
Monday 1st May. A nice start to the day with a bit of sunshine and a west wind for a change, this didn’t last and by lunchtime the wind was into the north yet again and the temperature plummeted. Team Harper here for the week, a reduced team as one is absent and in the sickbay. Richard Harrison was up top and we covered the Slap and Cauld with a couple of different lines saw a fish or two but no pulls. Ken Brown was on Learmouth where they saw a couple of seatrout but again no pulls. Terry has taken up a supervisory role this week and opted to read the paper and stoke the fire. 1’1” and 50 degrees making the water warmer than the air this afternoon which I never like. This afternoon Richard tried the Glide and Iron Gate but the wind had shifted into the east making casting into it on the Glide a bit unpleasant, I tried the Cornhill bend and Duddo butt nothing pulled or showed itself. A couple of little ducklings went past cheeping away with no sign of mum, it happens every year they wander off too far from mum and the current gets them, she can’t count all that well and doesn’t notice they are missing, if the otters, herons, crows, gulls or any other predator don’t get them they will like die with the cold before tomorrow morning. Catches are on the light side again with only 4 fish reported above us but I think 4 or maybe 5 below us. We are still on fast sinktips until it warms up with your favourite fly of the right size.
Tuesday 2nd May. Short report today as its now 10.30pm and I’ve spent the last 3 hours digging out sewage from a pipe due to a blockage. Caught nothing saw some in Slap and one in Cauldstream. 1’1” and 50 degrees. Met old friends Rob Jameson and Peter Williamson for a couple of pints after work it was great to catch up after a number of years, then it was home to find something I hadn’t factored into my day. Only 5 fish reported off river plus 3 others not reported.
Wednesday 3rd May. A lovely day to start with and in fact the nicest day by far since I came back. 1’1” and 50 degrees with no wind until lunchtime and then just a breeze but from the east. Richard was up top and had a pull in the Cauld on a conehead red frances, he’d seen the fish jump and a few casts later he said that fly must be covering that fish then tug but no stick on. There were one or two showing in the slap but not interested. There must still be the odd one pushing through as Scott Povie from Pavilion text to say he’d just had a licer, now lower Pavilion must be 45-50 miles from the sea so in this low water that fish was on a mission. Catches in the teens today albeit just but at least they are still coming in. We could do with a flood now or a decent rise to clean the dirt and algae off the stones or its going to be a problem when it warms up.
Thursday 4th May. I mentioned warming up last night, today it’s anything but warm, the north east wind was back and it was fairly stiff making it cold. On the fishing front Ken Brown decided he’d fished enough this week and headed home to make something he said, Richard made of sterner stuff fished the Slap, Cauld, Iron Gate and Glide this morning but failed to get a pull, he had the same result this afternoon down in Learmouth. Today again fish were scarce on the websites with only 5 or 6 being reported off the whole river. The other rivers Dee and Tay are doing no better not that it makes it any better and the Spey is all a secret as ever. No trout rise of any sort today and the Martins and ducklings were having to work for their lunch today. For my gardening followers nothing is happening, I have onions and shallots out in one of the beds and they are just sitting there shivering, inside they are doing quite well in the polytunnel and greenhouse, my first early potatoes are at the top of the buckets but of course they are in the polytunnel as well. No sign of proper rain just showers and the ground will likely take all that.
Friday 5th May. A much milder day and that wind had dropped right off, not gone all together but much much better, 11” and 50 degrees. Richard covered all the hot spots, I tried the Lower cauld as i saw a couple jumping there neither of us had a pull, a few of the other Ghillies were saying the same, Dean over at Learmouth saw around 10 fish in the Glide this morning but couldn’t get a pull. Light showers this evening nothing like enough to affect the river but good for my show onions which went in tonight. Catches low again with almost all below Coldstream. Saturday 6th May. A very grey day but calm, 11” and 52 degrees. Only Richard left to fish today so he did the Cauld and Slap this morning, we saw one fish in the Cauld which was an older resident and it didn’t want to play. Paul went off and fished the bottom end I’ve not heard of anything being caught. Catches all bar two from below Coldstream on the websites.
Watched a bit of the coronation, have to say it went on a bit in the church.
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