Week beginning 1 October 2018
Monday 1st October. A nice calm start with the Lees gauge showing 1’0” a water temp of 46 degrees and nice and clean. Francis Sidoli here along with David Flux, Neil Andrews and the two Sidoli boys Chris and Dom, the fish don’t stand a chance with this lot on the water. David was first to score with a fish from the Slap, he moved into the Cauld and blanked, moved back to the slap and had another two. Francis had a fresh 18lb from Cornhill bend, Neil a 16lber from the Glide and lost a bigger one. Chris and Dom blanked in Learmouth but made up for it this afternoon getting three from the Glide one which was fresh. Andrew even had one from the Annay so he gets big brownie points getting one down there. Our total for the day was 11 which is a good score for the conditions. We saw fish moving this afternoon, not a huge amount but enough to keep up hopes. Puppy Jock has had his jags, worm and flea/tick pills so is now ready to meet you all when you arrive, Kelsae has been back to the vet for her weigh in and had lost two kilos, she’ll look like a greyhound by this time next year.
Tuesday 2nd October. 11” on the gauge and 48 degrees with a stiff North West wind blowing. Francis was first into action getting three from the Learmouth stream one of them fresh as paint. Neil Andrews Cauldstream fish caught on a Collie dug with a full floater was the fish of the day. David Flux managed an 11lber from the Glide and the Sidoli boys had a 5lber from the Glide this evening and I can’t remember where number seven came from. Some of the team would have fished on but the relentless wind had done its job and a pint or two was the better option.
Wednesday 3rd October. Another good day with 9 landed, the fish didn’t give themselves up and had to be worked for today. Dom Sidoli had three for the day and this made his dad Francis fish even harder and he managed to catch him and Francis ended the day with three, David Flux had two, one from the Cauld and One from the Slap, whilst Andrew who popped down to the Annay had one on a full floater and a #10 dressed treble. The gauge was showing 10” this morning and 48 degrees and is squeaky clean. Learmouth stream was very quiet apart from the two Dom caught as was the Cauld this afternoon we only saw one wee fish down the tail. We are needing a lift of water but I don’t was a proper flood now, it would be good for the fish but I fear that it’ll lift everything away upstream. Neil Andrews was nearly top dog getting four fish to come to the Collie dug in the Glide but none of them would take a hold of the fly, it’s a very exciting way to fish as when ones comes and boils at the fly it gives you a fright sometimes.
Thursday 4th October. 10” and 50 degrees, squeaky clean water colour. I think the temperature rise has put them right off. Kevin Bowes had a fish in the Glide this morning which was clean and both Kevin and Paul said they’d seen a lot of fish there. Upstream in the Cauld Neil and myself didn’t see many fish nor did Francis in the Learmouth stream. Fish of the day was a wee grilse caught by Neil Andrews in the Learmouth stream this afternoon; it makes fish of the day because he caught it on a sunray. Neil’s other catch of the day was an old supermarket trolley from the Cauldstream, it was stuck on a stone mid river and had been there for some time, we had snagged something there all week so an investigation was required, it had become a problem as a lot of willow branches had become entangled in it and that what we were catching the fly on, anyway its now been landed. It was a much quieter day on the river catch wise almost half of yesterdays catch; the bloody wind didn’t help either. Forecast is for wind from the north tomorrow but a lot less and a big drop of temp.
Friday 5th October. 9” on the Lees gauge and 50 degrees again, it’s too warm for October salmon fishing they just don’t like it. Low warm water and old fish is not a good mix. 3 landed today, 2 from the Duddo and 1 from the Cauld, we almost had 3 from Learmouth stream but Nigel Woodruff managed to shake all 3 off before they got anywhere near the shore. Not so many fish showing today round the beat and the scores on the river were low again. I suppose we need a lift of water but selfishly only a wee one as I’m worried that a big flood will take everything up and away, good for the fish I suppose but not good for the fishermen on the Lees. We are on floaters with sinktips from intermediate to 10’0” fast sink poly leaders teamed with wee tubes or #8-#10 doubles/trebles.
Saturday 6th October. A lovely sunny day with just a wee nip in the air this morning, 9” and 49 degrees, squeaky clean. Neil Andrews didn’t waste any time this morning and had two from the Slap with his first two casts of the day, there was a bit of drama with one of them as there was a wee hole in the net and the fish popped though it as Paul netted it so Neil had to finish off the fish playing it through the net. An hour later he had another from the Slap all on a Black Frances. Speaking of Francis he had 5 today, 1 from Learmouth stream this morning and 4 from the Iron Gate this afternoon, if there’s a fish to be caught he’ll get it. Andrew got a wee grilse from the Annay this morning which earns Brownie points. The top scorer for Brownie points was Nigel Woodruff getting a 9lber from the Cauld this afternoon on a large Collie dug on a full floater, Nigel now knows it works he also had a 9lber from Learmouth stream. So 11 for the day which is nearly 50% of the total catch off the river, and 43 for the week, good fishing in present conditions.
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©M Campbell 2018
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