Week beginning 21 April 2014
Monday 21st April Another weekand much the same as we left last week, sunshine and an east wind, 1’5” on the Lees gauge and 50 degs. There were fish showing in the Slap again one older one which showed a few times in the morning and afternoon along with a few fresh ones, but you see them in the Slap then a few minutes later you see a splash in the middle of the Temple and you just know that was the one that showed in the Slap and it’s gone! South Wark had 4 today 3 of them liced so they are slowing down just above us and maybe stopping ( I hope ) so it could be our turn tomorrow, if I say that often enough I’ll be right one day. No trout rising today and no hatch of fly either which I suppose is why there were no trout rising! I took a cycle ride round the beat this evening to see if there were any rising but nothing doing, it’s been a long time since I was on a bike and I don’t remember them being so uncomfortable as that was tonight, the seat almost disappeared where the sun doesn’t shine, it was my sons bike mind and the seat resembled a banana. Tuesday 22nd A different day today cloudy overcast and by lunchtime it was raining, but there were fish showing in the Slap, Brian after trying almost every fly in his box put on a sunray and had a good pull and another boil but that was all the action the team had for the morning. Following a good lunch where much wine was drunk the rods were not as keen to leave the hut as you’d expect giving we had a pull this morning. Jonathan Pearce wandered down to the Slap croy and had a boil at his fly it was a wee double, another four boils and follows later I noticed he was on a full floater so out came the wee rod with a sink tip and a bottle tube a few casts later just when we thought it wasn’t going to work he was into one and a few minutes later it was off through the Slap and cut the line on its way through! You wait for days and days for a fish you get one and that happens! That was the only action we had but at least there were some there long enough to get a fly over them, the rain has all been in the east so I’m not expecting any change in the river levels, and of course hoping more fish are in that Slap tomorrow, it’s really strange the Cauld is not working. Wednesday 23rd Another day at the coal face but we seem to have ran out of coal not that there was much there anyway. 1’4” and 50 degs squeaky clean with an east breeze until lunchtime when it turned into the south, not that it changed anything, there were a couple of fish in the Slap again but no action what so ever today, Brian reported seeing a fish in the Bags but on checking the satellite imagery photos later on it could not be corroborated so the mystery deepens. Nigel Cooke and team arrived this afternoon and are fishing the rest of the week and have vowed to catch every fish on the beat so “it” had better look out! There is a bit of rain coming over us tonight but I doubt if it will make any difference. There were four fish caught downstream of us today so who knows maybe tomorrow. Thursday 24th Well it appears Brian was right and not only was he right we caught it!!!! On the third run down the Bags I pulled a large Sunray out of my pocket, a bit like a magician pulls a rabbit out of the hat, gave it to Peter who pulled it across the stream and wallop it was on, it came right out of the water with the fly in it’s mouth, 8lbs not liced but fresh enough, then up to Cornhill bend (my fav pool) and a good pull in the tail on the Sunray again. Nigel Cooke had one in Learmouth stream on a #8 posh tosh on a floater with a intermediate tip. So just like the saying you never see a bus for ages then two come at once. 1’4” and 52 degs, still haven’t seen a fish in the Cauldstream which is very disappointing to say the least. We were on 90 fish this time last year and today’s fish pushes the score up to 12, our worst spring was 21 so the big push is now on, so all you rods that have still to come brush up on your casting. Friday 25th Bit colder this morning 1’4” and 50 degs the usual fish showing in the Slap which is just as well as there’s bugger all in the Cauldstream to go at, the lads fished their way round the beat but there was nothing to show for their efforts apart from Peter having a puncture. Jonathan Pearce having tried a few lines has now settled on an Eion Fairgrieve line and is hitting the far bank and about time as well. The Sandpipers are here and the cock bird is displaying furiously round the Cauld also saw my first Reed Bunting of the year, and Jonathon I checked my carrots tonight but they’re not through yet. The rain started after lunch and combined with the east wind it was a miserable afternoon so the team retired to the hut for a dram. So zero for the day it just seems if you can get a fish to stop you get a chance at them. Saturday 26th East wind still with us and a dull overcast morning, and the river rising so not the best start. Team Cooke had been to the Indian last night and Peter was feeling the effects on his delicate tummy, I was at same Indian with six lovely ladies which raised an eyebrow from team Cooke when they saw me. I was speaking to Ginge (Head Ghillie at Tweedhill) and he tells me the have loads of fish down there which I thought was a piss take to start with but he said they have loads but can’t get a pull off them; cold air and warm water not a great mix. Anyway river up to 2’2” by 5.00pm so that might bring the Tweedhill fish to us and I hope they stay with us for a change, we did see a couple in the Slap and one in the Cornhill bend but no pull were had, the whole river was quiet today with the rise coming through. Team Harper here tomorrow so the usual whisky drinking competition will be taking place in the hut along with sorting out all the world’s problems with a red hot poker being stuck where the sun doesn’t shine, if it was allowed I’m sure it would work!
Photos this week are Jonathon Pearce playing his fish in the Slap smiling but a few seconds later in was tears as it cut the leader on the concrete on the Cauld, and Graeme playing a nice fish in the Bags on a Sunray which didn’t cut the line.
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