Week beginning 21 March 2016
Monday 21st March. A brighter day than of late and backs better which is a relief. Team Godden here for 4 days and the noise level has increased 10 fold. 1’6” and 44 degs, nice and clean. We saw one fish in the Slap this morning but the rest of the beat was quiet, the lads fished it round with due care but not a touch was had. This afternoon there were some fish moving through the Slap and we also saw one in Duddo but again couldn’t get a pull from them. No signs of any fly life on the surface yet and no trout moving, the flies need to hurry up and start hatching as the Martins should be here this week and will need a feed.
Tuesday 22nd March. 1’5” on the Lees gauge and 46 degs. The noise level has increased even more today as Paul Robinson is feeling better, sadly the fishing didn’t improve though. Paul and Nigel were on the Cauld this morning and as they were fishing it a shoal of fish moved through, they told me they saw around a dozen fish splashing about the stream but couldn’t get a pull from them, next they watched them going through the Slap and that was it, gone! Down the beat we never saw a splash all morning. This afternoon I rowed gene round the Cauld but we never saw so much as a scale, we gave it tubes and a Sunray on an intermediate line but couldn’t get a reaction. Just as we were leaving for home three fish showed in the Temple in as many seconds, one in the Slap, one Cobble point and one just above. The catches on the websites don’t reflect fish moving as they are poor but no doubt someone will catch up with them tomorrow. Still no sign of any hatches of Olives or March Browns and no Sandmartins but with the water up at 46 degs it’ll be any day. As the levels keep dropping we will likely be on floaters with sink tips tomorrow which will be a nice change.
Wednesday 23rd March. A grey day and much colder 1’5” and 44 degs. I gave John Beatty a run though the Cauld first thing and we saw a fish which showed directly below us right where our fly was, we covered it with a couple of flies but it never pulled the fly or showed itself again so I presume it pushed onwards and upwards. On a brighter note while we were fishing the Cauld a wee Sandmartin came fliting past and headed upstream as well so spring is here. The catches were low again and the nearest fish to us were at Sprouston which are probably the ones that were with us yesterday. Bob Jewels told me that he’d seen a good few in the willows this morning but couldn’t get a pull from them. Springers are strange creatures, we like low water so it slows them down we like to think but the Springers don’t seem to care what the height is and go where they want to when they want to, when their “on” there isn’t an easier fish to catch if you can find them, the rest of the time you can see the Ghillies up and down the river bank scratching their heads, a bit like me this week.
Thursday 24th March. So what went wrong on the river today then? Good height for the lower beats but we caught nothing and only saw one, is it that we are catching whats coming in and there’s not many coming in, or is it El Niño, or has it something to do with the Northern lights, who knows? If you do know answers on a postcard to the lees hut. Anyway 1’4” and 44 degs nice and clean west wind blowing, but warmer than yesterday. Team Godden fished their way round the beat with due care and covered every pool and they are easily covered at this height but we never had a touch and the only fish seen was one in the Slap just before lunch. There were only 4 fish reported off the river today so even the residents don’t want to play. No more sandmartins today, no hatch of Olives or March Browns yet and no trout to be seen. The new hens are settling in fine but not back on the lay as yet and the French Maran hens are now laying in the rubbish basket under the table so at least I don’t have to hunt for the eggs.
Friday 25th March. A nice bright day with the gauge showing 1’4” and 46 degs, only two rods today so they fished the main bits and caught nothing. Catching nothing seems to be the in thing at the moment as there were only 3 fish reported off the river today 1 at South wark and 2 at Sprouston so that’s a lot of rods up and down the river not getting a pull. It seems we are in between runs of fish at the moment so looking on the bright side we’ll be ready for them when they come. The forecast is for wind and rain tomorrow and unsettled for the next few days but at least it’s warmer now that the air is out of the west rather than the north. No more sandmartins yet and I’m keeping an eye out for the Osprey who will be our next arrival. We have had a good look round the beat at the river bed now and it seems that there are no big changes to the pools and any changes that are there look like they might be for the better, the fish will let us know in due course.
Saturday 26th March. A nice enough day bit of a south wind blowing, 1’4” and 44 degs. I’ll keep it short; saw one in the Slap covered it, no pull. Home by lunchtime, sort out the garden. Out at Contented vine at Kelso tonight at a bit of a Ghillies doo so predict hangover tomorrow.
Sunday 27th March. Prediction correct. 3’0” this afternoon and milky brown so will be a bit coloured tomorrow. The Osprey was flying over the Cauld this afternoon so it’s bang on schedule.
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