Week beginning 23 September 2019
Monday 23rd September. A much nicer day than I thought it would be weather wise, 1’7” and 56 degrees. Team Black here just for the one day led by the team captain Michael Black who is a Lees regular, being a regular didn’t help Michael catch any fish sadly, his son however Ian did getting a 5lb grilse from the glide and saving the blank. Also here today was Crumble Michaels dog, she’s a bonnie thing a sort of cross between a ferret and a whippet which loves the water and swam out to see Michael several times when she wasn’t accompanying me round the beat. (she’s a Labradoodle really). We did see the odd fish round the beat but none fresh.
Tuesday 24th September. For the next two days we have a mixed team with us, Paul Holland who is also a Lees/Tweed regular, Nick Woodhouse and Matt Baker who have both fished the Lees and Ken Murray who’s back on the Lees for the first time in about 30 years. 1’4” and 56 degrees. No action this morning but this afternoon despite the steady rain Paul Holland along with Paul Hume managed to find a fresh grilse in Learmouth also getting another pull; they also told great tales of seeing a number of fish there with the odd fresh/clean one among them. Matt Baker having been round the cauld/Slap and Temple waded the Lower Cauld and landed a grilse which was an older one this time. Ken who mastered the Snap “T” this morning found that he’d lost his rod holder from the car so was last seen setting off to look for it. Nick Woodhouse found that he had a leak in his waders, so all in all an eventful day. This evening looking at the gauges which are irritatingly slow in updating I see that one or two are rising so it will be murky at best tomorrow no doubt.
Wednesday 25th September. Very heavy rain this morning and humid with it, 1’11” but rising and colouring from the word go. Paul Holland who’s seen it all before pulled stumps and left first thing, Ken Murray did the same; Matt Baker had a walk down the beat for a look whilst Nick woodhouse waded the Tail of the Cauld getting weed almost every cast and finding out that his spare waders also leaked, it’s been quite a few weeks for leaking waders. Three fish reported on the websites tonight, 1 from Upper Floors this afternoon so well done Colin, and 2 from Milne Graden, one on the second cast of the morning Kevin tells me. I walked the dogs along to the hut before dark and the gauge is sitting at 2’7” with a fair bit of colour, with no more rain it’ll fish tomorrow but its started to rain again as I write this. Forecast for the rest of the week is unsettled but it looks like the rain for Sunday is going to miss us, its also to turn into the North so that’ll cool things down and might bring what fish are there on to the take a bit, it did the last two years.
Thursday 26th September. A nice enough day just a bit of wind but very beery water, 2’6” and 54 degrees. Team Cadzo here for the rest of the week and being their first day they were keen to be on the water. We had a paddle about this morning in a leisurely sort of way that you do when you know its unlikely to produce a fish, what did get us excited was hearing the rod who was fishing the upper temple from the wark side whistling and his reel screaming as he had on what turned out to be a very fresh 18lb hen. It took us until 3.00pm to get a fish which was a 4lb grilse from the back of the wall caught by Mark Newstead, he followed this with a 9lber, Jonathon Meyer also had a fish from the glide. There is still a wee rise going on upstream so that will hold the levels a bit but hopefully not the colour. There is rain for Sunday coming and I just wish the cheery weathergirl would make her mind up as to where its going to be, last night it was well south of us, this morning right over us, and tonight just below us, its a lot of rain so I’d kind of like to know.
Friday 27 September. A rising river was what greeeted us this mornng, not a big rise, up 8" on last night but rising all the same and it was going to rise slowly all day. They gamely gave it a go not thinking they would catch and this morning they were correct. This afternoon Jonathan Meyer who must have spoken to the man upstairs was kind enough to let Mark Newatead catch the only fish of the day. It was a 4lb grilse on the inside lane of the glide, directly below Mark on the dangle in shallow water, all very welcome whatever. The torrential rain had the lads scurrying back to the hut by 4 pm and that was the close of play. It might be the close of play for the week as a good number of the gauges are rising tonight so it will be a coffee colour tomorrow no doubt if not too high.
Saturday 28 September. 3'8" on the Lees guage and 52 degrees, very dirty water. Team Cadzow packed up their rods and headed for home. It is always a bummer for someone being flooded off but it happens. This flood of course is the really big test as if there is nothing on the back of this then we are screwed, but you never know as long as there is hope there is something to keep us going. A lovely sunny afternoon today so I sat outside the hut and watched the river for an hour or so. I did see 4 wee grilse heading and tailing but couldn't see the colour with the sun in my eyes. Team Sidoli, Flux and Andrews next week so the fish had better keep their heads down.
As ever see tweedbeats for photos and clips.
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