Week beginning 24 August 2020
Monday 24th August. It was a rather dull damp start the gauge was showing 1’9” and 56 degrees with a very heavy beery stain to the colour. Team Black here and the fact that we are fishing when Michael Black is here is surprising as it usually means a flood when Michael turns up. There were a lot of fish in the Temple but Michael only managed to hook and land one, a river cock fish of 13lbs, son Ian had a 5lb fresh grilse and Andrew had an 8lb old hen from the Annay. After lunch it was a bit on the quiet side the Temple fish had their heads down or had buggered off upstream so we tried the Cauld, now at 1’9” the Cauld should be a banker but not so since the gravel moved in. Ian hooked a heavy fish just off the top croy but just as he was starting to enjoy the experience it was off. Toby managed a 5lber from the Glide again a wee fresh one and that was the score at the end of play. The forecast for tomorrow is horrendous with gales from the east and torrential rain; I’m fair looking forward to it.
Tuesday 25th August. It was wetter than an Otters pocket this morning in fact all day as there was just one wee gap when it wasn’t chucking it down. Alistair Macintosh had a 12lber from the Temple on a #6 green butt cascade; it was a slightly coloured cock fish so went back with a tag in it, look out for 0265. Sandy Lang gave it his best in Learmouth but failed to connect and Michael Black lost one in the Glide. This afternoon with the rain still pouring down Charlie Macintosh got a 10lb hen from the Cauld also tagged and returned whilst Michael looking to make up for his loss this morning had two from the Temple at 2lb and 15lbs both returned. It was really really wet today and the gauges are reflecting that tonight as there is over 4 feet at the top of both the Ettrick and the Teviot as well as the Tweed adding to levels. There is no way we will be fishing tomorrow it’ll be bailing out the boats and watching a big brown river go by. Ladykirk had another good day getting 14 and Dave Foreman had 4 at West Newbiggin this morning which were all river fish showing that they haven’t moved yet, this flood tomorrow might just do that. It was 1’6” and 56 degrees this morning.
Wednesday 26th August. It was another miserable day, the Lees gauge was reading 5’0” and temp was 54 degrees with a colour of milky coffee so no fishing. It was a day of odd jobs, taking the strimmer to the strimmer garage get it to start, cutting up a fallen limb and keeping out of the light rain/drizzle which fell all day. Will it fish tomorrow? It will possibly be around 3’6” on the gauge but I think the colour will still be bad as the Leader and Gala water were still rising at 4.00pm this afternoon. And another thing, this weather is not helping to ripen my tomatoes or chilli’s I need some sunshine.
Thursday 27th August. 3’4” and 54 degrees but very very beery, it was also raining, two of the rods decided they didn’t fancy spinning so called off, the other two after some discussion didn’t fancy the prospect of sitting in a boat in the rain. Some of the beats upstream of us did have a go and the ones who were spinning were lucky, South Wark landed 10 on an xrap, they also had one rod who fly fished all day and blanked, there is a time and a place for the spinner and it was today, not when it’s summer level. I thought it would be better tomorrow but I’ve just been text a flood warning from SEPA for tomorrow.
Friday 28th August. Heavy rain during the night and this morning has the river rising yet again, 6 foot plus this afternoon but dropped back to 5’3” by 8,00pm with a colour of drinking chocolate, It’ll still be well coloured tomorrow but some of the beats further upstream might have a bit of a chance as this has moved fish. It has been a terrible week of weather with rain and gales, just shows you have to be careful what you wish for. Forecast is now for north winds and cold but dry which is the main thing, and let’s have some bloody sunshine for my tomatoes and chillis.
Saturday 29th August. 3’7” and very very beery with a bit of sediment through the water table. We had two rods on the Temple all morning with heavy line and big flies on but never had a touch; I didn’t expect one to be honest but it was sheltered in the Temple from the strong north wind so it wasn’t too much of a hardship. This afternoon I was up in the Ledges and Upper Temple with Mark Clarfelt and it took until after 3.00pm before we had a pull, the first fish was a 9lb hen that had been in for a few weeks, it was followed by a 12lber, 5lber and a 10lber and lone lost at the net as Mark was starting to bully them in. Nigel Houldsworth fished the bottom end of the Temple but blanked, it was maybe just a tad too big down there. Lots of fish moving this afternoon, the ones I got a good look at were mostly coloured, not old fish but a bit of colour, I saw Tam at South Wark getting a couple of silver ones. Wark were on the xrap and we were on the fly, once the water cleared a wee bit the fish came to the fly just as readily as the rap. I thought it was going to be a dry week next week but the cheery weathergirl now says there is a lump of rain on Wednesday, I hope it changes. The bad news today was a cat in my polytunnel having a crap when I returned home; it needs to be very very careful. As ever see tweedbeats on instagram for photos and clips or tweedfisher on facebook. Anyone fishing Tweed next week should be getting excited now, this of course is a sliding scale as the lower down the harder it’ll be due to river heights, a special good luck to Stefan and Peter all the way from deepest Germany who will be wetting a fly at Ladykirk next week.
©M Campbell 2020
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