Week beginning 24 November 2014
Monday 24th November A nice sunny start to the week and the Jeep is away in for a service so more expense. 2’4” and 42 degs nice clean water though. Only 3 rods today as one is stuck in Norway and the other one, I can’t remember why he didn’t come today. We fished the Temple, Cauld and the Back of the wall this morning and managed 2 Kelts and one salmon at 6lbs from the Cauld that was it for the day as far as fish catches go, a Carrion Crow made up the bag this afternoon. The forecast seems to be fair for the week apart from a bit of rain on Wednesday in the east, so the river should continue to drop all week which is a bit ironic as we’ve been fishing in big water all through what should be the best weeks then we get to the last few days and it gets down to a decent fishing height! It’s not over until the fat lady sings they say, but she’s busy clearing her throat as I write.
Tuesday 25th November The rain that was going to fall in the east is now coming up from the south so not as rosy in the garden as we thought. 2’2” this morning and clean with a nice sunny start and calm, what a difference it makes when we can spread out a bit, we had 2 from the Glide this morning and 1 from Learmouth stream 9lbs,4lbs and 4lbs one of them fresh, but not a touch from the Cauld or Temple but the morning wasn’t wasted as Mark brushed up on his casting technique and in his own unique style was soon popping out a serious line, when you buy a new line and rod ( someone said he bought it in “toys r us” ) it takes a wee while to get used to the loading points of them. Lunch was a convivial affair with much sooking of wine and a fine peated malt to warm the heart. This afternoon I was on the Temple with Paul and with Ian Merrell fishing from the South Wark side the pair of them couldn’t have covered it any better if they had been spinning but not a touch to be had, like in recent years the slow deep water goes right off in late November. Mark Orton who was on his second run down the Cauld decided he would be better off wading the tail end was rewarded with a fresh/liced cock fish at 6 1/2lbs which is the nicest fish I’ve seen for a while. So lets hope the rain is very light as I’d rather fish in decent conditions for the last few days than marginal water. I see from the reports page on another website that Tillmouth has closed the beat down as they don’t think it right to fish over coloured and spawning fish! Don’t think that would work here, I suppose if you’re a syndicate and you’ve no bookings it’s easy. Score for the day 4 salmon 1 rat.
Wednesday 26th November. A dreich day is ever there was one, a fogy start followed by rain 2’0” on the gauge and 42 degs. The river is now squeaky clean and that was reflected in the catches as we caught 2 today both from the back of the wall, one at the top and one at the bottom. Sunk lines being the line of choice, they’re not the line of choice but the line of need you’ve got to get down to them at the moment. Mark Orton was top banana today getting both fish the best being a 12lb hen on a special fly I got from the Tay raider Tony Black ( don’t worry Tony I got it back before he left and put it back into the safe ). The Temple and Cauld blanked for us today and I have to say the Temple is full of Kelts and very old fish, it wouldn’t be my first choice of pools to fish, it’s a good job the lads that are coming the next three days can’t read this until Sunday as there might be a long face or two when the draws done. Highlight of the day was lunch and second best was going home I’ve maybe got that the wrong way round. The dogs had a grand time sorting out another rat nest at Learmouth this afternoon and Kelsae got a bollocking for eating a Kelt whilst running around with it slapping the sides of her face, don’t you just love dogs? It’s Wednesday night and I’ve got my Lotto ticket so if you never see me again I’ve won, Thank god! I can hear some of you saying and the feeling is mutual! (Only joking).
Thursday 27th November Well I didn’t win the lotto in fact I never got a single number, so it was back to work on another miserable fogy damp day. Only three rods today which made things easier, so we did the draw, in fact we didn’t do a draw as everyone went to their favourite pool if only it was as easy as that every week. Kevin Campbell (no relation) was in the Cauld with the special fly tied on and was soon into a fish made all the better with the South Wark lads looking on from the Lower Temple, the fish was an old cock with a bit of attitude about it and fought like a tiger, it turns out the hook had gone inside the socket where the Kype fits so no wonder it was shaking it’s head, it would weigh about 18lbs so a good fish, slightly smaller than the one caught at Cardrona today which is on the other website at 78lbs a misprint I think. 2’0” and 44 degs clean water and it never really got light today so it was a long stand down at the Glide this afternoon looking at Kelts and black fish having the odd jump. There was another congregation of Golden plover today and a Gaggle of Greylag Geese sitting on the field but that was about it on the wildlife front apart from the rat in the trap beside the chicken run. The 18lber was the only pull of the day so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow but you never know there might be a huge late run of fish coming in tonight and I might win the lotto on Saturday night.
Friday 28th November 17 fish off the whole river says it all really. 2’0” and 44 degs clean another damp dreich day. Not a touch all day until Carl Holland put on one of my rather large Sunrays plopped it into the Cauld and had a fish on his second cast it was only 3lbs but took off downstream like a rocket as the reel was a wee tad light on the drag, once tightened up it soon turned round and jumped into the net, he then lost one in the Slap on the same fly which was a silver fish but again a wee one. The lads at South Wark had the same idea and fished the Temple up with a long Monkey getting one fresh fish and another from the little Temple I’m told. It’s almost like the fish need a shock to get them to take. The rest of the beat is very quiet apart from Seatrout Kelts that are jumping all over the place. The score today is one Salmon and one weasel although the dogs had a big dig at the Duddo the rats all made the river and escaped.
Saturday 29th November Well the fat lady has sung and the fleet is now at anchor, all is quiet along the Lees and the fish can get on doing what they came back to do without having to dodge all sorts of things being thrown at them. The last day was the same as the rest of the week a foggy start followed by a damp dull day, we had one fish at 11lbs which was clean almost fresh caught by Neil (sorry I’ve forgotten your surname) in the Cauld in the first few casts of the morning, Kevin Campbell had a couple of pulls on a Sunray in the Temple and a hold of one in the Slap, the rest of the beat was very quiet. Neil did learn a valuable lesson today though; when you borrow pair of waders from someone always ask if they leak as he was soaked this afternoon. So there it was the 2014 season 329 landed I’ll give you a round up next week as I can’t get my head round the figures today as it was the end of season Ghillies piss up last night and my heads a bit fuzzy.
Photos are sunset on the last afternoon and Kevin playing the 18lber in the Cauld, I can’t show you the photo of the fish as the fly is still in its mouth and that would breach copyright
© M Campbell 2014
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