Week beginning 25 March 2019
Monday 25th March. A sunny calm, yes calm start and the Lees gauge reading 2’0” and 42 degrees. John Okell and Steve here along with Phil Odling and Tony. Flies and lines sorted out and I took Phil down to Learmouth where the fishy gods were looking down on Phil as he hooked and landed a liced 7lber. Up on the Cauld Tony and Paul saw a couple of fish but couldn’t get a pull from them. Steve had a kelt from the Glide which was in its full sea going coat. It was a pleasure to be out on the river today now that the bloody wind has gone, there was a good hatch of March Browns coming down from 12.00 noon until 2.00pm but I only saw two trout taking them, the ducks were making the most of them though. 14 fish reported off the river across the websites tonight as it should be with conditions as they were today as the river is in perfect order.
Tuesday 26th March. I’d just like to say that if anyone ever meets the cheery weather girl please give her a good boot up the arse and a skelped lug as the high pressure that was going to bring a settled week appears to be a bit on the windy side of “settled”. 1’10” and 44 degrees. The team fished their way around the beat today but not even a Kelt could be found to pull the fly, we did see a fish in the Cauld this morning heading and tailing as in came through the shallows on its way to Kelso no doubt, this afternoon 3 or 4 little silver fish which have to be seatrout showed together in the Cauld this showed in the catches on the websites tonight. Another 2 sandmartins were flitting about the Cauld and the Great Egret gave us a flypast as the Otter family went through the Slap, so it was all very busy with wildlife apart from salmon, it’ll be better tomorrow unless it blows a effing gale.
Wednesday 27th March. Boot the weather girl up the arse again as there was a fair breeze blowing down the river. 1’9” and 44 degrees. The lads fished their way round the beat this morning and two pairs of waders were found wanting. Phil Odling and Ben both had wet feet by lunchtime. Nobody saw a fish this morning and no pulls were to be had either. This afternoon I was rowing Patrick Wilson down the Cauld, we were sorting out the world when all turned to chaos with a springer on the fly, I got the boat to the side but sadly thats as far as the fish wanted to come and it was off. That was the only fish of the day and no others were seen. There was a fish reported from Horncliffe today so that gives us all a bit of hope.
Thursday 28th March. Even more wind today and I’m not going to say what I’d like to do to the cheery weather girl, it wears you down all this wind every day. 1’8” and 46 degrees it would have been a lovely day, sun shining and blue skies just that effing wind. Anyway fished all day covered all the likely bits and never had so much as a pull. The wark beats just above us had 5 between them 3 of them at Upper and all fresh I hear, so well done them, it’ll be our turn tomorrow. Friday 29th March. Aye it’s windy again. 1’7” and 46 degrees. I was in Learmouth stream with Scott this morning where he was doing his best to get a line across with the wind blowing down at a fair rate of knots. We saw a nice fish splash just off the point and almost unbelievably that was the only fish we saw all day. There was a good hatch of March Browns around noon but no trout to be seen taking them. South wark had a belter at 18lbs just above us this morning and Lower North Wark also had a fish, until some stop with us its going to be hard work catching passing traffic. Jock the dug continues to behave apart from taking all the logs out of the basket onto the grass outside the hut, I need to train him to fetch them in. The Sandmartin numbers continue to grow but there is still no sign of the Osprey yet.
Saturday 30th March. 1’6” and 48 degrees and almost calm. There were a couple of fish in the Glide this morning but they wouldn’t play, we fished the Cauld and Temple and saw a decent sized seatrout in the Slap rising several times but it wouldn’t look at anything. At lunchtime there was one of the biggest hatches of March Browns I’ve seen in years but hardly a trout to be seen taking them, the hatch went well into the afternoon. This afternoon in Learmouth 3 fresh fish were showing at the bench and up in the Slap late afternoon it was very busy with several fish showing as Jack was casting over them, again not one of them would pull the fly. So only one for the week and one lost but seeing those fish this afternoon and some fish being caught below us gives me a bit of hope for Monday.
©M Campbell 2019
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