Week beginning 26 September 2016
Monday 26th September. Well after the flood warning from SEPA on Saturday the river is up all of 6”, it has moved the fish around a wee bit and shifted some up river as far as Boleside it seems. Drygrange were the lucky boys getting a 30lber, down on the Lees we had one late this afternoon at around the 15lb mark, not liced and in fact it’s been a considerable time since it saw a louse. The fish seem to have taken a liking to the lower back of the wall as they were jumping out all over the place sometimes 3 or 4 at a time. Still no sign of any fresh/clean fish here, I keep hearing reports of clean fish elsewhere but I’ve not seen them maybe tomorrow.
Tuesday 27th September. A sunny start and fairly calm but that was not to last as by lunchtime a west wind was whistling down the river making both casting and rowing a challenge, Matt Randall was about his job before the wind picked up and had a 9lb hen from learmouth stream wading at the top end, the fish was another coloured one but welcome just the same. There are loads of fish showing at the Iron Gate area and the Glide but not pulling at anything, David went through the Cornhill bend and Duddo very carefully giving both his best attention but couldn’t get a pull either. The forecast through to Friday night is for strong winds up to gale force so that’s going to be fun but it will keep the midges away. The leaves haven’t turned yet so they shouldn’t be a problem in the water but with the trees in full leaf there will be some branches down. The two young Otters at the Glide area are getting bolder by the day and this morning were coming across to have a look at us and in fact we had to stop casting for fear of foul hooking one of them. I received a text from Kevin at Milen Graden (our lower river correspondent) who told me they had a fresh/clean fish this morning but it was just over a pound in weight and that was the bag for the day.
Wednesday 28th September. A very warm day for September with the gauge at the Lees reading 1’5” and 54 degs, only two rods left today and John was the lucky lad getting a 13lb cleaner than the rest hen from the Iron Gate, that was all the fishy action for the day and the lads headed for home at lunchtime as they had a long drive home. Sprouston had the best of the fishing today if you can call it that as they had 7 all black and the word from the beat was its a shame to be catching hens full of eggs, but you have to fish through them to find the fresh ones I suppose, anyway lets not get into that as its too depressing. The wind was picking up this afternoon and the forecast for tomorrow is a full blown gale with weather warnings all over the forecast on the telly. There are plenty fish splashing around in all the pools but reluctant to take to say the least. Kevin at Milen Graden text me to say he’d seen some fresh fish this morning but there can’t be many as it would be reflected in the catches below us I’d have thought.
Thursday 29th September. Well the weatherman was right it did blow a gale and the river was rising. Team Williamson here for three days. Chris and Stewart went down to Learmouth but soon joined us at the Glide as the wind was so strong that Chris couldn’t manage to cast. There were plenty fish showing at the Iron gate and the Glide and Peter fished it through with due care but never had a touch. I tried a very long sunray in the lower Glide and hooked and lost a large old fish plus another couple of boils, encouraged by this action I put on a smaller skimmer and had a fish second cast, a 3lb fresh grilse which is the first fresh fish I’ve landed in weeks for me or one of the rods. After lunch we managed an hour before the rising water put paid to any useful fishing as the stone dirt was on the move and it had a soup like look to it. No doubt it’ll be coloured tomorrow but will clear and that should have moved the fish about and might bring them on the take (not that I want to catch old fish)
Friday 30th September. Well that’s the arse kicked out of September and I have to say what is my favourite month has proved to be a disappointment, almost all the fish we are fishing over are old summer fish with just the very odd fresh/clean one about and I mean just the odd one, I did hear that Milen Graden almost netted a fresh one today the rod was Craig Cockburn who is a Lees regular so I’ll have to have a word with him about being so careless. 1’9” and 50 degrees this morning with a lot of stone dirt in the water column, it looked ok at the edge but you only had to wade out a few yards and it was manky. Not so many fish showing today it was maybe the colour that had their heads down either that or they’ve all buggered off. The otters at the glide were absent today that’s the first day in weeks that they’ve not been there, the kingfishers are flitting about all over the place and great to see with the sun on their backs it really makes them flash. No swallows or martins seen today so they are maybe all away south now. The team here today fished every pool right down to the top of the Annay; Rob had a hold of something in the glide for a few seconds but didn’t see what it was, it was a fish he told me as it wriggled. It’ll be a lot cleaner tomorrow (I hope) and some of these fish should feel a bit more like chasing a fly and you never know there might be a huge shoal of fresh fish here, the ones that the Russian/Spanish/Portuguese/Mongolian trawler didn’t get.
Saturday 1st October. Well! What a difference a day makes, 11 fish landed a couple lost and other pulls, that’s our best day this season these lads do know the beat and that helps, Chris caught his biggest ever fish a 20lber from the glide. Two of the fish were fresh both out of the middle stream. Whether this good fortune will last is another matter as the forecast is for a dry week and to warm up during the day but cold nights will help, there is also to be a south east wind. Kevin Ghillie at Milen Graden tells me he saw loads of fresh fish running this afternoon but couldn’t get a pull from them but someone will catch up with them somewhere, mind you he didn’t quantify loads. So its glass half full for tomorrow. 42 for September. Temple 1, Slap 3, Cauld 10, Learmouth 4, Back of the Wall 9, Glide 5, Cornhill Bend 3, Duddo 3, Middle Stream 3 and the Bags 1 So not the best September as we can catch that in a day when its right, plenty fish there but almost all coloured.
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© M Campbell 2016
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