Week beginning 27 May 2103
Monday 27th Just when we thought summer was on the way having had two lovely days on Saturday and Sunday we are back to crap weather today, with a very strong south/south east blowing all day. 1’5” 54 degs and just a slight tinge. We saw fish in the Glide; Slap a couple in the Cauld and lost one on fly in Cornhill bend, I didn’t see any fresh ones but the rods tell me the fish they saw downstream were fresh. Top of the Ettrick and Tweed were both rising at lunchtime so a wee bit of water with us tomorrow, we’ll see if that makes any difference. Well I’ve just had a look at water levels at 7.00pm and it’s up 3 feet at Crook inn and was over 3 feet at the top of the Ettrick so it will make a difference tomorrow it’ll be broon. Tuesday 28th River up to 2’0” at 9.00am and rising lots of weed and grass cuttings in the water, gave the Temple a go with a spinner but it was weed every cast. Didn’t expect to catch one and wasn’t disappointed. Spent the afternoon cutting the paths down the beat and strimming the banks, sun came out and it warmed up making it a lovely afternoon, saw another clutch of ducklings making that three, in a normal spring there would be hundreds on the Temple and Cauld. We had a big hatch of Hawthorn fly today which is the first I’ve seen; they are a month late as well. Should be better tomorrow as long as we don’t get the colour. Wednesday 29th Not a nice day for the end of May with a north wind and showers, the water had a beery tinge to it and at 1’10” and 52 degs it was looking good enough but we hardly saw a thing and caught even less, in fact the only fish I saw were in the Slap two old ones and one brand new this afternoon. Beats above have caught a few fish new and old but we just couldn’t get a pull from anything and we did try. On the livestock front I now have Bantam Chicks running about all over the place with another 13 hatching on Sunday to one hen but she wasn’t big enough to cover them all and 5 succumbed to the weather on Monday, that makes 21 in total and 1 Guinea Fowl with another 4 due anytime so lots of cheeping going on. Onions at a standstill at the moment we need some heat although the ones in the Polytunnel are doing fine. I’d like to be writing about how many fish we are catching, maybe tomorrow. Thursday 30th Not so many chicks this morning someone’s dog had killed the mother last night and only one chick survived so down to 12 now. You would think they would have the decency to own up. Anyway lots of fish in the Slap this morning and I was sure we’d get one of them but not a touch, luckily Richard pulled one from the Glide and lost another on a Condom of all things! It was a lovely fish about 12lbs and covered in lice. There were fish showing in the Slap all day new and old which became a bit of a magnet to the rods and it was thrashed with every fly in the box but still not a touch, it’s to warm up tomorrow so we’ll see if that helps. Friday 31st A lovely sunny day and the river looks perfect, loads of fish in the Slap, we can’t fail, had a pull on the 4th cast and that was it for the day! Not another touch. 1’5” and 54 degs we tried everything but they just wouldn’t look. Well it official the coldest spring for 50 years and boy do I know it, when you’re outside for months in that weather you know it’s cold. A round robin text to a lot of other Ghillies comes back with the same reply, thank god that’s over, fed up with it, on summer lets now thankfully, they were the replies but most of them included some more choice language, sort of thing I would never say ! Anyway I’m glad it’s the last day of spring fishing as May has fallen flat on its face, not the worst May but close. 102 for the spring with one day to go and I can’t see us breaking any records tomorrow, but you never know.
Saturday 1st June. Well I unfortunately I was right not a touch or a boil or rise all day, enough fish there to keep you interested until you realise that they are not going to pull anything. The only excitement of the day was finding a day old duckling on its back in a pothole as I was driving in this morning; no sign of Mum so into my pocket as it was half dead with the cold then into the footwell of the car with the heater on and in 10 mins it came round. So now I feel responsible for it and its now residing at Nesby Place on a heat mat, the sensible thing to have done was chap it on the head but there are so few Ducks this year let’s give it a chance. Last Saturdays excitement was a bathing beauty having a swim in front of the Slap and the water was 49 degs, she certainly made the fishermen sit up for a look, and I’ve no idea who she was. On to summer lets now thankfully as I’m getting cabin fever sitting in that Cauldstream all day everyday catching nothing, it’ll be nice to have a look at the bottom of the beat even if I am strimming.
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