Week beginning 27 October 2014
Monday 27th October Salmon are just like buses! They have to be, we have caught 3 Salmon in the Glide in the last 2 months and today we get 4, now just why are they there today or more importantly why werent they there all back end? 110 52 degs and clean this morning, its rising above us but well get the morning out of it before it reaches us, now at this temp height in the spring it would be a full floater or maybe a 50 sink tip and a #8 or #6 dressed treble but it doesnt work that way in the autumn. I didnt even bother with the skimmer, mind you I was in Learmouth this morning and that needs a wet 2 type. We fished it down and apart from a pull on the third cast when wading we never had a touch, there were a fair amount of fish showing but they were all black/brown, even Bob on the other side didnt bother to fish and thats saying something (hes not called Flipper for nothing). The south/south west wind is still with us and my wee hands are getting hardened off now after an easy September, total for the day was 9 which makes us top beat again, 4 of the fish were fresh/clean. The rise reached us at lunchtime and theres heavy rain forecast so it looks like we might fish a bit tomorrow but after that its not looking good.
Tuesday 28th October. 29 and 54 degs. A dry start for the first half hour then the rain came and boy did it rain, A fish was caught in the first 10 mins in the Cauld close to the bank an old 10lb cock which was returned, it was about the only place to get one in the thin water where the fish at least had a chance to see the fly, the Temple was a complete waste of time but the rods struggled on until 11.30 when I pulled the stumps, enough is enough when its like that with mucky brown rising water. One rod was keen to fish this afternoon but after a consultation with the Ghillies he changed his mind. I also found out today that my jackets right arm is no longer waterproof, its not fire proof either but thats another story from last year! Tweed was 50 and rising at 3.00pm so theres no chance of fishing tomorrow, well therell be no boats going anywhere and if people want to fill in time casting off the bank theyll be lonely. The weather man got it spot on today as by 4.30 I could see a band of blue skies coming down from the north and now at 8.00pm theres going to be a frost. In a normal year this flood would be the one that takes the fish away from us and upstream, but its been so mild that the fish might not think its time to go yet as a drop in temps is one of the triggers that gets them on to the spawning beds along with shorter daylight hours. Im already thinking about next spring rather than the end of this season which cant come quick enough, it one to remember but not fondly.
Wednesday 29th October 56 this morning and brown as milky coffee, no fishing today, the decision was made for us, no need for any chance off the bank? Or what about a really big fly? Or will it be better by lunchtime? Anyway it was a nice day and gave us time to do other things, Stewart needed haircut, I got some rat poison and grain for the hens, Paul was sorting out the chainsaws and Bruce was doing something. The river was dropping away all day and will be fishable tomorrow as long as theres no more rain, it will not be great conditions and will still have some colour but there we go. I see on the websites there were 3 fish caught about 1000 miles upstream, so well done them.
Thursday 30th October 30 on the gauge and very beery this morning but a nice mild even warm day for the time of year, we thrashed away all morning and got an old hen about 12lbs just before lunch from the Temple, things were a bit better in the afternoon as we picked up another 2 fish one of them caught by Michael George whod just turned up at lunchtime. There were a few fish moving in the Temple this morning, just a few mind, and I only saw one in the Cauld all day. Itll be better tomorrow as long as it gets down to about 26 and clears some more, its been a long week so far scratching about looking for the odd fish apart from Monday.
Friday 31st October 27 and 50 degs much cleaner though and boy is it warm! Mark Beatty was on the bottom half of the Temple with me and was into a fish on his second cast a fresh 5 lber he also had another two before 11.30am but that was the only pulls between 5 rods. This afternoon we fared the same with Mark getting another two from the Cauld one wading this time, this obviously spurred Richard Moffat into action as he had a nice 13lb hen from the Temple which he returned. I was crche manager this afternoon looking after Rosie and Frankie and giving a few casting lessons as they are only 10 and 8 years old, I also gave Tim a lift down to the Glide but the instructions to find his way back must have been a bit vague (not mine by the way) as he ended up in Coldstream in the dark. Were all hoping the river keeps dropping as any rise will screw it up for tomorrow, another highlight of the day was a big rat hut at the Duddo where Kelsae and Lucy dug up a nest of grown rats and killed the lot, not great gundog training but great fun unless youre a rat! So 6 for the day bringing Octobers total to 149 with 106 returned which is a good score all things considered. The season running total to end of October is 284 this time last year we were on 550.
Saturday 1st November A much better day for a number of reasons on the Lees today sadly not for the number of fish caught. Richard Moffat was on the Cauld this morning and I had high hopes, we were soon in to a fish, a tide licer at that but thats the end of the good news as it was only 2lbs, we did see the odd fish splashing in the tail but we never had another touch, Bruce and Tim fishing the Temple had a couple of pulls and Mark failed in Learmouth so a total of one for the morning and thats the way the score stayed for the day. In the afternoon Andrew and his guest took off the gloves and put on a Sunray shadow which resulted in a big bow wave in the Temple and the loss of a big fish in the Slap. I took Richard down the back of the wall and the Glide in the afternoon but we never saw a fish, the only things we saw were 5 Cormorants (Grrrrr!) and an Otter. Richard I know you read this so if you can give me a ring, you left your fly box on the bonnet of my jeep tonight, how it made it from the glide to the hut then down to my house is a miracle! Mind you it shows the standard of my driving slow and careful! 25 and 50 degs clean, 20 landed for the week, 9 on Monday though which puts the rest of the week in perspective, 12 returned, best fish 21lbs. Lucy and Kelsae continued their killing ways digging up another rats nest at the Iron gate and killing the lot although Kelsae got nipped this time. At least we know its not going to be a blank November now that we have one in the bag.
Photos this week are Rat hunt, a wet cast on the Temple, Richard covering the Iron gate point.
M Campbell 2014
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