Week beginning 27 September 2021
Monday 27th September. Michael Black here for the day with pals, there is normally something wrong with the river when Michael comes and today it was heavy rain, the rain didn’t bother Crumble though his “lurcher” who was very pleased to see Jock the ginger dug. Minus something and 58 degrees this morning, water is clean but the river bed is very dirty. Michael was up top this morning and had a fish out of the Slap in no time at all, it was an 8lb coloured hen which took a micro tube on a floating line and a wee inter tip. Ben jack had a pull in the Bags which made up this mornings action. This afternoon the rain had eased apart from the odd very heavy shower and Ben was on the Iron Gate where he landed a 9lb old hen on a sunray, he also had a hold of a fish in the Cornhill bend on a wee skimmer. The Ettrick was up 3 foot this morning and the was 2 foot 6 inch at Peebles this afternoon, not much in Teviot or Leader but tomorrow I think it will be unfishable due to weed and other debris coming down. We really needed the water but now we find out if there is anything to come, the old fish from downstream will move but is there anything off Berwick pier, I doubt it but we’ll find out this week.
Tuesday 28th September. Well! Water and lots of it compared to the last few months, 2’0” on the Lees gauge which isn’t a flood any other time really just a rise but at the moment it’s like a tsunami. The water was very murky and carrying a fair bit of weed this morning. Mark H Allan here along with Angie and Rob Webb, I took Angie up the Temple this morning which is the first time I’ve been up there for months, we didn’t hook anything other than weed and only saw 8 or 9 fish, down in the cauld Paul and Rob didn’t see a thing. This afternoon more fish were on the move, a good few more, some of them running the cauld rather than going through the slap but they were not interested in looking at the flies we had to offer. The gauge had dropped back to 1’7” by 4.00pm and heavy rain was back on, I kind of don’t want any more rain or water which is being very selfish as the fish really need it. All the fish we saw were coloured and not hanging about. Tonight the top of the Teviot is up 2 feet which will put a wee bit of colour in tomorrow no doubt. 10 fish reported with Ladykirk getting 4 of them.
Wednesday 29th September. There is a saying right place right time and this morning Gavin Fleming was in that place at the right time. Gavin who was here for the day with pal Neil Thomson was down in Learmouth stream with Paul and landed 4 fish, lost 2 and had at least another 9 pulls, all 4 landed were 11lb-12lb, they all took a eternal optimist tube on a fast sink tip. The rest of us on the beat couldn’t even manage a pull this morning. I was in the cauld with Neil and we fished it up and down with several different flies for nothing, we eventually rose 2 fish on a sunray but neither took a hold. This afternoon things were no better, Neil had a brief hold of something in the tail of the glide which took on the dangle, a shake of the head and it was off, the only other action was Rob Webb losing a fish in the cauld. There were very few showing today but looking at the websites tonight there must still be plenty fish below us as Tillmouth and ladykirk had double figure catches. 1’5” this morning and very beery with a water temp of 50f. The cheery weathergirl is now telling us to batten down the hatches as gales and heavy rain are on the forecast for the next few days and over the weekend, I hope she’s wrong.
Thursday 30th September. That’s more like it 11 landed and a few other pulls and tugs. Mark Newstead was the top rod getting 6 of them, 4 from the cauld and one from the slap this morning, adding one to the bag from learmouth this afternoon. All the fish were older river fish but very welcome all the same. Jonathon Meyer had one on the sunray from the cauld this afternoon and lost one in the lower cauld on a #10 double Gledswood. 1’2” and 50 degrees and still a bit on the beery side. Looking at the websites it was easy to see where yesterdays running fish ended, but again there were plenty caught below us to give us hope for the rest of the week and next. Top gauges rising again this afternoon so it’ll be very beery tomorrow again. Ian Cadzow and Dendy are fishing on so scores might increase.
Friday 1st October. Autumn is here with a rising river in places and falling in others, up a foot on yesterday and coloured, 2’2” and 50 degrees. Dendy was in the cauld completely unfazed by the colour or the gale that was trying to blow, Ion the other hand was fazed by the wind, height and colour as It’s been months since I’ve had to row in a big wind and water, Anchor out and we chatted away for a couple of hours then a very keen fish with nothing else to do it seems grabbed his fly, I don’t know who was more surprised me the fish or Dendy we soon had it in as it was 4lb soaking wet but a fish is a fish. Mark had a 4lb seatrout from the glide and that was all the action. Very few fish on the websites tonight partly due to colour and fishing effort I’d think. So what for tomorrow? More wind and very heavy rain by evening. The family of cygnets have been busy with their flying lessons and 3 of them are doing well but one seems a bit shy, maybe afraid of heights.
Saturday 2nd October. 1’11” and 48 degrees and still very beery, Dendy bucked the trend though getting 2 and losing another from the glide, Ian had a wee seatrout from the back of the wall and that was all the action this morning. It maybe cleared a wee bit this afternoon as the fish seemed to come on a bit as Jonathon Meyer had a 8lber and another couple of pulls from the lower cauld and Mark had 2 from Learmouth and lost another, Dendy keen to lead the pack had 1 from the Otter stones and lost another 2, so quiet a good day despite the bloody wind. The Ettrick and Teviot are rising again and more rain is forecast so Monday might not be so good, but hopefully it’ll bring more fish up to us.
As ever see all the action on tweedbeats instagram
©M Campbell 2021.
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