Week beginning 28 September 2015
Monday 28th September. This is going to be a long week, not because of the company but the weather, with not a drop of rain forecast and the super dooper huge red moon giving us the biggest tides this side of the Battle of Hastings which have failed to push any fish up the river further than Berwick bridge it’s going to be a long week. That said we did have some action today with the young Sidoli’s showing dad (Francis) how to do it. There was 1 from the Cauld, 1 from Back of the Wall and 2 from Duddo (Neil Andrews). David Flux (who could shoot a midge at 75 Yards) had the back of the wall fish along with a couple of bow waves at the Sunray in the very tail of the Glide. Neil Andrews lost one on a Skimmer in Duddo this afternoon so there is just enough action to keep it interesting. With all the reports of pools stuffed full of fish below Coldstream the catches certainly do not reflect that and I’m sure the lads down there will be trying. The Canada geese arrived back on the Cauld mid morning and it’s quite a sight as they all jostle for space and there are more than enough Swans to make the queen turn green with envy which adds to the weed problem. On the bright side it’s not blowing a gale and my pumpkin is growing by the day. 35 fish reported off both sites, 8” and 50 degs at the Lees this morning.
Tuesday 29th September. Another belter of a day with not a puff of wind the thermometer pushing 19 degs in the shade along with wall to wall sunshine, of course all this does nothing for the fishing. David Flux had been down the Duddo early doors but failed to get a pull, I came across him about 12.00 noon after he’d returned from a leisurely breakfast giving Duddo another run through this time with a rather large Red Frances, I swapped that for a rather large sunray 7” tied on braid and 4-5 casts later a fish was on, it was only 4lb soaking wet but a fish just the same, a few casts later and another pull, that was the action for the day which is no surprise really. 3 of the team are giving it a go until dark so the score might increase. The forecast for the next two days is for the same so I’m not expecting too much to happen. The far side of the Cauld will be starting to dry by tomorrow it’s a long time since that happened and I hope it’s a long time before I see it again. 7” and 49 degs.
Wednesday 30th September. That’s September out of the way which is my favourite month normally but not this year. Today was another heatwave with blue skies and no water, I was with David Flux this morning on the Slap and Temple, we tried a few things in the Cauld and failed then pulled a big sunray over the Slap and the fish didn’t like it one little bit, every time the fly came towards them they backed off and one ran back into the cauld at a rate of knots. The team elected not to fish this afternoon wisely I think. I went back along at 7.30pm just in time to land a 10lb old hen from the Slap for David on a wee cone head silver stoat sort of thing, Francis arrived back from Cornhill bend with tales of an epic struggle with a 6lb old grilse, so that saved the blank. An unusual trend at the moment a lot of beats are reporting catching grayling it maybe because we’re using wee flies at this time of year when it would normally be tubes in big water.6” and 50 degs and another scorcher for tomorrow.
Thursday 1st October. That’s September out of the way and 61 for the month given the conditions is ok I suppose. Temple 3, Slap 3, Cauld 10, Learmouth 8, B.O.W 12, Glide 6, C.H.B 10, Duddo 10 and 1 from the Bags. Today was the same as yesterday with hot sun and blue skies, David Flux scared a few in the very tail of the Glide, just the line going over them was enough to spook them. Neil Andrews lost one in Cornhill Bend on one of those very long sunrays, that was all the action today, the rods elected not to fish this afternoon and are going back out this evening once the sun is off the water which is the sensible thing to do. The weather girl is now talking about some rain next week but I kind of think it’s going to push off into the north sea before it gets this far north, I hope I’m wrong.
Friday 2nd October. I could just write the same as yesterday but that would be boring but it was. The lads spread out round the beat with as much enthusiasm as they could muster but it’s noticeably wearing thin. I gave Neil the £1 tour round the Cauldstream then he gave the Slap a few casts followed by standing on the Cauld dangling a large sunray down the stream and finally a few casts at the ledges before having another few at the Slap by then Neil was wishing it was lunchtime. I took a wander down to the stream between the cauld and Learmouth but it’s only up to my ankles so I gave up on that and got the tractor out and cut some grass followed by filling a few potholes then it was lunchtime. The lads took themselves off to the golf course apart from Francis who refuses to be beaten 100% effort from that man. It’s about 5” on the gauge and 48 degs this morning with wall to wall blue skies. Well it’s Saturday tomorrow and it will be like the film Groundhog Day, weatherman/girl is still saying rain for us next Tuesday, so hopefully! Kelso races on Sunday so if I’m not there on Monday I’ve won millions and you’ll never see me again or I’ve drank too much and have the hangover from hell.
Saturday 3rd October. A cloudy start and colder new rod Pete Lonsdale took over from David Flux and showed the rest of the team how to do it getting 5 from Learmouth stream and as many pulls, only one fresh though, he had all the action on a 1’ Red Frances tube with a sink tip line. Rodger Skan opened his scoring this morning with a 9lb hen from the Cauld. We had a few splashes at the skimmer in Cornhill bend and Duddo and there’s an old fish in the tail of the Glide that follows the fly across the stream first time you fish it but never really makes an effort to take it. It is about 5” on the gauge and 50 degs this morning, the sun burnt off the cloud around 2.00pm and it was back to flat calm and sunny, some of the fish that are in the pools are now beyond coloured and are a shiny black. Unfortunately every time I look at a forecast they are now playing the “big” rain down, it started off as a deluge next week now it seems it will be odd showers. The fish will have to come sometime they’ve no choice but I still don’t see/hear the numbers that should be there, only a flood will sort things out one way or another. Latest news- another two from Duddo and one from the Back of the wall so 11 for the day, that’s a bloody good day in these conditions.
©M Campbell 2015
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