Week beginning 28 September 2020
Monday 28th September. 10” and 46 degrees clean water. Team Flux, Sidoli, Evans, Andrews and Woodruff here for the week. Draw done, everyone off to their respective pools and game on. David Flux the first to score with a 4lb grilse from the Middle stream he followed this up later with a 23lber from the same place, the fish were both coloured, Francis had a bonnie Grayling from the Iron Gate which gave him a spirited fight but was a bit outgunned on a 15’0” rod, he made up for it getting a 5lber from the Glide. David was in action again this afternoon getting a 16lb old cock in the Cauldstream which was not happy about being on the end of a line. We had 5 for the morning but I can’t remember where the 5th one came from. Fishing on a bit later Team Sidoli had another 4, 3 from Learmouth and 1 from the Iron Gate. The beat was quieter today than Saturday and it looks like a lot of fish have left us and moved on up looking at the scores, I hear Tillmouth had double figures this morning with 3 being fresh but had a quiet afternoon as they finished on 12, still a respectable score for a day. The Dub had 15 and Rutherford leading the pack with 16. Again we are still on floaters with sinktips and wee wee tubes.
Tuesday 29th September. A lovely sunny calm morning, 10” and 46 degrees with squeaky clean water. Nigel woodruff had 2 from the Slap this morning and David Flux had a 10lb old cock from the Duddo, that was all the action this morning, this afternoon Chris Sidoli lost a fish in the Cauld and James Evans caught 2 very important fish in the Duddo. Looking at the websites it’s plain to see where the fish have moved to, Birgham Dub and Rutherford doing well. Tam at South Wark wiped our eye again getting 4 out of a flat calm Temple this afternoon so well done him. Don’t know what was going on today but half the borders decided to walk round the Lees today, everywhere you looked there was people walking. Rain forecast all day tomorrow heavier at Hawick and Peebles so that could be a game changer, also heavy rain forecast for Saturday. Maybe better the devil you know.
Wednesday 30th September. Well that’s kicked the arse out of September, 145 fish for the month of which 8 were fresh, the last fresh one was on the 12th, just like the old days apart from the colour of the fish. David Flux will be the talk of the Tweed tonight and buying the fizz as he had a red letter afternoon landing 8 and a couple others on and off, 1 from the Slap and 7 out of the Temple, all on a floater with an 8’0” sinktip and a wee, a very wee Black Frances conehead (see instagram for photo). He was tweaking it across the pool but all the fish took on the lift as he was setting up the start of the recast. The fish ranged from 4lb to 14lbs and all were coloured to a varying degree, all hens bar the 4lber which was a black old lad. For two days we’ve watched tam at South Wark getting them but today was our turn, there was a south east wind putting a bit of a wave/ripple on which no doubt helped. Dom Sidoli had a fish out of the Lower Duddo and Nigel Woodruff had two from the Slap this morning and two good pulls in Learmouth this afternoon. Looks like the top of the Ettrick is up a foot which will give a few inch down here, will be interesting to see how fish react.
Thursday 1st October. This month used to be the absolute peak of the salmon fishing season, not anymore but hopefully still enough around for some good sport. Today we landed 9 and lost a couple, none fresh but some good condition fish in amongst them. David Flux had a couple from Learmouth, one right down at the bottom in the slow water and another right up in the thin fast water, he also lost another big fish that led him a merry dance before throwing the hook. Francis was in action early getting a 12lb old cock from the Duddo and another from the Glide I think, he also lost a good sized fish in Duddo. Neil Andrews joining us for the next three days got 1 from the Temple and 1 from the Slap This afternoon Francis had a brace of 4lbers, 1 from the Temple and 1 wading the Lower Cauld, thats 8 but I can’t remember where the other one came from. I heard reports of a couple of fresh fish down at Ladykirk one a 20lb liced cock!! The river rose slowly from lunchtime onwards and by 5.00pm it was 1’2” up from 9” at 9.00am, this will run through us overnight and hopefully will shuffle the pack and move some fish up especially 20lb fresh cocks. We were still on floaters with sinktips and wee flies, the Red or Black Frances doing its work, Francis also had one on a Monkey/Sunray cross sort of thing.
Friday 2nd October. 1’4” and 46 degrees but still nice and clean. Bright sun and flat calm just the sort of weather I like but not much good for fishing. Neil Andrews lost a fish in the Temple this morning but managed to hang onto a 14lber in the Cauld shortly after, it took a Red Frances fished on a 10’0” sinktip polyleader on the end of a full floater. Nigel had a 10lber from the Back of the wall which he said was cleanish. There was another this morning but I can’t remember where from, its in the book though. Nigel nipped into the Cauld for an hour after lunch and got 3, all coloured but still 3 fish. David Flux getting off to a slow start got one in Learmouth this afternoon, he swapped with Nigel in the Cauld and despite fish jumping over the line couldn’t get a pull, Nigel went down to Learmouth and lost 3 on the trot. Francis playing catch up down the beat got 2 from the Glide and 3 from the Iron Gate. Black or red Frances flies are in vogue this week, it’s the old story once on rod has success everyone soon follows then its the only fly being used so it catches all the fish. Look out Fin and Game and Borders Gunroom, I hope you have plenty in stock. Weather forecast grim for tomorrow and SEPA has issued a flood alert.See instagram for latest clips some in slow mo which are fun.
Saturday 3rd October. What a difference in two days, yesterday sunny warm and today wetter than an Otters pocket, it pissed it down all day. 1’0” on the gauge and 50 degrees. Neil Andrews had even more to smile about this morning getting one from the Iron Gate and another from the Glide which gave him a really good fight (seeTweedbeats on instagram for clip in slow mo), it was a cock around 14lb and not very happy it had been hooked. Francis on the early shift had one from Cornhill bend and another from Duddo. Nigel had two from the Cauld before lunch, Neil had a 7lber from the Slap which gave him bragging rights over lunch and this afternoon David Flux completed the bag with one from the Glide. 61 for the week and 60 returned, sadly one didn’t make it as bled out, it happens now and again. This rain is really going to be a game changer as it will bring a big water, hopefully the fish don’t all bugger off upstream as there still a lot of keen anglers waiting for their turn.
As ever see tweedbeats on instagram for latest photos and clips.
Sunday 4th October. Sunny but 9’0” on the gauge, no fishing tomorrow and fairly marginal on Tuesday I’d think.
©M Campbell 2020
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