Week beginning 29 June 2020
Monday 29th June. Well we’re back, unfurloughed and ready to go except the river is in flood and brown its also raining and blowing a fair old gale of wind. Team Harper here for three days, sadly not the full team as due to a tragic accident Graeme Whitty is no longer with us, he will be a big miss on the Lees and on the other beats he fished. I know I will miss him, he was a real gentleman.
3’0” on the gauge and 56 degrees, I popped along at 8.00pm for a look and its a bit cleaner, there were a few trout rising but the wind made getting the fly to them impossible, it will be good seatrout water tomorrow but with no boats available it’ll be chucking a toby off the bank as it’ll still be too big for a lot of the wading water. June has been a record month for us at the Lees even though there were only two rods fishing and the river was at summer level all month, its all looking good for summer fishing going forward into the future. There is a lot of strimming to be done; hogweed is poking it head up through the undergrowth so will need cut and sprayed, the boats are cleaned out and put back onto the river ready for the day when we can use them again. My garden is looking braw and I’ve had a few boilings of first early spuds and Nantes carrots. I’ve not replaced my hens after the fox attack and the fox is still alive despite several daybreak and late evening sit outs.
Sally is much better but still not 100% after her meeting with Covid-19, so take it seriously when you’re here as I will be.
Tuesday 30th June. 2’7” and still very beery, this did not help the fishing and it wasn’t until 9.00pm that a fish was caught in the Cauldstream and an old one at that. There were some good trout rising this morning and I got a very fat one off the Slap croy with my first cast and another wading the Lower Cauld whilst fishing for salmon, I went out tonight but there were very few moving and a cold wind so home for a dram.
Wednesday 1st July. 2’7” and 56 degrees still very beery. Terry had a 14lber from the Slap on his 3rd cast, Dave had a 4lb Seatrout from the Lower Cauld and Paul managed to land a couple of Salmon up in the Ledges, there were plenty fish showing but that beery water is getting the blame for us not catching more. 58 Salmon for June is great and all on the fly at that. Tomorrow could be the day is it clears a bit more as Friday is very windy with heavy rain which will possibly wipe out Saturday. On the wildlife front the light tan coloured otter that Jock the ginger dug was trying to play with the other day was walking about outside the hut this afternoon, it’s not the least bit bothered that people are going about.
Thursday 2nd June. 1’7” 56 degrees and a ginger tinge. I thought we’d bag up today but it was a bit of a struggle. Mike Gregory lost one in the Slap first thing which adds to the total of fish lost here in the last 4 weeks which must be over 20 now. It almost seemed that the fish that were showing yesterday were all gone away upstream. Learmouth had a licer from the stream this morning but made good getting another 5 this afternoon, back on our side Andrew had a liced 10lber from the Annay which gets him hundreds of Brownie points and Graham Leckie had a 3lb seatrout from the Duddo. Mike got a nice 13lber from Learmouth stream after lunch and Graham had a follow at the sunray in the Slap. I’ve not heard any other reports of fish since. I spent the day strimming and am bloody knackered, it should have been started in May, so by now it’s up round my lugs and very thick taking and age to knock it down. I was going out for a cast tonight but can’t be arsed as fell asleep on the settee, maybe tomorrow as there are some big trout rising. Tweedhill down the bottom had 13 today so it looks like our stocks could soon be replenished.
Friday 3rd June. 1'6" and 57 degrees, light rian falling this morning which lasted all day along with a south west wind which was a bit too strong at times which Andrew found out to his cost when a cast went off course and he ended up with a #6 treble in his neck. Richard Summers was here for the day and started of with a 7lb very old cock fish from the Slap, he followed this with a belter of a seatrout ay 13lbs from the Lower cauld then a 11lb licer from Learmouth stream and fisnished off his day with a 10lb fresh fish from the Duddo stream. Scott Connely blanked this morning despite seeing a few fish, lost a decent sized one in Duddo, had two pulls on a sunray in the slap then snapped his rod wading the Lower cauld, as I left for home he was off down the beat with his spare rod to try and save the blank. West Learmouth rods were amongst them today getting 14, a mix of old and new fish, 4 on the fly and 10 on the Upstream Condom. I had some action to the skimmer but failed to hook up, great fun to see that big white open moth trying to swallow the skimmer. This evening all the top gauges are rising so tomorrow could be a non starter.
Saturday 4th June. A rather damp day with light rain all day, Colin Simpson and Mike Sheilds here for the day. 2'42 and 56 degrees with a very dark beery colour than got worse as the day went on. Mike was the lucky rod getting a fresh 7lber from the back of the wall on a #6 double, that was the only fish of the day. The catches across the websites were low as was to be expected with the unsettled water and colour. 13 fish for the week with many other pulls and a few on and off. I had some action to the sunray and on Friday I gave the skimmer its first swim of the season and had two at it in the lower cauld, one which took the fly down but didn't set the hook, great fun just the same. There were plenty fish showing throughout the week, we just need the weather to settle down. Sunday 5th June. Blowing a bloody gale, garden smashed to bits, river brown with waves coming down the Temple.
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