Week beginning 2 November 2015
Monday 2nd November. A very foggy start to the week and a strong team on this week who are all Lees regulars. 1’6” and 46 degs. We got everyone sorted out on tackle and did the draw and set off, it took a while but Neil Andrews got into an old’ish hen in the Back of the wall, Francis Sidoli had a 6lb old hen from the Ledges and Nigel had a 9lber from the Glide all were returned. The fog lifted before lunchtime and it turned into a cracking day almost better than any day we had this summer, this of course did nothing to help the fishing but it didn’t stop Francis getting a 20lb cock from Learmouth stream which was also returned, Neil also joined in the action getting one from the Iron Gate, so 5 for the day which in present conditions is as good as it gets. Now then some on the river are wanting a big flood, for us that would be madness as almost all that are left will be west of Peebles in a shake of a puppy dogs tail, so let’s just keep it about this height, a wee 6” rise will do just fine and no wind of course. Fresh fish? Never saw one. Catches last month were low as you’d expect with the conditions, Temple 2, Slap 2, Cauld 19, Learmouth 16, Back of the Wall 18, Glide 4, Cornhill Bend 11, Duddo 8, Bags 2 and the Annay 1. It’ll be better this month I hope.
Tuesday 3rd November. Another very foggy day at Coldstream but you only had to go 4 miles upstream and it was blue skies. 1’3” and 48 degs and very clean, although the water is very clean the bottom is so black that when wading you can’t see where you are going or any contours on the river bed. We had another 5 today so we’re rather pleased with that and in included a fresh 11lb cock fish for Neil Andrews from The Duddo stream. Downstream at Tillmouth I see that they had 9 today one at 24lbs, I don’t know if any were fresh but it nice to see some fish below us, Junction were top dogs but those fish are past us so irrelevant to us. The catches are nothing like they should be at the moment but I’ll settle for 5 a day, every day! So tomorrow, are we going to see some of the big autumn cocks that Tweed is famous for? I’ll let you know.
Wednesday 4th November. The grey damp weather was with us all day and the sun never stood a chance but this wasn’t going to deter Nigel Woodruff who pulled two monsters out of the back of the wall @2lb and 1 1/2lb both clean fish, being disappointed with the size he persevered and landed a 10lb liced cock just before lunch, now then thats the second liced fish this week the run must finally be starting. Neil Andrews had a fresh cock from the Cauld but again the size was nothing to be impressed with @3lbs. This afternoon James Evans had a couple of good pulls in the Cauld and Nigel landed a 5lber in the Glide that was the action for this afternoon. Looking at the forecast it seems that’s the end of the Indian summer we have had which jogs a trouting memory. I was fishing the cauld on a really dark night and could hear the trout slurping down the flies but couldn’t see what they were, after a while a bit of a moon came up and I could see lots of Bees coming down and the trout taking them, not to miss out I hooked up one of the Bees on my Tups indispensable flicked it out and landed my best trout of the summer weighing just under 3lbs now the amazing thing is when I got it home and gutted it there was a pound of honey in it! Well it’s a good story if you expand it. 1’2” and 49 degs still on intermediate lines or floaters with inter sink tips. The Red Frances seems to be the fly of the moment (because everyone has it on ) that and a monkey. There is a fair bit of rain through to the weekend and a bit of a blow coming so single hooks might be required to help with all the leaves that will no doubt fill the river.
Thursday 5th November. It might be firework night but it didn’t go with a bang on the Lees as we only managed 1 fish today which came from Learmouth stream caught by Lees stalwart Francis Sidoli it was only 4lbs and coloured but a fish is a fish as they say. John Coughlan (unluckiest fisher in the world) continued to live up to his name and fell in at Cornhill bend he also blanked for the day making it a double whammy. I have to say that fish were a bit scarce today, it might have been the 4” lift in the river that moved them or maybe they just had their heads down, either way you had to be pretty sharp eyed to spot one. Francis thrashed away until dark managing to lose one in the Glide by which time it was so dark you couldn’t even see with a torch. The kingfishers are still zipping up and down the pools and I saw a Magpie over the Cornhill hut which is the first time I’ve ever seen one here so it’ll have to be dealt with. There’s been some heavy rain over the catchment thankfully not for long but it’s bound to put something in the river. Highlight of the day was having some of Sally’s prize winning gingerbread at lunchtime.
Friday 6th November. Well what do I write tonight? We did have a fish caught by John Coughlan in Learmouth a 16lber which hadn’t seen any tide lice since Easter but a fish just the same, making John the luckiest fisherman on the Lees which is unusual for him and he didn’t fall in today so double luck. 1’4” and 48 degs bottom still filthy, water clean. Junction hut was broken into last night and 4 rods nicked so if anyone offers you a Hardy swift or a Hardy zenith with the words “Brummie” etched on them report them so they can be publicly flogged in Kelso square. The fishing was slow to say the least, even Francis failed and that takes some doing. Kelsae the dug who has been very ill this week is on the mend and the hens are still laying albeit not at full production. The forecast for the weekend is looking grim and I doubt if there’ll be any fishing done on Monday if it’s correct, sorry to be the bearer of bad news for the rods coming next week but it had to flood sometime. I also heard a report of a good number of Seatrout kelts below Kelso so if a flood is on it’s way we’ll be seeing a lot more of them at least it’ll be something to tug the line.
Saturday 7th November. It was wet very wet first thing which didn’t make the day any better nor did failing to catch anything. 1’6” 48 degs and a bit darker, odd bits of weed and leaves coming down. The top gauges are all rising and there’s more rain on the way tomorrow so Monday is looking like a write off, I might be wrong but “Ah hae me doots”. We saw fewer fish today but with an unsettled river thats no surprise, the catches are well down as well but with the unsettled water and a lot of rods heading home early thats what happens. It’s been a long week nothing to do with the company just the lack of fish, silver fish that is and now we are going to have a lot of water to try and find these fish in. It’ll make a change being in a boat all day and throwing a wet 2-4 line across the river, in the Cauld this afternoon 1’9” and it made a pleasant change not fighting the backwaters all the time just normal rowing. Anyway it’ll soon be Monday and there’ll be a new team on saying we’re going to get them they mustn’t of been trying hard enough last week. You never know there might be a run of big late fish or even some early springers! Photo this week is the cauld with water in it and a dark sky.
©M Campbell 2015
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