Week beginning 2 November 2020
Monday 2nd November. A better day but the river was running at 8’0” or thereabouts as the gauge only goes up to 6’0” 46 degrees and milky coffee coloured. No fishing so we got the boats checked and took the Annay boat off for the season. Popped up to Kelso to get a few things as you do when you get the chance, new bank card, contact lenses, printer paper and a new fly line as I’ll be rebuilding my kit bit by bit. As ever you meet other ghillies doing the same thing and of course the talk was all about Covid and the lockdown, many saying that they won’t have any rods from now on, some beats closing for the rest of the season, the rods from England that are here before Thursday can fish, after that I assume they can’t/shouldn’t come. Some heavy showers today but after that it’s to settle down until the weekend but it’ll be Thursday before its worth giving it a proper go down here, Wednesday marginal.
Tuesday 3rd November. A mostly sunny day with the Lees gauge reading 4’2” and still very coloured. It was back to Kelso to get some hollow braid as I found out that’s another thing that got nicked in the break in, it used to hang on a coat hook above my seat and was used for making braided loops to fit onto folks lines, I was wanting to fit a loop onto a new line today and it wasn’t there. The only fish on the river today was a seatrout up at Dawyck which is so far upstream it’s almost a suburb of Glasgow; still they caught the biggest fish on the river today and the most. Two rods arriving tomorrow before the lockdown kicks in but thats the only two out of the team that are going to make it, makes things easier at these heights.
Wednesday 4th November. A lovely sunny day and no wind which made it the perfect day except the river was sitting at 3’3” on the Lees gauge which is a bit on the big side for us these days. Team Morgan arrived which consists of Steve and Phil who along with dad Barry (sadly no longer with us) have fished the Lees for many years. Stuart Andrew hasn’t made it due to Covid regulations, something to do with his accommodation and a bloody long way to travel. The lads decided not to fish today which was the right decision really and keep their powder dry for tomorrow. I heard Boleside is packing up for the season and Junction have pulled stumps as well, I presume it’s the rods coming from Englandshire and travel regs that have stopped them. I didn’t see any fish today but then again I wasn’t really looking for them. It’ll be better tomorrow.
Thursday 5th November. Nice day with a bit of sun, Lees gauge reading 2’10” and 44 degrees running clean now. The Morgan lads fished through the Temple both morning and afternoon but nothing to be had. Tam on the other side at South Wark(fishing for himself) between the Lees boats got an 18lber, so well done him, then I thought hang on a minute England is in lockdown what are they doing fishing? When lockdown was on in May England got to fish but Scottish side couldn’t, not good enough I thought, I’d have loved to have been fishing in May for some of those lovely fresh fat springers that were jumping about all over the place instead of today’s black/brown gravid fish and seatrout kelts. Well apparently fishing is allowed this time in England during lockdown, you can’t play golf or tennis but you can fish. It’s the travelling bit that gets me, rods travelling miles out of a lockdown area which would equal tier 4 here to come and fish in a tier 2 area which is what we are, thats not right. It was the same in May when English side opened up 3 weeks before Scottish side; there were rods from all over the country fishing other side, sleeping in cars and skulking around the border with not a care (unless they got reported). Right rant over for now. There were some fish showing and one or two were good solid head and tail rises, a lot were splashy/skitterish things of varying shades of black/brown plus a few seatrout kelts that come out of the water like missiles and shake vertically. It dropped one inch all day which is slow but the forecast is dry so hopefully as it drops we might find something worth catching. Paul saw the Mink again at the same place so I must get a trap up there, the Cormorants and Goosanders are keeping their selves scarce at the moment due to all the high water but I have no doubt they’ll show up soon enough.
Friday 6th November. A very foggy start and a touch of frost on the car windscreen. 2’7” and 44 degrees plus squeaky clean. Once the fog cleared in turned into a lovely day on the river. The top of the Temple was were all the fish were showing, I say fish but really it seemed to be kelts and a few coloured things which we couldn’t get a hold of. Mid morning Paul and Steven hooked into something at the bottom end of the pool which I thought would break our duck but it was a salmon Kelt, very early for a salmon Kelt but that’s what’s there, that was the only pull of the day. There was a “deceit” of Golden Plover above us this afternoon numbering 100s as we fished the Cauld and with the sun on them they really lived up to the Golden bit of their name, really flashing gold when they were coming towards us well overhead then almost disappearing when they turned away. Catches very low today mostly due to a lot of beats not fishing or rods not coming.
Saturday 7th November. Nearly had to fit a fog horn to the boat this morning so thick was the fog, it burnt off by mid morning and was replaced by a lovely autumn day, almost warm and flat calm, just my sort of day. 2’4” 42 degrees and squeaky clean. It was a day to remember for Phil Morgan catching his first salmon in 10 years, that’s dedication for you so well done him. Well done also to a lucky rod at Bemersyde who caught a lovely clean almost fresh hen in the teens, a very rare fish these days. Catches slightly better than yesterday as conditions improved for a lot of beats but I am hearing of more beats closing for the season due to Covid restrictions rather than the lack of fish.
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©M Campbell 2020
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