Week beginning 30 August 2021
Monday 30th August. A miserable morning with grey skies and mizzle, 4” and 57 degrees. Family fishing for the bank holiday except most of the family decided not to fish apart from Andrew, Paul and myself stepped up to the plate and filled in, Paul had a follow in the Slap and a hold of one in the Cauld, Andrew and myself fishing the bottom end hardly saw a fish and no pulls. This however didn’t put Andrew off as he’s made of sterner stuff so he was back out this evening and had a couple from the Cauld, one from the main stream and one from the backwater, it’s been a while since we’ve had one out of the backwater, we used to get quite a few there back in the day, both were river fish. Top dogs today were ladykirk and Tillmouth getting 6 and 7 respectively, Middle Mertoun also had 6 all the other beats were between 4 and 0 for the day. It looks like there might just be some rain next week, it’s a long shot predicting it so far in advance but we have to hope.
Tuesday 31st August. Another miserable start to the day with north wind grey skies and damp and occasional light mizzle. Team Black here for the rest of the week with Michael Black in charge along with his lurcher dug “Crumble”. Michael soon had a plan hatched to give everyone a fair crack at what pools we have that are worth fishing and off we went. Michael was on the Slap and Cauld (what’s left of it) and using his wee 11’0” switch rod teamed with a very small black frances soon had a cleanish grilse into the net, we gave it a rest for 10 minutes while we sorted out the world, Afghanistan, Brexit, Covid etc then had a few more casts at the Slap this got him another fish around 10lbs which was tagged and returned. Down on the Glide David Foreman had an old hen around the 7lb mark also on a wee black frances whilst Sandy Lang lost a fish in the Bags. I took Michael into the Cauld with a wee skimmer on the end and the pair of us sitting in the boat were both smiling looking at it coming across knowing it was perfect and that it should produce a fish anytime, it didn’t but only folk that have used it and know how it works can appreciate how good it can be and what fun it is to use. This afternoon on the Duddo Ben Jack who had never used a skimmer (hitch) before soon discovered how good it can be as fishing it in third place after Cornhill and Sandy he hooked into a fish on a wee black skimmer but he was a tad too enthusiastic with the hold and pulled the fly out, every day is a school day as they say. That was the action for the day unless David gets one this evening, its handy for David as he lives more or less on the beat so I’m expecting another. David gave up due to weed/slime every cast.
Wednesday 1st September. Thats another month away into history, 48 for August and well spread round the beat apart from the Temple where we only had 1 for the month and all on fly none of that bloody spinning in below summer level conditions, 14 days and there will be no more spinning and we can all sleep a bit easier in our beds. Michael Black was the first into action getting a 8lb coloured hen from the Bags again on his now favourite 11’0”switch rod, Mike Matheson beat him to the winner’s trophy though getting 2 from Learmouth stream, that was all the fishy action for the day. The sun burnt through the cloud and haar by 2.00pm and the weed became a problem, it was the north wind causing it to drift out of the margins this morning but the sun and warmth was causing more of a problem this afternoon lifting the slime of the bottom, it was on the hook every cast. 4” and 57 degrees and very clean water apart from the slime. The much anticipated rain that the cheery weathergirl said was coming in on Sunday is now going to be blocked by the high that has been here for a good while so the long wait for rain goes on. Catches were very poor today with only 12 reported across both websites for the whole river. It’ll be better tomorrow.
Thursday 2nd September. It wasn’t better today but hay ho there we go. 3” and 58 degrees with a bit of slimy weed floating about. David Foreman was on the Duddo and Bags but stopped off at the Otter stones for a wee chuck with a wee skimmer, it was flat calm and the skimmer had the fish scattering all over but not chasing the fly. Jonathon Black did the Cauld and Slap but nothing to show for it, Ian Black did the Glide and Duddo with the same result and I can’t remember what Michael did. Not many fish about today, the Learmouth rods managed 2 from the stream this morning on fly then couldn’t help themselves and had another this afternoon on the upstream Johnny, it got warmer this afternoon but not really sunny which is a shame as if the fishing is going to be crap at least I could have some sun to ripen my tomatoes and chillis. Lifted my onions last night and Sally (wife) has already been at them and turned a load of them into chutney and relish. 11 fish reported across the websites tonight which is shocking for early September, it’s only a few years ago and that would be the score for the Lees and I’d still be expecting more. The cheery weathergirl is now saying we might get the rain on Sunday but at the moment it looks too far West and North.
Friday 3rd September. It was decidedly chilly this morning almost time to start wearing a jacket, the Swallows and Housemartins are on the telephone wires near the house with their suitcases packed ready for the off. 4” on the gauge as a wee freshet that was released on Wednesday had reached us and brought with it rafts of slime and weed that rendered the Slap and Cauld unfishable. The weed was all being channelled through the Slap and in the Cauld it was just going round and round in the backwaters. Down on Learmouth stream Ian Black wasn’t having the same problems and managed to land two grilse neither of which tested the breaking strain of his leader as the big one was a mighty 4lbs but very welcome just the same. Round the rest of the beat its a case of looking at the same old fish getting older by the day, there are a few in the Duddo and more in the Glide and Michael Black even managed a boil from one to a very small/tiny silver stoat. We’ll see what tomorrow brings tomorrow.
Saturday 4th September. Another overcast cloudy day and in fact a tad chilly first thing so this morning I did put my jacket on. Ian Black set about the Bags and Middle stream and moved a couple of fish in the Middle stream, they were likely moving away from the fly as no pulls were had, he was too late getting into Duddo before they up streamed it as it was done on the dot of 10.30am Michael Black spent the morning on the Slap and Cauld with a long coffee break mid morning to break the boredom. John fished through the Glide as diligently as I’ve ever seen it done but failed just the same to move a fish. There was a bit of weed on the move again today nothing like yesterday with the 1 inch rise but still a nuisance. 2” and 57 degrees or thereabouts. It about time we had a height restriction on spinning especially when the gauge is below summer level and fish are squeezed into ever decreasing pools, I’m not being elitist here or purist, I used to spin a fair bit and very occasionally in high water still do but just because you can’t catch them on a fly thats no reason to chuck spinners about all over the place in a desperate attempt to catch a fish to justify the rent you’ve paid, in these conditions if you’ve been through your fly box and failed it’s well done to the fish, it’s been fair play the fish won so hats off to them, in 10 days time it won’t be a problem.
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©M Campbell 2021
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