Week beginning 3 September 2018
Monday 3rd September. It was a dreich morning and in fact dreich all day. I wasn’t expecting the rain to hang around all day or to be as heavy this morning. It has put a couple of feet into the Teviot so I should think it’ll be a tad dirty tomorrow, even if we lose a day tomorrow it’ll be worth it as it’ll shuffle the pack and hopefully bring some fish up to us. On that subject, I went down to Norham Bridge, Horncliffe Weil, Chain Bridge and down to South Bells looking for fish on Sunday afternoon but never saw a single fish move, it was very bright and hot in the afternoon but I thought I’d see at least one. I did see a flock of Goosanders about 50 in number at South Bells. Team Godden here for the week fished hard all day with one pull in Learmouth stream to show for their efforts. 8” this morning and 58 degrees. I also found out today that my coats are no longer waterproof, one I set on fire and has holes in the arms and a missing pocket so no real surprised it’s failed, the other one is leaking on all the seams, I’ll just need to stay inside next time it rains.
Tuesday 4th September. A dry day with a river that was up a foot and had a distinct green tinge to it as well as carrying a fair bit of weed. 1’5” and 56 degrees. The lads fished their way through every pool but Mike Cook was the only rod to have any action losing a fish in the Glide this afternoon, the catches on the river were nowt to shout about with 28 being reported, top beat being Tillmouth with 6 closely followed by Middle Mertoun with 5. I’m sure it’ll be better tomorrow.
Wednesday 5th September. Well it was better today as in the water was a beery brown colour instead of green, the levels had dropped 5” overnight and the temp had dropped 2 degrees. Toby Kemble was in Learmouth stream this morning and despite casting to the far bank and trying several different flies over the fish we saw he never had a pull, learmouth was the only place where I saw a fresh fish and it was only the one fresh fish. Nigel Crosskell had a bit more luck in the afternoon getting a cleanish 4lber and losing a seatrout at the net of around 7lb-8lbs. The rest of the beat was quiet but it was very sunny which maybe kept their heads down, it didn’t keep their heads down at Tillmouth as they have posted 15 fish on the website tonight, perhaps they deployed a spinner of some sort down there, or is it the fact they have a lot more fish down there, Milen Graden, Ladykirk and the likes didn’t fare so well, anyway good luck to the rods that were getting them. Rain for Friday or is there? It looks to be south of us on the latest forecast and if we do get it it’ll be the east coast that gets it so it’s not going to fill the river. The wee rise we have just had wasn’t anything like big enough to wash the crap out of the river or to entice fish to move, the long wait continues.
Thursday 6th September. A cooler day today, 10” and 54 degrees light beery tinge. Gene Godden had a pull in the Slap on a red frances and a couple of bow waves at a Collie dug, that was all the action for the day. There were very few fish showing today apart from the odd wee brown grilse, down in Learmouth stream this afternoon we only saw one wee grilse. Further down stream in Duddo the Cornhill rod had a couple one which he kept so I presume it was fresh/clean. Tillmouth had another 8 today so they much have a head of fish there. Highlight of the day was a stoat climbing up the wire of the chicken run to gain entry, unfortunately for the stoat I was round the back of the hut at the time and saw it, a quick nip back to the car to get gun and a few squeaks “bang” and no more stoat to kill any more chickens. As all summer so far we are still waiting for some decent rain for the big flood.
Friday 7th September. A wet morning from the north east which will do nothing to help the river levels. 9” and 54 degrees this morning and clean. Nigel Crosskell was the top dog getting a 12lber from the Cauld which was an old cock, not quite as old as Nigel but certainly not in the first flush of youth, Nigel was busy celebrating his capture and being top dog when Mike Cook returned from Duddo with tales of an epic battle and a 9lber landed also another lost. Not to be outdone Toby Kemble had a 6lber from the Iron Gate. We didn’t see many fish today but there were some about as the Dub had 7, Tillmouth 18, Lower Ladykirk 10 and Boleside 6 so well done them. The only other action was a very aggressive fish that came for a large Collie dug that Mike had stripped across the Slap late this afternoon.
Saturday 8th September. It was Gene’s day today he’s waited all week to catch a fish like the good hosts always do, letting the young ones get in front to give them that feel good factor then give them a good thrashing on the last morning. 8” and 52 degrees and clean. Gene was on the Slap this morning and we popped on a #12 posh tosh which hooked and lost a fish first cast, he followed this up with a pull which didn’t stick then a 4lb grilse that did. Down into the Cauld where we had two sharp pulls, the kind that give you a fright but when you lift the rod there’s nothing there. We changed the #12 for a wee dot sized conehead which produced a wee grilse then it was back to the Slap. An 11lb old cock fish was soon landed as well as another pull; a Collie dug was pulled over them and had a big boil from a fish that appeared from nowhere. Down on Learmouth Mike lost two but made good just before lunch when he too got one from the Slap. Toby who was sure he was going to bag up today down on the Duddo and Cornhill bend lost one and had 4 or five splashes at a Collie. So it was quite a change from the rest of the week, perhaps the drop in water temps switched them on or maybe a few old fish moved up a beat or two, whatever it was it was very welcome to have some action.
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©M Campbell 2018
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