Week beginning 5 July 2021
Monday 5th July. Following yesterday's monsoon type showers the river is up 6” with a tinge of colour. Team Harper here for three days. Paul on holiday so Kevin Paterson filling in, Kevin and Ken headed off down to Learmouth for the morning whilst I took David in the Cauld and Slap for his first go at casting a double handed fly rod, David soon had the hang of it and was getting the fly across the stream, sadly the Cauld lived up to its recent form and not so much as a nibble was had, Ken and Kevin fared no better down at Learmouth. Graham Scott was the top banana this morning getting a 12lb river fish and losing another in the Glide. During lunch martin Ritchie from Upper North Wark sent a photo of the river and it was brown, within 20 minutes the colour was going past the hut, the lads were not deterred and went back out this afternoon but it was a lost cause as the colour got worse and had a fair bit of slimy green weed in it. It is all from the Teviot so let’s hope it runs through overnight and we can get back on again tomorrow.
Tuesday 6th July. It was wetter than an Otters pocket today; it started last night and was still raining this morning, with heavy rain between the light rain and sometimes monsoon type. It is all in the east so hopefully it won’t bring the Teviot away again. No action this morning and in fact I only heard the one fish in the Back of the wall. This afternoon at around 3.00pm fish started showing and we saw 6 or 7 coming through the Slap but even though we were right on top of them we couldn’t get a pull. Graham Scott was luckier getting two fresh fish from Learmouth stream on a yellow cascade fished on a inter sinktip. Kevin down on the Glide with Ken Brown saw a good number of fish also but they wouldn’t take. I was thinking about going out tonight but finding I had a flat tyre at the hut took the edge of it as I was bloody soaked by the time I got it changed. Graham is still out there at 7.30pm so I hope he has some more.
Wednesday 7th July. A much better day as it was dry most of the time. Terry Harper landed two fresh fish in Learmouth 12lb and 9lbs both on a Temple shrimp; we also got a 4lb seatrout on a sunray. Graham Scott lost a big fish in the Bags this morning at what used to be the grassy point. This afternoon 3 of the team headed for home as they wanted to watch the football, there must be a game on tonight of some kind. Graham, Kevin and myself set about the bottom end of the beat, I had 4 seatrout on my sunray in the very tail of the glide but only one stuck on, thats single hooks for you but they stop the long hair getting tangled. Kevin had a lot of bow waves and follows but no pulls at the Iron Gate and that was all the action until tonight when I waded the Lower cauld, I tried a micro hitch first but nothing looked at it, I then went back through it with my trusty sunray and had a 3lb seatrout. So 2 salmon and 3 seatrout plus pulls follows makes a better day. 11” and 60 degrees. It’ll be better tomorrow.
Thursday 8th July. A nice warm day with cloud cover coming in the afternoon a perfect fishing day really. 10” 60 degrees and clean. Rodger Aston and pals here for three day which is a bit confusing as three of them are called Rodger. It always takes a wee while getting going on the first morning but we were soon underway round the beat, the lads missed out last year due to covid so have been relearning the beat. Rodger the young one had a cracking 8lb seatrout from the Middle Stream this morning which led him a merry dance in the thin water. The rest of the team could only listen as he recounted the tale of its capture as they had all blanked, we did see fish from the Back of the wall down to the Glide, not many but enough to keep the interest up. I’m going seatrout hunting later tonight, sunray again but a larger single fitted. Latest- lost one in Duddo.
Friday 9th July. 10” and 61 degrees still nice and clean as blanket weed and algae not a problem. Kevin took Rodger Aston down to Learmouth and was sure he was going to get into some fish by lunchtime he realised he wasn’t. The rest of the team reported seeing fish in the Glide and Young Rodger had seen a decent fish in the Middle stream. Lunch was had and it was back at them, Rodger had a chance of a fish in the Glide as it took his sunray at the very limit of the cast but he couldn’t set the hook he also had another follow lower down, Young Rodger joined us with Rodger Astons 4 piece rod which is now a 5 piece, oops! Steven went through the Duddo very carefully but no action, John and Kevin were having a casting clinic in the Cauld where they’d seen a fish, I’ve not seen a fish in there for weeks, anyway it must still be there or moved on as they didn’t catch it. Bit of a noise on social media on the lower river about spinning rods jumping in front of fly fishing rods, that is not on fly always goes through a pool first that’s just the way it is, and why should anyone want to be spinning when the river is below summer level, must be desperate to catch a fish.
Saturday 10th July. The day started off early as Sally (wife) decided to yell at me at 5.30am that I was late for work so I jumped out of bed looked at the clock and said what are you on about, she’d been dreaming! It got worse, after another snooze until the correct time for arising I was getting dressed and whilst puting on my pants my toe got hanked in them and I fell forward banging my head on the edge of the bed which is wood, this resulted in Sally wondering why I’d woke her up with all the swearing. Anyway off to work where it is safer. 10” and 62 degrees but rather humid. Kevin gave Rodger a trip round the Cauld and up the Temple but nothing happened, the rest of the lads spread round the beat. The other Rodger had a couple of seatrout splashing at his sunray in the Middle stream, in the Glide and iron gate point there were fish but the only thing that gets any interest is a sunray, they boil at it and follow it but keep their mouths shut. The two rods at West Learmouth had a fish this afternoon but resorted to the upstream Johnny to get it. So there we are 3 for the week and the lads fished it hard enough to justify a few more fish but if they won’t take there’s not much you can do about it. Bit of rain tomorrow afternoon but its in the east again so will not help, after that its dry and warm.
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©M Campbell 2021
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