Week beginning 6 February 2017
Monday 6th February.
Bit of a wake up for me as on Saturday morning I was sunning myself in warmer climes with a water temp of 78 degs and blue skies and this morning it’s -5 and a water temp of 38degs. Team Harper here for the week and the lads were less than keen to get straight onto the river until the freezing fog lifted. Once the sun broke through it was a nice enough morning and calm but that was not to last as by lunch an upstream south east wind was with us making my fingers nip a bit. Frank Smith had a pull in the Temple from something which was the total action this morning. This afternoon Tony braved the elements and was rewarded with a fine Salmon which looked like a seatrout but had a salmon’s tail around the 6lb mark from the Back of the wall (see instagram for photo).
Tuesday 7th February. Graham Whitty has everyone talking today as he landed a 30lb Tidelicer this morning from the Glide, the fish took a gold bodied willie gunn tube about the middle of the pool it then did nothing for about 10 minutes apart from shake it’s head before charging off down the pool and nearly into Cornhill bend before coming back up into the Glide, after half an hour of fight Graham managed to get the fish beached on the wet gravel and fumbled his phone out of his pocket to find the battery was flat so the only thing left to do was measure the fish and get it back into the water. The fork length of the beast was an impressive 43” and with long tailed lice on it who knows it might take again somewhere up the river and the next angler might be lucky enough to have a camera ready. That was the only pull of the day but it’ll do! 2’0” and 38 degrees with a wee tinge, rising by lunchtime and tonight looking at the gauges there’s a bit more to come. The salmon’s length was checked against the Tweed foundations graph and 43 inch comes in at 30lbs, so no photo so no entry in to the Maloch Trophy but Graham will always have the memories.
Wednesday 8th February.2’6” and 38 degs and carrying a bit of colour, enough colour to make the rods decide they didn’t want to sit in a boat or try a wade as the chance would be slim to none of catching a fish. The day wasn’t wasted though as we sorted out the world with Terry deciding that a red hot poker should be used with alarming frequency; it’s amazing the topics that can be covered in a fishing hut. I had a trip to Kelso with the dog to the vets as her nose was swollen and had burst sort of blisters on it, neither I or the vet have any idea how they came about, she must have had her nose where it shouldn’t have been, anyway steroids and antibiotics will do the trick he tells me along with a bill that made my eyes water. The forecast is for a big drop in temperature which is good as the lower it gets the better down here. No fish reported on either website today.
Thursday 9th February. A cold grey day with an east wind and the odd snow flurry. 2’1” and 38 degs, I took Tony for a run through Learmouth which looked good I have to say but we never had a pull, Graham was giving the Iron Gate and Glide a run through but had the same result while Frank Smith waved his rod about in the Cauld watched by Terry who decided to keep the fire stoked and read the paper. Following a nice lunch I took Graham (of 43”long fish fame) Whitty into the cauld and near the tail end a fish took a hold of the fly but sadly the running line had been blown round the reel so there was only going to be one result. Terry tried to tell us that he’d seen a fish in the glide when Graham was fishing but it was a splash from a rock that Terry had thrown in, he’s fooling no one. Forecast is for a bitterly cold day tomorrow.
Friday 10th February. We were joined today by Graham Clayton and it was a very smelly affair as while we were discussing how many hens his dog would kill should it get into chicken coop the dog was busy rolling in a rotten salmon an otter had pulled onto the slap croy, why the otter would want to pull a salmon that was so far gone out of the river I don’t know but the dog loved it and bounded into the hut to give itself a good shake. 1’11” and 38 degrees also nice and clean. I gave Terry a tour round the cauld in a snow storm until cold fingers from the water and snow forced a coffee break, Paul took the two Grahams down the beat where the dog enjoyed itself to the limit rolling in more rotten kelts and eating a good few as well so what state the back of Grahams car will be in the morning god only knows. No fish or pulls this morning but Graham Whitty made up for it this afternoon getting a liced 5lb fish from Learmouth stream on the same fly he had the “big fish” on, it’s been a few years since we’ve had fish in the opening weeks so I’m quite happy considering this time last week the water I was fishing in was 78 degrees not 38. Heavy rain forecast tomorrow, it’s coming from the east so hopefully it won’t give us a really big river. Kelsae’s nose is much improved for those of you who are worried.
Saturday 11th February. It was the sort of day you wouldn’t put a wheely bin out let alone go fishing but go fishing we did. 1’10” and 38 degrees with a near gale from the north east that threatened to cut you in half and rain sleet that tested the most robust waterproof clothing. The Temple was almost flat calm being sheltered from the wind but not the rain and that’s where the only fish of the day came from caught by Perry Douglas Home. Down at learmouth this morning Terry and myself stuck it out until we landed a kelt and decided that was enough. Paul and Graham boated the cauld then retired to the hut for coffee and a finger warming session, Graham waded the lower cauld later on and had a hold of something but it wasn’t on long enough to tell what and with all the fishy controversy going on this week I reckon it was a Barracuda! Graham Clayton fished hard all morning but never had a pull but at least his dog didn’t roll/eat any more rotten kelts. After lunch Graham Clayton was the only soul brave/mad enough to leave the hut and was rewarded with a kelt while wading the lower cauld. So 4 fish for the second week in February which is good for us and that 30lber has made one anglers year. Been raining all day but from the east and the bottom/middle gauges are rising but should fish on Monday. It’ll be better next week.
©M Campbell 2017
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