Week beginning 6 May 2019
Monday 6th May. A grey dull damp morning and cold, 10” and 48 degrees. Ian Merell and team here for three days. We saw fish in the Slap, Learmouth and one in the Glide but couldn’t get any interest from them, the ones in the Slap are now becoming old friends as they have been about for a while now, Jonathan saw a nice fresh one in the stream at Learmouth this afternoon. A nice sight was a Swift this morning a proper sign of summer but not this week as its Baltic in that north wind, every chance of a frost tonight so the heaters are on again in the greenhouse and polytunnel. There were two nice trout in the Glide this afternoon and some in the Lower Cauld. Another sight which was not so welcome was 40 plus Goosanders all male birds, which to me means there are 40 plus females sitting on let’s say an average of 10 eggs each, Goosanders being such good parents they will likely all make it to adulthood so thats another 400 plus by autumn, just saying. There were 26 fish reported across the websites tonight which is good considering the height 9 of them below us, hopefully their friends will be with us tomorrow.
Tuesday 7th May. Another cold day with an east wind blowing. 10” and 46 degrees on the Lees gauge. Paul Cottrell had a pull on a sunray in the Slap which was the total action of the day. This afternoon 3 or 4 fish were seen in the Duddo but no pulls. The odd big trout that we have been seeing are more than likely seatrout as there have been some caught round about on small flies and dry flies, I haven’t bothered to give it a go as it’s still too cold for me. Only 10 fish reported tonight on the websites and just the 1 below us. The forecast which had the rain going south of us now has the rain hitting us but coming in from the south and east, will it put any water in time will tell but its not going to be any warmer. On the wildlife front the otters have not been seen for a few days, the clutches of ducklings have also moved on or been eaten, a pair of greylag geese have turned up with 5 or 6 goslings which is a fairly new thing. And the swift is still here.
Wednesday 8th May. And it was a really shitty day more like a February day, east winds and rain, maybe not as heavy as the cheery weather girl said it was going to be but it’s still raining now and its 8.45pm, the gauges at the moment are all showing steady. 9” and 46 degrees at the Lees today. Team Merell fished round the beat until lunchtime then three headed home, Ian stayed on but I haven’t heard any reports of fish so presume he failed. The usual suspects were showing in the Slap and we saw one in the Cauld, 3 other fish showed in Duddo. The forecast for tomorrow is for more rain, great for the smolts as we might get a wee lift.
Thursday 9th May. A much better day with sunshine this afternoon, still a cold north east wind blowing. 1’0” and 46 degrees. Colin Hewitt arrived for three day along with John McLeod who is with us for 2 days. John covered the top end this morning and saw a fish or two in the Slap and Cauld he also had a pull in Learmouth stream on a sunray. Colin didn’t enjoy the Glide due to the wind so dropped down to Cornhill bend and Duddo where he had a wee pull in Cornhill bend and saw 3 fish in the Duddo. Colin had a bit more luck this afternoon getting a 10lb licer from the Slap on a wee red Frances tube on his 3rd cast. There were 10 fish caught below us today so that gives us hope that some could be with us tomorrow. Kevin Wright text this morning to say he’d had 2 licers and seen others on the move. The forecast is for the weather to improve and warm up day by day.
Friday 10th May. A better day again as the sun came out although it was still nippy in the east wind that picked up midday, 1’2” and 46 degrees. There were a few fish splashing about in the Slap and one of them gave a Collie dug a bit of a chase but didn’t pull. Colin had more luck in the Cauld, we both thought he’d hooked a salmon up in the hard water but it was a trout that would easily top 3lbs, no doubt it was waiting there to ambush the smolts as they come through the Slap. Down on the Duddo John McLeod shook a fish off at the bottom end after a minute. Paul had a bit more luck fishing the Glide down behind John he landed an 8lb fish which had a serious seal bite mid body. This afternoon John up on the Slap being ribbed by Colin saying he had to get a fish within 3 casts shut Colin up getting a liced 8lber on his first cast. Christen Bryce who couldn’t make down during the day is having a cast this evening; I’ve yet to hear if he has scored. I was watching 3 Otters fish their way up the temple this evening it was flat calm and they fished their way right up to the top of the wall splashing and diving, they all dived together and I never saw them again. How do they do it? Not ripple or a bubble to be seen and they had 40-50 yards either way to go to reach the bank. Plenty smolts showing today and some quite big ones among them. 15 fish reported off the river this evening.
Saturday 11th May. A better day again but still and east wind. 11” and 46 degrees. John McLeod hooked a fish in the slap this morning played about with it for a while then shook it off, he pasted the rod to Paul while he recovered his composure and said have a cast Paul did and landed a 14lber, that’s how it goes sometimes. We saw a fish or two in Duddo, Learmouth and the Glide, there are always fish in the Slap but not always keen to pull. There was high drama this afternoon when two dog walkers had a bit of a tiff at the Slap, one of them a complete nutter in fact he was a absolute bampot, he was remonstrating with the other about dog control and it was heading towards blows being exchanged, I asked from a wee distance for a bit of calm and was met with a full flow of abuse and advised to go somewhere else and what right did I have to be there!!!! I work here I replied! It was handbags at 10 yards; I really wanted to give him one on the end of his fat chin which was temptingly stuck right out and asking to be smacked but I thought better as I’d end up in the jail and it had nothing to do with me. An absolute nutter with a big scruffy beard and fat belly and a few mental issues to go with it, so if he pitches up on another beat just don’t hold back and smack him,I hope he reads this. Never a dull day on the river. 11 fish reported below us which is encouraging for next week. The cheery weather girl says it’s going to warm up, she better be right. Huge hatch of Grannom flies this afternoon, so many I was almost choking on them.
As always see tweedbeats on instagram for latest photos and clips. It’ll be better next week.
©M Campbell 2019
our twitter feed