Week beginning 7 November 2022
Monday 7th November. Light rain, mild and a south west wind was the order of the day, the gauge was reading 2’9” and 46 degrees, now a few years ago this height and colour in the Temple and we’d be bagging up on fish but things have changed and the only fish I saw was a kelt jumping downstream. This didn’t deter Chris Jake and Mike and they kept at it all day despite a rising river, sadly their only reward was a couple of hungry brown trout. There were only three fish reported across the websites tonight the rising river knocking out the upper beats first thing. It looks like we will be knocked out tomorrow as there is 4’4” and Peebles and 4’0” at Roxburgh on the Teviot so it’ll be a bit on the big side and coloured tomorrow.
Tuesday 8th November. Well yesterday's rain in the west reached us today and put the gauge up to 4’4” at the Lees but a toasty 50 degrees water temp, just too big and coloured for us today so it was a sad farewell to the lads. I’m sure they’ll get it right next trip. That’s us more or less finished for the season as we’ve no more rods booked in and the beat is effectively now closed unless a huge run of silver fresh fish appear and a hard frost drops the water levels. We have the Annay and Learmouth boats pulled off and put away for the winter, leaving two on just in case. No fish reported off the river today.
Wednesday 9th November. Another mild day with a south west wind, the Lees gauge reading 4’2” an 48 degrees, too big for fishing at the Lees which isn’t so bad as we’ve no more rods this season. That’s me finished as well so this is the last fishing report of the season not that there is much fishing in it. This season was better than last albeit a bit of a slow burner as in very few fish until we got some water, what a difference a summer flood would make for everyone. Another unusual fact of this season is it’s the first year since I was a kid I haven’t caught a salmon; I did hook one but handed the rod over for someone else to play it so it doesn’t really count. So now is the time when you all check your reels, check your backing knots/joints, go through your fly boxes and chuck out all the bent hooks or ones with points missing and then be a bit OCD and put them back all in order of size and colour/ pattern. I’m off to chase some silver of a different kind in warmer climes so I’ll be back with a fishy report in April but keep your eye on instagram as the odd photo/ clip will still pop up. As ever “It’ll be better tomorrow” or in this case next year.
©M Campbell 2022
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