A fishing report - for a change!

Week of 19th - 25th August 2018

Finally, after almost 10 weeks of record high temperatures, long sunny days and barely enough rain to fill a thimble, we finally got a decent lift in the river.

Rain on Saturday, into Sunday morning, finally put some water in the river.  The height peaked around 6am on Sunday morning at 1.53 metres on the Hydrometcloud river level guage at Drumahoe.  Given that 'normal' level is roughly 0.9 metres, this meant that there was rougly 63cm at it's height. Just over 2 foot.  Not a lot of water in the river for the amount of rain that fell to be honest.

As expected, after such a long dry spell, the river was running very dirty.  However, it cleaned a lot sooner than I was expecting and I was out fishing that afternoon.  I was at the river shortly after 5pm and the river had already dropped almost by half and was just around a foot in height.  I fished the neck of one pool local to me but there really wasn't enough water on it to fish it right.  I then went to the next pool down.

I fished the stream down to the neck of the pool when, finally, I got the pull.  It seems such a long time sinch I last had a fish take a fly.  Well, it is a long time as it was August last year that I last landed a fish.  It is still a wonderful feeling.

The line swinging gently in the current and then seems to start to slow down.  Oh, I wonder... then the loop of line starts to go, the reel starts to turn and you lift and, hopefully, feel the weight on the rod.  Yes, fish on!

The fish was up splashing about on the surface and then headed straight for me.  I was winding on line as fast as I could when the fish took off downstream before coming straight for me again.  I couldn't get the line back on the reel quick enough and by the time I did, the line was slack again.  Fish gone.  It got the old heart pumping again anyway.

When I got the leader in again to check the flies, my point fly was gone.  It didn't seem that big of a fish.  Whether it was foul hooked or there was a wind knot on the leader or something, I am not 100% sure.  I'd just had my first proper take of the season and it felt great.

I fished on for a couple of hours but other than seeing a very odd fish moving, there wasn't much to write home about.

I went back to the river on Monday morning for a few hours and saw a few fish moving but no big numbers and I didn't get a touch.  Tuesday, I didn't see a single fish nor did I get a touch.

We had more rain on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning and the river was rising again.  By around Mid-day, it was back at around 2 feet but was very coloured.  I wasn't all that bothered as I was doing some work at the clay shooting ground.  I thought, from previous experience on the river, that the water wouldn't clean until the next morning and the water would be gone again.

I wasn't back from the club until after 6pm and by the time I got my tea and took my dogs out a run it was going on for 7pm.  I took the dogs down the field and couldn't believe the water.  A nice height of very fishable coloured water.  Not just 100% clean but nothing I would think twice of fishing.

The dogs got a very short run and I came back up, got the gear on and went back down the field again.

A nice version of a Fiery Brown that I used on Wednesday evening this week.

I was about half way down the pool when the line tightened and line started coming off the reel.   After a few splashes on the Surface.  The fish headed to the bottom and sat there.  I waded on down until I got directly opposite the fish.  I started putting more and more pressure on the line and finally the fish started to move.  It put up a good fight.  I fish for the take, rather than the fight and I had the fish in the net in the shortest time possible.

I got the fish, in the net, to the shallows at the side of the river and laid the fish on it's side.  I got the hook out with the forceps and then laid the rod beside the fish and took a photo.  From the reel seat to just before the first eye on the rod is 30 inches.  This fish could have been an inch or two longer.  When I looked at the the Tweed Association's length to weight reference chart, 30 inches would put the fish at 10lb weight.  The fish was definately a double figured fish and I was more than happy.  The fish had been in the river a while and was not what I would consider to be clean.  A big cock fish with a well formed kype.

My first salmon of 2018. A long time coming.

I slipped the net over the fish again and supported it in the water until it had recovered sufficiently.  Not that long altogether I am happy to say.  Then a few kicks and he was away.  The fish was never once removed from the water during that time.

Finally, I'd got one to stick and managed to land it.  It is a long time since my first fish of the season wasn't landed until the end of August, or was as coloured.

My lovely Fiery Brown after the chap above was done with it!

I went back to the river for a few hours on Thursday afternoon but I never feel really comfortable in bright conditions and I only saw one or two fish and didn't get a touch.

I was back again on Friday morning and didn't see a thing but did get a take that took the loop of line out of my hand and one turn of the reel and the fish was gone again.

These past few days have been the coldest days since April or May probably and we're catching plenty of heavy showers.  The river is being held up rightly but I've never felt that water going up and down so much over such a short period of time, makes for particularly good fishing.  Of course you can be lucky and run into a fish but this is an exception rather than a rule.

There is heavy rain forecast for Sunday so I'll leave the river now until Moday probably.  I'll spend Saturday and Sunday sorting out and stocking up the fly boxes again which have become a terrible mess.

I could just take a notion and head to the river at some stage but I've no real urge or intention to do so at the minute.

Good luck and tight lines to anyone who gets out for a cast over the weekend.