Sometimes, nature seems to offer either feast or famine when it comes to water heights nowadays. In truth , we had what would be considered ideal daytime fly waters for just too long .When the Esk and Liddle have about 12" of fresh water in , they are just about right for fishing wee doubles on a floating line during day light hours. In a steady or falling water , it's also bang on for fish to keep running up-stream and for most of July, that is exactly what happened. Some good catches of sea trout were made, but as fish just sailed through , pausing here and there, they very quickly spread far and wide right through the catchment,this leads to mixed fortunes for anglers.
Some rods reported fishing hard in ideal conditions yet being rewarded with a total blank, whist several said they had enjoyed a frenzied hour of activity with pulls, fish lost and a few nice sea trout landed, before everything went quiet and fish had obviously moved quickly onward. The same occurred with grilse.
Some rods reported fishing hard in ideal conditions yet being rewarded with a total blank, whist several said they had enjoyed a frenzied hour of activity with pulls, fish lost and a few nice sea trout landed, before everything went quiet and fish had obviously moved quickly onward. The same occurred with grilse.
Tom Rhodes, of Eastriggs tempted a brand new 2lb 9oz sea trout from Canonbie Bridge on an Esk Greenwell wee double. Scott Campbell landed two to 3 1/2 lbs between Black Kist and horse Pool on Low Liddle. Brian Hollingworth caught a 2 1/2lb fresh sea trout at Bells weir on snake fly and David Allan landed four on black Pennel from willow and cauldron. Also on Willow pool beat, Dougie Hodgson landed a 7lb grilse on fly and Dave Allan a sea trout. Iain Blackett of Canonbie caught a 2lb sea trout at Schelly Hole on Thompson Terror. Returning to Liddle Water again on his season permit, Scott Campbell caught two sea trout to 5lbs and lost another on silver stoat from Inch Pool.
Scott Bryson landed an 11lb salmon on Willow pool and Mick Horner is believed to have had a 14 pounder off The Moat on the English side. Les Graham of Kirby Stephen caught two sea trout at 2lbs from Canonbie Beat, where Alan Murray also landed one at 2lb 8oz.
Alastair Milligan returned a 14lb salmon to the Caul pool caught on spinner. Ian Pugh landed a brace of fresh sea trout from Blue Clints, Tower and John Finlay a brace to 4lbs also from Tower beat. Chris Belbin caught 4 x 1 1/2lb school sea trout over a couple of nights there too.
76 year old Leslie Thompson of Leeds landed and returned a 3 1/4lb sea trout from Chapel on Hollows beat on a copper head blue fly.His son Peter Thompson caught a fresh 2 1/2 pounder from Blue Clints . Joe Haselden got a 2 pounder on spinner from Shortsholm where also a sea trout fell to the ladies, being caught by Diane Owen,
Eric Garthwaite of Annan timed the right time with the right place, landing six fresh sea trout in a week on fly at Canonbie, followed by hooking six but only landing two to 3lbs on a visit the following week.
On Langholm permit beat, Lorraine Burke landed two sea trout out of six and the next night caught three on worm, whilst brother Chris Burke caught a fit 3 pounder on fly from the Ford.
I was delighted to hear that 87 year auld Irving Wylie (retired head river watcher and Iain Bells predecessors predecessor) managed to land a fresh 11lb salmon from Tower on flying C. Wattie Grieve also caught a salmon there too. Craig Carson tempted a fresh one of each, salmon 11 1/2lb and sea trout 2lbs also at tower and Hollows.
David Laidler fished on 25th July landing three sea trout to 3lbs weight at Willow and Cauldron. the larger fish of course being returned in line with fishery conservation measures.
Neil Bird of Gretna fished Inch Pool on low Liddle to be rewarded with a brand new 2lb 15oz sea trout using a buck tail spinner. Mike Skipsey of Yorks hooked three fresh grilse one after the other in Willow Pool, but only landed one of them at 5lb 9oz using light line for sea trout. Tony Swiers reported a wonderful time with a 9 1/2lb salmon and six sea trout in an evening at Low Irvine house's Coopers stream. local rod Chris Barker, is reported to have landed a 9lb salmon from Potholm on Langholm beat and Iain Blackett added a 5 1/2lb grilse to his tally from Cauldron.
Rex Dale caught a 2lb sea trout in heavy flood at Canonbie on worm as did Archie Nichol and Bill Badham.
As the month drew to a close a number of fresh fish arrived in Dead Neuk, Canonbie. The water dropped in and Jackie Allan fished the night cast landing two sea liced sea trout to 2 1/2lbs plus a couple of herling and some fish lost. Iain Bell told me that although sport had been sporadic, some fish were still running in as August approached and being seen more than with the higher water levels previous. On the last Monday of July just as he was thinking that all had gone swiftly upstream, he counted 26 fresh looking sea trout to about 3 1/2lbs land into Hollows beat . Next day they had gone.
