The start of May gave us cold weather with one or two milder wet spells when one or two early season anglers were lucky enough to match effort with success.
J. Walters caught a 2 3/4lb sea trout from the Wires at Canonbie and remarkably, J. Allan of Cumbria added another 8lb salmon to the one he had caught the previous week . This one on fly from the Moat.
Up on the Tower Beat, J. Massey lured a shining 6 lb sea trout from Caul pool on a flying C’, which being over 3lb was returned in line with current conservation policy.
Things went quiet for a bit with a cold snap, but then toward the latter half of the month, sea trout started to move in to the pools in small pods. It was nice to sit just before dusk and see the tell tale bow waves as sea trout moved into the pools fresh off the tide.
Night fishing proper was possible (unlike last year when we were in constant flood) and even the Midgies started to make an appearance. Eric Garthwaite landed 2 sea trout to 3lbs from Grey Stane to match a similar brace from the Moat a night or so earlier on his own pattern of silver fly. He subsequently hooked two more down at the Well, landing one of 1 1/2 lbs and losing the other. Buccleuch staff did restoration work here about 4 years ago to narrow the channel producing a better fly stream and also increase good habitat for parr.
Barry Leeson of Yorkshire caught and released a magnificent 5 lb sea trout from Willow Pool, where Geoff Harvey of Wigton also caught a 2 ½ pounder on fly. Right at the close of thew month, Bill Liddel tempted a fresh 2 pounder there also.
Jamie Stewart landed a 2lb sea trout from Mill Pool on the night fly, Colin Selstrom, fished down the Blue Clints on Tower to take a fresh 1 ½ lb sea trout on fly.
Ross Currie caught one of 1 ¾ lbs in the moat on Teal /B/S
Iain Bell ( Esk & Liddle Fishery Office 013873 81951) asks for anglers to help as much as possible with Sea trout scale sample collection. Any one needing advice or who hasn’t got any scale sample packets, is welcome to contact him.
As May came to a close, small runs of Sea trout were running into most of the pools on the Esk as far up as Langholm and as far up the Liddle as Penton, although some of the bigger early run fish will have travelled further on the tail of the last flood. With night fishing and gin clear water the conditions for early June and small pods of fish already in the pools, prospects look more encouraging.
