January 05

Saturday the 8th

This is a photo of the road that runs alongside the Junction Pool at Kelso.

It was taken on Saturday the 8th of January. I have had to reduce the quality of the photo for website purposes but just at the end of the wall there is a car which was gently bobbing along on its merry way to Berwick!

Thursday the14th

I fished this same section of river on the Thursday which was only 5 days after the above flood and had 5 Grayling to 45 cm. every one took a Fulling Mill Tungsten Bomb Pink Shrimp. the other fish went 42 35 35 and 30. I also dropped a couple of fish about the 40 cm. mark.

All in all a good couple of hours. Later on I tried at Hempsford but my mate Ron came along and we ended up gassing until it got too cold to fish....

And they say women can talk!

Saturday the 15th

The Earlston Angling Association Annual Grayling Competition and Research Day.

One of my favorite days in the year.

Sixty Four Anglers took part and 285 Grayling were caught, carefully measured and returned.

Top rod on the day was local angler and Scottish Internationalist Grant Gibson with 17 fish. Second Place went to Stevie Cullen with 15 fish and Jake Harvey, another local was third

with 13 good Grayling.

Ron Chesney had a staggering TWO FISH over 50 cm. which I think is being a bit greedy.

Ha Ha

The photograph below is by Steve Thornton the well known imitative Flytier and Photographer

www.stevethorntonphotography.com

For a flavour of the day there is a fuller report on last years event on this link.

http://www.gamefair-flyfishing.net/Game_Fair_Reports_Jan04.htm

Monday the 17th

The river was in Flood!

I had driven about 150 miles and the damn thing was bank to bank and brown!

I had arranged for a day on the Ure with Jeremy Lucas and Stuart Minnikin.

Jeremy is the current "Hot Young Thing" in English Competition Flyfishing.

Well young and thing are a bit wide of the mark but hot is about spot on.

Stuart is an England Rivers International, Flyfishing Guide and Flyfishing Instructor.

http://www.yorkshire-dales-flyfishing.com/

Stuart had been on the Ure the day before and was very disappointed that the river had came up so quickly as there had not been very much rain at all.

The problem is that after all the floods the ground is completely primed through.

All it takes is for somebody to spit somewhere up the valley and its up again!

We had some breakfast in a local hotel and decided to drive to the River Nidd which Stuart thought might not be quite so bad.

When we arrived we found it to be just about fishable and so decided to have a go.

Stuart very kindly declined to fish to give Jeremy and myself more room on the limited fishing that was available because of the water height.

Thanks Mate.

Within a few minutes I caught a nice grayling.

I then had another one and then lost one.

Or was it the other way around?

So many Grayling............. Such a small Memory Bank!

Pink Shrimps were the order of the day and they had to be hard on the bottom.

Meanwhile the "Hot Young Thing" was making a Czech Nymph Sacrifice to the "Tree God"

Sorry Jeremy Ha Ha

After this pool we had a "stand on the bank lunch" and chatted about possible formats for attracting more people to enter the Rivers Eliminators.

Having more places in the Final was one idea that was bounced around.

After lunch we tried a pool farther downstream and while I had nnnnuttthhhhin, Young Jeremy had a fish and another take.

We decide to have a last go at the original pool and while Jeremy had a Grayling I managed to catch a wonderful fin-perfect rainbow of about a pound.

Possibly a wild fish it was that clean.

We then decided to call it a day and head home before the worst of the traffic.

Considering the unfortunate circumstances we ended up having a good day

Thanks again Stuart and thanks for the invite Jeremy.

Thursday the 20th

They are up again. The Tweed and Teviot!!!!

Not totally unfishable but if they had not come up they might have been perfect.

Tried the Teviot.

Bl**dy long tramp along the bank for absolutely nowt!

Back to the Tweed.

Oh the wonderful Tweed!

Five Grayling.

Good Fish.

All Fish are Good.

One, only 35 cm jumped around like a small Rainbow on Speed and totally wrecked my cast.

Don't Care!

It was a fish.

Two hours, a freezing, Hat blown away but at least I caught.

I do not like Blanks.

I really do not like Blanks.

Must have been Jeremy's sacrifice on Monday that saved the day!

Monday the 24th

Stuart Minnikin had came up from Yorkshire on the Sunday night to stay with me and together we had met Jeremy Lucas in Kelso on the Monday.

As they were both new to Grayling fishing on the Tweed I decided to introduce them to the river at the Junction Pool.

I don't know if the Junction is the most famous pool in the world but it must be up there somewhere. It is not the prettiest place on the planet but it is prolific and of course has a memorable history and an easily remembered name.

As Jeremy was only fishing for one day I placed him in prime position with Stuart who was staying for a second day in the next best place.

I decided to go above them to a spot where I have never caught, but from where I could keep a Fatherly (HA! HA!) eye on Young Jeremy and even Younger Stuart.

Disaster!

I had a fish first cast.

How embarrassing!

I played the fish out and insisted Jeremy got into this spot.

Nowt!

He fished down for about half an hour for not a touch.

More embarrassing!

We decide to go and see Stuart who had gone round the corner.

Success!

He had netted 3 and lost one including a fish of about 40 cm.

Now if only Jeremy could catch the pressure would be off!

I have been telling them both how good the Tweed and Teviot were for good numbers of large Grayling and it was making me slightly nervous.

I shouldn't have worried!

Jeremy got a fish almost straight away.

Mind you it was only about 17 cm.

I didn't know you could catch a Grayling that small?......... Ha Ha.

Still, by the end of the Day Stuart had caught his biggest ever Grayling and Jeremy had just had one of his best ever day's fishing.  It was that good.

We had a lot of fish and they were typical Tweed Grayling probably averaging around 40 cm.

Jeremy had by far the most.

Not much new there then........

By the way don't tell anyone will you?

We don't want it getting out.

Tuesday the 25th

Stuart Minnikin and I set off for the Teviot.

Stuart was keen to add this river to his list of places where he had caught a Grayling.

We parked just over the Teviot bridge just out side of Kelso and after tackling up we started to walk up to the Castle Stream.

This has always a banker stream for me.

You do not catch a shed load but I always manage one or two.

Yes you've guessed. No Grayling!.......

Stuart did have a small Brownie though so at least he had not blanked but it was Grayling he was after.

He fished the Slewins which is the next pool up while I tried some upstream Goldhead's in the slacker water just to see if I could find the fish. They are still there somewhere!

Nothing.

Where to go next?

What's your best pool Robbie? he said.

We have already fished it I said despairingly.

We will go up to Maisondieu I confidently said.

I was a bit worried about the wading which is difficult at summer level never mind with an extra foot and a half in it!

Stuart plumped for the bottom half and after a stern warning about the wading I went about 50 yards upstream.

I had just got in to position when I heard a shout from downstream.

My heart stopped for a nanosecond but as I looked up there he was holding up a nice Grayling in his net.

The pressure was off now.

A minute later I was returning the shout with a cracking fish of 42 cm.

The next cast went solid!...........

Not that solid-solid of the bottom but that almost imperceptibly different solid of a really heavy fish.

I shouted to Stuart as I wanted a photo of this one.

Steady on Robbie it's not in the net yet!

After a tense fight with the fish going in and out of the fast and heavy water I got it.

It was only 47cm.

I say only because it was a deep, broad, heavy set fish that must have been at least 2.5 lbs

What a beauty.

After that we both fished this pool again.

Zilch......

After a good shout from an old boy on the far bank we went farther again upstream to try and find a place he had recommended but nowhere really took our fancy and as we were walking father and farther away from the cars we turned back.

Thirty Five minutes later we got back to the vehicles.

What a walk!

Well to cut a long story short (my two fingers are aching) we had a quick dabble in the Tweed.

Stuart had a couple before he left for home and I stayed a bit longer and ended up with six for the day.

A great couple of days.

I met both Jeremy and Stuart through Competition Fishing and they are becoming firm friends.

                                                                                     Photo By Stuart Minnikin

If that is not a good advert for giving it a go I don't know what is.

Brilliant.........

Thursday 27th

Back to the Teviot and Tweed with my friend Ron.

I decided to show him some new water and as I had not fished there myself this winter it would make a pleasant change.

We headed up to the Turnpool which is almost at the top boundary of the Kelso Teviot water.

Ron insisted that I go down first and any way just at the point you would expect it, a good fish took the top dropper.

What is it about Grayling?

Do they just always lie in the likely spots or is it that our fishing methods just work better in the likely spots?

Hopefully we will never find out.

Ron came down behind me but he did not catch. I came down again and by a combination of deeper wading and high sticking I got another cracking fish. Both were about 42 cm.

The next two pools produced not a single take.

The river levels were not exactly right for them but it was a bit disappointing.

So the Tweed was calling.

Well it was a funny day. I ended with about eight or nine fish for the day but Ron did not

get any. I tried to console him that he has not been fishing for very long and he has not had any lessons but it did not help.

I pointed out a few things that he might be getting wrong but he wasn't for cheering up.

I know how he feels.

I just hate blanks...................

I know that's not PC but I do go fishing to catch fish.

It's wonderful to be amongst the fresh air and the scenery but I could save the freezing toes and the ticket price and go hill waking if that's what it was all about.

No just give me the fish.

Plenty fish. I don't care what size they are. I fish for the take and not the fight.

Two at 20cm is better than one at 40cm.

Mind you one at 60cm...............         That would be nice.............................

Ha Ha

Monday the 31st

It's the last day of the Grayling Season on the Kelso waters. Ess Aitch One Tee.

From now on we have to defer to the salmon anglers.

For the next two months the Tweed is a no go area until the Trout fishing starts in April.

It turns out to be the best day of this season with double figures of fish.

Its tinged with sadness though as its the final fling and from now on we cannot get our flies or our feet wet in the hallowed waters of the Tweed.

Well it was a cracking day to finish though.

Ten fish in two hours on a very long stream and then a mooch about for a few more.

I bumped into Paul Davidson and Ray Horn who were back in the same long stream after a fabulous day on the Saturday.

They are both members of the Ospreys Flyfishing Team and Paul was a member of the England World Team last year.

They were both finding the going a bit harder today though.

Was I catching more Grayling than them?

Modesty forbids me from commenting..............................

It's been an intriguing couple of months on the Kelso waters and I just hope that through the good works of the likes of the Grayling Society and others we can slowly make more water available for a longer season.

The salmon men are always going to hold sway because of the money thing but slowly with the goodwill of the Riparian Owners and the Boatmen and the education of and tolerance of everyone we can all enjoy the facilities of our native rivers.

Margaret & Robbie Bell
Game Fair
12 Marygate
Berwick upon Tweed
Northumberland
TD15 1BN

Telephone: 01289 305119

E.Mail: robbie@gamefair-flyfishing.net