Edinburgh rivers

[chriscreeler]

I have a little book called 'Hints to Anglers' by Adam Dryden, published in1862. You may find the following extract interesting.

'The Esk above Dalhousie is a good trouting stream. It divides into two branches. The one on the right is the Roseberry; the other isTemple Burn. One day I killed in the Esk thirteen dozen of trout which weighed 23 pounds. The Water of Leith is a good stream above Balerno Bridge. Four dozen and a half trout taken in this water weigh on average 14 pounds. The Almond, which is the next tributary of the Firth of Forth, is the most difficult water from which to take trout that I ever fished in. But the trout are of excellent quality. They seem to be of the same nature as those found in lochs. They do not lie still waiting for food, but keep always moving; so that after taking a fly, you will probably find that the fish has moved some yards before he takes another. Minnow is a good lure in the Almond. The trout average 4 to the pound; but through the whole river you may kill them upwards of a pound in weight.'

[custheyder]

Reports of so many fish being killed today on a river would be a disaster for angling relations. Fish just don't seem to be as prolific as they used to be.

[leckie]

Chris,
Goodness me...they killed everything they caught in those times
It always amazes me how these fishermen caught so many trout when they probably used horse hair lines and big heavy hooks probably at least our size 12....I wonder if they used reels in those days or fished tenkara style...
Once I get past the Newbattle Abbey College stretch its only a couple more stretches until I reach Dalhousie....I post a few photos of the 'good trouting stream' for you to look at....and don't worry I practice C&R so I won't be killing 'thirteen dozen of trout' in a single outing....Does Mr Dryden state what flies he used...or was it dynamite ;D
Thanks for the post...very interesting.

tight lines

Alex

[chriscreeler]

'' Get a light rod,'' is the only advice Adam Dryden has to offer on that subject, and nothing at all on reels or main lines, so I don't know wether he used them or not.

''I nearly always fish with small flies, and with few varieties. The largest I ever use are Nos. 2 and 3 Addlington.'' As far as I can ascertain a No. 3 Addlington equates to about a 14 Partridge's dry fly hook, and they were made down to 00, which would be roughly an 18.

He only mentions one fly pattern, the black spider, but gives a list of tying materials he is partial to. These are hare's ear dubbing and the feathers of small, common (then) birds; corn bunting, yellow hammer, lark, starling (grey and black), sparrow, chaffinch and thrush. To make spiders sparse when using some feathers, the fibres on one side were taken off before tying.

He is very insistant on ''fine gut''.

It is very much the business end of the tackle and angling strategy he is concerned with, rather than rods, reels and lines.

[Deleted]

Chris,

Fantastic reading, I live just out side Edinburgh and have fished many of the rivers Mr Adam Dryden. I have not tried the Temple burn however its only a fifteen minute drive. Two years ago I spent many an hour fishing the Almond. Great wee river and wonderful wild trout. I believe the Almond has a good run of sea trout. When I fished it I was using PTN, Partridge and Orange. Olives all size 14, 16..


Great historic account of the rivers around Edinburgh, Not sure about the amount of killing of fish.. maybe thats why the river have less in them today...


Tight lines

Buglife