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Post by leckie on Mar 9, 2012 21:31:16 GMT
Friday 9 March 2012
I left work sharp today to get an hour and a half's fishing in...great this flexi-time. It's pretty windy and the river it heavily coloured...not in spate though...must have been a heavy downpour that's stirred up the silt...never mind...I'm off to the run where I know grayling inhabit.I caught mine right beside the fallen tree. I try with gold bead nymphs....lose a few casts on snags...but don't connect with any grayling...at least I know where the snags are for future reference...might think about buying some jig hooks from custheyder's website Esoteric tackle if I can work out how to tie them...I'll look on youtube. Plenty of small olives about as its pretty mild. As I pack up the river starts to clear...10 minutes later it's crystal clear...my mind's made up...I'll be back on the river first thing tomorrow morning for a few hours.
tight lines
Alex
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Post by leckie on Mar 11, 2012 22:18:24 GMT
Saturday 10 March
Down by the river for 07:00 hrs. Nice morning...not much wind...a mere breeze..some fly life...but no rises..which is normal for this river. I think last year the first time I spotted a rise was at the end of April. The trout and grayling up here play really hard to get...it's either that or I'm just rubbish at fishing....no no it can't be that because buglife has the same issues as me...they will come on...it's only a matter of time. I fish the weighted nymph size 16....lost it on the snag that I knew I had to avoid from yesterday..but didn't learn...never mind I'll change to a sakasa kebari and fish near the surface...won't get snagged there...and I don't... I must have the same fly on for at least an hour.. if only I had an audience..just a few folk watching... they'd be thinking..now there's a fisherman who knows what he is doing.. look at these bow and arrow casts flying between the branches without snagging...now he's even switching hands and he's fishing left and right handed....we'll watch him for a few minutes until he catches a fish....well I've got news for you...I've been fishing this river for grayling 5 months now and caught 2 (two)....If I were you I'd go home...'cause that's what I'll be doing in 5 minutes. So in 5 minutes I headed home...my two hour session had come and gone. My nephew, his wife and daughter are arriving mid afternoon and he wants to try Tenkara fishing tomorrow morning and catch a grayling...no pressure then....I'll try the River South Esk...I bet there's shoals of them there. ;D
Alex
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Post by custheyder on Mar 12, 2012 8:50:31 GMT
There has to be fish in there somewhere! Enjoyed reading your report. Tight lines for the South Esk!
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Post by leckie on Mar 14, 2012 13:24:50 GMT
Wednesday 14 March 2012 I was on the river by 07:00 hrs…nice mild day…no serious rain for weeks now it seems and the river is very low but at least it clear. I brought the 12’ Yamame with me this time...by mistake really…I thought I was packing the Iwana….never mind maybe the change in rod will bring me luck. I left the squash landing net in the garage and brought the net made from an old wooden badminton racket…it’s a bit bigger….I’m having really positive thoughts….I’ve got a couple of weeks to go and 4 grayling to catch if I want to equal my internal target of 6 caught before I concentrate on the brownies. I change to a clear level line #4 about the same size as the rod, at the end of the level line I have attached a ‘thingmabobber’ indicator with a single size 16 GRHE at the end of 3’ of 7x tippet. I’m fishing a 20 metre run starting at the head and working my way downstream….after only 4 casts or so my indicator dives…I strike and a fish is on….a nice ½ lb. grayling. It’s only ten past seven and I have one in the net…magic. I take a quick photo but the little critter is camera shy and squirming about….I get the hook out quickly and give him a few moments to recover….then he’s off…nice one. That’s me halfway there with my target…3 down 3 to go. It’s one of these special days…the indicator dives again and I’m into another one…slightly bigger this time and safely in the net… another quick photo…this one’s not so camera shy…and quickly back in the river….4 down 2 to go. I’m staying put….if Sonia can do it then so can I….it’s only 07:30 hrs…I’m as happy as Larry. Well I give it another 10 minutes fishing this run and with no more takes the wanderlust takes over and I move downstream. I cover a run then a pool then I find myself back to my favourite run where I caught my first grayling in Dalkeith Country Park. Working its way downstream I spot a mink on the prowl. It’s on the opposite bank from me….I take a photo of it and will let the Park Rangers see it. A couple of minutes after the excitement with the mink my indicator stops mid-stream….I strike and another grayling is on….and now it’s off…I could see it flash midstream and felt the connection for a second…not to worry I’ve still got 30 minutes fishing time left. I work my way up to the fallen tree…I few photos have already been posted earlier on this report….after a few casts beside the tree the indicator dives and I’m into a grayling….a nice one….this is about a 1 lb….there’s a good bend on the Yamame….I reach down to land it and it takes a final run and the next thing I’m aware of is slack line and its off….the hook as well…that damn Davy Knot…I swore I wouldn’t use it again…but because it’s so easy to tie I haven’t got out of the habit yet….I will from now on. I fish on till 09:00hrs then call time up and head to the office. It’s the start of the brown trout season tomorrow….I better get a permit for the Water of Leith (although the season there is from 1April – 30 September) and the River Tyne. Tight lines Alex
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Post by custheyder on Mar 14, 2012 16:08:02 GMT
Nice fish ...is that a thingummy bobber?
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Post by leckie on Mar 14, 2012 17:34:56 GMT
custheyder, It sure is. I think they are called 'thingmabobber’. I find them pretty good...there as light as a feather and very visible. Maybe an item that Esoteric Tackle could stock I can supply a reference ;D Alex
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Post by custheyder on Mar 17, 2012 8:45:59 GMT
Thanks, but no.... I do use a unibobber in a few dry patterns when fishing the duo or trio methods. I make my own indicators and am developing a few new ones on my work bench at home.
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Post by leckie on Mar 17, 2012 21:38:56 GMT
Thursday 15 March 2012 – River North Esk Thought I’d try the River South Esk for a change….arrived at the car park at 06:45hrs…I’ll get a few hours in before work….I don’t believe it…I haven’t packed my wading boots….what a plonker….is it only me this sort of thing happens to….I’ve driven 3½ miles to get here…I’ll just have to drive all the way back and get the wading boots from the garage…without waking up the wife in the process….this won’t be easy but I manage it…and head for the River North Esk…it’s only a mile away…I’ll be there in no time. I’m using a size 16 jig hook with a 2.5 mm tungsten bead and the fly is a simple black nymph. The knot I’m using is a Palomar …advised to me by a forum member…custheyder I think…as I’m fed up losing good fish on the Davy Knot. I’m feeling more confident with this knot I have to say...so bring on the big ones… I have fished for an hour and can’t find any big ones…the small ones seem to have disappeared as well…a guy walking his Spaniel comes down to have a chat and watch me use the T rod. He fished the river too…so I give him a hold of the Iwana and he comments how light it is and he’ll look this Tenkara thing in the internet when he gets home…mmh….small talk but you never know. Five minutes after he leaves a fish takes and is on…it’s a good one…it’s a wbt about ¾lb – 1lb I guess…. it gives a good account of itself but I can feel it tiring…I take the landing off my back and slowly put it in the water….the trout doesn’t fancy this and turns and bolts for mid-stream…then the hook and my thingamabobber goes flying 10 feet up the willow tree. I’m not sure if the hook is up the tree…in the trout’s mouth or what…what I do decide is that I’m not using 7x line I’m going up to 6x. I set up again and try for another 15 minutes but now it’s time to pack up and get to work. Tight lines Alex
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Post by leckie on Mar 17, 2012 22:01:57 GMT
Friday 16 March 2012 – River North Esk I’ll get an hour and a half in before I head for the post office at 9:00hrs.I sold a pair of wading boots on eBay last night…so I better get them posted. I’m back to the usual haunts trying for the grayling…ticked off 4 and 2 to go before the end of the month to equal my internal target of 6. I using a single size 16 barbless black jig fly…after about 15 minutes I connect with a grayling …I can see it struggling in mid-stream…but it’s off pretty quickly. I work towards the tail of the pool then bang….it a trout…it comes flying out of the water once, twice three times….it is not even be ½ lb. but feisty or what…I net it...it’s silvery….I think it’s a small sea trout…we’re only 3 miles or so from the sea….so it could be…I take a photograph of it…let me know what you think.
I fish on for another 30 minutes or so but no more interest.
Tight lines
Alex
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Post by leckie on Mar 19, 2012 20:41:52 GMT
Sunday 18 March 2012 I arrived early as usual at Dalkeith Country Park and fished for a few hours without any success…it was a cold morning around 3 degrees….I was fishing a single nymph under a thingamabobber … nymph was tied on a size 16 jig hook, 2.5mm silver tungsten bead, claret body, wire rib and black thread for the head. It was another cracking morning and the river is in perfect condition…but the fish won this time…..but don’t worry ‘cause I’ll be back. Tight lines Alex
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2012 23:48:26 GMT
Yeah Penicuik to rosslyn is free good fishing got a 3 lb12oz rainbow and a 3lb8oz brown
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2012 23:54:29 GMT
Also is their not an entrance fee at the country park.
Cheers
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2012 23:56:04 GMT
Also is their not an entrance fee at the country park.
Cheers
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2012 1:31:25 GMT
Is the whole esk free to fish or just certain parts , any tips on flys for Dalkeith I was going to use a gold headed gold ribbed hares ear on the point and either a daddy long legs or a march brown fly on the dropper?
Cheers mike
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2012 22:03:56 GMT
Sounds good na no fish had one descent run but it slipped the hook, it shot down stream so I tightened the drag a little bit, but the drag was to sensitive, but i got it on the march brown that you said would be better the daddy, lots of rises just sub surface and a few real good head tail rises, and one jumped straight out the water
Cheers mike
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