River South Esk - Nr Edinburgh

[leckie]

Friday 2 March 2012

The rain’s forecast for Saturday and I’ve got visitors staying over the weekend so with the weather still holding out I decide to try the River South Esk for an hour or so before work. I’m down at the river for 07:00am it’s going to be another glorious morning…but that’s not forecast to last long before the rain sets in. The river is crystal clear and very low….puts stalking at a premium. I’m using the same set up as yesterday with a 15’ hi-viz level line a sakasa kebari and a PTN NZ style. The first half hour nothing…then a fish rises to my sakasa kebari fished dry…I feel a tug then the dreaded realisation that it’s not hooked…blast. I’m finding it difficult to control the fly with such a long line on a small river which is tree lined. I decide to replace the level line with a 10’6” furled leader and a single sakasa kebari on 3’ of tippet…..that’s much better. I’m still on the same pool where I missed the rise 5 minutes earlier and slowly working my way down when bang…a savage take…it has to be a brownie...and it is…it puts a nice bend on the rod and before long it is safely in the squash landing net. I take a quick picture and release it gently back in the water to fight another day. The brownie is just over ½ pound and in good condition.
I fish for another 15 minutes or so thinking that a brace would be nice…but that’s wishful thinking on my part….time I thought about getting to work

tight lines
Alex

[leckie]

Saturday 3 March 2012
I have family staying over with us tonight but they are not arriving till 12:30 pm on Saturday which means that I can get a few hours in before they arrive…so I head off early…and I am down at the riverside before 07:00 am.


It’s a bit colder than it was yesterday with the temperature forecast to reach 7 degrees today…about average for this time of the year. At this time in the morning the temperature is only 3 degrees…so I have a few layers on to keep nice and warm.
I start with a single sakasa kebari fished across and down…nothing. I decide to to stick with this tactic all morning as I will be packing up at 09:30 latest. I work my way upstream covering the pools and runs. I miss out the pocket water…and there’s plenty of that in this little fast flowing river…I’ll get that another time.
By now I’m half a mile or so upstream and have fished a number of nice looking pools and runs…I’ve 15 minutes to go so decide to fish downstream to see if the sakasu kebari fished wet will entice them up…..well no joy…never mind the forecast is for rain on Sunday so that might give the river a flush through and put the level up a bit and hopefully stir some of these fish into action.


Tight lines

Alex

[leckie]

Sunday 11 March 2012

My nephew and I were down by the river for 07:00 hrs. I gave him the 12' Iwana and I was using the 12' Yamame. We tried for two hours and caught nothing....no surprises there then. The pleasing thing was that my nephew mastered the basics very quickly and really enjoyed the experience. It was a nice bright mild morning...great to be out in the countryside and so near to Edinburgh as well.

Alex

[custheyder]

ahh... oh well. It's the experience of being on the river. The beauty of the surroundings and getting lost in the grace of the casting. Good to hear your nephew picked it up quickly. They do say it's easy to learn.

[leckie]

Tuesday 20 March 2012
Headed down to Gore Wood Park...started at 07:00 and fished till 09:00....not a touch...the river was crystal clear and a nice steady flow. I started off keeping with the same set up as previously which was a size 16 claret nymph fished under a thingamabobber. Ifished upstream for 1/2 a mile of so then took the indicator off and switched flies to a weighted sakasa kebari, size 16 jig hook, orange thread body and a reverse hackle from a partridge neck feather. I worked my way downstream imparting some life into the fly as I moved downstream...it looked good in the water...how could a trout or grayling refuse this offering....yet again they didn't play ball.
Next week when the clocks go forward I'll fish for them with the dry...that'll get them up.

tight lines

Alex

[leckie]

Saturday 24 March 2012
A couple of shots of the river from this mornings session.



Last night I tied a size 14 barbless emerger hook with a green body, fine wire and a dyed green hen neck feather...so I thought I would give this a go...fishing it wet on the second run I felt a hard tug and a fish was on....unfortunately it was only about 5 inches so I didn't take a photo of it....since I was only 15 minutes into my 2 hour session I thought at last I'll see some action this morning....well I fished hard for the next one and a half hours without another touch....but I did a bit reconnaissance and the photos are a run and a pool that I had never fished before....so more experience gained---you've got to take some positives from another disappointing day in terms of fish caught.
Still good to be out and about.

tight lines

Alex

[Deleted]

Alex

Well at least you got a couple of good things from the day, one fish and a couple of new spots to try hope they will be successful for you alex.

Tight lines

Mike

[leckie]

Sunday 1 April 2012 – Dalkeith Country Park




I fished just up from the junction where the River North Esk and the River South Esk meet….I only had one hours fishing time left so I worked my way upstream using a 2 fly set up…a size 14 sakasa kabari on the top and a size 16 nymph on the point….It’s a really nice part of the river with nice pools and runs all along the stretch I was fishing….pretty tree lined…so most of my casts seemed to be of the bow and arrow variety….I didn’t catch anything on this occasion…although I did get a pull on the line…it was worth the walk (15 minutes) getting here.

Tight lines

Alex

[leckie]

Monday 2 April 2012 - Dalkeith Country Park
As I was setting up around 5pm the Park Manager stopped his Landrover to have a chat with me....he told me the a family of otters have been working their way up and down the River North Esk targetting the shoals of grayling.....shoals of grayling...aye right I thought to myself....I reckon the otters won't be there for long lest they starve to death.
Anyway I told him that I was going to try the South Esk tonight...he thinks that is the better river for fishing...we'll see.
I’m fishing with a 10’6” furled line this time with a size 14 sakasa kebari on the top and an unweighted nymph tied NZ style 15” below. After a few casts I connect with a lively little brown trout …it took the sakasa kebari quite viciously….I take a quite photo and send it on its way.

Working down the runs and pools another little trout goes for the same fly…this time it slips the hook and is off. I only saw one rise and fished until 7:40pm….I decide to give the ‘fallen tree’ pool on the North Esk a go for 5 minutes before it gets dark…it’ll take me 15 minutes to walk there…better get a move on…

Tight lines

Alex

[custheyder]

Lovely little chap. About the same size as my first this season. I need to get out in an evening.

[leckie]

Friday 6 April 2012 - Newbattle Abbey College stretch


Early start...arrived just before 7am...park the car beside the College which is less than 100 yards from the river....I decide to walk down to the bridge at the golf course...less than half a mile downstream and work up with two nymphs and an indicator....the river is quite brown....must be the snow melt from the hills. Some places you have to start at the head and work the fly downstream...I got my only pull fishing downstream...a nice trout...unfortunately the tippet broke just above the dropper...a wind knot I guess....I saw the flash of its body as it turned to take the fly...felt the pull..and that was it. It went for a size 14 Partridge and Orange tied sakasa kebari style....There's now a lot of folk walking through the estate with their dogs....and right on queue here comes a big black Labrador bounding down towards me....gives me a sniff..then plunges in to the pool...I'm heading home...time for breakfast.

tight lines

Alex

[leckie]

Sunday 8 April 2012 - Newbattle Abbey College stretch


I got to the river early...started fishing around 07:00 hrs....good steady flow and the river is clear and there’s a good hatch of olives...although no fish are showing. I've decided to use a single wet fly and work my way downstream to the 'golf course' bridge pool....I can't recall ever catching a fish from this stretch although I haven't fish it that often because it's a popular place for the locals walking their dogs.
I start off with a size 14 partridge and orange but no offers so I switch to a ptn...another 30 minutes comes and goes with any offers and I haven't seen a rise yet....
For the last 15 minutes I switch to a size 16 purple sakasa kebari and try imparting some life in the fly to see if this will entice one of these fickly trout to bite but it was not to be...another day perhaps

tight lines

Alex

[custheyder]

Keep going mate! .... There has to be fish in there somewhere!

[leckie]

Cust.

I'm going to fish this river this season right up to the source ....Roseberry Reservoir about 7 miles.... and I ain't moving upstream until I catch at least one fish from each section....so I could be here for a while

tight lines

Alex

[custheyder]

Don't forget your head torch, sleeping bag, bivvy bag and plenty of food and drink.

I have every confidence you'll succeed in your quest and hopefully it won't take too many sessions. I'm looking forward to the report and the pictures.