River Tyne - East Lothian

[leckie]

Monday 26 March 2012 - Clerkington
My first outing on this little beauty of a river. I started my fishing session about 5:30pm and fished on till 7:45pm. The river is normally crystal clear but today it was a bit cloudy...I guess it has to do with all the farming activity that's going on at the moment.


Anyways, I was using the Yamame rod, 12' level line, 3' of x6 tippet and a single size 14 sakasa kebari. I decided on the uni knot for the fly instead of the Davy knot.
I only spotted one rise under a large oak, I managed to get a bow cast under the branches and got a pull for my efforts...but that was as far as it went...no fish on the end of the line.




Nice to try another river for a change anyway.

tight lines

Alex

[custheyder]

You got a pull on the line so you did something right! Hopefully the season will improve for you.

[leckie]

Wednesday 11 April 2012 - Pencaitland
The whole of Tuesday was a bit of a wash out with incessant rain falling all day and only stopped around 6pm.
The river levels on the SEPA website showed that the river was dropping off quite fast today....so I headed for a few hours fishing after work....I shouldn't have bothered....true the river had fallen quite considerably over the past 12 hours but it was still very coloured and high....I decided to head upstream to where a tributary (Humbie) joins the Tyne. The problem was that couldn't cross the river to get to the tributary as the current was just too strong....then it started to rain...I mean pour....so I headed for home...just one of those days

tight lines

Alex

[custheyder]

We have those days. I see you added some pictures since your last post. It looks like great water.

[Simon]

You seem lucky, the rivers down here have been washed out since Saturday, and I've taken a week of work. There was a fishing trip to the upper Dee that had to be cancelled. rebooked for next Monday. Fishing with Orange otter.

Simon

[leckie]

Sunday 22 April 2012 - Pencaitland
There’s been quite a few heavy showers overnight so I’ll head for the upper Tyne upstream from the village of Pencaitland…I’ve never fished here before so it’s new territory for me…the river is quite high and coloured but still fishable….the river here is only about 6’ – 8’ wide…high banks …it’s like a mini canal….


I fish from the bank using a single fly….I’ve tried a Partridge and Orange, a green bodied nymph, and a klinkhammer….but none of my offerings interest the trout….I see a rise about 15 yards upstream….I cover it a half a dozen times but no offer…..I decide to take a walk upstream and fish back down….here a few photos of some of the runs I wet my fly on…




I did get one pull but that was it….anyway is always nice to try different stretches.


Tight lines
Alex

[Simon]

Rivers down here in North Wales are washed out around our area, glad to see you can get out!

Simon

[custheyder]

Looks like it could be great water when it isn't so coloured. You had a couple of pulls. I know at least one person who would take that as avoiding a blank! His argument is that the fish was fooled and so he's counting it. I remain to be convinced of the position.

[leckie]

Simon,

Yes, it's the west / east split I guess with the west taking the brunt of the precipitation....we won't go into the north / south split...we'll leave that for another day

Cust,

Yes, I fancy working my way up this river with the dry fly and see what happens....I'll be back

tight lines

Alex

[leckie]

Sunday 6 May 2012 – Birns Water and River Tyne, Pencaitland
It’s 7:30 am and I’m standing where the Birns Water on the left and the Tyne Water meet to form the River Tyne.






This morning I’m heading up the Birns Water to give this tributary a try…I’ve never fished it before so it’s new territory for me….I’m fishing small flies, size 16’s…two in fact…I’m using the hopper dropper method with a coachman on the top and a clyde type spider on the tail….now this first little stretch looks really good with a couple of fallen trees lying across the top of the pool….even better there are a few fish rising beside the fallen tree….I’m full of expectation as I work my way up the pool and now I’m covering the rises…I’m expecting a take at any moment now but nothing happens….I give it another half dozen casts or so to no avail…I decide to move on….I continue to move upwards covering most of the riffles, runs and pools and only missing the pocket water…I want this trip to be a bit of a reconnaissance trip to ascertain the potential of this water for future trips…2 hours have come and gone with no interest in my upstream dry offering…time to change to a couple of spider patterns and work downstream fishing down and across…there’s plenty of fly life but apart from the first pool I’ve neither seen or spotted any fish….it’s now 11:40am and I’m back where I started….not a touch….I’ve 20 minutes of fishing time left and I’m on the main river…..second pool down a fish hits the fly hard and it’s on….a nice little brownie….whew…not blanked then….


the very next cast another hit….this time I miss it…..I fish another few pools and spot some rises and although I cover them, my flies don’t fool them.


Fishing time is over and time to head home for lunch.

Tight lines

Alex

[custheyder]

More great pictures and a great report to read. I got out for an hour yesterday and narrowly avoid the blank.

[leckie]

Monday 14 May 2012 - Pencaitland

There’s been quite a few heavy showers overnight…again… and the river is fairly coloured but fishable

I head up to the start of the River Tyne and fish the first pool of Birns Water….great choice Alex...there is a hatch on and the pool is alive with trout eagerly feasting on the olives as they float downstream….I tie on a single size 16 sakasa kebari tied on tan thread from my wife sewing kit with a partridge hen neck feather for a hackle….about the fourth cast and a trout takes…I have him on but he gets away….a few casts later I have another one…small but perfectly formed and he’s photographed then returned.

The fish have gone down so I move from Birns Water to the River Tyne…all of 10 yards…at the head of the first run I get an strong tug but no connection…I keep moving downstream….about 5 yards further down I get another good pull but this time he’s on…he’s pulling hard in the strong current but I manage to land and photograph him.

I continue moving downstream and get another couple of knocks without any connection… then third time lucky and this little guy’s hooked.

It seems that I am getting interest from every pool and run I fish this evening….I see a few rises further downstream and position my fly where I think the fish was and hey presto number four comes to the net.

I decide to move downstream past the road bridge….this is unfamiliar territory for me…the river is much faster here no pools just runs and riffles for about half a mile….I didn’t connect with another fish nor did I see any rises downstream from the bridge….I’m sure there will be plenty of trout there….I just need to have a rethink about tactics for fishing this type of water.


Tight lines
Alex

[custheyder]

Great outing Alex! ... Fish! ...Lovely to see these chaps afters the all the rain. Riffles and runs Like to fish with a couple of spiders aiming for any quieter little pockets.

[Deleted]

Nice one Alex.

Regardless of conditions you still fish like man possessed! & catch!

Stevie.

[leckie]

stevie,

Your right about a man possessed...I was out this morning for an hour and a half and blanked ....I'll write up a report this evening...Tenkara and river fishing has drummed up my interest in fly fishing once more....the golf clubs can stay in the garage....I have to pass two rivers going to work and believe it or not...the same two rivers on the way home...it's hard not to stop off and wet a line occasionally ;D

tight lines

Alex