Water of Leith (WOL) - City of Edinburgh

[leckie]

Thursday 12 April 2012 – Longstone

I headed off at lunchtime for a 30 minute session which will be my first visit to this lovely river that runs through the City of Edinburgh. There was a good head of water in the river….the aftermath of the heavy rain we have endured recently…but it was clear and there were hatches of olives all over the river….looks promising.
I’m sticking with a single fly a size 14 barbless Partridge and Orange tied sakasa kebari style, fished as a wet across and down with a little twitching to impart some life in it and hopefully induce a take….I fished for 30 minutes without seeing a fish rise either to a natural or my offering….still it was nice to be out fishing again.

Tight lines

Alex

[leckie]

Tuesday 17 April 2012 – Longstone



I arrived at the river about 12:30pm….tackled up at the Booker Cash & Carry….which is handy ‘cause the river is about 10 yards away from where the car’s parked ….crossed the river to head upstream….I met a fellow fisherman and stopped for a chat…turns out he’s the water bailiff….he said they stocked the river about a month ago at various places with 400 brown trout between 10” – 12”. He caught one about a pound in weight earlier in the day a bit further upstream…I saw him looking at my rod and I gave him the rundown on Tenkara…opened up the rod…got him to hold it to confirm just how light it is….he was impressed…I explained I only had 40 minutes fishing time and moved upstream….My tactic is to fish a weighted nymph across and down and see what that brings….the water is clear and there is a large hatch of olives and what I thought was a daddy long legs….but must be a mayfly surely…after about 20 minutes I connect with a small trout of around 4”…it’s quickly returned and that was it…no more offers…so I head back to work.



Tight lines

Alex

[leckie]

Friday 20 April 2012 – Longstone
I’m giving it a go after work for a change…I can see from the SEPA website that the water level is still steady even after all the showers we’ve had over the past 24 hours.
I’m going to head upstream for a couple of hundred yards and fish a pool adjacent to the WOL Visitor Centre…and here’s a photo of this lovely little pool

I’m using a level line with a two fly set up…a green bodied nymph on the point and a Partridge and Orange Tied Sakasa Kebari style on the dropper…both flies are size 14 barbless….I fish up to the neck of the pool without any interest shown in my flies….there are large hatches of olives appearing as the sun is out and it feels warm when the sun is on you….still no fish showing….I turn and start fishing down and across slowly walking down the river….I get to just above where my car is parked then I feel the first of eight or nine tugs in the space of 15 minutes or so…I manage to hook only one….I semi-collapse the rod and take the captured trout which is safely in my landing net over to the bank for a photo….


I take the photo and no sooner have I done so when this spaniel comes bounding over…almost steps on my Iwana…I quickly collapse the rod and wind up the line….the mutt now thinks that my collapsed rod is a stick and leaps up constantly to catch it….the mutt’s owner shouts over ‘ he only wants to play, he thinks you’ve got a stick’….yeah a $159 stick….that’s when the camera slipped out of my hand and landed in the river…..thankfully the mutt gets bored and bounds over to his master….I now retrieve my camera from the river bed…luckily its only in 9” of water so it should be okay….it’s an Opito 33 WR….the WR stands for Water Resistant…let’s hope so.
I continue fishing downstream and about three pools further on I get another good take…missed it….a few casts later and I’m in…this fish is a real fighter and gives a good account for itself…I take the landing net from my back then I hear a plot as my wading staff and half of my magnetic stonefly D ring sinks to the bottom of the pool…its about 2 ½ feet deep where I’m standing….I forget about the wading staff matter and concentrate on landing this feisty trout of about ¾ of a pound in weight...I manage to land and photograph it then send it on its merry way…I can’t see the wading staff…so I leave it for another day.

I continue fishing till 8:30pm then call it a day…..at least it wasn’t a blank.
Tight lines
Alex

[custheyder]

Great fish and a good report. Those dogs can be a pain, although I was demonstrating the tenkara style on my fathers drive when the neighbors cat came bounding across and dived at the line. Darn thing wouldn't leave the line alone so had to pack it up for another day.

Today on the river I had to contend with a black lab that just wanted to play. It didn't help matters when it decided to jump into the pool! Marvelous... no fish in there any more. Report to follow.

Cust.

[leckie]

Monday 23 April 2012 – Longstone

I arrived at the river just before 8am to see if I could retrieve my wading staff and half of my stonefly magnetic D ring…I came armed with a pair of swimming goggles and I borrowed one of these litter grabs that the janitors use to pick up litter without having to bend down…perfect….the wading staff has a lead insert so although the river was quite high over the weekend I’m hoping that it will still be in the same place where it plopped in….with the goggles I could see the bottom okay…and this was without getting my hair wet…have to keep up apperances you know....but no sign of the wading staff….I gave it another 5 minutes of fruitless searching before I gave up and reckoned it was half way down to Leith and heading for the Firth of Forth….I pack up and head back to work....

It’s now 6:30pm and I’m back on the river fishing….for fish this time.
Lots of fly life swarming around but not rises….there’s a chap fishing where I was going to start so I head further downstream….not far... only the next run…I’m using a two fly set up and will work my way downstream until 8 pm then I plan to head to the run beside the car park and finish up there.
An hours gone and not so much of a pull on the line….undaunted I carry on….I look back and see a heron on the far bank…it must have flew in after I passed that spot otherwise I’d better make an appointment with Specssavers….damm…a fish had a go at my fly but missed it… I cover it a few more times with no reaction so keep heading downstream…I get to a pool that looks promising, right across from me I hear a rustle and see a mink…it stops then dives into the pool…I continue fishing then bang…a trout has taken my weighted nymph on the point….it’s about ½ lb. and lively…I manage to land it and take a photo before releasing it safely….


I see a few rises at the tail of the pool….I take off my weighted nymph and put on a size 16 PTN….I’m under a tree…good camouflage ...and firing our bow and arrow casts when another trout hits the dropper which is a size 14 Partridge and Orange….I land him safely…this guy has a few scars on him ….I think he’s been caught by the heron but managed to escape…photo time then he’s off in a flash….


it’s now 8pm and time to head back to the run beside the car park for the last half hour….I get a few good takes with no hooks ups unfortunately….and that’s it…time to head home for dinner.

The shadowman...


There's a heron in this picture....if you can spot it you've got better eyesight than me

Damm - my finger got in the way of a good shot

This one makes me feel dizzy looking down at my plates of meat..


Tight lines

Alex

[custheyder]

Great report... I'm not sure I'd have the nerve for the goggles thing.

Nice to hear you had some fish and I'm looking forward to the pictures.

Cust.

[leckie]

Wednesday 25 April 2012 – Longstone

The weather forecast is pretty rubbish for tomorrow so I’ve just checked the SEPA website and the river level on the WOL looks steady after a drop off during the night…I arrive after 12:15pm and cast my first fly just before 12:30pm…I’m fishing the ‘car park’ run which has brought me good success over the past week or so…I spot the heron that I saw a few days ago…out comes the camera…and I’ve got him before he flies off.
I’m fishing across and down as usual on this river…I’m looking out for rises but don’t see any…yet….I’ve got a size 14 partridge and orange on the dropper and a green nymph on the point….after 15 minutes or so I get a pull…but I’m too slow to react and miss it….I’ll need to buck up my ideas and concentrate….5 minutes later and a little brownie has gone for the P&O and he’s hooked…I’m under a tree so can’t exert the normal leverage that I can on open water….but after a tussle he’s safely in the net…a quick photo and he’s away….nice


I carry on downstream for another half and hour without seeing any fish move or show any interest in my offering….then the rain comes hammering down….time to head to the car get to work and have lunch.

Tight lines

Alex

[custheyder]

Well played. With he rain coming down here it looks like my trip tomorrow will be a wash out.

[leckie]

Friday 27 April 2012 – Longstone

I arrive just after 7am…the river is high but not in spate….it’s not crystal clear but definitely fishable…because the flow is quite strong I decide to head downstream for a while and fish back upstream using 2 weighted nymphs and an indicator….there are quite a few hatches of olives but no sign of any fish….I try for an hour without any success and decide to call it a day and head to work….I plan to stop off at the River North Esk on the way home from work and see if there’s any action there.

tight lines

Alex

[leckie]

Tuesday 8 May 2012 - Longstone

It's a nice evening so I'll fish for an hour on the way home from work....the river is running nice and steady and clear...it's mild..and there are plenty of flies on the water although I can't spot any rises....this evening I'm using a single green sakasa kebari tied by my own fair hand on a size 14 barbless hook....nothing in the first pool....so I move downstream...on the next run I have a fish on....not the largest but pretty all the same.



This is a view of the run where I caught the trout looking back upstream



Nothing in the next run and I now fish myself in the pool where I lost my wading staff....my fly is working a nice deep hole in the middle of the pool when...bang...a real solid take...nice bend in the rod...but I can't see the fish it's keeping to deep water...I lift my rod to try to get it's head up when I realize that I have caught my furled leader in an overhead branch...what was I thinking....one thing about tenkara fishing is you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times....well you can guess what happened next...it's off and away...never mind...these things happen....Session over time to go home.

tight lines

Alex

[custheyder]

If that was me the air might of turned a little blue at the point I lost the fish because of an overhead branch. I'm an expert at finding them. Since starting Tenkara I have been much more aware of my surroundings, where I'm casting and which direction I'll be potentially striking to play a fish. I very mkuch enjoy reading your report on "real" fishing experiences.

Cust.

[leckie]

Wednesday 13 June 2012 - Longstone

I was driving to work early...the sun was shining...I reached out and put the shades on ....this song came into my head...

Oh what a beautiful morning
Oh what a beautiful day
I got a beautiful feeling
Everything going mmmy waaaaay

...then I thought..why not do a bit of fishing before the work day starts...you had a great evening's fishing last night with eight fish coming to hand on the River North Esk.....so that's what I did...I stopped off at the usual haunt and started at the first pool from the car park fishing upstream with a single dry fly....after 10 minutes a rise to the fly...I strike and he's on...he's puts up a strong fight so much so that he eventually shakes the hook and fly and line snag in the branches of an overhanging tree....try as I might that's all the action I get...loads of fly life...big mayflies too...but I don't see any rises....

Having just blanked in the morning, I decide to redeem myself on the way home from work by wetting my line for an hour or so....no touches....another blank...back down to earth with a bang...I did see a kingfisher though...classic...it dived into the water and came back and sat on a branch...didn't see any fish in it's beak...then it flew off...first time I have seen a kingfisher...nice one

tight lines


Alex


tight lines

Alex

[Deleted]

This little Gem of a river runs right past my house and although I don't fish it that often I do know it well and have fished it for over 20 years. I haven't seen any Tenkara rods on the river yet but I'm sure I will in time.

I quite often take a walk along the river snapping photos for my twitter followers with an interest in the river. It's really a lovely little water so if you're ever in Edinburgh grab a permit :-)

[Simon]

Tuesday 7th.
At last I get to meet Leckie! After all the posts on the forum it's strange putting a face to a forum member. A quick phone call In the afternoon arranged a meeting at my hotel at 6pm with thetroutfly meeting us there also. How do you recognise an angler? Leckie came in in a suit, while troutfly came in carrying a tenkara rod! A quick chat, and the fishing location was selected, the waters of Leith, a short drive from the hotel.

The river was still running coloured and raised after the past weekends rain,

Dougie "troutfly" was on his first tenkara outing, but a very experienced angler. Setting up with various wet flies we started fishing.
I had a level line along with Leckie. Dougie had a furled leader which I had given him to try. During the couple of hours we had fishing Dougie tried both the furled leader and the level line on my rod.

After an enjoyable evening no fish were harmed but two new friends have been made in Edinburgh!
Going fishing is much better than sitting in a hotel room on your own.

Simon

[Deleted]

I was out on the WoL this afternoon fishing around the Balerno area, I took my best trout so far on the tenkara gear but I was a little frustrated by the wind. I lost a couple of trout and missed another couple. Very few of the risers I found showed much interest in my fly but I guess that's the thing about fishing only one fly, some trout will like it and others won't

Anyway, here's a wee photee: