Post by kingfisher on Oct 10, 2010 16:26:46 GMT
I set out at the beginning of the season that I would at least fish the "big Four" some thing I have never done before in the same season and yesterday the Tweed was to conclude this wishlist.
The day was the Holylee beat on the upper river, looked after by Jack the Boatman, that I had fished for trout in my youth, but never salmon. I was accompanied on the day by a fellow forum member - Tweedbunnet (Alistair) and by chance met up with two other forum members Dougie (Tenet) and Alan (Splash). So a couple more faces to forum names and was nice to meet up with them.
The day started with TB and myself being allocated the lower half of the beat, whilst Alan and Dougie the top. The river was in good height at 10" but was dropping and clear, but the ever increasing strength of the wind, made for tricky casting.
Alistair headed up to Scrogbank, while I started in Birkie in front of the hut
Birkie.
After running down through this pool, of which there was 2-3 fish showing, but were dark coloured fish, Jack showed me the Cootstone pool, which was a tricky pool as you had to wade out at the top and walk down nearer the midle to avoid the deep channels on both sides of this pool. So off down this where I was instructed and after a couple of casts was into a fish. After backing up from the pool onto the banking, a flotilla of canoes (you can see them in the picture at the top) came down, heading for the pool I was in playing the fish. After hanging onto the fish for a few minutes, whilst I sorted out the b***** canoes to take the left bank etc and the boatman ready to tail it, the fish fell off.
after that episode I swapped places with Alistair and fished down through Scrogbank and the Avenue, where more coloured fish were seen. Halfway down Scrog, I felt a good snatch at my home made Flame thrower, thinking I had would at last get a fish on my home made fly, but it turned out to be a cracking brownie of over 2lbs.
Scrogbank neck
Looking up Scrogbank pool
After fishing down Scrogbank without an offer from a salmon, it was the turn of The Avenue. This run was just that a long streamy run that had some good looking lies in it.
After a welcome lunch in the hut, where we heard that Alan had lost one up in the upper beat. We swapped over with Dougie and Alan and we were shown the ropes by Jack. Jack was a very good boatman, very good pointing out the lies, where to get into the pools and when to start from / to etc walking up and down the length of the beat, making sure everyone was being attended to. A refreshing charactor to be around.
So having fished down through the pools (as in order below) it was time up and headed down to the hut without any more pulls or action.
Bar Stream
Looking down Bar.
Holylee is a lovely easily waded beat and some very good pools, I will go back to try my luck again some day.
k
!!!!! fecking canoe's 
