It was around 5.30 am on a Thursday morning when I was hovering in the bedroom and glanced up at the TV screen. The weather forecast on BBC Breakfast News was being shown. The forecast indicated a spell of dry, settled weather over the borders for the upcoming days. This was a change to what we had been having over recent weeks, with relentless wind and rain. This got me thinking. It was late October, with two or three days of settled weather forecast for the borders; where should I go for a cast? The River Tweed of course! By the time I had finished doing the chores, I was excited about the prospect of fishing the Tweed.
I knew that there was some availability on the Tweedswood beat near Melrose. I had fished the beat on several occasions last season without success. However, this did not detract from the enjoyment that I had from my days fishing. I saw plenty of fish and the pools were a delight to fish. On top of that, the ghillie Kevin Patterson was an absolute pleasure to fish with. I gave Kevin a ring and asked him about the prospects for Saturday. Kevin was optimistic, as his guests had already caught four fish that morning. He felt that prospects would be good as long as the weather forecast stayed true. My mind was made up with a settled weather forecast and a dropping river already producing fish.
Saturday morning dawned dry but very windy. I was brimming with anticipation. I have fished the River Tweed many times in the prime month of October. Invariably, I have had difficult water conditions to contend with, which has hampered my fishing prospects. However, this time, I hoped that I had got it right. Driving south over the Queens Ferry Crossing, I got a real idea of how strong the wind was. There was a speed restriction on the bridge, and gusts of wind buffeted the car. Would it be too windy, with lots of leaves in the water spoiling the day?
One of the Tweedswood beat's most spectacular features must be the famous viaduct. It can be seen upstream from the road bridge, which spans the beat. I turned off the main road and before I opened the gate to the track that led down to the hut, it took just a minute, to get a photograph of the viaduct. It was looking stunning, glistening in the early morning October sun. The whole beat was looking fantastic in all its autumnal finery. The reds and golds of the leaves were now coming through and their reflection on the water was producing a sea of colour.
On arrival at the hut, Kevin was in a typically buoyant mood. He was confident, with conditions almost perfect. Luckily, the strong gusty wind would be downstream and on our back when casting. Only two other anglers were fishing the beat. This meant that there would be a lot of water to cover between the three of us. Tweedswood can accommodate six rods comfortably. So, with all the extra space, we were spoiled with the number of pools that we had at our disposal. We mulled over tactics while having a coffee. I was assigned to fish the Tweedswood pool in the morning. This is a fantastic long pool that boasts some lovely fly water. It is one of the most productive pools on the beat. Kevin felt that the water height was perfect for the pool. While building up my rod, I saw several fish moving at the head of the pool. This added to Kevin's confidence and he remarked "We will be catching fish today guys!" From a ghillie first thing in the morning, those words are music to any angler's ears. With a strong flow at the top of the pool, Kevin suggested I use a floating line with a heavy sinking tip and a tungsten tube. He picked out an inch and a half black and yellow tungsten tube from my fly box. Looking at the pool from a distance, I was convinced this set up would be too heavy. Kevin reassured me that this would not be the case as the strength of the current in the Tweedswood pool can be quite deceiving.
I walked up to the head of the pool. The pool was looking great and very inviting for the fly. Wading in the Tweedswood pool is very easy, but as the head of the pool is relatively narrow, deep wading is unnecessary. The wind was on my bank and slightly downstream, which was ideal, as it would aid my fly casting. As soon I started fishing, I realised that Kevin was spot on with his advice of using the line with the heavy tip coupled with a tungsten tube. There was an excellent flow going down the head of the pool and the fly coupled with the heavy tip was fishing like a dream. I saw two fish show further down the pool and for a moment, I lost concentration whilst casting. My fly hit the stones on the far bank. I inspected the fly and noticed that the tubing that held the hook in place had cracked. I quickly looked through my box to realise that I did not have any spare tubing. I, therefore, picked a similarly weighted fly around the same size in length. The fly was a Willie Gunn variant, with plenty of flash in the wing. It was tied by one of my very good friends and given to me as a birthday present. I had already caught a springer on the River Spey earlier in the season on one of his home-tied patterns, so I felt quite confident.
I had been fishing for about twenty minutes when doubts began creeping into my head. Was the fly too big? Was it too heavy? Was my fly fishing deep enough? After all, I was seeing plenty of fish and I was covering them. I was just about to change the tip section of my line to a heavier tip when the line tightened on the dangle. I was into a fish! The fish came to the surface early in the fight and so I knew it was pretty small in size. Despite its size, the fish put up a spirited fight. It tore off towards the far bank twice before I regained some control. I managed to beach the four pound fresh cock grilse, which was smothered in sea lice. After a quick photo, the fish was returned to continue its journey. So it was quarter to ten and I had landed my first fish, it was going to be a good day.
Looking to experience excellent fly fishing on the river tweed? Why not book Tweedswood today?
I retied my fly and resumed fishing. I had been fishing for no more than ten minutes when, as the fly was swinging around in the current, just off centre, I got the most vicious of takes. The loop of loose line got pulled savagely out of my right hand, almost burning my index finger in the process. My rod bent double and then the line on my reel started emptying at an alarming rate. My priority was to get on to dry land. Once on the bank, I started getting some line back on the reel by walking downstream. The fish then decided to run towards me at a great pace jumping and cartwheeling out of the water. It was a big sea trout and one of the finest sights in fishing. After a further run downstream, the fish was landed. The sea trout was a reasonably fresh fish of around eight pounds. I returned the fish and called my husband to tell him what a great day I was having. He said he was happy for me, but I was not convinced. I was sure he was speaking to me through gritted teeth! It was only quarter past ten and I had already caught two nice fish and was seeing plenty. I was in angling heaven.
Whilst fishing down the pool, Kevin caught up with me. It was great to hear that the other two anglers on the beat had also caught fish. It was a very productive morning for the beat. I continued fishing down the pool, seeing a mixture of both old and new fish, but I did not get any further offers. Just before lunch, I decided to change my fly. While I was in the process of doing so, I heard a shout from one of my fellow anglers. He had hooked another fish and judging from the bend in the rod, it looked a decent size. Kevin was at hand to take control of the situation. After a good fight, the fish was expertly netted and returned. It was a coloured cock fish of around fourteen pounds.
Back in the hut at lunchtime, we reflected on a fantastic morning. We had all seen and more importantly, caught fish. The prospects for the afternoon were looking good. The wind had dropped and the sun had come out. We decided to make the best use of the good conditions. So, after a quick lunch, we were back on the river again. I was allocated the Cowies pool to fish.
The Cowies pool is a fly fishers dream. Fishing the pool takes an entire afternoon, and the wading is relatively easy. At the head of the pool, the fish lie towards the far bank. As you fish down the pool, it widens out. The current speeds up but the pool itself becomes shallower. The tail of the pool has lots of glassy patches of water created by boulders, which look very inviting.
As soon as I got to the pool, I saw several fish moving. The pool looked in great order, and I couldn't wait to start. I changed my fly and reverted to my friends Willie Gunn tying. I was fishing for around half an hour and still not had a touch. This was surprising as conditions were great and I was seeing plenty of fish. However, I did not have to wait much longer. Shortly afterwards, my line gently tightened and I was into a fish. This was a more subtle take than the previous two fish that day. The fish initially decided to stay deep and run upstream along the far side of the pool. While it was doing so, it was clearly disturbing other fish in its wake as they jumped out of the way. The fish then came towards my bank and started head shaking, which I did not like. After a few minutes of playing the fish at close range, I guided it into the net. The fish was a lovely fresh fish of around seven pounds. After a quick photograph, the fish was returned unharmed.
I continued fishing while soaking up the stunning autumnal colours on the trees. I was joined by Kevin, who was delighted that I had caught another fresh fish. I continued fishing down the pool, primed, just waiting for the line to tighten. There was still plenty of fish showing. But alas, that fourth pull never came. I could not complain, though. Two fresh salmon and a good sea trout, caught in beautiful surroundings, were more than enough for me.
I returned to the hut and had a coffee with Kevin and my fellow anglers. Another sea trout of around six pounds had been caught in the afternoon from the Tweedswood pool. That was five salmon and two sea trout caught from the beat for the day. On the drive home, I reflected on a great day. It was like one of those magical back-end days the River Tweed is famed for!