19/04/2013 - North Esk

Fancy meeting you here!!!

Having branched out for miles in either direction, there were still a few of my local pools requiring a first visit of the season. I began at Telford's Bridge in enticing conditions, but very quickly I got the feeling that the story of the early season so far was about to repeat. Specifically - nothing doing. The top and bottom of Telford's brought nothing so I decided to head up to the pool just above the outflow to the old fish farm. It's usually good for a bite, and it wasn't unknown when the fish farm was there to find an escapee Rainbow Trout, usually at least 2 1/2 lbs although the condition usually left a bit to be desired. but any port in a storm.

However, there wasn't a single drop of water from the outflow where usually there is a cascade. I was aware the fish farm had been put up for sale a couple of years ago, but didn't think it was still open. While the lack of outflow could be due to the silting up of the lade above the Serpy Weir (see previous report), I was ultimately saddened that this looked like the end of surprise rainbows on the Penicuik Esk. I don't recall getting any in 2012 and think my last one may have been early 2011 so that would appear to be that.

I made my way downstream through the (overfished and already tree-decorated with bubble floats) Corner Pool and on and on, but with absolutely nothing to show for my efforts.

My final pool was the Ele's Hole, a large pool with a big waterfall crashing into it where I suspect the largest of this area's brownie's will eventually be found. Having fished about half of it for nothing at all, I finally felt a thud and this time it wasn't a snag. I could immediately tell it was big, but very quickly it exposed itself by shooting out and clear of the water. Lo and behold, after writing off my chances of ever encountering another Rainbow Trout on the Esk, here was one going crazy on the end of my line. Spending almost as much time in the air as it did in the water, I eventually coaxed it onto the bank and set about measuring and photographing.

After some fumbling about I got it back into the water and it shot off as if nothing had happened. Obviously in excellent condition, measuring 18 inches and probably 2 1/2 to 3lb in weight (fresh out the fish farm it would probably be more like 4lb.

So, whilst the brownies resolutely decline to play ball (where do they hide in this weather?), it's good to find a bonus Rainbow lolloping about as if it owns the place. I'll maybe give the fish farm a wee visit to find out if they have indeed stopped farming. if that's the case, I'm pretty stumped as to where this fish originated. Whilst not impossible that it made its way here from upstream, I suspect it has arrived there from downstream (on the basis of no evidence whatsoever).

If you look at its fins, the pectoral, pelvic and anal fins are all in excellent condition. The dorsal fin has been cropped to about half size at some point in it's distant past and there was also a small chunk out of the bottom of its tail. I suspect this latter damage may have been more recent, either simply from rubbing against something, or maybe an encounter with a furry brown thing. But it appears to have been in the river/wild for a good few months.

03/09/2012 - North Esk

From 29th August, a week ago

Time - 1615-1645 & 1935 - 2020
Water - Up a bit, lovely peaty tinge
Weather - Nice in session 1 with a bit of wind, duller later with some unforecast drizzle
Method - Size 2 silver Mepp red spots
Total - 0

After the summer we've had (2nd wettest on record) and the amount of high water levels (and the nature of those levels - see graph), the river hasn't survived unscathed. Quite a few of the pools and runs have altered quite substantially. The Corner Pool for instance has really silted up on the far bank where the wee burn comes in. Whereas before there was a bit of a curl in the flow of the water as the current on the inside of the bend went back 'upstream', now its pretty much all a straight downstream flow and you can see the bottom in more places.  Just downstream the flow in the pool above the old waterworks has switched banks. Meanwhile upstream at the footbridge to the ponds the left bank has increased in size, squeezing the river and making it a lot less fishable. I've not explored too much further, but where I have, the story is similar, more of that in a minute.

I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a gent a couple of years or so ago when I had my permit for the Tweed. I'd spent a fair while exploring the upper stretches and hadn't found many worthwhile spots to wet the fly. On return to the car there was a guy who lived in a nearby house standing on the bridge watching the water. He fished this stretch often and had done for years. He told me that some of the spate/floods they'd had in the last year or two were of a much different character than in the past. They were bigger, more sudden and a lot more powerful. A bit more like the graph above rather than a steady increase. The upshot was that a lot of the old pools had been filled in by rocks/silt etc being flushed downstream. Not only was this a negative for us fisherfolk, but it meant running fish had less places to rest and also badly affected redds.

In my anecdotal experience on my local river, the North Esk, the river I'm in a good position to monitor, this is what is increasingly happening. That these rivers once had deeper pools which are being filled in by modern flooding shows that there must be a certain type of flooding/spate conditions that can hollow out rivers making them 'how they were'. But it definitely seems that the weather patterns, more specifically the rain/flooding/spate patterns we seem to be experiencing now - more localised and extreme weather events - are silting up and filling in some rivers.

And so to the actual fishing. Perusers of my Forth & Clyde Canal report will be up to speed with my new lure of choice (Live Baby Shad Golden Shiner). Having since had some success with it taking a 10 & a 12 incher since my canal visit, I was keen to give it a soaking in the Esk. The first session utilised it to no effect, not even a bite or a flash in what I'd usually describe as excellent conditions. Time of day wasn't ideal, and a black Lab dumping itself into the Corner Pool when I arrived didn't help, but still. The Corner Pool and the next pool down from it produced diddly squat.

In the evening I was keen to get down to the Auchendinny stretch where I'd had some success at the back end of last season. Arriving at the tunnel bridge, it was obvious that the waterscape had altered a bit down here too. Usually I can wade under the bridge and cross at the foot of the pool to the left bank, fish under the road bridge, then cross again and fish on downstream to the weir. However there basically isn't a tail to the first pool now with the two pools that were under each bridge now being imperceptibly joined. It also looked like wading under the Old Railway Bridge might be off the cards, so I headed through the tunnel and gained access around the building site that used to be Dalmore Mill.

Tree stump funghi with slug

While I'm here I'll mention I've started, and will continue to take photos of the old mill site as they build on it. It's going to massively alter the area as the flats and houses are completed and folk move in, so best to enjoy it as much as possible while its like it is. I'll prob post the photos in a future blog showing before and after photos alongside each other. While I was traipsing across the building site, a tree stump with some really vivid orange funghi caught my eye. This photo (with the slug for scale) shows it off reasonably well.

I'd swapped the jelly minnow for a trusty mepp. Once again though, the weir pool has been altered a little after recent spates. The left bank sandbar where I normally fish from was smaller and further out making the tail of the pool a bit thinner. There has also been some damage to the lip of the weir on the right bank, meaning a healthier flow down that side. I covered the whole pool in expectation but all I got for my efforts was a hefty thump by something of indeterminate size. Then the unforecast drizzle began to speed up the gloomy sunset and I beat a retreat back to civilisation.

16/08/2012 - North Esk

Time - 1500 - 1600
Water - Normal
Weather - Nice
Method - Two fly set-up, Wickhams/Greenwells Nymph
Total - 1
Species - Brown Trout
Size - 6 inch

A quick session from Valleyfield down to Eskmill. I've totally neglected local fly-fishing this season, mostly due to the amount of rain and the rivers being up more or less all the time.

This was a maiden expedition with H who is trying to hone his fledgling fly fishing skills.

There was another fly fisher out who reported one plus a few offers. Another dude was bait fishing in the Ele's hole. I didn't entice anything until the last pool alongside Eskmill, where, when I was reeling in, a daft wee brownie decided to take the Wickhams.

11/04/2012 - North Esk

Time - Evening
Weather - Chilly
Water - Up
Where - Telfords - Corner Pool
Method - Mepp
Total - 0

The first downpours of the season pumped the river levels up so I took a short punt on the Esk but without success. The only tap occurred above Telfords (7 inch or so) and despite nice but probably too high conditions elsewhere, nothing showed. My guess is the water temp is still too low, but it is still intriguing where the fish go, because in similar conditions in a month or two's time it will be fishalicious.

24/08/11 - North Esk

View upstream from left bank

Time - 18.00-20.30

Water - Turning peaty from brown, 10 cm or so up

Where - Wooden Bridge to Ele's Hole

Weather - Damp

Method - Bronze mepp size 2
Total - 3
Species - Brown Trout
Size - 7.5 - 11 inches

Fairly typical session for time of year & conditions etc. Connected with excellent example of the Salmo Trutta coming in at 11 inches on the measuring tape. Twas such a nice fish I've added two photos profiling both flanks.

Note the vivid red on the tail and adipose. It emerged from quite close to the waterfall.

There were another couple of fish trying to jump the waterfall, nothing over 9-10 inch.

18/08/11 - North Esk

Two Tone

Time - 16.00-20.00
Water - Targets coming in very cloudy (see picture), river didnt look too enticing below its confluence. Although upstream was quite clear, though with cloudiness increasing throughout day.

Where - Wooden Bridge up to Low Pond

Weather - A big cloudburst from 3-3.30pm swelled and upset the river a bit

Method - Silver mepp size 2
Total - 3
Species - Brown Trout
Size - 6 - 8.5 inches

I took this picture just below the confluence with the Targets stream. The cloudy half is the Targets stream and the clearer water is the main river. Quite interesting. I hadnt really thought before that the river at the point where I took the photo is so precisely split between the two incoming waters. Usually a difference isnt visible, but is there, but when the two streams are differently coloured its so obvious.

The first fish I caught was yet another 8.5 incher making them 5 of my last 7 fish. Hopefully not all the same game fish. I waded from the Wooden Bridge up to Telfords (again nothing doing at the bottom end). Notably I found a scythe in the water!!!! I then rejoined the river at the waterfall at the Serpy. The pool at the foot of the waterfall was too turbulent with the amount of water, by this time I'm pretty sure the main river was rising due to all the earlier rain. It was also clouding over by this point and would be completely cloudy by the time I stopped.

Fished here and there up to the stretch above the weir at the Low Pond with mixed success. A few bites, typically a bit bigger than normal, but thats probably due to being later in the year. Water was just a bit high and too cloudy by the time I stopped.

17/08/11 - North Esk

Time - 17.00-20.30
Water - As peat stained as it could be, still a good 30 cm's or so above summer level. A little bit of rain during the day probably helping to maintain the level, but possibly falling a little bit too.

Where - Telfords-Ele's Hole

Weather - Had been a shower of rain, but quite fair.

Ele's Hole Waterfall - Higher Than Usual

Method - Silver mepp size 2
Total - 6
Species - Brown Trout
Size - 5.5-8.5 inches

Nothing at all below Telfords Bridge, different story above where water levels gave the pool enough water without it being too fast. Got 3-4 taps, all off smallish ones. Wooden Bridge & Road Pool similar to bottom of Telfords, although a couple of bites above Wooden Bridge. Three dogs in the Corner Pool kyboshed that. At the next pool down, was just finishing saying to B how much I always liked the look of it, though it never produced when I connected with a lovely Brown of around 12-13 inch, but it was off after a few seconds. Next cast into same spot produced a tap of another of about 10 inch. B took a couple of taps too in the same pool and I had another semi-offer of 7-8 inch.

One of the 8.5 inchers

I then had a dip in the pool above the Metal Bridge and extracted an 8 & an 8.25 incher. Not much else doing apart from the odd bite until the Ele's Hole. Got a fish first cast, close in on right bank under edge of the torrent from the waterfall. Was also hitting more or less a fish a cast right over on the far bank. Managed to get another two. All three were 8.25 inch making it four out of 6 for the day at that length.

08/08/11 - North Esk

8.5 incher

Time - 16.00-18.30
Water - 10cm or so above summer, quite chocolatey, but settling with a peaty tinge.

Where - Telfords to Eskmill Bridge

Weather - Fair
Methods - Silver mepp size 2
Total - 2
Species - Brown Trout
Size - 6.5 - 8.5 inches

 

A speculative sojourn, a few bites, not as much doing as recently.

02/08/2011 - North Esk

11.5 incher

Time - 15.30-19.00
Water - A bit cloudy due to heavy afternoon showers, 5-10cm above summer probably rising

Where - Telfords to Ele's Hole

Weather - Nice to begin, drizzle later
Methods - Bronze mepp size 2
Total - 7
Species - Brown Trout
Size - 5 - 11.5 inches



Lovely wee session, fish in sporting mood. Enough interest, most fish again above 8 inch. Best Esk brownie of the season at 11.5 inch, closely followed by 2nd biggest at 10.5 inch in next pool. 



10.5 incher

First was in a shallowish fast run, second right under the bank in a deep current. Lost/missed one in the 10-14 inch range that was really darkly coloured. Nothing at Ele's Hole or bottom of Telfords today.



 

28/07/2011 - North Esk

Time - 15.30-19.30
Water - Clear water, tint of peat, about +10cm on summer levels and rising.
Where - Valleyfield to Eskbridge.
Weather - Constant drizzle
Method - Bronze size 2 mepp.
Total - 12
Species - Brown Trout
Size range - 6.5-10 inches


Fishes #5-12 no smaller than 8 inches. All in very good condition. One 8 incher really fat. Pic shows 9.75 incher, also quite chubby. Top class condition and excellent markings on this one. Most of the bigger troot had sparser markings than normal, less big spots.


Didn't (knowingly) lose anything bigger. Plenty of interest.


Two 8-9 inch brownies jumping up Ele's Hole waterfall. Most success in runs in the pools below the waterfall.