River Tweed - Lower Birgham 2nd Trip
It was the beginning of August and the weather had been unseasonably cool and wet for the time of year. Many rivers were enjoying some extra water after heavy rain fell across much of Scotland through the course of the week. The River Tweed was no exception and catches were responding accordingly. The weather for the upcoming days was set to be fair. So when a rod became available on the Lower Birgham beat, I jumped at the chance of a cast on the River Tweed.
The salmon my wife caught, from the Rutherford beat earlier this year
Both my wife and I had already fished the Tweed earlier in the season. In March, we fished on the Rutherford beat just upstream from Kelso and in May we had a couple of days fishing on Lower Birgham itself. We have fished the Lower Birgham beat for a number of years and had some very productive days. My wife was not going to be accompanying me as she had other plans. This was a bonus as she was the only one between us that had caught a fish from the Tweed this year. It would therefore give me a great opportunity to level our Tweed tally for the season, or even creep ahead.
The drive down to the borders was unusually stressful. After negotiating the Forth Road Bridge and the Edinburgh City Bypass, I was looking forward to enjoying a nice relaxing, scenic drive over the Lauder hills and down into Kelso. What I had not taken into account was the number of horse boxes that were travelling on the road. I was unaware but found out later that there was a common riding event taking place in one of the border towns on that day. I must have viewed the backsides of over thirty horses in thirty miles, which for me was not very scenic, I can assure you!
I arrived into Kelso around half past eight quite traumatised by my journey, bought some lunch and settled my nerves with a freshly brewed hot cup of coffee. The Lower Birgham beat is only four miles downstream from Kelso, so within no time I was at the beat.
The view from Lower Birgham fishing hut
The beat was looking in great order as always and it was clear that both Tom and Ryan (the two ghillies) had been hard at work with the strimmer in recent days. The water was a good ten inches higher than when we had last fished the beat in May. Looking upstream from the hut the pools looked so inviting. It was good to hear from Tom that a number of salmon and sea trout had been caught through the course of the week. I could feel my anticipation build. Was this going to be the day that I caught my first Tweed salmon of the season and at least draw level with my wife?
Tom suggested that I should use a floating line with a slow sinking tip, just to get the fly down slightly. I opted to use my Rio mid-Spey fly line coupled with a fifteen foot clear (anti-skate) tip. As the water was so clear, Tom suggested I used fluorocarbon for leader material. At the business end, my weapon of choice was a lightly dressed three quarter inch Kinermony Killer copper tube fly.
There were two other anglers from Cumbria fishing. So after all enjoying a cup of coffee we drew lots to see where we would each start fishing. I drew beat two, which would mean I would be fishing the middle section of the beat until mid morning. I walked upstream from the hut with Tom to the Nether streams. Tom explained to me how he wanted me to fish the pool and pointed out a couple of likely lies. The Nether Streams is a lovely piece of fly water. At the head of the pool, the run flows close to the near bank and a long cast is not required. As you move down the pool, the flow spreads out more evenly and the fish tend to lie towards the far bank. The tail of the pool looks very inviting with dark glassy patches created by a few large boulders. Tom advised me to start with a short line and not wade too far to avoid spooking the fish.
The Nether Streams
As soon as I started fishing I was struck by how crystal clear the water was. This was surprising as the river had been rising the previous day and as we all know the Tweed can be notorious for carrying colour in the water after a rise. I looked above me to see the sun beating down from a cloudless blue sky. Thankfully it was forecast to get cloudier later in the day. I could not have been fishing for more than half an hour when I saw a lovely fresh grilse splash towards the far bank. It was small but perfectly formed and appeared to be running. I covered the fish a number of times but got no response. As the water was so clear, I decided to change my fly to something a bit more subtle in appearance. I opted for a small three quarter inch Stoats tail cone head, with green tubing to hold the hook in place. I fished the rest of the pool covering every inch but did not get a pull.
Would a Silver Stoat cone head generate some interest?
Ryan came down to have a chat with me. He informed me that there had been no other fish caught from the beat so far. Ryan advised me to try the Jetty Stream before we changed beats at half past eleven. The Jetty Stream is located in front of the hut. It has a lovely fast run at the top, which then deepens and widens into the main body of the pool. The water was at an ideal height for the pool and the fly was swinging around in the current a treat. I was just waiting for my line to tighten. I did see a fish at the tail of the pool but failed to connect. It was now just after half past eleven and change over time had come. Ryan took me across the river in the boat to fish the Merk Skelly and Bell Rock pools before lunch. It had clouded up nicely now and conditions felt much better than when I first started. The Merk Skelly is one of the deeper pools on the beat. It can hold large numbers of fish throughout the course of the season. Tom had said that they had been seeing a few fish in the pool through the course of the week. I decided to persist with my Stoats tail cone head. While fishing down the pool I would now and then hand line as the fly was swinging around in the current just to impart some extra movement on the fly. All my efforts proved to be in vain.
The Merk Skelly pool runs into one of the most productive pool on the beat, Bell Rock. The name Bell Rock comes from the huge rock that sits at the head of the pool. The rock always remains underwater regardless of water height but on either side of it, the current forms a lovely seem in which fish lie. Both my wife and I have caught a number of fish from Bell Rock and it has now become one of our favourite pools. With half an hour left until lunch, I thrashed the pool to foam, covering it to the best of my ability. I heard a big splash above me in the Merk Skelly. Looking upstream, I could see the rings in the water created by a salmon that had just jumped. It was where my fly had been landing no more than fifteen minutes ago. It was at that point I concluded it was not going to be my morning.
It was good to catch up with the other anglers at lunch time. A few fish had been seen on the beat but we all finished empty handed. Lunch was an entertaining affair and it was lovely to sit on the banks of the Tweed soaking up the stunning views. I was just about dropping off to sleep in the warm afternoon sunshine when one of my fellow anglers received a phone call. We were all excited to hear that one of his friends fishing on a beat downstream of us had caught two fresh grilse. This filled us with renewed optimism and the thoughts of having an afternoon snooze were put firmly to the back of my mind!
The Cauld looking inviting.
I would be fishing the Cauld in the afternoon, which is located at the top of the beat. There had been a couple of fish seen in the Cauld earlier that day so I was feeling optimistic. The Cauld pool is a lovely cast with the fly. At the top of the pool sits Carham Cauld. The water rushes out from the middle of the cauld and flows close to the near bank. Further down the pool the flow gradually moves towards the far bank. Often fish rest below the cauld before continuing their onward journey. Ryan suggested that I try my Kinnermony Killer copper tube again as the water was quite fast. The extra weight in the fly would help it get down in the faster water. Through the course of the next hour, I fished down the entire length of the Cauld. It was cloudy and cool and conditions seemed perfect. The tail of the pool fished particularly well especially as the fly swung over some boils created by boulders. Unfortunately, I did not even get a pull. It was now just after four and I had a long drive ahead of me, so decided to call it a day. I enjoyed sitting outside the hut in the late afternoon sunshine chewing the fat with both Tom and Ryan. My fellow anglers had also finished on round figures for the day, just like myself. It had been a great day and I had seen a few fish but unfortunately the salmon had their say!
Thankfully during the drive back home I did not encounter the backside of a single horse which made the journey a much more pleasant experience. The score on the River Tweed this season remains in my wife’s favour and she took great satisfaction in telling me this when I got home. I was quick to reminder her that we had a few more days fishing planned on the River Tweed later this season when the battle between husband and wife will recommence!