Not much change in the weather throughout July I'm afraid, apart from the odd shower here and there, (some heavier than others) but with little effect on river levels (until now that is) as the water was quickly absorbed by the dry ground.
 |
| Unhooking a trout caught on a Spider |
That said, these very welcome showers also brought with them some well received cloud cover offering us a little respite from the scorching sun. These intermittent mini freshets (so to speak) did produce a couple of sessions when the trout obliged us too, especially when searching the pocket water and the faster water at the heads of pools where gold headed nymphs were the order of the day. We did however have some success on the spiders too, especially at the tails of pools where the water was interrupted by the rocks protruding through the surface, creating slightly faster flows and small pockets of oxygen.
The salmon fishing, like the weather, also dried up throughout July with the odd report of fish being taken on goldheads whilst fishing for trout, something I have encountered several times myself over the years and also whilst guiding people on the river, especially in low water conditions. As I write this blog I am now receiving reports of salmon entering the lower river in response to the 20 cm rise of water we received towards the end of the month. "Finger Crossed".
 |
| A Borderlines Morning session |
The good weather does however continue to encourage a number of youngsters to attend the many courses provided and delivered by the Borderlines team. These courses (like the one shown on the left) consist of various group sessions throughout the day which include, health and safety, fish recognition, entomology, fly casting, Knot tying, fly choice and much more. The youngsters then venture out onto the Stillwater's we use (under supervision of course) and proceed to catch their first fish. This allows us to explain playing and landing a fish, and either how to dispatch a fish properly, or alternatively how to catch and release a fish in the correct manner, should they so wish.
As mentioned in my previous blog, the good weather certainly doesn't stop people coming along for casting tuition and whilst the fishing is slow it's a good time to take advantage of this opportunity, so that once we do receive some fresh water, (which we inevitably will) techniques will be in place and ready to go.
 |
| The Lowther Show |
Our next big event is the Lowther Show where several of us get together, under the Borderlines and AAPGAI banners (along with a variety of other instructors) to provide tuition, advice and demonstrations on the fishing island throughout the weekend of the 11th and 12th August. It would be great to catch up with some of you there and a browse around the Show itself can be a great day out. Until then!
