Sandside Sea Fishing

I am still on holiday, so I managed to get a whole day with my son. This morning we went for a bike ride along the cycle path to Asda and back. I still need the exercise to get fit and lose weight.
This afternoon we decided that we would go and do a bit of sea-fishing. On checking the tide table we noticed that high tide would be at 3.11pm, so decided that we would need to be there at 2.pm to get the best of the incoming tide and stay till about 4.30pm to get the best of the outgoing tide.
We set off about 1.30 and went to Carlsons tackle shop to get some lugworm (frozen). By the time we got to Sandside the lug had defrosted enough to thread onto the baiting needle and then on to the hooks. The setup was a 2 hook flapper rig with gripper lead. I had on my cheap sea reel and on the first cast the line went out well enough but the remaining line on the reel got snarled up. I tried to untangle the mess but to no avail. There was enough line out that was usable in the meantime. After waiting about 20minutes there was a small tell-tale sign of the rod tip flexing. I reeled in and to my sons joy there was the first fish of the day on the top hook. This was a small Dab of about ½ lb. I continued to use the sea reel but the line kept getting shorter and more tangled. There was a guy fishing close by who had a spare reel that he offered to me to use for the rest of the session, which I gratefully accepted. I continued to cast and wait, when the guy next to me had a fish on this was a Dab of about ¾ lb. I reeled in and reloaded the hooks with fresh lugworm. The tide was now going out and at about 4pm I reeled in not expecting anything as I could not distinguish between bite and wind movement. As I reeled in the weight on the line felt more than normal even when I had caught the earlier fish this was totally different. The area has a very sandy bed and I thought I had got my weight caught on some of the seaweed that was around. Much to me and my sons astonishment we had hooked and eventually landed the biggest fish of the day as beautiful Dab of about 1 ½ lb. We packed up shortly after this and thanked the guy for the loan of his reel.
An excellent day out in the fresh sea air.

A Day at Leighton Moss

We had an opportunity for a family day out yesterday with both me and wife off work and the kids still on school holidays. We had a ½ price voucher for the RSPB reserve at Leighton Moss near Arnside. The prices are not that bad in the first place but being a canny Scot at ½ price it is even better value. A family ticket is only £9.00 normally, with membership of the RSPB on £60 per year. For anyone who is interested in wild birds it is well worth the money.
We were informed that the Bitterns were now nesting in the area and we should be able to hear the boom of the mating calls from them, also that if we were lucky we may spot an otter and possible red deer, although the red deer are normally seen in the evening they are sometimes are down by the water during the day having a drink especially if the sun is out.
Well we headed down to the first hide and got the binoculars out. We sat there for a while enjoying the scenery and watching the birds. The peace and quiet was absolute bliss. We watched the coots and mallards for a while before moving on to the next hide. This was even better than the first. Whilst sitting watching the coots etc., we saw 2 adult & 1 young red deer on the bank furthest away from us, unfortunately just too far away for the compact digital to get a pic. We sat there watching and waiting to see if we could see anything else for about another 45 minutes. Just as we were starting to get ready to move to the 3rd hide, someone in the hide said there was an otter playing in the water, we stopped and watched through the binoculars as the otter had a play.
On moving to the third hide the first thing that I saw was a Heron. I sat there watching it moving through the water very stealthily and managed to get a couple of pics of it.
This was my second visit to the reserve the last time being about 7 years ago. Sitting there and reflecting on life in general I can start to understand why people go bird watching to these reserves.

Weekly Round Up (Week Thirty & Thirty One)

Not been out on the river much over the last couple of weeks, due to work commitments. The weather has not been favourable for the fishing due to the wind and rain, although yesterday was dry and bright with some sunny spells. The river has risen about 4feet over the period and is still highly coloured. There has been further rain overnight with it continuing for most of today. The forecast is for better weather over the next few days, so the water level should start to drop and get less coloured which should then be perfect for the Salmon and Sea Trout, which have been reported as moving upstream.

Scotland July 2011

Whilst on holiday with the family in Scotland last week, I got the chance to fish the River Tweed with my brother on Tuesday. We set off for Peebles at about 7.30am and arrived around 8.45. We went to the tourist info centre and purchased our permits for the day. Arriving at Traquair Bridge about 9.30am we got set up and walked the short distance to the river.
We watched the river for a time before deciding to head up river a little way. We entered the river and started to fish, moving down a couple of steps every few casts. I was soon into my first fish of the day, a small salmon parr about 4inches long. This went on for pretty much most of the day with plenty of salmon parr and one or two small brown trout. We watched a couple of guys set up their dingy and inflatable kayak and set of for Kelso.
I went for a bike ride with my son along the new cycle path at Hillend Loch. He thoroughly enjoyed his time on the bike along by the loch. I was feeling tired and worn out as I am still not really fit enough for some of the rough riding that he was enjoying.
On Friday I took the kids to Fort William, their first ever visit. The day started off a little bit overcast, so we were prepared for the worst that Scotland’s weather can throw at us with full waterproofs packed in the car. We needn’t have worried as we were soon in glorious sunshine as the clouds disappeared. On arriving in Fort William we decided to have lunch a little earlier than normal and then head into town. We wandered around town stopping off now and again and having a browse in the shops. I called into the Rod & Gun shop to enquire about fishing on the Rivers Lochy and Nevis.
I decided to take my son and daughter to Glenfinnan to see the bridge used in the Harry Potter films, we arrived just as the Jacobean was coming across the bridge. We headed back to Fort William soon after and stopped off at Banavie to have a look at Neptune’s Staircase locks on the Caledonian Canal. We were walking over just as the siren sounded and barriers came down on the road bridge as it was about to open to allow the large yacht through. We stayed a while and watched it mover through a couple of the lock gates.

Weekly Round Up (Week Twenty Nine & Thirty)

I have been on holiday in Scotland for the last of week, so not much to report on the river. The water is very low due to the lack of rain recently. The wildlife appears to be enjoying the good weather, with plenty of fly life but not much fish activity. There is rain forecast for the next couple of days so hopefully the river will get back to a level where the fishing is good.