22 September 2013

A borders burn, bridges and brown trout

It would be a great shame if we didn't cast a line on this lovely borders burn all season, and with time rapidly running out as this stream closes at the end of September we took our chance yesterday.


From the car we walked down to where the burn enters the main river where we bumped into a fellow angler setting up his double hander for a crack at the salmon. He didn't seem to fancy our chances too much on the burn as he thought it was now devoid of trout and grayling, a shadow of what it used to be twenty years ago etc etc!. We listened politely before continuing on our way, not in the slightest bit worried about his assessment of the burn as having fished it a couple of times in recent years we knew that it is absolutely stuffed with trout, not sure about the grayling  population  mind you not having encountered any on our previous visits, maybe that's what he meant ?


 From the off it was clear we were in for an action packed day with most pools producing several takes both to the dry and nymph from the small but eager trout.




one of many bridges on this stretch
mint of some sort?


I said to Col early on that a pound trout would be a fine goal for the day, the pounder was proving to be elusive however amongst the numerous wee trout, but late in the afternoon Col shouted from a pool above me and I could see him playing a good fish which cleared the air during battle, the pounder we had been after and a what a handsome trout he was too!


speaking of elusive fish I hooked what felt like a slightly better than average trout  compared what I had been catching up to that point, as I drew the fish closer I could see that it wasn't a trout after all, but a nice wee grayling at last!


its a shame this stream isn't open during  the winter months for the grayling as it would make a nice wintertime venue.