Skagit and all that

Just as a postscript to the earlier post, this blog's other co-author ventured out in less than promising conditions for a few casts this afternoon and proved the worth of these new-fangled Skagit lines. The river was rising and carrying a tinge of colour but a couple of hours with a 12'9" 8 weight rod lined with 550gr Rio Skagit head and an 8ft T-14 sink tip produced a couple of violent pulls, the second of which resulted in this sea trout being banked. The fly? Let's just say it was a dirty great steelhead fly armed with a size 2 stinger hook and leave it at that! Apologies for the picture of my knee - it was a rushed photograph as I wanted to get the sea trout back in the river where she belongs.

Prospects & tactics

The forecast for this coming week is for more unsettled weather, which really suits the Upper Tweed and should hopefully keep the level 'topped up', encouraging fish to keep coming through from lower down.

The regular rods use a range of tactics. Of late, we have been trying out some modern set ups using shorter rods in tandem with skagit lines or shooting heads. Whilst the river up here is not particularly large, these set ups can still be advantageous in tight situations and where greater depth and control is required, particularly later in the year when water temperature is low and the river is pushing through.

At the moment, a rod from 12 - 14' is more than adequate, getting the fly down a little always helps. The successful rods at the weekend were using modest sink tips just to get the fly down a foot or two. One fish was taken on a light skagit set up with a short sink tip and the other utilising a conventional short-head spey line with a slow sink tip.

As for flies, dressed doubles (size 10-8) or smallish light tubes will be all that is required, cascade variants, shrimp patterns or the ubiquitous stoats tail are always a popular choice. If the water really is pushing through (anything above 2' really), don't be afraid to go up to quite a large fly.

They've Arrived!

A decent lift last Sunday and other small rises in the intervening days since have helped maintain good levels throughout the last week and so it was no surprise that Cardrona saw its first two salmon of the season caught on Saturday. Both fish were very fresh as can be seen from the photograph of the first (estimated at around 11lb) going back.

There are undoubtedly more fish present as Charlie McGhee, also fishing on Saturday, hooked and lost a couple of fish.

We've also added to our tally of sea trout this week, Iain Bain and Hywel Vickers getting one apiece on Tuesday and Friday respectively.

With more rain forecast for the beginning of the coming week prospects should remain good.

Prospects

On Thursday the river rose to its highest level since early Spring before dropping to a very fishable 2ft above summer level on Saturday. Two sea trout were caught on Saturday and, with the river rising again as I type this on Sunday evening, prospects should be good for the coming week when things settle down.

This is a picture of a sea trout captured (and returned) earlier in the week.

Beat Map

Click here for a larger downloadable version of the beat map

Salmon & Sea Trout Fishing at Cardrona

We've set up this blog to provide information for those wishing to fish at Cardrona and also to provide news updates for those of you who have fished with us in the past or who are intending to do so in the future.

The beat comprises 1.8 miles of fishing on the right bank of the Tweed at Cardrona, just a few miles downstream of Peebles and only 26 miles from the Edinburgh by-pass.

It's true to say that the upper Tweed is regarded as an autumn fishery but, given water (and we seem to be getting a fair bit as I type this in mid-August), salmon can appear earlier in the season. Last year was the first full season under the current ownership and 96 salmon and 4 sea trout were caught between August and the end of the season.

If you'd like to join us at Cardrona you can check availability and make bookings via Fishtweed.