The last fortnight has been hard work for Finavon’s night sea trout fishers. As the water level has dropped, and the water temperature increased, resident sea trout have become reluctant to take the fly, except late at night or very early in the first light of dawn. Every pool has sea trout and the big holding pools – Indies, Tollmuir, Melgund, Red Brae and Boat Pool – have shoals of sea trout ranging in size from 1lb to well over 5 lbs.
It is therefore not surprising that Ian Ingledew had a beautiful sea trout of 5lbs 4oz from red Brae on Friday 25/6.
Two other smaller fish were also caught during the same night. I fished Boat Pool, Volcano and Willows with my brother, John. We saw lots of fish: in fact there was barely a moment when the surface of these quiet pools wasn’t being disturbed by shoal sea trout, some big fish amongst them, moving sub surface. But neither of us had so much as a nudge.
These are the numbers of fish for which the South Esk is justly famous and it is great to see them back. It is also worth noting that all sea trout caught this year have been in prime condition. It seems that there is plenty of food for them along the east coast. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Let’s also start practising our rain dance numbers as the farmers plug in their crop irrigators and drain our already parched river still further. A few days of rain would please the farmers and us by watering thirsty crops of potatoes and barley, refreshing the stock of fish in the river, not to mention bringing in new stock. But, as always, clouds and rain wouldn’t please everyone.
TA