Fisheries reopen and it’s boomtime for Edinburgh’s anglers

Jimmy Barrett, fishery manager at Kailzie near Peebles, had one of his busiest days during his 14-year spell at the water last Sunday as people enjoyed the Spring sunshine.

Ronnie Marshall with a fine 6lb pollock landed on an Aquamarine charter as offshore sea fishing re-starts after lockdown. Picture: Derek Anderson/Aquamarine Charters

The fishery was packed and, unfortunately, some had to be turned away but good sport was enjoyed on the sell-out fly pond and the busy bait pond.

Lots of excited youngsters hooked into their first trout on the bait pond and Kailzie is open seven days a week and rods are available for hire for those without equipment.

Barrett has also kick-started trips for those with physical and mental handicaps and they have been extremely popular in previous seasons. He provides supervision and both ponds are accessible for the disabled.

Recent successes on the regularly re-stocked fly pond have been a 9lb rainbow and a 6lb trout.

Meanwhile, John 'Jacko' Jackson, owner of Tweeddale near Gifford, reports "tremendous" fishing recently with one angler on catch and release hooking 37 in one four-hour session. He has re-stocked this week and reports that damsel and buzzer patterns have worked well during opening hours which are 7am to dark weekdays and 6am to dark Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

In Midlothian, Rosslynlee continues to report great catches. Mr McAdam and Mr Dea, for example, both had over 30 to the net during their session working with dries and buzzers.

Dave Smith, had 14 with damsels, zonkers and bloodworms doing the trick, and D Bullen topped that with 18 on dries and buzzers.

Owner Nicola Perfect will increase prices on Monday (May 3) with, for example, a kill ticket for eight hours taking four fish to be £29.

Nearby, Glencorse re-opened for the season on Wednesday with one angler, Scot Mitchell, describing it as "spectacular". No wonder, he and Stephen Whitehead ended the day with 45 hard-fighting rainbow trout to the boat on a variety of patterns.

He wrote: "I fall in love with the place a little more every time I go. Fantastic scenery, fantastic hospitality and fantastic fishing."

Nearby Loganlea re-stocks weekly with hard-fighting fish of up to 20lbs. Fishing has been good with many anglers experiencing bent rods. One boat had over 50 fish to the net at the weekend. Apps and buzzers have worked well.

Over the hill to Harlaw now and regular Scott Abbott popped up for a three-hour session and hooked into 35 trout, 31 rainbow and four brown.

Diawl bach under a klinkhammer bung did the trick for Abbott who has so far netted 85 fish since the season began on April 1.

Ronnie Robinson, who keeps the club's catch return book, said a number of anglers had enjoyed cracking sport with returns well into double-figures.

He said: "The fishing is as good as it has been for some years." Robinson, incidentally, is one of the anglers who landed double-figure catches.

Stlll in the city, regular angler Ben Steer reports that the Water of Leith has starting fishing well over the last week. He said: "The first week I took the temperature and it was only five degrees and I was getting a few reports of the odd fish on deep nymphs and, even odder, fish on the dry fly.

"About a week ago the water temperature rose to ten degrees and the fish have started rising more frequently. I’ve managed six so far on the dry, all small fish to tiny flies."

Allandale Tarn near West Calder report superb recent sport and, thanks to the continuing good weather, owner Iona Allan has decided to open until 9pm every night. She is closed on a Tuesday.

Near Linlithgow, Bowden Springs owner Jim Gargaro appreciated the comments made by a group from the Northfield Club in Edinburgh following their outing on Saturday.

Other anglers to record include Mark Velves with 20 while Simon Irving netted ten.

Grant Paton landed a fine 8lb-plus fish backed up by three others at over 5lb, 4lb and 3lb during his session using apps and a zulu pattern. Jimmy Bryce and T Romford also hooked into 8lb fish.

A wee mention to five-year-old Sam Brown who landed his first trout, a fine three-pounder using Powerbait during his visit at the weekend.

Nearby, boat anglers and one bank fisher caught a total of 36 fish during one session at Linlithgow Loch. Several of them blanked but the anglers who were catching were mainly fishing boobies, buzzers and fabs on a midge tip F line.

Around of 700lb of trout were recently introduced to the loch in midweek and allowing 18 anglers on kill tickets to catch 24 fish weighing 74lb. Those fishing catch and release brought 64 fish to the net.

Most fish which were tempted by buzzers, coral boobies, diawl bachs or black and green lures on a midge tip line.

Nigel Muckle and partner killed four fish for 17lb 18oz and releasing a further 14 caught on buzzers.

Course angling and Edinburgh and Lothians Coarse Angling Club report a full-house of 26 for the first of their summer league at Orchill, near Auchterarder, on Saturday.

And Drew Taggart, owner of West Lothian Angling, confirms he has re-opened. Taggart is also a member of the Scottish Carp team and they are arranging a match schedule currently.

Off shore, Aquamarine Charters skipper Derek Anderson says it is early in the season but anglers are catching off Eyemouth. His two charter boats are full for Saturday and Sunday as fishermen look to look get back into sea fishing and also into sizeable cod.

Bosses of Bass Rock Shore Angling League are meeting soon to discuss their summer league based at harbours and beaches around East Lothian.