Holidaying on the Tweed? Explore one of its fine tributaries for days of absorbing trout fishing, recommends Paul Procter
WHEN YOU’RE planning a short fishing break, it’s easy to be seduced by the grandeur of a major river. Last summer, I had my eye on the mighty Tweed, a known haven for big trout as it carves its way eastwards through the Scottish Borders. I thought it would be easy to get a ticket, but my last-minute search proved fruitless. So I scrolled down my list of contacts for help and my finger soon tapped on the name of Ronnie Glass.
The curator of the River Tweed Salmon Fishing Museum in Kelso, Ronnie was once a Scottish national fly-fishing champion, multi-capped in the loch and river disciplines. A font of fishing knowledge, he was soon bombarding me with information. It came so thick and fast down the blower that I thought I had better talk to him in person and arranged to meet him in the attractive market town of Kelso.
You need to jot down notes when Ronnie starts unleashing his insider knowledge, and underline the critical bits, although I must admit it all seemed mere punctuation as I gawped at the wonderful fishing paraphernalia decorating the walls of the museum. Two hours can easily slip by in that place.
But I came away much wiser and it was the Tweed’s tributaries that had grabbed my attention. Ronnie had seemed particularly fond of the Leader. But he hadn’t pulled any punches: “Sure, there are glass-case specimens lurking here and there,” he said, “but on the whole, they are three-to-a-pound jobbies.”
I hopped in my car and drove straight up the A68, which shadows the Leader for much of its journey. In fading light, time was not on my side, but glimpses off bridges and over steep banks whet my appetite enough to give me a restless night.
Earlston Angling Association has access to the Leader upstream of Earlston and downstream to its confluence with the Tweed at Leaderfoot. The village is roughly in the middle and at its heart is the high street butchers, Donaldson’s, run by David Young and Grant Cannon.
I’m extremely fond of a steak pie and make it my business to sniff them out wherever I am. This celebrated butcher’s also sells Earlston Anglers day tickets, so photographer Michael Boyd and I left the shop clutching not only David and Grant’s steak pies and curried and pork delights, but permits, although in the excitement I nearly left mine on the counter.
