Well, the weather has started to cool down a little since our last loch report but like many areas of the UK & beyond we are still in desperate need of some good steady rainfall.

In the first week of this period, TOTGA AC sensibly decided to postpone their club day until as the weather was simply too hot and sunny for fishing. We were grateful for this decision as it is not conducive to good fishing nor do the fish do well if being caught in very hot conditions.

As is normal for this time of year we have fewer anglers on the water but those that are coming are still enjoying their time out on the loch despite it being more than likely that they have a challenging day in terms of catching fish.

That being said the last four or five days, which have been pretty cloudy and quite windy at times, have seen higher numbers of fish being caught and they remain in excellent condition which is always good news. Pencaitland AC had a great day on the water yesterday (Saturday) landing 47 fish for 13 rods which gives a rod average of 3.6, a good result for late August fishing.

The morning and late afternoon continue to be the better times to be catching fish. Tactics that are working are pretty varied ranging from the use of a fast glass line pulling apps worms to the use of a floating line with a team of daddies. Both boat and bank have fished very well over the weekend and there has been a high concentration of fish along the west shore towards the Priest’s Hole and in the deeper areas of the loch.

At the time of writing the forecast for next weekend is for plenty of rain so let’s hope that is the case and we can look forward to a freshened up loch and the start of the turn -around from the summer struggles to some good autumn fishing…..fingers crossed.

Event Days Open to Non-Members:

Annual Charity Day Sunday 26^th Sept 2022 – non-members very welcome:

We are holding our annual Charity Day on Sunday 26^th September and have a couple of boats available to non-members who we invite to contact us if interested in taking part. The information about the day can be found at the end of this report below.

Please note that although we call it the Lad(y)s & Dads day this does not mean you have to be parent & child we have a number of pairs who come each year and neither of which could be labelled under the ‘lad’ category! The day is about having fun and raising funds for St Abbs and although it started off as a parent & child idea, quite a few of the boats are not one older and one much younger person so please do not be put off by the title of the day. Please contact Gareth or Carmel on 01890 771960 or email us at info@coldinghamloch.co.uk to find out more or to book a place.

Coldingham Loch Cup Sunday 16^th October 2022

This is our annual boat competition and is now open to non-members, with just a few places remaining. The Cup information and rules etc are at the end of this loch report. Please contact Gareth or Carmel on 01890 771960 or email us at info@coldinghamloch.co.uk to find out more or to book a place.

Visiting Clubs:

Over the next two weeks the following clubs will be visiting the loch:

• Edinburgh Amateur AC – Sunday 28^th Aug
• Berwick & District AA – Sunday 28^th Aug
• Ladhope AC – Saturday 3^rd Sep

As always, we wish them well and hope for a productive days fishing.

Other News:

• Weed cutting for this season has now finished and the weed cutter is now off the loch. There are still one or two small areas with a small amount of weed but the vast majority of the loch is clear.
• We have been using the aerator over the past couple of weeks. We have been using it mainly during the evening and depending on the weather we either turn it off during the day or sometimes leave it running. If you are fishing during the day and the aerator is still running please don’t fish over it for the whole time. By all means have a go, but move periodically to allow other anglers the chance to fish there for a spell. As we all know, the aerator does attract fish to that area of the loch but it by no means the only place where there are fish. Bank anglers who cannot get near to the aerator are proof of this.

Further details re the two Event Days: 

Charity Day:

Coldingham Loch Lad(y)s and Dads competition to be held at Coldingham Loch on Sunday 25th September 2022.

This is a fun day with all proceeds going to St Abbs Independent Lifeboat. You will be in competition for the ‘L of a Length Trophy’

The rules of the competition and format for the day are set out below:

• Entry for the competition is £30 per rod payable on the day. (Please bring your own motors if possible). You get your fishing and food (bacon butties in the morning and then a barbeque lunch) plus 5 raffle tickets and all the monies collected go to St Abbs Independent Lifeboat.
• Lad(y)s and Dads fish together from the same boat and each will be responsible for recording the other person’s catches on the forms provided on the day. Nearest half inch rounded up.
• Fishing will be catch and release (no limit on numbers) and the length of each fish will be measured using the gauges provided. All fish should be measured in the net on landing, returned to the water ASAP, unhooked and released. At the end of the competition the cumulative length of the lad(y)’s catches will be compared to the cumulative length of the dad’s catches and the winners will be the ones with the longest combined length of fish.
• Each pair must supply 23 identical barbless/de-barbed flies of their choice (this year we are providing 11 boats in order to maximise fund raising). Flies will be shared between all the other anglers thus giving everyone 11 flies This means that everyone will have the same 11 patterns and these are the only flies that can be fished for the duration of the competition. Tactics therefore are all important! There will be one spare patch for us to keep for photos which is why we ask for 23 flies from each pair.
• All anglers may only set up one rod however lines etc can be changed during the competition.
• We expect people to abide by normal fishing etiquette and would hope that no one position will be held by any boat for more than an hour. We will be watching!!
• Shotgun start and finish.

Format for the day:

9am                 Sign In, Bacon Butties and Exchange of Flies.

10am – 1pm   Fishing

1pm – 2pm     Barbeque on the bank

2pm – 5pm     Fishing

Results and Presentation at the end

Please support this event if you can & we look forward to seeing you for a great day at the loch

Carmel and Gareth

The Coldingham Cup 2022

Catch and Release Boat Fishing Competition on Sunday 16th October 2022

One off entry fee of £20 which covers contribution to prize fund and bacon rolls at lunchtime.

Prizes to 3rd Place

Prizes to be confirmed

Rules.

Fishery Rules plus 

• No entries accepted without full payment.
• No standing in boats.
• Payments can be can be made at the fishery by cash or cheque, or by bank transfer:

Sort code: 16-12-85 A/c number 00680071 Coldingham Loch Fly Fishers Ltd (RBS)

• No refunds issued but any cancellations need to be made asap.
• Catch and Release on Barbless Flies (Hooks that are de-barbed should be filed smooth.). Competitors to check each other’s flies with the cloth sample provided.
• Fish to remain in the water when unhooking.
• One point per fish and one point per hour session a fish is caught in.
• Fish to count at the time of netting.
• Number of fish to act as first tie breaker
• Time of first fish as second tie breaker.
• Coin toss for further ties.
• List of boat & boat partners will be displayed on the day.
• Only one rod to be set up in the boat.
• A spare rod can be carried in a rod bag or tube.
• Maximum of 4 flies per cast.
• Size 10 hook maximum. Single hooks only. No tandems doubles or trebles.
• No anchoring unless specifically informed on the day. Drogues are advised but not supplied by the fishery. Please bring your own motors and drogues. There is a net in the boat but you may want to bring your own.
• Boats to leave the dock after the briefing.
• Start and finish on the signal.
• Line is dead on the session end signal (ie if a fish is on the line but not in the net it does not count).

Timings:

Fishery opens at 07.30

Briefing at 08.30   boats to leave the dock after briefing in time for start signal

Fishing 09.00 to 12.00                  One hour Lunch                       13.00 to 16.00