I MET up with an old friend of mine last week who, to say the least, has a lot more fishing experience than myself.
Most anglers will know Tom Scott in both trout and salmon fishing and he has a lot of tales to tell. Tom remembers starting to fish at the age of seven when his dad tied a cushion onto the bar of a pushbike for him to sit on and then cycle to Newmill where they used to fish the Allen water.
At the age of nine he recalls buying flies and hooks at Murray's tackle shop in the Howegate, which was situated near to Huttons the butchers, and also staring at all the tackle in the window every time he passed the shop.
Tom started to tie his own flies in the mid 1950s. I asked him what was the main reason for the drop in numbers of trout in the river and his immediate response was forestry, because of all the drainage the water now runs straight off the hills and all the feeding on the river bed is being washed away.
He reckons that years ago there were lots of creepers and stick fly to be found but they are now a thing of the past.
The two most memorable salmon that he caught were both taken at the Groins, which is below the Black Stane facings. First one weighed in at 15lbs, then on the last day of the season he managed to land a 21.5lb monster. Tom says that if the selection of tackle had been available years ago that we have now, then the number of salmon caught on the river would have been more than double.
He has caught trout at Acreknowe and Williestruther at over 3lbs. His biggest brown trout was caught back in 1976 at Acremoor and tipped the scales at a mighty 4lb 3oz. The most successful fly on Acremoor was a size 12 or 14 greenwells glory but he has also had a lot of fish with a knotted midge.
When fishing further afield Tom has caught a 13.5lb rainbow at Markle fishery on a shipmans buzzer and also one at over 17lbs at Tweeddale using a barbless hook.
Tom also spent a 15-year spell as a committee member and remembers when the club took over the Bridge Bar in the late 1960s and turned it into the club rooms as it is today. He fondly recalls doing most of the decorating.
Another occurance that sticks in his mind was in the late 60s, when the Teviot was running low and a lot of salmon got stuck at Trow cauld. Permission was granted by the water Bailiffs for them to be netted and lifted over the cauld.
Anything interesting to report contact me on 07988900602
By Drew Jackson
http://www.hawick-news.co.uk
