Tuesday 29 May 2018

Up to Middle

Wow, who pulled the plug? I went to Middle last night and I have to say that the journey up there was dicey at best.  There are some rapids above the village which always prove tricky but the ice this year appears to have moved huge amounts of rock and rubble and the whole landscape has changed, making driving the boats interesting to say the least.

Michael G on Bear Island
I got up there to find a few people still fishing which is often the case at Middle.  They had a tough day with 31 landed to their 12 rods.  Paul C and Chris C had a more “normal” afternoon, landing 4 each but it was hard work for everyone else.  As has been story all season, bigger fish were to the fore but the prolific grilse run does not seem to have come yet. 

Paul C with pretty much the first grilse we have seen at Middle
Whilst I was eating a delicious dinner thanks to Millie, I got a message from Pana - via the satellite text service we have set up – which gave great news.  Javier S caught his first Atlantic salmon whilst fishing Ponzoi with his father Jaime.  They landed 4 from there as well as the team landing a couple from the home pool and also lunch pool.  10 fish for the day is not breaking any records but the way the beat is fishing gives us great hope for the season ahead.

Jamie K - a very sunny day yesterday
Kitza was slow in that they also landed 10 fish when we would expect more.  It sounded as if Sunday night took quite a lot out of many people and I am not sure everyone felt on top form yesterday.  Having said that, after fishing they all went down to the White Sea for a barbecue on the beach which was a huge success.  There are very few places that give you “the end of the world” feeling but the beach down there is one of them.

Midnight at Lower last night
I got “home” at around midnight and quite often the camp is very quiet then – not last night.  A very good party was in full flow and whilst I valiantly tried to catch up, I was always slightly behind the curve.  That appears to have worked in my favour as I can walk and talk this morning which puts me in the minority. 

We landed 19 yesterday which was disappointing but again, we lost so many fish it was almost embarrassing.  Sandy S was the top scorer with 7 for his day.  Difficult to tell who will be top rod today – probably the one who stays awake for the longest..!

Charlie White