The morning sky was grey but the south-westerly wind was warmish and the rain was hardly enough to warrant wind screen wipers. I visited Little Bognor and decided not to fish there. Most of the bottom lake was covered in a thick layer of golden leaves and the water was crystal clear. Both lakes had been fished over the weekend and quite a few good fish had been caught so I moved on. I drove to Great Springs and had lunch while watching for Trout. I didn’t see any.

I went to Luffs which looked inviting. The surface was clear of leaves and the wind rippled the surface which would help with presentation. I used the Rio fly line as there were some good fish in the lake and my modified Cortland line would be too short if a Trout went on a long run.

I started on the south bank, searching the shallows thoroughly with a size 14 weighted black spider. A Trout swirled close to the bank on my left and I flicked the fly just past the ripples. Several careful casts failed to produce a take. Strange, I was sure the fish had seen the fly. I covered all of the water, gradually extending the line towards the centre of the lake and letting the fly sink deep. Nothing.

I moved down the bank and repeated the process. The result was the same. I walked around the end of the lake to the deep water down the centre channel. A couple of Trout were feeding in the middle of the lake, way out of casting range. I tried a slightly bigger fly but that didn’t help. The water was very clear and this late in the season the Trout had seen a lot of flies. I admitted defeat after an hour and headed home. Perhaps I should have fished at Little Springs.