It had suddenly dawned on me that the Devon Trout season was about to end. The weather was good, the rivers were in perfect Autumn condition and the pub was closed. It was time to go fishing. Next season was six months away and it would be a long winter. I grabbed a rod and my bag before indecision delayed my departure from the cottage and headed towards the river. No great thought had gone into my destination and a few minutes later I was coaxing the car down a steep track into the river valley. The sun no longer reached the valley floor, the air was cool and a zillion midges were hatching. A few sedges lumbered into the air only to be snatched by one of the Grey Wagtails.

I chose the fly pattern that I’d had success with on the Plym the previous day, the Copper Ribbed Rabbits Fur (CRRF). As I walked down the track to the Middle Beat I was confident that if I could find a fish, it would take the nymph. I sat on the path beside the throat of a long riffle and flicked the fly into the fast water. The leader drew round and the fly fished deep where the riffle widened and lost speed. There was a tap on the rod and I lifted the fly into the tree behind me. Not a good start. I tied on another fly and worked the water. I connected with the third take and released the little jewel of a Trout before moving downstream to the next pool.

With no trees behind me I cast down and across, feeding a foot of line each cast to cover fresh water. At the tail of the pool beside a rock, the line grew heavy and a good fish swirled. It was on the hook long enough for me to judge its weight. It would have been my best Dartmoor brownie. I fished some of the pools in the middle of the Beat but the light was going and I wanted to get out of the valley before dark. The traction control struggled on the wet rocks but I eventually made it onto flat ground at the expense of two members who graciously reversed up the hill to allow me free passage. I wished them luck with the Sea Trout in the bigger pools of the Top Beat.

The warm rocks had become wet as the moisture in the cold night air condensed like warm breath on a frosty morning. During the ascent out of the valley I’d pushed the Volvo to the limit of its off-road capability and I resolved to bring the Defender to Devon next season.