Saturday

It was very hot and humid, global temperature records had been broken on several consecutive days. I took my grandson carp fishing in the morning. Liberal applications of Jungle Formula kept the horse flies at bay and the heifers around the pond were well behaved. We caught a beautiful 6lb mirror carp using the Chapman 500 I’d refurbished for him and a Mitchell 300. A small float and white bread as bait complemented the traditional tackle. We caught another carp before a lightning strike two fields away and a booming roll of thunder, sent us scurrying back to the farm house for tea. It rained hard for an hour.

I arrived at the River Rother in the evening and was surprised to see that the water was a dirty grey colour. Road run-off from the heavy rain at lunch time had made its way downstream from Midhurst. I was tempted by the weir pool but there was little scope for an evenings fishing. Rotherbridge was unfishable so I changed my plans and drove upstream to Keepers Bridge. The shallower, faster water was not so coloured, I could see the streamer weed beneath the surface.

I had a few practice casts under the alder trees while I waited for a fish to rise. After twenty minutes I saw a rise and moved downstream, keeping well back from the river, using the marginal plants to break up my profile. I tried nymphs, a dry fly downstream and upstream to avoid drag but eventually lined the fish and put it down. Lots of mayfly hatched and made their way into the trees behind me. There were no birds and all of the duns made it to safety. Strangely, there were no mayfly spinners dancing.

I rested the fish and went for a walk further downstream. When I returned I tried a parachute pheasant tail, which was ignored and a size 14 olive, which attracted a swirl. The fish saw the curly tippet. I rested the fish again. I renewed the tippet and chose a dry fly with a mayfly profile. A cast to 2 ‘o’ clock presented the fly nicely with the tippet upstream. The trout grabbed the fly and was solidly hooked as it dived. It was a good fish with a leopard skin patterned body. Two visits to the river, two takes, two fish hooked and two landed. That was better than my average catch rate. It had taken over two hours, including rests, to convince a spooky trout to accept my fly but stealth, presentation and a good imitation had eventually won the day.

Sunday

In the afternoon I watched the British Grand Prix which brought back memories of the Silverstone pit lane, the Hangar Straight and a big bill for a new set of trashed Pirelli P Zero tyres. I arrived at Coultershaw in the early evening and checked the river at Rotherbridge. As I looked upstream a trout rose just above the bridge in the centre of the river. I decided to concentrate on that glide.

I was very confident that if I repeated the approach I’d taken the day before, I would eventually catch the trout. It rose repeatedly, close to the far bank, below a large willow. I used a variety of dry flies but the fish would not respond. There was no reaction.

I walked upstream to the New Riffle and worked a nymph down and across the fast water. Halfway down the riffle a bow wave developed behind the fly, I felt a nip but failed to connect. Judging from the swirl it was a good fish. I walked slowly back to the bridge, listening for a rise. The fish was active again. In the fading light it was moving around the glide taking emerging flies. I think my first cast put the trout down. It had been an interesting evening. Three out of three was asking too much.