Saturday

Thin, grey, old men in Lycra wobbled along the main roads on expensive bicycles. Fat, grey, old men on very expensive Harley Davidsons added to the chaos. It was a glorious spring weekend and I should have kept to the country lanes. The chilly, north wind frightened people away from the lakes. There was nobody fishing when I arrived at 3:00pm which was a shame because the trout were rising everywhere.

I had a new rod and a new fishing hat to christen. The Sage #3 is very light in the hand and a delight to use at short range. I was curious about its ability to handle a 3lb rainbow. The lightweight tweed hat was sure to bring me luck and keep my head warm.

I sat on a paving slab beside the seat on the first point, keeping low and out of the wind. I flicked a few yards of line into the margins and watched it slide away as a cruising rainbow took the GRHE nymph. I lifted the rod just as the fish ejected the fly. A take first cast gave me confidence and I took my time exploring the water within easy casting range.

I had a series of very positive takes as the line drifted across the wind, left to right, Arthur Cove style but I pulled out of about five fish, two of which were well above average size. The long, stiff rod exaggerated the pressure on the size 14 nymph. I changed to a size 12 mayfly nymph and pulled out of a couple of fish.

I switched to margin fishing along the east bank where I had several takes and lost a couple of fish. Time for tea and cake. I moved downwind to the end of the lake where a lot of fish were cruising and taking buzzers just under the surface. I lost a couple but eventually landed one after pulling out of a big fish. The trout moved away into the centre of the lake, well out of casting range.

After another cup of tea I checked Great Springs and found lots of fish in the buzzer soup close to the dam wall. The wind blew flies, tree debris and flower petals across from the other side of the lake. The trout were hunting in pods. I flicked a size 14 GRHE a few yards and had loads of takes. I landed three trout and decided to call it a day. Four fish is enough.

It had been hard work. The wind was flukey and it took me too long to adjust to the 10′ 6″ rod. The hat was a great success, I hardly knew that I had it on !

Sunday

There was a convoy in Petworth. Fifty or more fat, grey old men and women on Harley Davidsons roared through the market town, shattering the peace on a beautiful afternoon. I was hungry and decided to stock up on meat pies and cake. I found myself close to the lakes rather than the Rother, the river was coloured and would wait another week.

When I arrived at Little Springs there were several people fishing and I decided to move further down the chain of lakes and fish at Luffs. The cold wind was blowing down the valley, channelled by the mature trees on both banks. The tactics were obvious, face the wind, fish from the dam end. I needed to push the line under the wind and chose the #4 Hardy and left my hat in the car.

I started in the corner of the dam close to a sparse bed of weeds. After one cast, an electric shock from my reel and a vibrating rod, warned me to get away from the low hanging National Grid power lines.

The trout were rising for buzzers, competing with each other for food and it was not long before I connected with the first of a series of good fish. I lost a few but the ratio of hooked to lost/landed was better than yesterday. The same size 14 GRHE nymph that I used on Saturday accounted for all the fish. I tried a black buzzer pattern but had no takes. That fly should be retired from my box and used as a template for my next tying session.

I re-learnt a lot during the weekend. There is a big difference between a 10′ 6″ #3 and a 10′ #4. They each have their uses. Fishing into the wind is hard work but it’s worth the effort. Another member fishing from the west bank at Little Springs had failed to catch anything. The GRHE nymph is a good imitation of a hatching buzzer.