My day started at 6:30am which is a ridiculous time to have breakfast. A grey, overcast, dry warm morning was perfect for a few hours flicking a nymph about on the river. As I drove down the narrow lane brambles and ferns scraped and screeched along both sides of the Defender adding to the patina. I looked down through the trees at the river, fifty feet below the track, the water level was normal and a good flow pushed through the riffles.

I normally start at the top of the beat but I had a hunch that the wide glide above the old weir would produce a fish. I started with a size 12 weighted GRHE nymph and covered a couple of rising trout. They ignored the fly. I drifted a black gnat over the rise but that was also ignored. I reverted to the nymph, the 12′ leader and tippet ensured that I didn’t line the fish. I’m never sure what trout think the GRHE is representing. It could be a stonefly nymph, a shrimp or a pinhead fry. I knew there were trout in the glide and persevered. The over dressed size 12 was changed for a sparsely dressed size 14 and a couple of casts later a nice fish took the fly just under the surface.

I crept along the path to a long pool near the top of the beat. The main current raced along the far bank. A back eddy between two overhanging sycamore trees was covered in white foam. A difficult cast and instant drag. I dropped the nymph into the eddy and immediately mended the line. A good trout took the fly and battled hard in the fast water, it took line off the reel. The slack water beside the beach on the near bank failed to produce another fish.

I wandered back along the footpath, uprooting many Himalayan Balsam plants, for lunch at the Defender. I had a sandwich and cookies before walking downstream to fish the run under a big oak tree. I was tired and easily distracted. I felt myself going through the motions, not concentrating. It was time to leave. Back at the cottage, the new roof was nearing completion. Rain was forecast for the following day.