As usual, during our drive to the farm in Sussex, it rained. The rain accompanied us on the journey east and continued until the local bylaw ended the river trout season on 31 October. The new lake at the farm had filled and the newly sown grass had covered the top soil with a sheen of green.

On Saturday we celebrated a family birthday with breakfast at a local café and at lunch time I set out for Petworth with a full stomach. As the river was closed, my choice was limited to either the lakes at Stag Park or Little Bognor. I was not in the mood for fussy trout, I just wanted to end the season by catching a couple of fish while relaxing in the sun. A strong south westerly wind gusted around Little Springs rippling the surface creating cats-paws that looked like big trout swirling.

I reasoned that the bright autumn sunlight would have driven the trout deep and that I could drift a weighted nymph across the wind with little effort. I chose the sunny side of the lake and stood admiring the autumn colours while rolling out the fly line assisted by the wind. A trout interrupted my thoughts but unhooked itself before I could say ‘hello’. I moved around the lake and landed a spirited fish which was in excellent condition and swam off strongly, the cold water was well oxygenated. Rain was forecast for later in the afternoon and I left the lakes content with one trout.

Fly Culture closed after seven successful years as an iconic brand that set a very high standard for print magazines. It didn’t fail, it morphed into Trout and Salmon.