The plan was to spend most of my time fishing the Devon rivers and visit Sussex for a week each month. It was the driest March since 1961. The summer was the warmest on record.

The extremes of weather made fishing difficult. It was frustrating. At the end of March I caught a few trout from the Leconfield lakes. A very wet April looked promising, the spates on the Devon rivers encouraged sea trout to run the rivers and activated the brownies.

A hot May was the start of the extreme summer weather. After a brief spate in mid June, three prolonged, thirty-degree heat waves prevented me from fishing the Devon rivers during July.

The high moor turned brown and the water temperature in the rivers reached nearly twenty degrees. The mayfly hatch was sparse, the trout rose only at dusk on the Western Rother.

The Devon rivers looked beautiful but I was unable to catch a trout, I attributed that to a lack of skill and reduced fishing effort.

The difficult conditions on the rivers in Sussex and Devon prompted me to visit the Leconfield lakes and Burrator reservoir for some comparatively easy fishing.

Catching a few nice trout on a dry fly at the reservoir restored my confidence and I returned to the rivers with high hopes. August was a dry month, it felt like early autumn. Leaves swirled in the back eddies, it was easy to hook a leaf but not a trout.

The end of September was wet and windy and I fished every day during the last week of the season. The sea trout were migrating but in order to catch a trout, I had to end my Devon season at Burrator.

I failed to catch an end of season trout from the Rother and the lakes. In 2025 I’d spent more time on fishing club admin than fishing. That must change. I need to zone in to the rivers moods and that can only be done by spending more time watching and fishing.

The new lake at the farm filled with water and a few carp were transferred from the shallow pond. That should ensure that the youngsters and I have a few summer evenings watching a float.

. . . – – – . . .