It was a mixed week. The hottest day during May since records began, 33 degrees ! At the end of the week the trout in the lakes became lethargic as the water temperature exceeded 18 degrees and the dissolved oxygen level dropped.

At the start of the week we had bright sunshine, cold winds and rain showers. Then high pressure settled over England and a hot southerly wind brought soaring temperatures to the south east, Sussex baked and the trout disappeared into the weeds.

I visited Great Springs on 15 May and caught three nice rainbows on various patterns of mayfly. It was windy which helped me reach distant fish and the ripples hid the tippet.

On Saturday 16 May I took a loaf of bread and a light rod to the lake on the farm. The fish were patrolling the margins on the down-wind side of the lake and were very wary. I was surrounded by sheep and cattle. The grass had been chewed short which didn’t give me anywhere to hide. I caught one small wild carp. The first fish I had caught from the lake since it was dug and landscaped.

On Sunday 17 May I went to the Leconfield BBQ and ate too much cake. During the hour prior to the picnic I caught 3 rainbows from Luffs. I had the lake to myself. The south westerly breeze cooled me and helped with casting. The fish were hunting mayfly nymphs and adults, they took the dry fly as soon as it touched down.

On Thursday 21 May I caught two carp from the farm lake on floating crust. One fish was fat with spawn and the other had already spawned, we should have some lovely wild fish in a few years.

On Friday 22 May it was 28 degrees but I thought an evening visit to the river was in order. The heat wave forecast for the bank holiday weekend would prevent any further fishing trips before my return to Devon. The river at Keepers Bridge had an olive green tint and was up a few inches. I went upstream towards Perryfields Barn. During three hours walking I saw two fish rise, neither fish liked my imitation mayfly. The winged imitation of a dun twisted the tippet and presentation was poor, I should remove those patterns from my fly box.

I took photos of the mayfly as they hatched. The duns, spinners and egg layers were everywhere. There were no birds feeding on the flies and most duns lifted off the water and found security in the willow trees. By 8 o’clock I was exhausted, I should have delayed the trip a couple of hours.

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