I wanted to fish on the last day of the Devon trout season, it would be a long wait until March 15 2027. I thought about the rivers and how I wanted to fish. A nice quiet, relaxing stretch with no dog walkers was favourite.

I drove to a very quiet beat on the River Plym and walked through the woods, excited to see the river again. We’d had rain overnight, it had woken me. I’d forgotten about the rain, during a drought ridden summer, it had become an alien sound.

I heard the river long before I saw it, the water was rushing through and the riffles had white crests below the rocks. I stood for a while, watching for movement. The water was a bit faster than I like and coloured. I searched for a fishable pool but the colour and swirling leaves put me off. It would be hard work, not a relaxing end to the season. I walked back to the Defender, rod still in its sleeve.

I was confused, I sat and thought. The river would be clearer further upstream. The river would gather more run-off and leaves as it raced towards Plymouth Sound. I drove to the next beat upstream and as I crossed the old stone bridge, I could see that the beat was unfishable. I decided that I was too scruffy to have lunch in the pub and took a moorland road, the long way home.

I passed a tourist hot-spot, there were coaches, cars, people, dogs and back packing students everywhere. The river had been diverted by numerous tourist dams, there were several runs and some long shallow pools. It was sunny and I walked upstream away from the distractions in the car park. The water was clear and sparkled, inviting me to run a nymph through the channels. I hesitated but eventually put the rod together and paddled in the shallow water midstream. The strong upstream wind help me place the fly accurately in the deeper water on the outside of a long sweeping bend. I spent an hour with the sun and wind behind me, using the rod for its true purpose, short line upstream nymphing. The trout were not impressed but it didn’t matter.

It had been a frustrating season. The long hot summer and lack of rain had ruined the trout fishing. Next summer is forecast to be hotter and longer.

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