Author: Nigel Rainton

The Bank Holiday weekend had been a scorcher so after the usual Monday meeting, I went to Great Springs for a cup of tea and a walk around the lakes. I wanted to see if the hot weather had killed any Trout. A few Trout were rising and some were just splashing about. This year’s Roach fry were feeding in the shallows and stirring up the mud. The prospects for the evening looked good and I was tempted to stay. I had all of the lakes to myself.

However, the river was calling me. I decided to fish the South bank of the river, downstream from Taylor’s Bridge. The access to the water above Perryfields is better on the south bank. I signed in and went to the bridge to set up my rod. A small fish rose just above the bridge and I crept around the nettles to flick a nymph over it. I messed up the second cast and decided to rest the pool, I would return later. As I walked downstream I heard voices and splashing. It was a young couple in a canoe. I politely asked them to leave, they apologised and left after telling me they had been to the small island and back. Most of the Beat had been ruined. I made a mental note to keep away from the river on Bank Holidays.

I walked to the Island and looked for the deeper runs under the trees along the far bank. The casting was tricky but I only lost one fly. About a hundred yards above Perryfields Barn I found a long, deep pool that ended with a tree tunnel. It looked promising. I sat on the grass behind the balsam and gradually covered the top end of the pool. Extending line kept me out of sight and also gave me access to the middle of the pool. I shuffled along a bit and put a fly close to the trees in the mouth of the tunnel. It was taken with a bang but the fish came off.

I moved down to the bridge the sides of which were covered in blackberries, elderberries and rose hips. A winemakers dream. I sampled a few but they were ‘pippy’, past their best. There were a few fish rising under the Oak trees where it was impossible to cast. I saw a good fish rising directly under the bridge and I made a long cast with a double-haul. I think it was too long, the Trout stopped rising.

Two hours had elapsed since the canoeists departed and the sun was going down. I thought that the Beat upstream of the Island would have settled down. I crept along the bank and trundled a nymph beside the beds of streamer weed but had no takes. On my way back to Taylor’s Bridge I didn’t see a fish rise. Even the fish above the bridge had disappeared. Nevermind, the summer holidays finish next week and the countryside will be a quieter place. The Autumn is usually the best part of the season.

I enjoyed the drive to Petworth. I took a detour through Riverhill and Byworth to look at the views across the Rother Valley. The air was clear and the cloudscape impressive.

I got to the river and had a look at the Rotherbridge stretch. There was no sign of fish but the conditions were perfect. Overcast with a slight breeze. Strangely there were no insects about. The river was flat calm, not even a Dace broke the surface. The river level had dropped to 0.033m and most of the colour had gone. I checked the Fish Pass and that was also lifeless. I met Jonathan in The Badgers car park as arranged and we made our way to Keeper’s Bridge. We had the entire river to ourselves. On our last visit we fished downstream. I suggested that Jonathan went upstream towards Perryfields Barn and said that I would follow him up after an hour messing about by the bridge.

The big brownie was still leaping around at the top of the First Pool and I left it for Jonathan while I went down to the pool under the Alder trees. Yesterday I tied some Black Nymphs with lead wire ribbing and long hackles so that they sunk quickly and were easily seen in the slightly murky water.

I worked the fly slow and deep, down and across, using the current to cover every square yard. After thirty minutes I had a double-tap and assumed it was a Chub or wild Trout. I concentrated my efforts on that area of the pool and was rewarded with a slow draw on the leader. It was unmissable. I didn’t miss. The Trout was strong and took a while to coax into the landing net. It was about 2lb and rested near the bank before swimming back into the deeps.

I had several toffees to celebrate. Jonathan had moved upstream so I spent a while trying to catch the big brownie but although it kept jumping, it wouldn’t take a fly. I’d previously lost a good Trout above the bush at the top of the First Pool and decided to spend some time on the fifty yard stretch between the big Alder and the Willow. The current was gently swirling the streamer weed and the near bank was accessible all the way down. I was confident that I would get a take. I worked down the river, taking a couple of steps along the bank at the end of each cast. Half way down the leader drew taught and I lifted into another good fish. I had to retreat upstream to find my landing net but eventually banked the fish, took it’s portrait and watched it swim away.

My confidence was sky high, the conditions were perfect and the plan was working. Further upstream, above the very tall Alder tree, I cast the nymph to the far bank and watched as the line curled around. After several casts the leader dragged under and the third Trout was hooked. The fish was not as large as the first one but fought like a three pounder. I released the fish and then I rested for a while. Three fish in such a short time was nice but I didn’t want a cricket score. All three fish had taken the nymph fished deep and slow, the takes were positive. They had all been caught on the same fly, not just the same pattern.

My next stop was the Gaps, I felt sure Jonathan would have passed by the narrow slots in the trees as the casting is tricky. My fly soon found it’s way into the top branches of the tree on my left and I pulled on the line to free it. I was surprised when the twig snapped and my fly was returned together with a nymph I lost on my last visit.

We walked back to the cars, had a drink and planned our next session. More of the same. My first stop was the Sandy Pool. I worked hard covering the water systematically and expecting a take any second. Nothing happened so I went back to the Gaps and explored the other slot between the trees. There were several fish splashing under the tree branches but they were all out of reach. Jonathan returned having caught a Trout on a deep sunk nymph. We were both exhausted and agreed to celebrate at The Badgers. The river level had dropped to 0.027m by the time we left, nearly a normal summer height.

It had been a perfect day, the river height and colour were just right, the tactics were logical and the Trout quite hungry. I hope the rest of the season is as good.

The overnight rain made the river rise, it was 0.032m and rising at lunch time as I left for Petworth. I parked the Land Rover and walked down the hill to the north bank at Rotherbridge. From the bridge the sandy bottom was just visible with polaroids and I decided it was fishable. There were several small Trout rising and taking midges below the bridge along the edge of the Potamageton.

We discussed the catch returns over lunch and then I drove to the Fish Pass to take some photographs. I walked slowly up the Beat looking for Trout but didn’t see anything except shoals of Dace and a small Chub. The sky was overcast and there was no wind but it was over 70 degrees. It was too hot and humid for fishing. I found some blackberries and had a snack, they go well with toffees.

I visited Taylor’s Bridge to see the improvements the Estate Maintenance Team had made. The Cow Drink and access points were complete and a lot of the mature trees had been sensitively trimmed. I walked along the north bank of Beat B, downstream of the bridge. I saw a couple of Trout taking midges under the trees. They were very spooky and although I was careful, both of them stopped rising when I crept closer. The streamer weed had started to turn an untidy brown colour at the edges signaling the approach of Autumn. I wandered back upstream and headed towards Keeper’s Bridge where I met Jerome for an evening session.

At 4:15pm I threaded the line through the rod rings, filled my pockets with tackle and set off upstream towards Perryfields with Jerome. A Trout rose in the First Pool, below the willow bush where I saw a fish last week. The bush covers most of the width of the river and could hide several Trout. After twenty minutes trying to tempt the fish with a GRHE nymph we moved up to the Long Straight. Casting across and allowing the nymph to swing round towards the near bank covered most of the pool but without a take. The clouds had thickened and a light rain fell. It was not enough to warrant a coat, more like a dense mist. I was convinced that the Gaps would produce a Trout but the water seemed more coloured and we moved up beyond the Old Riffle to the Wide Pool. The submerged tree branch in the centre of the pool was barely visible and the current was quite strong. After casting into the overhead tree and losing a couple of flies, we walked further upstream but the river was too coloured. On this day last year I fished the River Wye. It was also high and coloured but I managed a few fish.

I returned to the Old Riffle and found a Trout above the apron but it ignored my Black Nymph. I’d lost all of my GRHE nymphs in the trees. I found a fish rising in the Sandy Pool and left it for Jerome while I went to fish the tail of the pool. With the river rising we went back to the First Pool and positioned ourselves either side of the big bush. After a few casts I extended the line and dropped the nymph between the edge of the bush and the far bank, right in the main current. A large Trout rolled over and drew the leader taught. I lifted the rod and held the fish firmly to keep it out of the Willow. Too firmly. The hook pulled. That was a shame, it would have been a nice way to end the evening.

I left the river at 7:15pm, the Environment Agency gauge on the River Lod at Halfway Bridge registered 0.044m. A significant rise in an afternoon, too high and coloured for fishing.

The river had risen a little since my last visit but I was keen to fish so I went anyway. When I got to Keeper’s Bridge and saw the river, I was relieved to see that it was just fishable. The green tint had disappeared and the water had a distinct muddy colour but it was not thick with sediment.  The current was pushing through and the wind was downstream, not the best of conditions. I walked slowly upstream looking for signs of Trout. There were none.

I started at the pool below the big Alder tree and felt that it was just a matter of time before I got a take. Although I was confident there were fish in the pool, the nymph was ignored.

I moved upstream to the Sandy Pool and decided to start at the top and search the pool with a nymph. I chose a loosely dressed GRHE nymph because the pale colour of the dubbing would be visible to the fish.  I covered the entire pool, casting down and across but I didn’t get a take. I was surprised not to have caught a fish in that pool, it looked so fishy.

I moved up to the long straight above the bend and saw a fish splash near the top end. It came up about every fifteen minutes but it was not feeding. I tried several different nymphs and a dry fly but they were all ignored. I didn’t think the fish could see the flies. I moved up to the first gap in the trees, the gap where I normally lose several flies. The shallow water increased the speed of the current so I cast slightly upstream and allowed the leaded Black Nymph to sweep round towards the bush on my right. After a couple of casts a good fish rolled over, grabbed the fly and was hooked. For about five seconds. I tried a few more casts but the pool was trashed.

I moved up to the next gap in the trees and repeated the process. On the first cast a Trout swirled at the fly but missed. I quickly flicked the fly back into the ripples and the fish had a second attempt but I lifted too soon and the fly ended up in the trees.

I heard splashing upstream and I went to the pool below the Old Riffle to investigate. While I was knelt on the tree stump a big fish jumped clear of the water in the centre of the pool, in the fast water. It was difficult to work the fly under the tree into the wind and I think I lined the fish.

I went back to the straight where the fish was still splashing in it’s earlier position. It jumped regularly but wasn’t feeding. I spent a while trying to tempt the fish with different nymphs. It looked a very pale coloured fish and may have been a Sea Trout.  The river seemed to be rising and the only sensible option was a pint at The Badgers.

The river had risen three feet during the week but then dropped back to 0.031m on the guage. I hadn’t fished the river since 27 July. I intended to walk the top two Beats and have a look at the improvements the Estate Maintenance Team had made to the river and the water meadow. However, after a long chat about the catch returns, I dropped off the paperwork at the office and then visited all the lakes. I took temperature and pH readings which were all normal.

I drove to Taylor’s bridge but then had to return to Keeper’s Bridge and sort out the saga of the lost Barbour bag. Although I left home at 10:30am it was 5:00pm before I threaded my line through the rod rings. As I was at Keeper’s Bridge I decided to stay there despite two other members presence. I walked through the wood and was surprised by the height of the Himalayan Balsam. I knotted my GRHE nymph to the 2lb tippet I used at Little Bognor but thought better of it and changed to 4lb Stroft GTM. A lesson remembered.

The river was just fishable. The current was a little stronger than normal and the water had an olive green tint. I thought it would be difficult to tempt a trout particularly as I was following another member down the Beat. I watched the river for a few minutes and saw a fish rise under the Alder tree. I sat on the grass and prepared to cast. Another fish rose just above the bridge. I watched downstream and another Trout rose below the bridge. The downstream fish were feeding, I decided to ignore the fish under the Alder and move down to the bridge. Chasing fish around is usually a bad idea.

I crept downstream but before I got to the bridge I saw a good fish rise at the end of the shallows. I worked a nymph through the water but the fish had moved back to it’s original position. I cast the nymph downstream into an eddy created by a newly fallen bush and the Trout immediately dashed at the fly. It took hold on the second attempt. It was a good fish and initially I thought it was a Sea Trout. It dived under the near bank but I bullied it out. It was a very pale brownie. My landing net was close at hand and after a few minutes, I eased the fish into the net and onto the bank. The fish looked slightly out of condition and had a red mark in it’s jaw. It had probably been caught before.

It was about 2lb 8ozs and it took a long time to recover in the landing net. An early fish boosted my confidence and I thought the fish below the bridge would be a formality. It was not. While exploring the Cattle Drink pool I saw another good fish on the bend so I moved down and resolved to stay there until I caught it. I repeatedly covered the fish, rested it and tried again but I couldn’t get a take. A smaller fish was rising below the tree on the bend but that disappeared when I presented the nymph.

On the next bend two fish were rising to midges. I changed to a dry fly and carefully presented it to both fish but they ignored my offering. I saw one of the fish as it rose to take a midge in mid current. I flicked the fly just upstream of the rise but it was ignored. The sun was in my eyes and the polaroids were not very effective. I couldn’t see if the fish had inspected the fly or just dashed away.

I was content with one good fish. Changing the tippet had ensured success. The other fish would still be there on Thursday. I hope the rain holds off.