Sussex Trout Fishing … and Devon

The river had settled to it’s normal level and the day was overcast with a breeze from the west. Perfect fishing conditions. Rain was forecast for the next day and over the weekend. I visited all the beats to have a look at the catch returns but I had a gut feeling that the top beats would be best. Rotherbridge and Keeper’s Bridge had been fished over the weekend and that morning so I drove up the old railway line to Taylor’s Bridge. I wanted to revisit Perryfields as I’d seen some good fish there. Neither Ladymead nor Perryfields had been fished much since my last visit and nothing had been caught.

I decided to fish the south bank because the overcast sky would prevent shadows and the banks had recently been mown. I would have good access to the water along the entire Beat. Just as I got to the first pool a fish swirled. A good sign, I was confident that it would take my fly. I started with a Black Nymph then changed to a nymph with bright red hackles. After thirty minutes of intense concentration I gave up and moved downstream. The plan was to fish the Perryfields stretch on the south bank, then swap to the north bank and explore the pools downstream towards Keeper’s Bridge. I walked to the bend above Perryfields and then started fishing. I searched under the trees along the far bank with a weighted nymph.

Things were going well until I pushed a cast a little too firmly and tangled the leader around an overhanging branch. I pulled for a break and lost the entire tapered leader. It would have been a long walk back to the Land Rover for my spare reel so I tied a length of 4lb Stroft directly to the end of the fly line. Luckily the breeze was behind me and the weighted nymph helped straighten the improvised leader. I flicked the fly across the river under a tree and let it swing round in the current. Half way across there was a flash from a Trout and I connected with a little wild brownie. I unhooked it and watched the fish dash back into cover. Normally that Trout would have been ‘lined’ by my tapered leader. The fine line might have made a difference. The sun broke through the overcast and made my approach to the water more difficult.

I walked to Perryfields Barn and as I arrived, I heard a big fish splash just above the bridge. I crept onto the bridge and ate a handful of huge blackberries while waiting for the fish to rise again. It didn’t. I covered the pool above the bridge but I knew the Trout wouldn’t respond. I stayed on the north bank and went downstream. I thought the line of trees below the Old Riffle and the Wide Pool would produce a Trout. The breeze was against me but the sun was in my face and I didn’t have to worry about shadows. As I arrived at the Wide Pool a Trout rose in mid-stream. The cast was simple and the fish took the nymph immediately. The Trout jumped and dashed around the pool for a couple of minutes. I thought it was ready for the landing net. As I lowered the net onto the marginal weeds the fish dashed off upstream under the Alder trees on the near bank. I laughed at the Trout’s antics, the fly line was tangled in the branches and it looked like a lost cause. I gained a little line but the fish went on another long run. It paused and then surged further upstream. The belly of the fly line had left the reel. I resigned myself to losing the fish and eventually the line went slack. I reeled in and was surprised when the line tightened, it was still on. When I saw the Trout clearly, I realized it was foul hooked in the shoulder.

I released the Trout which recovered quickly. The hook had a couple of scales on the point. The riffle and the pools below it didn’t produce another fish. I was tired and dehydrated so I made my way back to the Land Rover for a bottle of Lucozade. I had intended to visit the big pool at Ladymead but I was exhausted and called it a day.

Using a 4lb bs leader had been interesting. It was difficult in the wind but I think it improved my presentation. I will have to experiment with my leader, it might give me an edge with spooky, end of season fish.

The weather had been changeable over the weekend. Hot, dry and dusty on Saturday then cold, blustery and damp all day Sunday. The gauge on the River Lod at Halfway Bridge read 0.04m and rising. I thought that the river would be unfishable. As I drove over the North River below Billingshurst I was surprised to see that the level was normal and that raised my hopes. I went to Rotherbridge to check the colour of the water and looking down from the bridge, I could just see the bottom. However, the river was rising and I thought the lakes would be more productive.

As I drove over the crest of the hill towards Great Springs I could see rain clouds blowing over the Downs but the road remained dry. Midhurst and Petersfield would get the rain. When I arrived there were Trout splashing on the surface of both lakes. After a cup of tea and some chocolate, I walked down the path to Little Springs and hid behind the bull rushes. I watched a few small Trout moving around within casting range but they were not feeding. I tried to intercept the fish with a GRHE nymph but they were not interested. The Trout definitely saw the nymph, several deliberately moved away as it dropped across their noses. After a frustrating hour I returned to the Land Rover for more chocolate.

I decided to concentrate on Great Springs, the water was crystal clear and deeper. That would give me more options. There were a lot of fish splashing on the surface, both Trout and Roach. The gentle breeze behind my right shoulder helped with casting and presentation. I used a long tippet of 2lb Stroft GTM and worked the GRHE nymph in an arc across the breeze. After an hour I changed to a Black Nymph but there was no response. In desperation I swapped to a size 16 Red Buzzer and let it drift across the lake without any retrieve.

A good fish swirled in the debris falling from the Willow treed on my right. I presented the buzzer quietly and had an immediate take. It was a nice Roach with dark, Autumn colouring. The shoal was moving along the edge of the weeds under the tree and it was tricky to position the fly. I caught another four Roach and lost several. Some of the takes were very gentle, almost impossible to see. The takes petered out and my attention returned to the Trout. As the light faded several Trout began feeding at the surface, not exactly an evening rise but it was encouraging. I fished intently for another hour expecting that, at any moment, the leader would draw away as a Trout inhaled the buzzer. Although I was convinced that I would get a take, I eventually lost my concentration. It was time to leave.

I hope the weather settles and the river level drops so that I can explore the top beats before the season ends.

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.