Mid September

As I write this it is, praise be, pouring down and hopefully the 2003 very hot drought will be over.

Temperatures into the 80sF and low river levels have frustrated most
evenings, with few flies hatching and hardly any fish rising. However, a
couple of weeks ago we has a smidgen or rain that put an inch on the gauge and, hey-presto, there were good hatches and the trout and grayling rose. But then the hot weather continued and the river fell and everything went dead. It has been the same on my brown trout reservoir: with the surface water temperature close to 25C the brown trout have lain in the cool depths and refused to budge. My son Pete made two recent evening visits and saw not one trout rise. In contrast, the rainbow trout fishery at Barnsfold has fished well at and after sunset, with big midge hatches and trout rising everywhere. The important point, of course, is that Barnsfold is stocked with rainbow trout that can tolerate much higher temperatures than brown trout.

So, most of my own fly-fishing has been on the coast with sea-bass the
intended quarry, and the fishing has been superb. Most have been small
schoolies in the 1-2 pound mark (I managed 32 through one neap tide at a favourite hot-spot) but I have had one of 5 Þ lb. Daftest of all, last
Sunday morning, as the ride made, I came across a shoal of mackerel feeding in less than 3-feet of water only 15 yards from the shore. I had a dozen before they moved off. Most bass I put back. These I have frozen and will smoke them and make delicious smoked mackerel pate.