The Fall is here

The leaves are starting to look quite spectacular, the clocks have changed, the Trout season has drawn to a close, and we've had the first major storms for a while. It must be The Fall, (as they like to say across The Pond), and if you wandered up or down Beat 2B (Trottenden) recently, you might have seen this Fall too.

This was in Field 3, across the big deep pool below the Flat Stones, and is a very big and very dead Ash, no doubt another victim of Ash Die-back. Nigel will be tackling it before too long, with some help, as it's seriously obstructing that prime fishing spot. He's already working out where we can make good use of the trunk to enhance the river flow.

It wasn't the only recent Fall however, as you'll have noticed if you keep an eye on the River level information from the Stonebridge Measuring Station https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/station/1087 . Earlier this week, the level dropped dramatically to below 20cm, which is not good news for the fish. At least it didn't get down to the ridiculous level of below 10cm we experienced in August. We immediately contacted Southern Water, and asked some rather pointed questions about what was going on. We did receive a fairly prompt response this time, though not an actual explanation, but lo and behold, within a day or so the level was restored to a much more acceptable 30cm. Probably just coincidence!

Luckily that meant a decent level and flow for the last few days of the season, and some very nice weather to go with it. The fishing wasn't necessarily easy however, and some very competent members struggled a bit, but it was enjoyable nonetheless, and I was particularly pleased to catch a Brown on a small Dry Daddy Long-legs after drawing a blank with it for several weeks previously.

That's it for this year, no more Trout until next April, though if you've signed up for Winter Fishing, you can be back down on the river next week, but you can't visit Beats 1, 2, or 5 now. Personally I'll be carrying on fly-fishing but targeting Grayling instead of Trout. I hope the Trout realise that, but I'll be happy to hear any tips (in Comments or on the WhatsApp) on how to specifically target Grayling in ways that won't attract any Trout. I will be using smaller flies (16, 18 or smaller), and looking for more opportunities to use Dries. I'll also hope we continue with the clear water we've had for a while, so that I can maybe target individual fish. I will have to avoid the Coarse anglers on the river, and trust that they will be using special maggots that don't attract Trout.

If you do go fishing, we'd still like to hear about catches of Grayling, caught using Fly fishing methods, but otherwise, please don't submit Returns for any Trout accidentally caught (and always carefully released), or for any other coarse fish.

If you prefer to stay warm this Winter, and you don't fancy fly-tying or attending the AGM, then I hope you've had a good season, and I'll hope to see you next year, and may I be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Cheers

Peter B