5th October 2019

Saturday morning saw heavy grey overcast skies and a distinctly chilly east wind as I arrived at the river. Looking down from the road bridge I was disappointed to see that the river was running fairly low despite all the rain of the past week. Undeterred I decided to give it a go in any case. I had been looking forward after all to getting out and clearing the head of anything that resembled work and the past week. A few hours of being “one with nature” was just what I needed.

Starting at the run just below the bridge, where only the previous morning it had produced a 7lb salmon, I gradually began working my way downstream trying to cause as little disturbance as possible.

I fished down and around this section of the river trying to seek out any fishable deeper sections and pools. Making my way downstream I was startled several times by the sudden whirr of rising pheasants! It crossed my mind that I had had brought the wrong weapon. All around me were signs of the countryside starting to shut down as “Winter is coming”.

At the last accessible pool on this section of the river, a deep pool with good depth and flow my hopes rose as I carefully made my way down this pool slowly covering each bank. Alas however no interest and no sign of anything moving, where do the fish go when water level drops I asked myself not for the first time that morning?

Deciding against leaving the riverbank and the small hill climb to reach the next section I opted to call it a day. Yet another blank but in fact I had achieved one goal – to get out and chill out after a busy work week.