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The autumn equinox was accompanied by storm force winds and heavy rain. Several days fishing were lost because of the bad weather but all the lakes and river produced good results. The lakes and river have been stocked and the settled weather forecast for the coming week should enable members to make the most of the autumn fishing.

Lakes – Members visited the lakes on 23 occasions and caught a total of 27 trout which is a considerable improvement over the summer months. Four of the fish were over 2lbs and 13 of the 15 fish caught at Little Bognor were returned to the lakes.

River – The river level rose and for a couple of days at the end of the week the river was unfishable. Members visited the river on 17 occasions and caught 18 trout including two good sea trout. Thirteen fish were returned, 8 of the fish caught were over 2lbs.

The water temperature in the rainbow lakes dropped to a level that was safe enough to introduce new stock fish. The stocked fish are feeding and the fishing has returned to normal. Now is a good time to visit the lakes. Lower Figgs will be drained shortly and left fallow over the winter to kill the weed.

Lakes – Fish were rising at Little Springs and Luffs this afternoon. The trout at Luffs were feeding on buzzers and pond skaters. Last week members visited the lakes on 23 occasions and caught 25 fish including 6 over 2lbs. Of the 20 fish caught at Little Bognor 15 were returned.

River – The river was stocked last week and there are plenty of trout in each beat. Last week members visited the river on 32 occasions and caught 33 fish including 12 over 2lbs and one of 4lbs. Three wild fish were caught and returned and a sea trout of 3lbs 8ozs was caught in the fish pass and returned. Of the 33 fish caught only 3 were killed. The river fishes well in the autumn, fish were rising in the evenings and sedge patterns were successful.

Autumn arrived and brought chilly nights and generally lower temperatures during the day. The water temperature in the rainbow lakes steadily dropped and fishing at all the lakes should return to normal over the next couple of weeks. Fishing on the river was exceptionally good last week.

Lakes – Members visited the lakes on 18 occasions and caught 9 trout including 1 over 2lbs, all from Little Bognor. Four fish were returned to the lakes, two wild fish were caught and returned. Most members fished the top lake at Little Bognor possibly because of the dust and leaf debris on the surface of the lower lake. That is a shame as there are some very nice fish in the lower lake, they were rising well this afternoon and 3 were caught including one over 2lbs.

River – The are plenty of trout in the river but the lack of flying insects meant that there were only a few rising. A lot of walking and patience was needed to find a rising fish. Once found, a dry fly or nymph fished just under the surface, usually produced a take.

Members visited the river on 35 occasions and caught 41 fish including 5 over 2lbs, one over 3lbs and 3 sea trout. The biggest sea trout was 6lbs. The sea trout were all returned together with 29 stock fish.

Lost property – a landing has been found at Rotherbridge and left next to the signing in box for the owner to collect.

The start of autumn brought chilly nights with dew on the grass that didn’t burn off until nearly lunchtime. The Rother valley looked beautiful with clear skies and spectacular cloudscapes. The rain in the middle of the week refreshed the water in the river which had returned to its normal level by Friday. The water temperature at Great Springs dropped to 19 degrees and the algal bloom started to clear. Everything looked very positive for some good autumn fishing.

Lakes – Members visited the lakes on 34 occasions and caught 19 trout, all from the lakes at Little Bognor. Seventeen fish were returned to the lakes including 3 wild fish. All the lakes will be restocked when the water temperature drops a few degrees.

River – The streamer weed is just starting to die back revealing channels down which a weighted nymph can be fished. The weed, overhanging trees and bushes provide shelter for the trout during the day and it is worth sacrificing a few flies to explore underneath them. A few fish were rising for midges in the evening.

Members visited the river on 29 occasions and caught 25 trout, including 8 over 2lbs. Seventeen fish were returned to the river.

There is an exceptionally good crop of blackberries and elderberries in the hedgerows along the riverbank. If you are a jam or wine maker now is the time to visit the river.

Lost property – Child size, blue tinted, wrap around shades have been found at Little Bognor and left in the fishing hut.

The weather during the week was perfect for fishing although heavy rain spoilt the Bank Holiday. The rain on Sunday and the much lower night time temperatures, should see further drops in the water temperature and the trout become more active.

Lakes – Members visited the lakes on 48 occasions and caught 5 trout, all from the top lake at Little Bognor. Two of the fish were returned. Members visited the lakes containing rainbow trout on 18 occasions but nobody fished after 6:00pm. The late evening is probably the most productive time because the fish start to feed after sunset.

River – Members visited the river on 28 occasions and caught 21 trout including 8 over 2lbs. The best fish was 4lb 4ozs, 15 of the fish were returned to the river. The most productive beats were at Keepers Bridge. Fish were rising late in the evening and taking dry flies confidently.

River Conditions

“With autumn approaching, river conditions will become more variable. The river is rarely completely unfishable; members should always feel free to ring me for up-to-date information on water level, turbidity and recent catches. Many regard the Rother as a ‘late’ fishing river, with September and October often producing the best fishing of the season.”

Andrew Thompson, Keeper (m 07801 244538)

Lakes – The rain, overcast skies and chilly nights reduced the water temperature of the lakes. On Saturday Great Springs was 21 degrees and Little Springs was 20 degrees. The water temperature at Little Bognor was 17 degrees. Hopefully the early Autumn weather will continue and the water temperature will drop further. Members visited the lakes on 21 occasions and caught 7 trout, all from Little Bognor. Three of the fish were returned to the lakes.

River – The river level rose and fell several times during the week but the changes were small and the water colour remained good. The river was fishable all week although the heavy rain put some members off. The absence of flying insects meant that the fish didn’t rise much but for those members prepared to walk, a few Trout could be found on the surface in the early morning and evening. During the day a deep sunk nymph was the most effective method. Members visited the river on 33 occasions and caught a total of 24 trout, 6 of which were over 2lbs. Three of the fish were 3lbs or more. Sixteen fish were returned to the river.

Lost property – A Hardy priest has been found and can be reclaimed from the fishing hut at Great Springs. Two boxes of flies have been found at Little Bognor and have been left in the fishing hut beside the lower lake.

A black landing net with a 2 metre extending handle has been found at Rotherbridge, it has been left in the bushes beside the signing in box for the owner to reclaim.

Lakes – The weather helped cool the lakes and the occasional overcast sky enabled some members to catch during the afternoons. Members visited the lakes on 20 occasions and caught a total of 10 trout including 5 over 2lbs. All of the fish were caught from the lakes at Little Bognor, 5 of the fish were returned. Most of the fish were caught on dry flies. Both lakes at Little Bognor were restocked to replace the fish that have been retained during the past month.

River – The river level rose slightly during the week but the river remained fishable. Members visited the river on 19 occasions and caught a total of 11 trout, 5 of which were over 2lbs. The fish were caught from Beats C and D, Keepers Bridge and Rotherbridge. The river has been restocked and some larger fish have been released. Black flies fished deep near the cover of streamer weed or overhanging trees should produce a fish or two.

Last weekends rain caused the river to rise which lowered the water temperature and flushed out the debris accumulated over the long hot summer. Although the river was coloured for a few days, it has now cleared and returned to its normal summer level.

The rain also lowered the water temperature in the lakes to an average of 21 degrees. However, today the water temperature at Great Springs was 24 degrees, the highest it has been all summer.

Lakes – members visited the lakes on 20 occasions and caught 8 fish, all from Little Bognor. A brown of 3lb was caught from the lower lake, 3 of the fish were returned. The fish were rising well this afternoon on both lakes at Little Bognor. The water temperature has been kept down by the springs which are feeding the lakes with cool water.

River – members visited the river on 24 occasions and caught a total of 12 fish, 8 of which were returned. It is evident from the catch returns that members visiting the river at dawn and dusk had the most success. Fish were caught on a variety of nymphs and dry flies.

Dawn at Keepers Bridge

Cooler weather is forecast from Wednesday, both the river and lakes should be more productive towards the end of the week.

The summer heatwave continued with temperatures reaching over 35 degrees midweek. Fortunately the weather changed at the weekend, torrential rain and strong winds reduced the water temperature in the lakes to an average of 21 degrees. The bottom lake at Little Bognor was cooler at 18 degrees and the fish were rising well this morning. The river rose and became coloured which should encourage the sea trout to run upstream. The level in the river is now falling and the fish were rising for sedge flies this afternoon.

Lakes – Members visited the lakes on 18 occasions and caught 4 fish, all from Little Bognor. One fish was returned.

River – Members visited the river on 19 occasions and caught 7 trout, all from the lower beats. All of the fish, including one over 2lbs, were returned to the river. Early morning and late evening were the most productive times.

The very hot weather is forecast to return towards the end of the week but in the meantime, the lakes at Little Bognor and the river should fish well.

The extremely hot weather continued but the occasional overcast sky encouraged the trout to rise both at Little Bognor and on the river.

Lakes – The water temperature on most of the lakes rose to 23 degrees, decreasing the dissolved oxygen level, which caused the fish to become lethargic and to stop feeding. The springs at Little Bognor kept the two lakes cooler and the trout continued to feed on buzzers and damsel flies. The fish were rising well in the shade and close to the weed beds.

Members visited the lakes on 18 occasions and caught a total of 14 fish, all from Little Bognor, 13 of the trout were returned.

River – Members visited the river on 31 occasions and caught a total of 20 fish, 3 of which were over 2lbs. The fish came from Beats C and D, Keepers Bridge and Rotherbridge. A sea trout of about 4lbs was caught and a bigger fish lost. Trout were feeding on olives and damsel flies at the surface and shrimps on the bottom of the sandy pools.

The weather forecast is for the hot, dry weather to continue for another two weeks. Early morning and late evening will be the best times to fish the river. Pools close to the shelter of trees or with large beds of streamer weed will be the most productive.