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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.

The weather for much of the week was overcast and cooler than of late. The river temperature was 18 degrees centigrade and the fishing was good. An isolated downpour over the rainbow trout lakes on Friday restored the water levels and cooled the water by two degrees.

Lakes – Members visited the lakes on 12 occasions and caught 6 fish including two wild trout. All 6 fish were caught at Little Bognor, 4 were returned.

River – The river fished well during the early part of the week when the weather was a lot cooler and the overcast skies gave the fish respite from the intense summer sun. The trout rose well, even during the middle of the day, to occasional hatches of olives and for low flying damsels. Members visited the river on 22 occasions and caught a total of 28 fish, 24 of which were returned to the river including 3 wild fish. Six of the fish were over 2lbs.

The very hot weather has returned and fishing at dawn or dusk on the river will give the best chance of finding a rising fish.

The extreme heat and intense sunlight made fishing during the day very difficult. Fish were rising really well along the whole river from dawn until about 7:00am. There was the usual evening rise in the last half hour before dusk.

Lakes – Members visited the lakes on 19 occasions and caught 19 trout including 3 over 2lbs. Most of the fish were caught from the lakes at Little Bognor where the springs keep the water cooler than the other lakes. Of the 18 fish caught at Little Bognor, 11 were returned. Trout were rising at Little Bognor early this morning.

River – Members visited the river on 20 occasions and caught 25 trout, including 7 over 2lbs. Only 4 fish were retained. The fish were caught on a wide variety of flies and most fish were caught late in the evening. The river is well stocked and a visit in the evening should produce a fish or two.

The very hot weather, reaching over 30 degrees on Wednesday, made it difficult for the fish in most of the lakes. Little Bognor and the river were the most productive places to fish because of the cooler water.

Lakes – Members visited the lakes on 29 occasions and caught a total of 20 fish, all from Little Bognor where the water is cooler, 8 of which were returned. Two of the fish were over 2lb, a wild fish of 12ozs was also caught and returned.

River – Members visited the river on 22 occasions and caught 19 fish, 6 of which were over 2lbs. A fish of 3lb 8ozs was caught on Beat E, the Fish Pass.

In the continuing hot weather it will be best fishing in the early morning and late evening at either Little Bognor or the river.

The weather was hot throughout the week and so far this month the south east of England has had less than 10% of the normal June rainfall. The lakes and river have been stocked, some large fish have been released.

Lakes – Members visited the lakes on 43 occasions and caught a total of 12 fish, Little Springs was the most visited lake. Of the 6 fish caught at Little Bognor, 2 were returned to the lakes.

River – Members visited the river on 29 occasions and caught 29 fish, 15 were over 2lbs one of which weighed 3lb 8ozs. A wild trout and 24 stocked fish were returned to the river.

River Day – It was a successful afternoon with a mixture of new and old members attending. Members found the visit to the river useful, interesting and enjoyable. Poppett produced her customary fantastic refreshments, wine and a fine selection of cakes, along with a very useful map enabling the members to make notes as they moved along the river.