Why now is the perfect time to be out on the banks

AS I MADE my way to a swim on the river last weekend there was a sound missing from the banks – the crunch of frosted grass underfoot.

Normally by now, the first chills of autumn would have ensured a white-carpet welcome across the fields and seen off the chest-high nettles lining the banks.

Instead it was blue skies, 12 degrees, and a front-row seat looking out at the most magnificent autumn colours on the trees.

I’m not knocking those who prefer perfectly manicured pegs and accessible platforms, but there is something special about tiptoeing through the undergrowth to tackle an underfished piece of water for wild fish.

On this occasion the fish hadn’t read the script, though, and my clumsy crashing through the vegetation clearly didn’t help as I managed a grand total of zero bites on my legered half a lobworm hookbait.

Maybe they hadn’t moved into this ‘winter’ spot yet. At least that’s what I told myself on more than one occasion.

This somewhat unseasonal weather we’ve been having of late has certainly influenced our catches, as fish and anglers alike enjoy an extended summer.

If you’ve been reading Jamie Hughes’ Champs Diary column in the last few weeks, you’ll see I’m not the only one who’s been caught out with summer tactics still winning matches in some areas.

The fish are clearly still having a big feed-up, and those other water users who spent summer leaping off bridges, paddleboarding, swimming, and kayaking in a zig-zag pattern through our swims have disappeared, just as we knew they would.

There is peace on the rivers again, just at the perfect time – who wouldn’t want to be an angler right now?