The very cold winter has kept the water temperatures down and so the fish have stayed well off shaw in the deeper warmer layers. Even the boat fishermen have been struggling. It was the last evening of the last day in May till I caught my first Bass on the fly. What a cracking fish to kick off the season. It weighed in at 3.7lbs and what a scrap. It was my 15th last cast of the evening and I had almost given up. Then the line tightened. I instinctively strip-striked and felt it was a decent fish and raised the rod and he was on. The fish took an "Howie’s eel" one of my home tied sand eel patterns. 
Fly Fishing Sussex 