Fishing the Gt. Stour in September

I headed down to the river for a few hours yesterday afternoon. My usual modus operandi from earlier in the year was to arrive 3 hours before dark and wait for the evening rise to develop or not as the case maybe. Typically it was a slow start with most activity in the last hour before dark.Not so yesterday I arrived at 4.30pm and noticed a steadily rising fish upstream of the bridge so got in the river sneaked up on him and waited for his next rise. A few Blue Winged Olives were sailing by so I put on a #16 grey wulff. The fish rose and I cast the grey wulff floated down following the path of the last BWO he took and he rose. I tighted and all hell broke loose. He roared off across the river and lept clear of the water. Then raced towards me like a rocket which had me hand stripping line to keep up. On past me and down into the next pool. I moved down with him and regained control of the situation. A few minutes later he slid into the net. A lovely brown trout of about 1.5lbs. released and swam off strongly to fight another day.
I decided to head of downstream and start working my way up the beat more methodically. Not much was happening to start with then a bit further on, a good fish rose about 80 yards upstream of me. I slowly made my way up and into position ready to cast. An odd BWO drifted by but the hatch was petering out. I lit my pipe and waited but still no rises. I had a rough idea of where the fish was so I cast to his vicinity. 3rd cast up he came and this chap put the other to shame. He had me straight down to the backing with a blistering run. Then like his predecessor he raced back down stream towards me. Then as I got the upper hand he roared off again. The anxious battle went on for a good 10 minutes before buried deep in the weeds I managed to get a net to him. A cracking trout of of well over 2lbs. I took his picture and let him go.
Excitement over I suddenly noticed how chilly it had become. It was still a good hour from darkness but the river was still. No fly life and no movement. September the time to fish is late morning to early evening as this is the warmest part of the day and the flies are most active then. The evening at this time of year is too cold to stimulate any fly hatches. You live and learn.