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Chris Plumb's Blog

3 January 2022

River Kennet - Hambridge 0900 - 1115 Mild and overcast. 9ºC. River still quite low @ normal summer levels - though up an inch on my last visit here with just a hint of colour. 2 Chub: 2lb0oz & 1lb 12oz. 9 Dace - 3 in the 6-8oz class. 4 Roach (handsized). 2 Gudgeon. 1 Brownie c 2lb. Quick couple of hours to get 2022 underway! Plan was to start the New Year with a chub - successfully executed first cast! Would have to wait until pretty much last cast for another - which the
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

01.01.22 - Speen Moors & Enborne

At last; the chance to put my two New Year Resolutions into action: 1 - Eat more pepper - I like pepper on my food, but often forget to put it on. 2 - Sort myself out when it comes to fishing rivers and catch a few pike. I started at the weir swim and soon had my first fish of the year: a gudgeon, surely the harbinger of fishing success and everything being good in the world.  And so it proved, as it was followed by a nice dace sandwiched between two chub, a fish so elusive to me tha
The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

2021 - My Year End Summary

The end of another year, the second after my 20 year+ hiatus from the sport that has totally recaptured me like a bleak to a pinkie. It included my first ever grayling (they never had them in Surrey) and my first Crucian and Rainbow since 1977 approx. I'm quite anal in my record keeping, writing a journal, updating a spreadsheet, and then there's been this jolly-old blog since March, so I am well-equipped to shake a creel full of statistics at you which are of interest to, at best, myself.
Chris Plumb's Blog

31 December

River Kennet (& carrier) - Marsh Benham 0900 - 1400 VERY mild (14ºC) and cloudy morning - brightening up for last couple of hours. River still on the low side but up a couple of inches on 3 weeks ago and carrying a bit of colour. 4 Chub: 4lb 1oz, 2lb 2oz and a couple of chublets - one of around a pound the other half that. 1 Bream; 5lb 2oz. 40+ Roach and Dace - mainly roach in an approx ratio of 2-1. Nothing particularly newsworthy - though they weren't tiddlers either - a cou
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

30.12.21 - K&C Canal - Hambridge

A last chance for a fish in 2021 and a zip down to 'my' swim on the canal, 3 minutes drive from home. With the wind gusting, float presentation wasn't the easiest, and while the roach weren't there in such quantities, the ones that came seemed to have grown. Among the 21 I caught, more than half were over 2 ounces and two were netters (only  around half a pound, but I didn't want to lose them). The perch were back too, well, two of them, the larger being 12 oz, and also I was visited by a N
The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

29.12.21 - Willows

With the temperature in unseasonable double-figures and the rivers low, I thought it rude not to have a bash on the lake. Not an auspicious start as mid-first cast, the pop-on spool on my reel popped-off and flew into the drink. I carefully hand wound the 100 yards or so of line and had it on the surface about 10 foot from the bank when the backing knot gave and it sank irretrievably lost to the depths. Spare spool clicked firmly on, I had no bites as the showers lashed in until 11am w
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

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Chris Plumb's Blog

28 December

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1400  - 1615 Bright and breezy after morning rain. AT 10ºC. Canal surprisingly coloured up after recent rains - surprising - as the canalised river below Woolhampton lock wasn't at all coloured! 8 Perch; 3 'pounders' - best 1lb 9oz. None of the rest particularly small - all around 8-10oz class. Dusk session to take advantage of the mild temps and a (temporary) cessation of precipitation! Whilst I wasn't at all confident when I arrived and
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

27.12.21 - K&A Canal - Enborne

Nothing to mention on my first hour on the weir at Speen Moors. The rain was distinctly unpleasant, and though my waterproof suit made me look like a terrorist Michelin man,  I was cosy and dry, which I could not say for my maggots, who, lubricated, were soon climbing out of their pot and I spent more time fielding them than watching my float. Note to self: don't forget bait apron next time. Having suffered several tangles due to the wind persistently wrapping it around the rod tip, three hook l
The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

22.12 & 24.12 - Hambridge & Knotts

Wednesday: Had a little under two hours to fish before dark, so took a second trip to the canal swim that produced so many (small) roach last week. It had been minus 5 when I started work that morning, and by now had only now climbed to a balmy 2 degrees, but despite being bothered by a narrow boat and canoeists, all of whom I gave hard stares, the roach didn't seem too bothered. The perch didn't show up however, but even so I thought I was going to beat the 50-fish barrier when, having nailed 2
The Flying Tench's Blog

Blankety Blank end November up to December 23

It must be about 6 trips now I've blanked, all on the Thames. All were short sessions of up to a couple of hours, so arguably they amount to just a couple of longer sessions by hardier anglers, but even so I'm starting to feel the need for some fish!  Mostly my trips have been casting cheese paste randomly into the river in the hope of a monster chub, or laboriously researching where the roach have shoaled up. As temperatures drop the chub ought to be a prime target, but the problem with the Tha
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench in general

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Chris Plumb's Blog

23 December (Part 2)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 1400 - 1600 Dull with low cloud and a little drizzle. AT 9ºC 6 Perch; Best: 2lb 6oz, 1lb 14oz. The rest all around ¾-1lb Bit of a gamble - though temps were well up on yesterday I was worried the water temperature wouldn't have caught up. My concerns were unfounded - and as it approached 4pm the switch was flicked for dinner and I had 5 fish in 5 casts. Could possible have had more - but a large pike chased the last one - making an unscuccesf
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

23 December (Part 1)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 0915 - 1345 Dull and drizzly.AT 7º - 9ºC. River very low and clear. 3 Chub; 1¼lb & 2 chublets. 3 Dace, 1 Roach (nothing of any size), 1 Brownie1½lb Pre christmas trip to use up my maggot as my bait fridge in the garage gets its annual clean and is sequestered for the turkey and other Christmas victuals. A rather dismal session - and that wasn't just the weather - very few of my banker swims produced so much as a bite - and I even struggled for b
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

18 December (Part 2)

River Kennet - Brimpton 1215 - 1445 Cool & overcast. 8ºC. River low and positively threadbare - we need some rain! 1 Dace - 8oz or so. 3 Brownies - a couple over 1lb and one of around ½lb. A real struggle in very low water - I'd hoped the dull weather would compensate - but not to be! I did actually find some chub - shoaled up under some tree roots in around 18 inches of water - but despite trickling maggots past their liar for 20 minutes - couldn't tempt them out into op
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

18 December (Part 1)

River Kennet - Thatcham 0900 - 1130. Cool & murky. 7ºC. River low and clear - very low for December. 1 Chub: 3lb 15oz. 7 Roach - all handsized with a couple of netters of around 10oz. 1 Dace - 11oz (first cast!). 2 Brownies - small. With river levels so low both of today's venues were a bit of a gamble. And one which very nearly didn't pay off! I'd fished all my usual hotspots with nothing remotely chubby in residence - though the big dace was a nice bonus. I was trotting
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

15 & 17.12.21 - Hambridge & Willows - The Ugly, the Bad and the Good

Wednesday, and I had the chance to fish for an hour or so before dark. I thought I'd give lure fishing ago given the number of guys marching up and down Speen Moors last Friday with their 7ft rods and multoplier reels. I dug out an old 9ft rod from the garage, and popped into Tony's for some artificial crayfish, rubberised worms and some wire traces. Thus kitted, I wound in fast, slow, jaggedy and twitchingly, but after an hour in various swims, all I'd landed were sunken leaves and submerged br
Chris Plumb's Blog

12 December (Part 2)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1415 - 1615 Mild, overcast with drizzly showers. AT a mild 12ºC 4 Perch; 3 smalluns and one of around 14oz-1lb. Quick couple of hours to make the most of the sudden rise in temperature - though the 'witching hour' came and went with not so much as a hint of a bite - all 4 fish coming in the first ¼hr!  
Chris Plumb

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Chris Plumb's Blog

12 December (Part 1)

River Kennet - Marsh Benham 0830 - 1315 Mild, mainly overcast - with a few bright spells. 10-12ºC. River very low for mid December - but then we have had less than an inch of rain since the 1st Nov. 3 Chub: 5lb 3oz (SB 👏) and a couple of chublets of around ¾lb - 1lb. 2 Doz Roach - of various sizes - the one I deemed worthy of ths scales pulled the needle round to 13oz - looked bigger!). ½ doz Dace - all bar one 6oz+. 1 Bream; 1lb 14oz, 1 Bleak. 1 Rainbow trout; 2¾lb. A mornin
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

11 & 12.12.21 - Bellwood & Speen Moors

I can almost get away with a shortcoming in angling skill and verve when the fish are hungry in summer, but winter is again flicking my nose and guffawing at me. Saturday was a bit grim. I'd heard it was going to be slightly warmer, so off I trot to Bellwood where I felt I had unfinished business after last week's match. Always cast at showing fish, they say, so when one popped at the surface as I arrived in 'car park corner,' that's where I sat. I alternated two from three of a pellet feed
The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

1, 3 & 5 12.21 - A bite, 2 blanks and a placing?

The day after my last trip to Speen Moors, two bones in my instep started hurting. By the days end, I could barely put my foot to the floor. Not wanting a trip to casualty for an 8-hour wait plus possible Omicron exposure, I did the typically male thing and left it to get better on its own. What could go wrong? Well nothing really, as over the next couple of days while the pain didn't really subside, the swelling didn't spread and a bite-like head appeared in the area. I reckon something particu
Chris Plumb's Blog

4 December (Part 2)

River Kennet - Hambridge 1030 - 1200 Cool & bright. AT 6ºC. River low (very low for December) and clear. 1 Chub: 2lb. 10 Roach (nothing of any size). 5 Dace; (a couple in the 6-8oz class). 1 Grayling. 1 Brownie c1lb. Hadn't planned on a '2 venue morning' but having abandoned the Lambourn early couldn't resist a sneaky hour or so in a favourite swim. As the river was bathed in bright winter sunshine I really didn't expect any chub so forewent my usual bait and wait approac
Chris Plumb

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Chris Plumb's Blog

4 December (Part 1)

River Lambourn - Newbury 0800 - 1015 Cool & bright after early rain. AT 4ºC. River very low and gin clear as it always is! 8 Grayling; 5 over a lb. Best 2 - 1lb 9oz & 1lb 6oz. 1 brownie - small. A curious couple of hours, notable for the paucity of bites AND the quality of the ladies that did show up for breakfast. Starting at the top of the stretch and working my way down I was somewhat surprised and disappointed to not get as much as a chewed maggot from my first 4
Chris Plumb

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Chris Plumb's Blog

26 November (Part 2)

River Lambourn - Shaw 1300 - 1515 Cool & showery. AT 4ºC when I packed up. River low and clear. 13 Grayling: best 1lb 11oz & 1lb 6oz with a couple more of around a lb. 5 Trout - 1 circa a lb the others less than half that. Usual catch a couple and move on tactics - with the biggest of the day (and = seasons best so far) being also the last fish of the day -  from a swim I'd caught a couple from an hour earlier.
Chris Plumb

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

26.11.21 - Speen Moors

Ah, Storm Arwen approacheth bringing strengthening winds and dropping air pressures. Having blanked in a 3-hour cold stint at Willows on Wednesday that didn't even make a blog entry (you really didn't miss much), I decided instead to humiliate myself on the river once more. Started off at the weir, and scraped a dace, a roach, two minnows and, at last,  ... a chub! All 6 ounces of it. I also lost three much better fish, one that I thought was a snag before it torpedoed off, each one droppin
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