Blogs

19.10.21 - Willows

I was reminded that my Tuesday evening sessions are coming to an end as it felt like it was already getting dark when I arrived at 3:30. With a full moon and a lower air pressure, I had hoped that the Willows piscatorial population might be more forthcoming than of late, though the on/off rain strong south wind that was whipping the surface all evening raised more than a doubt. I snatched a 4lb 5 common on method feeder, but with the few anglers telling me of poor returns frim their day, I was a

October 20, 2021

18.10.21 - River Lambourn

A Monday off, and squeezed in a couple of hours fishing, just as the rain started. Fished several swims, loose feeding with red maggots and trotting a 4AAA loafer down the shallow glides. Had a torpedo-shaped 1lb 6 brownie early on, but nothing more. Had a handful of bites that didn't connect for more than a second, and something snatch at one of the six minnows I snagged. Apart from being jeered by some schoolgirls, and a guy insisting that anything good had been caught and eaten by, lets say,

Bayleaf the Gardener in River Lambourn

October 20, 2021

15.10.21 - River Kennet, Aldermaston

So, my first ever session at Aldermaston. I've walked the stretch a few times now, including two days ago when I saw a nice rainbow trout landed. 'I've had a few here,' the man said. 'There's a trout farm downstream.' The river looked beautiful, so despite the NAA website warning that: 'this can be a difficult water to fish and will challenge your skill as a river angler.' I was very excited as I headed for the water. Through the session, I alternated between a 50 yard perfect-for-trotting

Bayleaf the Gardener in Aldermaston

October 18, 2021

16 October (Part 2)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 0930 - 1230 Cloud clearing to a bright and sunny morning. AT 14ºC when I packed up. River low. 4 Chub; 2lb 11oz, a couple of around 12-16oz (of course) and a tiddler. 13 Roach, 2 Dace (all apart from one of the dace quite small). 1 Brownie 1¾lb. A couple of hours prospecting for new chub swims which produced nothing but the trout - followed by ¾hr in the ever reliable weirpool which produced everything else!

October 16, 2021

16 October (Part 1)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 0715 - 0900 Mild,calm & overcast after a prolonged shower. Lovely, benign autumn's morning. AT 9ºc on arrival. 11 Perch: biggest four: 3lb 2oz, 2lb 12oz, 2lb 9oz, 1lb 12oz - with nearly all the rest in the ¾lb - 1¼lb category. 1 Tench; 3lb 0oz. Splendid start to my autumn perch campaign - 3lber was first fish caught - and all the bigger ones came in the first half an hour - fish (apart from the tinca) got progressively smaller as light le

October 16, 2021

9.10.21 - Brimpton - The Crays!

I was fishing the Kennet at Brimpton recently when a man passed me with a dustbin strapped to his back. You see all sorts on the rivers, so after an exchange of pleasantries I did not challenge him. Half an hour later he was back, and the bin was heaving full of large, grotesque signal crayfish. I was appalled. Turns out I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Leech of the Artisan Fisherman Ltd of Thatcham who is fully licenced to trap and trade in crayfish. A lovely man, he estimated his barrel co

Bayleaf the Gardener in Brimpton

October 13, 2021

Willows - 5th, 9th & 10th October 2021

Autumn is here, and while the books will all tell you that the carp are feeding hard, sensing the forthcoming winter, the continued unseasonable warmth has maybe stopped the message getting through. Little to report from 3 sessions frankly, with a mirror and 5 commons cross the piece - or should it be 4? - I caught the photo'd fish an hour after dark in single corn float fished about 2ft from the bank. It didn't give much of a fight, and was particularly well behaved on the unhooking mat. M

October 12, 2021

9 October

River Kennet - Marsh Benham 0830 - 1300 Foggy - eventually clearing to sunny spells - though bites dried up when the sun appeared so was quite happy with the gloomy conditions. AT 14ºC when I left. River quite low and with a little colour. 5 Chub: 3lb 11oz, 2lb 5oz and 3 around 12oz or smaller (This year class appear to be everywhere!) 40+ Roach and Dace (more roach than dace) - a nice stamp with around half of both species in the 8-10oz class. Biggest dace I weighed went 10oz and

October 9, 2021

1 & 2 October 2021 - Willows

A couple of pretty crabby days. Friday was a comparatively cold start from recent days and I suspected it might be slower. It was. Soon after arriving, a strong, cold and to my mind, unforecast southerly wind, It was a struggle and the bait only troubled by a 3lb 6 Mirror. When times get tough you try anything, and when the sun finally came out and though the wind remained, I gave a black foam zig suspended 2ft from the bottom a go. Result: Ha! a 7lb 1oz bream! Saturday would have se

October 5, 2021

3 October (Part 2)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 0900 - 1430 Cloud, clearing to bright sunshine - with showers to finish! AT up to 15ºC. River low and clear - despite over ¾inch of rain yesterday! 5 Chub; 3lb 13oz & 4 in the ¾-1lb class (They're everywhere!). 3 doz (!) roach - most quite small with 3 or 4 'netters' - I put a couple on the scales and they both went 12oz. 8 Dace; small save for a couple of clonkers at 10 & 13oz. 3 Brownies; 2, 'pounders' and a 3lb+ brute of a fish (already had a

October 3, 2021

3 October (Part 1)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 0700 - 0845 Cool (8ºC) and overcast. 14 Perch; 5 in the 1lb-1¼lb class the rest half that. Quick dawn session on Dog Sh!t Alley as hors d'œuvres for my first trip to Speen this season (see pt 2). Nearly all fish came in a 20min period either side of 0730.

October 3, 2021

25.9.21 & 27.9.21 - Willows

Two more trips to my fave lake chasing the carp before they hunker down in the cold and go off their feed. Saturday. Slow. I was told it had dropped off since my Harvest moonlit fun on Tuesday (maybe because of its waning?). Tried a bit of everything, and though I lost a couple, just three carp of 8lb 4, 4lb 8 and 6lb 14 was below par. Tuesday. Unable to do any work for today's employer as their computer system was irrecoverably down. As the job is wholly reliant on access to data base

September 30, 2021

23 September

River Kennet - Hambridge 1330 - 1900 Warm (18ºC) and overcast. River low and a little turbid. 2 Chub: both ¾ - 1lb (had quite a few of this size recently - wonder if they've been stocked?) 12 Dace; 3 in the 6-8oz class. 8 Roach; one 'netter' others all small. 1 Grayling: small. 1 Gudgeon. 3 Bleak & a trout parr. A couple of hours trotting followed by 3 frustrating hours ledgering pellet and getting totally annihilated by the crayfish. They were stripping the bait as soon

September 23, 2021

21 September

River Kennet - Aldermaston 1345 - 1645 Warm with 'milky' sunshine. 19ºC. River low and sluggish. 2 Grayling; 1lb 6oz & 1lb 2oz (!!). 11 Roach; Biggest 12oz (weighed) nothing else even half that. 1 Gudgeon. Well I wasn't expecting that! First trip here in well over a decade and even when I did fish it more regularly it was usually hunched over a couple of quiver tips waiting for a barbel - I rarely got the trotting gear out on this venue. So a bit of a recce and for the fi

September 21, 2021

21.9.21 - Willows

The first feeling of autumn. Despite a near 20-degree 3pm start and a stillness in the air, it was quite chilly and dewy as I packed up an hour after dark as the harvest moon was rising. Anticipating fish on the surface, I aimed to repeat last Saturday's surprise catch with a foam zig rig. The carp weren't on show until I pinged in a few biscuits. Within two minutes I had 4 wheeling terns plus 3 moorhens and 2 coots in my swim waiting for the next ping. The carp were almost as quick on the

September 21, 2021

17.9.21 and 18.9.21 - Willows - the King of Fishing post!

Friday: A bonus early morning 3 hours. Despite being put off seeing a guy fishing topless in shorts while I was considering running back to the car for a third layer, I was warmed by two sparkling mirrors of 9lb and 8lb 15. It was one of those mornings where the quivertip was trembling throughout, but despite changing baits, I didn't manage to convert the action to bites. Lost one at the end which would have made it a great sneaked session. Saturday: 7:30am til 2:30. An autumnal misty start

September 18, 2021

18 September

River Kennet - Aldershot Water/Brimpton 0900 - 1400 Foggy start clearing to a bright, warm, sunny day. AT 12º -> 21ºC. River very low and a little coloured up - usual for early autumn especially after a dry spell. 2 Chub; both around ¾lb. 15 Dace; all quite chunky most around the 6oz mark with a couple of bigger ones. 13 Roach; all handsized or bigger. 1 Bleak. 2 Brownies - circa ½lb each. A session topped and tailed in the weirpool at the top of the Aldershot - which prod

September 18, 2021

The Flying Tench's Blog

Swansea marina (River Tawe) 14-16.9.2021

Three days in Swansea fishing as part of a week's family holiday on the Gower. It has to be said that this was salt water fishing (well, maybe a bit brackish), and my experience of such contests is that the fish normally come away with a 'clean sheet'! Though on this occasion I had built up my courage by watching a youtube video by some local youngsters who made it all look rather easy, catching small fish of a wide range of species. So I was hoping to get plenty of bites and catch even if the

The Flying Tench in general

September 17, 2021

15 September

Alders Lake - Thatcham 1800 - 2200 Calm, clear evening - affording excellent views of Jupiter, Saturn & a very bright half moon. Temps dropped rapidly when the sun went down - resulting in a very heavy dew. 2 Tenck; 2lb 13oz and a 'pounder'. 1 Bream; 4lb 2oz. 2 Roach; both 'netters' and whilst unweighed would both have made ½lb easily. 15 Perch; various sizes from micro to a couple that were half decent and in need of the net. Plagued with perch for the first hour - but

September 17, 2021

16.09.21 - River Lambourn

An opportunity for a couple of hours early morning fishing sent me to the Lambourn for the first time since last winter. The banks weren't as overgrown as I'd feared, with most winter swims fishable, although the water was pretty shallow in most places. Trotting with the centrepin is always great fun. I fished four swims, the first soon picking up a 4-ounce brownie. It was at the third and favourite swim, that apart from 11 minnows, I had my second bite. It was a good take and I could see a rath

Bayleaf the Gardener in River Lambourn

September 16, 2021