A satisfactory season despite (yet again) not a barbel on the bank.
Best Carp: 23lb 10oz. 21 June Ledgered Pellet - method feeder Jubilee Lake - Thatcham. Biggest carp for 10 years and my biggest ever Common.
Best Bream; 7lb 14oz. 17 Nov, Trotted corn, River Frome - Wool. Something of a surprise capture as I was after Grayling - my biggest ever river Bream.
Best Chub; 6lb 4oz. 9 Dec, Trotted maggot, River Kennet - Brimpton. First 6lb+ chub for 7 s
Middle Kennet Estate Water - Kintbury
0700 - 1815
Mild,damp start, VERY windy with some further lumpy showers (hail), brighter by the afternoon. River with a bit of water in it at last!
21 Chub; Biggest 3 - 5lb 6oz, 5lb 3oz & 4lb 9oz - with nearly all the rest in the 2½ - 3½lb class, a couple of pounders and one just under turned up in my dace swims at last knockings. 12 Dace - best 10oz, 6 Roach - all 'hand-sized', 1 Perch <1lb & around a dozen+ brownies.
A chub fest
River Kennet (& carrier) Marsh Benham
0900 - 1530
Bright and breezy (very breezy at times in the morning!) Mild-ish but didn't feel that way in the wind. River up an inch or two on last visit here (3 weeks ago).
7 Chub; Best 5lb 2oz - all the rest between 2½ - 3¾lb. 3 Bream: between 2¾ - 4lb. 15 Roach, 5 Dace & 5 Trout (3 browns & 2 rainbows all between 2½-3½lbs).
Pleasant days trotting despite the wind - spent most of my time on the main river and weirpool which prod
Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton
1330 - 1700
Still mild with milky sunshine - clouding over and quite breezy.
9 Perch; 5 over 1lb - 2lb 1oz, 2lb 0oz, 1lb 13oz, 1lb 12oz, 1lb 3oz with a couple more just shy of 1lb. 1 Chub 3lb 1oz, 1 Roach; 14oz. 3 Pike - all between 2-3lb
Can't get enough of a good thing at this water atm! Pike were a bit of a pain forcing me eventually to move swims - which resulted in the chub and the roach - both caught on whole lobs.
River Kennet - Brimpton
0745 - 1200
Quite mild, dry and cloudy with sunny spells - river up to near normal winter levels with a tinge of colour.
1 Chub; 2lb 13oz. 2 Grayling, 4 Brownies to 2½lb
Was hoping to re-acquaint my self with some of the big chub I had from here at the start of winter (see; http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.php?/blog/82/entry-1572-9-december/ ) but, alas the trout were rather to eager, trashing swim after swim. Eventually had a chub from the 5th swi
River Frome - Wool
0800 - 1530
Bright and sunny - quite warm (16ºC) for Feb despite a frosty start. River quite full (1.06m at E stoke) and a little coloured.
7 Grayling - 4 over 1lb best 2lb 1oz & 1lb 11oz. 2 Trout (both sub 1lb) and a Salmon Parr.
Sparkly day in Dorset with bites at a premium - especially in the morning - when I broke for lunch I had just 3 modest sized grayling to my name - but returning to the 2 swims that produced them resulted in better sport in the aft
K&A Canal - Woolhampton
1500 - 1730
Bright and sunny. Mild - 16ºC
4 Perch; 3 over 1lb - biggest 1lb 14oz
Another successful dusk session for stripeys - though the biggest one was caught well before the sun had sank below the trees....
K&A Canal, Woolhampton
1500 - 1715.
Mild and mainly cloudy.
3 Perch: 2lb 4oz, 2lb 1oz, 1lb 7oz.
Had to make the most of this mild spell with a dusk session for stripeys. Thankfully they'd read the script and whilst bites were at a premium every one resulted in a nice perch.
River Kennet (& carrier) Marsh Benham
0930 - 1400
Mild and bright, clouding over by the time I left. River still not very high for mid Feb.
3 Chub; all 2lbers. A dozen roach, biggest 1lb exactly with nothing else remotely close to that!. Half dozen dace, 3 Brownies between 2-3lb & 4lb+ Rainbow.
Most fish from the weirpool - though started with a 2½lb chub from 'Chub Corner' first cast - turned out to be the biggest of the day!
Lower Itchen Fishery
0830 - 1700
Bright and breezy (very at times), River well up and coloured from yesterday's heavy rain - though conditions gradually improved throughout the day.
9 Grayling; best 1lb 8oz. 2 Brownies - 2½lber and a parr.
4th IAC Paul Goulbourn memorial grayling day - so it was nice to catch up with some old friends. Fishing was a challenge for all though as the river fined down I think most caught a few. Gary, who I fished with all day, was the star of the show
River Kennet - Newbury
1100 - 1330
Cold, bright and sunny with snow on the ground AT -2ºC -> 3ºC. River up a couple of inches but running gin clear.
2 Chub: 2lb 9oz, 2lb 2oz. 3 Grayling - all 8-10oz. 3 Brownies to crica 1lb.
Lovely crisp winter's day (though I got stuck in snow in the car park and some kind souls dug me out and gave me a push!) Chub and grayling are reliable quarry when the thermometer is close to zero and I wasn't disappointed despite the very bright conditio
K&A Canal - Woolhampton
1400 - 1615
Mild, overcast and breezy with drizzly showers turning to rain. AT 10ºC. WT 9.1ºC
3 Perch; 1lb 9oz, 1lb 4oz, 13oz. 1 Pike 2lb 4oz. 2 Chub(lets)
Mild snap had me heading for the canal in pursuit of stripeys. Didn't get a bite until 1530 then a flurry of fish around 4 o'clock - usual pattern for winter perching on the canal!
River Lambourn - Newbury
0830 - 1045
Mild and overcast. River low.
19 Grayling. Over half a couple of ounces either side of 1lb with the biggest, a lovely jet black fish of 1lb 10oz. 2 brownies - both small.
Usual catch a couple and move on trotting tactics.....
River Kennet - Brimpton
1015 - 1515
Cold, bright and sunny. River low - very low for mid Jan
2 Chub; 3lb 1oz & 1½lb. 1 Brownie 2½lb
A bright sparkly day though not ideal conditions - perseverance paid off - didn't get a bite until 1430 then 3 fish in half an hour from swims that appeared devoid of fish a couple of hours earlier (sun was off the water!)
River Kennet (and carrier) Marsh Benham
0930 - 1530
Overcast, mild and quite breezy. River down on a fortnight ago (well we have had zero rainfall in that time).
3 Chub; 4lb 1oz, 3lb 3oz & 2lb 11oz. 1 Pike 2lb 10oz, 4 doz Roach & Dace (roughly 2 -1 ratio). Biggest roach 12oz with a lot more circa 8oz. 2 Brownies 4lb 14oz & a pounder, 2 Rainbows - both 3lbers (possibly same one!)
Chilled out birthday trip! Carrier was very low so fish w
Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton
1300 - 1600
Mild, cloudy and benign - perfect perching weather. AT 10ºC
9 Perch; 2lb 15oz, 1lb 13oz - the others all around 8-10oz. 1 Chub 1¼lb and a Rudd(!)
The CRT have made it very difficult to locate big stripeys on the canal - by removing pretty much every bit of over hanging vegetation from miles of bank - however conditions were ideal for winter perch so a roving approach - travelling light and giving sw
River Kennet (and carrier) Marsh Benham
0930 - 1430
Cool and misty morning with bright sunshine after 1200. River lower than I expected and quite clear.
8 Chub; Biggest 3lb most of the rest 1¾ - 2¾lb. 1 Bream 2lb 15oz, 3 Doz Roach - all quite chunky but nothing over ½lb. 2 Dace, 1 Rainbow 2½lb and a Brownie of 3lb +
Lovely winter's day in West Berkshire. Chub were very obliging even if my biggest of the day was caught first cast. Bream fought harder than any bream I've ever hooke
River Kennet - Thatcham
0945 - 1145
Cool and bright. River up a touch with some colour.
1 Chub; 3lb 3oz, 1 Grayling; 1lb 9oz. 2 Dace, 1 Perch
Quick session while Mrs P hit the sales. Super grayling for this part of the river - my biggest from here.
River Lambourn - Newbury
0830 - 1100
Mild and overcast - river still quite low and gin clear as always....
22 Grayling; Biggest 1lb 8oz with around half the rest a couple of ounces either side of a pound. 1 Roach: 1lb 2oz. 2 Brownies - a 2lber and a parr.
Quick trotting session usual catch a couple and move on tactics - nice to get another decent roach from here.
River Kennet - Newbury
1015 - 1315
Cool, cloudy and calm. River up a couple of inches after yesterday's rain but not carrying much colour.
8 Chub; 4lb 2oz, 4lb 0oz, 3lb 11oz, 3lb 0oz, 2lb 10oz & 3 X 1-2lbers. 1 Grayling 1lb 1oz, 1 Dace, 1 Roach & 5 Brownies - to 2¼lb.
Another super winter's chubbing - first 3 trot throughs all produced fish (after spending 10 mins feeding) and thereafter the fish came in 'bursts' 20-30 mins without a bite followed by another 2 or 3 fish i
River Kennet - Brimpton
1045 - 1415
Bright and sunny after a brief but torrential shower. River lower than I expected after a wet week and carrying a tinge of colour.
6 Chub: 6lb 4oz, 5lb 6oz, 4lb 7oz, 3X 1-2lbers. 1 brownie circa 1lb.
I've fished Brimpton regularly since I joined NAA in 1982 and whilst I catch 5lb+ chub most seasons I've never had a 6 until today! Thing is I didn't even plan to fish here today but I turned up at Hambridge to find
K&A Canal Thatcham & River Kennet - Arrowhead
0730 - 1315
Mild, breezy with light drizzly showers.
8 dace - all a 'nice' size (6-8oz class), 1 chublet & a gudgeon.
Another fruitless perch hunt, not a bite (at least from something that didn't have claws!) on the canal so finished off with an hour on the river.
K&A Canal Enborne (& Speen Moors)
0715 - 1230 (with an hour at Speen in the middle)
Cool, overcast with drizzly rain for a couple of hours.
1 Chub; 2lb 9oz.
Fruitless search for a perch - not a single bite on the canal - and not a lot of interest on the river after the first cast chub!!
