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20 October

Middle Kennet carrier - Marsh Benham 0930 - 1400 Sunny spells after another night of heavy rain. Mild/warm for the time of year. AT 12º-17ºC. River up several inches and carrying quite a bit of colour - which had noticeably dropped out somewhat by the time I packed up.  4 Chub; 4lb 13oz & 3 chublets. 1 Bream: 2lb 11oz. 3 Perch: 1½lb and a couple of tiddlers. 16 Roach - nothing noteworthy. 3 Dace (ditto). 1 Brownie -3lb. Despite spending a lot of time and effort on the mai

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

17 October

River Lambourn - Newbury 0730 - 1100 Cool and overcast - clearing to bright sunshine. AT 8º- 12ºC. River at normal levels. 19 Grayling with over half around the pound mark or better - the three I weighed went 1lb 8oz, 1lb 9oz & 1lb 12oz. 1 brownie - small. First frosts of the autumn always put me in the mood for grayling and this was a bit of an insurance session in case Storm Babet stuffs up the Itchen for my planned visit this weekend. Usual tactics of catch a couple an

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

16.10.23 - River Ely, St Fagans

My first trip to a Welsh river, some 40 minutes from home which is far further than I'd normally travel, but I'd been getting severe withdrawal symptoms. And a nice river it looked too, perhaps most like Brimpton from my Berkshire Kennet days, with few accessible swims but lovely chubby overhangs. Total disaster. Having found the screw-piece had somehow been lost from the end of my landing net handle, I snapped off the last 4 inches of my (once) 15 ft Cadence rod. On my first trot thro

2.10.23 - 10.10.23 - Treoes, Half Round ponds, Treoes

1 - Treoes - A jog, a sea swim then a fish. Stop off at petrol station for a loaf of bread for bait - £2.89 for a loaf! No chance. Wafters and sweetcorn it is. Watch a guy pull out fish after fish on a pole a few swims down while my rods sit untouched. Finally though regular feeding brings them in and I end up with a very pleasing 3lb 1, 5lb 6 and 8lb 9 mirrors, commons of 8lb 3, 8lb 7, 5lb 14, 5lb 2 and 5lb 6 with a solitary small bream 2 - Half Round ponds - I thought you could do with a

13 October

River Kennet - Hambridge 1100 - 1400 Warm and breezy - becoming increasingly sunny after a wet morning/overnight. AT 17º-20ºC. River down 8 inches on my last visit here but carrying a bit of colour after heavy overnight rains.... 1 Chub: 1½lb. 1 Perch - fairly small. 11 Dace - most small with a couple of chunkier ones. 3 Roach - all small. 2 Brownies: 2½lb and c¾lb. Bit of a scratchy session - had hoped the rain might have pepped the river up - but a couple of splashy trout i

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

11 October (Part 2)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 0945 - 1415 Warm, overcast and breezy. AT 16º-18ºC. River down around 6-8 inches on my last trip here 3 weeks ago. 14 Perch: All 12oz or more - best two went 1lb 10oz & 1lb 12oz but all of the others were a few ounces either side of a lb. 6 Chub: 2lb & 1lb 10oz and 4 chublets. 9 Roach - all small apart from one 'netter' of round 10oz. 1 Dace - small. 12 (!) Gudgeon. 2 Brownies - a lump of around 3½lb and a parr. Super morning's sport and I w

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

11 October (Part 1)

Warwicks Water 0700 - 0900 Warm, overcast and quite breezy. AT 16ºC 14 Perch - nothing noteworhty. Another fruitless session after mythical monster perch - without the redemption of a tench or two. Small perch were everywhere I tried and a high lobworm attrition rate had me packing up and moving venues much quicker than I'd hoped!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

6 October

River Kennet -  Brimpton 1230 - 1500 Warm and mainly sunny. AT19ºC. River with good flow (for mid autumn) and a tinge of colour. 3 Chub: 3lb 6oz, 2lb 15oz and a 'pounder'. Hooray NO trout! Both my 'banker' chub swims gave up a fish and nothing with an adipose fin - which makes a change - first time this season that I haven't caught a spottie from here - long may it continue!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

5 October

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 0700 - 0900 Warm, calm and overcast. A lovely, benign autumn morning - perfect perching weather! AT 11º-14ºC 10 Perch: 7 over 1lb (6 over 1½lb). Best 3: 2lb 13oz, 2lb 6oz & 2lb 4oz After Monday's false start (on the Perch front at least) it was a first visit of the season to a more reliable perch venue - though one that didn't produce a 2lber for me last season. That was all put right in the first ½ hour when I had 6 perch from my first 6

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

2 October

Warwicks Water - Thatcham 0700 - 1300 Warm, calm and overcast (though a thunderstorm rolled in just after I packed up 🙂) AT 16º-18ºC 2 Tench: 5lb 14oz, 2lb 2oz. Doz+ Perch: all fairly small. Reports of big stripeys had me starting my autumn perch campaign on this rarely fished and somewhat neglected pond. It was always going to be a case of trying to avoid the small perch and hope a biggie turned up. However I thought I'd hit the jackpot first cast - my float hadn't even cock

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

25, 26 & 29.9.23 - Treoes Lake

Call me predictable, but with this mixed lake fishing so well, and no river within 30 mins drive, I stuck to what i know Monday - Took my neighbour Glyn who has introduced me to sea fishing. I'd emailed the club the night before asking if it was OK, but having had no response, and Glyn content to sit alongside me watching,assist with the netting and take the pictures, I couldn't see it would do much harm. A slow morning though, with seven bream between 8oz and 3lbs and two commons of 7lb 10

Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Treoes lake

29 September

Middle Kennet (& Carrier) - Marsh Benham 0700 - 1400 Bright and sunny after overnight rain. AT 14º-16ºC. River at normal levels with a tinge of colour. 12 Chub; 6 over a lb - best 3lb 6oz, and half a doz chublets. 8 Perch; 1lb 12oz & 7 small-uns. 1 Bream 2lb 2oz. 30 Roach & Dace (more roach), 'a' roach of 12oz the only noteworthy fish. 1 Bleak. 1 Rainbow -  unwelcome as ever but a real lump @5lb 10oz. All out attempt at trying to snaffle some bigger chub and avoid

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

25 September

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1730 - 2200 Warm(ish!) with a pleasant southerly breeze to keep the mossies and dew away. High cloud - but not enough to mask a bright gibbous moon. AT 20º-14ºC 2 Carp: 11lb 6oz & 8lb 2oz. 2 perch - small. Last evening here this summer (probably!) and first time this season I haven't caught a tench from this lake. Smaller carp was early doors (though preceded by the two micro-perch) and I then spent 2 hours staring intently at a stationary starlite

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

22.9.23 - Treoes Lake

A return to Bridgend to pick up my session from few days ago and 'starling-gate'. As usual, it took a while to get going, but once the fish had cottoned on there was food to be had, they started to come. Had commons of 6lb 2 & 9lb 4 plus some beautiful mirrors of 5lb 15, 4lb 5 and 12lb. The usual tench/roach did not turn up at all nor even the bream until successive casts brought slabs of 8oz, 2lb 2 and 2lb 10. The day was marked by the sighting of a buzzard - my first bird of prey

Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Treoes lake

22 September

River Kennet - Speen Moors 1045 - 1430 Bright and breezy with one light shower (and one cloudburst to finish!). AT 15ºC. River 'full' and with some colour - though not as much as below Newbury. 5 Chub: 2lb 7oz, a couple of 'pounders' and a couple of chublets. 3 Perch; 2@1lb 6oz (definitely different fish) and one of around 10-12oz. A dozen Roach - quite a few chunky ones. 2 Dace, 1 Gudgeon. 1 Trout parr. First visit here this season and the thundery showers kept me to the wei

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

21 September

River Kennet - Hambridge 1400 - 1630 Bright with thundery showers. AT 15ºC. River up 10 inches on my last trip (I measured it!) and quite coloured up. 1 Bream; 2lb 4oz. 2 Perch 1¼lb and one around half that. 10 Roach - all handsized. 2 Dace. 2 Gudgeon. With 37mm of rain yesterday (1½inches in old money) making it the 9th wettest day in the last 20 years - locally, I wasn't surprised to see the Kennet close to winter flood levels. Perfect excuse to drop into my favourite flood

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

18.9.23 - The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

After the soaking at yesterday's match (see last post) I repacked my still soggy stuff in the still soggy car and made the 30 minutes drive to Treoes lake, Bridgend. I'd just sat down after making my first cast when the mobile rang and saw it was Jo. My first inclination was to think 'Sh*t, I must have left my sandwiches at home,' but no - a starling had entered the house, and being terrified of the close company of birds, Jo was now in panicked self isolation in the front room and desperat

Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Treoes lake

17.9.23 - Cardiff Wharf

My debut at the Wharf for a match held by Glamorgan Anglers Club. Never having been to Cardiff (apart from watching Chelsea at Ninian Park in the '80s and two recent trips to Ikea) my knowledge of the area was minimal. I demonstrated this by arriving in plenty of time, but with no one else parked I phoned the organiser to discover I was in the wrong car park. Some general directional instructions were givenand a panicked race around the local roads (observing the new Welsh speed limit of 20mph,

Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Cardiff Wharf

14.9.23 - Treoes lake

Another trip to my fave new lake in Bridgend  with a new swim to me. Only 2.5 foot deep, the temperature has been more than warm enough to keep the fish in the shallows with plenty of lilies, overhangs and sunken pondweed to keep the oxygen level up. Despite this, it was a traditionally slow slow start and I was wondering if I should have stuck to the deeper end after all. Once I'd worked out that the fish were in the even shallower margins, I ended with 3 carp, a tench, 11 bream, 6 roach and 3

Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Treoes lake

12.9.23 - Aberavon Beach

Having ordered some Senko lures (cheers, Barry!) I had another go on the lugworm for the bass this sunny afternoon after the heavy rains of last night. Fished two hours with the tide rising and 1 after.  It was much the same as last week with lugworm tails nibbled off the hooks most casts (I used a full half pound - ie £9-worth in those 3 hours), but I did end up with 6 of the little silver fellers, to a max of 5 oz. Tried sand eel on one hook for a couple of hours, but these were untouched. Gre

11.9.23 - Treoes Lakes

Two short sessions either side of the heatwave. Friday morning brought a single Mirror of 6lb and 3 small but angry tench at Half Round ponds. Apart from losing something much larger in the woods, it was a session notable or two things - A 'dedicated' carp angler was thrown off the lake for not having a 'walled' unhooking mat. I didn't either, but was excused as I was float fishing. Seemed harsh to me. The other, my first rod licence check by the EA since the 1980's. Much cooler on Monday a

Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Treoes lake

5.9.23 - Aberavon Beach

Having blanked a few times now, I took local anglers advice and walked down to the beach with my new neighbour as the sun went down and while the tide was coming in.  I'd also bought a newspaper packet of lugworms, plus a few frozen sandeels and confidence was high. After a heatwave of a day, it was beautiful on the sand at night as the lights of Swansea twinkled across the bay and the furnaces of the steelworks sent the occasional plume of flame into the sky.  We had bites from the of

8 September

Middle Kennet (& carrier) - Marsh Benham 0600 - 1230 Hot and muggy. AT 18ºC - 28ºC. River a little on the low side but not at all bad for September. 12 Chub; A couple of around ¾-1lb - the rest all juveniles of around 6 inches. 1 Bream: 3lb 14oz. 50 Roach & Dace (more roach) - nothing especially noteworthy. 5 Perch - all small. 2 Rainbow's; 3½ & 4½lbs. Early start to try and make the most of the cool of the morning - but didn't really feel it after the long hike t

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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