Our first proper outing this year!
WOW! Back at charity farm - no frost just the usual terrential downpour!
The original plan was to fish at Orell Resevoir in preparation fo rthe match that we are intending to start fishing very soon. I picked Stu up at 9:30ish and headed off for the tackle shop to buy some maggots.
What?!? Closed? Oh well we have corn, meat and pellets on us so lets go to the trusted favourite Charity farm instead!
Arrived and were fishing by about 10:45. W
Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham
0730 - 0930
Mild and drizzly 12ºC. Travelling light so water thermometer in other bag. (But WT must be well up). Canal bank high and quite coloured.
6 Perch (2lb 5oz, 2lb 2oz, 1lb10oz, 1¼lb X2 & a tiddler), 1 Tench (!) 2lb 2oz, 1 Roach (15oz) - greedy sod took a whole lob on a size 8, 2 chub both <1lb.
Surprisingly pleasurable morning given the conditions - thankfully wind wasn't too bad - though fished les
Middle Kennet
0800 - 1645
Bright and very breezy - one heavy shower. River high and coloured.
5 Perch (2lb 11oz, 2lb 6oz, 2lb 3oz, 2lb 0oz, 1lb 10oz), 1 Chub (1¼lb), 4 Doz+ Dace - almost all over 6oz - I weighed 9 which were all 11-12oz. 19 Brownies - Biggest 3lb 12oz, 1 Rainbow - 2½lb, 2 Roach (14oz), 2 Grayling, 3 Gudgeon!
Treated me self to a Birthday Outing - alone with Paul. Did MUCH better than we had any right to expect given the coloured water. Paul had a similar return -
River Lambourn - Shaw
0830 - 1100
Cold and clear 1ºC -> 4ºC. River up and carrying a tinge of colour after heavy rain yesterday.
7 Grayling - 2 'pounders', best 1lb 4oz, 4 Brownies, 2 Roach, 1 Salmon Parr.
As ever a reliable winter fallback for when the Kennet is up and coloured. Bites hard to get but not impossible - bigger fish on the Church stretch.
River Kennet - Speen Moors
0745 - 1315
Showery/bright/showery. River up and carrying a little colour after overnight rain (forgot my thermometer).
1 Chub, 3lb 14oz and 8 chublet. 4 perch 2lb 3oz, 1lb 15oz, 1lb 13oz, 1lb 6oz. 3 doz dace,roach & gudgeon.
Spent 1st 2 hours searching the usual spots for perch with float fished lobs without a touch. Switch to maggot brought all the silvers and the chub. Switched back to lobs for the last ½hour and had all 4 from a swim I haven't c
Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham
0745 - 1015
Cool, cloudy and calm. AT 41ºF -> 47.5ºF. WT 44ºF
7 Perch - 2lb 15oz, 2lb 3oz, 2lb, 1lb 8oz, 3<1lb.
Dawn raid on a perfect perch morning. 6 fish in the first hour - only 1 bite after 0900! All fish to float fished lobs.
Middle Kennet*
0815 - 1630
Bright and Breezy. River 'full' and carrying some colour - dropping out during the day.
8 Chub - best 3; 4lb, 3lb 13oz, 3lb 6oz, other 5 <2½lb. 13 roach - best 3; 2lb 1oz (Yippee!!), 1lb 12oz, 1lb 10oz, (next biggest 14oz), 10 dace (6 over 8oz - biggest 11oz), 5 Brownies (to around 3lb), 3 Rainbows (ditto!), 1 Salmon Parr and a Gudgeon!
Fantastic day! Fished with Paul - who I think had a similar day - catching more sma
River Lambourn - Shaw
0800 - 1100
Cold & misty/overcast. -1ºC -> 3ºC
8 Grayling - 3 'pounders', biggest 1lb 5oz, 3 Roach - biggest 1lb 6oz (!), 5 small brownies - oh and a bullhead!
Slow morning, bites hard to come by - so the roach - caught almost last cast, was a real and very pleasant suprise. My biggest from this venue (don't ever remember having one worthy of the scales before)! Upto that point I was most pleased with the bullhead (!),
River Kennet - Newbury
0745 - 1215
Cold and overcast - Easterly breeze. AT 38ºF, WT 41ºF
14 Chub (5lb 15oz, 5lb1oz, 4lb14oz, 4lb 6oz, 4lb 3oz X 2, 7 X 3lb - all over 3½, 2<3lb), 1 Barbel 5lb 2oz, 1 grayling, 2 dozen dace, roach and gudgeon (mainly dace).
WOW! Cracking session in one of my favouirite chub swims - but one that really hasn't produced a lot for me since the opening week of the 05/06 season - so today was like seeing and old friend a
River Lambourn - Newbury
0730 - 1030
Rain, continual unrelenting rain! 5ºC
5 Grayling (2 'pounders', best 1lb 7oz), 12 roach, 2 Brownies (biggest 1¾lb)
Rather hoped I'd sneak an hour of so of daylight before the rains came but the 1st drops started to fall on my 1st trot through. A couple of roach were ½ decent - around 8-10oz. All grayling a decent size (10oz+).
hi, has anyone fished milo pool at browning cudmore fof barbel afew tips would be much appreciatated thanks...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
K&A Canal - Thatcham
0715 - 0845
Bright and breezy - after heavy overnight rain (¾in fell yesterday). AT 46ºF. WT 48.5ºF
7 Perch (5 over lb - 3lb 3oz, 2lb 5oz, 1lb13oz, 1½lb, 1¼lb) 1 chublet
Short session - as only had about 45 mins of 'good light' - good for perch that is - bites dried up when it got too bright. Water carrying a tinge of colour which would have helped too. All fish on lobs.
River Lambourn - Shaw
0915 - 1215
Cold and overcast - 5ºC. River moderate height and gin clear
16 Grayling (2 pounders - best 1lb 6oz), 4 Brownies - biggest 1½lb.
Trotted maggot. Usual 'catch a couple and move on' tactics. Fished a dozen swims and had a fish from all of them...
K&A Canal @ Enbourne/Speen Moors
0700 - 1130
Bright and breezy - clouding over. WT 48ºF. low and gin clear.
1 chub (1½lb), 1 perch (scraper lber), a dozen dace, ½doz each of chublets, roach, gudgeon and small perch, 1 B. Trout.
1st hour on the canal then switched to the river. Stiff downstream breeze made bait presentation a nightmare - managed 3 perch before moving. Fished mainly on PD - some lovely dace showing had 5 around the 8oz mark - a couple of roach of similar size.
River Kennet - Nr Thatcham
1830 - 2330
Clear and still. AT 54ºF --->45ºF, WT 52ºF. River low - another couple of inches down on 3 weeks ago and carrying quite a bit of debris - mainly ranunculus.
2 Barbel (8¼lb , 4lb)
River needs some rain!!! Both fish in the 1st couple of hours (again!) then the signals moved in (never a good sign). Floating debris quite annoying. Lovely clear night - good for firework spotting - also saw a few meteors (Taurids?).
River Kennet - Woolhampton
1830 - 2330
Still and overcast. AT & WT both 50ºF. River down 6-9 inches on last visit here (18 Sep) minimal leaf litter in river (expect that to change this weekend!)
2 Bream (2-3lb), 1 Chub 4lb 7oz
All fish caught before 2100 (could have had an early night!). Chub was very long, had a huge head and mouth and was VERY lank and out of condition. Tail and anal fins frayed and bloodied - looked like it had just finished spawning! Reckon it ought to ha
River Kennet - Newbury
0730 - 1230
Cold and frosty. River clear with some leaf litter. WT - 47ºF (That's down 8ºF since Monday).
5 Chub (2-3lb, biggest 3lb 11oz), 3 barbel (all 2-3lb) 4 doz Dace, Gudgeon, Roach (mainly Dace).
A morning trotting maggot or worm - very surprised to get the barbel considering the drop in WT. All chub and barbel caught after 1030 having spent 3 hours dribbling in maggot (and catching nowt but dace). Small but great fun on float rod and CP. All barbel
River Kennet - Nr Thatcham
1900 - 2315
Mild and breezy, air temp rose 1ºC to 14ºC. WT 13ºC. River down 3-4 inches on a fortnight ago - considerably less weed coming down too, dark when I arrived so couldn't gauge clarity.
10 - yes 10 barbel. 10.05 (thats 3 doubles in 3 trips!), 8.10, 8.02, 7.08, 5.07, 5.00, 4.14, 3 unweighed around the 4lb mark.
Another stonking evening on the Kennet!
Fished my ' new' swim last night (hereinafter called 'Doubles' or 'Broken Rod' - see below).
Summer Pit - Yateley
1915 - 2315
Mild, still evening, quite balmy under the trees. 17ºC ->16ºC. WT 14ºC
1 tench 3¼lb
Last throw of the dice to try and get a late season Crucian. Water was pretty lifeless though and was pretty surprised to get a fish 1st cast. Not surprised that this was my only bite of the evening! Fished meat (which caught the tench), bread and pellet.
River Itchen, Gaters Mill
0800 - 1900
Overcast, mild and becalmed - shirtsleeves all day. (Perfick!). River 'full', gin clear with LOTS of debris - mainly ranunculus coming down.
74 Grayling ( 26 over a lb of which 17 over 1½lb and 5 over 2lbs - best 2lb 9oz). 10 Brownies (best also 2lb 9oz), 1 chub 3lb 10oz.
River Itchen back to its best - most of the fish were in the faster, streamier water. Paul managed 71 grayling (we both do returns for the EA's national grayling survey) and
