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Chris Plumb's Blog

21 June

River Kennet - Widmead (Bulls Lock) 1200 - 1430 Warm and mainly sunny. AT 23ºC. River good depth and flow. 1 Chub - small. 1 Grayling 1lb 3oz, 9 dace all small save for one that needed the net. Quick lunchtime session in a swim that always flatters to deceive. Grayling was a nice bonus though.
Chris Plumb

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Chris Plumb's Blog

20 June

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1500 - 2230 Warm with sunny spells - clearing at dusk with a nice southerly breeze to keep the mossies off. AT 21ºC or there-abouts for most of the afternoon. 3 Tench; 6lb 8oz, 5lb 3oz, 1½lb. 3 Carp; 10lb 11oz, 7lb 8oz, 6lb 11oz News that the carp in here weren't showing very well (post spawning malaise?) had me chancing my arm for the tincas. Went all out with my default tench tactics - prawn sections float fished lift method style and it wasn't long
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

19 June

River Kennet - Brimpton 1700 - 2030 Warm and sunny. AT 24ºC. River quite full for high summer - great to see so much water in it! 6 Chub: (in order of capture) 2X ¾-1lbers, 2lb 5oz, 3lb 13oz, 4lb 3oz, 5lb 4oz (they got bigger as the shadows lengthened!). 4 Brownies, a 'pounder' and 3 in the 6-8oz class. Super evening's sport - though, as per usual, had to rely on the 'rest and return' policy after 2 splashy trout in the first 5 mins from my banker swim. Fished 5 swims in tota
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

A tale of Three Blanks

For those who don't have a Newbury AA ticket, Willows is a small, shallow lake without enough vegetation but with a central island that the carp, typically 6-12lbs like to swim around. It has also recently stocked been stocked up with bream and also tench of around 6lbs. Totting up, I've had around 260 commons and 150 mirrors since joining the club in 2021 with the odd decent crucian between them. You can see that it's what they call I a 'runs water' (I'd not heard of this phrase until recently)
The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

Two evening's riparian entertainment

When Barry Murrer offered to take me fly fishing for the first time, I could hardly say no. I wrote about my experience from my position as editor of the Newbury AA Quarterly Newsletter and copy the two resultant articles below. Cheers, Barry. Evening #1 When I have occasion to flick through the Newbury Angling Association’s  Rules and Regs Book I see ‘3.1 Trout fishing, with artificial dry fly only, shall commence on 1st  April and close on 30 September.’  I’ve always wondered if
The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

May 23 - Various

OK, OK, so I've been remiss in keeping this up to date. Hope you haven't missed me too much. A number of reasons - the main one being the preparation for our move to South Wales taking up so much of my fishing time, my getting together the Newbury Angling Association's latest quarterly newsletter and a rubbish set of catches when I have been. The meagre summary for May was: 2nd May and 29th April - Treoes lake, Bridgend - on the Glamorgan Anglers Club ticket. A lovely, very well p
Chris Plumb's Blog

17 June

River Kennet - Hambridge 0430 - 0800 Warm, muggy and overcast with a welcome heavy shower just after I packed up. AT 17ºC (but felt a lot warmer!). River quite full - especially for June! 6 Chub; 3lb 3oz, 2lb 10oz and 4 between ¾-1½lb. 21 Dace - nothing especially noteworthy - though they weren't tiddlers either. 2 Roach (same!) and 2 Brownies c½lb. A morning's trotting and home for breakfast - gotta love June! And I really should follow my own advice - I recently re-worked t
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

16 June 2023

River Kennet - Marsh Benham 0430 - 1200 Warm and sunny. AT 13º -> 26ºC. River in good nick, nice depth and flow - still benefiting from a wet winter and early spring. 3 Bream: 5lb 2oz, 3lb 0oz, 2lb 11oz. 2 Chub 2lb 13oz and a 'pounder'. 6 Dace - 2 gooduns that needed the net, 1 Roach - small. 1 Brownie - 2lber and 1 Rainbow - around 4lb. For the second year running my season opens with some nice river bream - the 5lber my biggest from here. Started in the weir-pool but str
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Flying Tench's Blog

Grove Pond 31.5.23 Mixed Bag

This is mainly to let you know I'm still around, though it's a while since I went fishing - mainly because of the state of the Thames, and then waiting for the lakes to warm up. Today I went to find a new lake at Standlake called Lincoln's Lake. Problem, I never found it! Doh! So I drove down to Grove Pond and had an enjoyable time float fishing maggot. Almost no bites from small roach, but a 2lb carp, 3.5lb tench, 11oz crucian. I'll let you know when I find LL!
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench in general

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

14.3.23 - 25.4.23 - Various - mainly Willows

It's been a tough Spring. With chilly water and my forthcoming move to South Wales eating at my fishing time, there's been little to trouble the scorers from largely short, sharp sessions. When concern for my well-being was expressed by an anonymous reader of this bog (thanks, Chris) I decided to update the following catalogue of mediocrity. 14.3 - Willows - A shortish evening stint, colder than yesterday and zero degrees when I packed up. One wintery shower caused a 'hailbow'. 2 Commons -
Chris Plumb's Blog

Season's Bests 2022-23

And so endeth another season. And a pretty pleasing one - with some of my favourite Kennet swims producing good fish (mainly chub) throughout the season. The summer started off with a bang - in the shape of my first ever 4lb+ crucian - the biggest of 5 X 3+lbers in an afternoon - any of which would have been season's bests in recent years - a real Red Letter Day! Best Carp 14lb 5oz. 10 August  Free-lined bread flake - Willows. As usual I spent most of the summer trying to avoid carp in my q
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

14 March (Part 3)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 1500 - 1730 Bright and breezy to start - heavy sleet showers to finish! AT 6ºC 3 Perch - a couple of 'pounders' and a tiddler. Disappointing end to the day (and the season) - I guess the topsy turvey temps over the last week have put the perch off somewhat, Didn't get a bit until nearly 5 o'clock - and then a brief flurry of activity - as the sleet fell - saved a blank!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

14 March (Part 2)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 1230 - 1430 Bright and sunny - though quite cool in a northerly breeze. AT 6ºC. River at normal winter levels. 2 Chub: 2lb 1oz & 1lb 6oz. 2 Dace & 2 Roach - all fairly small. Killed a couple of hours in the weirpool - prior to a dusk perching session on the canal - bit too bright for good sport - so pleased to see anything in my landing net!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

14 March (Part 1)

River Kennet - Marsh Benham 0630(!) - 1130 Cool and overcast with drizzle to start - brigthening up. AT3º-6ºC. River at normal winter levels - though actually down an inch or so on last Friday. 9 Chub: 5 over 4lb - best two - 5lb 1oz & 4lb 14oz. 3X3lbers and the smallest went 2lb 14oz. 2 Bream; 3lb 4oz & 2lb 9oz. 1 Bleak, 1 Rainbow C2½lb. Back to the swim - that's a gift that keeps on giving! Had 7 chub from it today plus the 2 bream - the other 2 chub coming from a s
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

12 March

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1430 - 1730 Mild, cloudy & quite breezy with drizzle at times. AT 10ºC 2 Perch: 1lb 14oz & 1lb 11oz. A much milder day than recently, so decided to try for some stripeys on the canal. Suspect the water temps haven't caught up as bites were few and far between - with both fish in the last 45 mins before I then got bit off by a jack.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

7, 10 & 11.3.23 - Marsh Benham

With the river close season rapidly approaching, I managed three sessions at the syndicate. Tuesday evening - Took the cheesepaste to a number of swims. Caught a 1lb 12 chub early on followed by two angry brownies in the 2lb bracket. As it darkened the temperature dropped faster than a 4-oz Arsley bomb as a kingfisher flew low and fast past my rod tip, a barn owl landed in the trees opposite and an orangey full moon rose behind me. It was all breathtaking, but I only managed one more browni
Chris Plumb's Blog

10 March

River Kennet (& carrier) - Marsh Benham 1030 - 1600 Cold and mainly cloudy - snow flurries to start - brightening up. Breezy. AT 1º->4ºC. River at normal winter levels with a tinge of colour.. 9 Chub: (in order of capture...) 1 ½lb, 4lb 6oz, 3lb 5oz, 4lb 10oz, 5lb 10oz, 4lb 8oz, 4lb 15oz, 3lb 14oz, 4lb 14oz. 6 Brownies 2½-3½lb. 1 Rainbow 5 ½lb. It's been quite a poor season on the chub front from my syndicate stretch and I was going into the last week of the season not
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

9 March

River Kennet - Hambridge 1100 - 1500 Cool, cloudy with drizzly showers. Temps rose quite rapidly from 3º->10ºC. River up a couple of inches on the weekend and carrying a bit of colour after nearly and inch of precipitation (snow, sleet & rain) in the last 36 hours. 3 Chub; best 3lb 6oz and a couple of 2lbers. 1 Dace - quite chunky and sandpapery (male in breeding condition). 1 trout parr. Fished 2 swims twice - giving each 45 mins at a time - bites at a bit of a premiu
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

6 March

River Lambourn - Newbury 1315 - 1500 Overcast with light showers. AT 8ºC. River at normal levels. 6 Grayling; best 1lb 6oz - the others half that or smaller. 5 brownies - a 'pounder' and 4 parrs. Quick trip before the inclement weather forecast for the rest of the week sets in! Being a weekday I expected to have the place to myself - not a bit of it - 4 other anglers on the stretch - so I had to eke out fish from less promising spots!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

4 March (Part 2)

River Kennet - Brimpton 1330 - 1545 Cool & cloudy. AT 6ºC. River at normal winter levels - still quite pacey on this stretch and clear. 1 Chub: 2lb 3oz. 1 Brownie - 1¾lb. A couple of hours failing to find one of the 5lb chub I had from this stretch back in the summer - would love to see either in my net again at their winter weight! Gave ½hr to each of my 4 most 'reliable' swims and had just 3 bites all afternoon losing an acrobatic trout and converting the other two.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

4 March (Part 1)

River Kennet - Hambridge 0900 - 1230 Cool & cloudy. AT 3º -> 6ºC. River at normal winter levels and quite clear. 5 Chub: best two 3lb 8oz & 3lb 3oz - all the others between 1½-2½lb. 1 Perch: 1lb 9oz. 1 Brownie c½lb. With 10 days to go until the end of the season - and a cold snap forecast - I might be looking at a tough few trips to round off my angling year. Bites today were at a premium - until I then had 3 chub in 3 casts after switching swims. My usual 'banker'
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

1.3.23 - River Kennet - Hambridge

So, life continues to get in the way of my fishing, It's been over a week now and cold turkey is not pleasant. Managed to squeeze in a couple of hours legering cheese paste on the Kennet for chub. No bites, except from one decent branch that I trawled from the depths in the first three swims. No cheese paste made it back on the hook from any cast making me suspect it wasn't sticking, or else the dreaded crays had woken up. On the fourth swim, on the edge of the mid-channel current, the
Chris Plumb's Blog

25 February

Kennet & Avon Canal (flowing) - Colthrop 0830 - 1115 Cool and overcast with a stiffish breeze. AT 2-5ºC. River clear and still quite pacey. 2 Roach, 2 Dace; all small. Failed experiment to try and catch a late winter (BIG) dace. They are at their heaviest this time of year so it was off to a venue that has twice thrown up really good dace (see here & here) in recent autumn visits. Fished the length of the stretch with most spots hardly producing a bite - ho hum, at le
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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