Willows Lake - Thatcham
2000 - 0500
Warm (min 16ºC), overcast and drizzly most of the night especially early on.
8 Carp; biggest 18lb 5oz - all the rest between 5¾lb - 9¼lb. 1 Tench - circa 1lb and a skimmer.
A night of 2 halves - started float fishing the margins targetting the lake's rare but large crucians - and sure enough had crucians rolling in my swim repeatedly as it got dark - so hopes were high! Alas the carp kept getting to the bait first and when I didn't connect wit
Northcroft Stream - Newbury
0430 - 0815
Warm with cloudless skies. River looked in surprisingly good nick - still reasonable flow.
2 Chub - both circa 1lb (and possibly same one - caught nearly 3 hours apart!), 2 doz dace & 9 Roach.
Pre breakfast trotting session - hopeful for some ( bigger) chub which didn't show up.
3rd Paul Goulbourn Memorial Trophy - Harris Lake - Marsh Farm.
0800 - 0800
Hot, bright and breezy. Breeze never really died down even at night.
19 Tench - biggest 5lb 4oz with nearly all the rest in the 3½-4½lb class. 13 Crucians; 3 over 2lb (just!) - biggest 2lb 3oz. Around half the rest were 'Big 1's' (had 3 @ 1lb 15oz!). 3 Roach, 3 Rudd & 4 Perch.
IAC came out in force to do Pauls' memory proud! Record attendance at this meant £400 being raised for Sue Ryder. Despite chall
Jubilee Lake - Thatcham
1400 - 0500
Clear and breezy - night was cool and clear but not as cool as forecast (kept too busy to get cold!)
10 Carp; 23lb 10oz (!), 11lb 15oz, 10lb 11oz, 10lb 6oz, 10lb 4oz, 9lb 14oz, 9lb 5oz, 8lb 13oz, 8lb 6oz, 7lb 7oz, (Over 110lb of carp!). 2 Tench 3lb 11oz & 3lb.
Last year I made the mistake of fishing here in the school holidays - and got very irritated by the noise from other anglers. No such worries last nigh
River Kennet - Thatcham (2 venues)
0900 - 1400
Warm, muggy and overcast.
A dozen + dace, 2 perch (both around 10-12oz), 1 roach, 1 Gudgeon & 2 brownies - 12-16oz.
A visit here is now more by habit than expectation - long gone are the days when you could hope to winkle out a few barbel on the float - though I was still hopeful of chub. However just getting to a swim was a battle - head high nettles meant I just hacked my way into a couple of spo
Johnsons Lake - Milford
1200 - 2315 & 0300 - 0900
Warm and overcast and quite breezy. Quite the best night to be out - no need of warm clothing - or a shelter!
8 Crucians - best 4: 3lb 11oz, 3lb 8oz, 3lb 5oz, 3lb 4oz, 2X2lbers & 2X1lbers. 9 Tench; 3X5lbers to 5-15 and 6 of various sizes. 5 Rudd, 1lb 11oz & 1lb 8oz and 3 smalluns. 1 Roach.
Wait 27 years for a decent rudd and then 2 come along at once. 1-06 was my previous best rudd - fro
Warwicks Water
1000 - 1400
Overcast and breezy.
A dozen or so perch.
A quick recce to see how the clubs crucian project is coming along (and I'd heard of crucians and tench being caught!). Alas if the micro-perch didn't nail the bait the crayfish did - the lake bed is covered in the critters - I dropped a piece of meat at my feet to see the mayhem that ensued!!! Can't see how the fish get a look-in!
River Kennet
0400 - 0830 Thatcham
0915 - 1300 Newbury
Overcast start with some light drizzle - river very full for the time of year and quite coloured (boat traffic)
Thatcham - 1 chub 2¼lb, 6 dace, 1 roach, 1 Grayling and 4 Brownies to 2lb+
Newbury - 15+ dace, 2 grayling - both over 1lb!! & a couple more troot.
Wasn't going to continue this blog until somone unexpectedly asked if I was continuing and as I said yes I better put something up!!! Very pleasant start to the seas
Local lake 7 - 9.30pm
Aim was to catch some quality roach on float and sweetcorn, feeding hemp. At the first peg I couldn't get past an army of skimmers, so switched peg. Almost immediately I had a nice fish of 1lb 13oz that looked roachy, but I am sure wasn't. The scales weren't bright enough for a silver bream, so I concluded it was a roach bream hybrid. But to be sure I took out my camera that I had put in the bag a year ago when a similar fish identification issue came up, only to find the
3.45-6.30pm Club Lake
Fished 2 rods, one in the middle with feeder and 8mm pellet for bream, one in the margins with sweetcorn for tench. Was pleased to have success on both rods with 2 bream, best 5lb 10oz, and a tench of 3lb 3oz from the margins.
Rather a modest season - quantity especially on the chub front being order of the day. 2lb 10oz grayling - my biggest from the Itchen in nearly a decade and a Crucian just 4oz shy of a pb being my stand-out fish of the year.
Best Carp: 8lb 5oz - 5 August, Jubilee Lake, Thatcham. Method feeder - pellet.
Blog entry.
Best Tench: 6lb 13oz - 20 June, Johnsons Lake, Milford. Float fished prawn segment.
Blog entry.
Best Bream: 6lb 8oz - 31 July, Jubilee La
Middle Kennet Estate Water - Kintbury.
0700 - 1800 (!)
Mainly overcast though mild with a strong southerly breeze. River 'full' with a little colour - in great winter nick.
25 Chub(!): Apart from 4 X1lb class fish which turned up in my various 'dace' swims at first and last knockings, all 3lb class fish. 3 over 4lb @ 4lb 14oz, 4lb 6oz & 4lb 1oz. 6 Dace - one decent fish of 10oz. 4 Roach - including one @ 12oz. 1 Gudgeon (possibly my first ever from here!). A dozen brownies to 3lb
Kennet Carrier (& main river!) Marsh Benham
0700 - 1600
Mild and becalmed. River quite high up nearly a foot on my last visit in Jan.
14 Chub; 11 over 1lb - best 3lb 12oz, 30+Roach, 6 Dace, a dozen + Brownies to 3lb.
End of season bash part 1!! Again invited Rusty to join me on my syndicate bit of river - and he actually caught some chub this time! Also got to meet some other members - first time I've met another angler here!
River Kennet - Brimpton
0730 - 1000
Bright and sunny after a foggy start - mild. River quite full with a bit of colour - in lovely winter 'nick'.
3 Chub; 4lb 2oz, 3lb 14oz, 3lb 5oz. 1 Brownie.
Breakfast on the river for some fine winter's chub then home to cook the Sunday roast for Mother's Day.
River Lambourn - Newbury
0700 - 1100
Mild and Overcast. 8ºC. River quite 'full' and up a good couple of inches.
25 Grayling; Biggest 1lb 12oz with a lot of fish an ounce or two ±1lb. 2X 2lb+ Brownies !
Default cure for cabin fever after all the snow and ice. Big grayling first fish of the day and biggest lady from the Lambourn in over 5 years (since Dec 2012) - a dark fish that was almost completely jet black - as the big old ladies often are!
Northcroft Stream & River Lambourn, Shaw.
0700 - 0815
&
0830 - 1130
Cold, and sunny. -3ºC -> +3ºC
2 Dace & a 2½lb brownie from Northcroft.
20 Grayling (biggest 20oz) and 3 small brownies from Shaw.
A chilly morning's trotting. Started by trying to coax a chub or 2 from Northcroft - but quickly realised they weren't to be tempted. So it was off to Shaw for some easy grayling. Venue was rather busy with 7 other anglesr!!!
River Kennet - Speen Moors
0700 - 1300
Cool, bright and sunny after a frosty start. River full and clear.
2 Trout - both over 2lb.
A real struggle of a day despite the river looking in good nick. Walked miles to fish all my usual 'banker' swims and hardly had a bite - and when the float did go under it was a pesky trout responsible!
Lower Itchen Fishery
0830 - 1600.
Drizzle all day becoming quite breezy! AT around 8/9ºC after a frosty start. River quite 'full' with a little colour.
18 Grayling - with a dozen or so 1lb or better! Best 4 went 2lb 10oz, 1lb 13oz, 1lb 12oz X2. 3 Chub 4lb 7oz, 3lb 11oz, 3lb 6oz. 2 Brownies;3lb+ & 2lb +.
A soggy day on the Itchen with the IAC. 20 of us getting together for the 3rd Paul Goulbourn grayling day. Raising money for Sue Ryder in the p
River Kennet - Brimpton
0800 - 1100
Cold and bright after a cloudy start. AT around 1ºC but felt MUCH colder in a biting NE wind - should think the wind chill was sub zero! . River 'full' and quite clear.
2 Chub 3lb 7oz & 2lb 8oz. I Brownie of 2lb.
Chilly morning after the chub - and bites were at a premium - so very happy to winkle a couple out! Fished 3 swims and had both chub from the last one visited.
Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton
0800 - 1500
Mild, mainly overcast and breezy (too breezy!) AT around 10-11ºC all day.
1 Pike; 4lb 6oz, A doz+ Perch - nothing over 8oz, 2 Chub (small), 3 Bleak.
Another fruitless hunt for big stripeys. Wind was a real PITA blowing straight downstream and making presentation really difficult!
River Kennet - Thatcham
1500 - 1700
Cool and sunny AT around 4ºC. River quite full with most colour dropped out.
2 Doz dace - with over half in the 8-10oz range !! 2 Brownies to circa 1lb.
With a really crappy weather forecast for Saturday AND Sunday - bunking off work early and snatching a couple of hours on the river was the order of the day - though I didn't expect to still be able to see a float at 5pm - spring is just around the corner (maybe!). Was hoping for a chub or 2 bu
Kennet Carrier (& main river!) Marsh Benham
0900 - 1500
Cool, calm and mainly overcast. AT around 6ºC all day. River a couple of inches lower on my last visit over Christmas - with most of the colour dropped out.
8 Chub; 5 over 1lb - best 3lb 2oz, 2 doz+ Roach, 4 Dace - to 8oz & 4 Perch (all small). (NO trout - bit of a first for here!)
Birthday treat with Rusty as my guest. Low water meant chub were a little on the spooky side - only found one swim where I caught more th
River Lambourn - Newbury
0800 - 1400.
Cold and mainly cloudy. -1º -> 4ºC. River clear ( as always) and much lower than expected given we've had over 60mm of rain in the past fortnight.
50+ Grayling with around half over 12oz and a good few 'pounders'. Biggest 1lb 10oz. 1 Dace, 2 Brownies - a 2lber and a tiddler.
Cracking session - had planned a 2 venue day - a couple of hours here then a switch to the Kennet - but it took me 6 hours to work my way down the stretch such was the
