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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

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

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

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

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

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

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

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
The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

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

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

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
Chris Plumb's Blog

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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Chris Plumb's Blog

4 September

Harris Lake, Marsh Farm Fishery, Milford 1500 - 2300. Hot and sunny with a stiffish southerly breeze - clear, warm evening. AT 28ºC and still 17ºC when I left. 7 Tench; best 6lb on the nose plus a variety of sizes (1X5lb+, 2X4lb+, 2X3lb+, 1X2lb+). 2 Crucians; 2lb 6oz, 1lb 13oz & 1lb 11oz. 20+ Roach up to 10oz. 3 Rudd - all around 8-10oz, 1 Perch- small. The return of summer put me in the mood for some more crucian fishing - though in truth they didn't get much of a look-i
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

04.09.23 - Half-Round Ponds

Summer has arrived at last and even in South Wales it's going to be 25 degrees. Choose the semi-circular lake to the left of the central causeway ans though this contains the smaller fish, it will mean I have the harsh sun on my back rather than full in my face. Take my 10m pole and fish against lilies. Its steady rather than ever rapid and a few hours before the heat of midday drives me away I manage 6 tench to 1lb 4, 2 small roach and 6 small rudd. Ah well, it was fun enough and thou
The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

2.9.23 - Bass fishing on the rivers Afan and Neath

Put some lures in a back pack, tied rod to my bike and off I cycled to the river Afan where we blanked on bait tactics, but saw bass under the surface in the week. The full moon had raised the tide mark much higher than it had on Tuesday meaning most of the swims I fancied were not available. Those that were had a dredger, UKD SEALION, at. work in and out of the estuary. I didn't think any bass would relish 224 tonnes of dredger ploughing overhead so cycled inland. I lost 3 lures to snags before
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in River Afan

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

1.9.23 - Treoes Lake

A fun, par day in Bridgend. Float fished Mirrors of 9lb 6 and 6lb 2, Commons of 8lb and 5lb 2, Tench of 3lb and 3lb 6 and Bream of 2lb 14, 1lb 5 and 3 half pound skimmers. All went quite for the last hour around lunch time, during which the highlight was one of the two resident kingfishers making a dive across my swim and extracting a small roach in the blink of any eye. Stunning.
Chris Plumb's Blog

30 August

River Kennet - Hambridge 1600 - 2230 Overcast, breezy and quite cool - clearing to reveal great views of the blue super moon! AT 17ºC - 12ºC. River a little on the low side... 1 Chub: 4lb 13oz. 2 Perch 1lb 9oz & a tiddler. 5 Dace & 3 Roach (all small). 4 Gudgeon. 4 Brownies - all small. Evening session ledgering for barbel preceded by half an hour's trotting to inoculate me from a blank! I needn't have worried however, as the chub fell well into the dark on my ledgere
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

29.8.23 - Bass fishing on the River Afan

My new neighbour and I took some mackerel and frozen squid and mussels to pin to the bottom of the tidal stretch of the river for my first visit. While we watched our motionless rods a passerby looked at us incredulously and said that crab was the bait to use, but that lures would be better as it was 'teeming with bass' on this stretch. Could have fooled us. But as the full moon high tide retreated we did start to see bass on the surface. A lure angler came through and though he did not catch, t
The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

25.8.23 - Treoes Lake

Another trip to my new favourite lake. Overcast with threatened showers turned out to be an hours torrential rain which kept me hidden under my brolly unable to move and unable to see my float until past my intended packing up time. In the few hours I was there I managed for Commons of 10lb 2, 8lb 4, 7lb 14, 9lb 10*, a 3lb tench, seven skimmers up to a pound and a couple of roach. * I fought this bloomin' carp for over half an hour on 6lb line without even seeing it. It wasn't having a
Chris Plumb's Blog

29 August

River Kennet - Brimpton 1400 - 1700 Cool, overcast and breezy with fine drizzle for last hour. AT a decidedly autumnal 15ºC. River a little on the low side - but not out of the ordinary for late summer. 1 Chub- un-weighed but around a 1lb. 9 Dace - all quite chunky. 10 (!) brownies all around 8-10oz with one a tad bigger. DAMN TROUT! Rare foray to the lower and slower stretches of this venue - but not before starting in my 2 'banker' chub swims - where the trout were insatiab
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

23 August

River Kennet & Carrier - Marsh Benham 0700 - 1330 Warm and sunny (after a cool start) and with a very helpful couple of hours overcast from 9-11am - bites at a premium once this burnt off! AT 11º - 24ºC. River at normal levels with a tinge of colour. 3 Chub: 4lb 4oz, 3lb 1oz, 1lb 13oz. 7 Perch - 1lb 15oz the rest all quite small. 2 doz+ Dace - various sizes with quite a few chunky ones - biggest went 12oz and had another 4 or 5 around the 8oz mark. 15 Roach - all small. 1 Blea
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

21 August

Alders Lake - Thatcham 1730 - 2230 Bright and breezy. AT 20º - 15ºC. 4 Bream: 4lb 8oz, 4lb 5oz, 4lb 2oz, 3lb 10oz. 4 Tench: 4lb 3oz, 3lb 3oz X2(different fish I think!), 2lb 11oz. 2 Carp: unweighed but both around 1½lb. 6 Perch; - most around 6-8oz. 2 Rudd. A very busy evening with bites and fish from the off - smallest Bream was actually first cast!. Bites tailed off after dark - only one fish after 9pm - exact opposite of what usually happens. All fish on float fished prawn
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

18 & 19.8.23 - Half Round Ponds

Two back-to-back sessions on these Swansea ponds. With Welsh wind and rain expected and received, the landscaped bowl around these lakes at least kept the wind off me if not the west stuff. Friday was the best of the two days float fishing, and though of the three tench I was after, the biggest was 6oz, mirrors of 8lb 14, 8lb 10 and a common of 7lb 8 at least put bends in the rod.  Saturday brought just one more tiny tench and a mirror of 5lb 4. I nodded a hello to the other angler who
Chris Plumb's Blog

18 August

River Kennet - Hambridge 1230 - 1530 Warm and overcast after heavy rain this morning (15mm in 3 hrs). AT 19º-23ºC. River up a tad and with a bit of colour after said rains! 2 Chub: 4lb 5oz & 3lb 11oz. 9 Dace and a Roach - all small. 6(!!) Gudgeon. 3 Trout parr. I had intended to spend today on my syndicate stretch further upstream - but torrential rains this morning put paid to that idea. It's not really a venue for a short session as it takes me over an hour from door to
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Chris Plumb's Blog

16 August

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1730 - 2230 Warm and overcast - clearing. No breeze so copious amounts of DEET required to keep the mossies at bay! AT 23º-17ºC 2 Tench; 4lb 7oz & 4lb 3oz. 2 Carp; 8lb 6oz & 6lb 11oz First evening this summer on here when the carp have been a nuisance. Along with the 2 I landed I lost another 3 to hook pulls - two after lengthy fights and getting close to netting - ho hum they weren't what I was after any hows! Thankfully there was a lull in ca
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

14.8.23 - Aberavon Beach

My second ever go at sea fishing in our new Welsh home came on the most perfect weathered afternoon possible. With a warm westerly breeze and surf churning nicely my mentor advised that the prospects for seabass were good. Nobody told the fish that however, as our sand eels and squid remained stolidly untouched. Never mind, it was just lovely to be out on the near deserted sandy beach as the sun sank over down-the-road Swansea.
Chris Plumb's Blog

14 August

River Kennet - Hambridge 1130 - 1330 Dull and drizzly - quite breezy too. AT 16ºC. River still with nice flow for late summer. 1 Chub: 4lb 1oz, 11 Dace & 3 Roach - all small. 3 Gudgeon, 2 Grayling c6oz, 1 Perch - small, 2 brownies (ditto). Mrs P at the hairdressers was an opportunity to return here with a bigger saw to do some more 'gardening'! And of course I wasn't going to pass up the chance to wet a line for an hour or so.... Nice chub first cast - followed by the usu
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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