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About this blog

the downs and ups of a pleasure angler

Entries in this blog

The times are a' changin' 17.6.13

Not much to report on the fishing. Yesterday, the glorious 16th, I just had time to check out a couple of swims - and discovered that they are unfishable unless I bring gardening implements. Worth knowing, at least. Then I spent an hour spinning for perch in what I thought was a banker area where the river meets the canal. To give me confidence I started with a small orange spinner, certain that I'd catch a few small ones and could then switch to a bigger lure, but even the tinies weren't inter
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench

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Blankety Blank end November up to December 23

It must be about 6 trips now I've blanked, all on the Thames. All were short sessions of up to a couple of hours, so arguably they amount to just a couple of longer sessions by hardier anglers, but even so I'm starting to feel the need for some fish!  Mostly my trips have been casting cheese paste randomly into the river in the hope of a monster chub, or laboriously researching where the roach have shoaled up. As temperatures drop the chub ought to be a prime target, but the problem with the Tha
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench in general

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Sunday 6th Dec

Unusually had a free Sunday evening and decided to have a short recce (plus wetting a line) for tomorrow's outing. I couldn't decide (for tomorrow) whether to fish a swim on the free stretch which is generally supposed to be good when there is a fair flow, or to fish one of the lakes. One problem with the Kennet free stretch swim is that the car parking charges now are horrendous, so fishing after dark when you can park for a pound is one option. So I set out at 5.30pm for a swim where West Berk
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench

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Lure fishing for perch 7.7.14

6-9pm I first went to a hotspot on the K&A Canal. Water very clouded. I tossed out my trusty Mepps Aglia and started getting 'knocks'. Now according to the books that is what you expect, but it has never been my experience. Up till now, when I got a 'knock' it meant I had encountered a bit of weed - at least, I think so. But these were too high in the water, and I was fairly sure it was fish. Could this have been linked to the murky conditions? I'd be interested in any views.   Then, aft
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The Flying Tench

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28.9.18 Zander - Rutland Water

8am to 3.30pm 4 zander up to a pound vertical jigging, plus some perch also to about a pound - thanks entirely to Kappa's experience and coaching. The first time I have tried this style of fishing. A great day!
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The Flying Tench

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My next PB 21.6.19

At the start of a new season, in case it's of any interest to anyone, here are my pbs so far. The question is, how to improve at least one of them this season given that I'm a bit of a cushy 'pleasure angler', not into all night stints and with health issues hindering also:   roach 1lb 9oz River Farm Lake, Fareham Oct 2009 float single caster rudd 2lb 2oz Aquatek Lake, Woolhampton May 2009 float single maggot dace 7oz River Kennet,
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench

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Monday 25 January

3pm to 5pm. Quite cold, AT 3degC. Decided to try and get another pound plus grayling from the Lambourn, concentrating on the swim where I caught one last week. Not to be: 4 grayling and 3 brownies, but none more than about 12oz.   Tried wading at one point, but discovered the 'gravel' was really silt, and I needed chest waders to give confidence.   Used a fixed spool reel for no very good reason. My best 2 fish have come on the two occasions when I used a 'pin'. A centrepin only seems to g
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench

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Thames lock cut roach 23.8.21

4-5pm. I had two false starts in other swims so only left myself an hour in bright sunlight. Pleasantly surprised, though. About 10 roach up to half a pound up in the water on hemp and tares. To me it's a slight puzzle. My general impression is that the lock cuts are pretty well devoid of fish in the summer. Why is Sandford an exception? Maybe I'm wrong and there are more fish in the others than I suppose. I must give a couple of the ones nearer my home another try. To be fair, the only one I've
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The Flying Tench in general

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Mon 21st Dec

Defeated by a snow shower! Would have been OK at the river, but my house is at the bottom of a hill etc etc. But I am still going to bore you with my blog FOR ONE REASON. I am one of 3 weekly blogs on this site, and they all come from Newbury and surrounding area! Well - need I say more? This is my main evidence that Newbury is the ANGLING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. Let's face it, the score says it all: NEWBURY 3, Rest of the World NIL! Hah! That's what I think of all the other places. Hah! It's tr
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The Flying Tench

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Mon 15th Feb 2010

4.30-5.30pm AT approx 4degC.   Did my back in slightly a week or so ago, hence no fish and no blog last week.   Was planning to hunt a monster croc this week, but the back was still a little dicey and, as ever, other events conspired to leave too little time, so had a very short go on the Lambourn - the stretch where they've taken down a lot of trees. Actually I didn't really have time to give it a proper go as I found it was getting tricky to see the float as early as 5pm. For some reason
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The Flying Tench

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1lb Rudd 14.5.21

Grove Pond 3.30-5.30pm My original plan was to catch roach on meat up in the water, but the roach weren't in evidence, except a few very small ones, and for a time the rudd were. My rudd pb is a hefty 2lb 2oz, but after that I think my best was a mere 9oz. So I was very pleased to catch a second best rudd at 1lb 0 oz. I had 5 rudd in all, a couple in the 6-7oz mark.
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Monday 4th Jan 2010

What a slob I am! Day off - FISHING DAY - But I lie in bed vaguely aware of mist and ice outside, and decide that it really isn't worth it, so get up even later than usual. Then I stagger downstairs and discover that all my concerns about fishing in sub-zero temps are answered on AN, and realise that I MUST BE OUT!   What to do? A trip will have to be very short to fit it in, and I'm still not too confident of catching. So, just as a chess player may have to satisfy himself with achieving min
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench

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Monday Dec 14th

2.45pm - 4.30pm. AT 5C, but felt quite mild with little wind.   Today I had an assignation with the Lambourn ladies, though I was a little nervous how they would greet me as I have ignored them for the last year. I have also largely ignored my AN 'pin since Santa brought it last Christmas - at least, I have never used it on a pacey water, which the Lambourn is in parts. So this was an attempt to put both omissions right. It was also the first time I have used my Greys rod with its extension
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench

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9.6.18 Roach bream hybrids

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
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench

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Monday 1st February

3.30-5.30pm WT and AT 4degC   Went to a chub swim on flowing canal to try out breadmash. Aaagh, sticky glutinous oranges! Threw them into the flow but l had little idea where they were coming to rest. Breadmash and I don't get on, next time I will try feeder with breadcrumb from the fishing shop. Magic bread on the hook was fine, but no bites in an hour.   Switched to maggot feeder. Immediate bite from something that felt very solid indeed, but it straightened the size 18 hook out. Hmm, su
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench

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Mon 1st March

WT 6degC, AT 11degC. 3.30-6pm   Partly inspired by CP's recent success, decided to try for some perch. Thought of going to the stretch of canal I suspect CP may have been to, but decided to try and be original - which was a mistake! There had been a hard frost overnight, but it seemed like a summer's day, and I hoped the warmth of the air would waken Sargeant Stripey from her slumbers. But the combined cold water temp and bright sunlight seemed to have turned them off.   There was another
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench

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Thames Perch 25 Oct to 1 Nov 2021

25th Oct Same approach (lobworms on straight lead and Liquid Worm attractant). 3 nice perch 2lb 6 oz, 2lb 8 oz and a smaller one approx 1lb. 28th Oct and 1st Nov Just when I thought I'd got the perch sussed, 2 blanks. Today it felt very cold to me, I'll have to get the thermals out. I got several bites, though. In two cases they bit off the worm just below the hook!
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The Flying Tench in general

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Monday 22nd March

Aquatek Fishery, East Lake 4-6pm WT 9degC (in margins)   I'm not really used to fishing a waiting game with bobbins, but set up 2 rods, one with popped-up lobworm, the other with double maggot at first, then lob lying on the bottom. The weather was supposedly mild at about 12degC, but it felt cold and grot with a stiff breeze and light rain. Ashamed to say I sat in the car and listened to the radio as I watched the bobbins!   My usual experience is that if nothing happens in the first hal
The Flying Tench

The Flying Tench

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Blankety-blank 29/3 - 19/4

Five blanks, would you believe it! 4 short sessions trying for perch on gravel pits, mainly with lob worm - though today's session was with maggot with roach also in mind - and one for roach on the canals, also with maggot. I've got to say angling in April has me foxed, particularly in the pits. I could have paid my money at a commercial, and I'm sure I'd have had a netful of roach, today. Now I know the commercials have a higher stock density, so I'd expect to get more fish there, but I still d
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The Flying Tench

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2-4 July 2017 Middle Severn

A trip to the Middle Severn on a quest for big roach. I stayed in a B&B at Bewdley for 2 nights. On Sunday night I fished the Northbrook stretch on the BAA ticket, and got off to a good start with a lovely roach that tipped the scales at exactly 1lb. Bait was ledgered 8mm pellet No other bites, though, which turned out to be a bit of a theme for the couple of days.   On Monday morning I went to visit Arley, 3 miles north, which is a bit of a mecca - but I think mainly for barbel anglers.
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The Flying Tench

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Roach up in the water 9.5.2021

Grove Pond 3.30-5.30pm I'd been told this lake holds roach up to about a pound, so the aim of today was to start a quest for these (also rudd and crucians) by experimenting with a new bait, meat. I've used big chunks of luncheon meat ledgering for chub and barbel, but only once tried smaller pieces on the float for smaller fish. I started with maggot to build confidence. Quite slow, I soon found small pieces of meat approx 5mm square got just as many bites, and I hooked a couple of sma

Mon/Tues 3/4 May 2010

2 short trips to a local pit to try and learn a bit more about the stripey potential. Mon eve was very cold, and I think sargeant agreed with me cos not a touch - on maggot or worm. Tried 2 swims, one of which was where I had had fish a week ago. Tues eve looked like being the same, but then I came a couple of feet up in the water and got one or two bites and small fish on maggot. Ended with a better fish just under 2 lbs on worm just as it was getting too dark to see the float.   Nothing gre
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31.8.18 Beale Park Lake

6.45 - 8.15pm I've caught very few bream above 3lb with a pb under 6lb, so it wouldn't take anything too gigantic to please. Fished two rods with 8mm pellet. Very pleased to get 3 bream, 2 skimmers approx 1.5 and 2lb, and one nice fish (to me, at any rate) of 5lb 7 oz.   All bites in the last half hour. That's the trouble at this lake, you are not allowed to fish beyond dusk. But I was encouraged and will be back.
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19.12.16 Lake perch

10.30am - 12.15pm AT 5 degC WT 6 degC   A cold day, but this high stock density local lake fished well in the past on a cold day so I though I had a chance. I didn't fish my normal time of dusk as rain was forecast in the afternoon. The question was, what should I try for, the roach or perch? Since my two baits of maggot and prawn could attract both it was partly an academic question, though I fished tight to a bush with the perch in mind.   I started float fishing maggot, but the small fi
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Perch at last! Monday 26 April

Went to a local angling society pit, where the water temp had risen to 15 degC, and wondered if this would have woken up some fish.   Called in initially in the afternoon for a brief spell chucking a spinner, to no avail. But chatted to an interesting angler   Returned in the evening with a float rod and a couple of worms and some maggots. Instant results on the only two worms - one perch of about a pound and a half and a tiddler. Then switched to maggot - slower, but got three more perc
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