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About this blog

I started this blog in March 2021, having blanked in over half of my fifteen winter trips to various waters of Newbury Angling Association. The rivers, canals and lakes are fine, I'm just not very good at catching the fish in them. Oddly, i seemed to get a bit better for a while, but 2023 has undone all that. In July I moved to South Wales, not entirely for the weather, but to enforce a change in my fishing luck.

Entries in this blog

Speen Moors

7.1.22 - Speen Moors

My Speen Moors misery continues. No bites in the first couple of hours alternating floated maggot with legered bread flake. The low sun was bright, and perhaps that's what put the fish off, combined, perhaps with yesterdays below-zero temperatures. So, on to Parliament Draft, and fished very swim, having pepped each with 15 mins of loose feed first. Zip. I'd burned most of them on my swim-crawl back towards the entry gate, when a fellow committee member, whose angling skills I revere, turned up
Willows

25.9.21 & 27.9.21 - Willows

Two more trips to my fave lake chasing the carp before they hunker down in the cold and go off their feed. Saturday. Slow. I was told it had dropped off since my Harvest moonlit fun on Tuesday (maybe because of its waning?). Tried a bit of everything, and though I lost a couple, just three carp of 8lb 4, 4lb 8 and 6lb 14 was below par. Tuesday. Unable to do any work for today's employer as their computer system was irrecoverably down. As the job is wholly reliant on access to data base
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

0
Bellwood/Speen Moors>Enborne

11 & 12.12.21 - Bellwood & Speen Moors

I can almost get away with a shortcoming in angling skill and verve when the fish are hungry in summer, but winter is again flicking my nose and guffawing at me. Saturday was a bit grim. I'd heard it was going to be slightly warmer, so off I trot to Bellwood where I felt I had unfinished business after last week's match. Always cast at showing fish, they say, so when one popped at the surface as I arrived in 'car park corner,' that's where I sat. I alternated two from three of a pellet feed
Willows/Hambridge

15 & 17.12.21 - Hambridge & Willows - The Ugly, the Bad and the Good

Wednesday, and I had the chance to fish for an hour or so before dark. I thought I'd give lure fishing ago given the number of guys marching up and down Speen Moors last Friday with their 7ft rods and multoplier reels. I dug out an old 9ft rod from the garage, and popped into Tony's for some artificial crayfish, rubberised worms and some wire traces. Thus kitted, I wound in fast, slow, jaggedy and twitchingly, but after an hour in various swims, all I'd landed were sunken leaves and submerged br
Willows

23.10.21 - Willows

A mixed day. I predominantly fished the margins on a virtually deserted lake. Within 5 minutes, I'd hooked a good carp on float fished single corn dipped in my top secret ingredient, that had the centrepin screeching and took me right, left and central before falling off the hook, unseen, after around 10 minutes of fun. If this wasn't annoying enough, I then missed bite after bite after bite, the float dragging under every 5 minutes or so, yet I couldn't hit any of them. I began to suspect crays
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

0
Willows

12.11.21 - Willows

Ok, Ok, I know you must be bored with the same old Willows entries, but with morning rains due and a stiff breeze, I opted for a huddle under the brolly than face the exposure of the rivers. I was the only one fishing there all day, which, as a true misanthrope I loved, but then the fish were mainly of similar thinking. The first swim brought just a handful of roach (to a fair 7 ounces) and some skimmers. A change of swims to get the wind out of my face brought more of the same before
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

0
Willows

11.3.22 - Willows

Hmm, though the end of the running-water season approacheth, I could not resist a last chance at Willows before the planned transfer of 50 of its larger carp to other lakes the next day. What's more, with rain is due, I always feel it will be easier to huddle under a brolly on a lakeside rather than a river bank.  It started off dry and still, and with two fish in the first three casts, I anticipated a fine haul. Then the first of two, two-hour rain stints kicked in and the strong S/SE wind
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

2
knotts

6.4.21 -Knotts

Having fished after work a week ago in twenty-three degree heat, this Tuesday I hoped that the day's snow showers were over and I'd just have the north wind to deal with. No such luck. I was hit by a 15-minute blizzard that dropped 2mm pellets of white around me while the wind took every bit of feeling from my fingers. Surprisingly perhaps, I had by then managed seven roach, one about half a pound, which made it worthwhile despite the early finish and chilblains. 
Alders/Willows

12.3.22 - Dobsons/Alders/Willows - The Dilemma

Well, today summed up quite nicely the dilemma I'm at with my fishing. Regular readers will see that I generally choose to fish at Willows. Well, it's easy to park, sheltered from most winds, otter-proofed and there are no crays. It's also pretty easy to catch good fish. Since re-finding fishing in June 2020, the vast majority of the 149 Commons and 101 Mirrors (between 1lb and 18lb) I've caught have come from Willows (not including the many tench, bream and crucians) I have 12 written
River Lambourn

3.11.21 - River Lambourn

My gardening work is slowing down now, so I got to squeeze a 2-hour sesh in this afternoon. After so much rain recently, I'm surprised to see the water low, so low that I don't even bother with the very shallow first park-bench swim. At the first spot with more than a foot of depth, get a 4 ounce brownie as an angler stops to say he's caught 30 today, having been fishing the stretch for 5 hours. Hmm, hope he's left me some. At the bridge, catch the smallest trout I have ever seen, I thought it w
Alders/Willows

21.5.21 - Alders/Willows

What a day. The back end of May, and I'm in thick jumper, gilet and coat as the lakes are once again buffeted with 40mph winds the whole day, flipping the lilies up off the water while with on/off (mainly on) rain flattened them down again.  My plan to fish Willows was blasted away by the sou'westers, as all I could do was huddle under my brolly, which I'd had to lash to the otter fencing behind me for fear of it ending up in Slough.  With the incessant lowing flipping the lilies and cre
Willows

9.3.21 - Willows

What with it having been a glorious early spring day. I managed to sneak one-and-a-half hours in at Willows before sunset this evening. As soon as I arrived, the wind got up with the expected change of weather approached. 7 Canada geese, 1 grebe, 8 trains (7 passenger, 1 goods), 3 crows, 1 pheasant, 3 Chinnock helicopters (probably the same one, three times, to be fair), 7 pigeons, 1 moorhen, 2 coots, 1 red kite, 1 other angler. 0 fish. Did get a bite soon after starting, but unusually wit
kennet

19, 21, 22.1.22 - Hambridge, Speen, Hambridge

A week of hard, cold weather meaning not much gardening on, but more chances to fish. Wednesday pm - a few hours at the canal. Much quieter than of late, with 17 roach (compared to the recent 50's) albeit the largest a pleasing 4 ounces. Oh, and 3 bleak and a minnow, if you're counting. Spent the last hour on lures hoping for repeats of last weeks perch, but with another frosty night imminent, I think it was just too cold for them. Friday - Minus four at kick-off, with the canal at Ebo
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in kennet

0
Willows

21.11.21 - Willows

Well, like a fool I'd been listening to the hyperbolae of  recent weather forecasts, warning us of a huge drop in temperature. Sure, it was 6 degrees, but the sun was beautiful when I pottered in the garden potting up bulbs and sweeping leaves this morning, so I hurried up and made my way to the lakes. After my disheartening river stint on Friday, and believing the canals to be no-go zones at times of temperature drops, I elected for Willows thinking the sun on the shallow water might at least m
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

0
Willows

06.11.21 - Willows

A Saturday morning to fish, and yesterdays frosts gone (though still requiring a fleece, waistcoat and thick coat). With the winter rule of 2 rods being allowed on the lake, I fished a light float to my left, and a boilie on a bomb in the margin to my right. I've never used a boilie before, but these were kindly donated to me and with it still nippy, was not sure the fish would be bothered to break into the cargo of a method feeder. Nothing on float, not even a bite on maggot/caster or
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

0
Harris lake

1.7.22 - Harris Lake, Marsh Farm, Surrey

It was an honour to be invited to compete for the 7th Paul Goldbourn Memorial Trophy with the revered Chris Plumb and a good number of other anglers, waifs and strays. Not knowing what to expect, my kindly chauffeur, MB, warned me on the way down that the lake can be a little 'moody' which was later reiterated by CP who told me that not much tends to happen in the afternoon. And so it proved. The competition for biggest Crucian was fairly won by a 2lb 12 fish (see CP's post as below), but I
Willows

11.5.21 - Willows

There was a repellent south wind when I arrived, creating quite a chop, and with anglers on my fave sheltered swims on Alders, I went for Willows, with the wind on my back casting at the island. A good evening. Commons of 9lb 7, 8lb 6, 10lb 14 all in beautiful condition, and a tiddler Mirror of 3lb 8. 30lb+ of fish is always a good day. I hit every bite too, for a change, albeit I lost two more fish. 
Alders

26.4.22 - Alders

Arrived at 3:30 in shirt-sleeve sunshine to find a gent tackling up in the swim I'd planned to fish. No problem, we had a friendly chat and wished each other luck as I took the swim opposite. He set up a pole rig, a tactic I am too clumsy to attempt,  which would prove an interesting comparison to my ham-fisted approach. Immediately, the sun went in, never to return and the NE breeze, prevalent of the last week or more built up and blew over my competitor and into my face, chopping the water in
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Alders

5
Alders/Willows

30.4.22 - Alders & Willows - The rough, the smooth and the rough

A session of mixed emotions. Firstly, shock. I had the unanticipated delight of scraping the thick ice from the car windscreen at 5am. I'm sure our neighbours enjoyed this nearly as much as I did. Arrived at a heavily frosted Willows with the temp gauge showing it was exactly 16 degrees below the day's anticipated high of 16 degrees. Surprise next. Anticipating the cold would have kept the fish firmly under their duvets in the lakebed, I kept it down to single corn, size 14 hook, 5lb l
Speen Moors/Enborne

30.9.22 -Enborne/Speen Moors

With temperatures crumbling as autumn starts to get in gear, I started my migration from lakes to the canals and rivers. The morning could have been perfect for perch at first light- misty and still, but overnight it had dropped to four degrees, the coldest since spring, and maybe that turned them off. I managed to get some pole practise in prior to the match at Enborne on Sunday, presenting and jiggling a worm right in front of their reedbed ambush points, but only managed one of about hal
Willows

13.8.21 - Willows

Regular readers will know that  a week ago at Willows I achieved:  (a) 6:45am til 11:30  - nothing (b) 11:30 - 2:30 - 5 carp.  (c)  2:30 - 4:45. - Not even a nudge Following this, a revered and sagely angling guru wisely ordained that 'the knack is to 'ONLY be on the bank for (b) ! 4 hours at the 'right' time is better than 10 hours at the wrong...' Seven days later, with different bait and tactics, though I spent the first two hours before crossing the causeway to Willows, the sc
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

2
knotts

14.04.21 - Knotts

Right. An evening unaffected by snow showers where I can have  a crack at what I imagine are large-ish roach in the swim where I can consistently catch half-pounders. Though I get a tiddler first cast, it's quite slow despite regular gentle loose-feeding of two swims. I finally get most bites fishing at around 7ft deep. The biggun's remained elusive, though I did end up with fourteen roach in a few hours, five of which between six and twelve ounces. So the big ones remain elusive, though all the
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in knotts

2
Hambridge

14.11.22 - Hambridge and river Lamborne

With my morning customers enjoying a holiday, I have a consecutive bonus Monday few hours fishing. Take my waders to the river Kennet at Hambridge and fish three swims. The river is very low which, along with angler failings, contributes to only modest returns of 7 dace, a roach and a beautiful gudgeon. On the plus side, no lost big'uns as tends to happen to me here. On the downside, no big'un's to lose. Realising it's not going to be a great return, I squelch my way over to the Lamborne. N
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Hambridge

6
Dobsons

12.6.21 - Dobsons

I rang the changes and tried a different NAA lake for a change, mainly as Dobsons has many more bankside trees and vegetation to provide shade on what threatened to be a hot day. Another benefit is the ability to fish with two rods (it's one only at my usual Willows and Alders), meaning I could toss a method feeder out to my right, and float fish near the overhanging willow to my right. I opted for the shallower end (my swim was around 8ft deep one rod length out,  anticipated fewer bites a
Kennet & Avon Canal

27.12.21 - K&A Canal - Enborne

Nothing to mention on my first hour on the weir at Speen Moors. The rain was distinctly unpleasant, and though my waterproof suit made me look like a terrorist Michelin man,  I was cosy and dry, which I could not say for my maggots, who, lubricated, were soon climbing out of their pot and I spent more time fielding them than watching my float. Note to self: don't forget bait apron next time. Having suffered several tangles due to the wind persistently wrapping it around the rod tip, three hook l
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