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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

Hambridge

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
kennet

14.2.23 Willows & 21.2.23 Marsh Benham

Life is getting in the way of fishing at the moment. Don't get me wrong, it's all good stuff, but it's leaving me just a short ate afternoon/early evening session on Tuesdays at the mo. Last week, given a spell of warmer weather, I risked Willows, checking to see if the shallow water had warmed to bring the carp out. Not really. It was a fun evening, I really enjoyed stargazing at Orion, but with carp of 4lb 3 and 6lb 12 plus a beaten-up bream of 3lb 2 it wasn't a huge success. This ev
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in kennet

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Willows

3 & 4.2.23 - Dobsons & Willows

Friday. Piking at Dobsons. Deadbait out on rod 1, with a feeder and tiny bait/hook out on rod 2 hoping to find the odd roach or bream. Changed swims, baits, depths, but apart from one pike run (missed) at 8:30, had nothing all day. Had hoped that given a week of warmer temperatures that the fish might be waking up hungry, but not today. Then again, it was forecast for 11 degrees this afternoon, but in a stiffish wind it felt far from that. Saturday. Grey and windless. Much better. Had commo
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

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Marsh Benham

25.1.23 & 31.1.23 - kennet(2) Kennet & Avon 1

Wednesday - The first non-frosty day for a couple of weeks, but with the ground bone hard, I was postponed from my gardening work. 1.5 hours lure fishing on the Kennet at Widmead. Looked lovely, at one point I did see the long body of a pike swim away from me near the bank, but despite swapping lures, speeds and swims, not a single knock. I could have moved on to the constant water temps of the Lambourn , but me being me I plumped for the canal at Hambridge where last year I found the roach hole
Marsh Benham

20 & 24.1.23 - Marsh Benham

Friday - with a week of sub-zero temperatures, the lakes are both frozen and in flood, so I stick with the syndicate water which seems more reliable to my skill level than other parts of the Kennet. This easy option was not rewarded by the fish gods. Finding their prince on Earth, Mr Plumb in the swim I had planned to start in (no prob, CP) I kept walking and trotted the normally prolific carrier swims. Hardly a bite, though I did bump two fish: one small, one larger.The sun was now above the ho
Marsh Benham

18.1.23 - Marsh Benham

Minus 5 last night, so my gardening work was off. Hung about until 9 when it'd warmed to minus 2 and made my way to the beautiful frosty and sunny syndicate. Water level still high with a few unfishable, I prebaited half a dozen with mashed bread. Legered breadflake smeared with my mystery ingredient. I knew it would attract trout, but it was so cold I was happy to keep catching and, who knew, maybe the temperature will keep them subdued and let the chub in. No such luck. I think the low, bright
Dobsons

16.1.23 - Canal, River Kennet and Lakes

The re-arrival of freezing temperatures after a week of stormy winds and rain led to my morning customer cancelling my gardening services giving me a bonus couple of hours fishing. I grabbed my spinning rod and a box of traces and lures then headed for the canal. Lure fishing ain't my favourite style - possibly because I've never really done well with it. To be fair, I've only really tried it on short, deep winter sessions like today when I wouldn't blame any fish for not wanting to chase a piec
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Dobsons

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Kennet & Avon Canal

15.1.23 - Marsh Benham

Back fro a few days away, I walked around the NAA lakes yesterday at dusk to find the Kennet raging through Bulls Lock and the carparks/banks of the lakes submerged. At risk of typecasting myself, I bought a loaf of bread and headed to the syndicate for a bonus 2.5 hour stint. The bread that I didn't nibble at, or mashed up, I legered in the coloured flow for the usual two trout between 2lb 2 and 3lb 10 plus two spiffing chub of 3lb 6 and 3lb 7. Lovely!
Marsh Benham

8 & 10.1.23 - Dixons & Marsh Benham

Sunday. It rained much of yesterday and with showers due I decided against the fast-flowing river or canal so I could sit unmoving under the brolly at the lake. With some maggots left, I'd fish lightly to attract, maybe catch some silvers, while a deadbait on rod 2 may snap up a marauding pike, maybe two. A great plan, but as so often happens, it didn't come off. The 'light showers' forecast turned out to be two hour-long bouts of proper rain, cold too, which doubtless hit the water temps. Resul
Marsh Benham

6.1.23 - Marsh Benham

On a mild and dry winter day I decided to experiment  on the syndicate. taking the usual trotting gear but also a leger rod and, given the number of pike snatches in recent visits, a deadbaiting rod. I kept the pike rod out most of the day and didn't get as much as a nudge while I varied between float and leger as I moved through the swims. On float I had 28 roach including a silver stunner of 1lb from my favourite aquarium swim, equalling my pb. These were augmented by 3 chublets, 3 p
Kennet & Avon Canal

01.01.2023 - NAA New Years Day Match - K&A Canal Enborne

Last Sunday, after the rain crashing against the bedroom window rudely woke me at 8am, I took my hangover and New Years jadedness to the match on the K&A. Remarkably the rain held off for the rest of the day after yesterdays deluge had left the water the colour and texture of mulligatawny soup.  I started on the quivertip but after a biteless first hour, I switched to a 6m pole and fished the middle channel on a light float. I had many bites, missed a lot, bumped many, but landed maybe
Year summary

2022 - My Year End Summary

The end of another year, the third  after my 20 year+ hiatus from the sport that has totally recaptured me like a gudgeon to a pinkie. 2022 included my pb bream, brownie, chub, crucian, mirror, pike, rudd and tench. None of them will trouble the records office, but they're all kicking my can down the road and each one was very welcome I'm quite anal in my record keeping, writing a journal, updating a spreadsheet, and then there's been this jolly-old blog since March 21, so I am well-equippe
Marsh Benham

29.12.22 - Marsh Benham

Having suffered a wet day on the Kennet at Speen Moors and Enborne Canal for a solitary 1lb perch which did not merit its own blog entry, but have pictured here, on Thursday I made my way to the more reliable syndicate. As alluded to by the revered CP on his blog, it was a delight to see him and the majority of our small number of members fishing this short stretch between days of pouring rain. Usual disasters for me: firstly, I'd forgotten to pack my boots in my new, smaller car so had to
Marsh Benham

24.12.22 - Marsh Benham

When you're told by your spouse that your request to help with Xmas preparations will add to her concerns and not detract from them, the only thing to do to overcome the emasculation is to go fishing. Yesterday's rain brought more flow and depth to the carrier which boded well. Once again I went first to the weir swim, anticipating the fish shoaled in the deep eddy, primed to leap through the crease to pluck passing tidbits. Wrong, and had no bites in 45 mins. Moved to the far end with the
Dobsons

23.12.22 - Dobsons - The Great Adventure

There's the difference, you see.  While other bloggers on this site were catching bream, chub and gudgeon on the rivers, I decided to go piking at Dobsons. I'd found it hard to sleep last night thinking of a swim I knew, with snags to the left and an overhanging tree to the right that screamed pike.  I arrived in the back end of pouring rain to pop up a shad on one rig and flat-bottom a mackerel on the other: whichever proved the most irresistible, I'd swap and have both rods  pulling
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Dobsons

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kennet

20.12.22 - River Kennet - Newbury

I've been threatening to go evening chubbing for a number of Tuesdays now, and tonight was the night. With heavy rain on Sunday/Monday, the river was travelling faster than last when I came and scouted swims last week, and with no weights over 3/4 oz I could only fish with those with near bank slacks and eddies. I travelled up and down them in turn, spending about half an hour in each, prebaiting the next swim to come with balls of mashed bread as I went before walking back and settling down. 
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in kennet

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kennet

19.12.22 - Bulls Lock

After my morning's gardening customer put me off with a 5:30am email, and with the pint of maggots in the beer fridge taking up room required for festive victuals,  I managed to squeeze a bonus 2-hours fishing in. The frosts of the last 2 weeks had been replaced by wind, rain and double-figure temps making me think the fish would be up for a feed. Hmm. Trotted for  45 mins before losing a fairly decent fish after my first bite. The second came half an hour later at the far extreme of the swim an
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in kennet

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Speen Moors

16 & 12.12.2022 - Speen Moors & Marsh Benham

Friday - Its always a good idea to try and repeat a success isn't it, so back I went to the scene of Tuesday's great pike.  Walking across the field it was minus-6 as I crunched through my own frosty footsteps of Tuesday. No one else had been bonkers enough to go there in three days. in the low winter sunshine, I legered a popped-up shad in all areas to my left, and a cheese wafter wrapped in chill-flavoured cheese for chub to my right. Yes, I know I should have chosen one species or another, ta
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Speen Moors

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Speen Moors

13.12.22- Speen Moors

Almost a week of consecutive frozen days have put a literal cap on the lakes and canal so I took my deadbaits for a chilly couple of hours on the Kennet. Rather expecting a session of feeding the crayfish, they were pleasantly absent. An hour in the rod tip trembled, making me wonder if my shivering had knocked into it. But then it did it again, quite subtlety. On the third tremble I struck and was into a fish. It didn't feel big, but as a blank-buster I wasn't going to argue, when it woke
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Speen Moors

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Old Bury Hill

2022 12 09 - Old Bury Hill Lake, Dorking

A Christmas do in Surrey on Thursday allowed me to undertake my Fishing Friday at a venue I last fished two or three as a teenager circa 1978. I have a few key memories of the place: - It was a lot weedier than it is now - I remember the smell of a long dead carp in the undergrowth behind me which caused me to gag much of a hot afternoon afternoon - The bailiff was an angry fellow with a Desperate Dan beard and green tank top seemingly knitted from barbed wire. You didn't want to get on
Willows

6.12.22 - Willows

Pulled on my snowman suit for the first time this winter, a prudent decision with the beautiful afternoon sun becoming a chilly moonlit evening, 3-degrees when I left. Not a touch before dusk, though the glow of the trees in the evening sunlight was beautiful - my photo has not been filtered. A 9lb 10 Common came in as the last of the light failed, followed by an old friend - Blinky, the one-eyed Common who I've caught a good 6 times. He's become a real pal and has put on 8 ounces sinc
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

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Brimpton

2.12.22 - Brimpton and Collins

I had reason to be in Thatcham first thing so decided on a rare trip to Brimpton. I'd convinced my wife the night before that liquidising a loaf of bread with a tin of corn was a prime use for her mixer, and I delivered several balls of the luscious confection in six chubby swims to fish in turn. The three pieces of betaine-soaked corn link-legered on a size 6 hook would surely be irresistible. Sadly, it was, and no matter how stealthily I moved and cast, I didn't get a bite. The good thing was
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Brimpton

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Willows

29.11.22 - A mixed week

Tuesday 22nd, I felt a little better after a heavy cold over the weekend and took my stuffy headed self to the fresh air at Marsh Benham with the intention of completing my recovery. Lasted about 3 hours with worsening headache until I could barely hold my rod. Managed 15 roach of fair dimension, 9 dace, 3 perch and a 2lb 10 brownie before going home to bed. Slept most of Wednesday, came through a bit on Thursday and re-pitted my wits against MB on Friday. The water was very low if a bit fa
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

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Willows

15 & 17.11.22 - Willows and Dixons

(1) My usual Tuesday evening session. With the rivers so low, I've stuck to the lakes, particularly as the temperatures have been mild. Arriving to find no one fishing but two cormorants, I managed a par two carp. The first, just before dark was a mirror of 6lb 8 was 'orange spot'. My pal Steve who surface feeds in this swim regularly in the summer says he catches it every session. Do you recognise him? He certainly didn't put up much of a fight, adopting a 'come on then, let's get this over wit
Bayleaf the Gardener

Bayleaf the Gardener in Willows

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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

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