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About this blog

Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

Entries in this blog

1 June

Warwicks Water - Thatcham 1800 - 2300 Warm sticky evening - shirtsleeves weather - apart from the mossies! 1 Tench; 2lb 7oz. 2 doz+ Roach & Perch (2-1 in favour of roach) - all small - save for a couple of perch which might have pushed 6-8oz. Started off float fishing maggot - a plan that I was quickly dissuaded from - as the float never had time to cock before I had a fish on. So within half an hour I'd switched to corn and settled down to an evening watching a stationar
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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26 May

Alders Lake - Thatcham 1800 - 2230 Warm, slightly overcast evening with little breeze - still 17ºC when I left. 3 Bream - all of a similar stamp between 2¾ - 3½lb. Beginning to make a habit of this!! Bites at a premium - not a touch for the first 2 hours or so then all three fish between 8.30 - 9.30pm as a shoal of bream obviously got their heads down over some groundbait. Quite a few fish topping as it got dark but no more action. Stayed for another biteless hour  hoping for
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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20 May

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1400 - 2200 Warm and sunny with a nice breeze to keep the mozzies away! 1 Tench: 3lb 13oz. 2 Carp: 5lb 11oz & 4lb 6oz. A rare (very - I usually have a bit of a break in the spring) 'closed season' outing - a trip to cure the lockdown blues! Just wanted to sit on the bank and watch a float for a few hours not even so bothered about catching! As usual I set my stall out to try and snaffle one of the lake's big but scarce crucians and as the tackle sh
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

4

Season's Bests 2019/20

And so another season comes to a close - not a bad one despite the wet weather disrupting several plans over the autumn and winter (including the annual Itchen IAC fish-in). I did at least get a  PB this year. Still no barbel,though there is a planned trip to the Wye to try and rectify that in 2020  - and the season finished strongly with 3 SB's in the last 4 days. Biggest Carp. 15lb 8oz, 28th June. Ledgered pellet - Method Feeder. Jubilee Lake - Thatcham. My now annual trip to try and get
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 March

River Kennet - Hambridge 0945 - 1445 Mainly cloudy with sunny spells and light drizzly showers. River still full to bursting, not dropped at all! 3 Chub: 4lb 13oz, 3lb 4oz & a tiddler. 3 Dace - all small, 1 Grayling. 3 Brownies (all around 8oz) and a 2lb rainbow! Plan for the last day was for a Double Header in the hunt for a big chub - morning at Brimpton and the afternoon here. But having trekked ¾mile with chesties and full pack I turned around and walked straight back
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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13 March (part 2)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 1430 - 1800 Still bright and breezy with a brief drizzly shower. AT down to 8ºC when I packed up. 10 Perch; 6 over 1lb - best 3, 1lb11oz, 1lb 14oz, 2lb0oz.12 Roach - all small & 3 Bleak At last some bigger perch - with the odd exception I've had loads of perch around the 1lb mark this winter from different parts of the K&A - I obviously found a different year class today as the pounders were all over 1lb 4oz.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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13 March (part1)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 1000 - 1400 Bright and breezy - though thankfully nowhere near as windy as yesterday. AT upto 12ºC. River flooded but clear. 1 Chub; 2lb 7oz, 3 Dace - all smallish. 2 Brownies a pounder and a parr. Late start after yesterday's exertions - and a scratchy session really just killing time before a dusk raid for stripeys on the canal (see part 2).
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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12 March

Middle Kennet Estate - Kintbury 0730 - 1730 Cool (5ºC or thereabouts all day) and very blowy with frequent squally showers of rain,sleet or hail! River VERY VERY high - highest I've ever seen it here - many swims needed waders just to get to the'bank'.  21 Chub; 7 over 4lb - biggest 6lb 3oz - a real lump! 4 Dace; 2 that were weighed went 14oz & 12oz - the other 2 weren't much smaller. 2 Roach - small and only 3 Brownies - all 3lb + A wild day on a wild venue - thankfully
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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11 March (part 2)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1500 - 1800 Mild, bright and very breezy. AT still 11ºC when I packed up. Canal quite coloured up after all the rains. 13 Perch; 5 over 1lb and a couple just an ounce or 2 shy of that. Biggest 2: 2lb 13oz & 1lb 13oz. 1 Roach - 9oz (on a whole lob!) I've now had nearly 2 doz perch over 1lb from here this winter but this was my first 2 (and I think the 1-13 may be my 2nd best from here this year!) Yet again I fished a different spot - b
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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11 March (part 1)

Kennet Carrier - Marsh Benham 0645 - 1145 Mild with sunny spells AT 12ºC when I packed up. River VERY full but with little colour. 17 Chub (!): 8 over 3lb - best 4lb 4oz, the rest all over 2lb. 6 Brownies to nearly 5lb & a 2lb Rainbow. Start of my 4 day end of season extravaganza when I hope to fish 7 or 8 venues in the next 4 days. First up was 'my' syndicate stretch of the middle Kennet and for the first time this winter 'Chub Corner' lived up to its moniker. First
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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7 March

River Lambourn - Newbury 0730 - 1000 Overcast and mild. River VERY full - over a foot up on normal winter levels, BUT clear as always. 22 Grayling - most in the 10-14oz class with a few slightly bigger. 1 Dace - 11oz (another sandpapery male). 2 Brownies. Usual fall back after another week of rain has pushed the Kennet into full flood again. Fish of a remarkably similar stamp - dace was a real bonus.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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1 March

River Kennet - Hambridge 0930 - 1230 Cool, bright and quite breezy at times. AT 5-7ºC.  River very high - highest I've seen it this winter - though with minimal colour. 1 Chub 2lb 13oz. 3 Grayling - one close to 1lb the other 2 half that. 1 Dace. 2 Brownies a 2lber and a tiddler. Fished for over an hour for my first bite - just starting to doubt my sanity and planning a move around the corner to fish the Lambourn when the bigger grayling turned up. Clearly the slow trickle of
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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22 February

River Kennet - Speen Moors 0745 - 1315 Mild and Windy, VERY VERY Windy! River in the fields - but with only a little colour. 1 Chub: 2lb 10oz, 3 Dace: 13oz, 10oz & 8oz. 1 Roach - small. 1 Rainbow Trout 4lb 4oz. A WILD day in West Berkshire. Couldn't get to most of the swims I'd usually fish because of the flooding and when I could it was way too windy - had trouble just standing let alone holding a rod! However was keen to fish here as the venue's been closed all winter f
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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21 February

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1500 - 1745 Mild and breezy - with sunny spells. AT 10ºC. Canal still with quite a bit of colour. 3 Perch; 1lb 13oz, 1lb 10oz & a tiddler. Bunked off work early to snatch a couple of hours on the canal - though in truth I needn't have rushed - no bites till gone 1700 and all the fish came in a flurry around 1730. Fished half a dozen new swims - including the one which produced.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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16 February

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1515 - 1715 Clearing skies after 24 hours of continuous rain courtesy of Storm Dennis. Canal very full and coloured up. 2 Perch; a 'pounder' - but not by much and a tiddler. Snatched session to cure a weekend of cabin fever!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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15 February

River Lambourn - Newbury 0830 - 1100 Mild and windy with some drizzle in the wind (Storm Dennis approaching!). River VERY full with just a hint of colour which is unusual for here. 8 Grayling; 4 'netters' biggest 2 went 1lb 7oz & 1lb 5oz. 2 Brownies - both around ½lb. This weekend had been pencilled in for months for an IAC fish-in. I'd booked Lower Itchen Fishery and filled all the places with folks coming from far and wide to attend. Unfortunately Storm Dennis had other
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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8 February

River Kennet & Carrier - Marsh Benham 0745 - 1200 Bright and mild. River down an inch or two on last visit (10 January)- and quite clear. 3 Chub; All 1¾ - 2½lb. 1½doz Roach - all a 'nice' size but nothing over 8oz. 8 Dace - most small with one chunky one of 8oz. 8 Brownies 1-2½lb & 3 Rainbow's to 4½lb Another morning failing not to catch trout! Fished all the usual chub banker swims - but they were mainly full of trout. The rainbows as ever gave a very chubby like fig
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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1 February (Part 2)

River Kennet - Hambridge 1200 - 1400 Bright and VERY breezy with one brief shower. 10ºC. River still quite high but down around 4 inches on my last visit here (30 December) and quite clear. 2 Chub: 2lb 2oz, 1lb 9oz. 7 Grayling to around 12oz. 3 Trout - a rainbow of over 3lb and a couple of brownies. So the second venue of the day pretty much produced the same as the first - chub wise at least. I think its the first time I've ever had a rainbow from here (and it had me convinc
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

1 February (Part 1)

River Kennet - Brimpton 0800 - 1100 Bright & breezy (becoming very breezy!) Mild 10ºC. River full with little colour - up around 12inches on my last visit (19 October) - but looked in fine fettle! 2 Chub 4lb 1oz & 2lb 13oz. 1 Brownie. Plan for today was to try and get a big winter chub - and visit a couple of favourite swims that have produced 5lbers earlier in the season. Despite the rivers settling down after a relatively quite period - rain wise, I was a little wor
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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26 January

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1545 - 1700 Dull & drizzly. 8ºC. 5 Perch; 3 tiddlers and a couple in the ¾-1lb class. Short session at the 'witching hour' hoping for a big stripey to come out to feed - alas not to be. All bites between 1630-1645.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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25 January

River Frome - Wool 0800 - 1400 Dull, overcast and cool - AT around 6ºC all day with a breeze picking up. River VERY full, barely within its banks and that only recently given the state of the field. 1.30m at the East Stoke river gauge - much higher than I'd usually fish it - BUT after a dry week it was reasonably clear. 10 Grayling - only 4 needed the net - biggest 1lb 11oz but that was the only really 'decent' one. 1 Sea Trout (1¼lb and still with sea lice on it), 1 brownie - sma
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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18 January

River Lambourn - Newbury 0800 - 1245 Cold (-1º -> 4ºC) bright and sunny. River very full but clear as always! 18 Grayling with around half a dozen in the 12oz class and a couple of bigger ones to 1lb 6oz. 1 Dace; 10oz & half a dozen brownies 1 fish of a 1lb plus the rest small or parrs. Another 2 inches of rain since last weekend has really stuffed up the Kennet and with the first frost of the year there was only really one choice if I wanted to get on the bank this we
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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10 January

River Kennet Carrier - Marsh Benham 0815 - 1430 Bright and cool (5ºC when I started). River still very full but with little colour despite over ½inch of rain yesterday. 5 Chub; All bar one over 2lb though the biggest was not quite 3lbs. A doz Roach - all 'hand-sized' with a couple slightly bigger. 4 Dace - including a brace of 10oz fish. 10 Brownies & 5 Rainbows - all in the 2½-3½ class. Day off - to treat meself fo my birthday and it turned into a day of trying (and usua
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

4 January 2020

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 0800 - 1630 Cool and overcast morning, bright sunny afternoon. AT 4º - 8ºC but felt cooler in the breeze! 9 Perch; Most around 12+oz but nothing over 1¼lb, 1 Pike; 2lb. 1½doz Roach, 2 Dace & a Gudgeon. Another session after big stripeys and just like most of my catches further downstream fish of a remarkably similar stamp. Started off with Pike trouble - got bitten off first cast - and landed it (same one!) second - so I got my hook back.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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31 December

Northcroft Stream - Newbury 1030 - 1130 Overcast with a chilly breeze - AT 6ºC. 1 Chub 2lb 3oz. Quick, impromptu session as Jaq hit the sales (again!). In truth, I didn't expect to catch as the stream was somewhat turbulent so rather surprised to see my float disappear on my first put in. It proved to be my only bite!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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