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About this blog

Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

Entries in this blog

17 June (Part 2)

River Kennet - Widmead 0845 - 1145 Warm & Sultry. 1 Chub: 1lb 10oz, 21 Dace - with around a third 8oz or better - weighed a couple, both at 10oz and had another 4 or 5 that weren't much smaller. 1 Grayling - small. 3 Brownies - a pounder and 2 tiddlers. Having exhausted my first swim it was off to another spot a mile or so downstream - and a haul of cracking dace. This swim 'looks' very chubby so it was nice to have that confirmed - all be it right at the end of the sessi
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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18 June

Alders Lake - Thatcham 1830 - 2230 Cool, overcast evening after a day of persistent rain. 14ºC all evening but felt cooler facing the breeze (which at least kept any mossies away!) 7 (!) Tench; 4 small ones (last year's stocking?) and 3X3lbers - biggest 3lb 8oz. Well I wasn't expecting that! It's taken a while since the fish kill 15 years ago and the remodelling of this lake - but if this is the sport now on offer then all the effort has not been in vain! I hadn't even planne
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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17 June (Part 1)

River Kennet - Hambridge 0500 - 0800 Cool, misty start - though quickly warmed up. River at normal levels and carrying a surprising amount of colour - didn't think there would have been much boat traffic to colour it up. 1 Pike; 9lb 6oz, 2 Chub; 3lb 3oz & a pounder. 1 Dace.  2 Brownies  one that must have been close to 2lb and a tiddler. I had planned an evening session on a stillwater for today - but weather warnings for thunderstorms this evening saw me up at the crack
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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16 June 2007

Dixons Mere   0000 - 1200   Warm night, Showers   3 Carp (best a mere 4lb 13oz) 1 Tench (3lb 3oz). 3 doz. bits (Rudd, Roach, Perch)   Slow start to the season though Paul faired much better in the next swim - he had half a dozen tench and a similar no. of carp. I didn't get a bite until well into the morning - and that was only after I decided to get some IAC Species Race* points on the board!   Tench - Float Fished maggot Carp - Free-lined
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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16 June 2008

Marsh Farm   0730 - 1930   Sunny, becoming cloudy and breezy. Temp 10ºC -> 20º -> 16ºC.   5 Crucians (1lb 13oz, 1lb 10oz, 1lb 8oz, 2<1lb), 4 Tench (1½lb - 4lb 11oz), 3 Bream (1½ - 2½lb), 2 Roach (best 1lb 2oz), 2 Perch, a dozen+ Rudd.   Started on Harris and struggled all morning for bites (even using maggot) though did manage the bigger of the crucians from here. Paul started on Richardsons and faired much better so I joined him in the afternoon
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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16 June 2009

Marsh Farm, Godalming   0815 - 1930   Warm with bright sunshine. Max 23ºC   5 Crucians - best 1lb3oz, 2 Tench - best 3lb, 1 doz Roach & Rudd (best roach 1lb 5oz), 1½doz perch, all small except for 1 just shy of a lb, 1 gudgeon.   A 'social' start to the season in the company of Alan and Paul. Alan and I 'toughed' it out on Harris all day in the hope (forlorn in my case, though Alan had 3, 2lbers) of a monster Crucian. Paul wimped out and moved to Richa
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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16 June 2012

River Kennet, Newbury & Thatcham   0400 - 1230   Cool, overcast and very blustery. River quite coloured and very full for the time of year - highest it's been in the summer for many a year.... (well since 2007 now I come to think about it!!)   2 Chub; 2lb & 1¼lb. 1 Barbel 3lb. 57 Dace, 7 Roach, 3 Grayling, 1 Perch, 1 Gudgeon, 1 Bleak & a 1¾lb spottie.   Pleasant start to the season with plenty of fish to put a bend in the rod - we had planned a
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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16 June 2013

River Kennet - Newbury   0415 - 0615   Mild, overcast morning - river at or slightly above normal summer levels - with a bit of colour.   1 chub 4lb 9oz, 11 dace, (3 really chunky ones - would have weighed them had I not been standing mid-river), 1 roach, 2 gudgeon and a spottie.   Very quick trotting session to christen the season before dashing off to watch Sam in his first AAAs final at Bedford this morning. Nice to see a decent chub turn up in this swi
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

15/16 June 2014

Marsh Farm - nr Godalming   2000 - 1030 (2000 - 0500 Harris, 0530 - 1030 Johnstons)   Over cast with a chilly northerly breeze. Min 12ºC (though max wasn't much more!)   4 Crucians, biggest 1lb 14oz, 5 perch - all 'net-ers' though the biggest was barely a pound, 1 rudd.   Start the season on a 'easy' tench and crucian venue - then switch to a new water after bagging up all night - what could possibly go wrong!!! Well a chilly north wind for a start -
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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15/16 June 2015

Harris Lake, Marsh Farm Fishery, Milford.   1600 - 0700   Cool clear night, with bright sunshine before dusk and cloud building just after sunrise.   6 Crucians; 4 over 2lb - best 2lb 4oz. 5 Tench; Biggest 5lb 7oz. 4 Roach, 3 Perch, and a Gudgeon!   Mission accomplished. Paul and I both said, rather wistfully, that we'd like a 5lb + tinca and a 2lb + crucian to kick off the summer. The crucian part of that equation being the one we thought we might struggl
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

16 June 2017 (part1)

River Kennet - Newbury   0400 - 0630   Warm, bright and sunny! River not as low as I'd expected.   2 Chub; 3lb 13oz, 3lb 3oz, 16 dace, 2 Roach, 1 grayling, 3 brownies.   And so another season begins and what better way to start than standing up to my thighs in cooling Kennet water after a hot muggy night!   A couple of chub in the first 20 mins got the season off to a cracking start and dropping down 60m or so brought a dace a chuck before it was
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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16 June 2019

River Kennet - Marsh Benham   0500 - 1400   Bright and breezy with heavy showers. River with good flow and a tinge of usual summer colour.   4 Chub to 3lb, 1 Bream; 4lb 3oz, 5 Dace, 4 Roach & a Perch.   And so another season begins - a nice quiet secluded start on my syndicate stretch. All fish on trotted maggot despite ledgering for several hours (during the rain) with meat - which didn't produce a jot of interest - not even from the cray fish!  
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

8 June

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1830 - 2300 Coolish, overcast evening though temps didn't really drop when it got dark - 14ºC. 2 Carp; 8lb 5oz & 7lb 11oz Entertaining evening as both fish took an age to land on lightish tackle and float rod (I was after crucians as per usual!). Thankfully there are few snags and you can wear them out at distance with the only jeopardy being when you get them close in to net and they seem to realise there are tree roots available! Was hoping that
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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21/22 June

Willows Lake - Thatcham   1500 - 0500   Cool clear night - down to 7ºC by dawn.   3 Carp; 12lb 11oz, 7lb 9oz, 4lb 6oz. 2 Perch.   I last took my brother, Colin, fishing on 26/1/91 - when he caught a brace of 13lb pike from the Kennet at Padworth - so was somewhat surprised to be asked at a family gathering last Christmas to come fishing with me again - ' I'll take you carp fishing' I says - expecting to hear no more about it! But he was serious so a plan w
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

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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

0

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

0

18 June part 1

River Kennet - Thatcham   0645 - 1045   Warm and overcast - river in good nick with good weed growth this year.   2 Chub; 3lb 11oz & 1lb 14oz. 1 Barbel; 2lb 5oz. 7 spotties - all small except for 1 'pounder'.   Fished a number of swims in rotation - number one banker swim produced just trout (all of them bar 1!) but dropping downstream produced the 3lb chub. Other 2 fish up in the fast shallows. No sign of any dace which is a shame!    
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 March

0645 - 1015 Speen Moors 1115 - 1315 River Kennet, Newbury 1345 - 1615 River Lambourn, Newbury   Foggy start, then bright sunshine and quite warm - shirtsleeves weather! River still very high. Lambourn particularly so.   Another '3 venue day'!   Speen. 2 Chub; 2lb 10oz, 1lb 7oz & 3 Dace. Had planned to spend all day here but high water meant I couldn't actually get to ANY of the swims I wanted to fish. Started in a known perch slack AKA 'Rusty's Corner'
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

17 June A Day on the River

River Kennet 0500 - 1430   Bright and sunny - and VERY breezy. River very full - highest I've ever seen it at this time of year.   0500 - 0800 - Newbury.   1 Barbel, 4lb 9oz, 7 dace, 2 roach and a brownie   Always try and get a session here early in the season - though last year was the first time in over 30 years I didn't get a barbel from here - something I put right within 10 minutes of starting to fish. The surprise was it came from my 3rd choice
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

28 December

River Lambourn - Shaw   0900 - 1200   Cold, bright and sunny. River quite low and gin clear as always!   24 Grayling - 7 over 1lb - biggest a couple of fish @ 1lb 5oz.   Lovely morning's trotting - over half the fish from one swim - including 5 of the 'pounders'. Felt I was entertaining the local children at times as I had a crowd on onlookers everytime I landed a fish!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

21 February

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0645 - 0830   1 Chublet.   River Kennet - Thatcham   0930 - 1115   1 Chub; 4lb 4oz   River Kennet - Thatcham (about ¾mile upstream)   1145 - 1330   2 Grayling   Cool, bright and quite breezy at times. Canal and river quite 'full' and carrying a little colour WT46ºC   All the talk of big perch on the forum had me hankering after a stripey so despite sub-optimal
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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29 June

River Kennet - Nr. Thatcham   1830 - 2300   Warm, still evening. River low and looking rather threadbare after a dry spring (and a dry June)   2 Dace; 1 chunky one of 8oz, 1 Grayling (13oz) & 2 brownies - both circa 10oz - and possibly the same fish!   Start of what will probably a familiar pattern over the summer. A couple of hours trotting - ostensibly to try and get a float caught barbel - but in truth Rusty will spot the blank avoidance ruse, follo
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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5 July

Bucklebury Ponds   1100 - 1415   Warm (20º+), overcast and quite breezy.   1 Carp; 3lb 11oz, 2 Skimmers. A dozen+ Roach & Perch (in roughly equal nos.)   Short session to my nearest water. All fish on float fished maggot...
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

6 July

River Kennet - Nr Thatcham   1830 - 2330   Warm , bright and breezy evening. River low   2doz Dace, 1 Roach, 1 Bleak.   Another evening blanking for barbel - but I at least had the compensation of finding a shed load of dace in the first hour. Switching to the lead thereafter - the only interest in the baits came from minnows and crayfish!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0
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