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About this blog

Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

Entries in this blog

Season's Bests - 2010/11

And so endeth another season. No PB's this season - though a few fish got close (6lb 5oz chub the closest). A much better summer than in the past few years with some really nice crucians (from a variety of waters too) and quite a few 6lb+ tench - all caught float fishing. Winter started with a long cold snap form mid-Novemeber - rather curtailing the perennial 4lb+ perch hunt - though a morning when I brought 4, 3lbers to the net will live long in the memory!   Best Carp; 14lb 10oz, 21
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

4

1/2 July

Summer Pit - Cemex Yateley   2030 - 0600   Still, balmy night with high cloud - temps 20ºC->13ºC but felt a lot milder under the trees!   3 Bream; 12lb 2oz - another PB , 8lb 7oz, 4lb 15oz. 2 Tench; 4lb 1oz, 3lb 3oz. 3 Perch & 2 Rudd.   I'm utterly gobsmacked - 2 PBs and 1 = PB in a week! I said last weeks crucian would take some beating - this might just be the fish for me, that does! My first ever double figure bream - previous PB was 9lb7oz - so
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

5

Crock of Gold

As ever my spring will be spent collecting and reading angling books and knocking out the odd review for Anglersnet. This is a book Jaq bought for me when it first came out last autumn - but it was squirrelled away and given me as a Christmas pressie, hence I've not long finished it....   Crock of Gold – Seeking the Crucian Carp by Peter Rolfe   For me, the epitome of summer is sitting by a misty pool an hour before sunrise on a balmy June morning – staring intently at the re
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

9 March

River Lambourn - Newbury   0630 - 0900   Bright and breezey. AT 8ºC   9 Grayling - most (very) small though I did manage a couple of 'pounders' biggest 1lb 5oz. 2 Roach - both needed the net, best 12oz.   On a late at work so perfect excuse to have a couple of hours on the bank. Grayling not really having it - bright sun and a stiff downstream breeze not helping - bumped more than I landed. Quite a few fingerling fish - obviously had a succesful spawning.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

6 July

River Kennet, Newbury   1600 - 2300   Overcast and breezy with some drizzle. 20º->15ºC but felt a LOT chillier where I was sitting in the breeze! River at normal summer levels and carrying quite a bit of colour   1 Bream; 2lb 10oz   An evening barbelling session with Paul to this (once) prolific section of river. Over the years I have come to call this swim THE Banker - I can't remember coming here in high summer and NOT catching a barbel. These days th
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

4

14 March

Middle Kennet Estate   0630 - 1830   Bright and sunny after a cold start. -3ºC meant iced up rod rings for first hour or so and shirt-sleeves weather by mid afternoon - though a easterly upstream breeze was quite chilly at times. All in all a lovely spring day. River still a little on the low side.   7 Chub; Biggest 4lb 4oz, rest 3.03 - 1.10. 4 Perch; 2lb 6oz, 2lb 2oz, 1lb 14oz and a tiddler. 32 Roach; Best two, 1lb 3oz & 15oz with quite a few others circa 8oz. 35 Dace; no really big o
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

5 July

Wylies Lake - Newbury   0430 - 1200   Warm and mainly overcast. 10º->25ºC   8 Perch!   Not fished here for some seasons - after it recieved a rather severe scalping which took out all the margin vegetation. However I had heard of good tench catches this season - and even whispers of some half decent crucians showing up. A recent recce confirmed that it hadn't received another haircut recently - in fact it looked just as I remembered it - so with some anticipation I was setting up in a
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

29 June

River Kennet - Padworth.   1700 - 0000   Bright and breezey start with clouds clearing and temps dropping. 20ºC->12ºC when I packed up. River at near normal summer levels (perhaps a tad on the low side) and carrying its usual summer colour...   1 Chub; 6lb 6oz (Equals my PB! ). 2 Barbel; 9lb 7oz & 4lb 4oz.   Well, well, well! For the 2nd year running my first 'static' barbel session of the summer throws up a 6lb+ chub. From the same venue as last
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

11/12 July

Summer Pit, CEMEX Yateley Complex   1930 - 0545   Warm, overcast night temps didn't dip lower than 15ºC - lovely night to be out!   3 Tench; 5lb 12oz, 4lb 13oz, 3lb. 1 Pike 4lb*. 8 perch, 1 roach, 1 rudd.   Slow, slow session. First tench around 2330 then a mini flurry of activity between 0200 - 0400 when I had the other 2 and also lost 2 more which threw the hook in the weed. All 3 on my margin rod - not a touch on the rod fishing further out.  
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

22 September

Summer Pit - CEMEX Yateley   1800 - 2315   A lovely warm evening under a hazy full moon. Temps 21º -> 16ºC. Shirt sleeves all evening and no mozzies!   2 Tench: 6lb 4oz, 3lb 13oz.   The last Hurrah on this venue - bringing the curtain down on a splendid series of mid-week after work float fishing sessions. Won't be back here again until next june (unless we get an early October heatwave!). Fished a new swim - probably not the right time to be experimenting but it had to be done - and
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

25 September

River Kennet - Speen Moors   0630 - 1045   Bright and clear and quite chilly - 3º -> 11ºC. River at normal summer levels (ie quite low!)   9 Perch; 2lb 8oz & 8 smalluns, 2 Chub; both circa 1¼lb, 1 Pike 6lb 15oz, a dozen gudgeon & ½doz roach and dace.   First trip of the autumn so had a wander around and fished 5 swims in all. Big perch first cast and the pike not long after - both to lobs. All other fish on trotted maggot.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

18 September

River Kennet, Nr Thatcham.   0700 - 1100.   Bright after a chilly start. AT 4º -> 14ºC. River low and clear.   4 Chub: 5lb 6oz, 5lb 2oz, 4lb 4oz, 3lb 15oz, 1 Barbel; 6lb 3oz, 1 Brownie.   Normal service has been resumed with a cracking brace of 5lb+ chub! 3 Biggest chub in 1st hour of fishing (having fed the swim for ½hr without wetting a line). Rested it and caught the other chub from an upstream swim (along with the spottie). Returned for the last ¾hr
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

2 October

River Kennet - Nr Newbury   0645 - 1045   Bright after a misty start. 7 -> 12ºC River up and inch or two and carrying a bit of colour after yesterday's rain.   4 Chub - 3lb 0oz and 3 chublets all circa ¾lb, 2 Perch: 2lb 11oz & a smallun, 28 dace, 10 roach, 5 gudgeon and a grayling.   Started off trotting lobs and had both perch and the bigger chub in the first ¾hr before switching to maggot. Quick chat with Rusty who was en-route to Speen and finished off further downstream where
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

8/9 October

NAA Stillwater - Thatcham   2015 - 0900   Warm, overcast and quite breezey. Temps never below 15ºC - Unseasonably warm.   13 carp - best 2, 13lb 11oz (common) & 12lb 0oz (mirror) - the rest evenly spread between 9½ - 3½lbs. 1 Crucian 2lb 5oz. 1 skimmer and a dozen assorted perch, roach & gudgeon (mainly perch).   The plan was going to be a dawn raid for stripeys on the canal - but a very last minute change of plan - due to the unseasonably warm ove
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

1

4 October

River Kennet - Padworth   1830 - 2300   Clear and misty evening. 15º -> 10ºC. River at normal summer levels - though carrying a bit more colour than usual after the weekend's rain.   2 Barbel: 8lb 11oz, 4lb 14oz.   Both fish in first 1¼hrs - smaller one 1st cast. Was also greeted by a Barn Owl flying within 10-15' of my head - probably hunting for the legion of rats scurrying around on the bank behind me after it got dark!!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

3

16/17 July

NAA Stillwater, Widmead   1830 - 0800   Heavy evening showers giving way to clearing skies - feeling quite cool by dawn (12ºC)   3 Tench; 6lb 14oz, 3lb 6oz, 2lb. 3 Bream; 5lb 3oz, 4lb 5oz, 4lb 1oz. 4 Carp biggest 5lb 14oz. 4 roach & 4 perch.   Slow but steady night - quite a lot of activity which didn't translate to bites! Paul had a much quieter session ( he did sleep through most of it!) with just a blank saving bream to show before he packed up at first light! * All carp (and bigg
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

19 July

River Kennet - Newbury   1800 - 2330   Warm. muggy and overcast, 1 heavy-ish shower. 17ºC when I packed up.   2 Barbel; 6lb 10oz, 3lb 14oz.   Very pleasant evening by the river - though not a lot of bites or activity. Some crayfish activity for first hour or so which then stopped - usually a good sign! 6lber at around 2100 and the smaller fish quite literally at the end - was leaning forward to grab the rod to wind in to end the session when it was wrenched from my hands! Both fish on le
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

15 October

Lower Itchen Fishery   0830 - 1830   Dull and overcast all day temps around 11/12ºC. River low, gin clear & carrying quite a bit of debris - mainly weed with some leaf litter.   44 Grayling: 14 over 1lb - best 3, 2lb 1oz, 2lb 1oz & 1lb 15oz. 3 Chub, 4lb 14oz, 3lb 6oz, 2lb 12oz, 2 Brownies, 4 Salmon Parr, 1 roach & a gudgeon - possibly my 1st ever from LIF - can't ever remember catching one from here before!   Very pleasant days angling organise
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

12 July

Summer Pit - CEMEX Yateley   1800 - 2330   Warm and overcast. Temp 'down' to 18ºC when I left.   4 Tench: 6lb 1oz, 4lb 10oz, 3lb 6oz, 3lb 3oz. 1 Crucian 2lb 11oz. 1 rudd   Can't have too much of a good thing when it comes to catching big crucians! (or tench for that matter!). 3 Tench on 6mm s-pellet in the margins, 1 tench and the crucian on meat about 1½ rod lengths out. Both caught in consecutive casts just as it got properly dark.  
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

3 March

K&A Canal - Thatcham   0700 - 1000   Overcast with rain/drizzle for ¾hr from 0830. AT & WT 48ºF.   2 Perch; 3lb 2oz & 2lb 7oz.   Unexpectedly had a free morning due to Sam deciding on a lay in after partying last night rather than go training. Dad's taxi still had to take Matt to work for 0630 which was the time I'd have rather have been making my first cast. So I arrived 30 or so minutes later than I would have liked to get a couple of nasty s
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

4

26 February

River Frome Worgret 0800 - 1130 Wool 1200 - 1600   Bright and sunny after a foggy start - felt positively warm in the sun - had far too much on! River clear and low.   11 Grayling: 10 over 1lb (9 over 1½!). Best 5, 2lb 14oz, 2lb 5oz, 2lb 2oz & 2 at 1lb 14oz.   Last trip down to Dorset this winter as the water closes to coarse anglers at the end of Feb. I wanted to give Worgret a proper go this time as it was the colour of milky tea when I came here in
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

5/6 August

Newbury AA Stillwater - Widmead.   1500 - 0800   Warm and overcast. Mild night, temps didn't go below 14ºC   4½* Carp, biggest 8¼lb, 1 Bream 4¼lb, 20+ Roach & Perch - in roughly equal nos.   Another "Breakfast was the highlight of the trip" trip! Spent the first couple of hours fretting over my swim choice which saw me move swims and immediately get a bite which resulted in the bream - thereafter bites at a premium. Paul had had an identical return whe
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

4 February

River Kennet Newbury   0800 - 1045   COLD and clear. AT -9ºC when I drove off confirmed by a reading of 16ºF when I arrived on the bank. WT a balmy 35ºF - coldest day I think I have ever been fishing. However dressed appropriately and standing IN the river for warmth I was really quite toasty apart form the thumb and index finger on my right hand -which kept 'sticking' to the metal of my Witcher. Thought that frozen rings would be a mare but in fact the water froze on the
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

4

12 February

Middle Kennet - Nr Newbury.   0730 - 1700   Cool and overcast. -2º ->5ºC Positively balmy compared to recent arctic conditions - WT was a chilly 39ºF though.   8 Chub; 4 'pounders' to 2¼lb and 4 chublets. 19 Dace; most a 'nice' size - only one warranted the scales though; a lovely fish of 11oz. 6 Roach, 8 Brownies to 2½lb.   Plan for today was to catch some chub in the morning and then move up to where we'd caught all those roach earlier in the winter.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

3

27 June

Newbury AA Stillwater - Widmead   1930 - 0000   Warm overcast and muggy night - lovely shirt-sleeves evening though needed plenty of DEET - mozzies were in almost plague like swarms! Temp still 16ºC at midnight.   1 Crucian; 3lb 3oz. 1 Tench; 4lb 9oz. 2 carp 6lb 3oz & 6lb 13oz. 1 Rudd.   Mission accomplished - 1st crucian of the summer and it's a real goodun! Things didn't start off quite so well - had the 'smaller' carp practically 1st cast on my floa
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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