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About this blog

Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

Entries in this blog

22 January

Middle (just ) Kennet Estate.   0900 - 1645   Bright afternoon after a soggy morning. AT up to 11ºC. River quite full but with little colour.   28 Chub; nearly all in the 2½-3½lb bracket. Only 2 under 2lb and only one over 4lb (and that by just 3oz). 2 Dace. 7 Trout (6 Rainbows & a Brown) up to 2¾lb.   Treated myself to a late birthday trip. Keeper directed me to a carrier that he said was 'black' with chub back in the summer (but warned that the ext
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

17 January

River Kennet, Newbury.   1030 - 1330.   Cold, and overcast with some sleety drizzle at times. Much heavier rain prompted a slightly earlier than planned pack up (coupled with no bites in the previous 45 minutes!). River 'full' with some colour - starting to drop out. AT 34ºF, WT 42ºF. (Balmy in comparison!)   2 Chub; 3lb 7oz, 2lb 0oz. 1 Perch; 1lb 12oz. 3 Grayling, 3 Dace.   Successful jaunt in search of some winter chub though bites were at a premium all morning - first 3 fish were all
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

9 January

River Kennet - Thatcham   0930 - 1230   Overcast and mild with squally showers. 9ºC. River up 3-4 inches on last visit (Boxing Day) and quite coloured up.   1 Chub; 4lb 4oz. 8 Dace - most normal dace size with a couple of clonkers that warranted the scales - 12oz & 10oz. Possibly my biggest ever from here. 1 Roach, 1 Grayling.   Plan was to get a chub - achieved within 10 mins from a reliable spot but unlike 2 weeks ago I couldn't winkle out another on
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

3 January 2016

River Lambourn - Shaw   1400 - 1600   Overcast after heavy rain - river with a little colour and up a couple of cm (18cm by the Shaw EA Gauge).   20 Grayling; Most quite small with around ½doz in the 12oz-1lb bracket.   Going stir crazy after 3 days of rain - and wanting to catch my first fish of 2016. Thankful then for a 2 hour respite (in daylight). All fish from just 3 swims - which is somewhat unusual....
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

31 December

Middle Kennet - Kintbury   0745 - 1530   Bright and very breezy with a couple of very brief but very lumpy showers. Torrential rain curtailed proceedings half an hour early. River quite coloured and milky (much more than is normal for here) - the product of the springs breaking on the downs and not yesterday's rain. Middle and upper river has been like this for the past week according one of the keepers I was chatting to.   12 Chub; 9 over 3lb, but only 2 over 4 - b
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

26 December

River Kennet - Thatcham   0945 - 1315   Overcast, mild and breezy. River at normal levels with a tinge of colour.   2 Chub; 3lb 14oz & 3lb 11oz. 6 Dace - 4 in the 8-10oz bracket (nice!). 2 Grayling. 6 Trout; 4 over 1lb to 2lb 14oz.   Nice to get more than one chub from here and nice to get the place to meself - somewhat surprisingly. A couple of the trout had gorgeous golden colouration - including the biggest one - though I wish they didn't impersonate barbel in they way they fought
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

24 December

River Lambourn - Newbury   1230 - 1500   Bright and breezy after heavy morning rain. 8ºC. River up a tad and carrying a bit of colour.   18 Grayling; 5 over 1lb to 1lb 6oz. 1 Trout.   Traditional Christmas Eve session to empty the bait fridge so that it can be used as a 'Christmas overflow'. Usual catch a couple and move on tactics - didn't have more than 3 grayling from any one spot.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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19 December

River Kennet - Newbury   0945 - 1415   Very mild, with milky sunshine at times. AT 59ºF. WT53ºF. River low and clear - almost at summer levels.   3 Chub; 3lb 1oz & 2 'pounders'. 5 Perch; 4 over 1lb - biggest 1lb 15oz, and one just shy of 1lb. 20 Dace. 6 Roach. 2 Grayling; both around 12oz. 3 Brownies; 2lb+ fish and a couple of parr fish.   Very productive trotting session - standing in the middle of the river in shirt-sleeves in December! Found a shoal of perch right at the end of th
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

16 December

Kennet & Avon (flowing) Canal - Thatcham   1400 - 1600   Very mild & overcast. AT 56ºF, WT 52ºF. River with a tinge of colour after yesterday's rain.   5 Perch; 2lb 8oz, 2lb 3oz, 2 'pounders' and one just under.   Couldn't resist such perfect perch conditions. Fished the swim where I had my PB back in 2013 but which hasn't really produced much since. All fish caught in the last 45 mins.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

14 December

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   1400 - 1600   Mild, overcast with drizzly rain clearing to a rather lovely sunset (see crap picture below!) AT & WT both 50ºF.   5 Perch; 3lb 10oz, 2lb 2oz, 1lb 12oz & 2 small-uns. 1 Roach - small but still somehow managed a whole lob!   Boss has very kindly given me a few days off work following Paul's passing and having spent the morning making a couple of calls, reading condolences and eulogies - and Clare's
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

1

12 December

K&A (flowing) Canal, Thatcham.   1115 - 1600   Mild, overcast a VERY blowy. Rive at normal levels and quite clear.   20 dace. 1 roach.   Failed attempt at a big stripey and/or chub. Wind was a total PITA making trotting close to hopeless.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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10 December

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   1345 - 1600   Mild, breezy with some drizzle in the air. AT 51ºF. WT 49ºF.   2 Perch: 2lb 13oz, 1lb 11oz. 1 Pike; 4lb 3oz. 1 roach.   Had a half day workshop in Newbury so rather than go back to work - seemed the perfect excuse to take some time owed and squeeze in a couple of hours fishing! All fish on lobs and all caught in the last hour.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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6 December

Northcroft Stream - Newbury   0930 - 1330   Mild, overcast and blustery with some drizzle in the wind at times. 12ºC. River at 'normal' levels and quite clear.   2 Chub; 3lb 3oz & 2lb. 2 perch - both around 10-12oz. 30 dace, 4 roach, 1 Rainbow trout - 3lb.   Aim was to get amongst the chub - achieved with the first 2 fish caught - though when I dropped down from the weirpool to my more reliable chub spot I could only catch dace. Rainbow fight was interesting at is was chased around t
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

27 November

Lower Itchen Fishery   0745 - 1615   Mild (10ºC all day) with some drizzle and some sunny spells becoming increasingly breezy. River at 'normal' levels.   49 Grayling; 16 over 1lb, best 3 - 1lb11oz, 1lb 9oz & 1lb 8oz. 2 Chub; 2lb 14oz & 2lb 10oz. 6 Brownies to 2½lb. A doz+++ parr (mainly salmon parr I think)   Started with an hour in Wards Pool at the top of the fishery and had the 1-11 straight away - a great start though I wouldn't better it! Tha
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

22 November

River Lambourn - Shaw   0900 - 1200.   Cool and Cloudy. AT up to 4ºC after the first hard frost of the autumn; got down to -4ºC in out greenhouse last night.   River low - EA river gauge at Shaw reading 13cm.   47(!) Grayling with over a third of fish 12oz+. Best two ladies 1lb 6oz & 1lb 4oz. 3 Brownies - all small.   Cracking morning's trotting. Fished 10 swims in total and had fish from 8 of them. Majority of fish, however (over 30!), caught from just 2 spots...
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

15 November

River Frome - Wool.   0815 - 1415   Mild (14ºC), Overcast with drizzle at times and blowing an absolute hoolie (downstream). East Stoke river gauge 97cm.   33 Grayling. 16 over 1lb, with 4 over 2lb (though not by much) biggest 2lb 3oz. 3 Brownies, 1 'pounder' and 2 parrs.   Bit of a gamble which paid off handsomely - my best ever return from this water - in terms of overall numbers - good to see a whole range of fish sizes too. After yesterday's rain it wa
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

8 November (part 2)

River Kennet, Newbury   1030 - 1330.   Mild and overcast. River with a little bit more water in it - probably up a couple of inches or so on 10 days ago.   1 Chub; 2lb 6oz. 3 Perch; 1lb 6oz, 1lb 1oz and a fish of around 10-12oz. 20 Dace, 8 Roach. 2 Grayling, 2 Gudgeon, 2 Brownies.   So if I couldn't get a decent perch from the canal - plan B was to see if I could find some chub. Achieved at the 3rd swim (of 4 fished) - though by then I'd already had the perch! Maybe that's where I was go
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

8 November (part 1)

Kennet & Avon canal - Widmead   0645 - 1000   Mild and overcast. WT 55ºF   2 Perch; 1 circa 1lb. 1 Pike - another tiny one of 14oz!   Perfect perching conditions - shame no one told the perch. Original plan for this weekend had been a trip down to Dorset for grayling but this week's rain has pushed levels up over 2 feet on the river Frome so with relatively benign conditions in West Berkshire I was hoping to emulate (or even better) last week's perch haul. Bites just didn't come and
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

31 October

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0630 - 0930   Mild, murky and calm. WT 54ºC. (AT same.) Perfect perching weather!   7 Perch; 3lb 6oz, 2lb 8oz, 2lb 3oz, 1lb 14oz and 3 small ones - one close to 1lb the others no where near! 1 Chublet.   Really paid to get here at first light - bites from the off and had 3 of the bigger perch including the 3lber on the bank by 7 o'clock. Bites dried up after an hour and only 2 fish after 0800 and one of those was the ch
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

29 October

River Lambourn - Newbury   1330 - 1630   Drizzly and breezy (despite the promise of a dry afternoon). 13/14ºC . River very low and full of leaves!   26 Grayling with more than half needing the net and a lot of fish an ounce or two either side of a pound. Biggest weighed in at 1lb 5oz. 4 trout to 1¾lb.   Usual catch a couple and move on tactics - fish very spooky in very shallow water. Caught quite a few by 'sight fishing' - watching the maggot get taken an
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

28 October

River Kennet - Newbury   0900 - 1400   Warm (for late October) and mainly sunny. 15ºC. River very low and threadbare.   6 Chub; 5 over 1lb. All in the 1-2lb range save for a 4lb 4oz fish. 30+ Dace most quite small apart from one clonking fish of 12oz. A doz+ Roach with around half in the 6-8oz bracket (nice!), 4 Gudgeon, 1 Bleak & 3 Brownies to a pound and a bit.   Unexpectedly had a free day and with Jaq out all day it seemed the perfect excuse for a
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

24 October

Kennet & Avon Canal - Avington   0730 - 1130   Mild, overcast and drizzly. WT 53ºF. AT 55ºF.   2 Perch; 2lb 0oz & 1lb 11oz. 18 Roach: some really chunky ones with 2 over 1lb - best 1lb 2oz. 1 Chub <1lb (just). 2 Skimmers to 1lb 6oz. 1 Gudgeon.   First time I've ever fished this bit of club water - and it was the whispers of big perch showing last winter that had me pulling into the car park whilst it was still dark. I'd recce'd the water a coupl
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

19 October

River Kennet - Nr Thatcham   1800 - 2300   Cool, calm and overcast. 11ºC river low and carrying quite a bit of leaf litter.   1 Chub: 5lb 2oz.   A similar start to my last visit here 3 weeks ago in fact I have a suspicion it might even be the same fish. However as my camera was still plugged into the computer at home I didn't get to take it's portrait for comparison. Only bite of the evening - so no barbel main course after the chub starter. Was subjected to a barrage of twitting from a
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

17 October

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0715 - 1015   Overcast and cool (9/10ºC), with a 'fresh' Easterly making it feel even cooler.   6 Perch; 2lb 13oz, 2 'pounders', 3 tiddlers. 1 Brownie - 2lb (!!)   Near perfect conditions for perch (apart from the wind direction) had me bankside before it was light enough to see my float. And as soon as it was light it wasn't long before I had my first decent perch of the autumn on the bank. Alas the boat activity start
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

9 October

Kennet & Avon Canal, Thatcham   0700 - 1430 (plus an hour on the river proper)   Bright sunshine after a foggy start. Warm - upto 16ºC   1 Perch; 1lb 10oz, 1 Pike; 14oz!, 4 Chub (all small), 2 Dace, 1 Roach, 1 Gudgeon, and 3 Brownies; 1lb 14oz and 2 parrs.   Umm - probably not the best conditions to go prospecting new perch swims - though the only perch I did catch was from a 'new' spot. Pikelet was first cast - in a usually reliable perch swim - but o
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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