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About this blog

Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

Entries in this blog

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

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

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

12 March - Part 2

River Kennet - Thatcham.   0900 - 1100   Bright with milky sunshine. AT upto 13ºC when I left - a lovely early spring morning.   1 Chub; 2lb 13oz. 1 dace. 1 Brownie 1¼lb.   So having been crayfished off the canal, plan B was to see if I could snaffle a March barbel on the pin. (Having first picked up some maggot from Tony's for Monday - as ever he wasn't a happy bunny - this time coz I proffered a 20 and he had no change! ). Anyways, Plan B got scuppered almost before it got started. 1s

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

12 March - Part 1

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0615 - 0815   Mild and overcast - sunny for last 20 mins. AT 7ºC. WT an encouraging 48ºF.   2 Perch; 1lb 6oz & a tiddler. 1 Chub 1lb 11oz.   Dawn raid for stripeys in seemingly perfect conditions - pity no one told the fish that! Started off promisingly enough with a few bites, activity and the 3 fish all in the first ¾hour. But the rise in water temps seems to have woken up the crayfish and after about 0700 they were relentless. And despite switc

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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

6 March

Middle Kennet Estate   0830 - 1800   Bright and sunny after an overcast morning. AT 3º->8ºC, quite chilly in a stiff easterly breeze.   6 Chub; Biggest 2, 4lb5oz & 4lb 0oz, 2 Perch; 2lb 14oz & 2lb 7oz. 15 Dace; Biggest 10oz though nearly all the others weren't much smaller. 2 Roach, both small. 10 Brownies to 2½lb.   Typical session wandering the banks searching for fish - walked even further than normal as it was tough going once the sun came o

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

25 February

River Itchen   0830 - 1730   Mild and overcast all day. AT 13ºC Max. River at near normal levels though carrying quite a bit of colour.   22 Grayling; 12 over 1lb, with 6 of those over 2lb - biggest 2lb 7oz. 2 Chub 4lb 3oz, 3lb 8oz.   Thanks to Paul's excellent networking skills (& silver tongue) we had exclusive use of this lovely bit of river for a second time (see blog entry 13/10/08 for the first). Bites at a premium and quite hard work at times -

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

20 February

Middle Kennet Estate   0900 - 1730   Cool, Overcast and Dry. AT around 5-6ºC all day. River at normal levels and carrying a tinge of colour - all in all neigh on perfect winter conditions!   10 Chub. 8 over a pound, biggest 3; 4lb 5oz, 3lb 14oz, 3lb 5oz. 13 Dace. Most a good size, best 4; 14oz, 11oz 10ozX2. 1 Grayling - 1lb 7oz. 8 Brownies to 2½lb.   Typical day spent wondering the banks with rods in hand. Spent all morning searching out the dace and had c

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

12 February

River Kennet - Newbury   0815 - 1115   Mild and overcast. Battery flat in thermometer so no temps. River up a bit to normal levels and carrying a bit of colour.   1 Barbel; 3lb 14oz. 3 Chub; 3lb 9oz, 3lb 3oz, 2lb 13oz. 2 Perch 1lb 12oz and one just shy of a lb. 2 Dace & 3 Gudgeon.   An 'insurance' session!! Meant to be having a day on the middle Kennet tomorrow - but if the weather forecast is accurate I'll probably get up, check the rain radar and go

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

6 February

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0815 - 1215. Overcast, mild and very breezey. WT 49ºF   4 Perch; 3lb exactly, 1lb 10oz and a couple of tiddlers.   Slow morning - 3lber in the 1st 15 minutes. Would have liked to have started ¾hr earlier but had to take Sam into work. Stiff upstream breeze made accurate casting and presentation difficult. (And when I did get it right a ruddy canoeist would come along - had to reel in 37 times for them - yes I counted!)  

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

28 January

Middle Kennet Estate - Nr Hungerford   0730 - 1715   Cold, mainly overcast with some sunny spells especially after noon. -1ºC->2ºC but felt MUCH colder in a raw NEly wind. River still quite low for late Jan.   42 Grayling; 15 over 1lb - best 3, 1lb11oz, 1lb10oz, 1lb 8oz. 3 Dace; small(ish!), 8 Brownies - biggest 2lb 10oz - but most were parrs, 7 Rainbows to 3¼lb.   A chilly days grayling fishing with Paul. Tried and failed to find any big dace - water l

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

22 January

River Lambourn - Newbury   0800 - 1045   Cool, overcast with some short showers early on. AT 0º->3ºC. River up a couple of inches on my last visit (Christmas Eve).   15 Grayling; 5 over 1lb - best 2, 1lb 10oz & 1lb 7oz. 2 Brownies & 1 roach - all small.   Quick trotting session - catch a couple and move on. Venue 'busy' with Anglersneters!!!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

16 January 2011

Middle Kennet Estate.   0800 - 1615   Overcast and breezy - drizzle for last hour, 10ºC. River still quite low - up maybe a couple of inches on our last visit here in November. Carrying quite a bit of colour - more than I expected to see!   6 Chub; 5 over 1lb, best 3:- 5lb 6oz, 4lb 6oz, 4lb 3oz. 6 Perch; biggest 2lb 2oz, rest all small. 1½doz dace, 2doz+ roach - all small though a few of the dace were circa 6oz and one roach warranted the scales though it 'only' reg

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

31 December

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0745 - 1200   Dull, overcast and calm. AT & WT at 44ºF.   1 Perch 1lb 13oz   A real struggle in seemingly ideal conditions - though maybe the WT still a little on the cool side. First 2 hours spent in 2 new swims (an hour in each) without a bite. A switch to one on my 'banker' swims produced the only bite (and fish) of the day.... oh hum can't win them all!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

28 December

River Kennet - Nr Newbury   0815 - 1600   Misty and drizzly all day - temp up to a balmy 7ºC. River low with just a hint of colour after over-night rain and snow melt. WT a chilly 41ºF   1 Chub; 3lb 2oz, 14 Dace; 3 gooduns - best of which went 12oz. 6 Brownies - biggest 3lb 11oz.   Satisfying days angling all things considered. Due to low water we were restricted to a short section of river and with a low WT, salt and snow melt in the river we expected spo

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

24 December

River Lambourn - Newbury   0930 - 1315   Cold, overcast and quite breezy. AT hovering around 0ºC all day. Just warm enough not to suffer iced up rod rings. River low and clear.   17 Grayling. 9 over 1lb (!), best 3, 2lb oz (!!!), 1lb 13oz & 1lb 10oz.   Cracking morning's trotting - until I got married I always went fishning on Christmas Eve! Catch a couple and move on tactics. Fish were hungry - in a couple of swims they were boiling on the surface wh

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

11 December

River Kennet - Newbury   0745 - 1000   Cool and overcast AT 5ºC. WT a cold 40ºF. River very low and very clear!   6 Chub; 4lb 7oz, 3lb 12oz, 2lb 15oz, 2lb12oz, 2lb 3oz & a chublet. 2 Dace.   Quick trotting session. First 45 minutes fished with red corn accounting for the 4lber and the 2 bigger 2's. Others all on trotted red maggot.

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

5 December

Middle Kennet   0930 - 1600   Cold, bright and sunny after a foggy start. River low - waiting for those springs on the downs to burst - not long now (hopefully)!   9 Chub; 6 over 1lb biggest 4lb 4oz - all the others between 2-3lb. 19 dace; best 2 went 13 & 12oz - with quite a few others circa 8-10oz. 5 Brownies - biggest circa 2lb but unweighed.   Day didn't get off to the best of starts - as on arrival I discovered that I'd left my landing net at home

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

27 November

River Lambourn - Shaw   O800 - 1130   Cold and overcast with the odd flurry of snow. -3ºC -> +1ºC   25 Grayling; 3 over 1lb and 3 more just an ounce or two shy. Best 1lb 7oz. 12 Brown trout, 1 Roach.   Pleasant morning's trotting in the cold. Unusually for here nearly all the fish came from just 2 swims, with just a couple of fish to show from the ½doz+ other swims I tried. Most of the trout were no more than fingerlings - A sign of a succesful breeding season methinks!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

20 November

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0700 - 1200   Overcast with drizzle. AT6ºC. Near perfect conditions except for the fact that WT was only at 45ºF.   2 Perch: 3lb 3oz & 3lb 2oz. 1 Chub 1¼lb.   Chub very first cast - hit the lob as soon as it was in the water - thereafter bites at a premium - a fish at 0830 and another 2 hours later - but well worth the wait! Paul had a small chub and a 2lb 6oz stripey.     The 3-3   Pea

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

13 November

River Lambourn - Newbury   0800 - 1100   Cool & Overcast. 8-10ºC. River low, as per usual this time of year!   14 Grayling - 5 over 1lb - best 2, 1lb 9oz & 1lb 6oz. 7 Roach - all a 'nice' size - in need of a landing net! The 2 I popped on the scales went 11 & 13oz but the rest weren't much smaller. 1 Brownie (small).   Pleasant morning's trotting. Fish very spooky in the low water didn't get more than 1 from any swim EXCEPT the first swim I dropped into which produced 11 fish

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

7 November

Middle Kennet   0730 - 1630   Cool and overcast after a bright start. River low but carrying just a tinge of colour after heavy overnight rain.   9 Chub, 7 over 1lb - best 2; 4lb 6oz & 4lb 4oz. 15 Perch, 8 over 1lb - best 2; 2lb 7oz & 2lb 2oz (most of the 'pounders' were over 1½lb). 1 Pike 5lb 6oz. 60+ roach & dace - in equal nos. ½doz gudgeon. 6 rainbow trout to 3¼lb & 5 brownies to 3¾lb.   Stonking session on one of my favourite parts of

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

1 November

River Kennet - nr. Thatcham   1830 - 2330   Mainly overcast and quite breezey. AT54ºF, WT52ºF and both rising. Positively balmy compared to last Monday evening, despite the wind!   4 Barbel: 10lb 7oz, 9lb 5oz, 7lb 4oz, 5lb 15oz   Cracking evening in a swim not a million miles from where John, Chris & Steve have been in the last 72 hours! 9lber first cast - all be it ¾hr after casting out and the double right at the end of the session. Biggest barbel f

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

30 October

River Kennet - Thatcham   0800 - 1130   Bright and sunny. AT 54ºF, WT 52ºF - up 7ºF on Monday evening!   1 Barbel 4lb 11oz, 1 brownie 1¼lb, 5 dace & a roach.   Slowish morning's trotting - started out with lobs for 1st hour hoping for a chub or two but nothing doing. Then an hour's trotting maggot before the barbel showed up - target for the morning was a barbel so at least that box got ticked! Rather a lot of minnows in residence - more than I've seen for a long time!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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