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About this blog

Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

Entries in this blog

17/18 June

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm, Milford   0700 - 0400   Bright and breezy, mainly sunny. Lovely clear night with some high cloud and a gorgeous full moon.   9 Tench; best 5lb5oz with 6 of the rest over 4½lb. 2 Crucians; 2lb 0oz & 1lb 11oz. 2 Perch.   4th IAC Paul Goulbourn memorial fish-in. Yet again 20 of Paul's friends came together to honour his memory and try (and mainly fail!) to catch a crucian! Bites were at a premium all day though I think most angle
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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28/29 June

Jubilee Lake - Thatcham   1900 - 0430   Glorious might to be out - warm (min 15ºC) with a balmy southerly breeze to keep the dew off - fantastic view of Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky too!   7 Carp; 15lb 8oz, 9lb 14oz, 9lb 3oz, 8lb 7oz, 8lb 2oz, 6lb 15oz, 5lb 8oz.   Not one of my favourite venues - too busy and noisy - which probable explains why I struggled to get a single bite in the margins. All fish during darkness on the feeder - the biggest two
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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1 July

River Kennet - Brimpton   1800 - 2045 - Warm, with sunny spells. River at normal early summer levels.   1 Chub; 4lb 14oz, 3 Dace, 3 Brownies to 1½lb.   Pleasant evening's trotting - pleased to get such a nice chub so early in the season - was in surprsingly good condition too.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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6 July

River Kennet - Newbury   0430 - 0800   Clear and sunny. River at near normal summer levels and carrying its usual summer colour...   11 Chub; All quite small with a couple slightly bigger (just over 1lb). 3 Doz+ Dace, 1 Roach. 4 Brownies to 1lb.   Lovely morning's trotting and home in time for brekfast. Really nice to see some juvenile chub in the river - augur's well for the future....    
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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12 July

Johnsons Lake - Milford   1530 - 2315   Warm and sunny with quite a stiff breeze until dusk.   2 Crucians; 3lb 3oz, 2lb 15oz. 6 Tench - all over 3½lb - best 2; 5-12 & 5-02. 2 Carp (very small - one may have scrapped a pound the other less than half that!). 3 Rudd - all small.   Very pleasant evening's float fishing the margins - as usual not a lot until dusk (just the rudd) - first fish (the 2-15 cru) at around 1930 - thereafter steady sport until 2300. All fish on prawn (apart from
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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18/19 July

Harris Lake - Milford   1430 - 0430   Warm and muggy with a gentle breeze - clearing ovenight with temps down to 12ºC at dawn.   18 Crucians; 10 over 2lb - biggest 2lb 11oz. 11 Tench; 5 over 5lb - biggest 5lb 12oz. 6 Perch, 6 Roach, 1 Rudd.   Very busy session with over half the fish caught in daylight (for a change). Everyting caught under my rod tips - float fishing with prawn and maggot weighing in equally with fish. Fed much more sparingly than usual which seemed to stop the tench ar
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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26 July

River Kennet - Thatcham   1500 - 1600   Warm and sunny - river quite low   3 Chub; one might have made a pound the others no where near that size!. 4 Roach - all a 6-8oz (good to see). 1 Dace and 3 brownies to 1½lb.   I left work early to go home and watch the cricket only to find Ireland had been bowled out for 38 in under 16overs - so a snatched hour on the river before a weekend spent in Manchester watch athletics (England AAA champs).
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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31 July

Alders Lake - Thatcham   1800 - 2230   Bright and breezy evening - temps down to 15ºC   1 Tench 1½lb, 2 roach.   Strange little session - lake seemed pretty lifeless and spent the first 3 hours or so looking at a stationary float - then had a 10 minute flurry of activity at around 2115 half a dozen bites and all 3 fish followed by another hour of nothing! Still, managed to pick nearly 3lb of blackberries which Mrs P has already converted into bramble jelly - yum!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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3 August

River Kennet - Brimpton.   0500 - 0930   Lovely summer's morning - sun rising therough the valley mist - temps a warm15º - rising to a muggy 21ºC when I packed up. River a little on the low side as is usual at this time of year.   2 Chub; 5lb 4oz & 1½lb. 11 Dace - with half a dozen over 8oz (!!) best went 10oz. 4 Brownies - all over 1lb - biggest 2lb 10oz.   Cracking morning's trotting - nice to find a pod of big dace - or rather 2 pods as the fish cam
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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5 August

Warwicks Water   1830 - 2230   Warm and breezy evening (kept the dew and the mozzies away!   2 Tench; 3lb 2oz & 1lb 9oz. 8 Perch ( all small).   Annual trip to check on how this lovely little pond is progressing after being remodelled and restocked (with tench and crucians) a few years back. Surprised on 2 counts; firstly to find two other anglers on the water (one of whom had caught a pound+ roach) - and to get a tinca over 3lb - wasn't expecting anything that big. No sign of any cr
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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11 August

River Kennet - Widmead   0900 - 1200   Bright and breezy. River at 'normal' summer levels.   1 Chub: unweighed but needed the net! 1 Grayling 1lb 1oz. 2 Doz Dace & a bleak.   Swim I've not fished for 35 years! (last time was Sep 1985 - and I had stacks of dace then too!). Grayling was first cast which was unexpected thereafter it fish a chuck for the first 45 mins.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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12 August

Alders Lake - Thatcham   1800 - 2230   Cool clear evening - with a breeze falling off. AT down to 10ºC when I packed up - felt quite chilly!   1 Tench - 2lb 3oz. 14 Roach - all small.   Another blackberry picking and tench evening! Roach were a bit of a pain but once it got dark the bites from them subsided and just like last time my solitary tench came at around 2130. Shortly after was then connected to one of the lakes rogue carp which I played for several minutes and was just entertai
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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17 August

River Kennet - Newbury   0900 - 1400   Bright and breezy - river up an inch or so after yesterday's heavy rain with its usual summer tinge of colour.   18 Chub: Most around 6-8oz, with 5 over a lb, biggest went 4lb 7oz with the others between 1¼ - 2¼lb., 2 doz+ Dace, 1 doz Roach, 2 Grayling, 2 Bleak and 3 Brownies.   Lovely morning's trotting - great to see so many silvers in the river - especially the young chub.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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21 August

Warwicks Water   1800 - 2230   Warm evening - especially under the trees.   1 Tench; 2lb 7oz. 1 Roach - small. Circa 2 doz perch.   Quick return here after the success of a fortnight ago - perch were even more insatiable - but thankfully quitened down when it got dark. Still no crucians - but a nice plump tench will do nicely!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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23 August

Bucklebury Ponds   1500 - 1730   Bright, warm and sunny.   A doz roach tp ¾lb. 5 Perch. 4 Skimmers.   No fishing this weekend - upto Birmingham to watch the athletics - so a snatched couple of hours at my nearest venue to home - most of the roach were a 'nice' size.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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30/31 August

Willows Lake - Thatcham   1900 - 0600   Warm night, quite breezy at times - temps no lower than 14ºC   4 Carp - biggest 8lb 11oz.   Slow, fruitless night after this lake's big, elusive crucians. Float fished, so when the float did go under there was some 'interesting action' on light-ish tackle - but not really what I came here for!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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7 September

River Kennet & Carrier - Marsh Benham   0900 - 1430   Overcast and fairly warm (18ºC). River low and clear.   6 Chub: Biggest 3lb 15oz the rest all less than half that! 3 Doz Dace and Roach in roughly equal nos. A couple of really nice dace of 10 & 11oz and quite a few roach in the 6-8oz class with a couple bigger ones (best went 12oz). 3 Perch - best nearly 1lb, 1 Bleak.   Lovely day's trotting. Did try a couple of hours ledgering - with no return
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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25 September

River Kennet - Newbury   0930 - 1400   Overcast, breezy with some light drizzle at times. River up a couple of inches and quite coloured after yesterday's inch of rain.   4 Chub; all between 10oz - 1½lb. 2 Perch; 1lb 6oz and a tiddler. 7 Dace. 4 Roach. 1 Bream c1½lb. 2 Grayling & a brownie.   Was meant to be up on the Trent today at an IAC fish-in - but Jaq and I abandoned our plans for the week (exploring the Lincolnshire Wolds) due to the inclement weather so had to make do with on
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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28 September

Kennet & Avon Canal - Avington   0700 - 1400   Mild and VERY gusty with drizzle for the first couple of hours or so (lovely - not!)   1 doz+ perch - most around to 10-12oz mark but couldn't find anything bigger (which what I was after primarily). 2 doz+ roach nothing big), 1 Gudgeon (1st of the season), 1 Dace, 1 Chublet and a Skimmer.   'Orrible session! Wind was a nightmare for casting and presentation (and nearly knocked me off my feet twice). Fishe
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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5 October

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton   0700 - 1430   Mild, overcast and becalmed - perfect perching weather - pity no one told the perch!   5 Chub to 2lb 2oz. 1 Perch - small, 8 Roach - with a couple needing the net - both just shy of 12oz. 4 Gudgeon & 2 Bleak.   Another frustrating day on the canal - this time I had incessant boat traffic to contend with - had hoped to get at least a couple of hours peace but the first boat came through at 0710 when
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

14 October

Lower Itchen Fishery   0800 - 1800   Rain, rain and more rain - yes pretty much non-stop all day - though thankfully not particularly heavy apart from a few brief 'pulses'! River carrying a tinge of colour but otherwise looked in fine fettle!   3 Doz Grayling with half of these 1lb+. Best, 1lb 15oz with another half dozen in the 1lb10oz - 1lb12oz class. 3 Chub; 3lb 11oz and a brace of 2lbers. 9 Brownies - all between 2½-3½lb. 3 Salmon; 2 parr and a grilse of 5lb - o
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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19 October

River Kennet - Brimpton   0800 - 1115   Bright and sunny. river up a couple of inches and carrying a bit of colour - looked perfect!   5 Chub: 5lb 11oz, 4lb 14oz, 3lb 5oz, 2lb 13oz, 2lb 0oz. 3 brownies - 2 over 1lb...   Cracking morning's trotting - all the chub from the same swim - took it nice and slow - fed well before my first cast then rested & fed between each fish - certainly paid off as I don't usually get more than a couple at any one time....
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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27 October - Pt1

Northcroft Stream - Newbury   0645 - 0945   Cool, bright and sunny. River up a touch and with a hint of colour.   1 Chub; 1¾lb, 11 Roach - best 14oz. 9 Dace, 1 Perch & a Gudgeon.   Trotted maggot. Most fish from the weirpool.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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27 October - Pt 2

River Lambourn - Shaw   1000 - 1230   Bright and sunny.   11 Grayling; 5 in the 12-16oz bracket. 7 Brownies.   Usual catch a couple and move on tactics - most fish from the church stretch.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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