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Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

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Coarse Fishing

14 March (Part 3)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 1500 - 1730 Bright and breezy to start - heavy sleet showers to finish! AT 6ºC 3 Perch - a couple of 'pounders' and a tiddler. Disappointing end to the day (and the season) - I guess the topsy turvey temps over the last week have put the perch off somewhat, Didn't get a bit until nearly 5 o'clock - and then a brief flurry of activity - as the sleet fell - saved a blank!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Coarse Fishing

14 March (Part 2)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 1430 - 1745 Overcast, VERY windy with light rain for last hour and a half. AT 10º ->7ºC. 7 Perch; 4 over 1lb of which 2 were over 2lb - best 2lb 10oz (last bite of the season - I nice way to end!) Many, MANY years ago (probably sometime during the last millennium) I bought a pack of 3-way swivels. I stuffed them in with a wallet of tubing and they have languished at the bottom of one of my tackle boxes ever since. I suppose I must have tho
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Coarse Fishing

14 March (Part 2)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 1230 - 1430 Bright and sunny - though quite cool in a northerly breeze. AT 6ºC. River at normal winter levels. 2 Chub: 2lb 1oz & 1lb 6oz. 2 Dace & 2 Roach - all fairly small. Killed a couple of hours in the weirpool - prior to a dusk perching session on the canal - bit too bright for good sport - so pleased to see anything in my landing net!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Coarse Fishing

14 March (Part 1)

River Kennet (& Carrier) - Marsh Benham 0830 - 1345 Milky sunshine to start - clouding over - very breezy. AT 5º ->10ºC. River in good winter nick - full with a slight tinge of colour. 3 Chub: All over 2lb - best 3lb 6oz. 1 Pike: 4lb 11oz (On sweetcorn - took it on the retrieve!). A doz Roach; various sizes - one worthy of the scales went 14oz. 2 Dace - small. 1 Rainbow - 2½lb & 2 Brownies: 1½ - 2lb. Last day trip to the venue I started my river season back in June
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Coarse Fishing

14 March (Part 1)

Kennet Carrier - Marsh Benham 0700 - 1200 Bright and sunny. Frosty start - but felt quite warm by lunchtime - a lovely spring day though not ideal angling conditions! AT -1º - 12ºC. River up a bit on last weekend - close to usual winter levels. 1 Chub; 4lb 3oz. 18 Roach - quite a few 'netters' with the biggest a smidge over 1lb - my first (and last!) from here this season. 2 Dace - Small. 2 Perch - ditto. 1 Brownie - 2½lb. Wanted to end the season where I started it! Began on
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Coarse Fishing

14 March (Part 1)

River Kennet - Marsh Benham 0630(!) - 1130 Cool and overcast with drizzle to start - brigthening up. AT3º-6ºC. River at normal winter levels - though actually down an inch or so on last Friday. 9 Chub: 5 over 4lb - best two - 5lb 1oz & 4lb 14oz. 3X3lbers and the smallest went 2lb 14oz. 2 Bream; 3lb 4oz & 2lb 9oz. 1 Bleak, 1 Rainbow C2½lb. Back to the swim - that's a gift that keeps on giving! Had 7 chub from it today plus the 2 bream - the other 2 chub coming from a s
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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14 March

River Kennet nr Newbury   0645 - 1845   Mild, overcast and calm. Some light drizzle early on (despite being forecast to rain all day!) 11ºC. River at normal levels with just a hint of colour - Couldn't ask for more perfect conditions!   8 Chub (5lb 2oz, 4lb 15oz, 4lb 5oz, 3lb 14oz, 3lb 10oz, 3lb 8oz & 2 chublets). 3 Doz Dace - handful of 'good-uns' - best 12oz, 1½Doz Roach, best 2; 1lb0oz & 13oz, ½doz Gudgeon, 4 Perch (all small), 2 Salmon Smolt, 2 Brownies,
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 March

River Kennet - Speen Moors   0615 - 1015   Bright and breezy AT up to 12ºC. River surprisingly full and bombing through. Canal above Guyers Lock has been practically dewatered - so think a breach must be emptying into the river.   2 Chub (3lb 2oz, 2lb 14oz), 1 Brownie (2lb) 4 Gudgeon   3 hours playing 'hunt the fish' eventually led to a couple of chub from a swim I've never caught one from before! Upto that point it looked like a few early gudgeon were going to be 'blank savers'!!!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 March

Middle Kennet   0700 - 1630   Bright and sunny - too bright for good sport but a fine spring day so not complaining. AT upto 12.5ºC - warmest day of the year!   3 Chub - 3lb 6oz, 3lb 2oz, 2lb 9oz. 11 Perch - 3 over 1lb, best 1lb 11oz. 28 Dace - only 1 really good-un of 10oz. 1 Roach. 4 Rainbows to 4lb 6oz. 1 Salmon Parr.   Another lovely day spent roaming around. Fish were quite spooky and we never got the chub feeding with abandon. Fished hard in a swim known to contain a HUGE chub - b
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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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

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14 March

Middle Kennet Estate   0730 - 1800   Cool and overcast all morning, bright sunshine in the afternoon feeling quite warm despite the thermo only reading 10ºC. River VERY low.   4 Chub; 3lb 4oz, 3lb 0oz, 2lb 11oz and a chublet. 5 Perch; a couple of 'pounders' best of which was just under 2lb - the rest around 12oz. 25 roach - most fairly small though had one 'goodun' of 14oz. 9 Dace. 1 Bream 2¼lb. 10 gudgeon, 4 bleak & 6 brownies to 3¼lb.   Usual mixed b
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 March

Middle Kennet Estate - Kintbury   0715 - 1800   Cold and frosty start - bright and sunny morning with some cloud in the afternoon. Cool but light breeze. AT -3ºC->6ºC but felt much warmer out of the wind and in the sun! Almost spring like and a vast improvement on Monday (and last Friday!)   16 Chub; Only 1 under 2lb, most over 3lb, biggest 5lb 2oz. Over 55lb in total!. 3 dace - 1 goodun of 11oz, 1 Roach (small), 1 Grayling circa 12-14oz. 7 Brownies to 2½lb. 1 Ra
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

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14 March

Middle Kennet   0700 - 1700 (yes we packed up an hour early to have a pint on the way home!)   Cold easterly wind - bright sunshine for first few hours then cloudy. Temps around 6ºC most of the day.   6 Chub; Biggest 3lb 8oz. 1 Pike; 5lb 15oz. 3 Perch; (all small). 4 Roach; 1lb, an 8oz fish and a couple of tiddlers. 15 Dace. 6 Brownies to 3lb. 1 Rainbow of 4lb 2oz.   Something of an anti-climatic end to the season. Fish clearly weren't feeding - though thi
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 March

Middle Kennet Estate - Kintbury   0630 - 1830   Bright sunshine, cool (circa 5ºC) with a 'fresh' North-easterly blowing all day - very challenging conditions for trotting a gin clear chalk-stream!!   3 Chub: Biggest 4lb exactly the other 2 were 3lbers. 5 Grayling to 1lb 2oz. 14 Dace; 5 over 8oz best 3; 2X10oz & an 11oz fish. 7 Roach (all small). 10+ brownies to 3lb+.   End of season bash to a lovely part of the world - even if the fishing was a bit cha
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 March

​River Kennet - Speen Moors   ​0700 - 1500   ​Mild and overcast. AT 14ºC. River at normal levels.   ​4 Chub; 4lb 3oz, 3lb 11oz, 3lb 3oz, 2lb 13oz. 5 Dace, 3 Roach, 4 Brownies - 2 'pounders' and 2 parrs.   ​Kennet chub-fest part 2! 3 of the chub caught in the first hour which took the pressure off somewhat so went exploring - with little reward. Had quite a few lobs to use up but none of the usual perch haunts produced so much as a bite. Ended up in a swim where I caught my first ever 3lb
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 March

Middle Kennet Estate Water - Kintbury.   0700 - 1800 (!)   Mainly overcast though mild with a strong southerly breeze. River 'full' with a little colour - in great winter nick.   25 Chub(!): Apart from 4 X1lb class fish which turned up in my various 'dace' swims at first and last knockings, all 3lb class fish. 3 over 4lb @ 4lb 14oz, 4lb 6oz & 4lb 1oz. 6 Dace - one decent fish of 10oz. 4 Roach - including one @ 12oz. 1 Gudgeon (possibly my first ever from here!). A dozen brownies to 3lb
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

14 March

Middle Kennet Estate Water - Kintbury   0700 - 1815   Mild,damp start, VERY windy with some further lumpy showers (hail), brighter by the afternoon. River with a bit of water in it at last!   21 Chub; Biggest 3 - 5lb 6oz, 5lb 3oz & 4lb 9oz - with nearly all the rest in the 2½ - 3½lb class, a couple of pounders and one just under turned up in my dace swims at last knockings. 12 Dace - best 10oz, 6 Roach - all 'hand-sized', 1 Perch <1lb & around a dozen+ brownies.   A chub fest
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 March

River Kennet - Hambridge 0945 - 1445 Mainly cloudy with sunny spells and light drizzly showers. River still full to bursting, not dropped at all! 3 Chub: 4lb 13oz, 3lb 4oz & a tiddler. 3 Dace - all small, 1 Grayling. 3 Brownies (all around 8oz) and a 2lb rainbow! Plan for the last day was for a Double Header in the hunt for a big chub - morning at Brimpton and the afternoon here. But having trekked ¾mile with chesties and full pack I turned around and walked straight back
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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Coarse Fishing

14 March

Middle Kennet (& Carrier) - Marsh Benham 0830 - 1400 Mild with sunny spells - topped and tailed with rain. AT 10º-16ºC. River very high and clear. 2 Chub; 5lb 2oz & 3lb 3oz. 3 Roach - all small. 2 Brownies - both 3lb+. Both chub from my south bank slack on the main river. Rested it after catching the 5lber and caught the smaller one when I returned ¾hr later. Best chub from my syndicate stretch this season - a nice way to end the campaign... A Fat Five

14 July

River Kennet - Nr Thatcham   1900 - 2330   Warm and overcast 19º ->17ºC. Shirtsleeves all eveing! River in good flow with some colour and little debris.   3 Barbel (6lb 13oz, 5lb 6oz, 4¼lb)   All fish caught between 2200 - 2230. No bites before or after ! Privileged to witness at very close quarters a Barn Owl hunting on the opposite bank then swooping over to 'quarter' the field behind me. Awesome sight - and more than made up for the 3 biteless hours. (1st sighting was shortly after
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 July

River Kennet - Thatcham   0700 - 1030   Bright and breezy. A chilly 9ºC rising to 16ºC. River very low - dread to think what it will look like in September if it stays dry...   10 Dace, 6 Brownies, 2 Chublets & a Grayling.   Pleasant mornings trotting despite failing to connect with a barbel or two - didn't even see any on the shallows. Nice to get another grayling from here - decent size too, not far shy of a pound. Most of the dace were of a decent stamp as well.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 July

​Alders Lake   ​​2000 - 2330   ​Warm, overcast with a bit of a breeze.   ​3 Bream; 4lb 7oz & 2lb 14oz X 2 (possibly same fish!)   ​Had planned an evening on Willows - float fishing the margins in the hope of snaffling one of the lake's big crucians - but the ducks and geese were a total pain in the wotsits! Ducks constantly swimming through my line and making a beeline for my swim from all points of the compass whenever any bait hit the water - geese too - but they then decided to co
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 July

Alders Lake - Thatcham 1830 - 2315 Overcast and warm(ish). AT 15ºC when I packed up. 1 Bream; 5lb 10oz. 2 Tench: 2lb 15oz and a smallun. 1 Crucian - small - handsized - but a very welcome sight. 4 small Rudd. First time in a few seasons I've had tench AND bream in the same session from here - the bream was very much a last cast fish - was starting to pack my stuff away when I noticed my float dithering around and I assumed it was another crucian or even a crayfish - so very p
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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Coarse Fishing

14 July

River Kennet - Brimpton 1800 - 2200 (2½hrs trotting followed by 1½hrs on the lead) Warm, sunny evening. 24ºC when I arrived, 16ºC when I packed up. 1 Chub - small. 2 Dace. 4 Brownies; 2lb 12oz, a 'pounder' and a couple half that. An evening trotting for chub nearly ended chubless - for which I place the blame firmly at the door of Mr Trout! First bites in both my first 2 (out of 3) swims had an adipose and all of them chose to go airborne - the biggie repeatedly so which
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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