Jump to content
  • entries
    1255
  • comments
    944
  • views
    1754560

About this blog

Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

Read more  

Entries in this blog

Coarse Fishing

13 August

Harris Lake, Marsh Farm, Milford. 1500 - 2315 Warm and mainly sunny. AT 23ºC - 18ºC. 6 Tench: various sizes, from bars of soap up to a biggest of 4lb 6oz. 3 Crucians - all over a lb, best 1lb 11oz. 8 Roach, 7 Rudd and 3 Perch - 2 tiddlers and one of nearly a lb. A 'sporadic' kind of session with little action during daylight - apart from the roach and rudd snaffling my float fished prawn sections on the drop and a single small tench on the feeder rod. Then had a manic 45 mins
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

9 August

River Kennet - Newbury (Whitehouse) 1300 - 1500 Warm, bright and breezy. AT 21ºC. River at normal summer levels. 1 Perch 1lb 13oz. 17 Roach - all small. 9 Dace - most quite chunky. Pleasant couple of hours trotting for silvers. I dropped one of the roach back in and realised I had a shoal of perch by my feet - some good-uns too by the glimpses I got! Dropped a bait in and it was snaffled immediately - and not by the biggest of the shoal by any means! Alas, it was my only chan
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

4
Coarse Fishing

8 August

Warwick's Water - Thatcham 1830 - 2230 Warm, overcast very breezy with some light drizzle at times. Perfect conditions, pity no one told the fish! AT 18ºC 1 Tench 3lb 5oz. 2 perch - small. Another crepuscular session - though this was a bit of a struggle compared to my previous two trips here this summer. Bites at a premium despite the swim absolutely fizzing at times. The tench eventually took my bait just as it got dark at a little after 2130 and being a male punched way ab
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

6 August

Middle Kennet - Marsh Benham 0530 - 1230 Warm and overcast with rain at times. AT 19ºC. River at normal summer levels. 9 Chub: 4 over a lb, best 2, 3lb 7oz & 3lb. 1 Bream: 1lb 15oz. 4 Doz Roach and Dace (more dace), roach were all small around half the dace were quite chunky. 2 Brownies c2-2½lb. Pleasant morning's trotting with all the fish from just 2 swims on the main river - which I fished in rotation - giving each an hour while I rested the other.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

2 August

River Kennet - Brimpton 1300 - 1500 Warm and sunny. AT 25ºC. River quite low but coloured up somewhat after yesterday's thunderstorms. 2 Chub: 4lb 5oz & 2lb 3oz. 3 Dace - all quite chunky with one good-un in the 8-10oz class. 9 Brownies; 1 'pounder' most of the others 6-10oz. Makes a change for a first cast trout NOT to put the kibosh on my chub chances. Fortunately the fish - which would be my biggest spottie of the afternoon kept deep and didn't thrash the surface to a
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

30 July

Warwick's Water 1830 - 2245 Hot and sultry. AT 29ºC when I arrived and still 23ºC when I left. 4 Tench: 8lb 2oz (new PB), 6lb 0oz, 4lb 7oz, 4lb 3oz. 4 Perch - all small. Wow - second PB of the summer (after my opening day chub) and after a rather unpromising start too. As earlier in the month I began by float fishing worm - but the small perch started depleting my meagre stock of lobs at an alarming rate so I switched to the prawn that I'd put in my bait bucket as a last minu
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

4
Coarse Fishing

24 July

River Kennet - Speen Moors 1100 - 1500 Warm and mainly overcast with some sunny spells - quite muggy. AT 21ºC. River quite low - normal summer levels. 8 Perch: 5 over a lb - best 3, 1lb 11oz, 1lb 15oz & 2lb 3oz. 4 Chub: 4lb 12oz, 3lb 4oz, a 'pounder' and a chublet. 7 Roach; all fairly small save one that needed the net and was circa 10-12oz. 3 Dace - all good-uns in the 6-8oz class. 6 Gudgeon. Super afternoon's sport, my first trip to Speen this season - all fish from one
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

22 July

Marshall's Mere (aka Willows) - Thatcham 1800 - 2300 Warm, mainly overcast with quite a stiff southerly breeze wafting in the vinegary aromas of the English Provender Company's (makers of Paul Newman salad dressings) factory at Greenham. Kept the mossies and dew at bay. AT 23º - and still 18ºC when I packed up. 2 Tench; 5lb 10oz (a male too) & 5lb 6oz. 3 Carp: 10lb 4oz, 8lb 13oz, 6lb 0oz. 2 Roach - handsized. 1 perch - small. An evening playing (and largely failing) at 'A
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

19 July

Middle Kennet weir-pool - Marsh Benham 1230 - 1500 Hot and sunny. AT 27º - 30ºC. River at normal summer levels. 1 Bream: 2lb 3oz. 8 Dace: all quite chunky with 4 in the 8-10oz class. 2 Roach; small. 1 Bleak. 1 Brownie c1¼lb. Surprisingly decent session given the bright and hot conditions. Fished the south bank, pillbox swim which allows me to cover pretty much the whole weir-pool. All fish caught trotting (of course).
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

16 July

Alders Lake - Thatcham 1830 - 2300 Warm(ish) and mainly overcast - clouds clearing as it got dark. AT 19º - 15ºC 2 Bream: 4lb 0oz, 3lb 5oz. 2 Roach - handsized. 1 Perch: small. It's that time of year again! The blackberries around these lakes must be an early fruiting variety - the brambles nearer home are still in flower yet I picked nearly 3 pounds in no time at all. Last summer we made over 40lb of jam - this first batch is already on the stove for the start of our 2024 br
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

3
Coarse Fishing

12 July

River Kennet - Hambridge 1300 - 1530 Warm(ish), mainly overcast with sunny spells. AT 18ºC. River at normal summer levels. 2 Chub: 2lb 7oz & 2lb 2oz. 25 Dace - most quite chunky. 10 Roach: all small apart from one 'netter' of around 10oz. Pleasant afternoon's trotting. All fish (including the chub) from the faster water. Was getting buzzed by a family of Kingfishers (2 parents and 2 juveniles) all session!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

11 July

Warwick's Water - Thatcham 1900 - 2300 Warm and sunny. 21º - 15ºC. 3 Tench: 4lb 11oz, 4lb 8oz, 3lb 11oz. An evening float fishing worm - hoping for a tench but hedging my bets for one of the pond's fabled big perch. What I hadn't reckoned on was one of the water's rogue carp. They are not meant to be in this venue but one grabbed my bait within ½hr of starting and pulled my rod off the rests - a desperate lunge saved the day as I just about grabbed the butt in time before my
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

8 July

Middle Kennet - Marsh Benham 0500 - 1100 Cool and overcast after a bright clear start. AT, a decidedly chilly 6ºC to start rising to 15ºC. River at normal levels with a bit of colour after the weekend's downpours. 8 Chub: 3lb 3oz, 3lb 0oz & 6 chublets. 1 Bream 2lb 7oz. 18 Dace - nothing especially noteworthy. 11 roach - small. 1 Perch, c6-8oz. 2 Brownies 2½lb & 3lb. Scratchy start - not helped by my first ever sighting of an otter on this stretch - in the swim I had a
Coarse Fishing

5 July

River Kennet - Brimpton 0930 - 1330 Warm, overcast with drizzle AND sunny spells. AT 17º-20ºC. River at normal summer levels. 2 Chub: 3lb 10oz & 2lb 13oz. 5 Brownies - one of around a lb the others 6-12oz. 'Banker' chub swim produces a brace - the second and bigger one after resting it for 90 mins. The interim was spent exploring new swims and failing to catch anything else without an adipose fin.
Coarse Fishing

1 July - 9th Paul Goulbourn memorial trophy

Harris Lake, Marsh Farm Fisheries, Milford. 0600 - 2315 Warm(ish) and mainly overcast with showers after dark. AT around 17º/18ºC all day. 5 Tench: best 4lb 9oz & 4lb 6oz. 5 Crucians: best 2lb 10oz - others barely a lb or under. 40+ roach and rudd (slightly more roach) some of the rudd were quite chunky - up to 12oz. 2 Perch - small. Now an annual fixture in the IAC calendar - the Marsh Farm fish-in. And this was a day when, surprise, surprise, everyone caught - with n
Coarse Fishing

28 June

River Kennet - Hambridge 1330 - 1530 Warm and overcast. AT 20ºC. River at normal levels with a slight tinge of colour. 14 Dace & 7 Roach - nothing particularly noteworthy though some of the dace were quite chunky. 2 Gudgeon, 1 Bleak. 2 Brownies c1½lb and one half that. An acrobatic first cast brownie is never a good start so not surprised that no chub put in an appearance. Had to make do with some lively dace instead. Pic of one of the Gonk's - for Martin!  
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

2
Coarse Fishing

26 June

Johnsons Lake - Milford 1600 - 2300 Hot and sultry. AT 28ºC - and still 20ºC when I packed up. 2 Tench: 3lb 5oz and a 'pounder'. 12 Perch - all small. Bit of a grueller in the heat. No bites at all with the sun on the water (apart from the nuisance perch). Dusk brought a little more activity - but not from, the hoped for, monster crucians, though I was thankful for anything by the end!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

20 June

Middle Kennet (& carrier), Marsh Benham 0445 - 1145 Unbroken sunshine from the off (good thing I was in the shade, under trees all morning!). AT a chilly 6º to start, 21ºC when I left. River at normal levels with a slight tinge of colour. 11 Chub; 7 over 1lb - best 4, 5lb 7oz, 4lb 6oz, 3lb11oz, 3lb 7oz the others all 2lbers, plus 4 chublets. 4 Bream between 1¾ - 3¾lb. 10 Roach - all small. 6 Dace, ditto bar one super specimen of 11oz. Super morning's chubbing on my syndic
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

19 June

River Kennet - Newbury (Whitehouse stretch) 1200 - 1500 Warmish, cloudy with sunny spells. AT 18ºC. River at normal levels with a tinge of colour. 1 Grayling; 1lb 14oz (!). 13 Dace mainly small apart from a couple of netters in the 8-10oz class. 10 Roach; mainly hand-sized. 1 Perch c½lb. Quick trotting sesh whilst Mrs P was getting her hair done! Couldn't fish my fav chub slack due to a barge moored right in it - so went off reccie-ing some new swims and caught in 4 of the 5
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

18 June

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1600 - 2200 Bright with sunny spells quite breezy at times. AT 20º-12ºC. 2 Tench: 5lb 14oz & 5lb 9oz. 1 Bream: 6lb 13oz. 2 Carp: 6lb 3oz & 7lb 11oz. 1 Perch - small. Summer tenching campaign gets off to a good start with a brace of 5lbers - eventually! I'd caught both carp (and pulled out of 2 more) and the bream before the tincas showed up. My biggest bream from Willows. All fish caught on the float using the lift method on prawn segments. Mus
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

17 June

River Kennet - Brimpton 0445 - 0645 Sunny and cool. AT 7ºC. River still quite full for June and quite pacey. 4 Brownies - all 6-10oz. 2 hours trotting and home for brekkie - gotta love June! Though this was a bit of "After the Lord mayor's Show" following yesterday's extravaganza. Things didn't start well as I was greeted by an otter on arrival in my fav chub swim which then produced a splashy troot first cast. A pattern which was then repeated 3 further times in the next 3 s
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

16 June 2024

River Kennet - Hambridge 0430 - 1100 Cool with sunny spells. AT 10º - 15º. River with good flow for June and quite clear. 7 Chub: all over a lb. Best 3; 6lb 10oz (New PB), 4lb 9oz, 4lb 2oz - the others all 1½-2½lb. 2 Perch: 3lb 4oz and a tiddler. 3 Grayling: 1lb 14oz, 1lb 6oz & 1lb 4oz (!!!). 1 Pike 3lb. 4 Roach & 3 Dace - all small. 1 Gudgeon. 7 Brownies - a couple of 'pounders' all the others 6-8oz. Blimey - never had a start to the season quite like that! I usually
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

2
Coarse Fishing

Nothing New

Middle of my usual spring hiatus so I thought I'd post up my latest article for one of my club's (NAA) quarterly newsletter... Nothing New! Walk into any tackle shop or browse any bait catalogue and the variety of baits and flavours for sale can be bewildering to the novice (and the more experienced) angler. The Hinders online store, for example, offers over 500 different choices of pellet, particle, boilie, wafter, flavour or glug with the promise of more 'in store'. What to buy
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

Season's Bests 2023-24

Another season comes to a close - my first one since retiring and as a consequence I got out a lot more especially in the autumn/winter though plans were somewhat thwarted by the high water levels in the rivers. Since I left work in June we have had 9 consecutive months of significantly above average rainfall. The springs of the Kennet 'broke' unusually early in mid-October (they typically start flowing late December/early January) and as a consequence many venues have been inaccessible  let alo
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
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
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.

  I accept