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About this blog

Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

Entries in this blog

30/31 August

TAA Stillwater - Thatcham   1800 - 0600   Warm night becoming increasingly cool (9ºC) by dawn.   4 Tench - 2 4lb+, 5 Carp biggest 2 14lb 9oz & 10lb 6oz.   A quick return to try and find some more tench - a plan which got off to a great start as 4 out of the first 5 fish were all tincas - caught float fishing the margins as well. Alas the carp then moved in! 14lber was one of the mankiest beat up fish I've ever caught - hence no pic!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

15 October

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne   0700 - 1000   River Kennet - Speen Moors   1030 - 1300   ​Overcast, with some light early drizzle becoming bright and sunny. River (and canal) very low.   ​K&A - 11 Perch; 4 over 1lb - biggest 2lb 2oz. 1 Chub; 1lb (ish) ​Speen Moors - 1 Chub; 2lb 10oz, 2 Perch; 1lb 8oz and one just under 1lb. 2 Gudgeon and a Brownie.   ​Slow start on the canal - having arrived before it was light enough to see my float I had to wait until 0830 for my first bit
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

13 November

​Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0645 - 1130   Bright and sunny. AT 6º -> 10ºC. WT 10.4ºC   12 Dace. 1 Perch (small), 1 Pike (tiny!).   Fished 3 new swims (for me), the first of the basis of some recently acquired 'intelligence'! In truth it wasn't ideal conditions for prospecting and whilst I did get a little interest in my lobs before the sun was up it was from a small perch and a micro pike! Will be back when conditions are more optimal!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

16 June (part 2)

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm, Milford.   1100 - 0130   Bright, hot and sunny (mainly)   3 Tench: 5lb 14oz, and a brace of 3lbers.   2nd Paul Goulbourn Memorial Cruican Fish-in attended by 16 IAC members. Fishing was hard going for most though a few crucians were caught - the biggest going to Krzystof (sp?) - who won the trophy for biggest cruican with a 2lb 4oz fish. Quite a few resorted to the training pond just to get bites! I always planned to fish on after
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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4 February

River Kennet - Brimpton   0800 - 1100   Cold and bright after a cloudy start. AT around 1ºC but felt MUCH colder in a biting NE wind - should think the wind chill was sub zero! . River 'full' and quite clear.   2 Chub 3lb 7oz & 2lb 8oz. I Brownie of 2lb.   Chilly morning after the chub - and bites were at a premium - so very happy to winkle a couple out! Fished 3 swims and had both chub from the last one visited.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0
Coarse Fishing

13 July

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1800 - 0000 Warm (ish), overcast with drizzly rain to start - clearing and becoming quite cool. AT 21ºC -> 12ºC. 1 Carp 8lb 1oz, 1 Tench 3lb 8oz. A frustrating evening on the float. Lots of dithering, dips and rises and lots of striking at thin air for the first 3 hours! When I did eventually connect with something it was the right weight - but the wrong species! 8lb+ tench have been coming out of here this summer and I'd really like to get one as m
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Coarse Fishing

11 August

River Kennet - Hambridge 1300 - 1600 Warm and muggy. AT 25ºC. River still with good levels for mid August! 3 Chub: 3lb 13oz, 3lb 0oz and one of around ¾-1lb. 8 Roach & 8 Dace - all small. 2 Gudgeon. 1 Brownie- small. Friday afternoons - I am 'persona non grata'  at home as Mrs P has a coffee afternoon with her friends - a tradition that goes back over 30 years (it was originally her post-natal group!) so Friday's are going to be a regular fishing day now that I have retir
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

2

18/19 August

NAA Stillwater - Widmead   1800 - 0600   Breezy with heavy showers up to midnight, cool and clear there after.   3 Carp; 8lb 1oz, 7lb 10oz, 3½lb.   Another slow night on the lakes - again nothing in the margins - all bites on pellet.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

8 October

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne   0700 - 1300   Calm and overcast.   15 perch'; 3 over 1lb, best 1lb 9oz. 1 Pike 3lb 11oz.   A morning exploring likely spots along the length of the lower section - fished around half a dozen swims and had fish from most of them. All fish on lobs.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

21 September

Alders   1800 - 2200   Cool clear evening - temps down to 9ºC but felt much cooler with a very heavy dew.   1 Bream - 1½lb.   Last evening of the summer - and it was a slow one with the only bite resulting in a blank saving skimmer just as it got properly dark.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

11 March

River Kennet - Brimpton   0730 - 1000   Bright and sunny after a foggy start - mild. River quite full with a bit of colour - in lovely winter 'nick'.   3 Chub; 4lb 2oz, 3lb 14oz, 3lb 5oz. 1 Brownie.   Breakfast on the river for some fine winter's chub then home to cook the Sunday roast for Mother's Day.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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Coarse Fishing

12 November (Part 3)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1500 - 1645 Bright -though getting damp and dewey as the sun set. 3 Perch - all 6-8oz. Inconspicuous end to the day - turned into something of a recce session as both my first two choices of swim were already occupied by anglers! None of the 4 swims I dropped into merit further investigation though heavy boat traffic (very unusual for November) and very heavy footfall on the towpath from walkers, dogs and cyclists made it a less than enjo
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Coarse Fishing

18 February (Part 1)

River Lambourn - Newbury 0845 - 1215 Mild, overcast and breezy. AT 10ºC. River full and gin clear, as always. 13 Grayling; 6 over a lb, 2 not by much, 3 around 1¼lb and one of 1lb 13oz. 1 Roach; small - alas - don't get many roach from here - but they tend to be noteworthy when they do show up. 2 Brownies - both small. Bit of a scratchy morning - redeemed by the last hour on the bottom of the stretch which produced more fish than the previous 2½hrs including the big lady - my
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Coarse Fishing

14 August

River Kennet - Hambridge 1130 - 1330 Dull and drizzly - quite breezy too. AT 16ºC. River still with nice flow for late summer. 1 Chub: 4lb 1oz, 11 Dace & 3 Roach - all small. 3 Gudgeon, 2 Grayling c6oz, 1 Perch - small, 2 brownies (ditto). Mrs P at the hairdressers was an opportunity to return here with a bigger saw to do some more 'gardening'! And of course I wasn't going to pass up the chance to wet a line for an hour or so.... Nice chub first cast - followed by the usu
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

2

29 October

Kennet Carrier - Marsh Benham   1000 - 1400   Bright and sunny. River very low.   6 Chub; 2½lb, 1¼lb and 4 chublets. 4 Dozen roach - all hand sized or better! 8 Dace, 4 Bleak and a couple of 2lb brownies.   Started by stalking chub - freelining lumps of meat into various holes - usually had just one go at each before spooking the fish - and of course it was usually the smallest of the shoal that snaffled the meat first (or a trout)- still twas good fun! Then it was bite a chuck on maggot
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

13 January

Middle Kennet   ​​1000 - 1530   Cold, with bright sunshine for most of the day and raw north-westerly wind. AT never above 4ºC. River low and clear - despite yesterday's rain.   9 Chub: best 2; 3lb 7oz & 3lb 4oz. 3Doz+ Roach - quite a few fish in the 6-8oz class, 3 Dace, 3 Brownies & 2 Rainbows (all over 2lb)   Day off work - and a birthday treat (it was yesterday) as a guest of Merv. 9 years since I lasted fished here - though it won't be 9 years until my next visit as I'm joi
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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16 June 2016

River Kennet - Newbury   0430 - 0800   Cool and overcast - but dry. River surprisingly high with some colour.   4 Chub; 3lb 2oz, 2lb 10oz and a couple of fish circa 1½lb, 13 Dace, 2 Grayling, 2 brownies   So begineth another season - I have been umming a ahing over whether or not to continue with this blog - but someone asked if I was and I said yes so will carry on for the time being - pity the view counter's been broken for months - was hoping to celebra
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

22 October

Kennet & Avon Canal - Avington   0715 - 1215   Cool, and overcast. AT 6º -> 9ºC. WT 11.4ºC   6 Perch to 1lb 12oz (3 over lb). 3 Chub; all over 1lb - best 4lb 5oz. 15 Roach, 4 Dace, 1 Bream (circa 1½lb).   Pleasant morning on this rather remote part of the canal - started off on lobs which accounted for all the perch and one of the chub. Switched to maggot for the last couple of hours hoping to snaffle some decent roach as per last autumn here - no b
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

4 March

​Northcroft Stream   ​0700 to 0930   ​Mild and cloudy with sun breaking through. River up a bit but with very little colour.   ​5 Chub: 4lb 1oz, 3lb 2oz, 2lb14oz, 2lb 9oz, 2lb 6oz. 1 Perch.   ​Last minute change of plan which paid off handsomely! Had intended to fish much further downstream but hadn't reckoned on ¾in of rain yesterday and reasoned that the river below Newbury/Thatcham might be coloured up. 2 chub from the weirpool - (which had a salmon in it trying to jump the gauge weir
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

18 February

River Kennet - Thatcham   0900 - 1400   Mild and misty - sun breaking through for last hour or so. AT up to 11ºC. WT 11.1ºC. River up a few inches on last time here - good flow with little colour.   1 Chub; 2lb 9oz, 2 Dace, 2 Roach, 2 Grayling, 3 Brownies - 2X2lb fish and a smallun.   Fished 2 swims around ½mile apart. Most fish from the first swim - the dace and roach were all a nice size. Only a couple of trout from the 2nd swim - though bright sunshine didn't help proceedings!  
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

12 October

River Kennet - Newbury   1730 - 2200   Mild/warm evening 14ºC. River very low.   2 Chub; 2lb 13oz & 1lb 10oz, 9 Dace and a Brownie of around 1lb.   Still no barbel - but I did at least get a couple of chub this time. Yet again had an otter visit my swim!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0
Coarse Fishing

5 February (Part 2)

Kennet and Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1500 - 1700 Overcast and very windy with occaisional (and un-forecasted!) drizzly showers. AT 9ºC. Completely different weather to earlier in the day. 3 Perch; 1¼lb, another one half that and a tiddler. Bites at a premium and a very stiff downstream wind didn't help one bit! No 'witching hour' switch on either.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Coarse Fishing

11 July

River Kennet - Hambridge 1300 - 1600 Warm, overcast and breezy - with a couple of very light showers (much lighter than was forecast!). AT 23ºC.  River still with good flow for mid July though down an inch or two on 3 weeks ago.  3 Chub: 4lb 5oz, 2lb 3oz & a 'pounder'. 1 Barbel 2lb 2oz (hooray!), 2 Perch; 1¼lbs & a tiddler. 9 Dace, 4 Roach (nothing noteworthy), 1 Gudgeon, 3 Brownies two in the 12oz - 1lb class (possibly same fish!) and one half that. Normal service ha
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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Coarse Fishing

29 October (Part 1)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 0745 - 0930 Warm (for late October), calm and cloudy with 3 brief showers. AT 13/14ºC. Perfect autumn perching weather - pity no one told the fish! 4 Perch: best 1lb 13oz with another 2 around ¾lb and a tiddler. Surprisingly subdued session - lots of activity on the surface and I concluded the perch were more interested in chasing fry than having my lobs for breakfast. The smallest perch I caught which was not much longer than the lob it took
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0

11 July

​River Kennet, Near Thatcham   ​1800 - 2200   ​Warm and quite breezy.   2 Dace, 1 Grayling and 6 trout to 1lb+   Another failed barbel session cut short early by a large dog otter surfacing in by swim THREE times in under half an hour! :-(  
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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