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About this blog

Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

Entries in this blog

13 March

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0600 - 0900   Mild, Overcast/milky sunshine. Canal carrying some colourand quite full - forgot thermometer so no readings!   5 Perch: 2lb 12oz, 2lb 2oz, 2X'pounders' and a tiddler.   Crack of dawn session - though could have had an extra hour in bed as no bites until 0700. Unusually fish got bigger the brighter it got - biggest was last one banked. Barge coming through the swim at 0830 killed sport! Used Anglersnet Cent
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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7 March

Middle Kennet   0645 - 1815   Bright and very breezy after early rain. River at 'normal' levels and quite clear.   5 chub (4lb 13oz, others all around 1lb), 7 perch (3 X 1-1¼lb) 12 dace (just 1 good un - 9oz), 5 grayling (all 10-14oz), 3 small roach, 2 gudgeon & 20 trout to 3½lb.   A hurriedly re-arranged trip in the light of Monday's weather forecast (when we were due to go!). Biggest Chub and 4 of the Grayling on trotted sweetcorn. Perch on lobs ever
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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29 February

River Itchen - Gaters Mill (Lower Itchen Fishery)   0830 - 1730   Mild and overcast all day 2ºC -> 10ºC. Calm, becoming very breezy by mid-afternoon. Heavy drizzle for last 2 hours.   24 Grayling (15 over 1lb - in order of capture - 2lb 1oz, 1lb 10oz, 1lb 13oz, 2lb 7oz, 1lb 8oz, 1lb 5oz, 2lb 0oz, 1lb 10oz, 1lb 8oz, 1lb 14oz, 1lb 11oz, 1lb 12oz, 1lb 7oz, 1lb 12oz, 2lb 9oz) 9 Brownies to 2½lb, 1 Sea Trout 1¾lb, 2 Salmon Parr, 3 chublets & a small roach!  
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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21 February

River Kennet - Newbury   0700 - 1130   Dull & overcast with some breeze. AT 42ºF -> 52ºF. WT 46ºF - river at 'normal' winter levels. Little colour.   10 chub - 5lb 5oz, 4lb 10oz, 4lb 6oz, 4lb 4oz, 4lb 3oz, 3lb 14oz, 3½lb, 3lb, 2lb & a chublet! 1 Barbel 2¼lb, 6 dace, 2 brownies & 1 grayling.   Back to the swim that produced so spectacularly back in December. (See entry for 15 December). All fish on trotted double red maggot. Many/most fish caught on the fast shallows at the
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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17 February

Middle Kennet   0845 - 1745   Bright and sunny after a cold (-7ºC) start. River still 'full' with nearly all colour dropped out.   3 doz Dace - best 10oz. 3 Perch (2lb 2oz, 1¼lb), 1 Chub 3lb 11oz, 7 Brownies to 2lb, 1 Rainbow 1½lb. 1 Roach, 1 Grayling.   Usual day of playing 'hunt the fish'. Fish quite spooky in bright conditions - necessitating many swim moves - though the dace in the 'keepers cottage' swim were positively suicidal at times! Dace are clos
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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10 February

Middle Kennet   0800 - 1730   Bright, calm and sunny after a frosty, misty start. River still high with most colour now dropped out.   10 chub (3lb 7oz, 1¾lb & 8 chublets), 40 roach (best 1lb 3oz, 3 or 4 others ½ decent - most very small), 20 Dace (4 'good-uns', best 10oz), 7 Brownies - biggest 4lb 11oz*, 1 rainbow 2½lb, 2 gudgeon.   Most - actually nearly all apart from the 3-7 chub and a couple of brownies - fish caught in first and last couple of ho
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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4 February

Middle Kennet Carrier   0900 - 1645   Bright and and sunny after a frosty/misty start. 2 brief showers (& 2 brilliant rainbows) in the afternoon. River 'full' and carrying some colour.   50 Roach & dace (2/3rds Roach - 1/3rd Dace), 2 roach 'scraper' 1lbers (1 weighed). Biggest dace 10oz with 3 others around 8oz. 2 chub (2lb and a chublet). 7 Brown Trout - Biggest 5lb 10oz (new PB), 1 Rainbow (2lb+), 2 gudgeon.   Lovely day spent as Merv's guest on
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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2 February

River Lambourn - Shaw   0730 - 1030   Sunny and cold -2ºC -> 4ºC. River very high (As high as I've ever seen it) with a little colour.   9 Grayling (2 'pounders - biggest 1lb 5oz), 8 roach (best 1lb 2oz and another just shy of 1lb - rest small) 4 brownies (2 over 1lb) & 5 Salmon Parr.   Struggle for bites at first - got a little easier with some cloud cover - most fish on the 'church' stretch. 2nd (&3rd) respectable roach from here this winter.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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26 January

River Kennet - Speen Moors   0800 - 1200   Bright and breezy. AT47ºF -> 49ºF. WT 46ºF. River still very high and over the bank in several places - has fined down.   50+ dace (biggest weighed 10oz) ½doz roach and chublets, 1 doz gudgeon.   Had planned to do some perching - but couldn't get to the swims I wanted as the banks were flooded. Surprised still to see so much water in the river after a dryish week. Most dace a good size with few under 4oz.  
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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19 January

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0730 - 0930   Mild and drizzly 12ºC. Travelling light so water thermometer in other bag. (But WT must be well up). Canal bank high and quite coloured.   6 Perch (2lb 5oz, 2lb 2oz, 1lb10oz, 1¼lb X2 & a tiddler), 1 Tench (!) 2lb 2oz, 1 Roach (15oz) - greedy sod took a whole lob on a size 8, 2 chub both <1lb.   Surprisingly pleasurable morning given the conditions - thankfully wind wasn't too bad - though fished les
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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14 January

Middle Kennet   0800 - 1645   Bright and very breezy - one heavy shower. River high and coloured.   5 Perch (2lb 11oz, 2lb 6oz, 2lb 3oz, 2lb 0oz, 1lb 10oz), 1 Chub (1¼lb), 4 Doz+ Dace - almost all over 6oz - I weighed 9 which were all 11-12oz. 19 Brownies - Biggest 3lb 12oz, 1 Rainbow - 2½lb, 2 Roach (14oz), 2 Grayling, 3 Gudgeon!   Treated me self to a Birthday Outing - alone with Paul. Did MUCH better than we had any right to expect given the coloured water. Paul had a similar return -
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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12 January

River Lambourn - Shaw   0830 - 1100   Cold and clear 1ºC -> 4ºC. River up and carrying a tinge of colour after heavy rain yesterday.   7 Grayling - 2 'pounders', best 1lb 4oz, 4 Brownies, 2 Roach, 1 Salmon Parr.   As ever a reliable winter fallback for when the Kennet is up and coloured. Bites hard to get but not impossible - bigger fish on the Church stretch.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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5 January

River Kennet - Speen Moors   0745 - 1315   Showery/bright/showery. River up and carrying a little colour after overnight rain (forgot my thermometer).   1 Chub, 3lb 14oz and 8 chublet. 4 perch 2lb 3oz, 1lb 15oz, 1lb 13oz, 1lb 6oz. 3 doz dace,roach & gudgeon.   Spent 1st 2 hours searching the usual spots for perch with float fished lobs without a touch. Switch to maggot brought all the silvers and the chub. Switched back to lobs for the last ½hour and had all 4 from a swim I haven't c
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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31 December

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   0745 - 1015   Cool, cloudy and calm. AT 41ºF -> 47.5ºF. WT 44ºF   7 Perch - 2lb 15oz, 2lb 3oz, 2lb, 1lb 8oz, 3<1lb.   Dawn raid on a perfect perch morning. 6 fish in the first hour - only 1 bite after 0900! All fish to float fished lobs.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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29 December

Middle Kennet*   0815 - 1630   Bright and Breezy. River 'full' and carrying some colour - dropping out during the day.   8 Chub - best 3; 4lb, 3lb 13oz, 3lb 6oz, other 5 <2½lb. 13 roach - best 3; 2lb 1oz (Yippee!!), 1lb 12oz, 1lb 10oz, (next biggest 14oz), 10 dace (6 over 8oz - biggest 11oz), 5 Brownies (to around 3lb), 3 Rainbows (ditto!), 1 Salmon Parr and a Gudgeon!   Fantastic day! Fished with Paul - who I think had a similar day - catching more sma
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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22 December

River Lambourn - Shaw   0800 - 1100   Cold & misty/overcast. -1ºC -> 3ºC   8 Grayling - 3 'pounders', biggest 1lb 5oz, 3 Roach - biggest 1lb 6oz (!), 5 small brownies - oh and a bullhead!   Slow morning, bites hard to come by - so the roach - caught almost last cast, was a real and very pleasant suprise. My biggest from this venue (don't ever remember having one worthy of the scales before)! Upto that point I was most pleased with the bullhead (!),
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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15 December

River Kennet - Newbury   0745 - 1215   Cold and overcast - Easterly breeze. AT 38ºF, WT 41ºF   14 Chub (5lb 15oz, 5lb1oz, 4lb14oz, 4lb 6oz, 4lb 3oz X 2, 7 X 3lb - all over 3½, 2<3lb), 1 Barbel 5lb 2oz, 1 grayling, 2 dozen dace, roach and gudgeon (mainly dace).   WOW! Cracking session in one of my favouirite chub swims - but one that really hasn't produced a lot for me since the opening week of the 05/06 season - so today was like seeing and old friend a
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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8 December

River Lambourn - Newbury   0730 - 1030   Rain, continual unrelenting rain! 5ºC   5 Grayling (2 'pounders', best 1lb 7oz), 12 roach, 2 Brownies (biggest 1¾lb)   Rather hoped I'd sneak an hour of so of daylight before the rains came but the 1st drops started to fall on my 1st trot through. A couple of roach were ½ decent - around 8-10oz. All grayling a decent size (10oz+).
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

1 December

K&A Canal - Thatcham   0715 - 0845   Bright and breezy - after heavy overnight rain (¾in fell yesterday). AT 46ºF. WT 48.5ºF   7 Perch (5 over lb - 3lb 3oz, 2lb 5oz, 1lb13oz, 1½lb, 1¼lb) 1 chublet   Short session - as only had about 45 mins of 'good light' - good for perch that is - bites dried up when it got too bright. Water carrying a tinge of colour which would have helped too. All fish on lobs.  
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

24 November

River Lambourn - Shaw   0915 - 1215   Cold and overcast - 5ºC. River moderate height and gin clear   16 Grayling (2 pounders - best 1lb 6oz), 4 Brownies - biggest 1½lb.   Trotted maggot. Usual 'catch a couple and move on' tactics. Fished a dozen swims and had a fish from all of them...
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 November

K&A Canal @ Enbourne/Speen Moors   0700 - 1130   Bright and breezy - clouding over. WT 48ºF. low and gin clear.   1 chub (1½lb), 1 perch (scraper lber), a dozen dace, ½doz each of chublets, roach, gudgeon and small perch, 1 B. Trout.   1st hour on the canal then switched to the river. Stiff downstream breeze made bait presentation a nightmare - managed 3 perch before moving. Fished mainly on PD - some lovely dace showing had 5 around the 8oz mark - a couple of roach of similar size.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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2 November

River Kennet - Nr Thatcham   1830 - 2330   Clear and still. AT 54ºF --->45ºF, WT 52ºF. River low - another couple of inches down on 3 weeks ago and carrying quite a bit of debris - mainly ranunculus.   2 Barbel (8¼lb , 4lb)   River needs some rain!!! Both fish in the 1st couple of hours (again!) then the signals moved in (never a good sign). Floating debris quite annoying. Lovely clear night - good for firework spotting - also saw a few meteors (Taurids?).
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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26 October

River Kennet - Woolhampton   1830 - 2330   Still and overcast. AT & WT both 50ºF. River down 6-9 inches on last visit here (18 Sep) minimal leaf litter in river (expect that to change this weekend!)   2 Bream (2-3lb), 1 Chub 4lb 7oz   All fish caught before 2100 (could have had an early night!). Chub was very long, had a huge head and mouth and was VERY lank and out of condition. Tail and anal fins frayed and bloodied - looked like it had just finished spawning! Reckon it ought to ha
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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20 October

River Kennet - Newbury   0730 - 1230   Cold and frosty. River clear with some leaf litter. WT - 47ºF (That's down 8ºF since Monday).   5 Chub (2-3lb, biggest 3lb 11oz), 3 barbel (all 2-3lb) 4 doz Dace, Gudgeon, Roach (mainly Dace).   A morning trotting maggot or worm - very surprised to get the barbel considering the drop in WT. All chub and barbel caught after 1030 having spent 3 hours dribbling in maggot (and catching nowt but dace). Small but great fun on float rod and CP. All barbel
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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15 October

River Kennet - Nr Thatcham   1900 - 2315   Mild and breezy, air temp rose 1ºC to 14ºC. WT 13ºC. River down 3-4 inches on a fortnight ago - considerably less weed coming down too, dark when I arrived so couldn't gauge clarity.   10 - yes 10 barbel. 10.05 (thats 3 doubles in 3 trips!), 8.10, 8.02, 7.08, 5.07, 5.00, 4.14, 3 unweighed around the 4lb mark.   Another stonking evening on the Kennet!   Fished my ' new' swim last night (hereinafter called 'Doubles' or 'Broken Rod' - see below).
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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