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About this blog

Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

Entries in this blog

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

0

10 November

River Lambourn - Shaw   0900 - 1145   Benign & dull, with a few spots of rain. 9ºC. River fullest I've seen it at this time of year for quite a while!   12 Grayling.   Had planned to go perching - but feeling a bit ropey at the moment and although I did get up for a dawn raid on the canal I decided I needed an extra 2 hours kip more than I needed a 3lb perch! (Yes I must be ill!) I still had to go out to get some bait in preparation for another raid on the Middle Kennet later in the
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 November

River Frome - Wool   0815 - 1445   Bright and sunny with a cool breeze. River in good flow but quite coloured up. River gauge at East Stoke 0.90m   10 Grayling; 7 over 1lb - best 3; 2lb 13oz, 2lb 2oz, 1lb 12oz. 4 Brownies - 3 over 1lb - biggest just under 4lb, 1 Salmon Parr.   After last winter I was determined to get down to Dorset at the first opportunity - even if conditions were likely to be sub-optimal. Which certainly was the case. There was a lot mo
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 November

River Lambourn - Newbury 0745 - 1130 Bright and sunny - river quite full after recent rains - but gin clear as always! 21 Grayling - nearly all over 8oz with quite a few over 12oz biggest 2 weighed in at 1lb 13oz & 1lb 9oz. A doz Brownies - most quite small with a couple of pounders. Usual catch a couple and move on tactics - chasing the maggots downstream! Session was bookended by the two biggest fish - biggest of the morning was on my second trot through and finished of
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0
Coarse Fishing

10 November

River Kennet - Hambridge 1230 - 1515 Sunny spells after morning rain. AT 8ºC (felt a lot cooler!). River still very high - if anything up and inch or so on last Friday but with nearly all the colour dropped out and LOTS of leaf litter. 3 Chub: 5lb 1oz and a brace of 2lbers. 1 Perch: 2lb 15oz. 1 Roach - handsized. Favourite flood swim produces the goods yet again! Took it nice and slow resting the swim for at least 10 mins after each fish and keeping the bait trickling in - se
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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10 March

River Lambourn - Newbury   0615 - 0900   Cold and overcast 2ºC. River clear as ever!   11 Grayling, 7 between 1lb 6oz - 1lb 12oz (most over 1½lb)   Day off work to take Matt to a University open day - so an excuse to sneak a couple of hours on the river. Real catch a couple and move on tactics and really good average size of fish.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2
Coarse Fishing

10 March

River Kennet (& carrier) - Marsh Benham 1030 - 1600 Cold and mainly cloudy - snow flurries to start - brightening up. Breezy. AT 1º->4ºC. River at normal winter levels with a tinge of colour.. 9 Chub: (in order of capture...) 1 ½lb, 4lb 6oz, 3lb 5oz, 4lb 10oz, 5lb 10oz, 4lb 8oz, 4lb 15oz, 3lb 14oz, 4lb 14oz. 6 Brownies 2½-3½lb. 1 Rainbow 5 ½lb. It's been quite a poor season on the chub front from my syndicate stretch and I was going into the last week of the season not
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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10 July

Newbury AA Stillwater - Widmead   0500 - 0900   Bright and breezy - water levels well up after yesterday's rain - and lake looked rather lifeless.   1 carp (4lb 13oz), 2 tench (2-3lb), 7 Perch (one of 1lb 6oz), 2 Roach (13oz & 1lb) (!), 3 Rudd.   Fished VERY,VERY tight to margins - hoping - in vain for a crucian. Most on meat - roach on floatfished bread.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 July

NAA Stillwater - Widmead   1830 - 0000   Mild and drizzly - 17ºC   4 Roach & 2 Perch   Another dismal session - cut short as I decided a warm bed was the more preferred way to spend the the rest of the night! Even struggled for bites on float fished maggot!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 July

Bucklebury Ponds   1130 - 1400   Overcast, breezy and drizzly - warm.   2 carp; 4lb 3oz, 3lb 6oz. 12 Roach, 4 Perch and a skimmer.   Fishing time has been severely curtailed by athletics over the last 4 weekends - so just a quick session on my local pond float fishing maggot.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 July

​River Kennet - Nr Thatcham   ​1800 - 2300   ​Overcast and breezy temps around 16ºC. River low(ish) and very coloured (height of the boating season )   ​1 Chub; 2lb 7oz. 10 Dace & 2 Roach.   First attempt at a barbel this summer - but of course I started off with a trotting rod for an hour or so. Chub pretty much first cast which got the evening off nicely but as soon as I switched to the lead it was crayfish all the way!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 July

Johnsons Lake - Milford 1500 - 2315 Sunny spells and quite cool (16º-17ºC) for the 2nd week of July. 1 Tench (small) and 1 Rudd. Dismal session - lake was rammed again and yet again had to drop into the only available swim - and it was little consolation that few others - apart from some of the carpers were catching. Brian - 2 swims down (in one of my favourite spots!) didn't even register a bite!
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 January

River Kennet - Speen Moors   1200 - 1500   Cold and overcast - everywhere looked a picture covered in hoar frost - but it just made the line stick in the rings. Thatcham weather site hasn't got above -0.2ºC all day. WT a balmy 39ºF.   1 Chub 2lb 7oz, 1 Brown Trout 2lb 14oz   Somewhat surprised to get anything given the conditions (I had hoped it would warm up a bit!) Both fish on trotted maggot. Brownie in superb condition - & fought well above its weight - thought I'd connected w
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 January

River Kennet Carrier - Marsh Benham 0815 - 1430 Bright and cool (5ºC when I started). River still very full but with little colour despite over ½inch of rain yesterday. 5 Chub; All bar one over 2lb though the biggest was not quite 3lbs. A doz Roach - all 'hand-sized' with a couple slightly bigger. 4 Dace - including a brace of 10oz fish. 10 Brownies & 5 Rainbows - all in the 2½-3½ class. Day off - to treat meself fo my birthday and it turned into a day of trying (and usua
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

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

0

10 February

River Frome - Wool   0830 - 1700   Cool and overcast. AT 1ºC -> 5ºC. River clear with normal flow and levels.   5 Grayling; 2lb 12oz, 2lb0oz and 3 tiddlers. 2 Brownies; 1 parr and a ¾lber.   A day in Dorset with Rusty. This was another 'delayed decision' trip firstly because the forecast kept changing and secondly because of the forecast snow overnight potentially making the drive down problematic. However I judged that the river would be OK and this wa
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

1

10 February

Lower Itchen Fishery   0830 - 1600.   Drizzle all day becoming quite breezy! AT around 8/9ºC after a frosty start. River quite 'full' with a little colour.   18 Grayling - with a dozen or so 1lb or better! Best 4 went 2lb 10oz, 1lb 13oz, 1lb 12oz X2. 3 Chub 4lb 7oz, 3lb 11oz, 3lb 6oz. 2 Brownies;3lb+ & 2lb +.   A soggy day on the Itchen with the IAC. 20 of us getting together for the 3rd Paul Goulbourn grayling day. Raising money for Sue Ryder in the p
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 December

Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham   1345 - 1600   Mild, breezy with some drizzle in the air. AT 51ºF. WT 49ºF.   2 Perch: 2lb 13oz, 1lb 11oz. 1 Pike; 4lb 3oz. 1 roach.   Had a half day workshop in Newbury so rather than go back to work - seemed the perfect excuse to take some time owed and squeeze in a couple of hours fishing! All fish on lobs and all caught in the last hour.
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

10 August

Trwynhwrddyn Point, Pembrokeshire   1100 - 1300   Overcast/milky sunshine. Tide going out - high tide about an hour before I started.   3 Bass - all small 12-14inches   3 Fish that had me feeling ridiculously pleased with myself! I rarely do any sea fishing and have no tackle. So with a borrowed spinning rod (thanks Paul) and some pike lures (most of which I think I've found over the years!) I looked a bit of a numptie compared to some other anglers with all the gear, who were launching
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

2

10 August

River Kennet - Thatcham   1200 -1400   Warm and breezy - large thunderstorm just missed me!   2 Chub; 3lb 12oz & 2lb 6oz. 5 Dace (all chunky ones!), 1 Roach.   One of the advantages of living in the Kennet valley is that within 30 mins of deciding on a quick trip between the showers you can be slipping the net under a 2lb chub! This was a quick trip to Rusty's 'surf float swim' and it's clear from the jungle I had to hack through to get to it that no o
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

3

10 August

River Kennet - Nr Newbury   1830 - 2300   Warm evening with clearing skies after heavy rain during the day - giving perfect Perseid spotting opportunities - saw around half a dozen. River was quite coloured up - much more than I expected to see.   1 Chub 2lb 9oz. 8 Dace; 3 in the 6-8oz bracket. 1 Gudgeon.   First evening trip to this swim - and might be my last - ledgering pellet produced nothing but crayfish rattles all evening. An hour and a half's trotting produced the usual blank sav
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0
Coarse Fishing

10 August

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1830 - 2230 Hot and sultry. AT 30° -> 20°C. Shirtsleeves evening - with a glorious full moon (nearly - it's actually tonight!) rising in the SE.  1 Tench; 2lb 1oz. 2 Carp; 14lb 5oz, 6lb 7oz. 1 perch - small. A torpid evening watching a mainly stationary float - and not even avoiding a float caught carp - though, thankfully, the 6lb common decided to motor out toward the island rather than dive into the lilies a mere couple of feet from where it was
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0
Coarse Fishing

10 August

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm Fishery - Milford 1430 - 2300 Hot and sunny with a warm southerly breeze all evening - very welcome as it kept the mossies and dew at bay. AT 25º and still 18ºC when I left. 5 Crucians: 3lb 4oz, 2lb 14oz, 2lb 10oz, 2lb 3oz, 1lb 13oz. 9 Tench - various sizes from barely a lb up to a best of 4lb 14oz. 16 Rudd - all handsized with 3 netters of around 10-12oz. 5 Roach& 6 perch - all small. Fabulous evening's sport. Only my second trip over to Milford
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

0

1/2 September

Jubilee Lake - Thatcham.   1800 - 0600   Cool, clear night with a bright ¾moon for the first half. Still 10ºC when I packed up so nowhere near as cool as forecast -had my rarely used thermal one piece on and was actually too hot for most of the night!   5 Carp; all between 5-8lb. 1 Tench; 4lb 0oz. 2 Roach, 4 Perch.   Probably last night of the summer - and it got off to a very slow start - no bites at all before midnight - thankfully the second half was a bit more livelier. Was hoping to
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

0

1/2 July

Summer Pit - Cemex Yateley   2030 - 0600   Still, balmy night with high cloud - temps 20ºC->13ºC but felt a lot milder under the trees!   3 Bream; 12lb 2oz - another PB , 8lb 7oz, 4lb 15oz. 2 Tench; 4lb 1oz, 3lb 3oz. 3 Perch & 2 Rudd.   I'm utterly gobsmacked - 2 PBs and 1 = PB in a week! I said last weeks crucian would take some beating - this might just be the fish for me, that does! My first ever double figure bream - previous PB was 9lb7oz - so
Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb

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