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Diary of a (mainly) river angler.

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20 November (Part 2)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 0900 - 1245 Mild and overcast - with the earlier drizzle thankfully stopped. AT 11ºC. River low for late Nov - but then we've hardly had a drop of rain for the last 3 weeks! 2 Chub: 2lb 15oz, 1lb 8oz. 1 Perch 1lb 7oz. 5 Roach. 1 Dace. 1 Brownie 1½lb- sigh! I hate trout! Having tip-toe'd into the top of a favoured chub swim and trickled maggot in for 10 minutes I managed to pull off the perfect cast - and had the float running down just the line I wa

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

20 November (Part 1)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 0710 - 0835 Mild, overcast with an annoying (and unforecasted) fine drizzle. 11ºC 5 Perch; A couple of 'pounders' - though not by much. Disappointing little session by recent standards (and expectations) - especially as all fish came in the first 10 minutes or so - and I then went well over an hour without a bite. In truth I'd have preferred a dusk session as I have more confidence that perch feed more at dusk in the winter months - regardles

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

19 November

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1515 - 1645 Mild, calm & cloudy. 11ºC - A lovely, benign, autumn afternoon. 12 Perch; 5 over a lb - best three: 2lb 6oz & 2lb 3oz & 1lb 8oz Another quick, post work, session to make the most of the mild weather before next week's cold snap put the stripeys off their food for a while. Had bites for most of the 90 minutes but the dinner bell rang for the bigger ones at 1615 - when I had all my best three in consecutive casts!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

13 November - Part 2

River Kennet - Thatcham 1100 - 1330 Mild and overcast - 12ºC. River up a couple of inches - with surprisingly little leaf litter here compared to what I had to contend with further upstream (see pt1). 1 Chub; 2lb 14oz. 2 Dace & 1 Roach. Scratchy couple of hours - not helped by the usually reliable weirpool seemingly stuffed with minnows and little else. Thankfully one of the 'semi-reliable' chub swims gave up one of its occupants!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

13 November (Part 1)

River Kennet - Hambridge 0800 - 1030 Mild, overcast and breezy. AT 12ºC. River at normal levels - up a tad on a month ago - and full of leaf litter - which is to be expected at this time of year! 1 Chub; 2lb 3oz. 30 Dace and Roach (slightly more roach) nothing to trouble the scales. 1 Grayling. 3 Bleak. 1 Brownie 2lb+. Chub first cast (as per normal!) quickly followed by the brownie - which went ballistic, going airborne repeatedly, to ensure I didn't get another!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

12 November

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1530 - 1645 Mild (13ºC), overcast & breezy. 6 Perch: 3 over a lb - biggest 1lb 11oz. Bunked off work an hour early to make the most of some ideal autumn perching weather - alas the 2lbers stayed away!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

5 November

Dorset Frome - Wool 0730 - 1400 Clear frosty start with rod rings icing up for the first hour or so - proper grayling weather! Sunny morning, clouding over by lunchtime. AT -1º -> 11ºC. River at near normal winter levels - 1.01m on the East Stoke gauge. 9 Grayling; 3 'gooduns', biggest 1lb 11oz. 8 Brownies - all around 6-8oz. A scratchy sort of day on a venue that is never prolific (but which can throw up some huge ladies which is why I keep coming back!) most fish from ju

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

30 October

River Kennet - Speen Moors 1000 - 1530 Bright and mainly sunny after early morning rain. AT around 13ºC all day. River still quite low and clear despite a wet October (109mm and counting!) 6 Chub; 4lb 10oz, 2lb 0oz and 4 in the ½-1lb bracket (of course!). 1 Perch 1lb 11oz. 17 Roach - only one troubled the scales (as I thought it would make a pound!) @ 14oz. 3 Dace. 1 Bleak. 2 Brownies; a 2+lber and a smallun. First hour and a half on Parliament Draft which accounted for both

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

25 October

Lower Itchen Fishery 0830 - 1730 Bright and breezy save for a shower when I arrived and another torrential shower around lunchtime. AT 10º-16ºC. River at normal autumn levels though it coloured up noticeably after the lunchtime downpour. 30 Grayling; Most around 8-10oz. Biggest 'just' 1lb 5oz with another half a dozen or so a couple of ounces, shy of that. 7 Chub: All well over 1lb - best 3: 4lb 8oz, 4lb 5oz & 3lb 10oz. 7 Brownies 1½- 3½lb. 2 Roach - small. 4 Salmon parr and a

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

16 October (Part 2)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 0930 - 1230 Cloud clearing to a bright and sunny morning. AT 14ºC when I packed up. River low. 4 Chub; 2lb 11oz, a couple of around 12-16oz (of course) and a tiddler. 13 Roach, 2 Dace (all apart from one of the dace quite small). 1 Brownie 1¾lb. A couple of hours prospecting for new chub swims which produced nothing but the trout - followed by ¾hr in the ever reliable weirpool which produced everything else!

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

16 October (Part 1)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 0715 - 0900 Mild,calm & overcast after a prolonged shower. Lovely, benign autumn's morning. AT 9ºc on arrival. 11 Perch: biggest four: 3lb 2oz, 2lb 12oz, 2lb 9oz, 1lb 12oz - with nearly all the rest in the ¾lb - 1¼lb category. 1 Tench; 3lb 0oz. Splendid start to my autumn perch campaign - 3lber was first fish caught - and all the bigger ones came in the first half an hour - fish (apart from the tinca) got progressively smaller as light le

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

9 October

River Kennet - Marsh Benham 0830 - 1300 Foggy - eventually clearing to sunny spells - though bites dried up when the sun appeared so was quite happy with the gloomy conditions. AT 14ºC when I left. River quite low and with a little colour. 5 Chub: 3lb 11oz, 2lb 5oz and 3 around 12oz or smaller (This year class appear to be everywhere!) 40+ Roach and Dace (more roach than dace) - a nice stamp with around half of both species in the 8-10oz class. Biggest dace I weighed went 10oz and

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

3 October (Part 2)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 0900 - 1430 Cloud, clearing to bright sunshine - with showers to finish! AT up to 15ºC. River low and clear - despite over ¾inch of rain yesterday! 5 Chub; 3lb 13oz & 4 in the ¾-1lb class (They're everywhere!). 3 doz (!) roach - most quite small with 3 or 4 'netters' - I put a couple on the scales and they both went 12oz. 8 Dace; small save for a couple of clonkers at 10 & 13oz. 3 Brownies; 2, 'pounders' and a 3lb+ brute of a fish (already had a

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

3 October (Part 1)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 0700 - 0845 Cool (8ºC) and overcast. 14 Perch; 5 in the 1lb-1¼lb class the rest half that. Quick dawn session on Dog Sh!t Alley as hors d'œuvres for my first trip to Speen this season (see pt 2). Nearly all fish came in a 20min period either side of 0730.

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

23 September

River Kennet - Hambridge 1330 - 1900 Warm (18ºC) and overcast. River low and a little turbid. 2 Chub: both ¾ - 1lb (had quite a few of this size recently - wonder if they've been stocked?) 12 Dace; 3 in the 6-8oz class. 8 Roach; one 'netter' others all small. 1 Grayling: small. 1 Gudgeon. 3 Bleak & a trout parr. A couple of hours trotting followed by 3 frustrating hours ledgering pellet and getting totally annihilated by the crayfish. They were stripping the bait as soon

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

21 September

River Kennet - Aldermaston 1345 - 1645 Warm with 'milky' sunshine. 19ºC. River low and sluggish. 2 Grayling; 1lb 6oz & 1lb 2oz (!!). 11 Roach; Biggest 12oz (weighed) nothing else even half that. 1 Gudgeon. Well I wasn't expecting that! First trip here in well over a decade and even when I did fish it more regularly it was usually hunched over a couple of quiver tips waiting for a barbel - I rarely got the trotting gear out on this venue. So a bit of a recce and for the fi

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

18 September

River Kennet - Aldershot Water/Brimpton 0900 - 1400 Foggy start clearing to a bright, warm, sunny day. AT 12º -> 21ºC. River very low and a little coloured up - usual for early autumn especially after a dry spell. 2 Chub; both around ¾lb. 15 Dace; all quite chunky most around the 6oz mark with a couple of bigger ones. 13 Roach; all handsized or bigger. 1 Bleak. 2 Brownies - circa ½lb each. A session topped and tailed in the weirpool at the top of the Aldershot - which prod

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

15 September

Alders Lake - Thatcham 1800 - 2200 Calm, clear evening - affording excellent views of Jupiter, Saturn & a very bright half moon. Temps dropped rapidly when the sun went down - resulting in a very heavy dew. 2 Tenck; 2lb 13oz and a 'pounder'. 1 Bream; 4lb 2oz. 2 Roach;  both 'netters' and whilst unweighed would both have made ½lb easily. 15 Perch; various sizes from micro to a couple that were half decent and in need of the net. Plagued with perch for the first hour - but

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

11 September

River Kennet - Hambridge (CSAS) 0645 - 1100 Overcast to start with sun breaking through for last hour or so. AT 19ºC. River low and a little coloured up. 2 Chub: both around 1¼lb. 16 Dace: most quite chunky - I'd already weighed a couple at 7&8oz but last one of the morning was even bigger at a shade over 10oz. 1 Roach. 1 Grayling (circa 8-10oz). 2 Bleak. 3 Trout (8oz - pretty sure it was the same damn fish each time!) Plan was to try and get a barbel for the 3rd weekend

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

8 September

River Kennet - Thatcham 1800 - 1930 Hot and humid - with the crash, bang, wallop of an electric storm to finish! River quite low. 6 Chub: biggest 2lb with another couple of around a lb and 3 tiddlers. 1 Pike; 4lb 3oz (on trotted maggot!). 2 Perch; both around the 1lb mark (nice!). 2 Roach; a 'netter' and a tiddler. 2 Brownies - small. Quick return to the venue I had a barbel from recently with the intention of ledgering into the dark to see if I could get another. As usual I

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

4 September

River Kennet - Hambridge 0700 - 1300 Warm, overcast and quite muggy - though that might just have been all the exertion to hack my way through the undergrowth to my swim - clearly no one has been here since MY last visit back in July! AT 10º - 20ºC. River low with a little colour - typical for this time of year. 7 Chub; 3 over 2lb - the best 2lb 12oz with another an ounce or so under. Other 3 were around the pound mark ± a few ounces. 1 Barbel (!!) 👍 unweighed but probably just sh

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

1 September

Alders Lake - Thatcham 1800 - 2200 Cloudy with a fresh NEly breeze. AT 15/14ºC but felt considerably chillier in the wind. 2 Bream: 5lb 7oz & 2lb 15oz. 2 Tench: 2lb 10oz & a 1lber. 3 Carp: All well over a lb - in fact the one I weighed was over 1½lb (all rehomed in Willows). 10 Perch: most in the 6-8oz class. 1 Rudd: handsized. Busy evening with most of the fish coming in the first 90 mins. Only 2 bites after 8pm - but both resulted in a bream on the bank. My biggest

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

29 August

River Kennet - Thatcham 0915 - 1130 Cool (for August) and overcast. AT 14ºC. River low and clear. 1 Barbel(!!) 👏 3lb 15oz. 5 Chub; a 'pounder' with the rest a ¼ of that - nice to see some juvenile fish in the river. 1 each of Perch (¾lb), Roach, Dace & Gudgeon. Well, THAT's put a grin on my face! 😀 A couple of hours trotting to use up some maggot that's on the turn having languished in the back of my bait fridge for weeks! A decade or so ago - this was THE venue to get a

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

27 August

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm, Milford. 1500 - 0000 Cool, calm and clear evening. Lovely evening for star (and planet) gazing - Jupiter is in oppostion at the moment so is particularly bright.  AT a chilly 9ºC when I packed up - felt a little autumnal! 9 Crucians; All bar one over 2lb (and even that one was only 2oz shy). Best 3: 3lb, 2lb 12oz, 2lb 9oz. 2 Tench; 4lb 9oz & 3lb 13oz. 4 Rudd. Five hours without a bite (save for the micro rudd which annoyingly kept attacking a bar

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

20 August

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1800 - 0000 Warm and overcast with a gentle southerly breeze. 19ºC -> 16ºC. Lovely evening to be out - no dew and no shelter required. 5 Carp; 10lb 13oz, 8lb 14oz, 8lb 10oz, 6lb 5oz (& one of around a pound - unweighed!). 1 Tench 1¼lb. 3 Bream (all skimmers). 1 Perch. 1 Rudd. (Both quite small) This was meant to be an evening fishing the margins for tench (or crucians, roach, bream, perch, rudd - anything but carp!) However the bully boy commons

Chris Plumb

Chris Plumb in Coarse Fishing

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