Middle Kennet Estate - Kintbury

0715 - 1800

Cold and frosty start - bright and sunny morning with some cloud in the afternoon. Cool but light breeze. AT -3ºC->6ºC but felt much warmer out of the wind and in the sun! Almost spring like and a vast improvement on Monday (and last Friday!)

16 Chub; Only 1 under 2lb, most over 3lb, biggest 5lb 2oz. Over 55lb in total!. 3 dace - 1 goodun of 11oz, 1 Roach (small), 1 Grayling circa 12-14oz. 7 Brownies to 2½lb. 1 Rainbow c2lb.

Ton Up!! Looking through my diary on Wednesday night I realised I needed 9 chub over 1lb to make it 100 for the season - the first time I've ever achieved this!! So today was an all out chub hunt - and I'd reached my target by lunchtime - though 2 of those had obligingly turned up in 'dace swims'! All chub caught trotting with about half caught on red corn and the other half on maggot.

Paul's was after monster dace though in the bright morning sunshine he struggled somewhat and had only managed one when we met up for Jaq's Parsnip Soup. Fair play to him though as he stuck at it and managed some crackers in the afternoon - 3 fish totally 2¼lb! in an overall catch of 7 dace. Overall numbers of them seem well down something even the river keeper commented on - and again both of us failed to find any perch - big or otherwise - which used to be one of the highlights of fishing here....

Pic of my 5lber...

Most of the dace Paul and I were catching were in spawning condition - males sandpapery, females pigeon chested. However big dace tend to spawn first - and this huge dace caught by Paul was very hollow and had clearly just done its thing - a pity because given the length of it it should have been bigger than the 12ozs it registered on both our scales - we'd love to have caught it a fortnight ago!

More piccies from Paul's camera.

Dace swim.

Walkng the plank?

Frosty start.