Middle Kennet Estate Water - Kintbury

0700 - 1815

Mild,damp start, VERY windy with some further lumpy showers (hail), brighter by the afternoon. River with a bit of water in it at last!

21 Chub; Biggest 3 - 5lb 6oz, 5lb 3oz & 4lb 9oz - with nearly all the rest in the 2½ - 3½lb class, a couple of pounders and one just under turned up in my dace swims at last knockings. 12 Dace - best 10oz, 6 Roach - all 'hand-sized', 1 Perch <1lb & around a dozen+ brownies.

A chub fest with a very similar return to my trip here last year (see: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.php?/blog/82/entry-1527-14-march/ ) and if last year's trip here was windy this was positively hurricane like - to the point of having trouble standing at some point! Still it put a good ripple on the water and clearly my poor float control didn't put the chub off - I had 9 chub in the first 2 hours including both 5lbers. All the fish caught on trotted red corn apart from the few smaller chub and silvers caught on maggot at dusk. Finished off searching for big dace and had my hopes raised by getting a 10oz male fish in full spawning garb (rough sand papery skin) alas it's female companions didn't put in an appearance!