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Chris Plumb

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Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne

0700 - 0915*

1000 - 1715˜

Mild, mainly overcast, quite breezy (some milky sunshine at times) - light showers on and off all day with rain for last hour and a half. AT around 12/13ºC all day.

*27Perch - with 13 (!) over 1lb - and 3 over 2 - best 2lb 7oz.

˜(½mile upstream!) 7 Perch - all over 1lb (3 over 2) best 2; 3lb 10oz? & 2lb 11oz. A doz roach and a dace - all small.

 

What a Red Letter day!

Make hay while the sun shine's! Nailed on conditions for a day's winter perching, mild and overcast after a 2 week cold snap - just knew that stripeys would be on the munch - but didn't dream of such a return! The morning was just ridiculous - fishing was almost 'Mr Castwell' at times - cast out, let the float cock, float dips - 1lb perch - repeat! Thankfully the bites were drying up when the local yoofs turned up and with no sense of etiquette made base camp not 10 yards from where I was fishing. Suspect they weren't even members but as I was out numbered 5-1 discretion proved the better part of valour - and I moved upstream earlier than planned - but also thankful to escape the dogs - one having knocked over my bait box and another had tried to steal my lunch!

The rest of the day started serenely - fishing yet another swim I've not fished before I was straight out with a lob again and settled into my seat to watch a stationary float. After an hour I'd switched to maggot and soon started catching small roach - and hoping these would draw some perch into the swim - but really just killing time until the light started to fade. By 1530 I was out with a lob again - and met with instant success in the shape of the 2-11. Slow and steady sport then ensued - interupted by an unexpected barge - which put an end to action for nearly an hour - however there was still time for one really special fish -the only bite 'post barge' - but what a fish - my  biggest perch (and first 3lber) for 5 years. And my biggest from this stretch of canal by a country mile - fat as a football - it had clearly been on the munch!

Perch 3lb 10oz.jpg

Edited by Chris Plumb
adding url

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Congratulations, Chris, particularly on the 3.10!  I've heard some negative reports on the Kennet over the last 2 or 3 years, so good to hear it's not all bad. I also thought the conditions were OK, here at Didcot. The Thames was up and coloured, but I thought I might do OK in a lock cut, the only one around where you don't need a lock and weir permit, which are not available this year. Alas, the hard-standing that I fish from was underwater!

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Thanks John - nice to hear from you again - in truth the 3-10 was a total surprise - I had a 2-14 from this bit of canal back in the autumn and was hoping there might be  a 'scraper 3' to be found - but nothing this big was on my radar..... 

Any plans to restart your blog?

 

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In theory my blog is still in action, though I was shocked to see I haven't submitted any entries for over a year. A mixture of reasons. House move (though still in Didcot area), Covid and  tackle shop closed, health.  Bad back means I need to fish very near the car, and cataract means I can't do trotting and limits driving at night - though hopefully cataract will be fixed soon.  Also the Thames doesn't seem to be such an all seasons river as the Kennet, being very hard to fish when up and coloured. Perhaps I should say it's a learning curve!

Despite all this I do intend to start blogging again SOON!.

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Great - glad it's just an hiatus not an abandonment! After all it's been gentle prodding from you that's kept my blog going in the past. Have to admit I do feel very lucky having the Kennet (and Lambourn) so close and whilst I've had to forego trips to the Itchen and Frome this winter I've still been able to 'fish locally'! 

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I'm in range of the Newbury waters, I guess - about the same as Rusty. But after 20 great years fishing the Kennet I decided I should learn something different. For the first 4 years here, as well as the Thames, there was a really good lake, Ladygrove. As well as easy carp there were quality roach, better I think than anywhere in Newbury, and the tail end of a big perch boom. But then there was a bad fish kill and though they have restocked a bit it's nothing like it was. Still, I've joined Wantage club now. Nothing enormous, but nice fishing with lots of small crucians as well as carp, bream and roach. Fun fishing, I think, as long as I'm not worrying about pbs.

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