River Kennet - Nr Newbury

0500 - 0800

Overcast with heavy drizzle for most of the session. 17ºC - river quite low.

2 Chub; 2¼lb & 1½lb. 18 dace, 14 roach and a dozen gudgeon.

Pre-breakfast trotting session in the rain - most notable for my very first sighting of an otter on the Kennet. Paul had just arrived - ½hour after I'd started fishing and had waded out to join me mid-stream. I'd just announced that my bites had dried up and we quickly saw why! The animal wallowed in my swim then scurried up the bank not 20 feet from us - sniffed the air - glanced in our direction and slid back into the river heading upstream. Definitely an otter, no question glad Paul was with me to verify!!!!

Update! Having returned home for brekkie leaving Paul fishing 'my' swim I wasn't too surprised to get a text from him sometime later - I was surprised to get the news that at last he'd got his first ever 6lb chub!!! Pic of his 6lb 1oz fish below...