River Lambourn - Newbury

0945 - 1145

Overcast, mild and very breezy - with more sodding rain - becoming really quite heavy by the end. Would have fished longer but reached that "I'll be glad when I'm fed up with this moment" earlier than anticipated.

River very, very full and carrying a little colour.

13 Grayling - 2 pounders (best 1.05) and a couple more just shy. 3 Brownies - 2 parrs and a 1¼lb fish.

Maggots have their annual eviction as my bait fridge gets its once yearly clean and is press-ganged into Christmas duty. Plan had been to hit the canal at first light with Paul - but we both checked the rain radar at 0530 - thought 'sod that for a game of soldiers' - quickly exchanged emails to abort the mission and returned to bed.

However I still had ½pt of maggot that needed using so making the most of a lull in the rain headed off to the welcoming Lambourn. Alas the respite was brief - and I probably would have fished longer if it weren't for the rain and more scarily the wind which was snapping off branches of the trees around me - one quite substantial bit of timber landing within 6 feet of me - so for the 2nd time of the day 'sod this for a game of soldiers' flashed through my brain and I was driving home not 5 minutes later!