Chris Plumb

And so another season comes to a close - not a bad one despite the wet weather disrupting several plans over the autumn and winter (including the annual Itchen IAC fish-in). I did at least get a PB this year. Still no barbel,though there is a planned trip to the Wye to try and rectify that in 2020 - and the season finished strongly with 3 SB's in the last 4 days. Biggest Carp. 15lb 8oz, 28th June. Ledgered pellet - Method Feeder. Jubilee Lake - Thatcham. My now annual trip to try and get a half decent carp! Biggest Tench. 7lb 7oz. 19th June. Float fished prawn section. Johnsons Lake - Milford. Only 3 oz off my PB. Biggest Chub. 6lb 3oz. 12th March. Trotted red sweetcorn. Middle Kennet. 2nd season in succession I've had a 6lb chub - after a 7 year spell without one. Biggest Bream. 4lb 3oz. 16th June. Trotted maggot. River Kennet - Marsh Benham. Turned up an a favoured chub swim on the first day of the season. Biggest Crucian. 3lb 14oz. 19th June. Floated fished prawn section. Johnsons Lake - Milford. Only PB of the season - though I was actually slightly disappointed - as I was convinced it would go 4lb! Biggest Pike. 3lb 9oz. 30th December. Float fished lob. Kennet & Avon canal - Woolhampton. Common 'by-catch' when perching! Biggest Perch. 2lb 13oz. 11th March. Float fished lob. Kennet & Avon canal - Woolhampton. The search for new perch hotspots continues! Biggest Grayling. 1lb 15oz. 14th October. Trotted maggot - Lower Itchen Fishery. Dreadful season for grayling - rivers were out of sorts due to flooding from early autumn onwards - meant this was the first season since 2000/01 that I didn't get a 2lber! Biggest Dace. 14oz. 12th March. Trotted maggot. Middle Kennet. Usual dace hotspot produced the goods again! Biggest Roach. 14oz. 27th October. Trotted maggot. Northcroft Stream - Newbury

River Kennet - Hambridge 0945 - 1445 Mainly cloudy with sunny spells and light drizzly showers. River still full to bursting, not dropped at all! 3 Chub: 4lb 13oz, 3lb 4oz & a tiddler. 3 Dace - all small, 1Grayling. 3 Brownies (all around 8oz) and a 2lb rainbow! Plan for the last day was for a Double Header in the hunt for a big chub - morning at Brimpton and the afternoon here. But having trekked ¾mile with chesties and full pack I turned around and walked straight back to the car (arriving rather hot and sweaty!) - the reason - a tree had come down bang smack in the middle of where I wanted to fish - poo! So I quick hop downstream - to another favourite flood swim and the session was topped and tailed by the 2 bigger chub - 4lber first cast and the 3 pretty much last - certainly last fish of the season.

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne 1430 - 1800 Still bright and breezy with a brief drizzly shower. AT down to 8ºC when I packed up. 10 Perch; 6 over 1lb - best 3, 1lb11oz, 1lb 14oz, 2lb0oz.12 Roach - all small & 3 Bleak At last some bigger perch - with the odd exception I've had loads of perch around the 1lb mark this winter from different parts of the K&A - I obviously found a different year class today as the pounders were all over 1lb 4oz.

River Kennet - Speen Moors 1000 - 1400 Bright and breezy - though thankfully nowhere near as windy as yesterday. AT upto 12ºC. River flooded but clear. 1 Chub; 2lb 7oz, 3 Dace - all smallish. 2 Brownies a pounder and a parr. Late start after yesterday's exertions - and a scratchy session really just killing time before a dusk raid for stripeys on the canal (see part 2).

Middle Kennet Estate - Kintbury 0730 - 1730 Cool (5ºC or thereabouts all day) and very blowy with frequent squally showers of rain,sleet or hail! River VERY VERY high - highest I've ever seen it here - many swims needed waders just to get to the'bank'. 21 Chub; 7 over 4lb - biggest 6lb 3oz - a real lump! 4 Dace; 2 that were weighed went 14oz & 12oz - the other 2 weren't much smaller. 2 Roach - small and only 3 Brownies - all 3lb + A wild day on a wild venue - thankfully though, despite the huge volumes of water everywhere, the chub were in their usual haunts. Spent until mid afternoon just trotting red corn (got through 3 tins of the stuff) before switching to one of the carriers for a succesful dace hunt. My first 6lb chub from this venue since my PB from here back in 2012.

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1500 - 1800 Mild, bright and very breezy. AT still 11ºC when I packed up. Canal quite coloured up after all the rains. 13 Perch; 5 over 1lb and a couple just an ounce or 2 shy of that. Biggest 2: 2lb 13oz & 1lb 13oz. 1 Roach - 9oz (on a whole lob!) I've now had nearly 2 doz perch over 1lb from here this winter but this was my first 2 (and I think the 1-13 may be my 2nd best from here this year!) Yet again I fished a different spot - but one which will certainly get a return visit next winter! Fat as a football!

Kennet Carrier - Marsh Benham 0645 - 1145 Mild with sunny spells AT 12ºC when I packed up. River VERY full but with little colour. 17 Chub (!): 8 over 3lb - best 4lb 4oz, the rest all over 2lb. 6 Brownies to nearly 5lb & a 2lb Rainbow. Start of my 4 day end of season extravaganza when I hope to fish 7 or 8 venues in the next 4 days. First up was 'my' syndicate stretch of the middle Kennet and for the first time this winter 'Chub Corner' lived up to its moniker. First 7 fish I landed were all without an adipose and whilst the 8th fish was a 2lb brownie the scene was set for a bit of a chub fest! Seems half the syndicate had the same idea - usually have the place to myself but 5 other anglers turned up this morning - including Rusty with a cunning plan to try and avoid the troot - which wasn't exactly working when I left him!!!

Lovely artwork.

River Lambourn - Newbury 0730 - 1000 Overcast and mild. River VERY full - over a foot up on normal winter levels, BUT clear as always. 22 Grayling - most in the 10-14oz class with a few slightly bigger. 1 Dace - 11oz (another sandpapery male). 2 Brownies. Usual fall back after another week of rain has pushed the Kennet into full flood again. Fish of a remarkably similar stamp - dace was a real bonus.

River Kennet - Hambridge 0930 - 1230 Cool, bright and quite breezy at times. AT 5-7ºC. River very high - highest I've seen it this winter - though with minimal colour. 1 Chub 2lb 13oz. 3 Grayling - one close to 1lb the other 2 half that. 1 Dace. 2 Brownies a 2lber and a tiddler. Fished for over an hour for my first bite - just starting to doubt my sanity and planning a move around the corner to fish the Lambourn when the bigger grayling turned up. Clearly the slow trickle of maggot worked as the chub was next cast and thereafter had slow but steady sport in unpromising conditions.

Some rather lovely images.... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-51633570

Thanks Phone - I did find that - but not clear if this is where OTB was filmed. I fish the Frome on a DDAS ticket which costs me £40 for the whole season so £75 a day is a little eye-watering!

Rob Hughes mentioned in the episode that the water saw a lot of anglers - so got me thinking is it a DT or club water?

Anyone know where the recent episode of OTB featuring Grayling fishing on the Dorset Frome was filmed?

River Kennet - Speen Moors 0745 - 1315 Mild and Windy, VERY VERY Windy! River in the fields - but with only a little colour. 1 Chub: 2lb 10oz, 3 Dace: 13oz, 10oz & 8oz. 1 Roach - small. 1 Rainbow Trout 4lb 4oz. A WILD day in West Berkshire. Couldn't get to most of the swims I'd usually fish because of the flooding and when I could it was way too windy - had trouble just standing let alone holding a rod! However was keen to fish here as the venue's been closed all winter for bridge repairs and extensive tree felling. Thankfully found a couple of slightly sheltered spots which at least had the wind at my back. Chub was first cast which somewhat cemented confidence for the morning but bites generally were few and far between - however when they did come a lovely trio of chunky dace was the result - biggest one is my season's best - a male in full sandpapery breeding condition!

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1500 - 1745 Mild and breezy - with sunny spells. AT 10ºC. Canal still with quite a bit of colour. 3 Perch; 1lb 13oz, 1lb 10oz & a tiddler. Bunked off work early to snatch a couple of hours on the canal - though in truth I needn't have rushed - no bites till gone 1700 and all the fish came in a flurry around 1730. Fished half a dozen new swims - including the one which produced.

We did win!

The gauge weir depicted in the header was dismantled in the autumn of 2019....

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1515 - 1715 Clearing skies after 24 hours of continuous rain courtesy of Storm Dennis. Canal very full and coloured up. 2 Perch; a 'pounder' - but not by much and a tiddler. Snatched session to cure a weekend of cabin fever!

River Lambourn - Newbury 0830 - 1100 Mild and windy with some drizzle in the wind (Storm Dennis approaching!). River VERY full with just a hint of colour which is unusual for here. 8 Grayling; 4 'netters' biggest 2 went 1lb 7oz & 1lb 5oz. 2 Brownies - both around ½lb. This weekend had been pencilled in for months for an IAC fish-in. I'd booked Lower Itchen Fishery and filled all the places with folks coming from far and wide to attend. Unfortunately Storm Dennis had other ideas and the event was cancelled - pity as I was really looking forward to my annual late winter trip here. The day like all fish-ins' I organise these days was a charity event in memory of Paul and with no fishery to pay and most of my rods asking that their monies go straight to the charity - Storm Dennis will at least have benefitted Sue Ryder! So with the storm not quite arrived (the rain at least)and to ward off cabin fever - I sneaked a couple of hours on the Lambourn - so that I wouldn't be denied a grayling this weekend!

River Kennet & Carrier - Marsh Benham 0745 - 1200 Bright and mild. River down an inch or two on last visit (10 January)- and quite clear. 3 Chub; All 1¾ - 2½lb. 1½doz Roach - all a 'nice' size but nothing over 8oz. 8 Dace - most small with one chunky one of 8oz. 8 Brownies 1-2½lb & 3 Rainbow's to 4½lb Another morning failing not to catch trout! Fished all the usual chub banker swims - but they were mainly full of trout. The rainbows as ever gave a very chubby like fight so was doubly disappointed to see that flash of pink as I got them to the surface.

River Kennet - Hambridge 1200 - 1400 Bright and VERY breezy with one brief shower. 10ºC. River still quite high but down around 4 inches on my last visit here (30 December) and quite clear. 2 Chub: 2lb 2oz, 1lb 9oz. 7 Grayling to around 12oz. 3 Trout - a rainbow of over 3lb and a couple of brownies. So the second venue of the day pretty much produced the same as the first - chub wise at least. I think its the first time I've ever had a rainbow from here (and it had me convinced I was into a good chub - rainbows don't seem to come to the surface and splash around like brownies!)

River Kennet - Brimpton 0800 - 1100 Bright & breezy (becoming very breezy!) Mild 10ºC. River full with little colour - up around 12inches on my last visit (19 October) - but looked in fine fettle! 2 Chub 4lb 1oz & 2lb 13oz. 1 Brownie. Plan for today was to try and get a big winter chub - and visit a couple of favourite swims that have produced 5lbers earlier in the season. Despite the rivers settling down after a relatively quite period - rain wise, I was a little worried if there would be enough 'quiet' water at this venue. I needn't have worried (though I'm glad I had my waders!) - the 2lber pretty much first cast and the 4lber an hour or so later. Rested and fed well as per last time here - but they were my only bites. Dropped into another pool on the way back to the car (which produce my first 6lber from this venue last winter) but only had the splashy troot!

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 1545 - 1700 Dull & drizzly. 8ºC. 5 Perch; 3 tiddlers and a couple in the ¾-1lb class. Short session at the 'witching hour' hoping for a big stripey to come out to feed - alas not to be. All bites between 1630-1645.

River Frome - Wool 0800 - 1400 Dull, overcast and cool - AT around 6ºC all day with a breeze picking up. River VERY full, barely within its banks and that only recently given the state of the field. 1.30m at the East Stoke river gauge - much higher than I'd usually fish it - BUT after a dry week it was reasonably clear. 10 Grayling - only 4 needed the net - biggest 1lb 11oz but that was the only really 'decent' one. 1 Sea Trout (1¼lb and still with sea lice on it), 1 brownie - small. Bit of a gamble - but the river levels have been so high on the Frome since the start of the season (1st Nov) it looked like my DDAS ticket was going to go to waste - and with more rain forecast this week - it was a case of now or never! The venue is never prolific so it was nice to get a few, and would often get a fish first trot when I moved swims. Frustratingly I lost nearly as many as I landed including a large fish which I had on for sometime before the hook pulled (again!) - hope it was just a troot! Resting and returning to swims was the order of the day - all fish coming from just 3 spots (and one of those only produced one fish!) One of yesterday's 'hotspots'.