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Chris Plumb

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Blog Entries posted by Chris Plumb

  1. Chris Plumb
    And so endeth another season. No PB's this season - though a few fish got close (6lb 5oz chub the closest). A much better summer than in the past few years with some really nice crucians (from a variety of waters too) and quite a few 6lb+ tench - all caught float fishing. Winter started with a long cold snap form mid-Novemeber - rather curtailing the perennial 4lb+ perch hunt - though a morning when I brought 4, 3lbers to the net will live long in the memory!
     
    Best Carp; 14lb 10oz, 21/8/10, Float fished maggot, Newbury AA lake - Thatcham

    Best Barbel; 10lb 7oz, 1/11/10, Ledgered halibut pellet, River Kennet - Nr Thatcham

    Best Tench; 7lb 2oz, Float fished meat, 2/8/10, Summer Pit - CEMEX Yateley

    Best Brown Trout; 7lb 2oz, 14/3/11, Trotted white maggot, Middle Kennet (no photo).
    Best Pike; 6lb 15oz, 25/9/10, Float fished lob worm, Speen Moors (no photo)
    Best Chub; 6lb 5oz, 23/6/10, Ledgered halibut pellet, River Kennet - Padworth

    Best Bream; 5lb 3oz, 16/7/10, Ledgered Pellet, NAA lake - Widmead & 3/9/10, Float fished meat, Pumphouse Lake - CEMEX Yateley (no photos of either)
    Best Rainbow Trout; 4lb 1oz, 14/3/11, Trotted maggot, Middle Kennet (no photo)
    Best Perch; 3lb 9oz, 23/10/10, Float fished lob worm, K&A Canal - Thatcham

    Best Crucian; 3lb 2oz, 3/7/10, Float fished meat, Newbury AA lake - Widmead

    Best Grayling; 2lb 7oz, 25/2/11, Trotted red corn, River Itchen

    Best Roach; 1lb 3oz, 14/3/11, Trotted maggot, Middle Kennet (no photo)
    Best Dace; 14oz, 20/2/11, Trotted maggot, Middle Kennet

  2. Chris Plumb

    1/2 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    Summer Pit - Cemex Yateley
     
    2030 - 0600
     
    Still, balmy night with high cloud - temps 20ºC->13ºC but felt a lot milder under the trees!
     
    3 Bream; 12lb 2oz - another PB , 8lb 7oz, 4lb 15oz. 2 Tench; 4lb 1oz, 3lb 3oz. 3 Perch & 2 Rudd.
     
    I'm utterly gobsmacked - 2 PBs and 1 = PB in a week! I said last weeks crucian would take some beating - this might just be the fish for me, that does! My first ever double figure bream - previous PB was 9lb7oz - so this has annihilated it!!! What's even sweeter I was tring to catch bream too!!! On our visit here on the opening day Paul and I suffered quite a few liners - I had a hunch that these were caused by bream - not tench as we might have supposed. So last night I just wanted to fish the dark hours and fish maggot on my lift method float rigs. During the day this is suicide as the bait gets massacred by the micro rudd and perch - but I guess these are feeding by sight as I didn't get bothered by them at all during the night (but did as soon as it got light again).
     
    First fish (the small tinca) just on 1100 - and thereafter bites were slow but steady - also bumped a couple - probably striking at liners. Big Bream caught at 0100 - the 8lber a couple of hours later as the first traces of dawn streaked the eastern sky in front of me.
     
    Pic shows a rather scarred and beat up looking slab - I wonder if this is spawning damage - no sign in the mouth that this has ever been caught!
     
    I cannot believe the amount of slime on my landing net when I packed up!
     

  3. Chris Plumb

    Crock of Gold

    By Chris Plumb,

    As ever my spring will be spent collecting and reading angling books and knocking out the odd review for Anglersnet. This is a book Jaq bought for me when it first came out last autumn - but it was squirrelled away and given me as a Christmas pressie, hence I've not long finished it....
     
    Crock of Gold – Seeking the Crucian Carp by Peter Rolfe
     
    For me, the epitome of summer is sitting by a misty pool an hour before sunrise on a balmy June morning – staring intently at the red tip of a quill float as a blizzard of pin-prick bubbles surface and pop around it. Crucians’ are on the feed! But will they take my offering on the hook? Often the answer is no! Or maybe the bite is so tentative as to be hardly detectable! Crucian fishing can be infuriating and triumphal in equal measure. Triumphal when the piece of quill lifts an inch, a strike brings resistance and after a short struggle a wonderful bar of gold breaks the surface – brightening up my morning long before the sun is up!
    Suffice to say that crucians are one of my favourite species – not for their fighting qualities – more for the challenge in water craft and bait presentation that they pose an angler. And up until now they have been sadly neglected in angling literature. Crock of Gold by Peter Rolfe does a grand job at plugging that gap! Peter Rolfe has for years been an unsung hero of the species – restoring ancient Wessex ponds and Victorian estate lakes and stocking them with true crucians. Four decades of dedication, which was recognised recently with Peter receiving the first Fred J Taylor Award for Environmental Stewardship.
    Much of Peter’s experiences in creating ideal crucian habitats are in the book. However there is much more besides. I hadn’t realised that the enigmatic crucian was such a fascinating species with some curious and quite unique survival strategies. For example they exhibit ‘phenotypic plasticity’ which means to you and me the ability to change shape. This they do in response to the presence of predators – growing deeper – so that they are harder to grab. This transformation known as ‘gape defence’ can be effected in a matter of weeks. Crucians also have legendary survivability in low oxygen levels. This is because they have the highest levels of glycogen of any vertebrate. This is used to provide necessary energy if oxygen isn’t readily available – a by-product of which is ethanol. Your average crucian, spending the winter under an iced up pond probably has a higher blood alcohol content than a New Year’s Eve reveller!
    Such strategies are much needed as the poor fish is the ‘prey of choice’ for pike and perch and taken in preference to pretty much anything else these predators are likely to find in an English still-water. And it is for this reason, many an angling club has put a stock of crucians into a water – never to be seen again!
    You can probably tell from the above that Peter Rolfe’s book is well researched – delving into and quoting from numerous scientific papers – often from Scandinavia where the fish has been much studied. There are also a chapters written by a dozen guest contributors such as Martin Bowler, Chris Yates, Mark Wintle, Hugh Miles, Peter Wheat along with less well-known names and specimen crucian anglers from Sweden (6lb+ Crucian anyone?). These anglers contribute pieces on tactics as well as reviewing famous crucian waters such as Marsh Farm. They are interspersed throughout the book and do rather give it a bit of a higgledy-piggledy feel at times. (I was also mildly irritated by the typos I came across – but then I am practically OCD about such things!)
     
    Peter spends quite a bit of time on the thorny issue of identification and hybridisation – with numerous colour plates to illustrate. He even sets the reader a little ‘Can You Tell the Difference’ test – which I’m rather pleased to say I got 100% right! Invaluable information which will probably ensure my copy of Crock of Gold will constantly be referred to in years to come. Regardless of anything else the book does an excellent job of raising the profile of a neglected species.
    If you’re a fan of the fish then no doubt you will have already acquired this ‘cornucopia of all things crucian’ as the book has been out since August 2010. If not, why not? To any other angler interested in this fascinating species I recommend it whole-heartedly!
    Hardback published by MPress 2010. ISBN: 978-0956093585 Price £35
    Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crock-Gold-Seeking..._pr_product_top
  4. Chris Plumb

    9 March

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Lambourn - Newbury
     
    0630 - 0900
     
    Bright and breezey. AT 8ºC
     
    9 Grayling - most (very) small though I did manage a couple of 'pounders' biggest 1lb 5oz. 2 Roach - both needed the net, best 12oz.
     
    On a late at work so perfect excuse to have a couple of hours on the bank. Grayling not really having it - bright sun and a stiff downstream breeze not helping - bumped more than I landed. Quite a few fingerling fish - obviously had a succesful spawning.
  5. Chris Plumb

    6 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet, Newbury
     
    1600 - 2300
     
    Overcast and breezy with some drizzle. 20º->15ºC but felt a LOT chillier where I was sitting in the breeze! River at normal summer levels and carrying quite a bit of colour
     
    1 Bream; 2lb 10oz
     
    An evening barbelling session with Paul to this (once) prolific section of river. Over the years I have come to call this swim THE Banker - I can't remember coming here in high summer and NOT catching a barbel. These days the only certainty about the place is that your almost gauranteed to see an otter! Paul and I saw it here last summer and we saw it 3 times last night. It swam upstream through our swims at around 2000. It did the return journey a little before 2200 and at 2300 poked its head out right underneath my feet - I could have leant down and stroked it - if I'd been quick enough! Given all this its amazing we caught anything! My bream was caught in the fastest stretch of water and gave a very good account of itself - taking line against the clutch. Paul managed a solitary barbel of 7lb 2oz between the 1st 2 otter sightings. So we didn't blank - but 5 years ago we might have reckoned on 10 to a dozen barbel between us from such a session - with perhaps the odd chub thrown in as well - a species which appears to have completely disappeared from the stretch!
     
    Home of the otter!

     
    Paul's 7lber...

  6. Chris Plumb

    14 March

    By Chris Plumb,

    Middle Kennet Estate
     
    0630 - 1830
     
    Bright and sunny after a cold start. -3ºC meant iced up rod rings for first hour or so and shirt-sleeves weather by mid afternoon - though a easterly upstream breeze was quite chilly at times. All in all a lovely spring day. River still a little on the low side.
     
    7 Chub; Biggest 4lb 4oz, rest 3.03 - 1.10. 4 Perch; 2lb 6oz, 2lb 2oz, 1lb 14oz and a tiddler. 32 Roach; Best two, 1lb 3oz & 15oz with quite a few others circa 8oz. 35 Dace; no really big ones - just a couple of good-uns in the 8-10oz bracket. 2 Bream - skimmers. ½doz Gudgeon. 6 Brown Trout; best two, 7lb 2oz & 6lb 6oz ! . 3 Rainbow Trout to 4lb!
     
    Great last day of the season. Unusually for me, and this venue, spent nearly all day in the same swim (well the fish just kept coming!). Rather surprised to get some nice perch in what I consider a nailed on chub swim - certainly the first I've caught from this spot - meant the worms got a reprieve! All fish on trotted maggot. Biggest 2 trout in last 1½hr - fish in gorgeous condition and whilst not really what we came for - got to admit they put up one hell of a scrap and looked absolutely fabulous! Last hour as it got dark the roach really switched on - was the period I had my 'pounder' and over ½ of all the roach I caught in total. Paul had a similar day minus the perch and really big brownies.
  7. Chris Plumb

    5 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    Wylies Lake - Newbury
     
    0430 - 1200
     
    Warm and mainly overcast. 10º->25ºC
     
    8 Perch!
     
    Not fished here for some seasons - after it recieved a rather severe scalping which took out all the margin vegetation. However I had heard of good tench catches this season - and even whispers of some half decent crucians showing up. A recent recce confirmed that it hadn't received another haircut recently - in fact it looked just as I remembered it - so with some anticipation I was setting up in a favoured swim of old at first light. I needn't have bothered! The lake looked very quiet and out of sorts - the odd fish topping but very very few bubbles - and those patches which did show looked too big for feeding tench. As for the fishing, I was very quickly between a rock and a hard place. Starting with meat and/or black pudding (my PB tench was caught on this from this pit back in 2003) quickly brought in the crayfish. Maggot was instantly nailed by the legions of perch. I fished most of the morning with 6mm hookable pellets - which at least avoided the attentions of the crays and the perch - and everything else! By the end I was on sub 2lb bottoms and size 18s and still couldn't buy a bite.
     
    Ho hum - can't win them all!
  8. Chris Plumb

    29 June

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet - Padworth.
     
    1700 - 0000
     
    Bright and breezey start with clouds clearing and temps dropping. 20ºC->12ºC when I packed up. River at near normal summer levels (perhaps a tad on the low side) and carrying its usual summer colour...
     
    1 Chub; 6lb 6oz (Equals my PB! ). 2 Barbel; 9lb 7oz & 4lb 4oz.
     
    Well, well, well! For the 2nd year running my first 'static' barbel session of the summer throws up a 6lb+ chub. From the same venue as last year too - though from a swim several hundred metres downstream. Whereas last years 6lb was a beat up old warrior who fought more like a bream on diazepam last nights was in great nick, fought very well for a chub and gave a very good imitation of a barbel - was real surprised when it eventually surfaced. Don't get many chub here - to put it into context - in 10 years of regularly fishing this venue this is only my 3rd chub of any size - and 2 of them have been over 6lb! Chub was caught 2nd cast (about and hour after starting).
     
    Smaller barbel around 2130 - which didn't fight half as well as the chub and the 9lber just as it got properly dark at 2300. The 9lb 'radiated gigantism' fought like fury and I had real difficulty shifting it from the bottom - usually the sign of a good fish. Thought all the world it would be a double - long and lean though - needs to pack on some post spawning weight!!!!!
     

     

  9. Chris Plumb

    11/12 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    Summer Pit, CEMEX Yateley Complex
     
    1930 - 0545
     
    Warm, overcast night temps didn't dip lower than 15ºC - lovely night to be out!
     
    3 Tench; 5lb 12oz, 4lb 13oz, 3lb. 1 Pike 4lb*. 8 perch, 1 roach, 1 rudd.
     
    Slow, slow session. First tench around 2330 then a mini flurry of activity between 0200 - 0400 when I had the other 2 and also lost 2 more which threw the hook in the weed. All 3 on my margin rod - not a touch on the rod fishing further out.
     
    * The pike managed to get itself 'banked' 3 times - the 1st when it simply grabbed a perch and wouldn't let go - until it was in the net - perch released without a mark on it! The 2nd time it simply swam into the net as I netted the 5lb tench! And then it grabbed a tiny piece of meat I was reeling to pack up - the only time I actually hooked it!
     
    Everso everso skinny - poor thing!

  10. Chris Plumb

    22 September

    By Chris Plumb,

    Summer Pit - CEMEX Yateley
     
    1800 - 2315
     
    A lovely warm evening under a hazy full moon. Temps 21º -> 16ºC. Shirt sleeves all evening and no mozzies!
     
    2 Tench: 6lb 4oz, 3lb 13oz.
     
    The last Hurrah on this venue - bringing the curtain down on a splendid series of mid-week after work float fishing sessions. Won't be back here again until next june (unless we get an early October heatwave!). Fished a new swim - probably not the right time to be experimenting but it had to be done - and quite quickly had the 6lber on the bank, followed next cast by the smaller one. So just as 2 weeks ago - a brief feeding spell at dusk. Did have a few liners thereafter and fish topping in the swim - but nothing hittable. Both fish on float fished meat at a couple of rod lengths out.
  11. Chris Plumb

    25 September

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet - Speen Moors
     
    0630 - 1045
     
    Bright and clear and quite chilly - 3º -> 11ºC. River at normal summer levels (ie quite low!)
     
    9 Perch; 2lb 8oz & 8 smalluns, 2 Chub; both circa 1¼lb, 1 Pike 6lb 15oz, a dozen gudgeon & ½doz roach and dace.
     
    First trip of the autumn so had a wander around and fished 5 swims in all. Big perch first cast and the pike not long after - both to lobs. All other fish on trotted maggot.
  12. Chris Plumb

    18 September

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet, Nr Thatcham.
     
    0700 - 1100.
     
    Bright after a chilly start. AT 4º -> 14ºC. River low and clear.
     
    4 Chub: 5lb 6oz, 5lb 2oz, 4lb 4oz, 3lb 15oz, 1 Barbel; 6lb 3oz, 1 Brownie.
     
    Normal service has been resumed with a cracking brace of 5lb+ chub! 3 Biggest chub in 1st hour of fishing (having fed the swim for ½hr without wetting a line). Rested it and caught the other chub from an upstream swim (along with the spottie). Returned for the last ¾hr and snaffled the barbel. All fish on trotted maggot.
     

  13. Chris Plumb

    2 October

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet - Nr Newbury
     
    0645 - 1045
     
    Bright after a misty start. 7 -> 12ºC River up and inch or two and carrying a bit of colour after yesterday's rain.
     
    4 Chub - 3lb 0oz and 3 chublets all circa ¾lb, 2 Perch: 2lb 11oz & a smallun, 28 dace, 10 roach, 5 gudgeon and a grayling.
     
    Started off trotting lobs and had both perch and the bigger chub in the first ¾hr before switching to maggot. Quick chat with Rusty who was en-route to Speen and finished off further downstream where I had all 3 chublets and a much better stamp of dace!
  14. Chris Plumb

    8/9 October

    By Chris Plumb,

    NAA Stillwater - Thatcham
     
    2015 - 0900
     
    Warm, overcast and quite breezey. Temps never below 15ºC - Unseasonably warm.
     
    13 carp - best 2, 13lb 11oz (common) & 12lb 0oz (mirror) - the rest evenly spread between 9½ - 3½lbs. 1 Crucian 2lb 5oz. 1 skimmer and a dozen assorted perch, roach & gudgeon (mainly perch).
     
    The plan was going to be a dawn raid for stripeys on the canal - but a very last minute change of plan - due to the unseasonably warm overnight temps that were (accurately!) forecast - had me setting up in the dark for an overnighter after a late season crucian. Lucky to get one amongst all the carp - most of which were caught on my float rod rigged up with a 16 to 4lb bottom - the 12lber was first cast!. Had crucians rolling in the swim for an hour or so just before midnight - when I caught the one I did - but I think they were being bullied away by the carp. Freelined bread once it got light - and had 4 or 5 carp that way - including the 13lber which was the last fish caught.
     



  15. Chris Plumb

    4 October

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet - Padworth
     
    1830 - 2300
     
    Clear and misty evening. 15º -> 10ºC. River at normal summer levels - though carrying a bit more colour than usual after the weekend's rain.
     
    2 Barbel: 8lb 11oz, 4lb 14oz.
     
    Both fish in first 1¼hrs - smaller one 1st cast. Was also greeted by a Barn Owl flying within 10-15' of my head - probably hunting for the legion of rats scurrying around on the bank behind me after it got dark!!
  16. Chris Plumb

    16/17 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    NAA Stillwater, Widmead
     
    1830 - 0800
     
    Heavy evening showers giving way to clearing skies - feeling quite cool by dawn (12ºC)
     
    3 Tench; 6lb 14oz, 3lb 6oz, 2lb. 3 Bream; 5lb 3oz, 4lb 5oz, 4lb 1oz. 4 Carp biggest 5lb 14oz. 4 roach & 4 perch.
     
    Slow but steady night - quite a lot of activity which didn't translate to bites! Paul had a much quieter session ( he did sleep through most of it!) with just a blank saving bream to show before he packed up at first light! * All carp (and biggest bream) on the feeder, others caught float fishing the margins. Biggest ever tench from this venue.
     
    *Paul has asked me to point out that his half hearted attempts at trying to catch something were due to his ignoring his wife's advice (she's a nurse by the way!) not to go fishing when he wasn't feeling very well. A night on a chilly, damp lake bank is probably not the best cure for a streaming summer cold!
  17. Chris Plumb

    19 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet - Newbury
     
    1800 - 2330
     
    Warm. muggy and overcast, 1 heavy-ish shower. 17ºC when I packed up.
     
    2 Barbel; 6lb 10oz, 3lb 14oz.
     
    Very pleasant evening by the river - though not a lot of bites or activity. Some crayfish activity for first hour or so which then stopped - usually a good sign! 6lber at around 2100 and the smaller fish quite literally at the end - was leaning forward to grab the rod to wind in to end the session when it was wrenched from my hands! Both fish on ledgered halibuts.
  18. Chris Plumb

    15 October

    By Chris Plumb,

    Lower Itchen Fishery
     
    0830 - 1830
     
    Dull and overcast all day temps around 11/12ºC. River low, gin clear & carrying quite a bit of debris - mainly weed with some leaf litter.
     
    44 Grayling: 14 over 1lb - best 3, 2lb 1oz, 2lb 1oz & 1lb 15oz. 3 Chub, 4lb 14oz, 3lb 6oz, 2lb 12oz, 2 Brownies, 4 Salmon Parr, 1 roach & a gudgeon - possibly my 1st ever from LIF - can't ever remember catching one from here before!
     
    Very pleasant days angling organised by Paul with Lee, Merv & Dave joining us for some early autumn grayling action. We all caught between 40 - 60 ladies and I think we all caught chub too - Lee and Dave certainly had 4lb+ fish. No other 2lb grayling caught - all my biggest fish (above) along with another grayling of 1¾lb and the 2 smaller chub came from the carrier.
     
    My brace of 2lbers...


  19. Chris Plumb

    12 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    Summer Pit - CEMEX Yateley
     
    1800 - 2330
     
    Warm and overcast. Temp 'down' to 18ºC when I left.
     
    4 Tench: 6lb 1oz, 4lb 10oz, 3lb 6oz, 3lb 3oz. 1 Crucian 2lb 11oz. 1 rudd
     
    Can't have too much of a good thing when it comes to catching big crucians! (or tench for that matter!). 3 Tench on 6mm s-pellet in the margins, 1 tench and the crucian on meat about 1½ rod lengths out. Both caught in consecutive casts just as it got properly dark.
     

  20. Chris Plumb

    3 March

    By Chris Plumb,

    K&A Canal - Thatcham
     
    0700 - 1000
     
    Overcast with rain/drizzle for ¾hr from 0830. AT & WT 48ºF.
     
    2 Perch; 3lb 2oz & 2lb 7oz.
     
    Unexpectedly had a free morning due to Sam deciding on a lay in after partying last night rather than go training. Dad's taxi still had to take Matt to work for 0630 which was the time I'd have rather have been making my first cast. So I arrived 30 or so minutes later than I would have liked to get a couple of nasty surprises. The first - cows!! A herd of them (well ½doz) on the public towpath - stubborn buggers too very disinclined to get out of the way - making a right mess as well! The second was more of a shock - my banker perch swim is no more For over a decade the low bushes and scrubby willow on the far bank have proved a refuge for some big perch. Alas some official at the BWB has obviously decided that they posed a hazard to shipping and the whole lot have been completely grubbed out - not just cut back and pruned but completely ripped out!
     
    Thankfully over the years I've sussed out some 'back-up' swims here and fished 3 in total - both perch taken from the second one I dropped into - from the only 2 bites I had all morning (apart from the crayfish!)
     
    Bigger one below...

  21. Chris Plumb

    26 February

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Frome
    Worgret 0800 - 1130
    Wool 1200 - 1600
     
    Bright and sunny after a foggy start - felt positively warm in the sun - had far too much on! River clear and low.
     
    11 Grayling: 10 over 1lb (9 over 1½!). Best 5, 2lb 14oz, 2lb 5oz, 2lb 2oz & 2 at 1lb 14oz.
     
    Last trip down to Dorset this winter as the water closes to coarse anglers at the end of Feb. I wanted to give Worgret a proper go this time as it was the colour of milky tea when I came here in November. Some of it looks really nice - lots of long glides with some deep holes on the bends but I fished down the entire length of it for a solitary bite and fish (one of the 1-14s). So whilst I had planned to stay all day here it was a call for an early lunch and off to Wool. Walking back to the car I stopped to chat with another angler who had turned up after me (and was fishing the one spot where I'd caught!) to find he was using the same reel as me - A 1920 Witcher copy! I think most of those that were made have ended up in display cabinets so it was nice to see another angler using one.
     
    Being the last Sunday of the Frome season I expected Wool to be quite busy - so was quite relieved to only see a couple of other anglers. I started in the bridge swims but after a biteless ¾hr it was time to move upstream. I had the 2lb2oz fish in the first swim I dropped into - and ended up not moving from that spot for the rest of the afternoon!! In the morning I'd blamed the bright sunshine for the lack of fish - but they didn't seem to put them off here and I had a slow but steady session bringing some fine grayling to the net. The 2-05 and 2-14 were the last 2 fish of a fine afternoon's sport - and seeing the 2-14 twisting in the current I thought this was my 3 at last - alas not to be - but ranks as my 2nd biggest ever - and a grand way to end my first winter on the Frome.
     
    Pics of my 2-05

     
    And 2-14
     

    As usual the buggers wouldn't keep still for the camera!
  22. Chris Plumb

    5/6 August

    By Chris Plumb,

    Newbury AA Stillwater - Widmead.
     
    1500 - 0800
     
    Warm and overcast. Mild night, temps didn't go below 14ºC
     
    4½* Carp, biggest 8¼lb, 1 Bream 4¼lb, 20+ Roach & Perch - in roughly equal nos.
     
    Another "Breakfast was the highlight of the trip" trip! Spent the first couple of hours fretting over my swim choice which saw me move swims and immediately get a bite which resulted in the bream - thereafter bites at a premium. Paul had had an identical return when I packed up having joined me 4 hours after I started. He fished on for another hour or so and added a 2nd bream to his tally plus the rather unusual looking carp below. He thinks it might be a Koi? Strange looking critter - note the lack of dorsal fin!
     
    *The ½ was a fish I landed on Paul's rod - he was dealing with a snagged up method feeder when his other rod went off - I struck and landed the fish - a carp of 8lb exactly - I reckon it should be mine!
     
     


  23. Chris Plumb

    4 February

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet Newbury
     
    0800 - 1045
     
    COLD and clear. AT -9ºC when I drove off confirmed by a reading of 16ºF when I arrived on the bank. WT a balmy 35ºF - coldest day I think I have ever been fishing. However dressed appropriately and standing IN the river for warmth I was really quite toasty apart form the thumb and index finger on my right hand -which kept 'sticking' to the metal of my Witcher. Thought that frozen rings would be a mare but in fact the water froze on the line so quickly it was solid before it got to the rings - bit of a nasty grating noise when I caught a fish though! River very clear and very low (and very cold).
     
    1 Chub; 2lb 13oz. 2 Brownies; 2¼lb and a tiddler. 5 Dace - including one clonker of 10oz. 1 Gudgeon.
     
    Chub first cast which I took as an excellent omen and anticipated a morning's bagging up in the cold. Alas the bigger trout was pretty much second cast and went absolutely mental, jumping ½doz times and completely killing the swim - so my morning's chubbing was over 5 minutes after it started! Rested the swim hoping they'd return but only caught dace after the hiatus.
     
    Unfortunately I'm not the only one who knows of this hotspot.....

  24. Chris Plumb

    12 February

    By Chris Plumb,

    Middle Kennet - Nr Newbury.
     
    0730 - 1700
     
    Cool and overcast. -2º ->5ºC Positively balmy compared to recent arctic conditions - WT was a chilly 39ºF though.
     
    8 Chub; 4 'pounders' to 2¼lb and 4 chublets. 19 Dace; most a 'nice' size - only one warranted the scales though; a lovely fish of 11oz. 6 Roach, 8 Brownies to 2½lb.
     
    Plan for today was to catch some chub in the morning and then move up to where we'd caught all those roach earlier in the winter. First part of the plan went err as planned with both Paul and I getting amongst the chub and whilst we would have liked a 5 lber or 2 it was actually quite nice to see some smaller fish to come through - I think between us we had 9 or 10 over 1lb yet the biggest was only a few ounces over 2. After lunch it was into the car and upto the top limit of the fishery - only for it to very quickly transpire that the roach had moved on - the 'roach' swim was devoid of anything without an adipose fin.
     
    By 1500 we were back where we started - and fishing the swim where I'd caught chub in the morning started to produce some nice dace - including my biggest of the day. Paul had only added 3 trout and a chub to his morning's total when we bumped into the river-keeper doing his rounds. A couple of hints (well one BIG tip really) had us both fishing the same pool for the last ¾hr. If you got the bait in the right place (this was the tip!) it was bite a chuck and Paul was quickly adding to his tally with ,ironically, some nice roach in the 6-8oz bracket - finishing the day with a bristling perch a couple of ounces shy of 2lb.
     
    Some pics from yesterday
     
    Small chub with a big tail.

    Paul's perch - looks bigger than 1-13 don't ya think!

    CY got catty'ed with maggots here...

    Paul goes all arty....



  25. Chris Plumb

    27 June

    By Chris Plumb,

    Newbury AA Stillwater - Widmead
     
    1930 - 0000
     
    Warm overcast and muggy night - lovely shirt-sleeves evening though needed plenty of DEET - mozzies were in almost plague like swarms! Temp still 16ºC at midnight.
     
    1 Crucian; 3lb 3oz. 1 Tench; 4lb 9oz. 2 carp 6lb 3oz & 6lb 13oz. 1 Rudd.
     
    Mission accomplished - 1st crucian of the summer and it's a real goodun! Things didn't start off quite so well - had the 'smaller' carp practically 1st cast on my float gear - took an age to get in and completely trashed the swim. So no bites afterwards for ages. Had switched to trying to get a few carp off the top and had not long put back the other one when a very large crucian rolled in my over where I'd baited earlier. A useful reminder to stop fannying about and get back to what I'd come here for. Swim really came alive in the first hour of darkness (22-2300) with fishing rolling and lots of bubbles. Crucian caught at around 2230 with the tench some 20 minutes later.
     
    My 4th biggest ever Crucian...

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