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Chris Plumb

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Blog Entries posted by Chris Plumb

  1. Chris Plumb

    16 June 2012

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet, Newbury & Thatcham
     
    0400 - 1230
     
    Cool, overcast and very blustery. River quite coloured and very full for the time of year - highest it's been in the summer for many a year.... (well since 2007 now I come to think about it!!)
     
    2 Chub; 2lb & 1¼lb. 1 Barbel 3lb. 57 Dace, 7 Roach, 3 Grayling, 1 Perch, 1 Gudgeon, 1 Bleak & a 1¾lb spottie.
     
    Pleasant start to the season with plenty of fish to put a bend in the rod - we had planned an overnighter on a local lake put had been put off by the weather forecast which wasn't half as bad as predicted in these parts. Paul also had a good haul of silvers but nothing big so we moved venues for the last couple of hours to one of my favourite parts of the river for a float caught barbel. This is Paul's first year on this book - so he was getting his first sight of the venue. I plonked him in one of my favourite swims and thankfully my gillie-ing paid off as it wasn't too long before I heard the ratchet go on his pin and he was drawing a fighting fit 4lb+ barbel to a waiting net. I couldn't repeat the trick to add to my earlier barbel only catching the troot after the move - though I did suffer a smash up fishing at very long range...
     
    Some pics from Paul - as per usual.
     
    Gudgeon! (Paul's entered the annual IAC species race!)

    Paul's first barbel of the season.

    Me.

  2. Chris Plumb

    1st June (!)

    By Chris Plumb,

    NAA stillwater Widmead and Thatcham
     
    0400 - 1200.
     
    Overcast, still and mild - temps around 17/18ºC
     
    1 carp, 11lb 5oz.
     
    1st EVER close season session - oooo I feel a little bit dirty! Don't intend to make a habit of it but I had some time owed to me which if I didn't take by next week (and as ½ the office we already off, next week was out) I would lose. So I thought I'd join Paul on one of his 'free Fridays'. 1st part of the morning was purely reconnaissance, OK I did have a bait in the water but after 5 hours looking at a stationary float I was packed up in a flash when Paul suggested we move and try and get a carp or two off the top from a pit where they shouldn't be - and relocate them to where they should - work that clearly comes under the heading of 'Close Season Preparation! (In case you're wondering the club have a Section 30 for this that runs to the end of Oct).
     
    Sure enough the carp were clearly patrolling the surface layers and catching them looked a doddle - especially as I had a fish pretty much first cast and Paul had a hook straightened with his first cast. Alas I didn't get another take - though Paul did go on to winkle out a couple of commons (mine was a mirror) of 5lb+ and 6lb+.
     
    All in all a good excuse to be out!
     
    I really didn't want my photo taken...

    But Paul was determined to gather the evidence...

    Paul had a 9½lber from Dixons.

    Fish-on !

    Fish on the bank.

    Paul gets all arty (Again!)

  3. Chris Plumb

    3 August

    By Chris Plumb,

    Newbury AA Stillwater - Thatcham
     
    0500 - 1030
     
    Warm, overcast and sultry. 15ºC -> 25ºC. WT 73ºF (too warm methinks!)
     
    3 Carp; (all between 4-5lb), 4 roach, 3 perch, 1 rudd.
     
    A torpid morning's angling. Yet again failing to catch any crucians - think I used up all this season's 'Crucian Luck' on 26 June! For quite a while I struggled to catch anything - even float fished maggot was ignored. Eventaully had a brief flurry of activity from the carp - just as the swim was bathed in full sunlight! One of the carp was a Ghostie - my first from this water - in fact possibly my first EVER - don't ever recall catching one before. Would have taken its portrait had my camera not been still plugged into the computer at home!
  4. Chris Plumb

    26/27 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    Summer Pit - CEMEX Yateley
     
    2100 - 0600
     
    Warm, calm, overcast and muggy. 17ºC at Midnight and still 15º+ when I packed up - lovely evening to be out.
     
    2 Tench; 5lb 5oz, 3lb 11oz. A couple of roach & perch.
     
    A very last minute decision to go - based on A, the weather forecast - lovely balmy evening. B, Jaq reminding me she was having a girls night out. And C, Paul having already planned an evening session here. Tuesday is one of my training nights - I coach athletics (stop sniggering at the back) - so it was well after 8pm before I'd thrown my gear in the car and found myself pootling toward Yateley. On arrival I was surprised to see 2 other anglers as well as Paul on the water (there had been 3) - which very much counts as busy! especially for a mid-week evening. The plan had been to fish with Paul - but the weed growth made that difficult so I dropped into the next swim - one I'd never fished before. However my hopes were high - I had a very good depth of water a rod length out and a nice hole in the weed I could find easily in the dark. Confidence was high. Alas it was misplaced! 3 hours later I'd had one bite - which I didn't even see as I'd nodded off!. Paul had to wait a while for any action too - but shortly before 2300 his float disappeared and a goodish tench buried itself into the weed. A huge ball of weed was then netted - Paul wasn't convinced the fish was even still on - but was gratified to discover a 5lb 12oz tinca in his net.
     
    Paul had to pack up just after midnight as he had work in the morning - something that I don't have to worry about at the moment. And has he had been getting more interest in his baits I moved into his swim and was casting out before he'd even left the car park!
     
    I too started to get some interest - mainly liners I think - but had a fish on the bank - the 3lber in under an hour of moving! The next fish was caught in somewhat bizarre circumstances - I had just cast out - and was edging the bait into position - and checking I wasn't hooked up on some weed when the 5lber snaffled the bait whilst it was still moving. Like Paul's 5lber this one buried itself in the weed - and I wasn't sure I still had a fish on until I examined the weedball in my landing net!! This fish was caught a little after 0200 - and was the last action I had. However there were fish rolling over my groundbait in the swim I'd vacated!!! Doh! Will definately be braver and give it that spot a full session next time.....
  5. Chris Plumb

    22/23 June

    By Chris Plumb,

    Newbury AA Stillwater - Widmead
     
    1700 - 0730
     
    Cool and breezy (very) with short sharp showers to start. Overnight felt very chilly in the wind (temps were down to 10ºC) so the quilted, thermal one-piece suit made a rare appearance. I went from feeling chilled to toasty in a matter of minutes (though that might just have been struggling to get in it!)
     
    1 Tench; 4lb 3oz. 2 Bream, 5lb 2oz & 4lb 3oz. 1 roach & 1 perch.
     
    A session that failed to live up to early promise as all my fish were caught in the first couple of hours. However that was it and I didn't get another bite after 2100 - just the odd bleep on the lead and bloddy crayfish worrying whatever bait I fished in the margins. Paul had a similar experience - catching 3, 6lb+ carp before it got dark - then nothing. Though he did get a bream just as I was packing up.
    Sausage du jour was Pork and Bramley Apple, accompanied with a couple of fried egg sandwiches and a mug of tea - lovely!
     

  6. Chris Plumb

    1 August

    By Chris Plumb,

    Newbury AA stillwater - Widmead
     
    0500 - 1000
     
    Warm, overcast and sultry. 16ºC->21ºC
     
    3 Tench; 3lb 10oz, 3lb 7oz, 1lb 11oz. 2 Carp; 9lb 14oz & 8lb 5oz. 7 Rudd.
     
    Dawn raid in the hope of another monster crucian - and whilst I had a big fish roll shortly after baiting the swim it was a case of nothing doing. Rudd were a nice size - upto 9-10oz, though in truth a bit of a pain as they kept giving crucian like bites on my lift float rigged meat! Carp off the top in the last hour - having thrown in freebies all morning!
     

  7. Chris Plumb

    1 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    Bucklebury Ponds
     
    1000 - 1300
     
    Breezy, overcast with frequent light showers.
     
    3 Carp; all between 3-4lb. 2 Bream; both circa 2lb. A dozen+ roach and perch - mainly perch plus a roach/bream hybred of around 1lb.
     
    Quick morning visit to my 'local'. Carp were actually a bit of a menace - took an age to land on light tackle and suspect they were bullying the target species (basically anything that wasn't a carp!) off the bait. Also got smashed a couple of times - only had 1½lb hook length.
  8. Chris Plumb

    2 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet - Newbury
     
    1945 - 0000
     
    Dull, overcast with fine drizzle. Quite 'warm' (15ºC), really felt quite snug under the trees! River looks in fine fettle - though carrying a little colour.
     
    2 Chub 2lb 15oz, 2lb 2oz.
     
    An evening ledgering for barbel, but not disappointed to 'only' get a couple of blank saving, schooly chub. Bigger one first cast - smaller one just as it got properly dark at around 1045pm. A good year for bats - loads and loads of them at dusk!
  9. Chris Plumb

    28 January

    By Chris Plumb,

    Middle Kennet Estate - Nr Hungerford
     
    0730 - 1715
     
    Cold, mainly overcast with some sunny spells especially after noon. -1ºC->2ºC but felt MUCH colder in a raw NEly wind. River still quite low for late Jan.
     
    42 Grayling; 15 over 1lb - best 3, 1lb11oz, 1lb10oz, 1lb 8oz. 3 Dace; small(ish!), 8 Brownies - biggest 2lb 10oz - but most were parrs, 7 Rainbows to 3¼lb.
     
    A chilly days grayling fishing with Paul. Tried and failed to find any big dace - water levels were too low for them - so concentrated on what this venue does best - the ladies. Paul fared even better with 59 (over 100 between us!) his biggest going 1lb 13oz. He even managed to get more dace than me despite spending less than ½ the time I did looking for them!!!
     
    Still thawing out!
     
     
    Paul's Biggest...

     
    Frosty Sunset

  10. Chris Plumb

    22 January

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Lambourn - Newbury
     
    0800 - 1045
     
    Cool, overcast with some short showers early on. AT 0º->3ºC. River up a couple of inches on my last visit (Christmas Eve).
     
    15 Grayling; 5 over 1lb - best 2, 1lb 10oz & 1lb 7oz. 2 Brownies & 1 roach - all small.
     
    Quick trotting session - catch a couple and move on. Venue 'busy' with Anglersneters!!!
  11. Chris Plumb

    6 February

    By Chris Plumb,

    Kennet & Avon Canal - Thatcham
     
    0815 - 1215. Overcast, mild and very breezey. WT 49ºF
     
    4 Perch; 3lb exactly, 1lb 10oz and a couple of tiddlers.
     
    Slow morning - 3lber in the 1st 15 minutes. Would have liked to have started ¾hr earlier but had to take Sam into work. Stiff upstream breeze made accurate casting and presentation difficult. (And when I did get it right a ruddy canoeist would come along - had to reel in 37 times for them - yes I counted!)
     
    Little & Large!

  12. Chris Plumb

    20 February

    By Chris Plumb,

    Middle Kennet Estate
     
    0900 - 1730
     
    Cool, Overcast and Dry. AT around 5-6ºC all day. River at normal levels and carrying a tinge of colour - all in all neigh on perfect winter conditions!
     
    10 Chub. 8 over a pound, biggest 3; 4lb 5oz, 3lb 14oz, 3lb 5oz. 13 Dace. Most a good size, best 4; 14oz, 11oz 10ozX2. 1 Grayling - 1lb 7oz. 8 Brownies to 2½lb.
     
    Typical day spent wondering the banks with rods in hand. Spent all morning searching out the dace and had caught just 4 by lunch time though it did include both 10oz & the 11oz fish. Post lunch the focus switched briefly to chub and I had ½doz in quick succession - half on maggot and half on corn. Then after a quick visit to poach Rusty's swim - forlornly as it turned out for a perch - it was a long trek down to a swim rumoured to hold really special chub - unfortunately when I got there I realised I'd left my sweetcorn at the top of the fishery. This meant changing up my dace tackle to something a bit stronger and fishing double white maggot. A small chub resulted quickly followed by the grayling - small compensation for the MUCH bigger lady I lost in the morning due to my own stupidity. I hooked what I firmly believed to be a brownie - and played it really hard - hoping it would get off. The plan worked in the same instance I realised I was connected to a really substantial grayling not a troot! Last hour was spent in a known dace swim - resulting in my last fish of the day being a rather special dace of 14oz.
     

     
    3 of Paul's fish from Sunday....



  13. Chris Plumb

    25 February

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Itchen
     
    0830 - 1730
     
    Mild and overcast all day. AT 13ºC Max. River at near normal levels though carrying quite a bit of colour.
     
    22 Grayling; 12 over 1lb, with 6 of those over 2lb - biggest 2lb 7oz. 2 Chub 4lb 3oz, 3lb 8oz.
     
    Thanks to Paul's excellent networking skills (& silver tongue) we had exclusive use of this lovely bit of river for a second time (see blog entry 13/10/08 for the first). Bites at a premium and quite hard work at times - but if you stuck at it the fish would take - eventually!! About half my fish on red sweetcorn - most of the rest on white maggot (4 of the 6, 2lbers on corn). Paul managed less well on the grayling front with a dozen fish to 1lb 10oz - mainly beacuse chub kept turning up in his swim (or sea trout). Think he had ½doz chub and a suprise 2lb perch along with some salmon parr - much more of a mixed bag than I managed!
     

     
    A couple of Paul's fish - including his Itchen stripey!
     


  14. Chris Plumb

    12 February

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Kennet - Newbury
     
    0815 - 1115
     
    Mild and overcast. Battery flat in thermometer so no temps. River up a bit to normal levels and carrying a bit of colour.
     
    1 Barbel; 3lb 14oz. 3 Chub; 3lb 9oz, 3lb 3oz, 2lb 13oz. 2 Perch 1lb 12oz and one just shy of a lb. 2 Dace & 3 Gudgeon.
     
    An 'insurance' session!! Meant to be having a day on the middle Kennet tomorrow - but if the weather forecast is accurate I'll probably get up, check the rain radar and go straight back to bed!! So this morning, on the excuse that I had to pop over to Tony's to get some maggots anyway, I thought I'd sneak in a couple of hours or so on the bank as I suspected the river would be in good nick - and so it proved. A barbel on the pin at any time is to be welcomed - all the more so in mid-February. All the chub and the barbel on trotted lobs (and one of the dace!). The rest including both perch on double red maggot.
     

  15. Chris Plumb

    6 March

    By Chris Plumb,

    Middle Kennet Estate
     
    0830 - 1800
     
    Bright and sunny after an overcast morning. AT 3º->8ºC, quite chilly in a stiff easterly breeze.
     
    6 Chub; Biggest 2, 4lb5oz & 4lb 0oz, 2 Perch; 2lb 14oz & 2lb 7oz. 15 Dace; Biggest 10oz though nearly all the others weren't much smaller. 2 Roach, both small. 10 Brownies to 2½lb.
     
    Typical session wandering the banks searching for fish - walked even further than normal as it was tough going once the sun came out. Thankfully I'd bagged the brace of perch whilst it was still overcast and gloomy in the morning and most of the dace came in the last hour as the sun set. All chub on trotted corn. Perch on lobs.
  16. Chris Plumb
    And another season comes to a close. And a rather good one it was too - with 3 PB's, an equalling PB and a couple of near misses. A rather indifferent summer, despite a PB Bream and a PB Crucian in the same week - was compensated by some great post September angling. The autumn perch campaign got off to a real flyer. A session which produced 18 fish for nearly 40lb including 5X3lbers and a PB equalling 3lb 14oz fish was a real red letter day (see 13 October entry). This winter I was eagerly looking forward to fishing the River Frome in Dorset for the 1st time - and it didn't disappoint. It proved to be quite a hard water, not at all as prolific as the Itchen but the rewards were worth it - producing 3 Grayling that are now in my all time top 10 - with a 2lb 14oz lady on my last trip only an ounce shy of my PB. I also had the vicarious enjoyment of seeing my good mate Paul get his PB from the river at 2lb 15oz. So no 3lber (yet!) - but we both got mighty close! Roll on November!
     
    Best Carp: 15lb 9oz, 31 Oct 2011, River Kennet, Nr Thatcham. Ledgered Halibut pellet. This fish turned up in one of my favourite barbel swims - and had me convinced I was into a huge barbel - my only carp from this stretch of river in over 30 years of fishing it.

     
    Best Pike: 15lb 3oz, 2 Jan 2012, River Kennet, Speen Moors. Float fished lobworm. A rather fortuitous capture but more than adequate compensation for a lack of perch that day!! Biggest pike I've ever caught on my float rod! And my best pike from this venue though I last seriously pike fished it over a decade ago - around 2000BC - Before Crayfish!

     
    Best Bream: 12lb 2oz , 2 Jul 2011, Summer Pit. Float fished maggot, lift method. My first ever double figure bream - and the biggest of 5 fish in excess of 8lb from this venue last summer - all caught float fishing.
     

    Best Barbel: 9lb 7oz, 29 June 2011, River Kennet, Padworth.

    And 9lb 7oz, 24 August 2011, River Kennet, Nr Thatcham.

    Both fish caught on ledgered Halibut pellet. A rather 'scratchy' barbel campaign - not helped, I suspect by repeated otter sightings throughout the summer. On 4 separate occasions I had an otter in my swim whilst having an evening barbel session - different swims & venues too!
     
    Best Tench: 7lb 7oz, 16 June 2011, Summer Pit. Float fished meat - lift method. The season got off to a great start with my 3rd biggest ever tinca and my best from this venue - alas - on the tench front at least it was all down hill from then on...

     
    Best Chub: 6lb 7oz, 19 Feb 2012, River Kennet, Nr Kintbury. Trotted red sweetcorn. A swim that I've had a hunch over for a couple of seasons finally produces - a new PB by an ounce.

     
    Also had a 6lb 6oz equalling my previous PB fish whilst barbelling in June.
     

     
    Best Perch: 3lb 14oz, 13 Oct 2011, Kennet & Avon Canal, Thatcham. Float fished lobs. I managed 7 perch over 3lb this season - 5 on the same day I snaffled this beauty to equal by PB caught not far downstream in 2009.

     
    Best Crucian: 3lb 13oz, 26 June 2011, Newbury AA lake, Widmead. My longest standing PB was broken by this stonking slab of gold - as usual I invested a lot of energy into crucians last summer and this is the reason why!

     

    Best Grayling: 2lb 14oz, 26 Feb 2012, River Frome, Wool. Trotted red maggot. Not a great pic as the fish just wouldn't pose for the camera! So below is a pic of Paul's 2lb 15oz fish from the same venue a month earlier!


     
    Best Roach: 1lb 4oz, 18 Nov 2011 & 9 Mar 2012. Both from 'Middle Kennet Estates' (different ones) and both on trotted maggot. One gratifying aspect of this winter on the middle Kennet was the good numbers of roach that we found - no real biggies but quite a few over 8oz augurs well for the future.

     
    Best Dace: 13oz, a weight equalled 4 times this winter - on 15 Jan, twice on 19 Feb & 9 Mar - from various Middle Kennet venues - all on trotted maggot. Similar to the 'mini' roach revival Paul and I found a lot of good sized dace in large numbers this winter. The really big ones eluded us - though I did find some VERY big dace on one occasion - I just couldn't catch one! I thinks Paul's best was a 14oz fish caught quite early in the winter before it would have been at maximum weight.

     
    My best trout went unphotographed - in fact I'm not even sure what weight they were - they're a bit of an occupational hazard in the winter and I usually try to avoid them at all costs. I did also get only my 2nd ever proper salmon a 4lb+ grilse from the Frome which was also slipped back sans picture!
  17. Chris Plumb

    14 March

    By Chris Plumb,

    Middle Kennet Estate
     
    0730 - 1800
     
    Cool and overcast all morning, bright sunshine in the afternoon feeling quite warm despite the thermo only reading 10ºC. River VERY low.
     
    4 Chub; 3lb 4oz, 3lb 0oz, 2lb 11oz and a chublet. 5 Perch; a couple of 'pounders' best of which was just under 2lb - the rest around 12oz. 25 roach - most fairly small though had one 'goodun' of 14oz. 9 Dace. 1 Bream 2¼lb. 10 gudgeon, 4 bleak & 6 brownies to 3¼lb.
     
    Usual mixed bag for our end of season jaunt to this prolific water - we couldn't find any of the bigger chub and perch - though Paul's only chub over a pound did go 4lb 3oz. Still twas a lovely spring day and we both found some new swims to fish - and ones we want to have a good go at next winter - perfect way to end the season - wanting more. Paul again had a similar return apart from the dace where he had around 4doz due to me spending most of the morning fishing the usual haunts of big chub here - but only snaffling a few of the smaller cousins!
     
    Day was rounded off with some great pub grub and talk of plans for next season!!!
     
    Fancy a dip? This 'peg' is called the swimming pool.

    Fat perch (one of Paul's captures)

    Where it came from...

    View from one of the 'new' swims!

  18. Chris Plumb

    18 December

    By Chris Plumb,

    Middle Kennet Estate water.
     
    0800 -1600
     
    Cold, frosty and bright. -1ºC -> 5ºC. River very low
     
    5 Chub; 5lb 15oz, 2lb 3oz & 3 chublets 2 of which were circa 1lb. 47 Roach; Most in the 6-8oz bracket - the 5 I put on the scales were 9oz, 10oz, 12oz, 14oz & 1lb 2oz but an awful lot weren't much smaller than the 9oz fish - probably had nearly 20lb of roach in all! 2 Dace & 6 Brownies biggest circa 2½lb.
     
    Chalk this one up to the river keeper who put us on to the fish - from a stretch of river Paul and I had never fished before. Probably my best ever day roach fishing on the Kennet (for numbers and overall average size of fish) Paul had fewer roach but the same stamp - and he managed to winkle out a couple of decent dace to 8oz. First couple of hours were a real struggle due to the rod rings freezing up - fishing (and catching) became a lot easier once the temps lifted enough for the line to run free. Largest chub was a bit hair-raising on light tackle!
     

     
    More pics to follow - once my 'Official Photographer' has sent them over!
     
    And here they are....
     
    Twas a bit nippy when we started...

     
    But Dawn was spectacular!

     
    And Sunrise was pretty too...

     
    Nearly 6lbs....

     
    No fish here!

     
    Dusk in the 'Roach' swim.

  19. Chris Plumb
    River Kennet - Speen Moors
     
    1230 - 1600
     
    Bright and sunny start followed by a heavy shower. AT 5-7ºC. Forgot to take WT!
     
    1 Pike; 15lb 3oz (!!!). 4 Perch 1lb 9oz and 3 smalluns. 2 Roach. 2 Dace. 8 Gudgeon.
     
    Rather hoped that the weather would have held to what we'd had in recent days (mild and overcast). Bright sunshine and a sudden drop in temperature is not what the angler ordered and I ummed and ahhed all morning about whether or not to go. However with opportunities somewhat diminished for the next couple of months at least (yes a job at last!) it was a case of you won't catch owt mooching about at home. So rather than the canal I thought I'd have a wander round Speen - drop into a few favourite spots and with ½ pint of maggots left over from last week was sure to catch something. The plan was then to spend the last hour of daylight trying to winkle out a perch or two from a couple of spots that used to be very productive (but have been less so for the last couple of seasons).
     
    Part one went as planned, fishing one of the weirs I had 3 of the perch including the bonus 1lber - but was somewhat gudgeoned out. I was really after a chub so moved down to the APFA swim but only caught more gudgeon! Then who should I meet - but Rusty who was just finishing off a bread based blank in the larger weir. I walked back with him and dropped into a swim en route which quickly produced another perchlet, followed by a roach - and after Chris had bade his goodbyes, 2 dace and a further roach. Having arrived and fished the first couple of hours in bright sunshine, the skies suddenly blackened and for 20 minutes it absolutely tipped it down. I very nearly packed up there and then - but a bright line on the horizon signalled that it was to be just a shower so it was off to the 'perch' swims....
     
    The low water levels didn't fill me with much anticipation but I thought fading light should encourage any fish to feed. The first swim produced nothing and I'd made around ½doz casts in the second swim when the float bobbed once and just slid away purposefully. I wasn't prepared for what happened next. I struck and realised in an instant that this was no perch. Pike love lobs and are a bit of an occupational hazard when perching - and I was seriously out gunned by this beasty! My record on landing pike on worm is pretty good providing you have hooked it clear of teeth - however I really didn't expect to get this one in. The initial strike had turned it away from danger only for it to shoot off down stream in the current. Again I managed to turn its head and headed up stream. In the shallow water I could see it clearly - and realised it was going to be a challenge for my 24' pan net - however on its next pass I placed the net behind it and it turned tail and shot straight in with the current.
     
    A really fine fat specimen hooked in the outside of the scissors - how lucky is that. Tis my biggest ever worm caught pike - beating the 14lb I had 2 years ago, my biggest ever from Speen, and my biggest since my PB of 18-10 in Feb 01. Landed on a size 8 to 6lb mono and my trusty Harrison float rod!
     
    Having photographed and slipped her back I returned to my perch fishing. Alas the perch weren't in residence and the next 2 bobs of the float both produced crayfish - so whilst there was still some daylight left I decided it was time to call it a day!
     

  20. Chris Plumb

    23 November

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Lambourn - Newbury
     
    0800 - 1130
     
    Bright after a frosty start - 1st frost of the month. River very low.
     
    29 Grayling, 11 over 1lb (!!). Best 3; 1lb 14oz, 1lb 8oz, 1lb 7oz. 1 Roach - unweighed but needed the net. 1 Brown Trout parr.
     
    Pure co-incidence that my first visit of the season here corresponded to the 1st frosts of winter. Usual catch a couple and move on tactics until I found a pod of sizeable grayling feeding confidently under the branches of a willow. More importantly they were feeding competitively too - so much so that within a couple of minutes of feeding, and not fishing, the water boiled everytime a sprinkling of freebies hit the surface. So it was off with ALL the shot - and switching to white maggot so I could see it easier resulted in a dozen or so fish in no time at all - watching each time for the bait to be taken before striking. All fish came off the bottom to nail the bait within seconds of casting out - exciting stuff! Most of the 1lb+ fish came from this swim including the biggest which I thought HAD to be a 2lber - HUGE dorsal fin - was determined to catch it - even pulling the float out of the water if another lesser fish started to make a bee-line for the hookbait. Funny how it suddenly got smaller when it was in the net!!!
  21. Chris Plumb

    15/16 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    NAA Stillwater - Widmead
     
    1500 - 0700
     
    Overcast and breezy with light drizzle most of the night after a warm sunny afternoon. Min 15ºC - mild despite the breeze!
     
    6 Carp - all commons - biggest 9lb 13oz, smallest 6lb 8oz. 1 Bream 4lb 8oz. 1 Tench 2lb 8oz. 2 Doz+ Roach and Rudd.
     
    It comes to something when the highlight of your fishing trip is breakfast!!! However the pork and bramley apple sausages, fried egg sandwiches and mugs of steaming fresh tea were much anticipated! The fishing again was slow - Paul and I were after tench and bream - but again were thankful for the occasional carp showing up to put a bend in the rod. And at least these were a little more respectable than last time. Shame, as it started so promisingly - Paul had a bream first cast (he wouldn't get another!) and I spent nearly 20 minutes in mid afternoon battling what we were convinced must be a 20 on my float rod - only for it to turn out to be a 7lb+ common hooked in the derriere - which as Paul was quick to point out doesn't count!!! Still at least the overnight rain wasn't as heavy as forecast - and I was prudently home and dry before the heavens opened. Paul who fished on to try and add to his tally of 5 carp and the bream wasn't quite so lucky but thanks to keeping an eye on the rain radar on his Blackberry missed the worst of it!
     
    Pic (ala Rusty ) of the sausages!
     

  22. Chris Plumb

    13 November

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Frome, Worgret & Wool.
     
    0730 - 1030 - Worgret
    1100 - 1500 - Wool.
     
    Mild and breezy. Overcast am. Mainly sunny pm. River very coloured but well within its banks. (Not at all what I was expecting!!!)
     
    4 Grayling; 2lb 11oz, 1lb 4oz, 12oz & a tiddler. 1 Dace; 10oz. 6 Brownies - most quite small. 1 Sea trout - 1¼lb.
     
    A couple of new venues for this winter and a river I've been wanting to fish for AGES! So some new waters to learn - and the 1st part of my education was in misreading what the state of the river would be!! My heart sank when I saw the colour of it. The game keeper informed me that it wasn't like your typical chalkstream - and coloured up quickly after rain. Still he was quite chatty and pointed out a couple of hotspots - one of which produced the dace and both of which I want to revisit when the water is clear!
     
    BTW - I can't remember the last time I was asked for my permit on my usual club waters - yet get asked for it within ½hr of starting here!
     
    I was hopeful that further upstream at Wool would be less turbid - and so it proved. Still very sub optimal - but not quite as hopeless as where I'd started. Bites still at a premium but slowly they came - lost a really good fish when the maggot bent over the hook point - and next cast caught the sea trout - still with lice on it. 1st grayling of the afternoon was the tiddler, followed by some trout of similar size - but then I hit the jackpot with the big un giving a bloddy hearstopping fight - it jumped - twice!
     
    So, bit of a hard slog - but I've seen enough to want to go back!!!
     
    Edit - this site will prove very useful in the coming months...just upstream of where I started on Sunday...
    http://www.farsondigitalwatercams.com/live...me/Holmebridge/
     
    2lb 11oz of grayling - my 4th= biggest.

     
    Wool Bridge

  23. Chris Plumb

    18 November

    By Chris Plumb,

    Middle Kennet Estate water
     
    0730 - 1630
     
    Mild and mainly overcast with some 'milky' sunshine at times. River VERY low.
     
    7 Chub; 4 over 1lb - biggest 3lb 1oz. 8 Perch; 2 over 1lb - biggest 2lb 3oz. 2 Bream - both circa 1lb. 3 Doz+ Roach - most quite small though 2 warranted the scales - one at 13oz the other a lovely fish of 1lb 4oz. 2 Doz + Dace - all quite small. 20 + Gudgeon. 8 Brownies - most over 2lb - biggest 3lb 8oz. 1 Rainbow - 2¾lb.
     
    A lovely day wandering around this prolific water. Low water meant that the fish were shoaled up in the pools - also made them a bit spooky . We saw some really big chub and hundreds of bream but neither would take a bait. Paul caught even more than me and whilst he didn't get any respectable chub had loads of good dace - and was given the shock of his life when a hugemungous pike attacked one of his perch has he was bringing it to the net - alas neither of us had brought any pike gear!
     
    A couple of pics - unfortunately the roach is a bit over-exposed and Paul took a couple of arty landscape pics of the moon between the trees which are on the cutting room floor as they didn't come out very well!
     


     
    A couple of 'library' pictures - taken Nov 08 when there was a little bit more water in the river too!


  24. Chris Plumb

    25 July

    By Chris Plumb,

    NAA Stillwater - Thatcham
     
    0500 - 1000
     
    Bright and sunny - cool start. 9º -> 16ºC
     
    5 Carp - biggest 2; 11lb 0oz & 9lb 7oz - a few 'bits' - roach, perch & a gudgeon.
     
    A dawn raid hoping for a crucian or 2 but alas the carp were too voracious!! Whatever I put on the hook - bread, maggot, meat, pellet the carp nailed within minutes - didn't give the crus a look in. Bumped as many as I landed too! Biggest carp however was caught deliberately - on floating crust - bit of a " if you can't beat them, join them" effort!
     

  25. Chris Plumb

    2 December

    By Chris Plumb,

    River Lambourn - Shaw
     
    0730 - 1230
     
    Frosty and bright start - clouding over by mid morning. 0ºC -> 6ºC. River low.
     
    56 (!!) Grayling; 3 over 1lb - best a lovely fish of 1lb 12oz. 2 Roach (small). 8 Brownies small ( but bigger than parrs).
     
    Nice sociable session with Paul. Original plan had been to do some more prospecting for perch on the canal but the weather forecasts had been predicting a cold clear Friday morning all week - so Plan B was the ladies! Got off to a slow start and we thought we'd be off the water in under a couple of hours and moving elsewhere but then we found the fish. Usual tactics here are catch a couple and move on - but I guess because of the low water they were somewhat shoaled up - I had 22 from one spot alone. Paul managed 37 grayling and 3 trout with 4 over a pound - his best 1lb 6oz. So over 100 fish between us - a great morning's sport !!!
     
    1-12 is my =biggest grayling from here.
     
    Pics courtesy of Paul (as per usual!)
     





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