Chris Plumb

Northcroft Stream - Newbury 0645 - 0945 Cool, bright and sunny. River up a touch and with a hint of colour. 1 Chub; 1¾lb, 11 Roach - best 14oz. 9 Dace, 1 Perch & a Gudgeon. Trotted maggot. Most fish from the weirpool.

River Kennet - Brimpton 0800 - 1115 Bright and sunny. river up a couple of inches and carrying a bit of colour - looked perfect! 5 Chub: 5lb 11oz, 4lb 14oz, 3lb 5oz, 2lb 13oz, 2lb 0oz. 3 brownies - 2 over 1lb... Cracking morning's trotting - all the chub from the same swim - took it nice and slow - fed well before my first cast then rested & fed between each fish - certainly paid off as I don't usually get more than a couple at any one time....

Lower Itchen Fishery 0800 - 1800 Rain, rain and more rain - yes pretty much non-stop all day - though thankfully not particularly heavy apart from a few brief 'pulses'! River carrying a tinge of colour but otherwise looked in fine fettle! 3 Doz Grayling with half of these 1lb+. Best, 1lb 15oz with another half dozen in the 1lb10oz - 1lb12oz class. 3 Chub; 3lb 11oz and a brace of 2lbers. 9 Brownies - all between 2½-3½lb. 3 Salmon; 2 parr and a grilse of 5lb - on trotted corn! A soggy day in Hampshire though thankfully there was little wind and regular trips to the hut meant there were opportunities to dry out (a bit!). Nice average size of grayling - the trout though got to be a bit of a pain and meant I stopped using red corn - my usual first choice bait here for the ladies - but the trout were shooting to the surface and snaffling the stuff whenever I threw in free offerings it was if it were trout pellets in a stew pond and to get a salmon on the stuff is - well!!!!!

Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton 0700 - 1430 Mild, overcast and becalmed - perfect perching weather - pity no one told the perch! 5 Chub to 2lb 2oz. 1 Perch - small, 8 Roach - with a couple needing the net - both just shy of 12oz. 4 Gudgeon & 2 Bleak. Another frustrating day on the canal - this time I had incessant boat traffic to contend with - had hoped to get at least a couple of hours peace but the first boat came through at 0710 when it was still nearly dark! and thereafter it was constant all morning - can't believe it's this busy in the height of summer! So no interest at all from the stripeys, in a swim that proved a bit of a banker last winter, with just the occasional chub (and roach!) snaffling my lobs.

Kennet & Avon Canal - Avington 0700 - 1400 Mild and VERY gusty with drizzle for the first couple of hours or so (lovely - not!) 1 doz+ perch - most around to 10-12oz mark but couldn't find anything bigger (which what I was after primarily). 2 doz+ roach nothing big), 1 Gudgeon (1st of the season), 1 Dace, 1 Chublet and a Skimmer. 'Orrible session! Wind was a nightmare for casting and presentation (and nearly knocked me off my feet twice). Fished half a dozen or so swims in search of a decent perch and pretty much had similar results from all of them - though at the last place I tried they were slightly bigger so might start here next time. I truth though it was a bit of a 'I'll be glad when I've had enough of this session' !! as the wind made for very difficult conditions - my wrist was sore from holding the rod against it - as it was straight downstream.

River Kennet - Newbury 0930 - 1400 Overcast, breezy with some light drizzle at times. River up a couple of inches and quite coloured after yesterday's inch of rain. 4 Chub; all between 10oz - 1½lb. 2 Perch; 1lb 6oz and a tiddler. 7 Dace. 4 Roach. 1 Bream c1½lb. 2 Grayling & a brownie. Was meant to be up on the Trent today at an IAC fish-in - but Jaq and I abandoned our plans for the week (exploring the Lincolnshire Wolds) due to the inclement weather so had to make do with one of my banker swims on the Kennet!

River Kennet & Carrier - Marsh Benham 0900 - 1430 Overcast and fairly warm (18ºC). River low and clear. 6 Chub: Biggest 3lb 15oz the rest all less than half that! 3 Doz Dace and Roach in roughly equal nos. A couple of really nice dace of 10 & 11oz and quite a few roach in the 6-8oz class with a couple bigger ones (best went 12oz). 3 Perch - best nearly 1lb, 1 Bleak. Lovely day's trotting. Did try a couple of hours ledgering - with no returns (not even a crayfish!)

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1900 - 0600 Warm night, quite breezy at times - temps no lower than 14ºC 4 Carp - biggest 8lb 11oz. Slow, fruitless night after this lake's big, elusive crucians. Float fished, so when the float did go under there was some 'interesting action' on light-ish tackle - but not really what I came here for!

Bucklebury Ponds 1500 - 1730 Bright, warm and sunny. A doz roach tp ¾lb. 5 Perch. 4 Skimmers. No fishing this weekend - upto Birmingham to watch the athletics - so a snatched couple of hours at my nearest venue to home - most of the roach were a 'nice' size.

Warwicks Water 1800 - 2230 Warm evening - especially under the trees. 1 Tench; 2lb 7oz. 1 Roach - small. Circa 2 doz perch. Quick return here after the success of a fortnight ago - perch were even more insatiable - but thankfully quitened down when it got dark. Still no crucians - but a nice plump tench will do nicely!

River Kennet - Newbury 0900 - 1400 Bright and breezy - river up an inch or so after yesterday's heavy rain with its usual summer tinge of colour. 18 Chub: Most around 6-8oz, with 5 over a lb, biggest went 4lb 7oz with the others between 1¼ - 2¼lb., 2 doz+ Dace, 1 doz Roach, 2 Grayling, 2 Bleak and 3 Brownies. Lovely morning's trotting - great to see so many silvers in the river - especially the young chub.

Alders Lake - Thatcham 1800 - 2230 Cool clear evening - with a breeze falling off. AT down to 10ºC when I packed up - felt quite chilly! 1 Tench - 2lb 3oz. 14 Roach - all small. Another blackberry picking and tench evening! Roach were a bit of a pain but once it got dark the bites from them subsided and just like last time my solitary tench came at around 2130. Shortly after was then connected to one of the lakes rogue carp which I played for several minutes and was just entertaining the possibility of getting it in (on an 18 to 3lb bottom) before the hook pulled...

River Kennet - Widmead 0900 - 1200 Bright and breezy. River at 'normal' summer levels. 1 Chub: unweighed but needed the net! 1 Grayling 1lb 1oz. 2 Doz Dace & a bleak. Swim I've not fished for 35 years! (last time was Sep 1985 - and I had stacks of dace then too!). Grayling was first cast which was unexpected thereafter it fish a chuck for the first 45 mins.

Warwicks Water 1830 - 2230 Warm and breezy evening (kept the dew and the mozzies away! 2 Tench; 3lb 2oz & 1lb 9oz. 8 Perch ( all small). Annual trip to check on how this lovely little pond is progressing after being remodelled and restocked (with tench and crucians) a few years back. Surprised on 2 counts; firstly to find two other anglers on the water (one of whom had caught a pound+ roach) - and to get a tinca over 3lb - wasn't expecting anything that big. No sign of any crucians but I won't be waiting a year until my next visit!!

River Kennet - Brimpton. 0500 - 0930 Lovely summer's morning - sun rising therough the valley mist - temps a warm15º - rising to a muggy 21ºC when I packed up. River a little on the low side as is usual at this time of year. 2 Chub; 5lb 4oz & 1½lb. 11 Dace - with half a dozen over 8oz (!!) best went 10oz. 4 Brownies - all over 1lb - biggest 2lb 10oz. Cracking morning's trotting - nice to find a pod of big dace - or rather 2 pods as the fish came from different swims.

Alders Lake - Thatcham 1800 - 2230 Bright and breezy evening - temps down to 15ºC 1 Tench 1½lb, 2 roach. Strange little session - lake seemed pretty lifeless and spent the first 3 hours or so looking at a stationary float - then had a 10 minute flurry of activity at around 2115 half a dozen bites and all 3 fish followed by another hour of nothing! Still, managed to pick nearly 3lb of blackberries which Mrs P has already converted into bramble jelly - yum!

River Kennet - Thatcham 1500 - 1600 Warm and sunny - river quite low 3 Chub; one might have made a pound the others no where near that size!. 4 Roach - all a 6-8oz (good to see). 1 Dace and 3 brownies to 1½lb. I left work early to go home and watch the cricket only to find Ireland had been bowled out for 38 in under 16overs - so a snatched hour on the river before a weekend spent in Manchester watch athletics (England AAA champs).

Harris Lake - Milford 1430 - 0430 Warm and muggy with a gentle breeze - clearing ovenight with temps down to 12ºC at dawn. 18 Crucians; 10 over 2lb - biggest 2lb 11oz. 11 Tench; 5 over 5lb - biggest 5lb 12oz. 6 Perch, 6 Roach, 1 Rudd. Very busy session with over half the fish caught in daylight (for a change). Everyting caught under my rod tips - float fishing with prawn and maggot weighing in equally with fish. Fed much more sparingly than usual which seemed to stop the tench arriving en masse!

Johnsons Lake - Milford 1530 - 2315 Warm and sunny with quite a stiff breeze until dusk. 2 Crucians; 3lb 3oz, 2lb 15oz. 6 Tench - all over 3½lb - best 2; 5-12 & 5-02. 2 Carp (very small - one may have scrapped a pound the other less than half that!). 3 Rudd - all small. Very pleasant evening's float fishing the margins - as usual not a lot until dusk (just the rudd) - first fish (the 2-15 cru) at around 1930 - thereafter steady sport until 2300. All fish on prawn (apart from the rudd - on maggot).

River Kennet - Newbury 0430 - 0800 Clear and sunny. River at near normal summer levels and carrying its usual summer colour... 11 Chub; All quite small with a couple slightly bigger (just over 1lb). 3 Doz+ Dace, 1 Roach. 4 Brownies to 1lb. Lovely morning's trotting and home in time for brekfast. Really nice to see some juvenile chub in the river - augur's well for the future....

River Kennet - Brimpton 1800 - 2045 - Warm, with sunny spells. River at normal early summer levels. 1 Chub; 4lb 14oz, 3 Dace, 3 Brownies to 1½lb. Pleasant evening's trotting - pleased to get such a nice chub so early in the season - was in surprsingly good condition too.

Jubilee Lake - Thatcham 1900 - 0430 Glorious might to be out - warm (min 15ºC) with a balmy southerly breeze to keep the dew off - fantastic view of Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky too! 7 Carp; 15lb 8oz, 9lb 14oz, 9lb 3oz, 8lb 7oz, 8lb 2oz, 6lb 15oz, 5lb 8oz. Not one of my favourite venues - too busy and noisy - which probable explains why I struggled to get a single bite in the margins. All fish during darkness on the feeder - the biggest two topping and tailing the session.

Willows Lake - Thatcham 1500 - 0500 Cool clear night - down to 7ºC by dawn. 3 Carp; 12lb 11oz, 7lb 9oz, 4lb 6oz. 2 Perch. I last took my brother, Colin, fishing on 26/1/91 - when he caught a brace of 13lb pike from the Kennet at Padworth - so was somewhat surprised to be asked at a family gathering last Christmas to come fishing with me again - ' I'll take you carp fishing' I says - expecting to hear no more about it! But he was serious so a plan was hatched to get him a carp on the bank! A plan that very nearly back-fired as an hour or so into darkness the carp started spawning scuppering my claims that we'd do really well after the light went! We had a few liners during the night and apart from a 6lber for Col that was the only fish caught in darkness- we packed up as soon as it got light to leave the fish in peace and slept for an hour or so in our cars before it was a respectable time to arrive home! Thankfully my bruv had preceded his night time fish with a very muscular common caught on one of my light float rods which gave him a merry run around and took an age to get in - and at 7lb 14oz was just 2 oz shy of the stamp of fish I'd promised we'd get so he went home more than happy! All my fish came to float fished maggot in the hours before dusk (twas secretly trying for one of the lakes elusive crucians).

Johnsons Lake - Marsh Farm 1600 - 2315 & 0245 - 0500 (with 3 hours kip in the car) Warm, muggy overcast with showery rain all evening. Bright an breezy in the morning. 11 Tench; 5 over 5lb, best 3 - 7lb 7oz, 6lb 7oz, 6lb 4oz. 3 Crucians; 3lb 14oz (new PB), 3lb 2oz, 2lb 10oz. 2 Rudd to 10oz. Another cracking June trip here - 4th season in a row - though this one was definitely more eventful! My hopes weren't high to start with as reports from the first few days were of anglers struggling. Most of these were casting to the horizon and after carp whereas I would be float fishing the first few yards of lake for crucians. Things did get off to a slow start but quickly got going as the light faded. The 2 rudd were all I caught before 2000 - then came the 3 crucians in ascending size order - I thought the biggie had to be a 4lber and was shaking as a weighed it! After that the tench moved in - bullying the crus out of the swim methinks as I didn't get another sniff of one. The morning was just as eventful - for all the wrong reasons because I, err, fell in !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No half measures either, slipped/tripped just as I was casting out my float rod and went head first into the drink. Lost my glasses and head torch - thankfully I have some prescription sunglasses which got me home. Phone seems to have gone into some kind of safe mode so it 'might' be ok - currently drying out....Pride comes before a fall they say! Pity as I was still catching and had planned to stay much longer......

Well done JC - nice to see there's at least a couple of us keeping this blog going!!!