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Chris Plumb

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Blog Entries posted by Chris Plumb

  1. Chris Plumb

    9 January

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    Middle Kennet (& carrier) - Marsh Benham.
    0930 - 1430
    Cold, cloudy to start clearing to bright winter sunshine. AT 1º-3ºC but feeling MUCH colder in a biting North-Easterly wind. River VERY high - clearly down a few inches on the last couple of days based on all the debris on the bank but still higher by far on my last trip here - gin clear however.
    2 Chub: 3lb 2oz, 2lb 13oz. 7 Brownies 2-3½lb.
    Started on the south bank of the main river with trotted red corn - which met with instant success - a chub first cast. Alas, second cast was a brownie that thrashed the swim to a foam putting paid to anymore bites! The carrier was the usual game of trying, and generally failing, to avoid the trout so thankful for at least one more fish without an adipose!
  2. Chris Plumb

    4 January (Part 2)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Newbury (Whitehouse)
    1330 - 1430
    Started raining the second I cast out and got progressively heavier - blowing in my face so becoming deeply unpleasant!! AT 5ºC. River bank high, really pushing through and very coloured up.
    1 Chub 5lb 10oz (!)
    Well, as I was parked around the corner for my Lambourn jaunt I thought I'd at least have a look at the slack that produced my SB chub last week. With more water and a LOT more colour it didn't look at all promising - but that didn't stop me running a float through it! So more than a little surprised to get a bite - and even more so to get another fine chub from here. It would be my only take and with the rain lashing down (as if we need any more!!) I beat a hasty retreat....
    First chub of 2024.
     

  3. Chris Plumb

    29 December (Part 1)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Newbury (Whitehouse)
    0900 - 1300
    Bright and breezy with heavy showers. AT 8ºC. River very pacey with a tinge of colour.
    1 Chub: 5lb 14oz. 9 Roach - all a 'nice' size - the one I deemed worthy of the scales went 14oz - with all the others around half that! 2 Dace - small.
    A quick return to my pre-Christmas venue. When I walked back to my car last week I spied a slack which simply screamed 'here be chub' and I wasn't wrong! First trot through the float buried at the end of the run and I was into a very stubborn battle. A lumbering fight more befitting of a big bream - but very pleased with a season's best chub. Couldn't winkle out another  so went exploring and had decent-ish roach from the two other swims I dropped into....
    Nearly a 6.
     

  4. Chris Plumb

    29 December (Part 2)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    Kennet & Avon 'Flowing' canal - Thatcham
    1345 - 1545
    Bright and breezy. AT 8ºC. River very full with a tinge of colour.
    14 Roach. 1 Dace. All small.
    Another rarely visited swim which can be very hit or miss - usually miss - but which I knew would be a large slack on a flooded river. Lots of silvers in residence but no signs of anything bigger.
     
  5. Chris Plumb

    21 December (Part 2)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Newbury ('Whitehouse' stretch)
    1230 - 1430
    Mild, overcast and windy. AT 12ºC. River full and clear.
    8 Roach - all quite chunky - in the 6-10oz class. 1 Dace: a good-un - worthy of the scales at 13oz.
    Been yonks since I last fished here - but rumours of good silver fish catches (including big dace) had me investigating on a recent visit to B&Q and vowing to return with rod in hand. Had originally intended to fish down the length of the Lambourn again - but instead decided to switch plans for an exploratory session here to finish off my maggots prior to my bait fridge getting its annual clean and pressed into Christmas duties. As it turned out I didn't move from the first swim I dropped into - the fish coming in a slow and steady fashion - I also bumped something much bigger so a return trip and a longer stay will be a priority in the New Year!
  6. Chris Plumb

    21 December (Part 1)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Lambourn - Newbury
    0900 - 1200
     Mild, overcast and very windy due to Storm Pia - some swims had some jeopardy due to falling branches! AT 11º/12º. River very high and clear. 1.67m on the Shaw gauge.
    8 Grayling: half over a lb - best 1lb 11oz. 3 Brownies - all small/parrs.
    Bit of a 'scratchy' morning with most of my more reliable swims hardly producing a bite. Think all the extra water has pushed the fish into some unlikely spots. Eventually found some fish and had 4 from one slack - including the biggest of the morning...
  7. Chris Plumb

    18 December

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Speen Moors
    0845 - 1400
    Mild and overcast - quite breezy. AT 10º-12ºC. River VERY high, up another 3 or 4 inches on last month and with a hint of colour.
    4 Chub: 2lb 14oz, 2lb 10oz, 2lb 3oz, 1lb 10oz. 4 Roach, 3 Dace, 1 Perch (all small). 1 Brownie 4½lb
    Morning got off to a cracking start with all four chub caught in the first ½hour - then switched to a slack on the weir-pool that has been throwing up nice perch all autumn - but they weren't in residence - though their prey was! Another move to a rarely fished swim produced the big brownie....
  8. Chris Plumb

    15 December (Part 2)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne
    1400 - 1600
    Cool, calm with some milky sunshine. AT 7ºC
    10 Perch; most quite small - with one good-un @ 2lb 4oz. 1 Pike c2½lb
    Successful dusk session after a big stripey, in a canal basin that is something of a winter aquarium - for predators and prey - as evidenced by a couple of the club's seasoned match anglers who were also fishing it when I arrived. They kindly let me drop in above them - and I was quickly having problems with pike - I got bitten off twice in the fist 20 minutes. A series of small perch followed before something that put a decent bend in the rod and that wasn't a pike was brought to the waiting net. A 'scissors hooked' pike soon followed and proceedings were brought to an end with yet another bite off.....
  9. Chris Plumb

    15 December (Part 1)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    Middle Kennet (& Carrier), Marsh Benham
    0900 -  1315
    Cool, calm and cloudy - a lovely benign winter's day. AT 5º-7ºC. River very full and clear - though down a couple of inches on 10 days ago.
    2 Chub: 3lb 5oz & 2lb 7oz. 3 Brownies; 2½-3½lb.
    I had a cunning plan for today - return to the south bank flood slack I found last week - pre-bait with copious amounts of red sweetcorn and empty the swim of big winter chub - or at least that was how it played out in my imagination! The reality was somewhat different. I usually have great faith in red corn as a winter chub bait - but after a bite-less hour I switched to maggot and had a 3lb chub immediately - ho hum. It would prove to be my only bite from the main river - so it was a long walk back to fish the top of the carrier - for the inevitable 'trout-fest' (I lost as many as I landed!) before eventually catching a more modest chevin!
  10. Chris Plumb

    13 December

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Lambourn - Shaw
    0930 - 1330
    Cool, overcast and drizzly. AT 6ºC. River full and clear. 1.68m on the Shaw river gauge.
    6 Grayling - a couple of 'pounders' - biggest 1lb 6oz, 3 around 8-10oz and a tiddler. 12 Brownies - all small/parrs.
    I had planned to fish the Kennet today - but another 14mm of rain yesterday will have completely stuffed up even my most favoured flood swims. Somewhat of a scratchy morning - largely failing to avoid the small trout which were everywhere. Session somewhat redeemed by the last fish caught which was also the biggest lady,  from a swim that had recently been vacated by another angler!
  11. Chris Plumb

    3 November (Part2)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Hambridge
    1230 - 1430
    Mainly overcast, quite breezy with a couple of lumpy showers. AT 13ºC. River up over a foot on my last visit and the colour of 'builder's tea'!
    1 Chub 3lb 5oz. 1 Bream 3lb 2oz. 3 Roach - all small. 1 Gudgeon.
    Fished my 'banker' flood water swim - but even I was surprised I caught. River was really coloured up after Storm Ciarán had dumped an inch and a half of rain on West Berkshire in the past 24 hours - and didn't look at all promising. However a gudgeon first cast grew some confidence and the chub came along shortly after. Bites were still at a premium though so with no action for nearly an hour after the bream and with darkening skies, I decided to quit while I was ahead!
  12. Chris Plumb

    8 December

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Hambridge
    0945 - 1415
    Cool with a bright start - clouding over (thankfully). AT 4º-10ºC.  River VERY high - highest I've seen it this winter - yet with surprisingly little colour considering it rained most of yesterday!
    2 Chub: 3lb 10oz, 3lb 3oz. 2 Perch: 3lb 0oz , 2lb 7oz. 1 Roach (small), 1 Grayling (ditto). 1 Brownie - c2lb.
    Started off in my downstream flood swim - as it is more shady and had both chub from it (plus the red-fin, lady and brownie). Moved upstream after lunch as it was clouding over and my first swim had been trashed by the trout. Only 2 bites in the afternoon but they both produced quality stripeys including a second 3lber from this swim this winter.
    A fat 3lber!

  13. Chris Plumb

    5 December

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    Middle Kennet (& Carrier) - Marsh Benham
    0900 - 1400
    Cool, overcast with some light drizzle at times. AT 4º-5ºC. River very full with a little colour after yesterday's rain.
    4 Chub: 4lb 13oz, 4lb 3oz, 3lb 11oz, 3lb 8oz. 1 Roach - small. 9 Brownies, 8 between 2lb-4½lb and a small-un.
    Fished the whole length of the carrier in the morning, think I pretty much ran a float through every swim for a solitary roach and the 9 Brownies (groan). Then walked down the canal bank to retrieve a float I'd unwisely cast into the bushes and to have a crack at the South bank of the main river for a change. Thankfully this resulted in finding some decent chub at last and had all 4 in pretty much consecutive casts (though I did rest and feed the swim between each fish). Proceedings were brought to an end by another splashy trout which got off but not before going airborne at just the spot where the chub had been taking my bait - sigh!

  14. Chris Plumb

    1 December

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Lambourn - Newbury
    0845 - 1415
    Cold and cloudy. AT -2º -> +1ºC. (Proper Grayling weather!). River very full and clear.
    23 Grayling. 8 over a lb - best 4 went 1lb 14oz, 1lb 12oz & 1lb 10oz (X2 - different fish). 5 Brownies: all small/parrs.
    I do love cold days like this - wrapped up warm and staying mobile. Had the rare luxury of not seeing another angler so fished the length of the stretch twice with a break for lunch in between. Took corn but forgot it in the morning - doh - so fished with maggot first time and just corn the second. Corn caught fewer though 5 of the 8 'pounders' fell to it. Local tackle shop is stocking krill flavoured red corn which I was using for the first time. My theory is that red corn get's mistaken for trout eggs - and this stuff even smells the part!
  15. Chris Plumb

    28 November

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Colthrop
    0900 - 1300
    Sunny spells - quite cold. AT 5ºC. River very high and gin clear!
    1 Dace, 1 Roach (both small). 2 Gudgeon. 1 Brownie.
    Another venue I visit infrequently (last time was  three years ago), but whispers of large chub had me investigating first hand. Started out on the flowing canal in a failed attempt at emulating last week's big dace capture. All in all I struggled for bites all morning....
  16. Chris Plumb

    24 November

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Lambourn - Shaw
    1215- 1500
    Sunny spells - quite breezy and getting chilly. AT 8º-5ºC. River very full but crystal clear as always.
    11 Grayling: 5 over a lb. Best two @ 1lb 10oz & 1lb 9oz. 8 Brownies; one 'pounder' the rest all quite small.
    Looks like being a great year for Lambourn ladies - another couple of fish well above expectations for this venue - and both first cast fish from a couple of usual hot-spots. River very pacey which meant some of my other favoured swims were too turbulent to be holding fish (though that didn't stop me running a float through them to confirm my hypothesis!).


  17. Chris Plumb

    21 November (Part 2)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Hambridge
    1245 - 1500
    Overcast and drizzly. AT 9ºC. River VERY high up yet another couple of inches on my last visit (11 days ago) - but with hardly any colour.
    2 Chub: 3lb 6oz & 3lb 2oz. 1 Perch: 3lb 1oz (SB), 1 Dace:(small), 1 Grayling;(ditto)
    Usual 'flood swim' bonanza - 2nd winter in a row I've had a 3lb+ perch from here. Started  downstream of my usual swim which produced the 'smaller' chub and the 2 'silvers'.
     

  18. Chris Plumb

    21 November (Part 1)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    K&A 'flowing' Canal - Thatcham
    0900 - 1200
    Cool, overcast and drizzly at times. AT 8ºC. River VERY full, flowing quite hard (for a canalised section) but clear.
    2 Dace: 1lb 1oz (!!!) 😲 & 11oz
    WOW! I visit here quite infrequently as it isn't a particularly prolific stretch - though it has thrown up some big autumn dace in recent years - and that sort of what I was hoping for - but wasn't expecting anything quite so jaw dropping. 
    I'd started on The Arrowhead - for old times sake - (I haven't caught a decent fish from it in a decade) and after a bite-less hour dropped down onto the canal proper. 'Smaller' dace was first cast followed almost immediately by the pounder which I assumed was a small chub until I got it to the surface. My biggest dace for 20 years.
     

  19. Chris Plumb

    17 November (Part 2)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton
    1430 - 1615
    Cool and overcast. AT 9ºC
    5 Perch; 3 between ¾-1lb+ and 2 tiddlers.
    All fish 10 mins either side of 1600 - not a bite before then!
  20. Chris Plumb

    17 November (Part 1)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Speen Moors
    0900 - 1330
    Cool and sunny, clouding over late morning. AT 2º-10ºC. River very high but with only little colour.
    3 Perch: 2lb 2oz and a couple around ¾-1lb. 1 Dace, 1 Roach. 1 Brownie - 2½lb.
    Bit of a gamble with the river so high - but I reasoned if I could find some 'quiet' water I'd find some fish. Morning got off to the worst of starts - trickling in small amounts of maggot for 10 mins didn't bring the hoped for first cast chub but another ruddy trout which went absolutely ballistic and totally trashed my first swim. As on Wednesday I was glad of some cloud cover bubbling up as bites were at a premium - but less so for the last hour - morning saved by the bigger perch - caught last cast!
  21. Chris Plumb

    15 November

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    Middle Kennet Carrier - Marsh Benham
    0800 - 1300
    Bright and sunny - clouding over for last hour. AT 7º-11ºC. River VERY full. Main river over the banks and carrier bank high but with little colour.
    2 Chub: 2lber and a chublet. 30+ Dace & Roach roughly equal nos - nothing particularly noteworthy some of the dace were quite chunky and one of the roach needed the net. 1 Perch - small. 5 Brownies: all between 2½-3½lb.
    Sparkly morning in West Berkshire - though I was thankful for some cloud cover for the last hour - seemed to produce more bites (including the chub). A venue which usually fishes well when the river is high but this morning's efforts resulted in a rather disappointing trout to chub ratio! 
  22. Chris Plumb

    10 November

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Hambridge
    1230 - 1515
    Sunny spells after morning rain. AT 8ºC (felt a lot cooler!). River still very high - if anything up and inch or so on last Friday but with nearly all the colour dropped out and LOTS of leaf litter.
    3 Chub: 5lb 1oz and a brace of 2lbers. 1 Perch: 2lb 15oz. 1 Roach - handsized.
    Favourite flood swim produces the goods yet again! Took it nice and slow resting the swim for at least 10 mins after each fish and keeping the bait trickling in - seemed to do the trick as every fish came from exactly the same spot in the swim. Biggest perch of the season (so far!) and 2nd biggest chub of 23/24...


  23. Chris Plumb

    7 November (Part 1)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    Kennet & Avon Canal - Woolhampton
    0715 - 1045
    Bright, crisp morning, though the breeze picked up a lot and was clouding over when I packed up. AT 2º - 8ºC
    1 Pike: small (very - see pic below!). 1 Perch c6-8oz. 1 Roach - handsized.
    A cold start with bright sunshine above and grass frost under my feet are not the most ideal conditions for autumn perching! Another exploratory session and I fished 4 swims along the length of the section - but regardless of where I cast, bites were at a premium.
    Baby Pike
     

  24. Chris Plumb

    7 November (Part 2)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Kennet - Brimpton
    1145 - 1445
    Bright and breezy. AT 8º-10ºC. River still very high - though most colour has now dropped out.
    6 Brownies; a fish of around 2½lb - the rest all around 8-10oz, all almost identical in size - kept thinking I was catching the same fish.
    Normal service has been resumed - alas. My Nemisis turning up 'early doors' in every swim I tried - thwarting all attempts at attracting a chub or 2!
  25. Chris Plumb

    3 November (Part 1)

    By Chris Plumb,


    Coarse Fishing
    River Lambourn - Newbury
    0800 - 1200
    Bright and breezy with a few light showers. AT 7º - 13ºC. River very full - but crystal clear as always!
    16 Grayling with 7 around a lb or better - 2 of which were substantially better at 2lb 2oz & 1lb 14oz 😲(!). 8 Brownies - one real lump of around 3lb the rest all small/parrs.
    Default venue when the Kennet is in flood and my first 2lb+ grayling from the Lambourn in over 2 decades. (Last time was 27/12/01). Took red corn for a change (don't often use it here) and whilst it did catch me a couple of pounders - both big ones fell to maggot. As usual I didn't catch more than a couple from any one swim and whilst I had planned to wander back to the top of the fishery and work my way down again in the afternoon a number of other anglers turning up mid-morning had me changing my plans and 'going around the  corner' to have a look at the flooded Kennet.
    Who needs the Frome!

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