A View from the Water's Edge

[Chris Plumb]

Apache:

 

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I have seen several mink on the Kennet and the Loddon Chris. I have also shot one or two trying to half-inch my kois out of my pond!

Keep shooting them! - they've no right to exist in this country - VERMIN!

 

 

Chris

[Chris Plumb]

A couple of short river trips this week....

 

5 Minutes from Blanking!

13th/14th Aug 1930 - 0030

 

I expected a struggle. Fishing the dog-end of the heat wave, the river was low, sluggish and 73ºF. Still, it was another ‘shirt-sleeves’ evening and infinitely preferable to being stuck in-side. The plan was to fish till the early hours but by 11.00pm a lifeless river had produced not the slightest indication on either quiver. A blank looked likely. ‘I’ll give it another half an hour’ thinks I. At 11.25 the right hand rod sweeps round - I’m so surprised I nearly miss it - but a fish is on! A sluggish fight, and a minute later a 5lb babel is in the net. Of course the smart thing to do would have been to pack up there and then!! But, encouraged by a this bite, I carry on for another fishless hour before calling time on the session

 

Virgin Water?

16th August 0600 - 1000

 

Paul and I have a lot of new water to explore this season. And this trip was to a stretch of the Kennet - which if reports were to be believed - has hardly been fished in decades. Many Kennet anglers are currently lamenting the lack of weed and silver fish in the river. Well this stretch has an abundance of both! I fished mid-stream - wading out to trot a long glide through beds of luxuriant Ranunculus. It was fish a chuck - nearly a 100 dace and roach with the odd gudgeon and a brace of small 1-2lb chub. Paul had similar joy and managed a surprise 3lb tench. We also had a good look around - and identified a couple of likely looking swims which will get the attention of our feeder rods next visit.

 

 

Chris

[Apache]

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Originally posted by Apache:

 

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I have seen several mink on the Kennet and the Loddon Chris. I have also shot one or two trying to half-inch my kois out of my pond!

 

 

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Keep shooting them! - they've no right to exist in this country - VERMIN!

 

 

I do shoot any of the wretched things but theey just seem to multiply!

[Chris Plumb]

A Crucian for Sam?

 

22/8/03 1845-2045

 

A short session with my youngest - and not for the first time a chance to vicariously relive my childhood. Also the chance to enjoy a couple of hours solitude in an otherwise manic week - which has seen me move house and spend three days in hospital.

Whilst I've taken both my boys fishing from an early age this was the first time I'd taken either to a water that I fished in my youth. The venue, a couple of monastic ponds formed countless generations ago by daming a secluded wooded valley. An eerie place, haunted by the centuries, we were convinced there were ghosts here and never dared stayed after dark! The fishing was always undemanding, hoardes of stunted rudd and perch, the odd tench and bream which if you caught one over a pound made you a local hero. There was even a big carp legend - isn't there always when you're 13? However the species which used to get me on my bike from the local village was crucians. The ponds contains loads but getting them out was always more challenging than the rudd!. They averaged around 8oz and catching them here started my love of the species.

So it was with the promise of a crucian that Sam and I arrived to fish with a bare 2 hours of daylight left.

I set us up with light float tackle to fish the margins and it wasn't long before we were catching fish alternately. (Sam would 'win' the 'match' 10-9!). Roach at first then perch then a couple of tiny rudd - just as I remember them. A cry went up around the corner from the only other 'party' on the pond. 'A Crucian!!' Sam scurried off to have a look but it was released before he got there. However he didn't have to wait long to see one as within a minute one fell to my tackle. A short stubby fish of a few ounces, Sam sucked in his cheeks by way of impersonation!

The last 15 minutes were fished by pulling the float closer and closer to the bank so we could see them in the gloom. Then right at 'the death' Sam's float dips and he's into something more substantial. A Crucian? Alas no, but something which slightly amazes me, its' a Roach. An absolutely pristine red-fin which looks enormous in comparison to the tiddlers that went before and weighs just a couple of ounces under a pound!

 

I've got to take his brother next week!

 

 

Chris

[Apache]

Nice reading Chris. Would the lake be anywhere near Reading per chance?

[The Flying Tench]

Chris, I'm really amazed, and I guess impressed, that you can have 3 days in hospital and move house in one week and still manage to go fishing!

[Chris Plumb]

Apache:

Would the lake be anywhere near Reading per chance?

Depends what you mean by near!

 

 

Chris

[Chris Plumb]

Crayfish!

 

28/8/03 1900 - 2300

 

A quick return to the ‘new’ bit of river that Paul and I had first fished a fortnight ago. I had liked the look of a lovely ‘raft’ swim where the trailing branches of a willow had gathered up all manner of debris to provide a roof for wary barbel and was keen on a quick re-visit. The plan was to fish till the early hours with meat or halibut pellet. However, on arrival, I couldn’t resist getting the ‘pin out for the last hour of daylight and quickly brought 2½ dozen dace/roach/gudgeon to hand.

By 2015 though I was down to the serious business - crouched over my quiver waiting for and indication the feeding fish were afoot! I didn’t have long to wait for a shake but alas it wasn’t from anything with fins. Crayfish - The American Signal variety a scourge of the Kennet and an absolute nuisance when you’re bottom fishing. Tonight was the worst I’ve seen them, they were everywhere - a complete plague. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the longest I waited before they were on the bait was 2 minutes. Usually it was within seconds of settling the rod. I fished on, hoping that an absence of crays would mean that there were fish around, but packed ‘early’ at 2300 fed-up and dispirited....

 

 

A Double for Matthew!

 

30/8/03 0530 - 1000

 

Oh boy - this morning caused a few ructions in the Plumb household! Having taken Sam fishing a week ago I was under oath to take Matthew. I think Sam will be the more interested in angling (as evidenced by Matthew grabbing his Gameboy when we left the house at 0430 this morning) but any parent with more than one child will know all about equitable treatment! Last year Sam had a fine brace of tench from a local pit and it was to this lake that I took Matthew with the hope of something similar.

I hoped to catch some crucians (I hope that remained unfulfilled today!) And I set up stall to float fish bread in the margins. I like to keep things simple, so set up Matthew with a rod free-lining luncheon meat (dipped in Trigga). I advised him to flick it out beyond the margin shelf as after the rain and cooler nights I suspected the fish may have gone to deeper water. I tell him to tighten up very gently, feel the line with his fingers and watch where it entered the water - “strike if it starts to move!” I also caution against instant action and, full credit to the lad, he waits an hour and a quarter before the line cuts out into the lake and he quickly reels in a tench of 2lb 4oz. We are both thrilled. “Got what we came for” - though Matthew is slightly disappointed that the fish was just half the size of Sam’s biggest the year before!!! The fish is put back before we realise that we’d forgotten to take its picture. “Ah well - you’ll HAVE to catch a bigger one now.” Prophetic words. The next cast hasn’t touched bottom when the rod was all but ripped from his hands. The reel complains bitterly as Matthew points the rod at the fish and reels in vigorously. “Hold the rod up” I implore. The fish is still bullied in rather stronger than I fancy I would have and it isn’t long before I’m netting a lovely golden common. It weighs exactly 8lb and this time there was no mistakes with the camera!! (See below)

 

 

 

Half an hour later and Matthew gets a repeat bite, though if anything the ‘take’ is even more savage has it cuts one of his fingers! This time the rod is held high. The fight is longer and more muscular than before - “It’s bigger than the last one” Matthew says and he’s not wrong! (We’ll make an angler of him yet!) There’s a few hairy moments close in before I get the net under a long lean common - “that must be close to a double I exclaim” and the scales confirm my estimation by registering 10lb 4oz!! Strewth!! Dad’s well and truly been shown up this morning (I’ve hardly had a bite). We fish on - me blanking, Matthew though loses the next two with the hook coming out, both times as they were close to being netted (a tench and a carp). It hardly matters though as Matthew can’t wait to get home to ‘tell’ his brother - and to show him the pictures! He also reminds me as we pack up, that he's had 3 fish for 20lb 8oz (yes he's even started talking like an angler!). I've managed a solitary, suicidal, rudd and a perch which gave I masterly imitation of a Crucian bite - but there's no mistake - it's Matthew's morning!

 

 

This one was “Too big to pick up!”

 

 

Chris

 

[ 31. August 2003, 09:34 PM: Message edited by: Chris Plumb ]

[Apache]

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Originally posted by Apache:

Would the lake be anywhere near Reading per chance?

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Depends what you mean by near!

 

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I think i know the lake you mean mate, but I will not post the location any way.

 

Excellent reading, sounds better than my early fishing days!

[Chris Plumb]

Ok let's try again...

 

Fun in the Sun

 

4/9/03 1045 - 1545

 

A day off to make sure the boys started at their new schools safely/happily left most of the day free for, 'well what shall I do? - I know, FISHING!!'. Yet another new water to explore. Well not exactly new - but I'd last fished the opposite bank in 1978 so it felt like a first trip.

The plan was to travel light - just a float rod and centre pin which I tackled up in the car park.

The river is really showing signs of the dry summer - very low - some of the shallows are as dry and white as bleached bones. Coupled with low weed growth and bright sunny conditions - my expectations were extremely low.

I was therefore extremely surprised and delighted to find fish in the first swim I dropped into. I'd decided to concentrate on the faster 'rougher' water and my first trot through a fast riffle resulted in chub of a couple of pounds. Some nice dace quickly followed, then a most unexpected bonus - a grayling of a pound - most unusual for this part of the Kennet.

Things then got even better with a brace of 3lb barbel before the swim went quiet and I moved down to the next fast bit. A similar pattern followed, dace were followed by another barbel, a fish that was only slightly bigger than the previous two.

I then fished 2 or 3 more swims picking up a few more nice dace before I had a last 20 minutes in the swim I started in. The result - another 3lb barbel - my 4th and last of a hugely enjoyable day. It won't be 25 years before I'm back again!

 

A Promising Start

 

6/9/03 0600 - 1200

 

A late summer tench session was the plan and things started so promisingly with a 3lb tench first cast. The fish was a male and went like stink - belieing it's quite modest size. Alas it proved to be my only bite! I rang the changes in bait and presentation. Re-raked the swim. But the lack of ANY tale-tale bubbles had me packing up early - Ah well - you can't win them all!

 

 

Chris