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Barton Court Fish-in 13th March


Chris Plumb

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I think I promised to do one of these last year - but never quite got a round tuit!

 

I've booked the whole Barton Court fishery on the River Kennet at Kintbury for a small AN fish-in on 13th March 2009. (A Friday).

 

Barton Court is a classic Middle Kennet estate fishery with numerous carriers, small weirs and a good mix of species. It is a game fishery which allows coarse fishing from 1st October. There are big roach (which you can usually see but rarely catch!), good perch, some large bream, a few chub and a good head of pike (Kennet river record was from this venue). Oh - and it occasionally throws up the odd huge dace! When I last organised an AN day here (March '04 - though I can't find the thread anymore) it was badged as a Grayling Day - though, somewhat embarrassingly I was the only one to catch any grayling. However I'm reliably informed that grayling are making a bit of a comeback at the venue this autumn (and some nice grayling to over 2lbs came out just downstream last winter). It's a great place to get out the match rod and centrepin.

 

10 is the maximum number of anglers allowed - which will give everyone plenty of room to wander around! So that means I have EIGHT places to fill. (I said it was a small fish-in) This will be allocated on a 1st come first served basis. To provisionally book a place please contact me OFF FORUM at chris.a.plumb@gmail.com.. Please, please, please don't just post on here - you need to contact me directly in order to get my postal address. I shall be paying the fishery direct - and asking everyone that gets a provisional place to send me a post-dated cheque for £15 - which I will cash after the fish-in. The receipt of your cheque will confirm your place on the fish-in!!!

 

To whet the appetite here is the write up I did after the last AN day there...

 

Wot No Grayling!!!

3rd Anglers Net Members Club Fish-in Barton Court

5/3/04 0700 - 1800

 

Umm this was a little embarrassing! This was the third fish-in I've organised for AN members - the first two, on the Kennet and Test were really 'badged' as Grayling Fish-ins and everyone who came to them managed to bag at least one grayling. For my third fish-in I wanted to pick a fishery with a more mixed stock of fish but one which also held grayling. Barton Court seemed to fit the bill perfectly - it holds some monster roach (more about them in a minute!), some good perch and bream, and Paul and I both had 8 or 9 grayling each when we last fished it in October!

 

So the place was booked and members quickly signed up - even Elton said he would come! For two or three the promise of a first grayling got them out of their beds at an early hour for the drive to the Kennet. Paul and I arrived at first light and as we pulled into the Estate stopped the car to witness an incerdibly sight. Hares, at least a dozen of them lolloping and chasing each other. (Well it IS March!) I've never seen so many in such a confined space and they seemed pretty unconcerned by our presence.

 

We quickly tackled up and Paul made off to his first swim. I stayed at the car park fishing a little plunge pool in order to play 'the genial host' as anglers arrived. While waiting I quickly bumped a fish at the tail of the weir - almost certainly a trout and then a few minutes later I landed a fish - a grayling too, of about 10inches. It seemed a good omen at the time but wouldn't be so!

 

Folks started to arrive and I moved up to the pool proper. I'd been told of big perch and I dropped my worm baited float right by the sill. Elton arrived and went for a stroll round the fishery - so missing my first bite in the weir - a perch of 1lb 12oz. On returning for a chat however he was witness to me capturing a crayfish! and another decent perch. An eneregtic and particularly stupid rainbow of around 5-6lb was next up - it snaffled my bait twice in two casts but got off both times!

 

With everyone arrived I went for a wander. Early reports on the grayling front weren't encouraging - in fact apart from a few trout - little else was coming from the 'grayling' swims I'd pointed out! To cut a long story short I think only 3 ladies were caught all day - and I had two of them! I managed a splendid specimen of 1½lb from the very bottom of the fishery in the afternoon. Paul had the other one I know about.

 

So no grayling - sorry chaps! Perch however were in evidence with a fair few caught in the 1½-2lb bracket. Elton had one of 1¾lb whilst Paul trumped the lot of us with a fish of 2lb 10oz a new PB and one that I was privileged to net for him. The fish was real pot bellied specimen - more the shape of a mirror carp than a perch!

 

Paul then spent the afternoon chasing preds and ended the day with 5 pike - the best a 12lber.

 

I said early that Barton Court was famous for its roach, something none of us who fished there yesterday are now in any doubt about!!! - We all saw them, HUGE roach, many of them 'taking station' under the old stone bridge in the middle of the fishery. You could see them sipping in maggots too. But would they sip one in with a hook - what do you think! I think we all tried for these roach at some stage of the day. Some of us caught a few of the shoal's junior member's (my best was an ounce or two shy of a pound) but the old grandfather roach have obviously seen it all before and stayed decidely 'uncaught'!

 

I decided to have one last go for them at dusk. By 1730 most anglers had left and I had half an hour of daylight left. With the light fading fast and me squinting to see my float I connected with a lump. A solid thumping fight had be fraught with anticipation - I'd hooked one of the biggies. I musn't lose it. I was also fearful as I got it near the bank of one of the pike making a strike for it. Neither of these things happened. What did happen though is that my wonderful roach turned out to be a bream! A bream which fought like no bream I've ever caught before!!!

 

So as usual Paul and I we last to leave. The weather had been kind and I 'think' all had an enjoyable day despite the fickleness of the Ladies of the Stream!

 

Barton Court's website....

 

http://www.riverkennet.co.uk/

 

Look forward to seeing some of you in March.

 

 

C.

 

(Mods - please pin)

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Nice one Chris :thumbs:

 

Not to worry about the grayling, perch, roach and pike for me please! There was a decent article about Kennet perch fishing in one of the monthlies this month (Coarse Fisherman? Steve Burke got an honourary mention), there are picture of perch as fat as footballs!

 

As for going home before dusk... :rolleyes::D

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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I don't think anyone should go to this fish-in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chris - I've emailed you my request for two places. Shame if no-one else makes it, huh? ;)

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Been a very long time since I fished at Kintbury (is the stretch I fished that flowed along side the K&A cannal there the Barton Court stretch?) but sadly wont be able to go this year.Hope you do this one regularly as I might be in a better position next year.

And thats my "non indicative opinion"!

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