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Chris Plumb's Blog

New PB List

Not done one of these since 2019, though not much had changed until the season just finished! Best Carp – 27lb 6oz. 15 August 2008. Blue Pool – Burghfield. Method feeder – hair-rigged hemp bogey. Best Pike – 18lb 10oz. 10 February 2001. River Lambourn – Newbury. Free-lined Lamprey section. Best Barbel – 12lb 4oz. 27 July 2004. River Kennet, Arrowhead – Thatcham. Ledgered Halibut pellet. Best Bream – 12lb 2oz. 2 July 2011. Summer Pit – Yateley. Float fished (
Chris Plumb's Blog

Season's Bests 2024-25

Another season comes to a close and a rather splendid one it was too. Bookended by two fabulous chub which twice upped a PB that had  stood since the 2011/12 season. My tench best also fell, a record that had stood since 2003 was bettered by something of a mug fish which was caught multiple times over the summer by different anglers (I caught it twice!) Record rainfall in September burst the springs on the downs unusually early and put the Kennet into flood or near flood all winter. This, again,
Chris Plumb's Blog

14 March (Part 2)

River Kennet - Colthrop 1300 - 1530 Cool & mainly cloudy with the odd spot of rain. River full and fairly clear. 1 Chub: 3lb 13oz. 1 Grayling: 2lb 2oz !! 2 Brownies: 6-10oz. This venue is on the way home from my syndicate stretch so I couldn't resist giving it a few hours for the 4th Friday afternoon in a row!! Fished my 3 'banker' chub swims giving each ¾hr. Had the chub from the first swim followed by the brownies and the grayling from the second. Think its the same 2lb
Chris Plumb's Blog

14 March (Part 1)

Middle Kennet carrier - Marsh Benham 0700 - 1200 Cool, with sunny spells. AT -2ºC - 7ºC. River full pacey and reasonably clear. 4 Chub: all between 2½ - 3½lb. 1 Roach: handsized. 8 Brownies: all between 1¾lb - 3½lb. Last day session failing at playing 'Avoid the Trout'! 3 of the chub from a newish swim - one that produced a few roach last time out. Resting it and returning just resulted in more trout!
Chris Plumb's Blog

10 March (Part 2)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne (down) 1430 - 1730 Mild and overcast with a light shower as I packed up. AT 12ºC - 9ºC. 7 Perch, in order of capture: 2lb 6oz, 1lb 11oz, 1lb 15oz, 2lb 3oz, 2lb 2oz, 2lb 7oz and a tiddller to finish! 1 Pike 2lb* With 'winter' forecast to return for the remaining days of the season I wanted to use the last mild day for a while to target some canal perch from my 'new' swim on DS alley. For 2 hours it looked like I was wasting my time - not a fli
Chris Plumb's Blog

10 March (Part 1)

River Kennet - Speen Moors  1000 - 1330 Mild, overcast with light showers. AT 8ºC - 12ºC. River at 'normal' winter levels quite full but with little colour. 2 Chub: 3lb 0oz, 2lb 4oz. 3 Brownies: 3lb and 2 of around ¾lb Again, bites at a bit of a premium (where have all the roach and dace gone?) and a splashy first cast trout in one of my more reliable chub swims wasn't a great start. Thankfully a somewhat less reliable spot produced a welcome brace of chevins...
Chris Plumb's Blog

7 March (Part 2)

River Kennet - Colthrop 1230 - 1500 Mild, cloudy with light showers. AT 12º-13ºC. River very pacey still with a little colour. 1 Chub: 6lb 5oz. 1 Grayling 1lb 3oz. Another stellar chub from the venue - though a different swim to the one that produced last week's 7lber. That's now 14 chub over 4lb from this stretch of river/canal since late October...  
Chris Plumb's Blog

7 March (Part 1)

River Lambourn - Newbury 0830 - 1130 Mild, overcast with light showers. AT 11ºC. River very full and gin clear as expected! 1.73m on the Shaw gauge. 21 Grayling: 8 over a lb, best 1lb 9oz. 2 Brownies: small. As per my last trip here nearly all the fish from just 2 hotspots just off the faster current. Lost a very large trout (least I assumed it was a trout as I never saw it!) after having it on for an age, but eventually the hook pulled - perils of using an 18!
Chris Plumb's Blog

4 March

Middle Kennet Carrier - Marsh Benham 0700 - 1200 Bright and sunny, cold start. AT -3º -> 11ºC. River full, pacey with most of the colour dropped out. 2 Chub: a couple of ounces either side of 3lb. 3 Roach: all around 4-6oz. 5 Brownies: 4 between 1½-3lb and a small-un. Another sparkly day in West Berkshire which prompted an early start to get on the water before the sun did. The strategy paid off with both chub in the first 20 mins. Nice to find a few roach as they've been
Chris Plumb's Blog

28 February

River Kennet - Colthrop 1300 - 1530 Bright and sunny. AT 8ºC. River very full, pacey with quite a bit of colour. 1 Chub: 7lb 3oz (New PB!). 2 Brownies: small. Well I wasn't expecting that! My original plan for today had been to go down to Dorset and fish the Frome as it's the last day of the coarse season on the river - but river gauges yesterday showed the river 5cm over the top of normal range and scuppered those ideas. So it was back to a stretch of river I'm beginning to
Chris Plumb's Blog

25 February (Part 2)

Kennet & Avon Canal - Enborne (down) 1430 - 1715 Sunny spells. AT 10º - 8ºC. 9 Perch: 6 over a lb, best 3: 2lb 10oz, 2lb 1oz. 1lb 13oz. First visit to a new swim from one of the platforms on Dog Sh!t Alley. I rarely fish here and the amount of footfall and dog poo on the tow-path reminded me why! However walking this bit recently sans rods I spied this spot which simply screams perch so resolved to give it a try. My hunch was soon confirmed with a perch of 1½lb in the fir
Chris Plumb's Blog

25 February (Part 1)

River Kennet - Speen Moors 1000 - 1400 Mild with sunny spells. AT 8º - 10ºC. River very full and quite coloured up after recent rains. 1 Chub: 3lb 5oz. 2 Brownies : 5lb 0oz (I actually weighed it for a change) and one of a few ounces. Bites few and far between. So nearly a session where my first cast splashy trout (the smaller one) looked like being a blank saver.  However returning to one of my earlier swims produced the chub almost immediately followed by a brute of a brown
Chris Plumb's Blog

21 February

River Kennet, Colthrop 1200 - 1530 Mild, breezy and drizzly. AT 12ºC. River pacey, with a tinge of colour. 1 chub: 3lb 14oz. 1 brownie: small. Had hoped the milder conditions and rain might have gingered things up a bit. However, I struggled for bites in all my favoured spots. Chub eventually coming from a far bank slack which I've rarely paid attention too, but will get further attention before the end of the season.  
Chris Plumb's Blog

18 February

River Kennet - Brimpton 1000 - 1300 Bright and sunny with a keen Easterly breeze. AT 1º - 5ºC. River full, pacey and clear. 2 Brownies: both c¾lb, would have suspected they were the same fish were they not caught ½mile apart! Very sub-optimal conditions made me almost grateful for a couple of trout to put a bend in the rod. Almost!😏
Chris Plumb's Blog

16 February

Lower Itchen Fishery 0830 - 1700 Cold & cloudy. AT 1ºC - 3ºC. River very full and pacey - with more colour than I was expecting to see. 14 Grayling: 10 over a lb with 8 over 1½. Best four - 2lb 4oz, 2lb 3oz, 1lb 15oz, 1lb 13oz. 3 Chub: 4lb 8oz and a couple of 3lbers. 2 Brownies: a 4lber and one half that. 2 Sea Trout; both 2-3lb. Another Itchen day organised by Neal (Cheers Neal!). First 5 fish (from pretty much the first five trots too) resulted in the biggest 4 grayling
Chris Plumb's Blog

12 February

River Lambourn - Newbury 0930 - 1400 Cool & cloudy - another day of anti-cyclonic gloom. AT 3º-5ºC. River high, pacey and as clear as it always is. 1.75m on the Shaw gauge (top of normal range). 22 Grayling: 9 over a lb, with 3 over 1½lb - best 1lb 14oz. 7 Brownies: one of 2½lb, all the others 6oz - 1lb. Super morning's sport with nearly all the fish coming from just three spots which is a bit unusual. However, the fish were shoaled up in the slightly quieter water so thi
Chris Plumb's Blog

7 February

Kennet & Avon (Flowing) Canal - Colthrop 1030 - 1400 Cold, overcast with sleety showers and a raw Easterly wind. AT 2º-3ºC. River clear and pacey. 1 Chub: 4lb 2oz, 1 Grayling: 1lb 2oz. 3 Brownies: all ¾-1lb. Brrrr! 🥶, somewhat sub-optimal conditions, so pleased to winkle out a chub from my first swim. Had always planned to come here today and reports of another BIG chub being caught on this stretch kindled my enthusiasm against the cold. Had planned to fish longer but no
Chris Plumb's Blog

4 February

Middle Kennet Carrier (& main river) - Marsh Benham 0900 - 1500 Cloudy, with the odd sunny spell. Mild. AT 8º - 10ºC. River very pacey with a tinge of colour. 6 Chub: 2lb 8oz - 3lb 13oz. 2 Dace: both quite chunky. 2 Roach: smallish. 6 Brownies: 1½ - 3¼lb Started off on the main river - making the long walk down to my south bank slack for just 2 bites and 2 fish, a 3lb 7oz chub and a 3lb spottie! By 1100 I was working my way up the carrier hoping against hope not to get to
Chris Plumb's Blog

31 January

River Kennet - Speen Moors 1100 - 1430 Cloudy with sunny spells, milder. AT 8ºC. River high, pacey with colour dropping out - was noticeably less turbid when I packed up than when I arrived. 2 Chub: 3lb 4oz & 3lb 0oz. 1 Dace: 10oz - a sandpapery male in spawning condition. 2 Brownies: 1¼lb and one half that. Bit of a gamble, but hopeful that the river would have dropped down enough from last weekend's rain to make it fishable - and so it proved. Trout first cast wasn't a
Chris Plumb's Blog

30 January

River Lambourn - Shaw 0930 - 1300 Cold, bright and sunny. AT 0º - 7ºC. River full, clear (of course!) and pacey. 1.71m on the Shaw gauge. 10 Grayling: a couple of 'pounders' (though not by much) all the others 6-10oz. 3 Brownies,  two of around ¾lb (and possibly the same fish!) and a parr. Default when the Kennet is in flood - which it most certainly is after Éowyn and Herminia recently. Very scratchy morning, to be expected in bright conditions with half the ladies coming fr
Chris Plumb's Blog

22 January

River Kennet - Hambridge 0930 - 1230 Cool, calm & cloudy. AT 3ºC. River very high and clear - higher than my last trip here just after Christmas despite no rain for the past 2+ weeks. 1 Chub: 2lb 5oz. 3 Grayling; all 6-10oz. With storm Éowyn on the way and Mrs P out with her sister I switched my usual Friday outing. Chub first cast - on lob intended for a big perch that have been showing up here  lately. It would be my only bite on worm - grayling caught after I switched
Chris Plumb's Blog

21 January

Kennet & Avon 'flowing' Canal - Colthrop 0900 - 1300 Cool, cloudy & calm. AT 0ºC - 5ºC. River at normal winter levels with a hint of colour. 1 Chub: 4lb 6oz. 1 Grayling: 1lb 1oz. 1 Brownie: c¾lb. Another recce session exploring some new swims based on some recent 'intelligence'!😉 Fished 3 new spots giving each an hour or so and had the chub and grayling from the first one I dropped into. Only other bite was from a nuisance brownie which trashed my third swim!
Chris Plumb's Blog

17 January

River Frome - Wool 0830 - 1400 Cool, calm & cloudy. A benign winter's day! AT 4º - 7ºC. River quite pacey with a tinge of colour. 1.17 on the East Stoke gauge. 11 Grayling; 6 over a lb - best three: 2lb 2oz, 1lb 14oz, 1lb 10oz. 7 Brownies: a 3lb+ and half a dozen small-uns. 2 Sea trout; 2½lb & 3lb. Slow and steady day - fish from 3 swims though the majority from just one spot. Sea trout were a bit of a menace - I lost 3 after extensive aerial antics and was also brief
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