Despite Drop in Temperatures - Chub and Barbel Were Feeding

I suppose some anglers would think a 500 mile round trip to fish a river for a day, wasn’t worth the effort. But Graham Cook a Civil Servant from Lancaster and me didn’t for one moment give it a though. We both feel the River Kennet is one of those nice rivers, full of angling history. In my book it’s the nicest in the country, though not as good as when I visited the river nearly 60 years ago. In those days the Kennet was premier brown trout water in the upper and middle reaches. From Newbury downstream, it was known countrywide for its quality roach, dace, perch, pike and chub. It wasn’t known as a barbel river, if you caught a fish of four or five pounds it was considered a Red Letter Day.

In these more modern times I reckon some of the best fishing is on the Wasing Estate fishery which is worth every penny to enjoy valuable time on this delightful water. It’s also well bailiffed, which is very pleasing. Some days you will get asked for your ticket five or six times a day. No one complains it’s for the benefit of everyone. Like all fisheries up and down the country, some people reckon they can fish anywhere they wish. They get short shrift on Wasing, as they do on my stretch of the Ribble. In fact I make sure they are prosecuted on our Ribble fishery, we accept no excuses. No doubt you have come across a person on your water without a ticket, who when asked for his or her permit asks to buy a day ticket. This despite notice boards saying No Fishing or Private Fishing. In my book this is theft.

The Kennet started life as a brown trout fishery, but things have changed quite dramatically. It’s no longer the preserve of brown trout. Some years ago talking to one of the best river keepers on the Kennet, I questioned him about the wisdom of stocking rainbow trout, a foreign import into such a delightful fishery. Sadly the answer I received was “Martin many of today’s fishers are very greedy, they want their money’s worth”. If that’s what motivates some people to go angling I suggest they take up Tidily Winks.

Graeme and I arrived to find the river up several inches with a nice colour, a water temperature of 46 degrees farenheight. We had certainly chosen a lovely mild day, even if we did have a light rain falling from a leaden grey sky. Mist hung in the tree tops, with low light conditions, a river carrying some extra water with colour, it’s what I would call a roach fishers day. Chironomids often called buzzers were around in profusion. Certainly a great day for fishing.

My bait bucket contained a big tub of lobworms, a loaf of bread, some two year old cheese paste, sausage and luncheon meat and three pints of red gentles. It would be the first time I have had these wriggle little grubs with me on this river for many years. I was hoping to use them to draw some bait size fish into one of two perch holes. I had made up two outfits an eleven foot six inch Avon action rod designed for lines between 4 and 6lbs, matched with a centre pin reel. This outfit would be used for chub and perch. My other outfit was a twelve foot rod for lines between 8 and 10lbs; I matched this with a centre pin reel loaded with ten pound line. I had tied on size four barbless hooks to both outfits.


As we walked down stream two green woodpeckers flew over head, in the willow trees bordering the river were a group of long tailed tits. At oak tree bend were a group of mallard and swans. As we continued our walk, an occasional pheasant flew low overhead. I was full of hope and enthusiasm. Conditions in my opinion couldn’t have been better. Apart from another keen member Will Carter, we had the river to ourselves and the choice twenty or thirty swims, spread over a couple of miles. Before arriving on the Kennet we had a look at the Enborne which also looked delightful.

A Brace of Perch

Passing the Bridge Swim I chucked in half a dozen bait size bits of sausage meat paste. We then reached the ‘Going Away’ swim, after explaining to Graeme where the fish might be shoaled up, I went off to fish the ‘Watering Can’ swim. I tried crust, sausage meat paste and lobworms, no sign of a bite. Half an hour later I am on the move to my first ‘Perch Hole’ just upstream of the ‘Pipe Swim’ Using float tackle with two lobworms on a size 4 barbless hook I trotted the bait alongside some fallen waterlogged branches. I suppose the float had gone about fifteen feet when it dipped then disappear slowly as if the bait was hung up. I new otherwise, the firm but controlled strike connected with something very lively that thumped away under water. I new immediately it was a perch, soon a lovely looking fish was being drawn over the net. It looked magnificent, its bright colours brightening up a dull day. It weighed about a pound and a half. Baiting with two fresh worms I trotted the same line, nothing. I repeated the process half a dozen times, then the float bobbed twice and disappeared. Soon perch number two was in the net. Suddenly a dabchick dashed from the reeds, its legs going at a fast rate of knots as it run across the river then disappeared under some over hanging willows. Thirty minutes later with no more bites, I am on the move.

Chub, Barbel and a Lost Perch


This time I went upstream to the Bridge Swim, an area that in the past has given me some good sport with barbel and chub, I well remember the day when I bounced cocktail sausage bait down the swim then hooking up to a double figure pike which really did give me some anxious moments. The idea is to roll or bounce the bait under some trailing willow branches, if you get it right then it’s usually a pulled string and bent stick. First two casts, I had a good pluck on both occasions both bites were missed. I didn’t miss on my third cast soon I was fighting a barbel that wanted to test my tackle to the limit by going out into the fast swirling water. Eventually the pressure of well balanced tackle had the fish beaten.


In the next six casts I had three more hook-ups, all barbel averaging some 4-5lbs. I decided to switch from sausage meat paste to double lobworm. Fifteen minutes later I had a tap on the rod tip, I pushed the rod forward giving some slack line. A minute or so later I felt a determined pull on the line. Then nothing, three or four minutes later I felt a very positive pull then struck. The rod hooped over. I could tell by the jagging fight I had hooked a good perch. I then glimpsed a big prickly dorsal fin, I reckoned if it didn’t weight 4lbs it would certainly go 3-14-0. The fish then swirled on the surface. Slowly I was bringing it upstream in the fast water. Though I would like to have gone downstream to the fish, but the willows stopped me. Suddenly the fish swirled again, then it was gone. I was gutted, no I was broken hearted. I kicked the ground in frustration then dropped down onto the muddy ground. I was firmly convinced I had lost a personal best perch.

Ten minutes later Will Carter appeared behind me as I was playing another barbel, “Hello Martin is it a barbel” Yes “I replied” Will picked up my landing net then skilfully netted my fifth barbel. How I wish Will had been around when I hooked that perch, perhaps with his help I might have got the fish in the net. We had a chat then he moved off downstream I decided to change baits and tore a chunk of crust off the loaf. Bouncing it downstream I quickly hooked a nice chub, it weighed about three and a half pounds. It was time for lunch, in the car park I opened a couple of cans of tuna twist, as the food was warming up Graeme and I chatted about the mornings fishing. Soon the food was ready. With some fresh bread the tuna twist made a nice lunch, which was followed by some fruit then a fresh brew. We were now both ready for the second half.

A Brace of Five’s

I decided to fish another perch swim, where I quickly had a good chub on three lobworms which weighed 5-3-0 an hour later I had chub number two which weighed 5-6-0 again two lobworms done the trick. In the next half an hour I had a succession of incidents where I lost what I thought was two good perch which dropped off after about half a minute. I then lost a nice chub quickly followed by a barbel. With the light fading I decided to fish another swim and moved off upstream, where I bumped into Will Carter I suggested he should fish the house swim, pointing out the exact spot to drop his bait. It proved spot on. Half an hour later he asked me to come and take some pictures of a barbel weighing 8-8-0.

Double Figure Barbel and a Big Chub

Back at the car I collected some fruit and extra headlamp batteries then moved off to my final session swim. I used two rods; one baited with crust the other with sausage meat paste. Within fifteen minutes I had a good pull on the crust baited rod and soon I had a super chub in the net, when weighed it went 5-12-0. Rebaiting with another chunk of crust I cast out into the faster water. Soon I was playing a barbel which I reckoned weighed around 9lbs. I was more than pleased with my efforts. Another chunk of crust was cast out; fifteen minutes later I had a tiny pluck on the rod tip quickly followed by another light tap. I thought to myself that’s no crayfish. I picked up the rod I soon felt another gentle pluck then another. Suddenly I felt the line tighten in a determined manner I struck setting the hook into an angry fish. For several minutes I played a heavy fish that hung around the bottom slowly but ponderously moving upstream I soon realised I might have another double. Some minutes later it was in the net. As I lifted I new immediately it was another double. On two sets of scales I went 11-9-0. After Graeme shot some photographs (see under pictures)) I watched the fish swim off strongly. It was the end of our day. After a good drive I arrived home just on midnight, a journey of about three and a half hours