A Week on the Kennet

A week on The Kennet with Martin James

I managed to wangle a week off work and sorted a date with Martin; the first week in October. After quite a few phone calls to him asking this and that the time had come for us to finally meet and go fishing. I nipped down to the supermarket to get a few bits of food to take and I bumped into my fishing buddy Bryan Baron. I told him how I was feeling and he said I would be OK and puts me at ease.

I arranged to pick Martin up at his house at 7am. At this point I have never set eyes on him (I feel like I am at school again on a blind date; what happens if we don’t get on and we hate each other and we are stuck with each other for 5 days?). Well I pulled up at his house, shake hands, packed all his stuff up and set off to Newbury. Half way there we stopped for a brew at the services where he insisted on buying. My god, those services are a rip-off – a fiver for two brews!

We arrived in Newbury and Martin showed me the river Kennet. My first thoughts were that it was small (I have only ever fished the Ribble). It was all overhanging and fallen trees and loads of

We chatted for about half an hour or so then set off back to where we were staying for the week, where we unpacked, had a brew, and set then off to the river. Martin had asked me if I could help him clear a fallen down tree from a swim, so we went to the swim first and removed it. I felt like a kid again, climbing trees, etc. it was getting around tea time by now so we went back to base where we had tea and a brew (I am not going to mention brews again but believe me we did have quite a few and Martin wouldn’t let me make one, nor would he let me cook or wash up, all he said was I am the guest).

Fishing the Kennet

So finally my first time fishing the Kennet had arrived. I’ve only fished the Ribble and normally go down the boilie or pellet route so I got my size 12 hook out and a 2oz lead (hear was crunch time, I’m going to look like an idiot, I thought). Martin just commented that the hook was a too small and the lead too big and out of his bag comes a shark hook (size 6 I believe) and a small 3/4 oz lead. He showed me how to put bread on a hook and pointed at where I should pop my bait.

First Kennet Barbel

On the Monday after breakfast we headed off to the local tackle shop for yet another brew and some bits and pieces of tackle and bait. Martin said I could borrow one of his rods if I wanted to use two, but I said I felt a bit more comfortable with one. We walked round a few swimsand cast into various spots on the way. At this point Cameo came round and both he and Martin were not fishing but advising me where to drop my bait. They also showed me the underarm cast again and how to put bread on a hook so it stays on.

Then, suddenly, the rod banged over and I had my first Kennet barbel. It was about the 5lb mark and everyone was happy. A couple of hours later we went back to base, had tea, and then went back to fishing the night time until about 12 or 1 o’ clock. Martin had a few, and Cameo came round for an hour or two and had a one or two. I blanked, but like I said I wasn’t used to fishing like this so I probably missed a bite or two. When fishing at night Martin asked why I used a beta light? I just said because it is the only way I know how, although I sometimes use bite alarms (but they were back in Lancashire). He gave me an old army torch and said put it on the floor and point it up your rod as it is a lot easier to see a bite. My first thought was will this not scare the fish away with all the light but after seeing how many bites and fish he has I suppose it answers itself.

Martin had to go off and do a few things, so I went off with Cameo who stopped fishing to take the time out and show me another good spot. As we sat there talking about this and that, telling me about crayfish and loads of other stuff I had a barbel, this one was about the 5 or 6lb. One of the things we did talk about was the line I was using, a dark camou line (Pro Logic). I said I didn’t really like it and until now I have only had two fish whilst using it. When I caught the fish (I will call him Will now I’ve had a dig about the cameo bit) Will explained to me about the size of its head and shoulders and that I should feel its belly to see if its feeding, etc. Then it was the night time session which I enjoyed. Martin missed a few bites and just as he was about to net what he believed could be his PB barbel it slipped off the hook. Martin was off to a very good friend’s funeral on Wednesday and I believe his mind was more on that than fishing and if it wasn’t for me being down there he wouldn’t have been fishing at all (R.I.P. John Bodsworth). Anyway, Will probably had a word with Martin and after the night time session Martin filled my spool with 12lb Gamma line (this isn’t a big plug for the stuff).

On my own and a 6-pounder, followed by a bigger one

On Wednesday we met Will at the tackle shop and then he and Martin went off to pay their last respects to John. It was sorted out that I could still fish on my own and I was given the phone number of the fishery manager in case I needed any help. Anyway, I got to the river armed with what I had learnt and a couple of baits (the only two baits I used were bread and sausage meat) and I set about trying to catch a fish.

whilst on my way back I got chatting with a couple of guys who had also been fishing but had not caught anything. I told them I had had one and told them what bait I was using. Back at base I was asked if I wanted to stop another night and travel back Friday daytime instead of Thursday night. Like I was ever going to say no!

That night we prebaited a swim with mashed bread and then left it for about three hours while we fished a few other swims. I always thought there was no point in prebaiting a swim on a river as it would get taken away with the current, but I was told nothing could be further from the truth and if possible always prebait swims. I had another fish of about 5 or 6 lb, and then went back to the prebaited swim with Will, who is one of those guys who can go fishing for an hour or so and catch fish (lucky git). Anyway, my line had not been in the water five minutes when I had a knock and I got another fish. Twenty minutes later I had another one, and after an hour or two Will went off home and I moved back to fish alongside Martin. Later on I decided to fish closer in and change my bait, which led to me catching my biggest fish of the week, a nice barbel of 8lb 14oz. Than another of about 6lb.

Nothing happened during the day on Thursday but we fished a prebaited swim in the evening. My line hadn’t been in the water five minutes and I was asked if I’d had a bite. Just as I was saying no, not yet, I had a small knock, then a big knock, and a couple of minutes later the fish was on the bank. it was one of those weird moments; Martin seemed too know I was going to get a fish. I know people will not believe me as you had to be there to see it and I still can’t work it out myself. Pot luck? Or just a guy who knows a lot about fishing? After this fish it was getting very cold and we packed up and went back to base. It was the end of a good week’s fishing where I nearly doubled the number of barbel I’d caught all season.

Will and Martin gave me a book, ‘Quest for Barbel’ by Tony Miles and Trefor West, at the end of the week because they said I had the right approach. They both signed it and told me to read it.

I would like to say thank you to both Will and Martin and also Wasing Syndicate for their very warm welcome and all their help. What a pleasure it was fishing there. In all the time I fished there I only ever found one piece off litter which I removed (a bit different to where I fish at the moment). I know it’s a syndicate water but if people take their rubbish home on club waters they too could be just as nice. I also know most people reading this on here won’t leave any litter.