Best-ever roach for Andrew Childs of 2lb 3oz on bread
Andrew Childs used trotting tactics to catch this personal best roach of 2lb 3oz from the River Itchen.
The 65-year-old made the journey from his home in Essex to the Hampshire waterway and after walking along a stretch he’d fished in the past he settled on a ‘classic looking’ roach swim.
Offering a piece of breadflake on a size 12 hook and a 3lb hooklink in a crease next to the main flow he caught several chub to just over 4lb before connecting with the specimen redfin.
“It had rained a couple of days earlier and there was a tinge of colour in the water,” said Andrew. “The fish beat my previous best for the species of 2lb 1oz, which I caught from the same river two years ago.”
Elusive roach falls to breadflake for Alan Blair
A roving approach on the River Test provided Alan Blair with roach of 1lb 15oz and 2lb.
The Nash Tackle operations director fished bread to tempt the specimens as the light faded.
He said: “I spent the days wandering the river fishing for grayling and chub, then on both evenings I tucked myself into deeper guides in search of the elusive roach.
“I had the 1lb 15oz on liquidised bread in a cage feeder, with a 0.10 hooklink and a size 12 hook with a big piece of flake. I was really chuffed but did feel I had cheated a little, so I returned to the same spot the following evening, this time with a centrepin.
“The first few run-throughs resulted in chub and then on last knockings, as I could barely see the tip of the float, I had the two-pounder.”
2lb roach shock in barbel session
When Dave Chambers received a series of little knocks during a barbel session on the River Thames, he scaled down his tackle expecting chub to be the culprits - instead, he hooked in to this quality roach weighing 2lb 4oz.
Fishing over a bed of Vitalin, pellet and boilies, the 51-year-old used a piece of prototype Wraysbury Bait paste on a size 8 G Force hook and a 10lb Drennan Double Strength hooklink.
“It’s ironic that I spent years trying to catch a 2lb roach from the Thames by design and the best I managed was 1lb 13oz, before I gave up. Now I’ve caught one on a barbel trip! I’ll definitely be back for these big roach because there are cartainly more of them in the river these days,” he said.
2lb 12oz roach from Lochnaw Loch
The famous Lochnaw Loch once again proved why it’s regarded by many as the UK’s best specimen roach venue when Wyn Jones banked a hat-trick of fish over the 2lb-mark.
Two of the Herts-based angler’s roach topped the scales at 2lb 12oz, with the smallest of the trio weighing 2lb 1oz.
All of his fish were caught on 10mm Dynamite Baits The Source boilies in conjunction with 6lb mainline, 4lb mono hooklinks and size 16 hooks.
Wyn was fishing with fellow specimen hunter Phil Smith, who also got among the big roach landing fish of 2lb 9oz and 2lb 6oz.
Huge roach caught from River Ebro, Spain
Dan Sales and his girlfriend, Krystal Winter, proved the River Ebro is more than just a big catfish venue when they captured a series of huge roach to 2lb 15oz.
After pre-baiting a swim on the Spanish waterway the night before, the Hertfordshire-based couple used feeder tactics with sweetcorn hookbaits and on her very first cast, Krystal connected with a 2lb 12oz specimen.
Dan also got in on the action landing a string of big roach including a brace of fish weighing 2lb 15oz and 2lb 13oz.
“It was an incredible session and really does show what this river is capable of and Krystal was over the moon as she’d not even caught a roach before,” said Dan.
There's no better time for roach with bumper week topped by 2lb 7oz specimen
Rivers and stillwaters have hit their best form of the year for big roach and anglers nation-wide have proved that there couldn’t be a better time to get out there and beat your personal best.
There aren’t many better ways of catching a big redfins than with traditional floatfishing tactics, as proved by Richard Booty when he banked a brace of fish that topped the scales at 2lb 7oz and 1lb 14oz.
The specialist from London, who won the chance to fish a stretch of the River Test in Hampshire after taking part in a Barbel Society Research and Conservation Auction, made the most of his prize when he trotted casters down the iconic waterway.
“I don’t have to tell anyone how great this river is for its roach fishing. Fortunately my trip coincided with perfect conditions and mild temperatures,” said Richard.
Another angler to demonstrate how devastating floatfishing tactics can be was Charlie Kemmett who landed no less than five specimens over 2lb topped by a fish weighing 2lb 8oz.
After heading to a London AA-controlled stretch of the Hampshire Avon at Britford, The 63-year-old from Salisbury used stick float tactics with hemp to amass his haul with a simple rig comprising 0.12mm mainline and an 0.10 mm hooklink.
The lure of perfect roach fishing conditions were also too much for Doncaster’s Mike Townsend to resist and his 480-mile round trip to Sway Lakes in Hampshire was made worthwhile when he netted a trio of roach over the 2lb-barrier to 2lb 3oz fish.
He began his session by waggler fishing casters, but after being pestered by small roach he swapped his size 18 hook for a size 16 and nicked it through a soft 8mm pellet.
“Some people might think that I’m mad to travel so many miles, but if the conditions are right then it’s definitely worth making the effort,” Mike told Angling Times.
Further north on the prolific River Ribble the big roach were certainly on the feed and John Hicks banked eight fish between 1lb 9oz and 2lb 7oz.
Having caught big ‘redfins’ during recent barbel fishing sessions on the venue, the specimen hunter from Cumbria, refined his rigs and fished a small feeder filled with mashed bread and micro pellets with a piece of flake on the hook.
Last but certainly not least was Gary Maton, who also used bread to tempt a fish-of-a-lifetime weighing 2lb 1oz.
He stalked the banks of the Bedfordshire venue and in just a couple of hours he’d landed the impressive specimen along with chub and dace on floatfishing tactics.
Short sessions finally pay off
Over a year of hard work paid off for Brian Cox when he enjoyed the ‘roach fishing session of his life’ which produced a brace of specimens topping the scales at 2lb 8oz and 2lb 1oz.
After arriving at Stenhill Fishery in Collumpton, Devon, he set up two simple groundbait feeder rigs and went about targeting the fishery’s elusive stocks of big redfins that had eluded him for the past 12 months.
His luck finally changed, though, when just an hour after casting out his 10mm Marukyu Nori boilie hookbaits he received a classic drop-back bite and his biggest specimen was soon sliding over the frame of his landing net.
With his hands still shaking, Brian was setting up his camera to record his landmark capture when his other rod screamed off and he swiftly completed the brace that he’d always dreamt of.
“It’s been well over a year of short session failures, so it’s a relief to have finally caught some roach, especially a brace of this size,” he told Angling Times.
“As soon as the other rod went off I slipped my biggest fish back into the landing net and secured it in the margins and hit the bite. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I had two roach over 2lb on the bank.”
And to prove the catch was no fluke, Brian returned to venue to following evening and using identical tactics he promptly landed a third specimen over the 2lb-barrier weighing 2lb 5oz.
“I only have limited time on the fishery and a catch like this makes me wonder what could be possible if I had a few full days after the roach.”
Brian’s run of recent form at the venue hasn’t just seen him score with the roach as he used the same rig, constructed with 6lb mainline and a 4lb hooklink, to land a 30lb 8oz mirror carp and several tench to 5lb.
For more information visit: www.stenhillfishery.co.uk or call: 01884 33707
Esthwaite's 50lb roach net
Simon Ashton had every reason to smile after helping himself to this fantastic 50lb-plus net of pristine roach from Esthwaite Water.
The 280-acre trout water just outside Hawkshead in the Lake District has just opened its doors to coarse anglers and the North East-based all-rounder wasted no time in heading to the venue to target its stocks of redfins.
“I arrived in the evening and baited up heavily with a bombardment of Sonubaits goodies, including Supercrush Green groundbait, F1 2mm pellets, Hemp ‘n’ Corn and three pints of casters ready for a morning assault,” he told Angling Times. “I woke to an army of silvers topping as far as the eye could see – truly a sight to behold.”
His first cast resulted in a 1lb-plus roach and for the next few hours every chuck was met with a fish between 12oz and 1lb 8oz. “I couldn’t even get my bobbin set before the alarm sounded a take,” he added.
All of Simon’s fish were taken on either double caster or double red maggot hookbaits threaded on to size 18 Drennan Wide Gape hook with a 3.2lb Double Strength hooklink.
At last it's a 3lb roach
A 30-year campaign to land a mammoth roach finally ended for top specimen angler Gary Knowles when he banked a series of fish to 3lb during a ‘session of a lifetime’.
The Korum-backed rod has spent large parts of his successful career chasing the species and gained his just rewards when he smashed his personal best no less than eight times during a visit to Scotland’s Lochnaw Castle Loch.
Having never set eyes on the 48-acre water, he sought local advice from those in the know and made the decision to bait up a clear shallow spot 40 yards out. Groundbait played a major part in the attack, with 15 balls of a 50/50 mix of Dynamite Baits Silver X Roach and Roach Black laced with a liberal amount of hemp catapulted over his chosen area.
Hookbait choices were less conventional, though, with 10mm Dynamite’s The Source and Sonubaits Oozing Pineapple boilies his preffered offerings.
“Boilies are an extremely underrated bait for big roach and previous guests had been successful on both fishmeal and fruit flavoured versions so I decided to hedge my bets,” explained Gary.
“I’m a big believer in keeping things simple and my rigs consisted of 6lb mainline, with a mini-helicopter rig set about eight inches above an open ended feeder and a size 12 PR39 eyed hook.”
With so much water for the stocks to roam in he had to wait patiently for the roach to move in over his baits, but once they did his first bite of the trip proved to be a memorable one.
“At around 1am the bobbin slammed into the butt ring and line fizzed off the baitrunner. The power of these roach was amazing but I knew my tackle was well balanced so leant into the fish and steered it away from the weed either side of the swim.”
“Once in the net it was clearly bigger than my previous best of 2lb 7oz and the scales registered a weight of 2lb 13oz – I was gobsmacked.”
Fully aware that the specimen redfins moved around in big shoals, he was confident that more action was on the cards. His hunch proved right as a number of other fish to over 2lb 8oz came in quick succession.
But the best was yet to come and in the latter stages of the session Gary hit a career landmark he never expected. He said: “I had a drop back bite and when I lifted into the fish it instantly felt heavy. I had a gut feeling this could be a very special fish and it turned out to be right as a fin-perfect roach of exactly 3lb was soon in the net.
“I’d have been ecstatic just breaking my personal best once on the trip but to do it time and time again and also land a ‘three’ was something that will stick with me forever.”
**Gary’s setup**
Mainline: 6lb Krystonite
Hooklink: Preston Innovations Powerline 5lb-14oz
Hooks: Preston Innovations PR39 (Debarbed)
Feeder: Korum 45g combi-feeder
Heli-rig: Korum ready Heli-kits
**Big Roach Tips**
1. Short hooklinks and heavy feeders produce an effective bolt rig for shy-biting roach.
2. Use a soft action rod - roach are prone to headshaking and a soft tip will absorb these lunges and prevent a hook pull.
3. Big roach love hemp. I use whole grains in my loose feed and crush it up in my feeder.
4. Be prepared to fish through the night - the biggest roach are generally nocturnal feeders.
5. Prior to fishing, visit the water at dusk. Big roach will often give their location away, topping on the surface at this time of day.
**For more details on the venue visit www.lochnawcastle.co.uk/fishery**
Roach personal best broken four times in a session
Patrick Kyte became the envy of hundreds of specimen hunters when he broke his roach personal best four times in one incredible night that was topped by a brace of fish weighing 3lb 2oz and 3lb 1oz 8 drams.
Not only did the first session on the incredible Lochnaw in Scotland produce these pristine fish, but the specialist from Northampton backed them up with no less than six roach all over 2lb 6oz when he fished straight lead just 20 yards from his own bank.
He kept the fish honing in on his 13mm pineapple boilies that were mounted on size 10 hooks, with the regular introduction of marble-sized balls of groundbait.
“This was a holiday that I will never forget as I caught the first couple of fish and then they just kept coming and it was almost like I was dreaming,” said Patrick.
“In the time I was there I had the two big ones and 19 roach all over 2lb 5oz. It was incredible.”
Excellent Fishing on the Trent & Mersey at Horninglow
The Trent & Mersey Canal through Burton-on-Trent is an excellent but under-rated stretch of waterway containing a good mix of species, including a number of river fish, such as chub, due to the Trent entrance near Wychnor further south.
The stretch is the chosen venue for the Division One National Championships this year, proving its consistency and the quality of fishing on offer. The pole is the most obvious and proven tactic that visiting anglers tend to opt for here particularly if you are targeting the venues big head of roach, skimmers and perch. Squatt, pinkie, maggots and bread will all work on their day but at this time of year the former tends to be the best option for a good net of fish. The trick is to fish a couple of lines, one at 3-5m on a whip or top sections of your pole loose-feeding little and often to keep the fish coming as well as feeding another line at the bottom of the far shelf at around 11m feeding it the same way. A little groundbait here is also a good idea to keep the fish concentrated but this must be topped-up if boats pass through and try not to use too. Some of the good pegs can be found by Dallow Lock at the northern end of the stretch as these tend to hold some skimmers and chub which can provide a nice bonus to any good roach and perch net. For the bigger fish you can use chopped worm and caster but some anglers opt for the corn or pellet fished tight to the far bank where roach to 2lb are in residence.
For predator fans there is also a good head of zander with good catch rates of fish in the 4-10lb bracket. Pike will prove harder to find but it is known for fish over 20lb to lurk in the deeper water.
Prices: £2 a day or £12 a season from Burton Angling Supplies or Burton Carp Tackle, Burton Mutual Angling Association, Juniors under 18 are £1 a season on the canal
Contact: Club secretary John Anderson 078911 26910
Location: Trent & Mersey Canal, Dallow Street, Horninglow, Burton on Trent, Staffs, DE14 2PJ
Rules: No litter, distance of at least 5m between moored boats
Facilities: Parking by Dallow Lock off Dallow Street
Roach hotspot produces 3lb 2oz specimen
WYN Jones proved why Lochnaw is one of the finest roach fisheries in the UK when his first ever trip to the venue produced a new personal best for the species of 3lb 2oz.
The fish was the highlight of a week’s session at the famous Scottish venue with three fellow members of the Tenchfishers, who also each banked specimens to over 3lb.
The Herts-based specialist fish simple maggot feeder rigs and used a Spomb to introduce hemp, corn, crushed boilies and maggots over the top.
“This is an incredible venue and is by no means easy. But for all of us to bank fish over 3lb is really mind blowing and is further proof that there aren’t any other venues that can touch this place,” said Wyn, who use 5lb hooklinks and size 18 hooks baited with two maggots.
Derwent Reservoir's Big Roach Secret
With the opening of the southern end of the dam wall, coarse anglers visiting Derwent Reservoir in Northumberland, have been taking full advantage and sacking up on nets to 30lb of prime roach.
The 1000-acre venue, which has some of the most stunning views an angler could wish for, is absolutely stuffed with roach and now is a good a time as any to go and enjoy the prolific sport. The complex is known more for its fly sport, making it one of the north-easts best kept secrets for coarse fishermen as few anglers tend to fish it for the roach.
Specimens to 12oz are coming out from every peg on the dam wall, with the groundbait feeder the top tactic. A 30-yard chuck is all you need to put yourself on the roach so the best approach is to start with a medium-large feeder filled with a slightly darkened sweet roach mix and once the fish start feeding switch to the bomb for ease of catching. When bites dry up switch back to the feeder once more to attract more fish in to the swim and this should see you start catching again. If trout move into your peg, the trick is to cast a further 5 yards beyond your feed and there you will find the roach again. Some anglers like to use the pole but as catapults are banned and balling in is not permitted it is far easier to catch on the quiver or swingtip. On the hook, most anglers prefer double or triple maggot but other baits can work too including caster or corn.
The venue fishes at its best on cloudier days especially when there is a ripple on the water but even in the worst conditions you can still expect bags of 20lb most of the year.
Derwent Reservoir, Northumberland
Prices: £10 a day from the lodge
Contact: 01207 255250
Location: Derwent Reservoir, Castleside, Northumberland, DH8 9TT
Facilities: Shop (no coarse tackle or bait) parking, disabled access
Rules: No catapults, No groundbait balling in
Dream brace at carp lake
THERE aren’t many anglers who can boast of catching a 4lb perch and a 2lb roach in a single session - but Ian Henderson is one man who can lay claim to such a feat after banking this pair of specimens from a Hertfordshire stillwater.
His first bite of the day came in the form of a 2lb 2oz redfin, and the experienced specimen hunter from Essex admitted it’s been almost 25-years since he has banked a roach of such proportions.
Due to the bright, sunny conditions in the morning he had to wait until late afternoon for the resident perch – his intended target species - to switch on, and it was a legered lobworm tail on a size 8 Drennan hook and a 4lb hooklink that eventually tempted the 4lb 8oz predator.
But the action didn’t stop there and he went on to land a perch of 3lb and a brace of twos from a spot at 20 yards range.
“Even though the weather has been much warmer of late, the water temperatures have been very slow to rise so the secret for the big perch has been not to overfeed and just introduce a couple of
broken lobworms,” said Ian.
“I have caught roach to 1lb 8oz from this lake in the past, but I never realised that they grew this big.
I was using pretty crude gear so I’m certain that if I fine down my rigs I’ll be able to discover the true potential of the lake and hopefully catch a really big one.
“It’s another excellent example of what’s on offer with regards to other coarse species at specimen carp fisheries.”
Historic roach haul taken from Lochnaw Castle Loch
A FATHER and son duo has shared one of the biggest catches of specimen roach in angling history from the venue widely tipped to break the British record for the species.
Allan and Neil Billington were rewarded for making the 350-mile round trip from their home near Lancaster to Lochnaw Castle Loch Fishery in south west Scotland where they braved horrendous weather conditions to bank 21 roach over 2lb 5oz, including five over 3lb to a best of 3lb 4oz.
Most of the pair’s fish came from clean areas between weedbeds at short to medium range, where Allan (59) and Neil (27) presented helicopter swimfeeder rigs with white or red maggots on the hook.
“It’s an amazing place. Prior to going up there for the first time, I spent five years on a water near home after big roach, and only managed them to 2lb 11oz. You can catch fish of that stamp for fun at Lochnaw!” said Allan, who used rigs made from 8lb mainline, 4lb hooklinks and size 14 hooks.
“I was playing what turned out to be a three-pounder, when my other rod went and I had to ask the fishery manager Kevin McArdle to pick up the rod and strike. That fish turned out to be the biggest of the lot, but I’m not counting it because I didn’t play it from start to finish! Nevertheless, it still shows what a remarkable stock of fish is present, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if somebody caught an absolute whacker in a few weeks’ time. The lake produced a fish of 3lb 13oz last November – that roach could easily be over the British record already.”
Kevin McArdle told Angling Times: “What made the catch particularly impressive was the conditions. For much of their time on the loch the lads had to endure howling gales, with winds gusting up to 70mph causing a severe undertow making line lay, bite indication and casting accuracy a complete lottery. So to catch as they did, when the loch had been fishing very hard of late anyway, was a terrific feat of angling.”
*For more info on the venue, log on to www.lochnawcastle.co.uk
Huge hauls of silverfish at None-Go-Bye-Farm
Big bags of silverfish have been dominating at Yorkshire’s None-Go-Bye-Farm and Darren Briggs needed an impressive 37lb 1oz of roach to top the field in a recent match.
The Baildon-based rod drew peg 6 on the Bottom Lake and used caster on the long pole line from peg 6 to net fish to 1lb at regular intervals.
Days later it was skimmers that helped Chris Kendall claim victory, with the Middy man using pellet from peg 9 on the Middle Lake for 49lb 5oz of them.
Roach anglers paradise opens it doors
A DAY-TICKET fishery boasting one of the biggest stocks of specimen roach in the UK has opened its doors to anglers.
A major winter netting operation at Abbey Lake in Gloucestershire revealed that the three-acre venue held more than 50 big redfins weighing between 2lb and just under 3lb, with a further 150 fish between 1lb 8oz and 2lb in reserve.
The ‘roach anglers paradise’, which is part of the popular Lemington Lakes complex, has been carefully nurtured by owner and fisheries consultant Andrew Ellis.
“It’s taken around five years of hard work to get this population of roach to the stamp that they are now, but this is just the beginning – these fish will keep growing ,” Andrew told Angling Times.
“They are completely empty at this time of the year, and as soon as the water temperatures start to rise in earnest and the roach begin to eat more, they will pack on weight quickly.”
Andrew revealed how the changing face of the specimen angling world was one of the factors that encouraged him to develop Abbey Lake.
“There seems to be an increasing number of stillwater anglers who want to catch big roach and that’s the reason why I’ve put so much effort into breeding these fish. I think it’s important that anybody should be able to have a crack at catching a 3lb roach for the price of a day ticket,” he said.
“The lake has been closed since November, so the next few weeks are sure to see a few anglers leaving with smiles on their faces and personal bests under their belts!”
Day tickets on Abbey Lake cost £8. To find out more about the complex visit: www.lemingtonlakes.co.uk or call 01608 650872.
44lb roach catch wins Messingham Sands match
Bites have been hard to come by at many fisheries but not at Messingham Sands where Lee Harrison took 44lb of roach to win the latest match.
The Maver rod drew on the North Day Ticket Lake at the Scunthorpe venue in the silverfish open event and used maggot on the short pole line to take samples to 1lb at regular intervals.
Grimsby’s Jamie Green was on the same water and secured second place with 31lb 5oz.
For more details on the fishery visit www.messinghamsands.co.uk
Roach hotspot produces huge 3lb specimen
A decision to brave heavy rain and driving winds proved more than worthwhile for Scott Ashworth when he netted this 3lb roach from Lochnaw Loch.
The fishery boss pitched up on a renowned hotspot at the Scottish silverfish haven and rigged up a simple helicopter feeder rig with a worm and maggot cocktail hookbait.
“The conditions were horrendous but when fish like this could be your reward it is worth taking a chance and battling against the elements,” explained Scott, who tempted the fish by fishing close to a large weedbed 50 yards out.
Anglers enjoying excellent river roach sport
MATT Jackson set himself the target of catching a 2lb-plus roach this winter - and he achieved his goal with this fine 2lb 12oz specimen from the Hampshire Avon last week.
While most anglers stayed indoors to shelter from the recent icy blast, the Salisbury-based factory worker made the short trip to his local stretch of the waterway and was rewarded with a brace of redfins for over 4lb.
With heavy rain putting a bit of colour back in the water he headed to an area where he’d caught fish to 1lb 13oz a few days earlier.
“The levels hadn’t risen at all but after half an hour without any twitches I was beginning to wonder whether or not the roach were still in the area,” the 25-year-old told Angling Times.
Any doubts were dismissed, however, when two quick taps on his rod tip saw him connect with a decent fish.
“After a tense battle in the flow I slipped the net under a roach which I knew would beat my target. Sure enough it tipped the scales to 2lb 12oz and I couldn’t have been happier.”
The action didn’t end there though, with a second of specimen of 1lb 6oz falling to his tactics which consisted of a single maggot on a size 14 Drennan Wide Gape Specialist hook and a 3lb Supplex hooklink over a bed of liquidised bread and CC Moore Intense Hemp.
Another angler to land a brace of big river roach was Tom Marshall who broke his personal best with a 2lb specimen from a stretch of the River Thames close to his Oxford home.
Having taken a 1lb 12oz fish on a large piece of feeder-fished breadflake, he rebaited and it didn’t take long for his new pb to fall for the trap.
“There has been a boom of big roach in the waterway and I’ve come close to a new best several times but always fallen short. As soon as I saw this one in the bottom of the net I knew I’d finally cracked it,” said Tom.
