First ever stillwater roach session produces 2lb 8oz redfin

Darran Goulder’s first attempt at stillwater roach fishing ended in success with the capture of this personal best 2lb 8oz roach from Lochnaw Loch in Scotland.

The Kent-based Shimano consultant targeted a gravel bar surrounded by silt that he had located at 30 yards range and baited with a mixture of hemp, Dynamite Baits Silver Roach X, scopex flavoured sweetcorn and pellets.

Over the top of this he cast helicopter style maggot feeder rigs comprising 3ins Shimano Ultegra fluorocarbon hooklinks and size 8 hooks.

His tactics accounted for around 30 fish with the majority weighing between 6oz – 1lb.

“The only serious roach fishing I’ve done in the past has been on running water, so it was something very new to me,” the former Drennan Cup champion told Angling Times. “But given the venues pedigree for throwing up monster redfins it’s somewhere I’ve wanted to fish for a while. Although I wasn’t fortunate enough to catch any of the lake’s really big 3lb-plus roach I was delighted to beat my old pb for the species of 2lb 4oz.

Darran was joined on his trip to the Scottish roach ‘mecca’ by Watford-based all-rounder, Stuart Court, who landed a brace of specimen redfins weighing 2lb 14oz and 2lb 10oz.

Both of the fish came on the final morning of the session after he landed a number of smaller roach earlier in the week.

He said: “Getting the pictures done was a nightmare as we had to be packed up and off the venue by 10am and it was chucking it down with rain causing the camera lens to keep fogging up!”

Stuart put his faith in plum flavoured maggots on a size 14 Drennan Specialist Wide Gape hooks and 3ins 4lb fluorocarbon hooklinks in conjunction with a maggot feeder.

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