1,000 miles for amazing brace of rudd and roach
Daniel Woolcott proved his dedication to the sport when he racked up almost 1,000 miles travelling the length of the country to land a brace of new personal bests.
Roach was the first species on the Kent-based all-rounder’s hit list, so he embarked on a 20-hour roundtrip to target the famous Lochnaw Loch in Stranraer, Scotland.
After completing the mammoth journey he got the session underway by feeding a mixture of 10mm boilies and groundbait laced with maggots and hemp at 70yds range out before casting helicopter-style feeder rigs over the top.
With only a few small redfins to show for his efforts by the end of the first night his confidence began to wane. But he received a much-needed boost on the second evening.
“My alarm emitted a series of bleeps and when I lifted in to the bite I could feel a solid resistance on the other end,” said Daniel.
“My angling companion for the session James Champkin thought it may have been one of the trout that inhabit the water but once we got it closer we could clearly see it was a massive roach.
“My previous best weighed in at 2lb but this obliterated it as the dial swung round to 2lb 11oz,” he added.
The action didn’t end there, though, with the building surveyor taking another specimen of 2lb 6oz before he setting off on the long journey home.
With a new roach best under his belt he then set his sights on beating his rudd pb of 2lb 6oz 8dr, with a less daunting trip to Buckland Lake Reserve Fishery in Rochester, Kent.
Using identical tactics to those at Lochnaw he presented his plastic corn hookbait 10yds out. He said: “My only run of the session came at around 4am and I instantly knew that if it was a rudd, it was likely to be a new personal best.
“It stayed deep but once I’d netted it my suspicions were confirmed as my scales registered a weight of 3lb 8oz.”
He added: “These two trips have provided me with the most remarkable period of my angling career to date,” he concluded.
Both fish were beaten with 5lb fluorocarbon mainline tied to size 12 Drennan Super Specialist hooks.
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3lb 3oz 8dr roach best fish ever
“I can’t believe that this 3lb 3oz 8dr giant is the first ‘proper’ roach I’ve ever caught from a river.”
These are the words of big fish ace Alan Stagg after he joined an elite group of anglers who have banked 3lb-plus roach from both still and running water.
This incredible fish was caught by the Gardner Tackle employee after he spent three weeks walking the banks of a southern chalk stream searching for what is regarded as one of the UK’s rarest and most sought-after specimens.
After locating a small pocket of fish, he visited the stretch three times without a sign of his intended quarry, but his latest visit was a different story as he had to wait only 20 minutes after casting out a simple feeder rig before the personal best took his double maggot hookbait mounted on a size 18 Drennan Super Specialist hook.
“There’s no doubt that this fish ranks as the best fish I’ve ever caught and I feel so privileged because I know how rare these fish are,” Alan told Angling Times.
“A big river roach was going to be my winter campaign, but to catch something like this so early on is kind of hard to get my head around, especially when it’s the first river roach I’ve ever caught…that’s just mad.
“I hate to think how many miles I walked just with a pair of polarising glasses looking for signs of fish before I actually got round to casting a line. This is what you have to do because there are so few pockets of big fish not only in this venue, but many other rivers throughout the UK.”
Alan beat the fish with a short 3lb fluorocarbon hooklink that sat below a 30 gram maggot feeder that was fished just a couple of rodlengths out from the bank and was presented over a bed of maggots introduced via a small bait dropper.
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Norfolk stillwater roach an ounce shy of 3lb
Ken Fuller came within an ounce of catching a roach over the magical 3lb-barrier with this superb 2lb 15oz specimen from a Norfolk stillwater.
The fish is the biggest of four 2lb-plus redfins which the local rod has caught from the venue since March and came an hour after first light.
“It was so close to the magical 3lb-mark, but what’s an ounce or so when you have a specimen like that in your net,” said Ken, who fished two maggots on a size 16 hook in conjunction with a maggot feeder.
“The fishery manager was on the far bank and after much arm waving realised that I wasn’t just waving ‘hello’ but that I had something special in the net. He came over and witnessed the weighing and kindly took some photos for me.”
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Seven roach over 2lb from Lochnaw Castle Loch
John Sucksmith enjoyed the ‘best roach fishing session of his life’ at the famous Lochnaw Castle Loch in Scotland.
The venue is widely regarded as one of the UK’s finest specimen roach waters and the experienced angler from Lincoln proved why with no less than seven fish over 2lb including a 2lb 15oz 8dr personal best.
Accuracy was the key to his success and he followed every cast of his groundbait feeder with the introduction of 10 boilies directly over the top. All of his fish fell to Dynamite Baits 10mm The Source boilies hair-rigged on a size 10 hook.
“This is the best roach fishing I’ve experienced in over 60-years of angling,” John told Angling Times.
“As soon as my feeder hit the water I’d fire 10 to 15 boilies into the ripple created by the rig and I’m convinced that keeping everything really tight made the difference.”
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Lochnaw delivers trio of 2lb roach
Stuart Jessop’s trip to Scottish roach mecca Loch Naw paid off with a trio of 2lb-plus redfins.
The Collingham, Nottinghamshire man landed two specimens of 2lb 10oz and one of 2lb 7oz from the 48-acre venue near Stranraer.
Stuart took all his fish using 10mm Dynamite Baits Source boilies on a helicopter rig consisting of a 6lb hooklink and a size 12 hook in conjunction with a small feeder filled with 4mm Source pellets and Sonubaits Hemp and Hali Crush groundbait.
“I had one of the 2lb 10oz fish and the 2lb 7oz roach in quick succession. This place is absolutely gorgeous and Kevin the fishery manager could not be more helpful and works tirelessly to run a superb fishery,” he said.
For more information visit www.lochnawcastle.co.uk.
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Mega week for big roach
Autumn is traditionally a time for big roach and this season certainly looks set to follow that pattern with a raft of huge fish falling this week.
Leading the way on a fantastic week for the species was Ryan Hayden who banked a personal best 2lb 14oz redfin from the Hampshire Avon.
Faced with low and clear conditions, the Northants-based angler decided to use a link leger rig with a big piece of breadflake on the hook.
Using a small shot allowed the bait to bounce through the swim gently and as it reached the end of the peg the tip wrapped round.
“As it got close to the net I was certain it was a small chub, but then it came up into the fast water and rose to the surface. I could not believe it when I saw it was a huge roach,” said Ryan.
“After a couple of near misses with the net it finally slid over the net. I was speechless after landing a fish of a lifetime,” he added.
Over on the Dorset Stour Stuart Andrews used identical tactics to locate a new pb roach of 2lb 5oz.
Having spotted a shoal residing under an overhanging tree, he flicked out a piece of flake and it was soon spotted by the fish.
Floatfishing has also scored well, with Alistair Ogilvie displaying the silverfish potential of the River Trent with an eye-catching 52lb 12oz haul of roach.
The Lincolnshire rod fished a stickfloat and maggots on the Dunham stretch of the famous waterway to attract a bite almost every run through. His rig was made up of 2.5lb mainline and an 0.10mm hooklink to a size 18 hook.
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Secret formula to growing record roach
A fisheries expert has this week revealed his secret formula to growing record-sized roach.
Andrew Ellis, owner of A&E Fisheries Consultancy has used his years of experience to come up with five simple steps for fishery owners and clubs to follow if they want to boost the size of the redfins in their waters - and what’s more it will barely cost a penny.
Cotswolds-based Andrew, who has worked in the industry for over two decades, believes clubs and fisheries have to actively manage their lakes in order to achieve results. Speaking exclusively to Angling Times he said: “One of the main pointers to breeding bigger roach is cropping your stock every year. By doing so you can not only make money from the excess fish but it makes for a healthier lake and bigger fish.
“It is amazing how many fisheries just keep re-stocking every time sport slows but throwing fish at the problem is not the answer.”
Andrew has already put his methods into practice with great results at Lemington Lakes. A number of other UK venues have also taken up his advice which includes ideas such as keeping a varied mix of stock, feeding fish with cereal based pellets or maize, as well as checking the health of the water. Chris Mack, owner of Bartles Lodge Fishery in Dereham, Norfolk is just one of many reaping the rewards. He said: “I have literally spent no money since stocking my lakes a few years ago as with the help from Andrew we have cropped the stock on the lakes as he advised and the fishing has been excellent for all species. We have a lake with mainly roach in and in just three years they are already up to 1.5lb it’s amazing.”
Another venue set to follow Andrew’s advice is Norfolk’s Highbridge Lakes which hit the headlines last week following the capture of a record shaking 4lb 1oz roach by carp angler Sean Jackson. Fishery manager Dale McLachlan said: “We haven’t done it in the past but we are now planning to crop the stocks during a netting operation at the end of the month. The fish here have reached massive weights without any work, so hopefully removing the smaller fish will see them get even bigger.”
Five Steps To Grow a Record Roach
• Try to have more than one species present in your pool to help keep a balance. Carp are good because they help to colour the water and keep weed growth down.
• Net your lake every year and crop the fish by removing anything between 6-8oz.
• Feed regularly with maize or cereal pellets to keep the fish well fed and healthy.
• Do not restock unless you’ve had a fish kill or your numbers were originally low.
• Check the health of your water regularly including plant life and acidity and make sure it is kept well oxygenated.
Andrew runs his own fishery consultancy business which offers full fishery health reports and further advice on growing fish. Anyone interested in his services can do so by calling him on: 07966 250399 or visiting: www.aefisheries.co.uk
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Method feeder tactics bank roach to over 2lb
Fishing in an unconventional manner can sometimes work wonders as James Champkin found out when he banked a series of roach to 2lb 3oz from a southern stillwater.
The Norfolk-based all-rounder ignored traditional float fishing tactics in favour of a Method feeder moulded with sweet fishmeal groundbait and baited with a 6mm pellet.
Several big crucians to a personal best of 3lb 15oz were also held up for the cameras and James said: “Having achieved most of my other targets for the year, I was keen to catch a really big crucian carp before the end of the summer. It was also great to land a number of large redfins.”
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Roach record rocked with 4lb 1oz specimen
A carp angler had a big surprise when he banked a roach just short of the British record that topped the scales at 4lb 1oz.
The huge specimen falls just 3oz shy of the current best and was netted by Sean Jackson when he fished a session at Highbridge Lakes Norfolk.
It’s a venue that’s known for its stock of large roach as it produced a stunning 3lb 13oz fish for well-known specialist Chris Turnbull earlier this year, but this is the lakes first ever fish to break the 4lb barrier.
Just a day after banking a new personal best carp at 36lb 8oz, Sean who comes from Fakenham, Norfolk, received a couple of bleeps on his alarm and at first thought he’d hooked a bream.
But with a previous personal best that stood at 2lb 8oz, that was also caught from the six-acre fishery, the 31-year-old, mechanic soon knew that his two 15mm Urban Baits boilies had been taken by a big ‘redfin’.
“When I saw the sheer size of the fish and realised that it had to be pushing 4lb I just had to call Dale the fishery manager as it would have been wrong not to have a witness and a proper picture of such a huge specimen,” said Sean.
“This just makes you wonder what else is in this lake, but that goes for many other waters that have carp syndicates in operation because these fish grow fat on all of the high protein baits that are introduced and really are an exciting prospect for coarse anglers.”
There are both carp and coarse fishing syndicates in operation at ‘Highbridge’, but there are many places left on the former, which allows members to fish for roach and other coarse species from October 2014 until March 31, 2015 for £150.
“It’s a big fish for this time of the year and there’s no doubt it could be at a record weight this winter,” said fishery manager Dale Mclachlan.
For more information and to enquire about places on the coarse fishing syndicate call Dale on: 07983 988920.
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3lb 7oz roach for eight-year-old
Cody Orchard became the envy of specimen anglers across the country when he banked this 3lb 7oz roach from a free stretch of river.
The eight-year-old was fishing with his father Brad on the banks of the River Frome in the centre of Wareham, Dorset, when the big roach honed in on his simple maggot feeder tactics which included three grubs threaded on to a size 16 hook.
His baits had only been in the water for around 15 minutes when his rod was almost ripped off the rest by the specimen, which is the biggest fish he’s ever caught.
“Cody loves fishing and I had taken him to the river to continue showing him all the basics. I knew that there were some good roach in the stretch, but I never expected him to catch anything like this because 3lb roach are so rare,” Brad told Angling Times.
“The rod almost got dragged into the drink and I thought it might have been a carp at first as I didn’t think a roach could take a bait with such aggression.
“Many anglers go a life-time without having the privilege of catching a specimen like this. I’m so proud that my son has this fish on his angling CV at such an early age, but I must admit that I’m ever so slightly jealous!”
The incredible big-roach potential of the swims either side of the town bridge in Wareham was fully realised earlier this year when a string of anglers smashed their personal bests with roach to 3lb 6oz.
Some of the visitors even banked up to four fish over 3lb in a single session, which has many predicting that this free stretch could produce a fish over the British record for the species that currently stands at 4lb 4oz.
“I recognise this fish as one of the big roach that was caught in the winter and I’d say it’s at least two ounces heavier,” said Dean Watts, who owns Purbeck Angling, situated just a stone’s throw from the venue.
For more information call Dean at Purbeck Angling on: 01929 550770
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2lb-plus roach from River Thames and Hampshire Avon
Barbel and chub have dominated the headlines since the start of season but this week has seen a string of huge roach caught from two of the nation’s waterways.
River fishing fanatic, Kevin Palmer, banked five specimens over 2lb from the Hampshire Avon with the biggest topping the scales at an impressive 2lb 5oz.
Specimen redfins are notoriously hard to catch, so the 33-year-old from Swindon fished a simple blockend feeder filled with a pinch of hempseed coupled with a 0.09 mm hooklink and a size 20 hook.
His winning hookbait was a single tare cast tight to an overhanging tree on the far bank where he’d spotted fish showing.
“I dropped my stuff off in the swim and stalked around to the tree on the far side and I saw a huge roach. I thought it was a bream until I saw the red fins - it must have been 3lb at least,” Kevin told Angling Times.
“Unfortunately, I lost that particular fish, but who can complain about a catch like this as it’s so rare to catch so many fish over 2lb these days.
“I went back to the river a few days later and also banked a brace of roach weighing 2lb 2oz and 2lb. It’s been incredible.”
Moving on to the River Thames, Nick Brown used long trotting tactics off the back of his boat and as the sun set the tip of his float disappeared and he struck into a stunning 2lb 9oz personal best.
At first he thought his maggot hookbait had been taken by a large chub, but it didn’t take the quantity surveyor long to realise that he’d set his size 20 hook into a fish-of-a-lifetime.
“My legs went to jelly when the fish popped up and I realised what I’d caught. This is a personal best that I’ doubt I’ll break for a very long time.” said Nick.
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Lochnaw is still the top roach venue
Rumours of the demise of roach mecca, Lochnaw, have been dismissed by Gary Knowles, who landed a string of specimens topped by this new personal best of 3lb 2oz.
A temporary suspension on angling was placed on the lake in April after cormorants took a number of fish. Despite venue officials stating that the lake’s large roach had been virtually unaffected, reports were soon circulating on the big-fish grapevine and many anglers feared the worst.
Undeterred by the claims, though, the Warrington-based Korum consultant made the trip to the venue in Stranraer, Scotland when it reopened, and initially targeted a spot that he had caught from in the past. After a couple of days with very little to show for his efforts he decided a change of swim was in order.
“I spotted a good fish rolling right in the centre of the loch which was an area only accessible from the opposite bank to where I was fishing,” Gary told Angling Times. “Coupled with the fact that a new wind began to push in to the same area the following morning I decided I just had to make a move.”
It proved to be an inspired choice. Having seen roach priming well out in the loch, Gary baited an area at 70yds with a dozen balls of Dynamite Baits Roach Black groundbait laced with hemp and crushed 10mm The Source boilies.
Over the top of this he offered a single 10mm boilie hookbait on a mini helicopter rig tied with a size 14 X-Pert hook, a 4.12lb Powerline hooklink and a 45gr Combi-Feeder.
“I had my first proper take at dawn producing a fish of 2lb 13oz. In the next 24 hours this was followed by five other stunning roach of 2lb 7oz, 2lb 13oz, 2lb 14oz, 2lb 15oz and 3lb 2oz. It would seem rumours of the Loch’s decline are somewhat premature!” he added.
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Sway roach at 3lb 2oz on big-carp tactics
A change to ‘scaled-down’ carp tactics paid dividends for Mike Townsend who landed this superb 3lb 2oz roach from Sway Lakes in Hampshire.
The Doncaster-based specialist landed a total of eight fish during his 24 hour session, including seven two pounders to 2lb 11oz.
He said: “I’ve caught reasonably well this year, but the carp anglers kept claiming that they were catching more, and larger roach, than us roach anglers. This prompted me in to a change of tactics.”
Mike presented an 8mm banded boilie hookbait on a size 16 hook and 3lb hooklink in conjunction with a 45g flat feeder with scolded 6mm pellets moulded around it.
“This catch proved how switched on the roach are carp anglers bait, however, Hugh Miles says I’m now practising ‘dark arts’!” he added.
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Roach glory days return
A project to rejuvenate roach stocks in a river that was regarded as the best in the country for the species has gathered pace this week.
The Hampshire Avon was once renowned for its shoals of redfins and attracted anglers from all over the UK, with 3lb-plus specimens reported regularly before sport drastically declined several years ago as a result of predation.
In a bid to bring back the glory days, the Avon Roach Project was created, with the founders using a simple tactic to reach their goals.
Rather than stock roach bred on fish farms, spawning boards were constructed in the waterway to give the shoals an area to despatch their eggs. These are then removed and held in a growing pond until they hatch and are big enough to be safely reintroduced to the river.
Thousands of fish have been restocked since its creation in 2005 and one of the most significant moves to date occurred when officials released a large number of small roach at Ibsley Bridge – the stretch that threw up a record-breaking 3lb 8oz and 3lb 15oz brace to Colin Gilson less than a decade ago.
Operation coordinator Trevor Harrop is delighted at the progress made to date and he told Angling Times: “Our main aim is to revive roach stocks so that anglers can visit the venue and once again catch big bags of them.
“The sight of netfuls of healthy, adult Avon roach that we’ve grown from eggs going back into the river is something very special, and the positive catch reports we had before the start of the closed season certainly suggests our work is having an effect,” he added.
Clubs and fisheries throughout the country have also taken advice to conduct similar operations to boost roach stocks on other venues including the Severn, Warwickshire Avon and the Bristol Avon. Environment Agency Fisheries Specialist Andy Martin has commended the approach: “This sustainable method of rearing of roach and the creation of a spawning habitat is addressing some of the key impacts that are causing problems for coarse fish stocks.”
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3lb 5oz roach ends Hugh Miles' 60-year quest
“This is the fish I’ve been waiting to catch for 60 years - it feels like I’ve won the lottery.”
These were the words of fishing fanatic Hugh Miles after he slipped his net under a new personal best roach that topped the scales at 3lb 5oz.
The award-winning wildlife photographer and cameraman, responsible for creating the hit television series A Passion for Angling, beat his previous best for the species by 1oz when he embarked on a short two-hour session at the popular Sway Lakes complex in Hampshire.
In order to try and pick out the venue’s bigger residents he side hooked a 10mm boilie onto the bend of a size 14 hook and flicked it out at close range.
This, in conjunction with a delicate paternoster rig that was held in place on the lake bed with a single swan shot and featured a 2lb 10oz hooklink, was the winning combination for a delighted Hugh.
“I’ve been roach fishing for 60 years and it really doesn’t get any better than this,” Hugh told Angling Times.
“I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve banked some really big roach in the past and now have seven fish over the 3lb-mark under my belt, but nothing prepares you for something like this.
“There’s just something about roach that’s so special and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have increased my personal best again. This is probably the biggest fish in the lake and fishing for me doesn’t get any better than this.”
Hugh has also had lots of success at Sway Lakes on the pole and he used this method on the day to back-up his new best with another specimen roach of 2lb 6oz.
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2lb 6oz roach for Hugh Miles
This 2lb 6oz roach was landed by award-winning wildlife film maker and photographer Hugh Miles when he visited the popular Sway Lakes complex.
The fishing fanatic, who filmed the iconic a Passion for Angling series, used fished a side-hooked boilie on the pole to avoid the attentions of smaller fish at the Hampshire venue.
During his last few sessions he has alternated between using 10mm boilies on a size 12 hook and tares size 18 to 20 hooks which has resulted in the capture of no less than eight roach over the 2lb-barrier and countless fish over 1lb.
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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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Four roach over 2lb fall after change of bait
A day session at Sway Lakes in Hampshire produced four 2lb-plus roach for Mike Townsend.
Specimens of 2lb 10oz, 2lb 8oz, 2lb 4oz, 2lb 2oz and 2lb came to the Doncaster-based all-rounder after he switched from casters to 8mm pellets on the hook.
He said: “I’d spent from dawn until 2pm trying to wade through the smaller fish using casters and hemp. The change to pellets brought steady action through the afternoon and only one other roach fell to the pellets that didn’t break the 2lb-barrier. Fish like this make the long journey from my home down to Hampshire more than worthwhile,” he added.
Thirty minutes to catch a 3lb roach brace
A free stretch of the River Frome continues to produce unrivalled fishing for specimen roach as Bob Gibbs banked a brace of fish over 3lb in just half-an-hour.
The tree surgeon from North London was going in search of grayling, but changed his mind after visiting the fishing shop on the banks of the river at Wareham called Purbeck Angling and was advised to try fishing just below the town bridge for the resident roach.
It proved to be good advice as he equalled his personal best with his biggest fish weighing 3lb 2oz and another topping the scales at 3lb 1oz after trotting bread on a size 14 hook attached to a 2lb hooklink.
“I’m so glad that I popped into the shop to get some maggots as the owner Dean was really helpful and put me right onto the fish,” said Bob.
“I was only going to give it an hour, but I can’t believe I only needed half that time to land a brace of fish like this.
Free stretch of river produces four roach over 3lb
A free stretch of river has this week emerged as one of the best specimen roach waters in the UK after it produced four fish over the magical 3lb barrier.
In the last week the River Frome that runs through the town centre of Wareham, Dorset, produced a handful of what is one of Britain’s rarest specimens in the shape of a brace of fish both weighing 3lb 2oz, plus two at 3lb 1oz and 3lb.
Local angler Phil Cooper, who’s fished the river for over 35 years, used his experience to net specimens topping the scales at 3lb 2oz and 3lb, while trotting a stickfloat and maggots during two short sessions in a swim close to the town bridge.
The fisheries officer for Wareham & District Angling Society also revealed that a holiday maker, who mirrored his tactics, needed just over an hour to bank the remaining brace of 3lb fish.
“This has to be the best roach fishery in the UK at the minute as there’s a huge shoal of specimens that come into this area in the winter, so if they are in the vicinity and the conditions are right then they’re not hard to catch at all,” Phil told Angling Times.
“I had my 3lb fish over two sessions, but this other guy turned up and I gave him a few tips and then left him to it. I returned about an hour-and-a-half later and he’d had a brace of ‘threes’.
“I’ve now caught nine 3lb plus roach from the river and there’s no doubt that there isn’t another stretch in the country that can produce catches like this at the moment and the best thing is that it’s free fishing and available to anyone.”
For expert advice on fishing the River Frome call Dean at Purbeck Angling on: 01929 550770
