Incredible week for roach as redfins go on the feed
Experts believe Britain’s roach shoals have gone on a ‘feeding frenzy’ after a string of sensational river and lake catches to over 47lb!
Leading the week’s best bags was Wayne Anderson, who pole fished casters on Norfolk’s River Thurne and was rewarded with an incredible 47lb 6oz of roach.
The fish – anywhere between 4oz and 6oz – were all taken close in on the pole with casters, and Wayne’s catch won a match in which the top five all had over 25lb.
The River Trent at Burton also got in on the silver fish act with a string of double-figure weights.
Despite poor river conditions, the recent three-day festival was a triumph for roach anglers, as river regular Wayne Swinscoe explained: “The river was low and crystal clear,” he said. “However, the fish went on a feeding frenzy, especially the roach, and all sections fished really well.
“Over the course of three days multiple 20lb bags of roach were taken, topped by a thumping
38lb 9oz net of redfins caught by Ian Shaw, who fished casters and tares from peg 3 at Shardlow.”
Anglers on Yorkshire rivers also had some fantastic roach sport to report, as was highlighted in the Upper Calder Champs on the stretch at Brighouse.
The match was dominated by Andy Miller, who caught a cracking 21lb 7oz net of redfins on the pole at 11m with maggots over groundbait.
Bradford No1 AA match secretary, Matt Foster, reported the event to Angling Times.
He said: “The river fished so well that 10lb of roach finished 21st!”
It wasn’t just the rivers which provided anglers with silverfish action this week either, as one of the country’s ‘forgotten fisheries’ sprang into life.
A fantastic 32lb 12oz of roach was needed to win at Alton Reservoir, in Suffolk, a venue made famous for producing massive bags of bream for visiting anglers.
The man behind the catch was Ian Torn, who fished maggot, caster and corn over groundbait on the 13m pole line.
Match organiser Sean Bere was delighted with the result.
He said: “Alton is a venue that match fishing seems to have forgotten since its bream-filled heyday in the 1990s, but the fish are still there – as recent fantastic catches of roach have proved.”
Roach were also the mainstay of many catches at Tamar Lakes near Bude, Cornwall, where multiple 40lb bags were taken in the recent Preston Pairs Festival.
One of these was taken by Simon Poynter, who caught 313 roach for a massive 40lb 8oz.
Simon fished a 5m whip to hand and switched over to the pole over the same line whenever he needed better presentation.
t’s not just roach that have been filling anglers’ nets, as 75-year-old Dave Riley proved with a 90lb bag of ide from Butts Lake at Aston Park Fishery in Sheffield.
These fish averaged between 8oz and 12oz, and were caught on maggot fished shallow.
Bills Lake, at the same fishery, also saw a 65lb bag of chub caught up in the water.