Season's biggest roach landed.

An adapted inline maggot feeder rig has accounted for the biggest roach of the season –this 3lb 2oz beauty. 

It was caught by Hampshire-specimen ace Dan Gale from a tidal stretch of Dorset’s River Frome and is a fish that he described as being ‘at the top of the list of all the catches that he’s ever made.’

Speaking exclusively to Angling Times, the 35-year-old discussed his session and the capture of such a rare and special roach.

He said: “The bite came during a short evening trip when the tide was a couple of hours into the ebb. 

“After a fruitless 30 minutes in one swim, I moved downstream into an area with deeper water, and used a small baitdropper to deposit a couple of pinches of hempseed.

“I then cast my adapted inline maggot feeder with a short hooklink onto the spot, and another just downstream of this into the middle channel.” 

For a hookbait, Dan threaded a fake maggot onto the shank of a size 14 barbed hook. No live maggots were used on the hook to help him avoid catching smaller ‘nuisance’ roach. 

Dan added: “The bite came on the downstream rod after just a couple of minutes, and straight away I knew it was a special fish. It rolled mid-river early in the fight, and I was under no illusion that I had hooked a monster. 

“After a really dogged scrap, the fish finally came to the landing net and I was able to take in its true dimensions. 

“I’ve been fortunate enough to catch some really special fish over the last couple of years, but I think a river ‘three-pounder’ might just be top of the list!

“It is a new personal best and one that I do not envisage breaking any time soon! I think this fish is up on a pedestal, compared to the other fish that I’ve caught.”

Dan wins a weekly Drennan Cup award for the catch, his third of the season so far.