Four day quest for giant Lea roach

JOE Royffe’s four-day pursuit of a big River Lea roach finally turned up trumps with the capture of a 2lb 7oz specimen.

The Hertfordshire-based angler had spotted a brace of large redfins tucked under a reedbed and decided to target them on trotting gear with red maggots.

After hooking a number of smaller fish Joe finally struck into a strong resistance just before the light faded.

He said: “I was met with a solid resistance and could soon feel the classic jagged lunges and head shakes through the rod as the fish lunged around the swim.

“This has got to be one of my favourite captures so far this season – knowing how hard big roach are to come by on the Lea system.”