Specimen roach are hard on the feed...NOW!

DESPITE unsavoury weather conditions specimen anglers have been enjoying fantastic roach sport from river and Stillwater venues all over the country.

Here are three specimen reports to help whet your fishing appetite for the week ahead:

John Joyce 3lb 1oz 8dr roach

A double bronze maggot hookbait has accounted for one of the biggest river roach of the season in the shape of this pristine 3lb 1oz 8dr specimen.

It fell to the rod of 32-year-old landscape gardener John Joyce who headed to his local stretch of Dorset’s River Frome for a few hours’ maggot feeder fishing on the tip.

He told Angling Times: “I was catching plenty of small trout and eels when I struck into a much stronger fish, and I was surprised to see this huge roach pop up!”

Geoffrey Smith 2lb 9oz roach

Carp angler Geoffrey Smith enjoyed the roach session of his dreams after banking three personal bests in just a 48-hour period.

Targeting Brasenose One at Oxfordshire’s popular Linear Fishery, the Cardiff-based rod saw a grebe take a sizeable roach in the margins and decided to target the same area with maggot hookbaits.

He said: “Whilst spraying the area with bait I managed to draw the roach in, and before it got dark I landed fish of 2lb 3oz, 2lb 7oz and 2lb 9oz.”

Richard Wilby 2lb 9oz roach

HUGE roach from East Anglian rivers are rare beasts so you can imagine Richard Wilby’s delight when he slipped his net under this pristine 2lb 9oz specimen.

The 2018 Drennan Cup runner-up had spent eight morning’s fishing his chosen venue over the last few weeks with just three roach to show for his efforts, but this 2lb 9oz example made all the effort worthwhile, as he explained…

“Huge roach are very rare in this region so I’m tremendously happy with it – although I think it could do me a bigger one!” he said.

Richard’s roach fell to simple trotting gear including a pin, stick float and a piece bread flake mounted onto a size 12 hook.