Bumper roach haul after three day feed
A prebaiting campaign on his local River Itchen paid off handsomely for big-fish man Roman Vann when he put together an astonishing haul of roach to a top weight of 2lb 5oz.
Priming his swim with hemp for three days prior to his session, Roman waited until a low pressure front had moved in and he could see numbers of roach in the swim.
This resulted in a catch which included three fish over 2lb to 2lb 5oz, along with half a dozen over 1lb 12oz.
He told Angling Times: “The last three relatively calm and mild winters seems to have bolstered roach numbers and weights on the southern rivers.
“The plan seemed to work perfectly as each time I checked the swim the concentration of roach was increasing.
“When roach are feeding actively there is no need to fish too fine because you will just lose more large fish to hook-pulls.”
Romans haul fell to maggot feeder tactics with three maggots on a size 12 hook tied to a 5lb hooklength.
3lb 3oz roach with a taste for fruit!
A MAGGOT hookbait dipped in a strawberry liquid proved too irresistible for this sublime 3lb 3oz roach for all-round angler Kevin Sanders.
The 42-year-old from Cambridge was in the middle of packing away his kit when his rod signaled a take just as dusk fell.
Kevin told Angling Times: “I had enjoyed a day of catching small perch and roach to over a pound on a Norfolk Lake when this beauty took the bait.
“I was fishing a maggot feeder helicopter style which I part-filled with Dynamite Baits XL liquid strawberry for high attraction.”
To try and winkle-out a bigger fish Kevin switched his hook pattern to a size 10 wide gape feeder, which proved effective move late on in the session.
“I threaded a buoyant maggot on the shank and two lives on the hook,” he added.
“I also dipped my hookbait in the strawberry liquid for even more attraction and it seemed to work.
“I could tell it was a good fish from the off but only saw how good when I netted it and turned on my head torch.
“At 3lb 3oz it was a new pb – I’m still smiling now!”
BIG ROACH VENUES TO TARGET RIGHT NOW
Linch Hill Fishery, Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire
Contact: 01865 882215
Springwater Fishery, Dalrymple, Ayrshire
Contact: 01292 560343
Bury Hill Fishery, Dorking, Surrey
Contact: 01306 883621
Boddington Reservoir, Byfield, Northants
Contact: 07740 534891
Sion Farm Fishery, Kidderminster, Worcestershire
Contact: 01562 730386