Rig switch gave me my biggest-ever roach brace - Simon Ashton

“I HAVE complete faith in maggot helicopter rigs for stillwater roach, but during my latest trip all I could catch with them were tiddlers. By chopping and changing the rig’s components, though, I landed my biggest-ever English brace of roach weighing 2lb 12oz and 2lb 15oz.

Simon with one of his big roach at 2lb 12oz

“The catch was recorded two weeks ago when I was supposed to be at Gillhams Fishing Resort in Thailand, but this was cancelled because of the pandemic. I still had the week booked off work so I headed down from Durham to fish a southern stillwater over five days, hoping to latch into a 3lb redfin. I arrived on the Sunday afternoon, and after setting up in an open-water swim which had an area of gravel 50 yards out, I cast my rigs to the mark.

“They incorporated 45g Drennan maggot feeder bombs filled with maggots and a size 16 hook carrying two red grubs.

“For the whole afternoon, evening and the following morning, though, I was constantly recasting the feeders as I was getting plagued by small roach and perch. They were doing my head in so, I delved into my tackle box for a solution.

“The first thing I did was swap the feeders for heavier 2oz versions, before upping the size of my hooks to 12. The maggot hookbaits were also getting sucked dry so they were replaced with two sections of dendrobaena worm.

A switch from 45g feeders baited with maggots to 2oz feeders with worms paid off in style

“After rebaiting the swim with a few Spombs of hemp and chopped worm I cast out and sat back in my bivvy, to shelter from the wind and rain. I didn’t stay dry for long, as the rig change made an immediate difference! Over the next 96 hours I had bite after bite, landing a 19lb common carp, five perch to 2lb 6oz and more than 20 roach over 1lb. More importantly, I was no longer getting plucks and rattles from nuisance fish.

“At 5pm on the Tuesday I netted an immaculate roach of 2lb 12oz, but this was bettered less than 24 hours later by the 2lb 15oz specimen.

This 2lb 15oz roach was the biggest landed by Simon

“This fish made me think it was a tench as it took line straight away, before revealing its identity by jumping like a trout! The sight of this thing clearing the water was incredible, but not as good as seeing the needle on my scales spin round to 2lb 15oz.

“It’s safe to say that I now have a new favourite stillwater roach rig.”