Huge roach falls in low pressure spell
Roach don’t get much bigger than this colossal specimen reported to us by James Hunt this week.
Commenting on what he described as ‘the fish of a lifetime’, James said:
“I’ve only been specimen fishing for a couple of years after getting into it through a good friend, and I’ve slowly been working on upping my PBs for various species.
One of the targets I set myself for the winter was to catch a big roach.
I’d previously caught them to around 2lb but that was back when I was almost exclusively fly fishing, but the syndicate on the reservoir I was fishing allowed members to coarse fish through the winter.
After doing a few sessions on local pits rumoured to contain big roach with not much success, I decided to take a trip to a southern gravel pit with form of producing some massive fish.
I kept a keen eye on weather conditions and noticed a fairly mild low-pressure system coming, so took the day off work with a friend and headed south.
Well what a decision that turned out to be, after a quiet morning fishing closer in, I decided to cast the feeders a bit further out where I’d actually seen a cormorant come up with a roach.
The conditions got better and better and as the light levels started to drop, and around 3pm, I had a take on my right-hand rod and nervously played what felt like a good roach.
Safely played, netted and weighed at 2lb 5oz – target achieved!
I sat back absolutely made up but the best was yet to come.
Probably 45-50 minutes later I received another take and bent into a fish that felt heavy, although it wasn’t until it popped up near the net that I really started shaking.
It was a lot bigger than the first fish and my mate did the honours with the net.
I couldn’t believe the size of it and was absolutely speechless!
We got the weighing gear ready and put it on the scales and at 3lb 4oz this fish was beyond my wildest dreams.
A true fish of a lifetime that completely blew me away.
Both fish fell to maggot feeder tactics fished helicopter style, 8lb mainline, short fluorocarbon hook links, size 16 Drennan wide gapes and red maggot hookbaits.”
Avon roach beyond anglers wildest dreams!
It has been a very special season for anglers fishing the historic Hampshire Avon for the country’s favourite species, the roach.
This week, like so many before it, has seen the capture of some fantastic river redfins. Here are the best reported to us…
Charlie Dawkins 2lb 1oz and 2lb 6oz roach
“I’d set myself the target of catching big roach and I knew there were specimens to be had in my local stretch of the Hampshire Avon.
I trotted double red maggot and with probably around 30 minutes of light left my float finally sunk. After some encouraging it was soon in the net – a 2lb 6oz beauty.
On the next cast I hooked into another fish of 2lb 1oz! My knees were trembling – my first brace of 2lb-plus roach felt amazing!
Fred Harris 2lb 2oz roach
“I was already on a high after landing a 2lb 5oz roach, but the session that followed a week later was beyond my wildest dreams. Targeting the Hampshire Avon again, I waded into my swim and sprayed maggots to a far bank slack.
It was exciting to see the occasional ‘dark shape’ drift out from the vegetation to pick off the odd maggot and in six trots I hooked six stunning roach all over 1lb, but the best came just before dark.
The float sunk and I made contact with a much heavier fish that stayed deep. I eventually banked a 2lb 2oz roach that capped off a great day.”
"My mind was blown by the quality of these roach" - Simon Daley
“It’s not every week you say you’ve enjoyed the catch of a lifetime but it finally happened to me during my latest visit to the Hampshire Avon.
“Trotting flake over a bed of liquidised bread and hemp, it wasn’t long before I had my first roach of just over a pound.
“The next cast produced a 2lb 12oz 8dr cracker and throughout the rest of the day the big roach just kept on coming.
“I ended with a new PB of 2lb 14oz alongside others of 2lb 10oz, 2lb 8oz, 2lb 6oz, 2lb 4oz, 2lb 3oz, 2lb 1oz and two at 1lb 15oz…It was a catch I could only dream about!”
Only one cast needed for 2lb 13oz roach
DAI Gribble wished he’d packed away just 15 minutes into his 48-hour session after his first cast produced the only fish of the trip – a magnificent 2lb 13oz roach!
The two-time Drennan Cup champion pinned his hopes on Oxfordshire’s Linch Hill complex for a big redfin and said he hadn’t cast out his third rig before one of his other rods signalled a twitchy bite.
Dai’s specimen devoured the head of a medium-sized dendrobaena worm nicked on to a size 18 hook.
This was fished in conjunction with a helicopter rig and a groundbait feeder crammed with chopped worm and Sonubaits Black Roach groundbait.
2lb roach during lunch hour
Imagine catching the fish of a lifetime during your lunch break…
Well that’s exactly what Robert Rees did recently when he caught this 2lb 10oz roach from the River Itchen.
The Hampshire River Keeper told Angling Times:
“With the water cloudy I decided to have a go for the roach I had seen on our stretch in the summer months.
“It was my second trot through on bread, and my first bite. Then I went back to work!”
Rob used a Drennan Loafer float, 4lb Supplex mainline and a size 12 Super Specialist Match hook to tackle the river redfins.
Matchman banks roach of a lifetime
MATCH angler Clive Samuell couldn’t stop swearing when he first set eyes on the roach he’d spent his whole life trying to catch.
On the scales the 48-year-old’s new personal best registered 3lb 4oz and was banked when he and a friend decided to have a break from match angling to fish for roach on a southern day ticket gravel pit.
Clive said:
“I think it’s every coarse angler’s dream to catch a 3lb redfin and I just can’t believe It’s finally happened to me.
“Over the years I’ve managed to catch some respectable roach but never in a million years did I think I’d catch a ‘three’ during this trip.”
Knowing that the roach grow very big on carp angler’s baits in gravel pits, Clive used a large cage feeder to deposit multiple pay-loads of fishmeal groundbait, halibut pellets and dead maggots to a spot at 50m.
The second part of his approach involved casting a small Method feeder over the top, complete with a size 16 hook and four dead red maggots squeezed into a pellet band.
“I’d caught a couple of bream and roach to just over a pound so I knew my plan was working,” Clive added.
“All of a sudden the tip pulled confidently round and I struck into a powerful, headshaking fish – which is normally iconic of a big roach.
“When it came up to the surface I think I really did say every expletive under the sun!
“I’m moving to France in a few weeks so this was the best parting gift I could’ve ever asked for.”
Clive’s effort wasn’t the only giant redfin caught recently as Simon Daley revealed with a trio of Hampshire Avon specimens weighing 2lb 4oz apiece.
The big-fish hunter spent the day trotting breadflake into an area of slack water and struck into multiple roach – including back-up fish of 1lb 13oz and 1lb 14oz.
He said:
“It was probably the best day’s roach fishing I’ve ever had – my mind was completely blown by the quality of the fish I caught.”
Trio of 2lb-plus roach caught in high water
A swollen Bristol Avon didn’t deter roach-fanatic Mark Everard, who banked a trio of 2lb roach in part of a nine fish haul.
The biggest went 2lb 4oz, and the fish came as the light began to fade.
“The river was up and swirling,” Mark explained,
“but I found a nice slack on the near bank in which, though surprisingly shallow, a shoal of big roach had found refuge.”
“Trotting tactics with bread flake tempted the fish and inching my bolo float through the swim over occasional balls of liquidised bread feed brought regular bites.”
Long journey to hit roach jackpot
CONDITIONS are ideal for a giant Stillwater roach according to James Gardner, who slipped his net under this 2lb 8oz example during his latest outing.
The East-Sussex-based rod made the long journey from his home to a Norfolk Stillwater which he knew held a substantial head of big roach and hit the jackpot when he received a take half-way through the session.
It fell to a standard helicopter rig, with 3lb line and two maggots nicked onto a size 16 hook.
James told Angling Times:
“I’m well pleased with the catch but my wife less-so, as when I showed her a picture of it, she told me it looked like a sprat!”
Famous Oxfordshire complex produces dream roach haul
PHIL Smith enjoyed a roach-fishing trip so much he drove the 67-mile distance the very next day and was rewarded with this immaculate 2lb 12oz specimen.
The specimen ace from Coventry pinned his hopes on Oxfordshire’s Linear Fisheries for a monster redfin and managed to slip his net under fish of 2lb 2oz and 2lb 10oz on the Thursday – but by the evening he was itching to get back and have another go…
“I just felt I had to make the long trip back again on the Friday and I’m glad I did, as I was fortunate enough to catch the 2lb 12oz specimen.
“I also dropped another big fish early on in the day!”
All three of Phil’s roach fell to maggot hookbaits fished helicopter style in conjunction with 30g Drennan feeder bombs.
More 2lb-plus roach landed in great spell for UK rivers
A 2lb river roach is considered the fish of a lifetime by many anglers so you can image how delighted these three were when they ticked-off the achievement during recent sessions.
Here are the stories behind each catch…
Rob Taylor 2lb 15oz roach
DEVON-based angler Rob Taylor said ‘he didn’t want the fight to end’ when he struck into this superb 2lb 15oz roach.
The 61-year-old and his mate Ed trotted red maggots on a southern-chalk stream for a big fish and weren’t left disappointed when Rob’s rod arched over half-way through the session.
He said: “I’d already caught small roach and dace when I hooked into what I thought was a chub, but the classic headshakes soon revealed it was a big roach!
“When Ed saw it in the net he was more excited than I was!”
It was a new personal best for Rob who added a 2lb 4oz redfin moments later.
Steve Martin 2lb 10oz roach
MATCH ace Steve Martin only caught three fish during his latest contest but didn’t complain when one of them turned out to be this fin-perfect 2lb 10oz roach!
Fishing a Ringwood & DAA Chub Match on the Dorset Stour at Parley, Bournemouth, Steve hooked into his prize on a 4AAA waggler setup fished into seven feet of water close to a weed bed.
It devoured double red maggots presented on a size 16 Drennan Wide Gape Match hook.
Mark Everard 2lb 1oz roach
MARK Everard proved that you can still catch big fish in horrible conditions when he slipped his net under a 2lb 1oz redfin.
Targeting the Britford Fishery on the coloured and rapidly rising Hampshire Avon, the university professor trotted breadflake into near-bank slacks in hope of a bite.
He said: “I had the big roach within five minutes of starting, followed by four more roach up to about 1lb, three dace and a surprise 1lb 4oz perch on the trotted bread!”
