Big river roach on the float
A two-month campaign for a big roach paid off in fine style for London angler Adam Jones, in the shape of this immense 2lb 10oz fish.
Fishing a local river, Adam opted for his favoured stick float tactics, loosefeeding hemp and maggots for a while before casting out, in the hope of drawing fish into his swim from the deeper, inaccessible pool below.
He said:
“I’d just been catching minnows and tiny dace, and as the light started fading, I could only just make out my float.
“As it neared the end of my swim it dipped, and I was fully expecting to connect with another minnow.
“My strike, however, met with solid resistance, and a huge roach immediately surfaced.
“The rest is just a blur, but I can confirm I’m still shaking from the catch. I can’t believe what happened!”
Adam Jones – 2lb 10oz roach
Slack water the spot for a big river roach - Colin Hebb
“MY local river was in flood, so I headed down with my quivertip rod and a loaf of bread to see if I could catch a chub.
“When I arrived, the water was coloured and rising fast, but I managed to find a swim near some boats and an area of slack water where I could present a bait.
“Pinching a piece of flake on to my hook, I cast my link leger rig into the middle of the river and watched as my lead swung round and settled near a boat.
“A minute later my tip pulled round and I connected with a powerful fish that tried to snag me under the moored craft. I managed to steer it away using side strain, and no more than 30 seconds later this huge roach surfaced.
“At 2lb 13oz it was a new PB, and I was absolutely chuffed to bits.”
Colin Hebb – 2lb 13oz roach
Why big river roach are back! - How all rivers can benefit from a redfin restoration
THE recent capture of the season’s biggest roach by Simon Daley has highlighted the fantastic river fishing available down on the Hampshire Avon. This surge in redfin sport on the iconic river can largely be accredited to the work of the Avon Roach Project (ARP).
The ARP has rewritten the science when it comes to river restoration and stocking
Last month, we caught up with project Co-founder Trevor Harrop, who explained how the river has been transformed since they started.
“We love seeing roach catches like this on the Avon again, and it may even be one of our original stocked fish,” he said.
“A 3lb roach would usually be around 15 years-old, but you get some that seem to shoot ahead of the rest, and the clean nature of this fish suggests that it could be a bit younger because usually when they get old, they start to lift scales.”
“These large fish have always been in the Avon, but before we started our work they would usually be mixed in with shoals of chub or other species. Now that the river is brimming with roach of all sizes again, they are shoaling together.”
Simon Daley with the season’s biggest roach at 3lb 8oz
But how was this success achieved? Trevor revealed how the ARP has almost rewritten science when it comes to river restoration and stocking.
“We wanted to maintain the genetic purity of roach stocks within the river, which is why by using manmade spawning boards we collect our stock from the already resident fish. While at the start we were only finding small numbers of fish spawning, there would always be some bigger specimens there. It’s the genes of these fish that we have reared on.”
Trevor stocking roach into the Hampshire Avon
The incredible findings from the river’s rejuvenation are detailed in a new Avon Roach Project book, and among the most fascinating of these was the revelation that in 9 out of 11 years the roach spawned across the whole river on exactly the same date - April 24! Trevor is hoping that the book will inspire others to follow their lead in restoring river roach stocks. One man keen to replicate the success on his local water is Dr Mark Everard, who has already placed spawning boards in the Bristol Avon.
“The heroic acts of the ARP are going to be hard to repeat but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can’t all do to help,” he said.
“It starts with habitat management, because a lot of our rivers are badly damaged. Historic engineering has destroyed parts of the habitat on the Bristol Avon and this vandalism has made it harder for fish stocks to be self-sustaining. They need adequate food, safety from predators and somewhere to spawn, but I’ve seen rivers stripped bare of vegetation. They are often treated more like drains than rivers.”
Efforts are also underway to return Norfolk’s River Wensum to its former glory. The Wensum Working Group’s Tim Ellis said:
“Historically, the Wensum produced very large roach, and a lot of them too. But anglers’ records clearly show that they have badly declined in numbers and size. The Group, and others, have been trying to find the reasons for this, and to address them. Wensum anglers have been trialling fry refuges, as well as restoring existing or derelict ditch mouths and taking other measures to help the survival of young roach populations, such as planting riparian trees to provide cover.
The Wensum produced some phenomenal roach catches in the 70s
The Wensum historically has produced some very big roach too
“Overall, the chances of us replicating everything the ARP have done is small but hopefully we can achieve something by taking measures to nurture the river environment. This will include limiting barriers to fish movement, improving water quality and pushing for management of predators.”
The late John Wilson highlighted the Wensum’s roach potential
Read more about the fascinating Avon Roach Project by purchasing their new book here.
Cigar to celebrate big river roach catch
A VICTORY cigar was the order of the day for Roman Vann after he slipped his net under this sublime 2lb 15oz roach during a trip to the Hampshire Avon.
The 29-year-old and good friend Simon Daley had wanted to make the most of floodwater conditions so they headed to their local stretch of river.
An hour after baiting his swim with hemp and casting his maggot helicopter rig over the top, Roman hooked the big roach.
“As it was my second-largest roach ever, I had to crack open the cigars!” said Roman.
(This catch was reported to us before the latest lockdown)
Roman Vann and his 2lb 15oz Hampshire Avon roach
Hampshire Avon giant is season's biggest roach
Simon Daley became the envy of all anglers just before Christmas when he caught what many consider to be the holy grail of fishing - a 3lb 8oz river roach.
This 3lb 8oz roach followed a string of 2lb specimens for Simon Daley
Fishing a stretch of the Hampshire Avon controlled by the Christchurch Angling Club, he connected with a flurry of 2lb fish before the biggest reported roach this season took his trotted maggot hookbait.
He told Angling Times:
“The conditions weren't great, so I decided to fish a swim with a far bank slack, not a very big one, but it had an undercut snag where the roach were hiding.
“The northerly wind was making presentation very difficult. I was getting four or five good trots through an hour when the wind died down enough.
“The first bite I had was 2lb 1oz fish, which on its own would have made my day.
“The next few fish were about a pound, then a 2lb 2oz roach and a brace of twos in short succession followed - I was buzzing.
“What came next was something very special indeed.
“When I hit the bite, the fish tried hard to get back into the snag. I managed to pull it out but it shot into the fast water. I was very nervous as I’d seen the fish and thought it was a big two.
“After a tense fight, I drew it over the net and was gobsmacked.
“The fish was colossal, I’ve never seen anything like it.
“A 3lb 8oz Hampshire Avon roach, I’ve never been affected so much by a fish, my mind was well and truly blown.
Simon’s giant Redfin fell to three red maggots trotted under a 10g Bolo float on a size 12 hook.
A true river monster. A 3lb 8oz Hampshire Avon roach
"My greatest-ever Itchen roach haul" - Simon Daley
“At this time of year the big roach in the River Itchen tend to shoal up in a few pockets, so I decided to head to my local stretch after dark to see if I could find one.
“In the past I’ve had success fishing a simple free-running maggot feeder, so I stuck with the same approach and targeted an area of slack water on the far bank. Bites were slow and hard to come by, but by regularly casting I managed to keep the tip going round and enjoy my greatest-ever haul of Itchen roach – with five fish weighing 1lb 10oz, 1lb 12oz, 2lb, 2lb 1oz and 2lb 2oz!”
Simon Daley with his haul of Itchen roach to 2lb 2oz
PB roach on the second cast
JAMES Hutchinson couldn’t believe his luck when he connected with a 2lb 9oz PB roach on only his second cast.
Targeting a short near-bank run on a southern chalk stream, he baited the head of his swim with maggots for a few minutes before flicking out his rig.
“The first cast produced a minnow but on the second the float shot out of sight,” he said.
“I connected with what felt like a decent grayling, but then this huge roach swirled mid-river!”
James’ successful hookbait was a maggot and caster cocktail.
James Hutchinson and his 2lb 9oz chalk stream roach
Lobworm fools large Severn roach - Phill Mapp
“OWING to travel restrictions I stayed local for my latest session, hopping on my bike and cycling three miles to a stretch of the Severn.
“The river had come up a good couple of feet, which wasn’t ideal, but I decided to give it a go.
“I put a bit of extra weight on my link leger to cater for the high water, and flicked out a lobworm into the side of a crease.
“I didn’t catch any chub, but I managed to find a shoal of roach which kept tapping away on the rod-tip as they nibbled at my worm hookbaits.
“Eventually the tip properly shot round and I could tell straight away that this was a really good fish.
“At 2lb 6oz it was a new personal best and the biggest roach of a superb session.”
Phil Mapp and his 2lb 6oz Severn roach
Large Avon roach after heavy rain - Mark Everard
“Heavy rain had caused the Bristol Avon to rise, but that didn’t stop me from visiting. Strong gusts from a south-westerly wind were blowing leaves from the trees into the river, although they didn’t give me too much trouble in the near-bank slack I’d baited with liquidised bread.
“After pinching a piece of flake on to a size 12 hook, I trotted the bait through the swim and watched as the float buried near the end of the run. I lifted the rod and set the hook into a strong fish that I hoped was a roach.
“Following a nervy scrap under the tip I finally saw my prize and slipped my net under what was clearly a huge roach for the Bristol Avon.”
Mark Everard’s 2lb 2oz Bristol Avon roach
16-year wait for a 2lb roach ends with two in five days!
A PAIR of pink maggots trotted into a large eddy accounted for this clonking 2lb 13oz Hampshire Avon roach for specimen-hunter Tony Sweeney.
It was the larger of two hefty specimens banked by the redfin fanatic during the same week – the other, weighing 2lb 11oz, was taken during a visit to a private stretch the river near Fordingbridge.
Tony said:
“I caught my last 2lb roach around 16 years ago, but I’ve now had two within five days of each other!”
Tony Sweeney – 2lb 13oz roach
“The biggest roach I'd ever seen” - Jake Benson
“Over the last month I’ve been fishing a Midlands river for chub where I spotted a shoal of big roach. I became obsessed with them and wanted to catch this one big fish which held at the back of the shoal. Despite numerous attempts over multiple trips, I just couldn’t get through to the bigger stamp.
“During my latest session I’d fished the evening before, but despite getting the bigger roach feeding, they just wouldn’t take my hookbait. I stayed the night in a nearby hotel and arrived the next morning with just half-a-pint of casters left.
“Reaching the swim, I noticed four huge roach close to the bank and began feeding them four or five casters at a time.
“I nicked two on to my size 18 hook then underarmed my rig into the flow – keeping an eye on my hookbait instead of the float.
“Suddenly the biggest fish turned on my casters... and then all hell broke loose!
“When it splashed on the surface I felt physically sick as it was the biggest roach I’d ever seen and I was only using a 1lb 7oz hooklink – but after holding my nerve I managed to slip the net under her.”
Jake Benson and his 2lb 7oz river roach
Dream river session sees 7lb-plus chub and 2lb-plus roach banked - Connor Threadingham
“While fishing a quick overnight session on my local Dorset Stour I managed to catch my second 7lb chub of the season weighing 7lb 1oz.
Connor Threadingham and his 7lb 1oz chub
“It fell to a trimmed-down 14mm squid boilie alongside a very small PVA bag of Elips pellets and crumbled boilies, freebies thrown over the top.
“The tactics were suitable for chub and barbel, although during the night I also had a strange take on the same rig. The rod-tip bounced around and hardly any line came off the reel.
“When I hooked into it I thought it was just a small chub, but still couldn’t verify what species it was even when it slipped over the net cord.
“After I finally got my headtorch on and saw the bright red fins of a big roach my heart started to race!
“When the needle on the scales crept round to 2lb 5oz, I was well chuffed!
“I’m pretty sure that I actually saw this roach earlier on in the season when I was prebaiting for chub. I recognised it instantly from the really distinctive scarring that it had along its back.”
Connor Threadingham and his 2lb 5oz Stour roach
Scaled-down barbel rig fools big river roach - Paul Houghton
“It’d been a few years since I’d last targeted the roach in my local river so I decided I’d have another proper go by fishing evening sessions.
“My approach was pretty much a scaled-down barbel rig with a trimmed-down wafter hookbait fished in conjunction with a feeder packed with hemp, small mixed pellets and crushed boilies.
“Half-an-hour before it got dark I connected with a big fish, which I knew was a roach from the tell-tale jags and glides. I knew it would be close to my 2lb 5oz best so I was made up when the scales read 2lb 6oz.”
Paul Houghton and his new PB 2lb 6oz roach
Quality roach from crystal clear water - Dean Creasey
“A mate and I were riding our bikes along the River Stour in Canterbury when we spotted a shoal of seven small chub.
'“Among them, though, were 10 roach that all looked to be around 1lb. In the clear water I was able to single out the biggest fish as it drifted at the back of the shoal.
“Without hesitation, I nicked two red maggots on to a size 14 barbless hook and pinched a split shot on to my 6lb mainline, before flicking it out to the mark.
“Almost instantly I watched my target fish suck in the maggots. After making several mad dashes it rolled on the surface and I was able to slip it over the net cord.
“We were blown away by how big it was and knew it couldn’t be far off 2lb, which the scales later confirmed, spinning to 1lb 15oz.”
Dean Creasey with his near 2lb river roach
Fin-perfect Trent roach falls to pellet hookbait
A BANDED 4mm pellet has accounted for one of the largest recorded river roach of the season so far in the shape of this 2lb 8oz beauty.
The fin-perfect silverfish was the largest of around 20 roach taken by Newark-based ace Alfie Naylor, who fished the pellet offering alongside liquidised bread on a middle stretch of the River Trent.
He tells us:
“Just before dark I hit into an aggressive bite which I thought was from a bream, but then this huge roach broke the surface and I started praying that it wouldn’t come off!”
Alfie Naylor and his 2lb 8oz Trent roach
Boats, dogs and swimmers couldn't scare my PB roach - Matt Fernandez
“Fishing clear, low and weedy summer rivers is difficult enough at times, but add swimmers and boaters – plus their dogs – into the mix, and it can get all a bit chaotic.
You’d think that no fish in its right mind would hang around all this commotion, but on a recent trip to my local river I learned just how incredibly tolerant they can be.
“The stretch is a public water close to my home in Southampton that contains some huge roach.
I’d popped down at the start of the season and found a group of good fish, some looking close to 3lb.
I had just got them feeding when a load of kids jumped into the river. I was sure this would kill the swim, so I packed up and went on my way.
Returning a few days later, though, I realised that this may have been a mistake.
“The roach live in small clear areas amid the heavy weed, so in preparation for my session I prebaited a few of these with hemp and maggots.
Arriving the next day, I noticed a group of good roach feeding well over one of the spots… but then it all started to kick off!
“Dogs began jumping in, and swimmers were ploughing right through the swim, so I decided to pack up again. But then I noticed something beneath the surface… big roach! Incredibly, they were still in situ after all that commotion!
“I ran the float back over the spot and straight away it darted under. My rod hooped over under the strain of what was clearly a decent fish, but at that moment a group of kids came cruising past in a dinghy!
“I shouted for them to watch out, as I carried on playing the fish, at which point a big pike grabbed the roach!
By some miracle it soon let go, but then, just as the fish came within reach, I saw that my net was drifting downstream!
I wasn’t going to give up after all that, so I jumped in and grabbed it before finally slipping it under the fish. It weighed 2lb 12oz and is a new PB.
“I learned a lot from the catch, namely not to be too put off by disturbances on rivers where the fish are used to seeing them.
It doesn’t impact the fish as much as we might think. One thing for sure – I won’t be throwing in the towel next time a swimmer crashes through my peg!”
Matt Fernandez and his new PB roach, caught amongst many bankside disturbances!