Big river roach on the float

March 9, 2021 Guest User

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 — **Adam Jones – 2lb 10oz roach**

Broken rod avenged with 3lb-plus roach - Paul Scowen

February 24, 2021 Guest User

“FOLLOWING a run of four blanks and breaking one of my old rods, persistence paid off when I banked this 3lb 3oz roach.
“Targeting a southern pit, I fished a maggot feeder on a helicopter set-up to tempt the specimen redfin.
“Lockdown restrictions mean that I, like everyone else, am limited to fishing days only, so I’ve been fishing short afternoon sessions when bites are most likely.
“After a drop-back bite I was delighted to land this fish after what seemed like such a long wait. I’d fished the same venue last spring and had seven roach over 3lb.”

Slack water the spot for a big river roach - Colin Hebb

February 1, 2021 Guest User

“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.”

Why big river roach are back! - How all rivers can benefit from a redfin restoration

January 29, 2021 Guest User

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.

"My greatest-ever Itchen roach haul" - Simon Daley

January 22, 2021 Guest User

“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

January 12, 2021 Guest User

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

December 18, 2020 Guest User

“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.”

Large Avon roach after heavy rain - Mark Everard

December 7, 2020 Guest User

“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

Huge roach from giant 100-acre pit - Daniel Woolcott

November 17, 2020 Guest User

PLEASE NOTE - This catch report was submitted prior to the second England lockdown.

“WITH a low-pressure front rolling in, conditions looked spot-on for roach, so I drove three hours from home to fish a 100-acre pit over 42 hours.
“It wasn’t long before I found a clear patch at 60 yards and cast my open-ended feeder rigs loaded with Dynamite Baits Grubby groundbait, maggots and hemp, boosted with liquid worm extract, to the mark.
“Two maggots on a size 12 hook completed the set-up.
“The session ended up being really tough as I had regular bites from small roach to just over 1lb, meaning I was recasting every 20 minutes. It was worth it, though, as following another twitchy take I struck into a much bigger roach which I quickly netted.
“This stunning fish went 3lb exactly on my Flyweights, but I also weighed it on my Reuben digitals which said 2lb 15oz, so I took the lower weight.”

Daniel Woolcott’s 2lb 15oz roach from a 100-acre gravel pit

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

November 12, 2020 Guest User

“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.”

Silvers sport on the UK’s natural venues hits top gear!

October 15, 2020 Guest User

ANGLERS using simple pole and feeder tactics have enjoyed a sensational few weeks of angling on Britain’s reservoirs, with bumper bags of silvers banked at natural venues across the country.

The most impressive weights came from Devon’s 80-acre Upper Tamar Lake, where competitors fishing the recent festivals enjoyed a bite-a-chuck action to record huge weights of roach, skimmers and perch.

One angler tapping into the venue’s incredible autumn form is England Feeder Team member Michael Buchwalder, who netted around 300lb of silvers over a seven-day period.

“Over the week I fished five matches and two pleasure sessions and must’ve had a bite every time I cast out my feeder or lowered in my pole rig,” he told us.
“Dean Barlow and I won the two-day pairs contest with 171lb 13oz of mostly skimmers and roach on the pole and feeder short, but later that week I managed to win the three-day Graham West feeder festival with a combined total weight of 156lb 7oz.
“The fishing was unbelievable! I’ve fished many natural waters across Europe but none of them come close to carrying the numbers of fish that Tamar has.”

Michael Buchwalder with a superb net of reservoir silvers

On the other side of the country the action has also been hectic at Kent’s Bough Beech Reservoir, with plenty of 30lb bags of roach being taken in matches, but it’s Llandegfedd Reservoir in Wales that’s been rivalling Upper Tamar Lake in the big bag stakes.

The 174-hectare Welsh water produced a 164lb haul of bream and hybrids in August, but sport has continued to flourish.

David Healey, who organises matches on the venue, said:

“Two years ago nobody really coarse-fished Llandegfedd but after extensive lobbying of Welsh Water, which owns the fishing rights, we’ve opened up access and increased the venue’s popularity with coarse anglers.
“Last week a match was won with 68lb of hybrids and another angler had 45lb of roach. I’ve seen pleasure bags of bream and hybrids to 260lb, but we’re just scratching the surface of the reservoir’s potential.”

We’re just scratching the surface of the reservoir’s potential

“The biggest roach I'd ever seen” - Jake Benson

September 15, 2020 Guest User

“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.”

Dream river session sees 7lb-plus chub and 2lb-plus roach banked - Connor Threadingham

September 12, 2020 Guest User

“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

September 2, 2020 Guest User

“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

Roach-fishing trip of a lifetime for our man Des

August 17, 2020 Guest User

A 340-MILE journey to a northern stillwater proved 100 per cent worth it in the end for Des Taylor after he slipped his net under a flurry of 2lb-plus roach – topped by a personal-best equalling 3lb 1oz fish.

Our man on the bank was invited by close friend Craig Renwick to fish the private water but had no idea he was about to enjoy the roach-fishing trip of a lifetime.

Des Taylor found himself in roach fishing heaven recently

For more from Des Taylor pick up Angling Times every Tuesday!

Quality roach from crystal clear water - Dean Creasey

August 14, 2020 Guest User

“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

Clonking canal fish the roach of a lifetime! - Jag Bains

August 10, 2020 Guest User

“The fishing on the Wolverhampton Canal has been quite difficult of late but during a recent session I caught the roach of a lifetime weighing 2lb 4oz.
“I was fishing a carp rod down the edge with boilies for carp, but while I was waiting for a bite I decided to have a bit of fun with a float and a tub of maggots.
“Five hours had passed and I only had a small perch to show when all of a sudden my float buried and I was into a fish, which at first I thought was a bream.
“My mate Micky was with me by this point and he helped net it, before shouting that it was a massive roach! I posted my catch on Facebook and after just a few days it’s had more than 1,600 likes!”

Fin-perfect Trent roach falls to pellet hookbait

August 6, 2020 Guest User

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

Does this fishery hold a record roach?

August 3, 2020 Guest User

A FISHERY owner has claimed this week that his lake will produce a new British record roach in the very near future.

The bold claim comes from James Brown, owner of Norfolk’s Highbridge Fishery, who is so confident of a monster showing up to beat the existing 4lb 4oz national best that he has invested in a new set of top-end scales and associated kit in preparation for the big day.

“It all came about after a carp angler recently landed a 4lb 2oz roach from the lake,” James tells us.
“He didn’t realise the magnitude of the fish and weighed it on heavy carp scales and in a carp sling, a practice that wouldn’t stand up with the British Record Fish Committee.
“I’m very confident that we’ll do a record in the next few years, so we need to be prepared.”

It all came about after a carp angler recently landed a 4lb 2oz roach from the lake

After buying digital Reuben Heaton scales, James spent £130 having them calibrated and certificated, as well as purchasing a small weigh sling – ideal for the roach.

“This equipment will stay on the fishery for anyone to use,” he adds.
“I’ve told my members to call me at any hour should they catch a fish over 3lb 12oz.
“There are plenty of high ‘threes’ in here, as well as the odd four-pounder, so it’s only a matter of time before a true giant shows up.”

Highbridge Fishery holds roach of record breaking potential

Drennan Cup Champion Rich Wilby has caught some big roach from the lake

YOUR Top 10 Catches of the Week

July 17, 2020 Guest User

WE receive so many catch reports here at Angling Times, that sometimes it is just impossible to fit them all in the magazine. We do, however, always love seeing and hearing of our readers top catches.

Here are some of the best fish we have been sent this week, some of which haven’t made the magazine but are still more than worth celebrating…

Remember to grab a copy of Angling Times every Tuesday, to read more of the latest big fish catches and exclusive Drennan Weekly Award winning specimens.

Huge Yorkshire barbel landed just in time!

Patrick Olding caught this cracking 12lb 8oz barbel during a recent session on a flooded South Yorkshire river. Amazingly, after a strong tussle with the fish, he landed it, only to see a large tree float through his swim moments later.

“I would have been wiped clean out”, he said.

Patrick used a 4oz lead fished in a tiny nearside slack, with three Robin Red pellets on the hook.

First time barbel fishing and five doubles landed!

Lift engineer Ben Berry (24) is a regular carp angler but decided to have a go at barbel fishing with a friend on the River Trent. This turned out to be a great decision as he went on to net five double figure barbel over a 48-hour period.

Ben’s fish weighed 13lb 3oz, 14lb, 13lb 5oz, 10lb 10oz and 10lb 3oz.

He used a 6oz feeder rig and baited his spot with a mix of maggots and pellets. On the hook he used a Vortex Cocoon.

Spot and rig change brings pb barbel

A complete change of spot, rig and bait brought a new personal best barbel of 10lb 7oz for Ollie Arnold. Fishing the River Avon at Fladbury Weir, Ollie endured a blank first three hours and was contemplating going home before moving to the hotspot.

“I cast in and within a minute my rod tip bent round into a hard fighting fish”, he said.

After landing his new best, Ollie went on to catch five chub on Sticky Krill boilies before heading home a very happy man.

First barbel beats a 30lb carp any day!

“Hi guys. I hung up my carp rods for a few weeks as the lakes are all so rammed. So, I took advantage of the Thames on my door step and have had unreal results.
“Chub up to 5lbs 14oz. But on my first late evening/night session (Friday 3rd), I landed this 10lbs 10oz barbel.
“My first ever barbel. Sat through four and a half hours of rain.
“One hour into darkness, the rain finally stopped and the rod went. Beyond buzzing to get a Thames double.
“Beats any 30lb carp I’ve caught from lakes. Thank you Father Thames!”

PB carp stalked on classic method

Peter Burton returned to angling after a 7-8 year break in fine style by catching this 19lb 8oz mirror carp. Using the all-time classic method of floating crust, Peter stalked the fish under an overhanging tree from a small lake just south of York.

Free fishing stretch produces three quality barbel

Fishing a little known tributary of the River Trent, James Sutcliffe caught three fine barbel - including a new PB of 11lb 4oz.
He used simple tactics of free-lined Spam and kept mobile to work the stretch. Even better, the fishing was free!

It pays to keep things simple and explore

Perch campaign gets off to a flyer

“I’m having a full season after perch this year and this is my biggest so far at 4lb 2oz.
It was caught from a local day ticket water on a large prawn with 6lb mainline and a 5lb hook link.”

Paul Bailey is having a full season targeting big perch

Unexpected eel for Rob Harris

“I fished BAA owned Coppice Lake in the hope of hooking into one of the many large carp in there.
“After patiently waiting all day and trying various hookbaits, I was on the verge of drawing a blank.
“Much to my excitement, the rod ripped off twice in the final hour of the session and produced two awesome specimen silver eels!
“The fish was caught on Dynamite Frenzied Luncheon meat using a simple bomb and hair rig and I couldn't be happier.
“Unfortunately, I didn't have my scales with me, so I can't be certain of how much it weighed but I'm guessing it was a good 6-7 lbs or more!”

How much do you think Rob’s eel weighed?

Hectic session on the Severn

A short overnight session on the River Severn near Shrewsbury resulted in 12 barbel for Ben Evans.

Five of these fish were over the 9lb barrier, which is a great average stamp for the prolific Midlands river.

One of the better Severn barbel caught by Ben Evans

Near miss for 2lb canal roach

“I went fishing with my uncle on the New Junction Canal as we are both from Doncaster.
“During our session I caught this beauty of a canal roach.
“ I caught it on the pole on a caster and tip of a worm. Thought it was a bream hybrid till I netted it, as it took my elastic all the way out!
“I was sure I hit my 2lb target but unfortunately was under at 1lb 12oz - gutted!”