Thursday 17 January 2013

Two's Company.....


 With the really cold stuff coming in soon I felt I had to get out before it really gets a grip on the river systems and try to catch some winter Roach. Today I only had a small window of opportunity to get out and do some fishing as I had work as well, so cramming in a nice 3 hour session in search of a chunky red-fin was my plan, after around an hour commute to my destination I had arrived at the river of my choice, I quickly got ready as I didn't have a lot of time available and I had a positive tug on my float on the first cast, which I missed but second time around I did connect with it and ended up being a 3lbs 9oz Chub, which was quickly followed by a smaller Chub around the 2lb mark, but after the 2 fish I spent about another 45 minutes trotting through with only a couple of touches on the float.

 The bites had dried up so I moved upstream to a slightly shallower stretch where I hoped some Roach were laying up and again quiet quickly the Chub showed their eagerness for a bit of bread, with 3 Chub coming to net in quick succession all around the 3lb mark, so I decided to fish an inch over-depth and almost immediately had a take but it was a very delicate pull and the Chub normally nail it, so I played the fish with caution and I'm glad I did when a lump of Roach was powering against the current heading upstream I started to worry as I was only using a size 16 barbless hook, with a little tension I managed to guide it straight into my net, I'd done it, more luck than judgement though I think, but the size of the Roach had me stumped and I wanted to know how big she was and the scales revealed 2lbs 7ozs my biggest of the season so far.


Erm.... it's been around awhile.

 I had caught my first Roach of the session so I set my keepnet up and then crushed up some bread to get them feeding, hopefully bagging a couple more as the light was failing and within 5 minutes of slipping that one in the net my float slid away again and another quality sized Roach was on the end and for the next 10 minutes the fishing was absolutely brilliant with another 4 Roach coming to the net which weighed, (9ozs, 14oz, 1lb 4oz and 1lb 13oz), some exceptional fishing in what was a usually slow start was really fast becoming one of those sessions you will never forget, plus it was only getting better when my next trot ended up banking a 2lbs 3ozs red-fin, I couldn't believe it and not 10 minutes later I had another 2lb Roach on the bank, that on the scales went to tune of 2lbs 2ozs, I was to say the least ecstatic with the capture that I had made. Not to be greedy though, after landing the 3rd of my 2lb + Roach I packed up and got my pictures done and let them all swim back to their watery home. It made a very cold day feel a lot warmer with the capture of some brilliant fish, on my trip down to the Royalty in September I spoke to a fellow angler who was a member of a well-known Roach fishing club and he was the only member of the club that had never had a 2lb plus Roach so I know these aren't easy to catch I guess I'm just very lucky.


Myself with the other two 2 pound Roach ( 2.3 and 2.2 ).


The Roach triplets, what a bag! Three's definitely not a crowd.

 Tackle used today: Shakespeare 10ft match rod, Shimano Exage 3000 reel, 4lb Rovex ultra thin diameter line, a 7 no8 Avon spigot trotting float with a barbless size16 Drennan super specialist hook and my bait was white bread flake and crushed crusts.

16 comments:

  1. Stunning fishing James. You really should send this story into Angling Times. It might be one of the best roach captures of the entire Winter.

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    1. Thanks Jeff, I am considering putting that in the angling press, still looking at the pictures now. again many thanks Jeff.

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  2. Roach or other smaller species rarely look impressive when I take photos of them lying in the landing net, but it is obvious that they are clonking roach!

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    1. cheers Russell, what's crazy about them Roach is they look smaller in the pictures than when I was holding them but they do still look big, how is the Tone, Exe and the other rivers looking now around your way?

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    2. I haven't been on the tone since last winter, James, but it always produces loads of fish; there's always somewhere you can catch chub in most conditions. It's not that local to be honest so I'm saving money on petrol staying very local at the mo. The Exe and me don't really get on to be honest so no comment! I'm too addicted to catching 30 to the pound roach and swing-in-able pike at present, a strange fascination that I can't describe why!

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    3. Fair enough, that Grayling you had off the Tone was an beauty, what a fish!. I'm trying to find even small Pike but its proving really difficult, the little Pike are amazing the tenacity of such a small fish, really is something to see. Tight Lines

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  3. Great result and worth of an add to my page. Well done.

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    1. Thank you Phil, it was a fantastic result on a freezing cold day! Well worth the trip out.

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  4. A brilliant result James and one you must be very happy about, some corking fish there and from your own neck of the woods, it doesn't get better surely? Well done again.

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    1. Alright Mark, firstly congrats on that Loddon lump and I am very happy with that Haul of Roach and that will keep me thinking though is there a 3lb + Roach, I think there just might be, can it get better? Only time will tell in the meantime ill enjoy this bag. Thanks again Mark.

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  5. That catch is something else James! The sideways across the net shot says it all and really brings home the scale. How did you resist 'one more cast'?!

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    1. Cheers George, they were impressive as all 2 lb + Roach and Rudd are, believe me it was hard to resist another cast of what could have been but that will leave me time to dwell on the possibility of catching the almost impossible one day, a 3lb Roach!

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  6. Another cracking bag of Roach! Well done James

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    1. Alright mate, it was a cracking bag of fish topped off with 3 bars of silver worth getting cold for, I love bread!

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  7. Wow what an exceptional session. One two pound river roach is something but three is quite magical. Well done.

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  8. Love your work fella. Its been a while since ive seen a roach like that let alone 3 in one session. Keep up the good work

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