Roach Challenge

[Steve Spiller]

As some on FM will already know I have been trying to catch a 2lb roach for a while now. 2lb is my goal, for me it is the magical barrier, rightly or wrongly you can judge for yourselves.

I've had many conversations and e-mails about the "magical" roach. I fish the roach mecca of the world according to "Dr Roach" ........the Bristol Avon, he's caught hundreds of 2lbers, so why can't I?

Have the big roach declined?

Have the cormorants/otters done them?

Or have they just moved?

Or are they very localised to one area/venue of a river?

So.

What is your local river fishing like for big roach?

You don't have to name venues, the name of the river will do. I'm intrigued to find out if it's a local or national occurance?

And don't worry, I won't arrive at your local /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Your thoughts please.

Steve.

 

[Richard Drayson]

A 2lb roach is certainly a barrier Steve... I've never ever seen one let alone catch one that size.Actually that's not strictly true as I have seen some over that weighton the Hants Avon and Test but they were cruising gracefully in the current at the time.

Still, I'm always up for a challenge/forum/smilies/confused_smiley.gif

 

[Day Breamer]

About 11 years ago i dragged myself off to Lincolnshire (i live in the West midlands) to fish a private lake which has got big bream in it, fish to 12lb apparently, anyway it was the coldest night ive ever known bar none, must have been -10c, i had 1 bite the whole time i was there, i fished worm and corn cocktail to a single rod (only 1 rod allowed) and i caught what i really thought was a 2lb roach, after weighing it it turned out to be 1lb 14oz i was happy and sad all at the same time, hard to explain.

But to go back to topic, the cormorants have eaten all our localroach, stocks have been low for 5 years now, used to bag up on them but now its all Perch or Crucians at our local duck pond, no Roach to be seen, and ive not caught one single one this season so far.

I remember watching John Wilson on TV fishing the Hampshire Avon and he caught a few 2lb+ Roach, he seemed to think it was the place to go for them. (im sure it was the Hampshire Avon, forgive me if im wrong).

 

[Steve Spiller]

My mate caught a BA 1.14 many years ago Richard, we were both absolutely gobsmacked! It was huge and fin perfect.

It's funny how my angling has changed over the years, I've done a bit of everything. If I had to rate my favourite fish it would be the roach, I'm not gonna bang on about what I've caught, I haven't caught a 2lb river roach though. I hada 1.02 and 1.03 last winter, chuffed to bits.

Hopefully conditions tactics and advice from friends on FM will help putthings right this season.....

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

Talk to the guy who is an expert at catching 1lb 14oz roach. That's me of course.

I have only ever had one 2 pounder from a river and that came from the Severn from a swim Des Taylor suggested I fish. All the other 2 lbs roach came from 2 gravel pits in the Oxford area and on one occasion years ago, a Trent Valley gravel pit

I've never had a 2 pounder from the Idle, although I have had lots over 1lbs 8oz.

2lbs roach are indeed a difficult target. My impression is that Dr Everard has located a shoal of very big roach on a stretch of the Bristol Avon and is keeping very quiet about where it is. Years ago I was invited to fish a bit of the Bristol Avon by a guy who was a trout fisher who lived near Tetbury. Due to job upeavals and moving, I never got the chance to take up the invite. He told me that there were roach over 3 lbs in there.

 

[Paul (Brummie) Williams]

I'm lucky, i fished both the Wye and the Severn when a 2lb fish was a decent proposition caught them from bothand was lucky enough to take my PB on the float from the Wye.

Both rivers still offer the chance of such fish but it certainly ain't a case of just turning up and fishing well, i used to fish many evenings just to find a window when the big roach were "on"..............i simply do not do as well now i put in less effort, eg decide on the spur of the moment to go roaching.

I agree with Ron, Doc E has an area or two that he knows well and works harder than appears.

Incedently, i have a theory about where to find roach on their winter grounds...................

Think of some of the top roach swims, a lot of those i know are "town" waters in as much as they are very near to towns and the towns are usually ancient........Hereford for example, did our mediaval ancestors set up "home" near to a food source? i would be interested to know if other anglers river roach haunts are near to ancient settlements?.............some may be long gone though, they had hard lives in those days!

 

[Beecy]

" I've had many conversations and e-mails about the "magical" roach. I fish the roach mecca of the world according to "Dr Roach" ........the Bristol Avon, he's caught hundreds of 2lbers, so why can't I?

Have the big roach declined?

Have the cormorants/otters done them?

Or have they just moved?

Or are they very localised to one area/venue of a river? "

Probably none of the above, your just crap

 

[Graham Whatmore]

There are plenty of 2lb roach in the Severn (middle and lower) if you are prepared to put the time and effort in to catch them, my biggest river roach at 2.5lbs came from below Worcester for instance. Bewdley up by the railway stanchions has a record of big roach in the winter on day ticket water belonging to Stan Lewis.

The Belmont stretch on the Wye throws up lots of 2lb roach in matches and it is easy fishing on the stick but remember there are up to 60 anglers fishing at one time so the odds are lengthened for an individual. I put my mate in a peg on there last year and he thought he'd died and gone to heaven with a long string of big roach up to 1.75lb but no 2lb ones on that occasion, he was fishing bread flake.

The Bristol Avon on the Christian Malford stretch also has a record of big roach but I have told you about that place before havn't I Steve?

If I was intent on catching a 2lb roach I wouldn't look any further than the Belmont personally.

 

[Steve Spiller]

I've thoughtthat too Beecy /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

I fished Christian Malford a lot last season Graham, that is where I had the two bigger roach. It might still hold 2lbers but if it does they are very thin on the ground.

 

[EC]

Good thread Steve. Other thanhaving a bash at a v.big stillwater a few winters back, when the only targetI set was to actually catch 'a roach', I have never really tried to catch big roach as from whereI then lived there weren't too many realisiticoptions and otherspecies occupied my attention.

My pb is 1lb exactly, caught form a v.small and narrow north west river. I wonder how big the roach in that river might go, and indeed if anyone still fishes there as the club lost the access.

However I have heard of 'commercial' type fisheries locally throwing up somelarge roach, and huge bags of big fishon pellet.

Is thisan official 'FM Roach Challenge' then?

 

[Day Breamer]

It seems that 1lb 14oz is a bit of a bogey number for Roach, lots of mentions of them at that weight so far.

Edit: lets geta challengeon the go /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

 

[Beecy]

sorry Steve, could'nt resist

seriously, and we had this conversation briefly when we met on the Idle, you've set yourself a personal target and that's fine, i respect that

But i really don't see the point in getting too uptight about the 2lb mark. as far as im concerned the weight means jack all.

consider these two hypothetical fish, firstly you get a great big fat old scabby blind in one eye roach that comes in like a wet sack clutching its last will and testament under its left fin, on the scales it goes 2lb 1 oz.

Then you get a clonking great scale perfect fit as a fiddle prime roach that gives you a right old run around and two or three heart pumping scares at the net before you finally nab him, on the scales he goes 1lb 15oz

I know which one id rather catch and which one would stick in the memory longest

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

Dr E is catching the same roach time after time, he dont do it anywhere else. Keep it simple Steve (like yorself/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif) or ask the wife. Stop thinking 2lb all the time, thing Roach

 

[Steve Spiller]

Cheers Ray.......I think /forum/smilies/i_dont_know_smiley.gif

"Is thisan official 'FM Roach Challenge' then?"

Of course not Eddie, but it would be very interesting to hear about peoples catches from all over the country, from rivers.

I'm not hung up on 2lb, I am very interested why there seem to be so few about compared to a few years ago? Water quality has vastly improved compared to 10-15 years ago, has this had an effect on the roach?

Will the roach make a comeback nationally like Graham has talked about on the Wye?

 

[The bad one]

Cyclical Steve, and you decided to fish for them at the wrong time in the cycle. 1.12 my best of the Ribble in the last few years, butI still keep having a dabble every now and again, just on the off chance I'm in the right place at the right time. The Barbel police give me some strange looks though because I have the temerity to fishthe hallowed Ribble with a float rod in their barbel swims /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif/forum/smilies/angry_smiley.gif

 

[Mark Wintle]

Steve,

Ray is right. There is no 2lb barrier. If you wantto catch big roach consistently there more to it than just finding them. You need to up your game as a roach angler in every way possible and then the big ones will come often from waters you don't even know hold them. I did a quick count up and found that I have had pound plus roach from at least 60 venues but it's what I do best. Even the last three FM fish-ins that I've fished have produced 7 of this stamp for me. Look at it this way - can you put together a 20lb bag of roach on a river? If the answer is never then you've a long way to go.

 

[Sean Meeghan]

Feed em steak Steve!

I'm having a go for a big roach oop north this autumn. I think we have an advantage up here with a few rivers still in the dirty, but clean enough stage if you know what I mean.

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

mark is right Steve,

try getting a few roach bags together, size for now does not matter.

You will find that it is not that easy, you will need to change things time and time again, but i am sure you know that anyway.

I had a number of good Roach from a swim on the Ouse a couple of years ago, no 2's but several 1lb plus fish, on the waggler far bank red maggot, have not had a fish from that swim since.

20 yards down river, i had a bag of roach nothing under 6ozs nothing over 1lb 8ozs, stick float and caster.

last year no roach from that swim, but managed to get a few to 10ozs on bread with the stick float right at the other end of the venue. I have had them on the Tip a third of the way across the river again on bread. Rumours of 2s being caught but just rumours. I havent fished this venue that many times, so i still have a lot of groundwork to do.

 

[Paul (Brummie) Williams]

Yep......i have to agree Mark, putting a bag of roach together on a water know to hold big ones is the best way to catching em.

 

[EC]

I never meant 'challenge' as in a match or compSteve.

I meant is it 'official' as in we are effemmers going to make a concerted effort to get the best rish from our own region and pool a bit of knowledge on the way? But I think I know the answer to that already!