Ho what a lovely Roach.

[MRWELL]

Today was a very crisp and frosty one here,i guess it is like that all over at the moment but i went for a walk round the local lake,the sun was shining and the water was just ice free,only one Angler graced the banks at this time and i wish i had my gear with me but being a warm weather Angler that was never going to happen.
The young lad,around sixteen i would say,was fishing a waggler close in but the water is deep being around four feet at that point and with maggots and casters he seemed to be living his dream,really into things,he never even noticed a very nosy old sod watching him (me),i am not one for talking to anyone when they are fishing because i know how it makes some feel but when he noticed me he said hello mate you come to fish? sadly no i replied,pity he said some cracking Roach in here and there feeding well,i knew of the Roach has i like giving them ago myself when there but to hear him say Roach was a shock,why?well in this day and age how many bother with Roach and not Carp,not many i bet but here was a young lad really into catching them and he was doing well.
I sat and talked to him,more him to me,just to pass some time away on what was a really nice Winters day out when his float went under and he was playing a good looking Roach,the water was crystal clear so i could see the Roach well,the silver flashes as it ran was something i must admit i have not noticed for many a year,it brought back many memories of days gone by when Roach was the fish to target and a nice two pounder was more than welcome even a one pounder would be nice,the lad was well pleased when he slipped the net under the Roach,it was just under two pounds so nothing to jump about but it was in such great condition,it made me think,is there any fish in Winter that is better looking than a quality Roach,maybe there is,but to me that was a sight to remember as the year near it's end and a new one dawns,makes you feel so good to see such a prime example of a Roach.

 

[Paul Boote]

Yes. The electric blue sheen on the flank of a healthy roach viewed in winter light should be made available on the NHS.

 

[robertroach]

I agree, and the blue colour is even more vivid on the tiny roach. I always think they are the most beautiful fish. With milder weather coming along today and hopefully tomorrow, I can't wait to get out again and catch one.

 

[law]

it was just under two pounds so nothing to jump about

Come again!? Big roach are, if you ask me, one of the hardest fish to find nowadays!

 

[MRWELL]

Come again!? Big roach are, if you ask me, one of the hardest fish to find nowadays!

I agree with you,on the lake i fish you catch many that are up to the two pound mark in Winter,thats why the Pike are so good in there,plenty of good Roach to go at,in Summer they seem to be lower in weight,maybe more competition for the food is the reason for that plus spawning.
When i said,nothing to jump about,on this water it is not but i do agree that a two pound Roach is a quality fish and one that is worthy of any net,just a figure of speech saying really on my behalf.

Stan.

 

[Titus]

I thought that was going to be one of those winter spooky tales and the young lad was going to be revealed as your own younger self. The whole thing happening during an out of body experience before you come to after some timely medical intervention surrounded by your loved ones in a hospital bed having had a major life threatening episode.

 

[MRWELL]

Titus mate,it was like a dream,it is times like that that you are proud to be a angler,i am just a Joe soap type of one but i love my fishing with a passion and a Winters Roach is the best sight you can ask for.
happy new year
Stan.

 

[nicepix]

I've found that roach caught in brackish water have very deep red fins and bright silver bodies. Like a roach but more saturated.

 

[no-one in particular]

it was just under two pounds so nothing to jump about-

I would be jumping all over the place for such a roach Mr Well, But, a good point you make, the aesthetics of fishing are often ignored, I find a beauty in all fish and the surroundings I often find myself in (apart from eels (are they really fish)).
Happy new year Mr Well. (and eelyites)

 

[lambert1]

it was just under two pounds so nothing to jump about-

I would be jumping all over the place for such a roach Mr Well, But, a good point you make, the aesthetics of fishing are often ignored, I find a beauty in all fish and the surroundings I often find myself in (apart from eels (are they really fish)).
Happy new year Mr Well. (and eelyites)

I'm with you on that Mark. I have only ever caught an Eel once and did not enjoy it all I had one on a lump of cheese when Chub fishing and had a nightmare unhooking it! It was large and very awkward to handle and I could not release it quick enough.

 

[MRWELL]

Thanks guys for the replies,like i say the water i fish (lake) has a good number of Roach to two pounds in weight so i was referring to that mainly when i said nothing to jump about,a bit of a common sight there if you target the Roach but very few do,mainly carp and thats why i love the place,gives me plenty of time to get at those Roach close in

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Had a session today for Roach, temperature was a balmy 12C, no ice to break but the wind was pretty wicked, nothing approaching 2lb, best was about 12oz but had one about 8oz with the most brilliant scarlet fins I've seen and an almost "Rudd-like" golden sheen, probably the best looking fish I've ever caught

 

[maverick 7]

Roach are a wonderful fish.......they always bring back glorious memories of days gone by. When I was a very young lad my parents used to take me to Wroxham where a friend of theirs had a bungalow at the side of the River Bure (I think).

It was a haven for the roach and even at my age which was around 10 or 11 years old.....I used to have a birthday with them......but do you know what my favourite feature about them is?.......It is their smell, they have a very distinctive smell that you can detect even when you get your gear out the next time you go fishing, You can still smell the roach on your rod and nets some weeks after they was caught.

Going on to the 2lb roach.....I have never caught a 2lb roach...my PB roach is 1lb 10oz if my memory serves me well....and that was head and shoulders above all the rest I have caught. Although I reckon I lost one at the net that must have been well over 2lb from the Swale many years ago...but I guess I'll never really know now.

I once went fishing with my older brother on the River Idle probably about 43 years ago now and I watched him catch roach after roach, must have been 16 or 17 of them...all on the stick and they were all above 2lb...The best running to 2lb 7oz.... and seeing all those incredible fish of those incredible proportions in his keepnet was a sight to behold.....You don't see a net of that calibre many times in your life.....and I have never seen anything like that since either...but my brother was a great stick float angler...especially on the Idle and Trent....and he knew them like the back of his hand.

Maverick

 

[bennygesserit]

Ha ha there was a very long debate on GoFishing about catching 2lb roach , personally I am convinced they are common place in some pools especially those where there are no predators and anglers only fish for carp.

However I also accept that in those circumstances that hybridisation can also take place.

 

[robbush]

I caught four roach in four casts from a swim in a local river early this season,all four were about 8oz,all four had a beautiful purple irredescence to them,not the usual blue sheen,they really were beautiful.never had any from that swim before or since

 

[maverick 7]

Ha ha there was a very long debate on GoFishing about catching 2lb roach , personally I am convinced they are common place in some pools especially those where there are no predators and anglers only fish for carp.

However I also accept that in those circumstances that hybridisation can also take place.

Not sure about that Benny....I wouldn't say 2lb roach would be common place anywhere...I suppose there could be some secret pond somewhere....but.

However, I once heard of some big roach being caught on some pool a few years ago so we paid a visit......the place was full of very decent sized Ide...but I suppose to the inexperienced eye they can be mistaken for big roach.

Maverick

 

[no-one in particular]

I caught four roach in four casts from a swim in a local river early this season,all four were about 8oz,all four had a beautiful purple irredescence to them,not the usual blue sheen,they really were beautiful.never had any from that swim before or since

I suppose this is true of most species but, I see a difference in the sheen and fin colour of roach from different rivers and lakes. One river I fish the roach are very light slate grey with pale orange fins. On other venues they can be almost black with deep red fins. Subtle evolution I suppose.

The biggest haul of roach I saw was in Bath right in the town center just down from the picturesque bridge if anyone knows it. A bloke was on his way to filling up a second big keep net with prime Roach and some Chub.. Many of them looked over a pound and possibly a few two pounders. It always stuck with me the sight especially as he was fishing right in the town. Not a place I would expect to see so many quality roach caught in one session. I think he said he was going for a record for the river in a five hour session. Couldn't hang around to see if he did.

 

[robertroach]

I agree with bennygesserit, I reckon there are lots of stillwaters with big roach that are not targetted by anglers. There are loads of gravel pits around Ringwood, for example, and I'm sure many contain specimens. I used to fish one of them some years ago, but now it's only fished by people with bivvies and bolt rigs. Now and again they catch a whopping roach well over 2lbs by mistake.
On a big gravel pit or reservoir where no-one fishes for roach, its a daunting task just locating some big ones. They could be anywhere and they could move about. The smaller ones are easy to find, the bigger ones incredibly difficult, although I believe they are not difficult to catch when you do find them, if you see what I mean.

 

[MRWELL]

Some great replies,the problem as i see it with big quality Roach is so few target them these days and this is why few are caught,i am convinced that more two pound Roach are around than some think now and in waters that you think they don't exist in.
For too long now Carp have been the game in fishing and i am not knocking that in anyway but in the process we have lost what was our real target fish of yesteryear that being Roach,youngsters of today look at anything but Carp has not worth the time,three rods on tripods and bivvies with bite alarms,kilos of bait and hours sitting waiting for a take is what they see has a good days fishing,thats not how you go about Roach fishing though,it opens up a different field of fishing in my eyes and one that has been lost in many ways now.

Be it stick float fishing on the Rivers to feeders on the commies,if your targeting Roach you will have some great days and i am sure those two pounders would be more abundant than ever if that was the case,will it every happen that Roach once again will be top of our hit list?..no and what a crime that is,i am sure many of todays anglers have no idea on how to go about catching a quality Roach now,lady luck yes but that extra bit of knowledge goes a long way don't you think.

Stan.

 

[no-one in particular]

Some great replies,the problem as i see it with big quality Roach is so few target them these days and this is why few are caught,i am convinced that more two pound Roach are around than some think now and in waters that you think they don't exist in.
For too long now Carp have been the game in fishing and i am not knocking that in anyway but in the process we have lost what was our real target fish of yesteryear that being Roach,youngsters of today look at anything but Carp has not worth the time,three rods on tripods and bivvies with bite alarms,kilos of bait and hours sitting waiting for a take is what they see has a good days fishing,thats not how you go about Roach fishing though,it opens up a different field of fishing in my eyes and one that has been lost in many ways now.

Be it stick float fishing on the Rivers to feeders on the commies,if your targeting Roach you will have some great days and i am sure those two pounders would be more abundant than ever if that was the case,will it every happen that Roach once again will be top of our hit list?..no and what a crime that is,i am sure many of todays anglers have no idea on how to go about catching a quality Roach now,lady luck yes but that extra bit of knowledge goes a long way don't you think.

Stan.

I visited a commercial last summer, on arrival there was a list board of species and weights. Very impressive it was, roach, Rudd etc, good fish. There were 4 lakes and it was busy; walking around everyone was fishing for carp. I fished my float rod and float fished for whatever I could get but, was not really interested in carp on this day.
One of the lakes was a non carp lake and I tried this and there were only two anglers fishing it whereas the other lakes were packed almost.. It was stocked with Rudd and green lipped tench ( I think that's what they were called), I fancied one of those. To be fair they and I did not catch much and a couple of carp had come out on the other lakes.
However, it seemed a shame there were so many fishing for carp and ignoring the other fish as there were obviously some good fish to be caught. But, that's the way many anglers fish these days, they do not seem to be much interested in other species.
I think that's partly why rivers are often bereft of anglers these days, no carp, or very few and hard to find.
I don't care about it much, each to their own but, although I like carp fishing on the right day, variety is the spice of life as they say and I find a big fat roach more rewarding than a big fat carp, prettier too !
Nora Batty or Katie Price, which would you rather bag?