is the decline in roach linked to?

[Arthur Clarke 3]

I fished throughout the decline of the big Wensum roach and at one time had competitions with John Wilson to see who could catch the most 2 pounders in a season. The EA were doing some work investigating the decline but lost interest when a person left to set up his own company. Previously we had regular meetings and reports on water quality , flow etc. The EA's work included setting up refuges for immature fish (sidestreams) which had been demolished by the AWA and other river improvements. During the 70s and 80s roach numbers gradually diminished until their were few places left where you could catch any roach at all. Curiously, riverside road in Norwich was always full of roach although I think many of the stockings of small still water roach ended up there. They couldn't fight the current.
Another factor in the decline I believe is water colour. When I first fished the river in the 60s it was crystal clear - now it is always coloured and nobody seems to know why. Believe me there is no finer site than to see a shoal of big roach priming in the dawn sun. I'm 66 now and I don't think I shall ever see that site again.

 

[Mark Wintle]

Arthur,

I found a copy of John's book "A Specimen Fishing Year" (in Norwich) and it was interesting to see how he did. I collected a lot of roach fishing material about 5 years ago including his and your articles, though far from all of them.

It's a long term project of trying to understand roach fishing over the years, a mammoth task but absorbing none the less.
Wensum roaching is significant in roach fishing history.

regards, Mark

 

[Neil Maidment]

Mark,

Good article.

Ah Memories!

I had the honour of finishing 2nd to Dob Chislett's 64lb of Avon roach with 19lb 10oz of chub and dace. He was pegged well down the Winkton stretch just above The Royalty top boundary while I was on the top end. He trotted breadflake under a huge balsa/quill float using a centrepin. Most of those pegged around him failed to catch and some just sat behind to watch a very good angler do his stuff! Not sure how many 2lb+ fish he had but that area continued to produce for a while then they disappeared. We had some good bags of roach during that time and I recall 5 over 2lb in a net of 20+ fish.

In that era (late 60's early 70's) the Avon further up at Sopley, Dudmoor and Avon Tyrrell regularly produced good roach nets. They seemed to disappear from those areas as well but then started to appear more regularly in the stretches above Ringwood, particularly at Somerley and Ibsley. Later on (80's I think) our old mate Neil H. found some cracking roach over 3lb in that area and when he eventually shared the information we had a few up to 2lb 12oz.

Around that same time, the Stour around Blandford was one of the places to be and particularly a sidestream at Spetisbury. Once that had seen a few floods and frosts, the winter roach fishing was superb.

Trouble is, it's all so long ago!

Tight Lines.
Neil