Big winter roach from rivers

Back in the autumn of last year there were several posters waxing lyrical about the coming winter as they were going to target quality roach from rivers. I,m curious to know if anyone has been out pursuing them and how they have gone on.Considering that there is only perhaps three weeks of the river season left have you done ok so far or have you left it too late ?

There were some nice Roach coming out from the Lower Itchen yesterday. Mostly fish between a pound and just under two pounds.

The free stretch downstream of where we fish also has been producing some nice Roach and a few good Dace too.

The Hampshire Avon below Salisbury has been producing a few 2 pound fish but you have to know the right swims and be prepared to get there very early . . . . . .

I had a 2lb 2oz fish out of the Kentish Stour near Canterbury which is the biggest I've had for years. :w

It may have just been a rogue fish. So far as Im aware the big uns have been alot thinner on the ground in recent years. Still I live in hope that the specimens are making a comeback.

I broke the habit of a lifetime and sent a photo of it into the Angling Times. Its on page 24 top left. Theres also a pic on my album on here if anyones curious.

A 2lb roach is not a viable target in the Yorkshire region on a river, with the possible exception of an infrequently fished stretch on the Calder - as far as I am aware anyway.

Two pound Roach are rare on most rivers today, and on some you wont find any. Thats not to say the rivers wont make a come back, as long as the river has small Roach, then theres a chance a 2lb will be there again sometime. When the big Roach die off, they has to be back up stock to replace them.

The river lea/lee still gives up 2lb Roach, but not many, and you will find it hard to even see them swiming around in the summer, something that you could do a few years ago, the same with the Ouse.

Big Yorkshire Roach

I wouldn't dispute that this is a difficult target shaun, potentially very difficult, but I do think it 'viable'.
There are litterally 100s of miles of river that barely get fished in Yorkshire. The chances are that there are some big roach somewhere. Besides last year at-least one fish over 2lb was reported from the Nidd and I know of unsubstantiated claims of multiple 2's from a stretch of the Derwent around the Malton area. I keep having a go on a wide variety of different rivers and the successes in terms of 1lb plus fish are limited. It can be a sould destroying business and I can see where you are comming from but realistically there must be a chance. Maybe all the Yorkshire big roach enthusiasts should get together, it would make finding them a heck of a lot easier.

The Lower Itchen has produced a few really nice roach this winter. Although my best has been about 1:04 I've had the privilige of weighing two fine roach of 2;06 and 2;08 for the same angler.

I had a single battled scarred old war horse of a roach amongst a "net" of 20+ chub from the Dorset Stour a few weeks ago, it went 1:13 on the scales but looked absolutely huge! In its prime it must have been big 2.

shaunfox said:

A 2lb roach is not a viable target in the Yorkshire region on a river, with the possible exception of an infrequently fished stretch on the Calder - as far as I am aware anyway.

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Oh ye of little faith.

I have had a few good sessions on roach but lost interest as I lost contact with a small group of what appeared to be very big roach. We had some heavy floods and feel they have been moved downstream. Still a roach of a pound is still a good fish and they are are still around - but its chub till the end of the season now.......

Roach to 1lb12oz caught during the cold snap just before christmas.....

big yorkshire roach

You've got me intregued now sean, think I'll have a nosey around in your neck of the woods mate.

I have to say that I have done ok this year with the redfins, but like many I am increasingly concerned about the apparent lack of reports of good roach from rivers generally. Small rivers in particular seem more vulnerable to predation by the likes of otters, mink and so forth.
I was talking to a friend the other evening and he informed me that two rivers in lincolnshire are now virtual graveyards on account of this rise in predator numbers. Both of these lovely Lincolnshire waterways used to be on my list of waters that I visited from time to time, now, sadly, I will have to look elsewhere for my small river roach, oh, and contrary to what some say the river idle is also as dire if not worse.
ps- chav- nice bag mate!!

yorkshire roach

I have heard of the odd 2lb'er from the Swale and Aire - but how much time would you need to put in.

There is a canal I fish which definately has 2lb roach in, which produced last year.

I remember an insignificant canal near to where I use to live in my childhood. Nobody ever fished it - one day I walked over a hump backed bridge; looking down, there were dozerns upon dozerns of massive roach. All appeared to be over 1lb 8oz with a majority over 2lb. The biggest were certainly over 3lb. All looked immaculate, but all were dead. I'd walked over that bridge many times before and never knew what that little canal contained.

If only I'd have known - roach paradise, all to myself.

Makes you realise Tim, there is always the possibility of coming across a little gem.

I have managed roach up to 1lb 12oz from a stretch of the Kennet. There are certainly some bigger specimens in there. From another river I've been targeting I've witnessed some good roach to 2lb 5oz recently and I'm back there this week for another go. I was also on the Itchen with the guys on Saturday and note that numerous good roach were caught. I'm down there again on Sunday and will dispense with the grayling fishing and target the roach on the feeder with breadflake. Fingers crossed. :wh

Back in the autumn before the big freeze started in november I spent numerous days on the Thames at Walton bridge and down stream at Molesey.
I caught plenty of roach but none above the 1lb 4oz mark although I heard of some 2lb plus fish being caught on pellets. Since then I have been on the canal and a local lake trying for a big perch (2lb 09. the best so far) and stillwater roach to 1lb11 . the last week of the season I have a week off and will be heading off to Dorset to fish the Frome and Stour. hopefully a few big roach will oblige........

big roach

Is it just me or are people viewing the big roach situation with rose tinted spectacles?
I don't know where people get this idea from, that all our rivers were once paved with 2lb roach. Aside from fairly well documented areas I can't ever remember this being the case.
Fish of this size have always been considered special because they have always been fairly scarce on the whole.

Although I was fortunate to have the Dorset Stour and Hampshire Avon on my doorstep for many, many years, 2lb roach were and still are the specimen bench mark for the species. There is no doubt we were spoilt for choice sometimes as there were several areas to choose from where the prospects were very good (but still needed proper attention and proper fishing).

And thats not including the Frome, Test, Kennet and Itchen all within easy reach (who said we were spoilt down there?!)

A 2lb roach then and now is a superb fish and to be celebrated if and when one slides into the waiting net.

Reading this thread goes to show just how rare 2lb roach are, but is'nt this the reason why a specimen roach holds such an attraction or some would say an addiction! To me, a 2lb river roach is the holy grail of fishing, the harder something is to achieve, the more rewarding it is when you do finally succeed.

The back end of the season is my favourite time to catch a good roach, especially if the rivers are in good nick as the roach shoal up in their traditional haunts. And the swirl on the surface of a big river roach caught trotting the float, still has that magic quality that takes some beating.

Tim Ridge said:

Is it just me or are people viewing the big roach situation with rose tinted spectacles

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Tim, yes, I think they are to a degree as many do genuinely remember when the rivers they fish regularly turned up big quality roach,not always fish over the two pound mark but big roach nontheless. The Witham, the Bain to mention two, always had them in good numbers but now any roach is a welcome sight.Back to the the rose tinting tho, if we take the Idle as a case in point, years ago many an angler would tell you that they had taken roach over two, but my opinion is that most of these fish were guesstimates-- you know the thing-- finger resting in the crook of the elbow of arm followed by the word "Dog". but no scales- says it all really. The reality is that the idle was a terrific little river that turned up lots of big roach, but not any more(unless someone knows differant )
Lately, a well known yorkshire angler did a piece in one of the angling mags recounting the waters that he had taken large roach from in the past which is just not done if its still a "goer", Not rivers admittedly but I think its indicative of how roach waters in general are in a steady and slow decline at this moment in time.Like Ray clark says it is often a cyclical thing but if ever they are to return its going to be a hell of a long wait.

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Steve Handley said:

The back end of the season is my favourite time to catch a good roach,

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Well spoken young sir.Steve, can I ask, are you really only six years old?
I have just looked on your profile and it appears that you were born in 2005??? Is this correct or is it a printing error? (with respect)

Definately a printing error...it was a long time ago when I was 6 years old! hahaha

Note to myself: must edit my profile

big 'dog' roach

you just sort of summed up my feelings on the subject in a way and in other ways your experiences differ from my own.
I remember loads of venues where it was possible to 'bag up' (a phrase I use extremely loosely) with roach from say 4oz to 12oz and an occasional 1lb plus fish would turn up in these catches. I can hardly remember anyone carrying scales back then. Certainly back in the early eighties when match fishing was massive in the Yorkshire area it wasn't normal for anglers to carry scales and there must have been thousands upon thousands of modest roach caught that got guestimated at over 2lb's.

My experience is that in many instances (not all I'd grant you), comparable fish are still present it is just that anglers are a bit more inclined to weigh what they catch.
I could take you to stretches on all the major rivers in Yorkshire where the fishing just hasn't changed.
Some anglers seem to remember these catches exceeding 10 or even 20lbs in total weight. Again I remember it rather differently. A catch of three to 5lb's of fish was a good one for a days fishing with exceptional weights exceeding 8lb's usually comprised partly of other fish such as bream.

Another factor that I feel is relevant is that there were more skilled river float anglers about back then. The average angler today just doesn't have a clue. I know this because I occasionally take a customer from the tackle shop where I work out for a day. I don't generally look forward to this because they are usually clueless and badly equipped and I commonly spend most of the day explaining how to attain reasonable bait presentation.
To a man all these anglers talk the talk but it is rare that I come across anyone who genuinely can trot a float anything like the anglers who taught me.