Dorset Stour, Are the Roach Switched on yet?

Roach Mad · Oct 28, 2008

I plan to go for a few hours fishing today on the upper Stourinto dusk and wondered if anyone knows if the roach are switched on now the colour is dropping out and if a bread or maggot attack would be best to try?

Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA) · Oct 28, 2008

Mr Wintle....?

Roach Mad · Oct 28, 2008

No but i saw him the other day fishing below haywards bridge. im another stick float devotee new to fishing magic.

Michael Townsend 3 · Oct 28, 2008

Oi, there's only one roach master around here/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one) · Oct 28, 2008

Who's that?? /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Michael Townsend 3 · Oct 28, 2008

Mark Everard/forum/smilies/embarassed_smiley.gif

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one) · Oct 28, 2008

/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Roach Mad · Oct 28, 2008

i agree i have his book and every other from capt cambell to faddist perhaps i'll change my tag to roach mad eh? the fishing is off anyway im at shaftesbury and we have just had an inch of snow and thats melting so it will be another night dreaming of my first 2lb er o f this years campaign.

HookEmHorns · Oct 31, 2008

Thinking on my last post, i have changed my mind. i was taught the fine art of trotting the upper stour for roach as a boy 20 odd years ago. the great men that gave their time to show me the ropes were true Roach masters i know that between them in their combined 120 years as roach men they have ammassed over 1000 2s and have made some colosall bags of roach on the stour. Mark Everartd it is true is a great roach man but there are many unsung heroes and he is only thought of as 'THE ROACH MASTER' because he has wrote a book and sends a pic of every 2 he catches into the papers. I have great respect for the man but i beleive i know a few old timers that could fish the skin off him.They are also real 'Roach Masters'R

Michael Townsend 3 · Oct 31, 2008

Those Avon and Stour 2lb roachwere so easy to catch back then though.

It says so in the new 'Catching The Impossible' book.

Ray Daywalker Clarke · Oct 31, 2008

Mark Everard????

There is only one Roach master, its not him, or me by the way.

Michael Townsend 3 · Oct 31, 2008

Thanks Ray............/forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif you're not so bad yourself/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

no-one in particular · Nov 1, 2008

I have kept records and data for some time now and use this to predict which species should be most active in a computer program. I have always treated big roach as a separate species because they just don't behave the same as other roach. They can go mad and then disappear for weeks and even months. I always wanted to know which conditions set them off and I use the program to advise me when they are likely to feed. The point I would like to make is that I do a monthly rundown of each month which species should be the most active, and big roach come second behind Rudd for November. Of course a lot depends on the conditions

RoachMad 2 · Nov 1, 2008

I don,t use such sufficticated means as a computer programme but i do believe that it is good to have a means of being prepared. The Roach of the upper Stour like all river Roach go mad for it after a flood. I have a method of pre-empting when the Roach will be on. I stop on the Road Bridge and count how many Blocks are visible, a later check and recount will tell me if the river is rising or falling. I know from experience that it is almost hopeless to attempt Fishing if there are less than 5 whole blocks visable. I can now after using this method for a number of years tell when i have the best chance of success. i have noticed using this method that the Roach always seem to go mad on the feed as the river falls to a certain level even 1" higher than that level and you will remain biteless. It may sound old hat but i seriously urge you to try it this winter if you are close enough to be able to moniter your river regularly.

Mark Wintle · Nov 1, 2008

I use a combination of the river level gauge near where I live, the colour of the water and the colour of my car. Today the river was 0.6 metres above normal and falling - OK, the colour was very thick - not OK, and my car was white - not OK as it is red ie heavy frost. So I went and blanked elsewhere, just nice to put a float through. Since then 8 hours heavy rain have fouled any chance of fishing it tomorrow.

Interestingly on the stretch RoachMad mentions I have fished when the mill a few miles upsteam has been working (mid week) and had the level rising and falling all day but not due to rain, and caught all day which means his level would be hard to read. Similarly slightly downstream I've fished when the mill has shut its gates and the level has risen fast and the roach have fed very well as the river has steadied.

Ray Daywalker Clarke · Nov 1, 2008

Mr Townsend,

I take my hat off to you Sir

Michael Townsend 3 · Nov 1, 2008

/forum/smilies/thinking_smiley.gif /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Steve Spiller · Nov 1, 2008

Hang on I'm getting confused!

Who is the Roach Master? Is he a river or lake Roach Master?

But the main question is, is he a Master Baiter too?

RoachMad 3 · Nov 2, 2008

I also tried to tempt a few yesterday after seeing the level was fallimg nicely by checking the bridge as said above. The River looked the part and had a good colour although by my method it was still about 4" above perfect. I fished a lovely slack behind a reed bed where the river falls by 6 ft creating a lovely fish holding depression. With the river falling i started fishing at 1pm full of confidence. I was shocked when after an hour when the heavy rain came on i had not had still not had as much as a touch. I wonder if anyone has any suggestions as to why this may have been when all the signs looked so promising? I had both maggots and worms and tryed both with no interest at all.

That said it has been raining heavy all night and the river is at the top of the bank and belting through the stretch today. It is a pain but im happy in the knowledge that the weed is being stripped away and the best fishing of the season is just a few cold rainy days away. Thats a thought to warm up any real Roach Mans heart on a cold miserable day.

Mark Wintle · Nov 2, 2008

The minus 3 overnight killed it! Hence my reference to my car being white not red at 7am; by 8am it had melted fast but the damage was done. The Piddle and Frome both broke theirbanks today and bothvery coloured.

RoachMad - why are you having to reregister every time you post? That's three logins in less than a week!

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