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Big roach


tiddlertamer

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I'm thinking of having a go for a good roach - I'm thinking of Bristol Avon on the Amalgamated card, or possibly Thames. I know at least one area on the Avon that has produced big roach (in fact, I've fished it before with a few ANers), but the Amalgamated card covers a lot of other water I could also try.

 

I'm also thinking that some bits of the Avon have some stonking perch, which are the other species on my mind at the moment. And I'd like to fit a little barbel hunting in. So little spare time, especially at this time of year with the dark evenings.

 

Steve,

 

what areas can you fish on the amalgamated card?

 

I live near Taunton in Somerset, and would like to start trying a few stretches of the Avon for both Perch and Roach this autumn/winter.

 

Can you suggest any good areas to start looking at?

 

James P

"if i'm not back in 5 minutes, just wait longer!"

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Out of interest, how many people here have really tried (or are really trying) to catch big roach? I just ask because it's a fish we'd all dearly love to catch, and it could be as simple as putting in a lot of effort? I.e. find a water with previous form or good potential and fish it hard and accept that blanks will be the norm...

 

I've never put any real effort into big roach. I know someone who will be fishing the Avon this winter for a big one, so it will be interesting to see how he gets on.

Edited by Anderoo

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Out of interest, how many people here have really tried (or are really trying) to catch big roach?

 

I've been trying since May! I'll keep trying through the autumn and winter (unless I get distracted by perch). I'll post a photo if I get anywhere near...

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One could argue that 15lb line, lead core, 4oz lead, size 4 hook and and 18mm boilie does the trick !

 

But to catch one by design one needs to be able to fish when the combination of weather, light and river conditions are just right. Not easy for the minority of us with jobs and families etc.

Also you need a very good knowledge of the river your targeting.

 

Once a day i walk my dog along a river near me and never see a sign of any Roach but the other evening i saw a dozen in about a foot of water, the biggest one was i guess around 3lb.

Went and got my rod and on the first cast i had a 1lb 8oz Roach followed on the next cast by a 2lb 4oz one, after that the Chub moved in and i gave up.

Right place at the right time i guess ?

Never seen the Roach again dispite looking everday.

Edited by pfcruleok
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Out of interest, how many people here have really tried (or are really trying) to catch big roach? I just ask because it's a fish we'd all dearly love to catch, and it could be as simple as putting in a lot of effort? I.e. find a water with previous form or good potential and fish it hard and accept that blanks will be the norm...

 

I've never put any real effort into big roach. I know someone who will be fishing the Avon this winter for a big one, so it will be interesting to see how he gets on.

 

 

Hi anderoo

 

funny enough Mike and myself swap between bream and roach. We have been putting lots of time recently into roach as the bream are not playing ball here in east anglia.

 

Over the last few years its been the first hour after dark on our local river that has paid dividends.

 

I have had several fish over the 1lb mark from very shallow streamy sections when the light faids. Our river is so low at the moment we will not go near it until we have some rain.

 

We spent 3 days last weekend fishing alton water for the big roach but only got small stuff. We do dedicate lots of time at it and will continue as roach bream dace chub hold a special apeal as do tench and perch at the right times of year.

 

We are catching fish to 1lb 10 but the elusive 2 remains difficult. I had a 1lb 12 out of the river a couple of years ago but it was a very old fish with tatty fins.

 

A friend lent me a 1954 book on catching big roach today and it looks very interesting on a quick glance. It talks of using a wooden leger to sink slow. that really apealls. It also said that if greater distance is required wrap the wooden leger with groundbait. Could this be the very first method feeder?.

 

regards

 

john

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Out of interest, how many people here have really tried (or are really trying) to catch big roach?

 

Do you never read any my posts Anderoo??

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Some interesting comments on here. I have always concentrated on still waters (except the R Cray) for my big roach sessions. Back in my youth I spent 3 winters travelling by bus/underground/bus and shanks to fish umpteen saturdays at Wilstone. Never a bite, never saw any fish at all.

 

I got a 1lb 15oz from the Eden at Edenbridge ( I was poaching the club water) on a grasshopper dropped in the edge :)

 

Tiny pond at Cowden was next on the list, following a fluke capture on breadcrust (meant for carp). This ended in a disaster when the farmer allowed pig slurry to poison all the fish. That fluke was the only one I (we) caught.

 

A long gap up to the mid 80's when me and a mate started a semi serious campaign on our local waters. I spent 1 winter on a lake after what turned out to be hybrids, got a brace of 3lb 6oz fish from Thorpe park the next year...sadly again hybrids....but very close to true roach...others were adamant they were true roach.

 

Returned, without weighing, what was probably my first "two" ( I didn't want to put it in the keepnet with the Tench). Saw other fish up to 1lb 13 caught by others, and had a 1lb 15oz myself the same day (this was weighed)

 

I had now caught 7 roach weighing 1lb 15oz over about 50 years.

 

Got my only "two" from Mote park, first put in...2lb 2oz.....now what?? do I fish on?? or do I call it a day???

 

End of campaign, not much point chasing any further.

 

And then....a couple of autumns ago, I caught one of 1lb 6oz from a water no one fishes for roach. Are there any bigger unknown fish there? A few more sessions and another couple of 1lb 5oz (and some clonking rudd)

 

Now I have a serious quandary; do I go for the roach with all rods, or try to combine it with a bit of carping? Up to now I have put 2 carp rods out and fished the waggler on the 3rd rod for the roach. And piking has started as well, just to add more confusion :)

 

I put off the start of my piking to "get one more carp".. I may end up putting off the roach fishing "to get a 20lb pike"

 

At least the roach will be still unfished for..and maybe getting a bit bigger :) :)

 

So, in answer to the question about "how many are serious?".. I will answer..."me, sometimes"

 

Den

"When through the woods and forest glades I wanderAnd hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,And hear the brook, and feel the breeze;and see the waves crash on the shore,Then sings my soul..................

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Me too! TT, are you going to Timsbury? There's a genuine chance of a huge roach there...

 

 

I am increasingly drawn to the attraction of the Timsbury Manor Fish In on the river Test. I don’t kid myself I’ll snaffle a 2lb roach but I’ll give it my best shot. (maybe that should read trot...) :rolleyes:

I’ll be travelling on the first train from London which doesn’t arrive until 10am into Romsey and then grabbing a cab up to the fishery. Get your good self down there too Anderoo.

Vis a vis roach and the best conditions, I have consulted the expert, Dr Mark Everard, and in his book ‘The Complete Book of the Roach’, he intriguingly says: “The water is never too coloured for the roach, although a rising river and particularly a cold one, can put fish off the feed.”

Mind you, all the rivers I’ve seen recently definitely need a bit of rain. Maybe even a lot. They’re all crystal clear.

Just not too much rain please... :)

Edited by tiddlertamer

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days without taking a fish. (Hemingway - The old man and the sea)

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This is such a good topic :)

 

Andy, yes I do read your posts! I meant that remark mainly for those who would love a big roach but have never really tried for one or caught one accidentally. (Like me :rolleyes: )

 

I really enjoyed reading Den's post, what an epic campaign. All that effort at Wilstone for no bites and then a 2lber first put in from somewhere else, don't you just love fishing!

 

TT I am still very tempted to go to Timsbury, but I'm trying to resist this year. We'll see how that goes... those roach are in there somewhere and maybe the day the good folk of AN decend will be mild, overcast and, well, perfect...

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Just caught up with this thread.

 

I can't claim to be an expert on 2lb roach, mainly because I've never had one. :D My nearest being 1lb 13oz, (and from a river). Most of my bigger roach (1lb plus) have come from rivers, and from one type of swim in particular, sandbeds. I love fishing them, (and cattle drinks), especially when the river's carrying a couple of extra foot and coloured. I think that because the bottom is usually pretty even, you don't get as much turbulence, and the fish prefer a fairly stable current. I have had some good days catching chub from such swims, and then a surprise roach or two suddenly appear. These are usually around 1.25 to 1.5 lb. (This something I've noticed about roach, but I'll come to that later). The same swims have produced good roach even when the water is clear. I discovered this many years ago while fishing a winter match on the Yorks Ouse. I was struggling, then I caught a gudgeon while laying on with maggot. I thought I'd introduce some groundbait with an hour to go, and nothing to lose. In my haste I mixed it a bit sloppy, but was too cold to bother, so I put a couple of balls in, and it formed a big cloud. I cast my float into the cloud and had a bite 'on the drop'. It was a roach of just over 1lb. Next couple of casts nothing! Another ball of 'slop' and another roach a bit bigger! I had one more fish of 1lb, then I lost one, it shook the hook, and that was it. The near 4lb, got me a section win, and started me thinking. I now use the method if I'm on a sandbed, (sometimes if I'm not), with clear water, in autumn or winter. The goundbait was plain brown crumb, no freebies added, though I have used small balls of sandy mud at a pinch, but not found it as effective.

 

As to sustained roach hunting, a few years back in the late 70s, early 80s, when a local lake started producing big roach, I had a few up to 1lb 12oz, but other commitments prevented me spending as much time as I would like at the water. There were quite a few 2lbrs caught from the lake at the time, but sadly, not for me.

Back to the chub/roach thing. I believe that roach do not lose the shoaling instinct as they get bigger. Obviously a year class is going to lose more and more fish as time progresses, so you end up with just a few, (or maybe just one) surviving at about 12/15 years old. I believe that these fish join on to shoals of other species of a similar size. This might be chub, bream, rudd, and maybe even carp. I have seen lone roach tagging onto chub and bream shoals especially, too often to dismiss it as unusual. I also believe that in some cases it can be the cause of hybridisation with bream and rudd.

 

These are just my thoughts based on my observations over the years, on the waters I fished regularly.

 

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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