Soon be time for roach

[JV44]

good stuff Anderoo and well deserved for getting out there

[Anderoo]

Cheers Mark and Steve, I guess the floods can work in your favour sometimes, I reckon all the fish in the river are packed in that little sidestream at the moment. I lost count of the number of chub I had but it was more than 10, and they were all 'proper' ones of 2-3.5lb. They look and feel so much bigger from small streams, the roach even more so.

[Anderoo]

It was a semi-hunch, last spring I was walking around there (not fishing) and happened to see a fish or two very faintly around the confluence of the side stream and main river, and they looked like they might be roach. I've never once caught a roach from the main river, so that was exciting. Back in the day the river did produce big roach, but those days are long gone sadly. However, there are clearly a few little strongholds where small populations are still hanging on, and this must be one of them. As the river used to grow big roach, I'm hopeful that it might still be able to. Certainly this first little foray was very positive.

 

Actually, I have a question about these little side streams. When they fill up with water and the fish move in from the main river, how far do you think they go? There are several hundred yards of it and so far I've only tried the first bit nearest the confluence, and I wonder how they behave in these circumstances? Wander up and down the length of it? Stay in one bit? Stay near the confluence or take up residence way down the stream? Or maybe there is no pattern?

 

I thought the confluence would be the best spot, on the edge of the fast water, but it was full of chub.

 

 

Lovely roach, Andrew, and well done on following a hunch.

[Anderoo]

Rich and I had some more roach from the sidestream at the weekend, which was a good foot higher than the previous session and water flowing across the nearby path. But even with fllods this bad, it's still a perfect environment, about 4ft deep at the deepest end, probably 15ft across right now, a lovely gentle steady flow, and plenty of cover from the bankside vegetation. It's really great to have it available, on the face of it there's no chance of river fishing right now...

 

I didn't get any more that broke the pound barrier but they were all between about 12-14oz and in superb condition again. Plenty more chub crashed the party, but they're fun too on the light quivertip gear. I will keep trying there when I can in the hope of a bigger roach; I think after dark is probably my best bet. Because of the weather forecast we fished from before dawn to lunchtime on this occasion, which unexpectedly involved scraping the car of ice and firing up the handwarmer. But it was a beautiful red dawn with clouds of mist rising from the water. A perfect winter scene.

 

Oh, and to answer my own question, the fish do go quite a fair way up the stream. It shallows as it goes but we caught roach quite a long way from the confluence, and chub even further where it was really quite shallow. So I think now we have narrowed down their comfortable range.

Edited January 7, 2014 by Anderoo

[Anderoo]

Had another quick go yesterday into dark and had the usual load of chub (one quite big, maybe 4lb) and one roach of a pound exactly that looked like it had recently tangled with a pike. Maybe I should take the lure stuff over there, it's predator heaven at the moment.

 

I also bumped off 4 or 5 fish that I'm fairly sure were roach, which was very frustrating. The first was because the hook was totally blunt, I think the fish had taken the bait right down to its pharyngeal teeth and the strike had turned the point right over. After that they became very edgy, and I think the others came adrift after the first little thump because they were feeding nervously and weren't taking the bait properly. I think next time I should scale down and try a much longer hooklength if it happens again. They are quite tricky little customers, but I am really enjoying this unexpected little challenge

 

The main river is still rising and the side stream is now the size of a small river.

[Anderoo]

As the roach were getting harder to catch on the tip I thought I'd try trotting for a couple of hours today, with the hope that the little nervous bites would be easier to hit on the float. It was really nice to be float fishing again, it's been quite a while. A little 3bb stick float was called into action, carrying small pieces of bread as bait. For feed I used little balls of liquidised bread.

 

It was a bright day and the stream is shallower than I first thought (most of it only a couple of feet deep) so I thought it might be difficult, but actually it went very well - the usual chub but also four roach, two of about 8oz and two good ones of just over a pound and 1.02. They were in spanking condition again and thankfully I did manage to get their photos this time.

 

I think trotting is the way to go

 

1lb and about 1/2 an ounce:

 

1lb 2oz

 

Roach swim on the little overgrown stream

[The Flying Tench]

Beautiful fish, Andrew. Well done finding a way to make the most of these conditions!

[Dales]

Nice fish Anderoo and looks a lovely little spot to fish.

[Anderoo]

I tried at the Thames yesterday, after finding a bit where it was in its banks and where there was an area of calm water. It looked like every fish in the river should have been there. Not a bite

 

Should have gone back to the side stream, but the lure of a big Thames roach was too strong...

[JV44]

Anderoo you seen this ?? I know that swim on my to join for next season Steve