a lovely brace of River Kennet biggies while filming 'Catching the Impossible' with Martin Bowler - the best went 2lb5oz |
I’m going to nail my flag to
the mast and vote for the roach
because I believe it should be the national fish. Thriving in every sort
of water in Britain and available to all, it is not only beautiful but if
you’re seeking a big one, a real challenge ... so please excuse me if I show a few too many pics of the rare moments when I got lucky.
a scale perfect roach and close to three pounds |
roach live in some beautiful places too |
The idea and initiative has
been created by our very own underwater hero Jack Perks. He is masterminding an
attempt to raise awareness of our fishy wildlife and we owe it to our watery
critters to get behind him and VOTE. After all, the birders among us recently
chose the robin as our national bird and we don’t want them to think we don’t
care about fish.
So this is the link which
will enable you to get behind the venture and make the general public sit up
and pay more attention to our fishy wildlife and the places they live ... and
who knows, they might even respect us anglers more too.
Jack has managed to gain the
BBC’s support by having the vote publicised on the ever popular ‘Springwatch’
so several million will be aware of his initiative.
Ely Cathedral was the place I grew up and thanks to the Great Ouse nearby, also became a fanatical roach angler |
I chose the roach because it
chose me, for when fishing in the Great Ouse at Ely as a child, I caught a big
one by design. We normally caught
just small fish, a few roach along with gudgeon and perch off the wall
at the Cutter Inn but one day I cast a lump of flake to a large bed of cabbages
and fluked a 10oz lump which to this small boy was a monster. I was hooked for
life and have been trying to catch big roach ever since.
a Hampshire Avon two from the good old days |
Luckily I grew up in the
glory days of the H.Avon and Stour when two pounders were the expected catch
and I had dozens, even managing a three pounder from both of those rivers and
all on trotted bread flake. I even managed two pounders from the Broads,
notably from the River Bure and Wroxham Broad, often using cheese paste as
bait. This was in the 50’s when it seemed big roach thrived everywhere.
To catch the Broads roach I’d
cut up Kraft cheese slices into small particles and scatter them around the
float and it worked a treat ... but not before I’d used a quant pole from our
cabin cruiser to poke around the bottom to find gravel runs. There was a
particular patch on the start line of the sailing club in the middle of Wroxham
Broad and though I irritated the sailors at race starts I caught many big roach
from the spot, especially in the middle of the day, perched in my little 8ft
plywood dingy. Happy days for sure ; I wonder if they’re still there?
2lb6ozs - fat as butter but not taken on cheese |
I learnt the cheese technique when fishing with the old boys on the Regents Canal at Paddington in the school holidays. It was good roach fishing and if using cheese paste using a small porcupine quill, we’d avoid the small ones and catch them to over a pound, my best going one pound two.
The bait also worked well on the Serpentine where I caught numerous good roach but never as big as a pound. Unfortunately the bait also attracted eels and when struggling to unhook an above average wriggler, an old lady ran up and angrily telling me I was a cruel boy, beat me over the head with her umbrella!
I’ve tried the cheese
technique in notable roach water several times since and never had a bite,
though this is one of the joys of roach fishing. You can never be sure where or
when you are going to catch a big ‘un, if at all!
good mate Trevor Harrop of Avon Roach Project fame with an Avon two pounder |
Trev releasing the future into the H.Avon and hope for keen roach anglers |
Britford still produces two pound roach, largely because of the tireless work of river keeper Stuart Wilson in protecting them from the 'black death' .... that's cormorants if you hadn't guessed.
the LAA's river keeper extraordinair Stuart Wilson with one of his precious Britford roach |
Still waters are providing
some great roaching too, especially when they thrive under the radar, fattening
up on carp anglers bait. Sway is just such a water, though Stuart thinks still
water roach should only count as half and I kind of agree!
what massive roach those Linch Hill beasts were ... this one went 3lb3oz. caught while fishing with friend Gary Newman |
The famous Willow Lake at
Linch Hill produced amazing roach, even if they tended to be caught on
'unsporting' bolt rigs. I am guilty of trying the technique there too, just so I
could see one of those huge roach you understand! I became known as a ‘jammy
bar-steward’ because in only four visits I was lucky enough to catch a three
pounder every time. In defence, I did try a sliding float and caught a few two
pounders but never a three on the float.
admiring my PB of 3lb5oz - caught on a float too |
I had roach to 3lbs4ozs at
Linch but my PB came from Sway, just an ounce heavier but caught ‘properly’ on
a delicate float. I also had my PB pole caught roach there too, an ounce under
three pounds, so a much desired three on the pole is still out there to
achieve. However, in my book any roach of a pound or more is a big fish and
makes me a happy man and even if I’ve wasted a lot of my life in a quest for
big ones I’ve loved every minute of it - well almost!
the pole can be deadly for really big roach |
a gorgeous early morning two pounder - what beautiful fish they are |
Sadly, a two pounder is now a
distant dream on several once famous fisheries but the challenge remains and
for me and many of my best pals, roach are still a constant cause of much head
scratching and effort. So please get voting ... and if roach are the species
that pulls your string, good on you ... but if not then still vote. I could easily have chosen tench or barbel, perch or pike, sea trout, mullet or bass, even carp for I love them all but as the saying goes, my favourite fish is the one I'm fishing for at the time. I just need to go out and fish more often!
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