The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Mon Oct 28, 2019 9:27 am You may be interested but I heard of a 'fluke' roach comfortably in excess of 2lbs on the Red Lion last year. I spoke to the captor the other day and expressed just how rare it was - then his mate showed me a picture of another massive roach taken a couple of hundred yards downstream on another visit together. Both were barbel fishing with pellets. Suddenly 2020 can't come quick enough.

Wow! That really is exciting! I have had a handful from the Red Lion, all tiddlers but enough to know they are there. I wish you well in your quest Dave. It’s a big river but they shouldn’t be too hard to find (if you think like a roach )

Harry P.

Great post really enjoyed that

Brilliant write up there Phil, always love reading up and taking notice of well written posts and articles that relate to big river roach,
I occasionally dabble with a few other species but river roach always seems to be me no: 1 choice,

Trouble is like Olly rightly says that the roach in many river stretches seem to disappear, much is obviously down to predation and water quality etc, not forgetting that angling pressure is another big factor, it's quite possible that many of these big roach may migrate a good distance further up or down stream and to areas where it's not particularly known aswell as the odd few that just simply give up and keel over,

I'd honestly say that finding decent river roach venues is probably one of the hardest parts of my fishing, I've got a few venues that I know don't get fished or very very rarely fished but isn't getting any easier,

There's rivers not far from me in Kent like the Beult that used to feature upper 2lb and even the odd few 3lbers back in the eighties but sadly these are virtually all now now long gone and now be lucky to find much over the 1lb mark,

Roach and rivers certainly to have cycles and change in time