Been away sailing since mid June, only been back home a few days. Had a great time and caught Bass, Mullet and a wonderful brightly coloured Cuckoo Wrasse. My worm farm has thrived while away, my pal Ivor, a good angler, fed and watered them for me.
I am blessed with an Urban chalk stream nearby, the River Ock, which runs through the town of Abingdon where it joins the Upper Thames. My parents lived alongside the Ock in a small retirement appartment and good fish, mostly Chub, could be seen from their lounge window.
Three days after a day of nonstop rain some ten years ago I took a 7 foot Milbro hollow glass spinning rod, Intrepid Elite loaded with 4 lb line and a tin of lobworms along to try the fishing.
The river was dirty, fast running but fining down nicely. I set up a two swan shot patenoster, size 10 spade end hook on the short link, and ran it close to the bank opposite where Mum and Dad lived - no fishing allowed from their side!
Two small Perch came along quite quickly followed by a decent Chub. I worked my way downstream to the head of the weir a hundred yards or so before the river met the Thames. I allowed the rig to be swept along in the flow, holding it back from time to time so it lifted in the current. No luck here, so I dropped into the weir tail, a very urban bit between concrete and brick banks.
The line trembled and stopped moving, then pulled strongly. A strike found me attatched to a strong fish which put a fair curve into the faithful Milbro.
After a short but spirited fight my PB roach came to the net a splendid, but old and past its prime, Roach of 2lbs 13 ozs.
Fished it every year since, September through March, never caught another decent Roach there. Plenty of Perch - good ones - and Chub, but no more Roach.
An odd Trout is caught in the Ock further upstream and I have seen bream rolling below the weir, but never caught either.
But I shall always remember that Roach!
My PB Roach
- Rotrax
- Rudd
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- Location: South Oxfordshire, Littlhampton and Wellington NZ
- Liphook
- Barbel
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Re: My PB Roach
Welcome back to the fold Rotax I had been wondering if you had sailed away for the summer What a roach that was from a small stream!
- Rotrax
- Rudd
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- Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2020 11:50 pm
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- Location: South Oxfordshire, Littlhampton and Wellington NZ
Re: My PB Roach
Thanks Liphook.
I suspect it was really a Thames Roach - the Ock weir is impassable to most fish and I suspect it came from the Thames as food was being washed into it from the Ock - it moved from the Thames to nearer the source of food.
My best Roach by a pound.
That will do for me!
I suspect it was really a Thames Roach - the Ock weir is impassable to most fish and I suspect it came from the Thames as food was being washed into it from the Ock - it moved from the Thames to nearer the source of food.
My best Roach by a pound.
That will do for me!