no-one in particular
Well-known member
Me too, Hope you have better luck in your new location. I am sure you will and it will revitalize your spirits. I have to wait for June 16th and I know where I will be and roach will be my target fish.
I'd like to add my good wishes also, and thanks for sharing even your most miserable days fishing. Not sure if the old adage of a ' bad days fishing 's better than a good day at work' applies to your particular circumstances. Either way your efforts deserve some reward. A couple of lucky breaks and you'll be in touch before you realise it. And without wanting to seem rude or ungrateful, we merry few, this band of brothers; having walked those muddy tracks with you and shivered through bone itching cold with scant reward; we too are due a bit of uplifting pay off in your HDYGO reports.
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Roach Obsession Diary. 4.00pm 27/2/2021
To the two Marks, to Keith and to Rubio, a thousand thanks for your well wishes for my roaching future out West. I’ve only been here a few days, but already I somehow feel liberated, freed from the self-imposed necessity to flog a few battered miles of Wensum yet again. I have spent a few glorious hours in the sun-drenched Wye valley, just marvelling at how big it all is, at knowing that I will never get close to the mysteries hidden within. But I’ll try. I can start with excellent tackle dealers like Woody in Hereford and Adam Fisher in Ross. Not forgetting Sportfish up towards Hay. There are clubs, and of course the wonderful Passport Scheme run by Seth at the Wye Usk Foundation. There is YouTube, the forums, and any of you roachers reading this. I’ve got maps and Google Earth, and I have the addresses of a few mates squirrelled away too.
But it will all have to wait: Enoka has decided that the target before March 14th will be another barbel, her third. As it was all me who wanted to drag her West, how can I argue with a request like this one? Our hours by the middle Wye today are explained! A bucket of bait, wellies on, and off we went. The plan is to put corn and meat in three slacks on a daily basis 'till the house is half-sorted, and get down there for short dusk sessions.
Mind you, I have of course been hearing about Hereford possibilities, and who is to say I won’t find myself there one glorious misty dawn sometime soon??
To the two Marks, to Keith and to Rubio, a thousand thanks for your well wishes for my roaching future out West. I’ve only been here a few days, but already I somehow feel liberated, freed from the self-imposed necessity to flog a few battered miles of Wensum yet again. I have spent a few glorious hours in the sun-drenched Wye valley, just marvelling at how big it all is, at knowing that I will never get close to the mysteries hidden within. But I’ll try. I can start with excellent tackle dealers like Woody in Hereford and Adam Fisher in Ross. Not forgetting Sportfish up towards Hay. There are clubs, and of course the wonderful Passport Scheme run by Seth at the Wye Usk Foundation. There is YouTube, the forums, and any of you roachers reading this. I’ve got maps and Google Earth, and I have the addresses of a few mates squirrelled away too.
But it will all have to wait: Enoka has decided that the target before March 14th will be another barbel, her third. As it was all me who wanted to drag her West, how can I argue with a request like this one? Our hours by the middle Wye today are explained! A bucket of bait, wellies on, and off we went. The plan is to put corn and meat in three slacks on a daily basis 'till the house is half-sorted, and get down there for short dusk sessions.
Mind you, I have of course been hearing about Hereford possibilities, and who is to say I won’t find myself there one glorious misty dawn sometime soon??
Keith M
Well-known member
Glad you are getting settled and getting Enoka into her Wye Barbel.
I’m often staying at a hotel in Holme Lacey; which is a short distance from Hereford and the Wye; and I’ve often wanted to fish the Wye so your exploits on the Wye will be very interesting to read.
When I’m there I often fish a lake in the grounds of the Hotel which; as well as the smaller Roach it also has some slightly larger Roach in it too; however I haven’t yet had one over 1.5lb and even that I suspect was a fluke and seemed to be a one off; however there are some shoals of largish roach in the lake that average around 10oz to 14oz which only seem to show themselves when there is a strong wind blowing into our faces, but we are only allowed to fish on that one side of the lake and I suspect that the slightly larger Roach might be spending most of their time near to the extensive reed and lilly beds on the far side of this lake where no one can even get near to let alone fish which is probably why we only very occasionally get amongst them; so who knows there may be even bigger Roach just waiting to be caught (I can dream).
The rest of the year I fish a stream nearer home in Hertfordshire which does hold some superb Roach and where a 2lb plus Roach is not quite as hard to find although they are still not caught that often (I’ve only caught four 2lb plus Roach there in the last few years). Funnily enough there are currently no otters in this stretch; although otters are now present around ten miles further down stream; so how long we have before the otters finally arrive god only knows.
There are a few other anglers on this forum that fish this same stream too; but they are usually (but not always) fishing for its Barbel. I think the club record Roach from there is currently around 2lb 10oz but I can’t really say for sure.
Anyway I seem to be prattling on quite a bit so I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures of the last couple of 2lb and near 2lb Roach that I caught from our smallish Hertfordshire stream.
Tight lines
Keith
I’m often staying at a hotel in Holme Lacey; which is a short distance from Hereford and the Wye; and I’ve often wanted to fish the Wye so your exploits on the Wye will be very interesting to read.
When I’m there I often fish a lake in the grounds of the Hotel which; as well as the smaller Roach it also has some slightly larger Roach in it too; however I haven’t yet had one over 1.5lb and even that I suspect was a fluke and seemed to be a one off; however there are some shoals of largish roach in the lake that average around 10oz to 14oz which only seem to show themselves when there is a strong wind blowing into our faces, but we are only allowed to fish on that one side of the lake and I suspect that the slightly larger Roach might be spending most of their time near to the extensive reed and lilly beds on the far side of this lake where no one can even get near to let alone fish which is probably why we only very occasionally get amongst them; so who knows there may be even bigger Roach just waiting to be caught (I can dream).
The rest of the year I fish a stream nearer home in Hertfordshire which does hold some superb Roach and where a 2lb plus Roach is not quite as hard to find although they are still not caught that often (I’ve only caught four 2lb plus Roach there in the last few years). Funnily enough there are currently no otters in this stretch; although otters are now present around ten miles further down stream; so how long we have before the otters finally arrive god only knows.
There are a few other anglers on this forum that fish this same stream too; but they are usually (but not always) fishing for its Barbel. I think the club record Roach from there is currently around 2lb 10oz but I can’t really say for sure.
Anyway I seem to be prattling on quite a bit so I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures of the last couple of 2lb and near 2lb Roach that I caught from our smallish Hertfordshire stream.
Tight lines
Keith
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Mark Wintle
Well-known member
I hope you find time to catch a roach or two from the Wye before the season's close, John.
I seem to be learning more about my local stretch in the past week than the previous decade. Some footage of a trip last Tuesday: Quest for a big Stour Roach Part 5
I seem to be learning more about my local stretch in the past week than the previous decade. Some footage of a trip last Tuesday: Quest for a big Stour Roach Part 5
no-one in particular
Well-known member
Enjoyed that, a nice little session, I wondered if your ever tempted to try legering with a big bait, maybe a swim feeder and a helicopter rig although I don't know what that is and I don't like swim feeders much myself however; these methods seem to get the really big roach sometimes; just wondered if you have tried that on these swims that look like they might hold a clonker or thought of trying. And how much have stour roach got onto boilies as I imagine the barbel anglers throw a lot in.
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simon burt
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Thanks to John for giving me some roachy content to follow during the long cold lockdown and also thanks to Mark W for his video series - I've learnt lots. That latest session looked great and maybe there will be a another big one to come before the end of the season.
I got out yesterday evening for the first time since early January and had a good session on my little local river in Somerset. I was really excited to get proper pull on the quiver tip for beauty at 1lb and 7oz. I have been trying to creep up towards 2lbs for more years than I care to remember now and this has been my best season for finding them over a pound with a pb of 1lb 10 before Christmas. Hopefully I will get another chance this backend.
I got out yesterday evening for the first time since early January and had a good session on my little local river in Somerset. I was really excited to get proper pull on the quiver tip for beauty at 1lb and 7oz. I have been trying to creep up towards 2lbs for more years than I care to remember now and this has been my best season for finding them over a pound with a pb of 1lb 10 before Christmas. Hopefully I will get another chance this backend.
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The raw Upper Wye... hardly roach country!!
Roach Obsession Diary. 4/3/2021
OMG, ten days to go. The past two-three days have been a removal nightmare, made worse in 2021 by the complexities of modern living. How do you get a dishwasher plumbed in, find Netflix, and above all, find enough WiFi signal in the deep countryside to power your iPad? And where on earth do you source a handyman these days?
As ever, I’m looking at the weather forecast. Today, Herefordshire is cold, but there looks to be a slight easing by Sunday, and intermittently, the following week. I’m half-committed to helping Enoka catch a barbel, as a sort of fishy thank-you present for agreeing to all this, but will the single-digit temperatures make this overly difficult? I had been putting bait in a few days ago, when spring looked like springing, so there has been some groundwork laid and all might not be lost.
But! Of course if I go the barbel route on the middle/upper River Wye, I’m sort of losing the chance to find roach lower down-river, a task I know won’t be easy, or be accomplished, in the first session or two. I’m considering barbel 'till Thursday (though sessions will be extremely short), and then a last three days or so investigating the Hereford reaches. So, if anyone wants to get in touch and show me a city swim or two, I’m all ears and gratitude!
In the meanwhile, I’m here wishing you roach fanatics a real result as the season draws to its usual painful close. After the year we have all had, wouldn’t a “two” or two make it all seem better? Let us know your (roaching) backend successes please...
simon burt
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Just re- read the Wye chapter in "Gentle Giants", hope you can find their grand children!
Grabbed a session this morning - cold start and very sunny later. I thought I might connect with some dace but the Chub had other ideas. Had 7 and lost one to a cut hooklink. Did manage one roach from a shadowy spot. One maybe two more sessions next week.
Grabbed a session this morning - cold start and very sunny later. I thought I might connect with some dace but the Chub had other ideas. Had 7 and lost one to a cut hooklink. Did manage one roach from a shadowy spot. One maybe two more sessions next week.
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Sundown in Hereford
Charles with a pretty Hereford perch
Roach Obsession Diary... 9.00am 8/3/2021
My apologies for a long silence, but the mountain of boxes just will not seem to disappear. Fishing has had to take a step backwards, though I have continued to bait for a last-gasp-of-the-season barbel. In fact, given the storms rolling our way tomorrow night, this afternoon seems a distinct possibility, perhaps a last window 'till June.
Of course, that window is only half ajar. One reason fishing has not seemed quite so attractive is down to the string of grinding frosts we’ve experienced lately. 7 degrees in the day and minus 4 at night is not my idea of barbel bliss. However, they have been fed, and we all know how everything in nature responds to a feeding rhythm.
And I have continued to explore. Yesterday afternoon was spent on the Wye, but in Hereford itself. Now, this is urban, and there are some sights and sounds to ponder, but there is huge attraction there. Most of the dog walkers were charmingly friendly, a real contrast with Norwich centre I can tell you, and there was a comparatively gentle feel to it, as well as a measure of beauty thrown in. And thank you to Geoff, Charles, Richard, Rob and Paul who all took the time to be welcoming, supportive, and completely helpful. I can’t truthfully say I feel adrift in a strange land, but it is good to have nice company nonetheless.
Above all, the river is full of fish. Bleak are everywhere, dimpling like raindrops. Beneath them in the water column are legions of perch, and though I did not see a big one landed, I did watch clonkers roll amongst the prey fish. There are dace and barbel, a 9.06 came out, and I just missed it being returned. And there are roach. I suspect they take some finding. Furthermore, I am told, almost certainly correctly, catching them depends on some colour in the river. The storms over the next 48 hours might provide that, and I am hoping for a weekend assault.
The sun lit up the scene in the very late afternoon and painted a pretty picture indeed. A barbel rolled. Perch slashed. A chub slurped at a floating pasty. I was reminded of an evening on the Trent with dear Archie Braddock 35 years ago, when that river too came alive with fish as dusk hovered. I never did go on to become a Trent master. I hope I might achieve a step or two better here on the Wye.
no-one in particular
Well-known member
That looks pretty nice John, steady flow, I wouldn't be surprised there are some good roach in there. I wouldn't mind fishing it. Nice steady trot down a rods length out giving the little and not too often approach. Bread sweetcorn and some hemp would be my choice and a nice mixed bag would do.
Ignore me I am just getting withdrawal symptoms. All I have is a bit of shore fishing at the moment and the tides are all wrong this week even for that. June 16th is going to be big date for me this year.
Ignore me I am just getting withdrawal symptoms. All I have is a bit of shore fishing at the moment and the tides are all wrong this week even for that. June 16th is going to be big date for me this year.
Mark Wintle
Well-known member
The clear, cold Stour has a new pattern of coming alive late in the day. First roach yesterday was at 4:40, the same time they started rising; apart from a quiet interlude when a jack pike was around - hooked and lost - the roach fed until dark and I finished with 36 to 12oz. I used up some old groundbaits the last two evenings and interesting that I had no roach over a pound. I suspect the end of the season may see the Stour a washout; we'll see...
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'Like holding a block of ice'
Roach Obsession Diary. 8.30am 10/3/2021
Not at all the end of the season I have been hoping for. This great depression began sweeping in westwards last night, and I knew if Enoka and I were to get that last-gasp barbel, we’d need to be just in front of it. We got down to the baited swim around 3.00pm yesterday, as the temperature began to drop like a stone, and the wind began to strengthen, and it really looked ugly. Still, E got herself a chub and posed for a single shot before this three pound block of ice began to freeze her fingers to the bone.
I missed a bite as the wind bounced the rod in its rests and decided to touch leger. Now the rawness really did hit, and at 5.15pm we decided any barbel would have to wait 'till June. But wait!! A twitch. A pull. A full-blown tug, and I was in business. The fish kept low and deep, and chugged at a snail’s pace up the river towards us. I played it with gentle hands, heart in mouth, feeling the power. I knew the water was very cold, and I guessed the fish would fight slow and heavy without the rushes of summer, so I told E we would have to be prepared for a long one, a battle to the end. All very dramatic. Old Man and The River stuff. And then, out in mid-river, a chub popped out its little head. I felt like Trump. My barbel “had miraculously disappeared” and become a chub. Do you laugh, or do you cry, or do you remember the immortal advice never to disrespect the chub? Indeed, that poor bewildered fish had given us five minutes of heart-stopping hope... and made me look a right chump in the process.
I now have the weekend to plan for. Two days to make a mark on the Wye in this, my new life. I have to admit that gone is the assurance I feel in Norfolk where I have felt master of my world for so many years. This is humbling, challenging, frightening. And I’m loving it.
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Roach Obsession Diary. 1.00pm 10/3/2021
Well, I have had to break the habit of a lifetime, literally. I got a call from Thomas Turner’s Richard Hewitt to look out for the Angling Times, and a truly serious roach reported there in this week’s edition. I drove off into Leominster and WH Smith’s, but this was going to be a tough purchase for me. Stupid I know, but historically there was never a jot of love lost between the AT and the Angler's Mail. As a lifelong Mail man, I was all but forbidden to buy the opposition’s rag. But times change (pun not intended), and if I want the news I have to swallow my pride and prejudices.
What a fish. Four pounds and two ounces. And from a Dorset river and not a stillwater. I have to say, well done Alan Storey for landing a truly historic fish. And I have to admit this: genetically it looks spot on. I was brought up to examine every big roach for the merest smidgeon of hybridisation, but this Goliath looks as pure as it gets. Fin placement. Mouth. Colouration. Rough scale counts. Tick, tick, tick, tick.
I wonder what the history of this roach is then. Its dorsal fin suggests it has had a run in with something hungry... I’d say a cormorant slash. I’d suggest it is likely to be between 12 and 20 years old, so no surprises there, considering the gauntlet of dangers a fish like this always has to run.
But well done Alan for not naming the river... though I’m sure there are locals who have a fair idea. Give the location in the AT, though, and you’d have roach ruffians like me descending, and not giving the old girl a chance of peace.
What this does show is that our rivers do have the ability to produce roach of this calibre. We hear so much about invertebrate issues in the modern age, but this roach didn’t get to record size, all but, on thin air.
Mark Wintle
Well-known member
Knowing where Alan lives now and that the river in question had produced roach of around 3-11 and 3-12 in the last couple of seasons (same fish?), I can't say I'm surprised.
Stunning. Not the fish of a lifetime, but several lifetimes.
John, something you have just mentioned about AT and Anglers Mail. You say you are a life long Mail man.
I dont know if you can answer this. I have this memory of going to the paper shop in about May or June 1969 and purchasing a new publication in newspaper form. I am convinced it was the Anglers Mail which had just been launched.
It was printed on strange greeny colour. The letters page was full of congratulations on the new publication. The date is true as we had just got married and moved into a flat in London.
The dates as to how old the Mail was dont tally and I am sure I am not going doolally yet! I have mentioned this to other 70 years of age + anglers and they have no memory of it.
As a Mail writer have you an answer to this please?
John, something you have just mentioned about AT and Anglers Mail. You say you are a life long Mail man.
I dont know if you can answer this. I have this memory of going to the paper shop in about May or June 1969 and purchasing a new publication in newspaper form. I am convinced it was the Anglers Mail which had just been launched.
It was printed on strange greeny colour. The letters page was full of congratulations on the new publication. The date is true as we had just got married and moved into a flat in London.
The dates as to how old the Mail was dont tally and I am sure I am not going doolally yet! I have mentioned this to other 70 years of age + anglers and they have no memory of it.
As a Mail writer have you an answer to this please?
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Mark Wintle
Well-known member
I think the Mail was launched in 64 and changed to the new version in 66. I certainly bought AM in 1968 as the first one had David Groom winning the National that year.
Then I really have not a clue what the fishing paper was then? It was the revolting greenish colour that made me remember it.