Roaching at Britford

mithrandir · #1 09-20-2008, 07:41 AM

I think it might be a bit early in the season, but I fancied having a go for some of the roach down at Britford.

I normally go down there after the big Chub, but I have never really fished for roach.I tend to get them when doing a bit of general float fishing and then only small ones.

As the stretch above the Sluice House has produced some 3lbers I thought it was time I tried my hand at one of the finer arts of trotting some casters and maggots over some bread crumb and hemp. I really must get away from the feeder fishing I tend to do out of laziness.

Looks a bit sunny out there at the moment, but with no wind and a bit of cloud forecast for the afternoon, I will give it a few hours until dusk.

I will report back on my success or failure later.

Mike

Fishing Forum Admin · #2 09-20-2008, 07:59 AM

Good luck mate wish I could jion you but Im off to work

mithrandir · #3 09-20-2008, 08:14 PM

I finally got to Britford at about lunchtime, the weather was still bright and clear, and the promised cloud did not show.

I walked up to the salisbury end of the fishery and fished the old river that runs parallel to the main river that runs by the park.

The swim had large chub in it, they were visible in the gin clear water, I set up quietly away from the swim and as I approached and scattered a few freebie maggots into the swim they departed. I proceeded to run a stickfloat with shirt button shot and a size 20 hook down the swim, soon I was hitting small dace, minnows by the score and the odd small chublet, every so often the fish would scatter, and whilst retrieving one small dace the water boiled next to it and I felt a tug on the line that put a full bend in the rod, yes I had a pike in the swim.

I balled some bread into the area near the pike and stopped for a smoke, leaning against a tree to hide myself I watched as minnows swarmed onto the bread, and then , ever so cautiously a jack pike of about 2 lb moved forward next to the bank upstream of the bread, then gently eased himself into the flow and drifted slowly over the bread, giving sideways glances to the minnows. It was fun to watch this hunting behaviour, he never made a lunge but hovered near the bread waiting for a fish of the right size to appear.

Smoke over, I decided to fish the main river, this was alot wider and weedier. I stuck with the stickfloat as I was beginning to get the hang of it now. I trickled in maggots, bread crumb and casters whilst trotting maggot over the top. Here again I was swamped with minnows, but did get some decent dace around the 6oz mark, some small chublets and at last my target species roach, small but perfectly formed!!

whilst in this swim I noticed a larger trout appear and start feeding, I stood in the swim whilst retrieving fish and it remained, totally unfazed by my skylining, it would take maggots and casters but refused to touch my hookbaits. I tried and tried, still catching roach, dace chublets and minnows but this trout was mocking me by taking freebies but ignoring the hook. After an hour of abject frustration I snagged in some weed and when the line twanged out it knotted totally, so I cut the tangle off and tried a small maggot feeder for a rest.

First cast in and the mocking trout's eyes being bigger than its brain, took the bait before the feeder had settled, oh did I laugh, nearly did a little happy dance, I had hooked the smart a*** little blighter! Now the fun began, I had size 20 hook, 1.5lb hooklink, and 4 lb mainline, on a tiny little match rod, the thing was bent double and the clutch was spinning as he darted away, I finally landed him and got this photo

weighed in at 2lb exactly, and he does not look so smug in my net does he!

Well the swim was well and truly trashed now so I moved on. I continued fishing stickfloat and tried 4 more swims on route to the van. I had loads of good dace, small chub and a million minnows, i did manage some more roach in the last swim of the day, but sizes were low, this being the biggest

As the sun set I packed up and headed to the supermarket in Salisbury to get a nice piece of beef and some yorkshire puds for my sunday dinner, to round off a nice weekend.