Last week Chris Clark persuaded me to go after some big stillwater roach at Royal Berkshire Fishery where he did very well last season. The day was very mild with little or no wind and I decided to use my pole with a number four elastic and a two pound hook length. As the lake we were fishing is only about five feet deep I was able to use a very light pole float shotted down until the tip was only a dimple on the surface. The bait was a single red maggot on a size twenty hook. I presented the float under an overhanging bush at about eight metres and fed maggot and hemp.
Chris was into fish straight away and had several very good roach before I got my first bite, we caught fish all day long and between us caught over twenty roach over a pound. Both of us hooked carp, for which this fishery is famous but this was usually a fleeting experience on such light tackle, although Chris managed to land one of the smaller ones on slightly heavier tackle.
The best fish of the day was this fine specimen of exactly two pounds (not one pound fifteen ounces as they usually are). I wish I could catch roach like this on my beloved river Kennet.
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