‘FISH FREE FOR OUR REDFINS!’
Essex carp water’s offer to keen roach anglers
SILVERFISH anglers have been offered the chance to fish for free at one of the UK’s leading carp fisheries.
As commercials look set for their most profitable winter ever thanks to an explosion of stocks of roach, bream and ide, a match at Essex carp fishery Fryerning Fisheries saw winner Bob Fox bank 75lb of redfins. Now venue boss Charlie Knowles has invited roach anglers to fish for nothing so that these fish can be removed and stocked elsewhere.
Venue boss Charlie Knowles told Angling Times: “We have a huge head of roach and fish to over 2lb have been reported in the past.
“However, first and foremost we are a carp fishery, so although we don’t do day tickets, we’ll let people fish here for the giant roach for nothing in order to thin the stocks out.
“We expected the latest match to produce plenty of bites, but the results went well beyond what we thought was possible in such cold conditions.”
And it’s not just waters in the south that are producing. Further north, Dave Williams had two red-letter silverfish days at two different fisheries.
The Bait-Tech and Maverbacked angler first set his stall out at Cheshire’s Rosemary Wood Fisheries and banked 50lb of quality roach using short pole and maggot on the hook.
Days later he switched to the nearby Greenwood Fisheries and enjoyed a similar level of success.
He said: “I’m not the sort of angler who enjoys waiting for just one or two bites all day, and the silverfish shoals at my local commercials are producing brilliant action.
“More often than not it is a bite every chuck from start to finish.”
Shropshire’s Woodside Fishery has also attracted interest thanks to its unseasonal form. Venue official Ben Hughes banked 30lb of quality redfins and skimmers during a recent pleasure session and is convinced that the huge shoals present in commercials are helping keep more anglers on the banks during the winter.
He said: “Woodside is a great venue to target for silvers and like most venues, these species get overlooked for much of the year as anglers target carp.
“Our roach, skimmers and big perch are giving anglers lots of bites and convincing them that getting on the bank in winter is a much better option than putting your gear away until next year.”
To book a free roach fishing session at Fryerning Fisheries call 01277 352245.