We meet ‘Mr Roach’ – record shaker Ken Fuller talks about his passion for redfins.

After landing a huge 4lb 3oz roach, Ken Fuller tells of his love affair with Britain’s favourite fish

ROACH fishing fanatic Ken Fuller made the angling world stand up and take notice when he banked a 4lb 3oz specimen – just 1oz short of the current British record.

It’s a catch that’s the highlight of a 60-year obsession with the species that finally resulted in the capture of a fish that most anglers can only dream of.

This week we caught up with the Norwich-based 66-year-old to find out more about the capture of his record-shaking specimen and his incredible roach fishing career.

Q: Your dad took you fishing for roach on the canal. Could you tell me how old you were, where the venue was and a little more about how it got you started on your fishing journey? A: I first fished with my dad on the Wey Navigation Canal back in 1956 when I was almost six years old. I used a Woolworths £1 rod and reel and had a small tin of maggots for bait.

Roach were the main species, with gudgeon not far behind. You could catch these fish all day long (that is when my mother wasn’t removing tangles from my fishing line!).

Later on we progressed to a nearby former gravel working called Blackboys Pit, where the roach were a bit bigger. Q: What is it about roach that you love so much? A: They are such a beautiful fish and can be caught in a number of different ways from many types of waters.

For their size they fight well, and the bigger ones are quite a challenge to catch regularly.

Unfortunately, with the near domination now of carp fisheries, roach aren’t as fished for, nor as available as they were years ago.

Q: Give us an idea of just how many big roach you’ve had, and where from. A: My serious roach fishing started when I married and moved to Norwich from London when I was 25. When I lived in London I used to keep every article I could find in the angling papers about Norfolk fishing, particularly the upper Norfolk rivers.

I had quite a few 2lb-plus roach in Norfolk, mainly from the Upper Wensum, but the red-letter day was on my birthday in 1984 – an amazing roach of 3lb 4oz from the Wensum at Swanton Morley. Returning to the stretch the next Saturday I had a 2lb 12oz beauty on quivertipped breadflake.

In terms of 2lb-plus roach I’ve had many from the Rivers Wensum and Bure over the years, plus a 2lb 15oz fish from Highbridge Reservoir in 2014 and many from Homersfield Lake. Q: What’s your favourite roach fishing venue? A: Previously it was the upper rivers of Norfolk, but now it’s got to be Homersfield Lake, without a shadow of a doubt.

Every angler I’ve met down there has been really friendly, happily sharing information. It really is a gorgeous place to sit and fish – the fantastic sport is almost a bonus !

Q: How long have you been fishing Homersfield, and how many big roach have you had from there? A: With my great friend Roger Eastaugh, I moved on to Homersfield Lake in March 2015, since when I’ve caught 91 roach over 2lb (which includes 65 two-pounders, 25 three-pounders and my 4lb 3oz fish).

Before the four-pounder, my previous best was one of 3lb 10oz. Believe it or not, I still weigh every roach I catch which looks to be 1lb 8oz or over – that’s how much I love catching them.

But another roach I hold in great esteem is a 3lb 1oz fish which I caught on the float at midday one really hot, bright and humid day!

Q: Now you’ve had a roach like this, where do you go from here? A: I love fishing Homersfield Lake and really can’t see myself wanting to fish for roach anywhere else, to be honest, unless of course the upper Norfolk rivers became big roach havens again.

I feel truly blessed to have caught a 3lb river roach, plus a 3lb-plus roach on the float and a 4lb roach on leger gear from a stillwater.

A triple dream come true!

Q: What does your 4lb 3oz fish mean to you, and how did you feel when you caught it? A: I didn’t join Homersfield to try and catch a record roach (if one exists in there). I just love to fish there for the big, wonderfully conditioned specimens, and when I caught this huge roach I just felt amazed to see and touch such a wonderful fish.

Even now I am still on Cloud Nine and feel very honoured to have caught it.

Q: If you could give a roach angler one piece of advice, what would it be? A: If you’re looking for specimen roach you have to find waters that hold them in sufficient numbers. Once you’ve done that, then persevere – try different times of the day and night and don’t give up too quickly.