Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Roach fishing down the Bain – Phil Taylor
Specimen hunter has tracked down a horde of hidden silvers in a little known Lincolnshire river
Adecade ago it looked like the days of trotting a stickfloat down your favourite river for quality silver fish was a thing of the past. The days when mighty rivers such as the Thames and Trent regularly produced huge nets of roach seemed a distant memory, with a multitude of reasons leading to these vast shoals disappearing. as more and more anglers lost faith in the ability of their favourite running water venue to produce the goods, the crowds drifted away to try their luck elsewhere. But nature has a habit of bouncing back from the most challenging of circumstances. With fewer anglers on the bank, the roach enjoyed a resurgence that few predicted. Venues that had been written off and deemed devoid of roach started producing some promising catches for the few anglers that had ventured back. and of course, it didn’t take long for others to cotton on to this roach revival. although the fish have returned in numbers, catching a specimen redfin is still regarded as an almost unattainable target by many anglers. Something only to be dreamt about. “You can’t rock up on any river and just expect to catch big roach. Head to the right venue, though, and there are some giants lurking,” explains Lincolnshire big-fish enthusiast Phil Taylor. “There are rivers where a 2lb specimen could be in the offing and I’ve found an accessible spot where such a special fish could be your reward.”
Bain beauties
Many specimen hunters clock up hundreds of miles touring the country in a bid to track down a new personal best. It would have been easy for Phil to follow suit and travel long distances to proven fisheries such as the Wensum or Hampshire avon. Years of exploring closer to home, however, have brought about some stunning results for a variety of species. and once again, he has unlocked some impressive roach sport a short distance from his doorstep. “Lincolnshire doesn’t exactly have a nationwide reputation for its big-fish potential, but I have found some incredible venues over the years. The River Bain is certainly one of the best discoveries,” he revealed. “It is a small river that a lot of anglers won’t have heard of but it is home to some huge roach that grow to sizes that most other rivers can’t compete with.” The stretch running through the small village of coningsby is a particular hotspot. Fish over 1lb are commonplace and Phil has even banked a specimen over the magical 2lb barrier from the area. Better still, the stretch isn’t controlled by an exclusive syndicate that only a handful of anglers can fish, with an open-access club offering adults an annual ticket for £35, and a mere fiver for under 16s.
“It is a small river but home to some huge roach most other waters can’t compete with”
Simple strategy
Featureless in most areas and with little flow throughout, it’s difficult to pick a peg that looks like an obvious holding spot. But with predators still doing their best to batter the stocks and deplete them once again, the shoals pack into a safe haven where their numbers won’t take a hit. “There are quite a few cormorants in the vicinity but these birds won’t go anywhere near
built-up areas where there are lots of people. The fish make the most of this and huge shoals of roach can be found close to the bridge in the centre of the village. In among them some real lumps can be found.” When it comes to tactics there is nothing complicated required. In fact, Phil relies on just two rigs. Both of which are easy to tie. “If the fish are active and competing well, a moving bait is best and that is when a stickfloat comes into play,” he said. “On days when the fish aren’t playing ball a simple link leger is best as it keeps the bait still and increases your chances of action.”
Bread for bigger fish
Maggots and casters will produce plenty of bites but the stamp of fish is unlikely to cause mass excitement. Instead, Phil heads to the supermarket for a couple of loaves of bread, liquidising one at home for loosefeed and taking the other to the bank for use on the hook. “For every big roach there are 100 smaller ones so you need to use a bait that the tiddlers can’t attack with ease. A piece of breadflake the size of a 20p coin is ideal and when the float goes under you can be confident that you are in with a chance of a 1lb-plus fish being responsible.” Around 16m wide at best, Phil started trotting a float down the swim just a rodlength out, feeding small balls of feed in front of him to create a cloud downstream. A couple of seemingly solid bites were missed early on although it soon became apparent that the culprits were the small fish which we had no interest in on the day. “They just peck the bait and every now and then one of them will have a proper go but they won’t be able to take the hookbait properly and you’ll miss a bite. “I use a size 12 hook to ensure that I catch very few small fish because if I do set the hook, they are bound to splash around on the surface and spook the big redfins that can be very cagey.” With an hour gone and no results on the float it was time to switch to a link leger. Within five minutes the tip was rattling and a gentle strike was met with a solid resistance.
“This feels like a good fish – let’s hope it is a roach,” said Phil, as he explained that big hybrids and chub also inhabited the stretch. A silvery flash appeared as the fish was brought to the surface but we still couldn’t be sure it was a true redfin. Moments later it lay on its side ready to be netted and it was clear that a quality roach had been tamed. Weighing a fraction under 1lb it was a solid start but Phil was hopeful of catching something bigger. “It’s a lovely fish but there are stacks like this and I’d love to show you a bigger fish or two.”
Switching moods
The link leger produced a few more fish but none over 1lb. Determined to catch a bigger redfin he went back on the float and the third trot gave Phil exactly what he hoping for. “This could be a chub, it’s certainly pulling back a bit.” Even Phil’s dogs Daisy and Harriet seemed intrigued! A big chub certainly wouldn’t have been shunned but we knew it was a roach and a big one at that. Carefully manoeuvring it towards him, it appeared to give in on several occasions before darting back down the middle but Phil was victorious on the fourth attempt. “What a beautiful fish – that can’t be far off 1lb 8oz. As much as I am chuffed to land it, I am not one bit surprised by this result.” Four others over 1lb came in the next couple of hours along with numerous others that weren’t a million miles off the magical barrier. “From the bridge this river really doesn’t look like a place where specimen anglers can achieve something special. But looks can be deceiving! The Bain has fish that can create memories to last a lifetime.”