As Good as a Rest

Now and again it's nice to take time out from piking to do something a bit different. Not good for your "twenties tally" of course but only the saddos care about that anyway. Roach are a species that I've always loved to catch but specimen roach are very difficult to find in this part of the world. I have a few waters nearby where a two-pounder is a tough, but realistic target and yesterday I spent the day at one of them to see how I got on.

I've fished this stretch of the River Ribble for roach off and on for a couple of years and have taken them to a pound and a half in the past so I was hopeful as I set up to fish the stick float. As I started fishing the heavens opened and heavy rain set in - for the rest of the day as it happened. I much prefer to floatfish given the chance - particularly on a river but after two hours of feeding and trotting I hadn't had a single bite and was getting soaked to the skin.

I rigged up a tip rod armed with a blockend feeder and cast this into the swim while I settled back under the brolley to enjoy a brew. Imagine my surprise when, after only a couple of minutes, the tip banged round hard. I missed that one but the next cast produced a similar bite and this time I made no mistake. I hooked a good fish which gave a slow, dogged fight and when it surfaced it was clear to me that this was my biggest Ribble roach yet. The scales confirmed this and though I went on to take several more fish, none were as big.

Before long the incessant rain took its toll, the river started to rise and the bites stopped. I'll be back for more!