Thank you to Oxfordshire’s Matthew Davies for some fabulous photos of a specimen Roach, and a cracking river Carp, both caught locally in the River Thames this season!
The Roach weighed an astonishing 3lb 1oz, and was weighed on two sets of scales – being caught on a 6mm pellet on a size 18 Silverfish Bandit hook to nylon over a small bed of particles, whilst fishing for Bream. A tentative little bite ended up in a true fish of a lifetime.
A few days previously Matthew had also lost a large fish whilst Bream fishing, so returned with stepped up tackle and a large pellet on a Power Bandit hook to nylon. A good bite on the quivertip signaled the start of a very hard scrap ending up with this 19lb Mirror Carp.