A day-ticket venue has produced the biggest roach of the season weighing 3lb 3oz.

The impressive specimen provided the only bite of the day for former Drennan Cup champion Dai Gribble when he visited a venue in Oxfordshire.

This is his sixth roach over the 3lb mark and fell into the specialists trap that he said at 40 yards range with the help of a simple groundbait feeder rig.

The winning hookbait was an 8mm pineapple flavoured boilie hair-rigged tight to the back of a size 16 hook and it’s a fish that falls 4oz short of his current personal best.

“I’ve had a few big roach in my time but nothing can ever prepare you for the awesome sight of a fish like this coming over the net… It’s like a 10ft man walking into a room,” Dai told Angling Times.

“Many of us grow up catching small roach that are as pretty as a picture and is a species that hold so many special memories. When they get this big they are almost like another species altogether.

Dai used a Korum Heli-kit to present his bait and packed his feeder with a dark groundbait.

“Many anglers just think about maggots when it comes to roach fishing at this time of the year, but when I get a bite I want to try and guarantee that a big one has picked up the bait,” Dai continued.

“This is why I fish with boilies and when there’s part present at the venue resident roach are well accustomed to feeding on bigger baits like this because they are in plentiful supply.”