“When I saw the roach, my heart was in my mouth”

Mild temperatures certainly got the River Itchen’s roach on the feed, as Portsmouth angler Heber Crawford found when he tempted this 2lb 12oz personal best roach.

Trotting maggot, he’d landed fish of 1lb 14oz and 1lb 10oz before having a tiny dip on the float as dusk fell. He struck into what he initially thought was a snag, then the rod tip thumped, and a good fish made small jagging dives beneath his feet.