Catching a 3lb-plus roach is considered to be the ultimate angling achievement so you can imagine James Champkin’s delight when he slipped the net under specimens of 3lb 2oz and 3lb 3oz in a single session.

The Angling Trust Campaigns Officer from Cromer pinned his hopes on an undisclosed Southern Stillwater and wasn’t left disappointed when his plan of attack yielded two new personal bests during the early hours of an overnight session.

He told Angling Times: “I actually saw a roach top in front of me close on dusk, so confidence was high as I went into the night, but I certainly never imagined that I would bank two fish-of-a-lifetime during the same session!

“Both were caught during the hours of darkness on bolt rigs incorporating maggot feeders on a helicopter set-up.

“The first to trip up was the 3lb 2oz fish at around 1:15am, which was a new personal best for me – breaking my long-standing best caught of 2lb 13oz from Lochnaw back in 2012.

“This was followed by the even bigger fish a couple of hours later – another new PB!

“They were the most amazingly thick-set roach I’ve ever seen.”

James’ successful rigs included a size 16 hook tied to a very short, two-inch fluorocarbon hook-length and 8lb mainline.

His maggot feeders were fished at 50 yards in 15ft of water over a few small Spombs of hempseed and Dynamite Baits Silver X Roach groundbait.