Following on from a fairly successful 2013 on Roach Pit, the 2014 season actually went better than I could have hoped; managing 22 bites and working my way through ‘most’ of the stock!
It all started in early spring with my first and very welcome bite, a small common of around 23lb. I had decided that during 2014 I wanted to use lots and lots of bait, so started prepping an area in which I’d seen the fish showing a lot during my first season (2013).
Around mid-April, I managed my first two good’uns of the season. A brace of thirties, the jewel being a 30lb 8oz mirror known as the ‘Double Row Lin’. A fairly rare one by all accounts!
At the beginning of May, the spot that I had been prepping started to come good and on my early morning walks I would always see fish ‘nutting out’ over the top of my spot. My first bite was none other than the awesome ‘Big Fully’ at 38lb 10oz! To say I was happy with that is an understatement. It only got better after that though, as on the same session I also managed another two, one being a 21lb 4oz common and the other one turned out to be another of Roach Pits rare ones known as ‘The Other Long One’ at 37lb.
After nicking a few more bites off that area, the lake closure due to spawning was soon upon us and the four week break seemed like a life time. However, I used this time wisely and made the 250 mile round trip on a weekly basis to give them bait, and lots of it!
It was late June before I managed to get back in my area. But when I did, I managed what I couldn’t even achieve at Welly (LOL); a brace of forties. The first part of the brace was the ‘The Mug’ at a massively spawned out 40lb 12oz and then the second one was one of the best in the pond, ‘The Big Lin’ at 45lb 8oz; then in the same session I even managed a couple of scaley twenties.
Two weeks later, I managed to snatch ‘Barbs’ at 39lb 14oz. Again this is one of the A-Team and one that I dearly wanted to catch.
Around about this time, I saw the light and joined the Gardner Team. I particularly liked their new Ultra Skin and Covert Chod Hooks. The Ultra Skin was ever so slightly stiffer than what I was using before, and I found this to be of a huge benefit as it pretty much eliminated the tangles that I was getting with my previous coated hook link. I was also using their GT80+ main line in 15lb breaking strain (0.40mm).
By now we had rolled into mid-September and the tackle was about to be put to the test. At around 4am I received a take which ended up taking both my other lines out – and I could feel that horrible grating sensation where the lines were rubbing together. I’m glad it all held together, as on the end was what was to be my last Roach Pit chunk, none other than ‘Snubby’ at 44lb 8oz. Happy Days!
I did manage a few smaller ones after Snubby, but then the red-cards started being thrown my way. I’d already decided that I’d had an unbelievable season, and although I didn’t manage to get two I would have dearly loved to catch ‘Shaun’s’ and ‘The Yellow’. I decided it was time to move on to pastures new – the seaside was calling…
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