Roach Reflections - Part 44 - Royalty Roach - August 2022

@MarkWintleFishing On a low and clear Avon at Christchurch on the Royalty Fishery I've found a few roach fishing with hemp and tares though keepnet damage on a shoal in one swim has taken the shine off the sport. Please leave your keepnet at home!

[@terrycousins3015]

Wonderful fishing,totally agree with you regarding keepnets,there’s some absolute rubbish on the market that shouldn’t be allowed on sale. Catch and return or hold in your landing net if photos required,I’ve gone full circle regarding keep nets as when I’ve returned fish in the past,the amount of scales left in the net was horrible to see.

[@robertsnell5367]

How in this day and age are 'dire keepnets' being used and if so where are the people that see them not saying so? Very nice to see the Avon again keep it up!

[@martinklein4651]

Great point about keep nets, I haven't used one since the early eighties.Why people feel the need to fill keep nets with fish, I don't know. Some people say putting the fish back in the same swim alarms the other fish.But the welfare of the fish should come first. Nice video.

[@MarkWintleFishing]

Exactly!

[@adriansymes2404]

Do you think bird flu has affected cormorant predation. I haven't seen cormorants on the Lea in London when usually I see them every time I walk the dog. I am hopeful the roach fishing may improve. I have seen a large number of dead crows in Epping forest and do wonder what the long term affect may be. Optimistic for the roach

[@MarkWintleFishing]

It's possible it will affect the big colonies. I did see two cormorants on the Royalty yesterday. My local waters have been badly hit the last couple of years.

[@brianreed1451]

time for the river again me thinks