Roach - the "shoulder padded jacket of the fish world."

My copy of the Observer's Book of Coarse Fishing (a Christmas present from my parents in 1981) informs the reader that the roach is the "best known and most popular" of Britain's coarse fish species, and Bernard Venables in Mr Crabtree goes Fishing  ( I have the 1959, sixth edition, on my bookshelves) concurs, describing the roach as "the most popular of the fishes". Izaak Walton, however took a counter view writing "... the roach is accounted the water sheep for his simplicity or foolishness." Personally, although in matters piscatorial (and theological) I invariably find myself in accord with Walton, in this instance I must side with BV, who contends that " a large roach is most difficult to deceive." Supporting evidence for his claim is the fact that while I have caught numerous roach in excess of a pound, I have yet to land a two pounder.

My fondness for roach is in part a response to their aesthetic attractiveness, in part a result of the fact that they are susceptible to the float fishing tactics that I prefer, and also because they seem to me to be emblematic of a simpler, more wholesome and innocent era in angling history - a time before the cult of the carp and the carp angler had redefined the practice of fishing.

With its bluish green back, metallic silver scales and bold red fins, the roach is possessor of  an elegant and simple beauty - unarguably attractive without being in the least bit "showy".

Many roach have graced my net over the years, and the capture of my first weighing in excess of a pound  (a fish of 1lb 4oz taken in the October school half-term of 1982) remains one of my fondest and most vivid angling memories. I have spent many a pleasant evening fishing for roach with my son (he is pictured here with my brother, Andy, each displaying a nice example of the species), and while I have never indulged in any serious pursuit of the species, I remain hopeful that one day a two pounder will join me on the bank.

Fashions change (hence the somewhat cryptic title of this piece), and it may be that it is the fate of the roach to be the piscatorial equivalent of the steam engine, the VHS recorder or the shoulder-padded jacket, but I hope not, and would love to see a resurgence of affection for species rutilus rutilis. I also really need to do something about the fact that my biggest ever roach was landed by accident while fishing for carp with a boilie on a bolt rig, a method of fishing which seems a crude, disrespectful, and  wholly inappropriate  way to fool such a delicate biting adversary. 

I am (I believe to my credit) suitably embarrassed.