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Roach

This might sound a bit crazy but with so many of us fishing down there we ought to set up a 'Britford' thread.
 
I have a question that doesn't involve Britford ;)

I'm fishing a stillwater for roach tomorrow. The fish there are a decent stamp of fish, with a fair number over a pound, and the occasional 2 pounder — though I am yet to catch one of those. I will be fishing maggots on the waggler as usual. It's a deep pool, but I usually get them feeding up in the water.

There are always times of the day when I'm getting bites but can't hit them. They don't seem to be shy bites, the float sails away, but there's nothing on the end. It's not just me, a couiple of mates have had the same thing. We've tried bigger hooks and smaller hooks, striking quicker, striking slower. One person fished a pole with the elastic tight to the float but still couldn't hooks them.

So I'm looking for ideas of what to try. I will have another go with small bread punch but that didn't seem to get the bites last time. I'm also going to try pinkies on a small hook. I do wonder if the fish are just taking the tails of the maggots, so perhaps a smaller bait will help.
 
It just shows what good quality water, a quality bailiff and good fishery policy does

Mark, not fished Britford for a few years, I'm interested to know what Stuarts "good fishery policy" might be.

Tony
 
Andy Millichamp said:
I have a question that doesn't involve Britford ;)

I'm fishing a stillwater for roach tomorrow. The fish there are a decent stamp of fish, with a fair number over a pound, and the occasional 2 pounder — though I am yet to catch one of those. I will be fishing maggots on the waggler as usual. It's a deep pool, but I usually get them feeding up in the water.

There are always times of the day when I'm getting bites but can't hit them. They don't seem to be shy bites, the float sails away, but there's nothing on the end. It's not just me, a couiple of mates have had the same thing. We've tried bigger hooks and smaller hooks, striking quicker, striking slower. One person fished a pole with the elastic tight to the float but still couldn't hooks them.

So I'm looking for ideas of what to try. I will have another go with small bread punch but that didn't seem to get the bites last time. I'm also going to try pinkies on a small hook. I do wonder if the fish are just taking the tails of the maggots, so perhaps a smaller bait will help.
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Andy, I have experienced something similar in the past and started to wonder if these episodes were bites at all and instead it was fish hitting the line with their fins etc and doing so sufficiently to drag the float under (and because I was using very light tackle this would be easy to do even for a modest sized fish). I noticed this happening after relatively heavy feeding which drew a lot of fish into the swim. Just a thought.
 
Andy, big roach usually give you a good bite, a big roach has a big mouth and will usually take the whole bait,and then spit it out,not chew the ends. I would think that you are missing tiny roach bites,liners or shot bites.One stillwater i used to fish produced the biggest roach in the top 1ft below the surface.They liked double caster fished a foot below a blob.(one of those tiny round things that looks like a 8mm pop up boilie, you put on like a float stop)You put a waggler on the line and put all the shot around the float you then put the blob on the line and then the hook.You can slide the blob to any depth,do not look at the float,its for casting weight, watch the blob and strike any movement. If that does not work fish overdepth by about 2 feet with a couple of number 10's or 8's on the deck.Another thing you might try is to thread the maggot onto the hook- not just through the very end of the blunt bit like most of us do.Have you tried sweetcorn,that can get a few of the big girls.Good luck
 
Hi Andy.

I feel pretty sure it will be shot bites as Mark indicates above.

First change I would make would be to use a bulk row of the smallest shots down the line if you currently using shirt button style or individual shots on it.

Marks other advise re the maggot, is good, but if you really are getting positive bites should not really make a difference re hooking up.

I would have thought the fact that you are getting sail away bites means it's not liners either.

Graham
 
Andy Millichamp said:
I have a question that doesn't involve Britford ;)

I'm fishing a stillwater for roach tomorrow. The fish there are a decent stamp of fish, with a fair number over a pound, and the occasional 2 pounder — though I am yet to catch one of those. I will be fishing maggots on the waggler as usual. It's a deep pool, but I usually get them feeding up in the water.

There are always times of the day when I'm getting bites but can't hit them. They don't seem to be shy bites, the float sails away, but there's nothing on the end. It's not just me, a couiple of mates have had the same thing. We've tried bigger hooks and smaller hooks, striking quicker, striking slower. One person fished a pole with the elastic tight to the float but still couldn't hooks them.

So I'm looking for ideas of what to try. I will have another go with small bread punch but that didn't seem to get the bites last time. I'm also going to try pinkies on a small hook. I do wonder if the fish are just taking the tails of the maggots, so perhaps a smaller bait will help.
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That's why most roach anglers don't have much hair left. :D

That's why roach are such a challenge.
I agree with much of what Graham says.
Defo not liners (you will usually get sideways fidgeting of the float).
I don't think they are shot bites either, particularly if you are not using hemp.

I believe they are taking the bait and ejecting it really fast, hence the reason why sometimes when you land a fish on a barbless hook, the bait (more so with caster) has been spat out a couple of inches up the line.

Using caster can be a nightmare, they just shell them.

Have you tried bolt rigging???? :confused:
Seriously, bulk all your shot as close the hook as possible (depends on hook link length), it looks crude but can help.

Also try cutting back on loose feed. I keep my maggots in a large tub and just put a small amount say 1/8 pint in a bait box and use that. That way it's impossible to feed more than two or three maggots at a time.

And they definitely come up in the water (stillwater), even the biggies.



Does anyone find in stillwaters that the bites come and go?
 
HiYa Dave.

I would have agreed with you if Andy hadn't said this

"There are always times of the day when I'm getting bites but can't hit them. They don't seem to be shy bites, the float sails away, but there's nothing on the end. It's not just me, a couiple of mates have had the same thing. We've tried bigger hooks and smaller hooks, striking quicker, striking slower. One person fished a pole with the elastic tight to the float but still couldn't hooks them.

Just makes me think that the fish are taking something without a hook in it.

When are we heading to "C"

Graham
 
Graham Elliott said:
HiYa Dave.

I would have agreed with you if Andy hadn't said this

"There are always times of the day when I'm getting bites but can't hit them. They don't seem to be shy bites, the float sails away, but there's nothing on the end. It's not just me, a couiple of mates have had the same thing. We've tried bigger hooks and smaller hooks, striking quicker, striking slower. One person fished a pole with the elastic tight to the float but still couldn't hooks them.

Just makes me think that the fish are taking something without a hook in it.


Graham
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Good point Graham.

Andy, try a couple of casts with an un-baited hook and if you are still getting sail away bites, then they are liners or shot bites.




Graham Elliott said:
HiYa Dave.


When are we heading to "C"

Graham
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When MVW get's his act together. ;) :D
 
I had this little beauty yesterday, I also had 12 other Roach of over a pound, with one going 1lb 9oz, a 3lb Chub (which I thought was another Roach, until I saw it) and lost two Barbel.


2lb 11oz.
 
Graham Elliott said:
HiYa Dave.

I would have agreed with you if Andy hadn't said this

"There are always times of the day when I'm getting bites but can't hit them. They don't seem to be shy bites, the float sails away, but there's nothing on the end. It's not just me, a couiple of mates have had the same thing. We've tried bigger hooks and smaller hooks, striking quicker, striking slower. One person fished a pole with the elastic tight to the float but still couldn't hooks them.

Just makes me think that the fish are taking something without a hook in it.

When are we heading to "C"

Graham
Click to expand...
Like the shot thinking it's hemp..lol
 
Keith Speer said:
I had this little beauty yesterday, I also had 12 other Roach of over a pound, with one going 1lb 9oz, a 3lb Chub (which I thought was another Roach, until I saw it) and lost two Barbel.


2lb 11oz.
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:eek:..wow, i would be more happy with this than a 10lb barbel.
 
Wow that is a plump fellow... the fish not the angler :D very nice, like previous poster said worth a 10lb barbel...
 
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