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Roach

I really want to catch a decent Roach meaning anything over 1lb as I don't think I've ever caught one bigger, certainly not in the last 20 years.

I've found a peg on my local river that always produces small roach on maggot so I decided to go on stewed wheat as I read it picks out the better fish. I had my first go yesterday trotting the swim and feeding lightly but after a couple of hours I hadn't had a touch. They've perhaps not seen it before as the area is lightly fished but am I right in thinking the fish need to get used to this bait? and would you continue to fish for a few hours a couple of times a week to get them eating it or am I too early in the season for this bait? Any help/tips appreciated especially as I have a 20 kilo sack in the garage!

Cheers
Al
 
Hi Alan,

When i go roach fishing and want to target the bigger fish i tend to use hemp and tares.
I feed hemp and fish hemp but feeding the odd tare, keep trying tare untill the bigger fish are ready to take them.

Had some good results on tares over the years, only problem is you can't feed anything else and it can take a couple of hrs to get them on it!!

Jason
 
Well as I already have 20kg of wheat I thought I'd give it another go trotting on another area that's been throwing up good roach on pellets. After a quiet half hour i missed a bite, next cast pricked something and next cast a 12oz-1lb Roach, pleased as punch and thought I was in for a hatful but didn't get another touch for an hour. Stuck at it and eventually had about 10 roach and dace over 4 hours but the first one was the biggest.

Cheers
Al
 
Had a nice redfin whilst chasing barbel (unsuccessfully) on a Yorkshire river. Not a pb but my best river roach at 1lb 8oz

DSC04355e-1.jpg
 
Hi men ,

Due to the dire state of my local barbel fishing we have started short session fishing for roach on the nearest bit of the GUC . After overhearing a local match angler saying he lost a 2lb + fish , I thought that it was worth me and Sue having a dabble. Hard going sorting out better fish , but Sue id have a cracker , and the second trip see more roach , and less little perch by fishing caster .

Will keep on having these short sessions , not sure how far into the year the canal produces , we will see . i normally have a go at the carp through the winter , but there has been a few carp deaths , with up to 30 fish being removed . I contacted the EA ,and the club with a couple of explinations . One I herd was of Polish anglers being chased , throwing carp back in dead as they left .hard times .

Hatter
 
The top end of the free stretch on the Itchen is throwing up loads of good roach at the moment to trotted breadflake.
 
Hi men ,

Took my dad for an afternoon on the bit of canal that we are looking at last week , but without the casters that had been picking up the better quality Roach , so was murrdered by the little perch . Then it came to me , due to the lock action , boats etc , it would be an idea to get my pole rigged upwith elastic etc , just for the better presentation . It has been used on the canal to drop my carp rigs under trees :D, so may use it for what its ment to be used for !!.

Hatter
 
Mark Anderson said:
Hi men ,

Took my dad for an afternoon on the bit of canal that we are looking at last week , but without the casters that had been picking up the better quality Roach , so was murrdered by the little perch . Then it came to me , due to the lock action , boats etc , it would be an idea to get my pole rigged upwith elastic etc , just for the better presentation . It has been used on the canal to drop my carp rigs under trees :D, so may use it for what its ment to be used for !!.

Hatter
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Might be worth having a try with hemp if you don't have any casters to hand Mark, with hemp and/or tares on the hook....should avoid the pain in the but little perch :D

I am not entirely convinced about the shelf life stuff in cans and plastic tubs myself, but better anglers than I swear by it...and at the very least it means you can carry some at the bottom of your bag for those opportunistic roach sessions when you don't have casters :)

Cheers, Dave.
 
In my opinion BIG Roach are THE hardest fish to catch, I have been chasing a 3lb fish for about 35 years, I have had a few 2's but I just cannot get a fish bigger than 2lb10oz.

Two weeks ago I hooked a huge fish, on Hemp, while float fishing!
It was a Roach no question, from a river that has quite a number of large Roach.................................and the blasted thing fell off just before the net:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

I was so upset I could barely breath let alone swear!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
Since moving from the Bristol Avon region some 7 years ago to North Gloucestershire I have been deprived of my much loved Roach, it seems in these parts that Bream /Roach Hybrids are more the norm than the 'real' thing. However I admit to being perhaps too focused on the Barbel to search out likely spots.
However just this week my fortunes have taken a turn for the better and at last I have found a willing shoal on my very local bit of the W.Avon. However I realise just how pressured Roach have become through predation, and I share the peg with the resident Otter and Heron:)
Perhaps the most surprising thing is the fact that they will readily feed on sweetcorn on a small hook, and scattered with tinned hemp, they really do come thick and fast. They all seem clean fish with no marks, and the best is a fish of about a pound and half. But they are all above the 6 ounce bracket it seems.
It is tempting to perhaps over fish this spot and I am trying not to do this, and my visits will be short, as I realise the fragility of such a little gem.
Happy days:D
 
Mark Anderson said:
Hi men ,

Took my dad for an afternoon on the bit of canal that we are looking at last week , but without the casters that had been picking up the better quality Roach , so was murrdered by the little perch . Then it came to me , due to the lock action , boats etc , it would be an idea to get my pole rigged upwith elastic etc , just for the better presentation . It has been used on the canal to drop my carp rigs under trees :D, so may use it for what its ment to be used for !!.

Hatter
Click to expand...

That was my approach mark casters and hemp, and I guess it is a very effective ..in the right conditions, however I too am plagued with bleak and small perch down here, so for me the fact that corn is catching now is a bonus, I have overlooked corn the last few years as I suppose it spelled danger to shoal fish due to it's popularity. Perhaps it might be worth a try if you havn't already.
 
I love fishing with Hemp and Casters BUT on my local Bristol Avon, the Bleak are a pain on Casters so I tend to use Hemp on the hook too (or Tares). This can be a little fiddly, but tends to single out the Roach (and Dace) better. Although I have had Chub, Bleak and Gudgeon on it ! Strangely have never hooked a Barbel on trotted Hemp !

Roach, as many have said are very fickle fish and the BIG ones are very hard to catch and along with a BIG Dace a fish over my 2lbs 4ozs PB is a fish I would most like to catch.

Relating to Keiths story, a friend of mine lost a simply HUGE Roach at the net on the Hants Avon. It was definately 2lbs+ and I think possibly one of the very special ones which inhabit the stretch. I have never seen a grown man so close to tears through fishing before !

A stretch of my local stream has a very good head of decent Roach, but they are SO elusive. I have only ever been able to catch them in the winter when it is up and coloured. Attemps at other times, including during 'Proper Hemp' weather has seen me fail completly. I really cannot get my head around them...........
 
I don't think you can beat liquidized bread and punch for quality roach;)
 
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