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| The Roach ... one of my favourite fish. |
Can you believe it is nearly March already! Having started a new job in January I have not had the time to do a specific feature as such. However I have been spending the odd short session trying to catch one of my favourite species, the humble Roach. This month we will have a look at some of the waters, bait and tackle I have been using to try and snare these silver beauties.
First up let me re-cap on the highlights of recent matches I have fished since my last blog :
Action since Xmas:
Bradshaw Fisheries Lake 8:
There had been lots of noises about this lake being re-stocked and fishing its socks off. Some of the lads in my Eight Bells club had been going regularly and stating that 100-150 F1/Stockies were being caught in a pleasure session. A knock up was arranged and Peg 3 was my home for the day
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Bradshaw Fishery Lake 8 peg 3 |
Wind was bitter, but the day was sunny. I didn't know what to expect really as I had never fished the water. A simple pellet approach made sense with the stock fish being reared on them. 2 lines one at the bottom of the far shelf at 11 metres and one up the far shelf but in a nice 3ft of water was the simple plan. After an hour of sussing the feeding out it was plain sailing. Dump standard fishery pellets and marukyu Jpelletz and a hint of crushed expander groundbait on both lines, then rotate. Top up when bites faded. 85 fish and 107lb 1oz later I had won the knock up. An awesome days sport at this time of the year.
Tunnel Barn Farm Rnd 4 winter league Extension Pool:
Mid January took me back to TBF and I was greeted with a temperature of -4. We were in for a tough day! I kicked off dobbing bread (not my cup of tea at all!) along the far bank and caught an F1 and Mirror in the first hour. A pellet line and a separate maggot line down the track was left to settle. The lake had just been stocked with thousands of tiny 1-3oz F1 carp and I couldnt even get those going. My 12lb 8oz left me in 5th place. Colin Kettlewell my nearest rival in the league won the match so made ground in the overall stakes.
Blundells Fishery open Oak Pool:
I managed to sneak onto an open match at Blundells. These are rover matches and on this occasion I fancied trying to sneak a section win from the oak pool which is normally used by pleasure anglers. I found some space to myself and enjoyed a nice days Roach/Skimmer fishing for 10lb and 2nd in section. No pennies, but a water I shall definitely fish again.
Tunnel Barn Farm Rnd 5 winter league Bottom Pool:
Mid February and with gale force storms battering the UK we had to move our match from the new pool down to the bottom pool to try and find some sanctuary. Peg 32 was my peg.
As you can see I had an inviting gap between two islands at 13 metres, the challenge was getting there with the pole. A small cage feeder and waggler were on standby. I felt the fish would be in the slightly slack water between the islands and also to my left there was a small bay. Pole tactics placed the odd F1 in the net. I didn't feel the waggler or feeder was giving me good presentation.
Colin Kettlewell was the next angler along and all I had to do was keep ahead of him. I plugged away and kept placing odd fish in the net. With an hour to go I decided to look in the bay to my left I had primed earlier on...It was BLACK! Not with F1 but proper carp. I managed one around 4lb and a couple of smaller samples before the match was ended half an hour early due to the strong windy weather.
17lb 8oz gave me a much needed win and puts me top of the leader board by a mere 1 point before the final round in March.
Partridge Lakes Ribbon Canal:
My mate Rich Bratt invited me along to Partridge to fish with his Drennan Supercup squad. I had only previously fished the Ribbon lake on last years Fish O Mania qualifier and did not do very well. I drew peg 4 which was the in form peg. However after 2 hours and only 2 bumped fish to show for my efforts I was worried! Still I kept patient and used all the trick accumulated from the TBF winter league to sneak 24lb 3oz onto the scales for 5th overall. It was a cracking match with only 12oz separating the top 3!
Roach:
My first fish was a Perch, but I wonder how many of us became anglers from catching a small Roach? They are a lovely species and one which I always take great pleasure in catching. When summer comes the Tench become my favourite fish, but year round it is probably the Roach. There is something so simple and satisfying about them. So very British even.
Previous blogs I have often cited my local club waters to be a place where I can practice and try new things. These waters are home to lots of small 1oz roach and during a few stolen afternoon sessions over the course of the winter I wanted to try and increase the stamp of the Roach I was catching.
These waters are NOT easy and whenever I fish them, I am conscious they keep me grounded when it comes to commercials. In other words if what I do works on these club waters, they will absolutely work on a commercial! The lakes also keep me tuned in with watercraft and other natural instincts that you lose by fishing in the comfortable surroundings of a commercial venue.
Tackle:
Firstly pole tactics have been the mainstay of my attack over the winter months. Roach can be shy biters and to present fine lines and hooks, there is no better.
Elastics: A solid 4 or a number 6 if bonus fish are around...well lubricated.
Line: The ever faithful Silstar match team or Drennan Suplex. On very tough days Drennan flouro carbon hooklengths. 0.10-0.08 diameters.
Hooks: I only use Drennan patterns on the pole. Carp Maggot, Silverfish Pellet (Bread) Kamasan B511 Sizes 18,20,22
Floats: These waters average 4-5ft and are very clear, with some swims upto 10ft. I usually have two lines for the roach, one where I can fish very negative and another positively.
For open water the Colmic Jolly pattern is an absolute classic silverfish pattern. A stable carbon stem and a fine plastic bristle show the slightest bites. However if there is a an undertow a Jim Standish wire slimzee with a thicker hollow bristle allows me to lay some line on the bottom.
Other floats such as a Drennan Carbo or Tipo would offer similar properties, as the Colmic's are hard to find
(I only have 1 left!) I would also always have a Chianti style float set up with styls or small stotz to search the layers and catch fish on the drop. I would also use this shape for the breadpunch on calm days.
Bait:
Hookbaits throughout the Winter have varied. Some venues will respond to a classic caster approach. Moving water then Hemp maybe an option. But for me I have stuck to a faithful maggot approach, however to find the slightly better stamp fish then flouro pinkie has been the stand-out bait. Maybe the bright colour in the clear water catches the eyes of the bigger fish? Bread, worm and pellet all have all accounted for fish too in different conditions.
Top left: Breadpunch is synonomus with canal Roach fishing and works on some of the deeper swims at my lakes, however I like to add punch crumb to my liquidised bread to make it heavier. The lakes can tow and I want to ensure my bread gets to the bottom and not 2 swims further down! Additives such as Sensas Arromix or Marukyu credence can be added to any water you use for mixing.
Top right: For Commercial Roach the fish will be used to high levels of fishmeal from fishery pellets. Marukyu 170 is designed specifically for Silvers and can be balled in or used sparingly and contains fishmeal and 20 other ingredients. A couple of pints of SFA400 Krilled Maggots are the perfect accompanier.
Bottom left: Whatever you choose groundbait wise, in clear water, darken it down to match the bottom. My club waters suffer from many Herons and the last thing a shoal of roach will do is graze over a very light mix. I use atomic cloud, but anything dark including soil will suffice.
Bottom right: In deeper swims and again to avoid that undertow I sometimes add PV1 binder to ensure the bait gets down where I need it to go, molehill soil has the same effect, but there aren't many moles in North Manchester!
When targeting Roach on the bottom, groundbait plays an important part for me. Here are a couple of things that I think could help you catch more Roach:
Firstly think about how you want the groundbait to behave. If using a classic mix such as Sensas Roach it is very active. The crushed hemp and other particles will keep popping about for a long time, these active mixes will attract a lot of small fish (challenging when Pike are about). If you want it to attract larger fish then maybe mix it the night before so the particles have taken all the water on and the mix becomes inert. I like to find a balance because I want the small fish to attract their mums and dads.
Secondly when moulding the balls, wet your hands first which will give the balls a kind of second skin and stop them breaking up mid-water.
Also think about how you squeeze your balls (Steady...I am still talking about groundbait here :) If I introduce 3 balls to start off with, the first will be squeezed as tightly as possible, the second one not quite as tight, then the third fairly soft. This will give me 3 rates of breakdown speed and will increase the attraction to passing shoals.
Timing:
Timing has been the critical part of catching the Roach over the Winter. I was initially getting to the waters around 10am and struggling for bites. I then realised the Roach come alive as the light starts to fade. From 3pm till dusk. Once I realised this, it allowed me to start later and be very positive from the start. So I could lay down a carpet of feed and feel my way into the session quicker.
On a recent session I began fishing at around 1pm and left around 4.30pm. I fished just one line at 10 metres using the Colmic Jolly float with red maggot over a bed of groundbait and caught most of the fish after 3pm. Even a bonus winter Tench put in an appearance, so my two favourite species on a cold winter afternoon.
All in all I have really enjoyed my Winter sport so far. Last year I concentrated at Docklow pools which was great, but its a long and expensive journey. This year I have been more selective where and when I wanted to fish and what to fish for. The winter league has been a great distraction and I can't wait for the final round.
River Misery:
Before I sign off I must spare a thought for all those people affected by the floods in recent weeks. There is no river sport around my area so I gave up travelling to them a long time ago. But for those river addicts I suspect their season is over. How it will affect the future of those areas and future fishing is anybodies guess.
Spring is around the corner, enjoy your fishing.
Dave
Mid January took me back to TBF and I was greeted with a temperature of -4. We were in for a tough day! I kicked off dobbing bread (not my cup of tea at all!) along the far bank and caught an F1 and Mirror in the first hour. A pellet line and a separate maggot line down the track was left to settle. The lake had just been stocked with thousands of tiny 1-3oz F1 carp and I couldnt even get those going. My 12lb 8oz left me in 5th place. Colin Kettlewell my nearest rival in the league won the match so made ground in the overall stakes.
Blundells Fishery open Oak Pool:
I managed to sneak onto an open match at Blundells. These are rover matches and on this occasion I fancied trying to sneak a section win from the oak pool which is normally used by pleasure anglers. I found some space to myself and enjoyed a nice days Roach/Skimmer fishing for 10lb and 2nd in section. No pennies, but a water I shall definitely fish again.
Tunnel Barn Farm Rnd 5 winter league Bottom Pool:
Mid February and with gale force storms battering the UK we had to move our match from the new pool down to the bottom pool to try and find some sanctuary. Peg 32 was my peg.
 |
| A blustery peg 32 at TBF bottom pool |
Colin Kettlewell was the next angler along and all I had to do was keep ahead of him. I plugged away and kept placing odd fish in the net. With an hour to go I decided to look in the bay to my left I had primed earlier on...It was BLACK! Not with F1 but proper carp. I managed one around 4lb and a couple of smaller samples before the match was ended half an hour early due to the strong windy weather.
17lb 8oz gave me a much needed win and puts me top of the leader board by a mere 1 point before the final round in March.
Partridge Lakes Ribbon Canal:
My mate Rich Bratt invited me along to Partridge to fish with his Drennan Supercup squad. I had only previously fished the Ribbon lake on last years Fish O Mania qualifier and did not do very well. I drew peg 4 which was the in form peg. However after 2 hours and only 2 bumped fish to show for my efforts I was worried! Still I kept patient and used all the trick accumulated from the TBF winter league to sneak 24lb 3oz onto the scales for 5th overall. It was a cracking match with only 12oz separating the top 3!
Roach:
My first fish was a Perch, but I wonder how many of us became anglers from catching a small Roach? They are a lovely species and one which I always take great pleasure in catching. When summer comes the Tench become my favourite fish, but year round it is probably the Roach. There is something so simple and satisfying about them. So very British even.
Previous blogs I have often cited my local club waters to be a place where I can practice and try new things. These waters are home to lots of small 1oz roach and during a few stolen afternoon sessions over the course of the winter I wanted to try and increase the stamp of the Roach I was catching.
These waters are NOT easy and whenever I fish them, I am conscious they keep me grounded when it comes to commercials. In other words if what I do works on these club waters, they will absolutely work on a commercial! The lakes also keep me tuned in with watercraft and other natural instincts that you lose by fishing in the comfortable surroundings of a commercial venue.
 |
| TL: Colmic Jolly and Chianti style. BL: Wire Slimzee. 3 pics : Tough northern natural waters. |
Firstly pole tactics have been the mainstay of my attack over the winter months. Roach can be shy biters and to present fine lines and hooks, there is no better.
Elastics: A solid 4 or a number 6 if bonus fish are around...well lubricated.
Line: The ever faithful Silstar match team or Drennan Suplex. On very tough days Drennan flouro carbon hooklengths. 0.10-0.08 diameters.
Hooks: I only use Drennan patterns on the pole. Carp Maggot, Silverfish Pellet (Bread) Kamasan B511 Sizes 18,20,22
Floats: These waters average 4-5ft and are very clear, with some swims upto 10ft. I usually have two lines for the roach, one where I can fish very negative and another positively.
For open water the Colmic Jolly pattern is an absolute classic silverfish pattern. A stable carbon stem and a fine plastic bristle show the slightest bites. However if there is a an undertow a Jim Standish wire slimzee with a thicker hollow bristle allows me to lay some line on the bottom.
Other floats such as a Drennan Carbo or Tipo would offer similar properties, as the Colmic's are hard to find
(I only have 1 left!) I would also always have a Chianti style float set up with styls or small stotz to search the layers and catch fish on the drop. I would also use this shape for the breadpunch on calm days.
 |
| Mix and match for situations |
Bait:
Hookbaits throughout the Winter have varied. Some venues will respond to a classic caster approach. Moving water then Hemp maybe an option. But for me I have stuck to a faithful maggot approach, however to find the slightly better stamp fish then flouro pinkie has been the stand-out bait. Maybe the bright colour in the clear water catches the eyes of the bigger fish? Bread, worm and pellet all have all accounted for fish too in different conditions.
Top left: Breadpunch is synonomus with canal Roach fishing and works on some of the deeper swims at my lakes, however I like to add punch crumb to my liquidised bread to make it heavier. The lakes can tow and I want to ensure my bread gets to the bottom and not 2 swims further down! Additives such as Sensas Arromix or Marukyu credence can be added to any water you use for mixing.
Top right: For Commercial Roach the fish will be used to high levels of fishmeal from fishery pellets. Marukyu 170 is designed specifically for Silvers and can be balled in or used sparingly and contains fishmeal and 20 other ingredients. A couple of pints of SFA400 Krilled Maggots are the perfect accompanier.
Bottom left: Whatever you choose groundbait wise, in clear water, darken it down to match the bottom. My club waters suffer from many Herons and the last thing a shoal of roach will do is graze over a very light mix. I use atomic cloud, but anything dark including soil will suffice.
Bottom right: In deeper swims and again to avoid that undertow I sometimes add PV1 binder to ensure the bait gets down where I need it to go, molehill soil has the same effect, but there aren't many moles in North Manchester!
 |
| Think about squeezing your balls! |
When targeting Roach on the bottom, groundbait plays an important part for me. Here are a couple of things that I think could help you catch more Roach:
Firstly think about how you want the groundbait to behave. If using a classic mix such as Sensas Roach it is very active. The crushed hemp and other particles will keep popping about for a long time, these active mixes will attract a lot of small fish (challenging when Pike are about). If you want it to attract larger fish then maybe mix it the night before so the particles have taken all the water on and the mix becomes inert. I like to find a balance because I want the small fish to attract their mums and dads.
Secondly when moulding the balls, wet your hands first which will give the balls a kind of second skin and stop them breaking up mid-water.
Also think about how you squeeze your balls (Steady...I am still talking about groundbait here :) If I introduce 3 balls to start off with, the first will be squeezed as tightly as possible, the second one not quite as tight, then the third fairly soft. This will give me 3 rates of breakdown speed and will increase the attraction to passing shoals.
Timing:
Timing has been the critical part of catching the Roach over the Winter. I was initially getting to the waters around 10am and struggling for bites. I then realised the Roach come alive as the light starts to fade. From 3pm till dusk. Once I realised this, it allowed me to start later and be very positive from the start. So I could lay down a carpet of feed and feel my way into the session quicker.
On a recent session I began fishing at around 1pm and left around 4.30pm. I fished just one line at 10 metres using the Colmic Jolly float with red maggot over a bed of groundbait and caught most of the fish after 3pm. Even a bonus winter Tench put in an appearance, so my two favourite species on a cold winter afternoon.
 |
| A recent afternoon session caught me this tidy net of bigger than average Roach and a bonus winter Tench. |
River Misery:
Before I sign off I must spare a thought for all those people affected by the floods in recent weeks. There is no river sport around my area so I gave up travelling to them a long time ago. But for those river addicts I suspect their season is over. How it will affect the future of those areas and future fishing is anybodies guess.
Spring is around the corner, enjoy your fishing.
Dave
