How to catch the biggest roach
THIS WEEK: Adapt your tactics and catch bigger roach
ASHOAL of roach could be made up of literally thousands of fish, so the odds are stacked well in your favour when it comes to getting a few bites.
The greater number of these fish are likely to be small, though, so how do you go about persuading those bigger specimens to take the bait?
Is it a matter of wading through the tiddlers, or is there a clever way of making sure a big redfin is attached to the other end every time you strike?
Korum-backed big-fish expert Rob Thompson doesn’t let luck play any part in his quest for large redfins, and this week he reveals the tactics he employs for success when chasing the species.
TACTICS
“A lot of anglers instantly reach for the pole or waggler when they are trying to catch roach, but for the biggest fish I have been most successful using a helicopter maggot feeder.
“The biggest fish are happy to feed on the bottom and pick up any food items that aren’t intercepted on the way down.
“Big roach can pick up a bait and eject it within a split-second if they detect something isn’t right, so a bolt rig – where the fish are hooked instantly – is important.
“A short hooklength is really important too, as this will lead to the fish feeling the resistance of the feeder almost instantly and hooking themselves against the weight of it.
“I use 6lb mainline to a 3ins, 0.13mm Preston Innovations Powerline hooklength and a size 16 hook.
“If you are fishing in silt, then a 30g maggot feeder is best, as it will dig into the bottom and amplify the bolt rig effect. On gravel bottoms, where the feeder could move freely, step it up to 40g.”
SWIM CHOICE
“If you get the chance to take a walk around your chosen venue before you go fishing it will definitely help you select an appropriate peg.
“Roach are notorious for giving their location away by crashing out, and this makes swim choice an easy decision on most occasions.
“If you don’t see any fish moving, then head to the end of the lake that the wind is hacking down to – or has been in previous days. The roach will follow any food that has drifted down with the current.”
BAIT CHOICE
“If I could only use one bait for roach it would have to be maggots.
“In this type of feeder they wriggle out freely, introducing bait into the swim at a steady pace to build up the carpet of feed on the bottom.
“In order to avoid the attentions of the small fish a big bunch of maggots is advisable on the hook, and four or five make a good starting point.
“If that still doesn’t put the small fish off then keep putting maggots through the feeder but switch your hookbait to a 6mm or 8mm boilie that only quality roach will be able to swallow.
“Cast every 20 minutes if sport is slow. Keep a steady trickle of feed going in to try and draw fish in and provoke a response.”
WINNING FLAVOURS
“For roach, one flavouring gives me an edge – pineapple. A liquid with this scent draws in the bigger fish and leads to fewer quiet spells.
“On some days it pays to douse all your loosefeed in it, while at other times, when the roach are feeding more tentatively, it is better to just coat your hookbait to make sure that the odd mouthful of bait they have is their downfall.”