Q&A
Which rigs for river roach?
MY LOCAL Warwickshire Avon is full of roach but I struggle to catch them on the waggler and pole even when it’s obvious there are lots of fish in the swim. Could you recommend a couple of rigs that will work for slow-flowing water when feeding groundbait?
Colin Dodd, Stratford-upon-Avon
IF THERE are lots of fish in the peg then catching them should be easy enough, but as in all aspects of fishing, it boils down to getting your presentation right.
Often this is hampered by the wind and flow so here are two rigs to take on a river in its normal state on the pole and one for the waggler with a bit of extra water on aimed at slowing the bait down. Good luck! WAGGLER RIG Being able to alter the speed that your bait travels through the swim is important and the ability to check your bait against the flow is called ‘reverse dragging.’
This means laying several inches of line on the bottom, with the final small shot closest to the hook set just off bottom. By using a thick-topped straight peacock waggler undershotted to leave a good bit of tip on show, you can let the float go down the peg naturally.
The bait will drag bottom and slow dramatically and although the float will eventually be pulled under, its buoyancy and the fact it is undershotted will make this a gradual rather than immediate thing – certainly giving you long enough to get a bite. You can also slow the float down at your end by feeding line off the reel spool by hand very slowly, allowing the waggler to gradually inch through the swim.
Cast slightly downstream so that you are in total control of the rig – this is a way of fishing that’s also very good in windy weather that can rule out fishing the pole comfortably.