Celebrate getting back on the banks with a dream session after roach
THERE’S something special about roach that you can’t quite put your finger on. They’re not our hardest-fighting fish, nor our most beautiful, yet there’s a satisfaction in catching them that few other species can match.
Perhaps it’s the challenge they present, as a big roach of over 2lb is arguably the most coveted prize in coarse fishing.
Maybe it’s their everyman appeal, as roach can be caught the length of Britain by both inexperienced juniors and the most hardened veterans. It could even be argued that catching roach is a better reflection of angling ability than landing fish of any other species.
There is no magic rig or bait or specialised gear needed to catch them. What success comes down to is mastery of bait presentation and feeding, as well as an intimate understanding of watercraft. It’s no coincidence that elite match and specimen anglers, such as Bob Nudd and Tim Norman, are all experts at catching redfins.
Here are 15 of our favourite roach venues for you to test yourself once we’re allowed on the bank. If there’s one species that’s sure to beat the fishing blues, it’s got to be roach.
HAMPSHIRE AVON, WINKTON, CHRISTCHURCH, HAMPSHIRE
Thanks to the work of the fantastic Avon Roach Project, the historic Hampshire Avon is back in top roach form, with stocks thriving throughout and on some stretches better than ever before.
The size of the roach caught from the crystal-clear waters of the legendary southern river last season was simply staggering. Roach of over 2lb are now common and a once-in-a-lifetime fish of more than 3lb is no longer out of the question.
The Christchurch Angling Club’s Winkton fishery has grown a particularly good reputation among roach anglers looking for consistent sport. Members fishing here can enjoy a peaceful experience, with a variety of swims to target and bumper bags of fish on offer.
The Avon roach will fall to traditional maggot feeder and stick float rigs. To catch the bigger fish, don’t be afraid to switch to a larger bait such as a piece of breadflake. Contact: 01202 480009
Postcode: BH23 7LA
Website: www.christchurchac.org.uk
BRADLEYS LAKE, COTSWOLD WATER PARK, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
This mammoth stillwater hit the headlines last year for producing some of the most incredible hauls of roach ever recorded.
At 114 acres, this lake is no easy challenge but with the sheer expanse of water providing an impressive backdrop and holding a dream stock of fish, it’s one a serious roach angler should take on.
The fishing is mainly done at range using specialist bolt-rig feeder tactics. It’s worth having a talk to the carp anglers who fish the lake, because they often catch these big roach by mistake.
Once on an area, Spomb out a decent helping of particle baits and fish as accurately as possible to fool these giant roach.
Contact: 01285 862716
Postcode: GL7 5TL
Website: www.tackleden.co.uk
LINEAR FISHERIES, OXFORD, OXFORDSHIRE
Two-time Drennan Cup champion Dai Gribble is one of several anglers who have highlighted just how good the roach fishing is at this carpdominated complex. These roach have grown to substantial sizes on neglect and heavy baiting by carp anglers over the years.
The best roach stocks can be found in Brasenose 1 & 2 – these large gravel pits have both produced redfins in excess of 3lb.
Feeder fishing is by far the most effective method to target these roach. Try fishing a helicopter maggot feeder rig with maggots on the hook. If you’re worried about small fish, try a rubber maggot hookbait over a bed of hemp. Contact: 07885 327708
Postcode: OX29 7QF
Website: www.linear-fisheries.co.uk
BRISTOL AVON, CHIPPENHAM, WILTSHIRE
A favourite haunt of Angling Times news reporter Chris Haydon, the intimate Bristol Avon in Wiltshire offers fishing in a beautiful countryside backdrop. The roach stocks on this small river are also thriving, with 2lb-plus fish possible on many stretches.
Dr Mark Everard is another angler who is keen to take advantage of the fishing available on this secluded and underfished river, last year catching Drennan Cup awardwinning fish from the waterway.
An underfished stretch well worth investigating is the Swindon Isis water which runs upstream
of Kellaways road bridge. On this stretch pole fished hemp and tares have taken double-figure bags. Contact: 07785542795 Postcode: Angling Direct Swindon, SN2 1EJ
Website: www.swindonisis.org
RIVER MEDWAY, MAIDSTONE, KENT
There are some belting roach to be found on the town stretch of the River Medway in Maidstone and, better yet, it’s free fishing!
Bags of redfins averaging 1lb-plus are possible throughout the year, and there are plenty of other species present to keep things interesting.
The best approach to select the bigger roach is hemp and casters. If small fish are attacking your casters, switch to the seed and you should see the larger specimens latching on. Fish the pole just off the marginal shelf and you will have a great session.
Contact: 01622 200000
Postcode: ME16 8LW
Website: www.maidstoneangling. com
MIDLANDS STOKE LANE, RIVER TRENT, BURTON JOYCE, NOTTS
There’s a reason why officials behind the popular RiverFest competition picked this stretch for the next final, and that’s partly because it’s stuffed with big roach!
For just £4 (paid in advance on the
Ashfield website), you can fish this fantastic stretch and even park your car behind your peg.
About a mile or so upstream of this stretch is a weir, which means there’s plenty of flow to enjoy classic stick or waggler float fishing. At around a rodlength out you’ll find a good depth of around 8ft, and by plumbing up just an inch off the bottom you’ll be able to present a bait naturally and avoid snags at the same time.
Bait-wise, you can’t go wrong with maggots, hemp and tares, although laying down a bed of groundbait in the colder months tends to be more productive. When it’s warm, though, you can keep the roach interested with lots of loosefeed.
Double maggot or a tare fished on a size 16 hook to a 2lb-3lb hooklink will score bites on every cast from mostly dace and roach in the 3oz to 1lb bracket, but bigger redfins to over 2lb have been tempted before. If you can keep the roach in your peg, 20lb pleasure bags are easily achievable.
Contact: Via the Ashfield Angling club website
Postcode: NG14 5HX (closest) Website: www.ashfieldangling.com/ daytickets.php
CATCH 22, EASTHAUGH, NORFOLK
At 21 acres the Day Ticket Lakes can be intimidating to some, but if you can land on the roach shoals the sport can be explosive, with fish averaging 1lb-2lb available.
A maggot feeder approach is mostly favoured for the species here, but first you must use a marker rod to find clear patches of gravel or features such as bars or troughs. Once you’ve found them, you can draw the fish into your swim by feeding lots of particles such as groundbait, hempseed, micro pellets or dead maggots.
Remember to clip your feeder rigs up to the baited spot and employ regular casting to ensure fresh maggots are cycled through your swim. If you’re struggling, the island swim is often productive.
Contact: 01603 872948
Postcode: NR9 5BQ
Website: www.catch22fishingcentre. com
HIMLEY HALL LAKE, DUDLEY, WEST MIDLANDS
This hidden gem is now a popular venue with roach anglers and throws up lots of redfins to just over 1lb year-in, year-out.
The narrow part of the lake is shallow at around 3ft-4ft deep and does produce 20lb-plus bags of roach to wag and mag tactics, although the bigger fish tend to sit in the main bowl.
Use measuring sticks to clip up to a clear spot in the lake and bait it lightly with maggots, pinkies, casters and hempseed. Fish maggot feeder heli-rigs over the top for the best results.
Contact: 01384 817825
Postcode: DY3 4DF
Website: www.blackcountryfishing. co.uk/himley-hall.html
ONNY VALE TROUT AND COARSE FISHERY, NR MINSTERLEY, SHROPSHIRE
Onny Vale is a picturesque trout and coarse fishery lying smack-bang on the border between England and Wales. Despite being relatively unheard of, the roach fishing available is second to none and the lake you want to be fishing for them is the Specimen Carp Pool.
If you can, pick a peg between the two islands as this is where the big roach are often caught. You can disregard maggots in favour of pellets on this lake, because the roach have grown to like these baits thanks to the carp anglers who regularly introduce them.
A small Method or pellet feeder loaded with damp micros with a banded 4mm pellet hookbait is a killer rig for these roach. Regularly cast to an island or the trough between the two and enjoy your day with the tip going round with redfins ranging between 10oz and 2lb. Contact: 01588 650521, or 07792 609153
Postcode: SY5 0JL
Website: www.onnyvalefishery.co.uk
WOODLAND WATERS, ANCASTER, LINCS
The Specimen Lake was originally given its name for the large carp that inhabit the water, but in recent times it’s the roach that have drawn attention from anglers.
They’ve been caught up to 3lb in the past but you can expect plenty around the 1lb mark in your session – with a realistic chance of a two-pounder showing.
The lake is incredibly deep, with 15ft found at just 11m out in some pegs – but it’s these areas that tend to produce the bigger roach. Plumb-up around an inch overdepth and feed a dark, sweet groundbait to draw them in. Maggot and caster both work well on the hook with singles favoured over doubles for consistent bites.
In warmer weather you can catch roach shallow by spraying maggots or casters, but this tends to produce a much smaller stamp of fish. Banded 6mm pellets work well for feeder anglers and do catch the biggest specimens, but a much longer wait is usually required. Contact: 01400 230888
Postcode: NG32 3RT
Website: www.woodlandwaters.co.uk
NORTH LOCHNAW CASTLE, DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY, SCOTLAND
If you’re searching for a specimen roach then you won’t find many better venues than the breathtaking
Lochnaw Castle, where fish over 3lb can be found.
The 48-acre spring-fed water is home to abundant aquatic life, and historically it was known for its trout fishing, but in recent years the loch has become home to monster roach, believed to have been introduced by pike anglers using them as livebaits at nearby waters. Once present, they grew fat with minimal competition from other species, and now they can be found in huge sizes.
When it first opened in 2012, the big, untargeted roach were relatively easy to catch, but over the years they have grown wise and present a real challenge to the angler.
If you fancy a crack at this iconic water, you must book a place at the fishery in advance, via the website. Contact: www.lochnawcastle.co.uk Postcode: DG9 0RW
NEW JUNCTION CANAL, DONCASTER, S YORKSHIRE
For a day catching good numbers of roach with occasional specimens mixed in, the New Junction Canal is a fantastic venue to try.
This remote Doncaster and District AA venue is slightly unusual, in that it’s 30 metres wide and runs in an almost straight line before merging into the Aire and Calder Navigation, but don’t let this put you off, as this canal is full of fish.
Like many canals, there are two steep slopes at the near and far margin, and for the roach, going beyond this into the deeper water is a reliable option.
Pole fishing is the dominant tactic and introducing a bed of groundbait and fishing over the top with natural baits will catch fish regularly. For lots of bites, the squatt and pinkie approach is hard to beat, but if you’re looking for some larger specimens then give hemp and caster a try.
Contact: DDAA Secretary, 07946 382882
Postcode: DN7 5SX
TRENT AND MERSEY CANAL, SANDBACH, CHESHIRE
The canals of the North have seen something of a boom in big roach over recent years, and few are more popular than the Trent and Mersey.
Well-attended matches are fished throughout the winter, but the roach can be caught year-round in good numbers and to well over 2lb.
One of the biggest appeals of fishing this canal is the inexpensive bait bill. A bit of liquidised bread and a few slices for the hook, alongside half-a-pint of caster and
a bit of hemp will be more than enough for a day’s fishing. The secret to success on this venue is all about presenting your rig properly and rotating your lines to keep the fish coming. Use light tackle, with fine hooks and lines of around 0.08mm, to fool the crafty fish.
The fishing rights are controlled by the South Cheshire Angling Consortium, in which there are several clubs offering inexpensive membership.
Contact: Daves of Middlewich, 01606 833853
Postcode: CW11 3JN
WYRESIDE LAKES, DOLPHINHOLME, LANCASHIRE
Some of our biggest roach can be found in carp fisheries where they’ve grown fat on neglect and nutrient rich baits intended for larger fish.
At Lancashire’s Wyreside Lakes it’s no different, and in the River Lake you’ll find a large population of quality roach. Originally, these fish were in the Fox Lake, where they rubbed shoulders with carp to nearly 30lb. However, after being relocated they can be enjoyed by anglers who fancy a bit of top silverfish sport.
A range of tactics will score here, including the waggler and feeder, but one of the best ways to catch them is on the pole. Feeding a small amount of groundbait and fishing casters over the top should result in plenty of bites.
On the larger carp day-ticket lakes of Sunnyside 1 and 2, you can also find quality roach.
Make sure to contact the fishery before arriving to book a peg. Contact: 01524 792093 Postcode: LA2 9DG
RIVER MERSEY, WARRINGTON, CHESHIRE
After years of pollution and poor water quality, the River Mersey is now thriving.
Home to an excellent population of roach, this is a venue well worth trying if you enjoy traditional stick float and waggler fishing.
Long rods, fine tackle and delicate shotting patterns can be the key to success on this deep stretch, but if you get it right bags well over the 10lb mark are on the cards.
A popular tactic is to lay down a bed of groundbait at the start of the session, and then fish maggot over the top with regular loosefeed.
Controlled by the popular Warrington AA, this river can be fished on their book alongside other great roach venues, including the River Ribble and the Trent and Mersey Canal.
Contact: 01925 637525
Postcode: Warrington AA Headquarters, WA1 1LR