How to make bread with a twist and catch yourself more roach.
Dr Paul Garner reveals his top five feeds for success...
IHAVE set myself the task of fishing for more roach this winter, especially in my local River Severn, where the reports of big specimens are just too much to ignore.
a lot of two-pounders have been caught by barbel anglers fishing with boilies and pellets – not your traditional roach baits at all, but in truth big roach can be the easiest or the most frustrating of fish.
THE ENIGMA
roach can be a real enigma. on some venues they will take just about any bait put in front of them, while on others they will ignore just about everything but the most natural-looking of baits.
this picky behaviour is not only frustrating, but intriguing. investigating it further, some patterns begin to emerge.
Generally speaking, roach in rivers and well-stocked commercials will take a wider range of baits than those in lowstocked gravel pits. this suggest that the amount of natural food has a big influence. if there’s an abundance of invertebrates the roach can be picky about what they eat. if food is scarce, or the fish are having to work harder – in rivers, for instance – then they are going to be less picky.
the biggest roach are often caught accidentally on boilies by carp anglers. years of baiting with boilies has taught them that there is an easy meal to be had, and the heavy gear means that they are unlikely to get caught feeding on boilies and spod mix.
We can use all these clues to have a good guess at what are going to be the most productive baits on any particular venue.
here are my top five choices, and when i find them most effective.