Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Alfie Naylor
River roach on pellets
THERE seems to be very little room for manoeuvre on the bait front when roach are the primary target.
Maggots, casters, bread and hemp are widely regarded as the most reliable options for the species, regardless of the type of water you are fishing.
Daiwa and Nutrabaits angler Alfie Naylor used to subscribe to this status quo but his experiences on rivers in recent years have completely changed his mind.
“The way the vast majority of anglers fish rivers now is a lot different to how they used to in the 80s and 90s,” he said.
“Pellets are now fed in large quantities on most venues resulting in fish of all species regarding them as a viable food source.
“Fishing for roach with pellets may seem like an odd concept but doing so has definitely improved my results when targeting the species.”
Avoid the small fish
If you’ve only got a few hours on the bank you are bound to want a quick response and Alfie’s bait concoction is aimed at providing just that.
He believes feeder tactics are more effective for picking off the bigger stamp of roach because you can concentrate loosefeed over one zone to create a carpet for them to grub over.
“I pack an open- end feeder with a blend of liquidised bread and 4mm pellets. The bread is bright and stands out visually, while the pellets are loaded with an aroma that the roach just can’t resist.”
Regular casting in the early stages of the session helps build up the bed of bait, with Alfie winding in and recasting every 10- 15 minutes.
When it comes to hookbait choice, it is best to match the hatch and use a 4mm banded pellet. This is the ideal size because smaller roach are unable to engulf such a tough bait but it’s an easy meal for anything over 8oz.
Alfie favours Nutrabaits River Plus pellets because they slowly release a column of attraction that can draw in fish from swims further downstream.
Cast where others have
Alfie adores fishing big, wide rivers such as the Trent. But with so much water in front of you, it can be a minefield deciding just where to position your rig.
It is best to let other anglers do the hard work and effectively follow their lead.
“Wherever any other anglers tend to fish is where you should too,” said Alfie.
“Even if they are fishing for chub or barbel, this will be the zone where the majority of bait is introduced so every species will congregate around it.”
On the Trent that zone is often around threequarters of the way across – an area that is just off the main flow but is still well oxygenated and has good depth.
In order to help him cast the required distance, Alfie uses a medium 40g Daiwa N’ZON open- end feeder. Once loaded, this will fly to the desired location with ease and will hold bottom when there is a steady flow.
The rest of his rig is comprised of 0.06mm braid mainline and a 2ft 0.14mm mono hooklength to a size 18 hook.
“The combination of bread and pellets is what helps give that almost instant response”
Roach bonanza
Alfie was keen to share his tactics with IYCF readers and he invited us to join him for a session on his beloved River Trent.
As an angler that was brought up catching redfins on my local park lake using maggots and casters, it didn’t feel quite right calling on pellets!
But Alfie assured me that times had changed and that this was now the best way to put together a bumper bag.
It didn’t take long for him to prove his point either, and within three casts the rod tip was tapping and a 6oz roach was being brought to the net.
“Not bad,” grinned Alfie. “It’s a good start but I’m confident there are plenty of bigger fish to be had.
“I’m convinced that the combination of bread and pellets is what helps produce that almost instant response.”
The casting regime was akin to that of a commercial match angler, winding in every 10 minutes to refill the feeder with bait and reset the trap.
It soon became clear the commotion of a sizeable feeder breaking the surface was having no impact because many of the bites came shortly after it had hit the deck. In fact, on some occasions the hooklength was probably still sinking!
Alfie put together around 20lb of quality roach in just four hours, with the pick of the bunch around the 1lb mark. This had been achieved in humid conditions and there’s no doubt he’d have caught even more had it been overcast and cooler.
“River fishing has changed drastically over the years and the days of these waterways being fed with copious amounts of maggots, casters and hemp are gone. Take a leap of faith on your next roach session by turning to pellets and you’ll never look back,” concluded Alfie.