Roaching?

[PikeHunter]

Could someone gimme a few tips on Roach fishing? Including bait to use and rigs?

I like the sound of using a feeder... Is it simply attached to the line with a nylon tied hook attached?

I know nothing about it but my local spot seems to be full of Roach this time of year so I'd like to give it a go!

As I said, as simple as possible please!

Thanks!

[Banana Steve]

to set up your rig on the Feeder check these links out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2VCOro0wKY

Swimfeeders – Beginners guide to Swimfeeders

Keep everything neat and cast accurate and you should be fine on the feeder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmuch8Qj3CI

[PikeHunter]

Good man Steve, Cheers! Will check these out now!

[NICK R]

Moonless nights are best ,dark clothing and be stealth like ,



oops i miss read it thought you said poaching

[mithrandir]

here is a thread I did for leger rigs, just change the lead for a feeder

Basic leger rigs

the running rigs are better for roach in my opinion and the fixed rigs are better for carp, tench and barbel. I must admit I do not normally use a paternoster rig for fresh water, but seeing steve's video has made me think........

[PikeHunter]

cheers for the reply lads.

as i said im looking a really simple and i came up with this one... any thoughts on whether it would be any use? im headin out 2moro nite for a wee go at the roach.

I had a play about tonight and came up with this setup. (Sorry about the crap drawing)


I tried a few casts down the garden to see what happened. It actually seemed ok, but on the 3rd cast, when reeling it back in I noticed the hook length was slightly tangled with the main line. But not stupidly tangled, just a few twists and it was sorted.

Like i say, i know next to nothing about roach fishing and im just looking a simple setup as im heading out 2moro night for a go.

Note: The clip is holding the feeder on as it makes it simple to change feeder (if i feel the need to)

[BoldBear]

I prefer using the float for Roach and other silvers and one of the most simplest roach methods is a light whip or a nice light float rod with a 3BB to 2AAA waggler, or if fishing a river a small stick.

Heres how I usually waggler fish for Roach & other Silvers on most of my waters:

NB. Sometimes I find that fishing just off the bottom or even higher in the water may at times work better but I usually keep the shotting patterns the same or maybe only move it around slightly

But if you want to leger for them; what about these simple and relatively tangle free leger rigs:


Line: For Roach I would normally start with a mainline of 3lbs breaking strain and hook lengths of between 1.5lbs to 2lbs BS

Hooks: Hook sizes would be size 20, 18 or 16 dependng on what bait I was using.

Baits: Good reliable baits to try are Bronze or red Maggot, red or pink 'Pinkies' (Pinkies are roughly half the size of normal maggots and can sometimes be better than the humble maggot), Casters or Breadflake.

Good luck and tight lines
BB

[PikeHunter]

Not much luck unfortunately!

Went out with my maggots and liquised bread. Filled the feeder and put 2 maggots on the hook (i found it very difficult gettin the maggots on, any tips?) I found holding the holding with small pliers and then puttin maggots on helped a bit, but was still very difficult and frustrating!

So i threw out a small ball of bread then cast, BOOM rod went almost straight away! Happy days i said, but it must have been something bigger than a roach because it snapped the 2lb nylon attached to my hook!

Second cast, the rod went straight away once more, but i missed it!

I was basically gettin bites all night long but never manged to get one hooked.

As im completely knew to roaching i had a few queries to ask...

how often do you feed the swim and with how much? - i was throwing a small ball of bread out every 20 mins or so, and i was refilling my feeder every 10 mins or so. Is that too much or..?

When do you strike? - Do you strike it straight away or give it a wee second?

I found the cage feeder filled with bread and a few maggots was alot better than the closed end maggot feeder that i have. And the bread was working just as well as my mates groundbait!!!

My other mate caught one but when he was just about to take it out of the water it wriggled off he was raging as that would have been his first ever fish!! lol i was gutted for him.

Oh and my maggots escaped inside my bag on the journey, and when we got there i found my coat was full of them

Even though i didnt catch anything, i had a very enjoyable night learning what to do when roach fishing. Im still an beginner so if you's could help with my queries it would be great!



If I was to get a quiver tip rod rest i.e.






Is it possible to get a tripod to put these on rather than a bankstick? as some places that i fish im fishing off wooden steps and not a grassy bank!?

[Noel]

Well you're getting bites so you've got the most important thing in fishing sorted: location.

Just a few observations though. Are you fishing in the dark? Can you fish during the day? It makes everything 99% easier. Night fishing is hard work (especially for a beginner). Have you thought about float fishing (during the day)? This is the 'best' way to learn (imo).

It's unusual to start by feeder fishing. Also I find float fishing a lot more enjoyable. Bold Bear's post is great. Roach bites are notoriously hard to strike on a feeder (even for experienced anglers because they attack the bait so quickly (again, the float may be better).

Liquidised bread and maggots is a great combination. Hemp is great too. I don't think you can overfeed but "little and often" is the golden rule. You want to attract them and keep them in the swim. They'll move on if not much is happening.

Maggots: it just takes practice. No secrets. Hook them on the 'blunt' end. I'm sure you can get 'mini' tripods for bank sticks but I've never seen one. Don't forgot to put the maggot lid on tight lol. We've all been there

[PikeHunter]

Cheers mate.

It was still daylight when we were fishing, but started to get dark shortly before we left and the more the sun went down, the less bites we were getting...

I had a read through bold bears post (thanks for that one mate) and i seem to have missed the "link ledger rig" last time i read it. I will deffo try it! The one i had last night tangled up a few times. As for the floating rigs, i see the float is cocked and hook is on the bottom, how do you go about that? Finding the depth I mean? Is it not a hard job to do?

Cheers again mate