The UK's rivers offer a wide variety of coarse species for anglers to target but none are more beautiful than the roach. Historically, rivers across the country were full of these incredible fish and whilst that is still true in some areas, there's no doubt location is one of the most important determining factors when it comes to catching a big net of redfins.
FIND THE PERFECT VENUE FOR A BIG WEIGHT OF RIVER ROACH IN THIS WHERE TO FISH GUIDE.
But even when you do find a stretch where you can target these stunning creatures, they won't make it easy for you to catch them, with a big net of river roach one of the most challenging things an angler can achieve. If you aren't too worried about size and just want numbers, here are some great tips to help you bag up on river roach this season...
Pick your spot
How well you’ll catch depends on your swim. An ideal peg for a big weight of redfins will have a gravel bottom where the main flow of the river is. In terms of depth, between 4ft and 8ft is ideal to get the fish feeding confidently.
WANT TO KNOW HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT DEPTH FOR FISHING? CHECK OUT THIS TACTICS ARTICLE.
Always have hemp to hand
Roach love hemp, so always have some in the bag, even if you don’t think you’ll catch with it on the hook. Feed it either in groundbait, cupped in or via a catapult every run through. It’s also worth having a handful of tares, as these can pick out the bigger roach in the shoal.
LEARN HOW TO FISH WITH HEMP AND TARES FOR ROACH IN THIS EXPERT ARTICLE.
Keep feeding
Little-and-often is the best mantra to adopt when you’re feeding for roach. Keep small amounts of feed going in all the while and you will soon get the fish interested. Hemp is great, but casters and maggots should not be overlooked either, especially if the roach are on the small side but present in the swim in large numbers.
YOU NEED A GOOD CATAPULT TO FEED ACCURATELY, CHECK OUR OUR BUYER'S GUIDE TO THE BEST.
Make a switch to pellets
Ever caught a river roach on pellets? The rise in popularity of barbel fishing now means lot of pellets are fed, and the roach eat them too! A banded 4mm or 6mm halibut pellet can catch some real monsters – and give you the chance of a few bonus chub or barbel into the bargain.
FIND THE BEST FISHING PELLETS IN THIS BAIT BUYER'S GUIDE.
Use an insert
The waggler remains a classic way to catch roach, and in summer they’ll be feeding at all depths, so pick a float that’ll let you catch on the drop as well as on the bottom. That means an insert waggler, shotted with most of the weight either side of the float and just a few No8 shot down the line.
NEED SOME TIPS FOR FLOAT FISHING ON RIVERS? CHECK OUT THIS EXPERT ARTICLE.
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