Big Roach Rig advice?

[Rick123]

Thinking about fishing boilies on the river for some of the bigger roach (late evening) and what rigs to use? I thought a bolt style open feeder, on a six inch doubled link loop with a float stop. A three foot hook link 16s hook with a 10mm tight to the hook. A decent amount of slack with the feeder just holding, dropping downstream when picked up? A bit like I'd fish for barbel to chub but scaled down to a 5lb hook link and 6lb line? Thought anyone please guys?

 

[squimp]

Why do that ? Is a boilie Really going to help.

the issue with big river roach is to fish when they are feeding. That usually means (in winter) when the river is chocolate brown and warm. When it’s like that they will fall for big lumps of flake with a feeder full of liquidised bread.

when the river is low and clear you will struggle to catch them even on fine lines and a single maggot. I don't think a boilie approach Would make much difference.

the bad news is that the right conditions don’t come along very often (in a normal year!).

In the days when my local river held numbers of big roach (a decade ago) we would wait for the right winter weather and then move heaven and earth to get there at first light the next day. A 2lb roach was likely and you could still be at work by 9am.

 

[Tinca Steve]

I was going to suggest bread as well but was beaton to it.
4 slices of bread totally soaked. Mush up squished between your fingers then put into an enlarged holed maggot feeder. With a 12 inch hooklink and a nice bit of flake cast every 15 mins on a very slow river, more often on a faster river.

 

[Silverfisher]

Big roach are certainly hard to target unless you are on a river where there's a lot of them. Boiles will work on big carp waters but on rivers you're better off with bread or at times even maggots unless it's a river that sees a lot of pellets then they can be good.

Not that I can say a lot though as the few big roach I've had have just come on float fished maggot or caster amongst bags of smaller roach.

 

[nejohn]

I would also have said bread flake on a lightish straight lead setup, the less resistance the fish feels the better, don't over complicate things, unless there are lots of snags I would probably fish 4lb mainline with a 2 or 3lb hook length with a light actioned rod ( something like the darent valley 0.75lb TC specialist). The real trick though is firstly locating the bigger fish then being on the water when they are feeding

 

[carphauler]

Sloppy bread feed with flake on a stick float would be my suggestion or lots of casters, find a reputable spot where roach are caught a lot, there's a few places on the Severn.

 

[Rick123]

It's not that I'm unfamiliar with big roach, having taken well over 100 2lb+ fish over the years. It's just bread and maggots are very un-selective on my rivers and I'm really after the bigger fish, plus it's a bait they see (along with pellets) often nowadays. Many of the much bigger roach 3lb plus are being caught more often on small boilies, so was just thinking out loud really. I don't think line size is an issue really, unlike when trotting much smaller baits like maggots. I just thought I may wait longer, but would it be more selective? I'll have to try and see what happens, happy to feedback with the results too. Thanks for your thoughts guys.

 

[Rigmann]

It's not that I'm unfamiliar with big roach, having taken well over 100 2lb+ fish over the years. It's just bread and maggots are very un-selective on my rivers and I'm really after the bigger fish, plus it's a bait they see (along with pellets) often nowadays. Many of the much bigger roach 3lb plus are being caught more often on small boilies, so was just thinking out loud really. I don't think line size is an issue really, unlike when trotting much smaller baits like maggots. I just thought I may wait longer, but would it be more selective? I'll have to try and see what happens, happy to feedback with the results too. Thanks for your thoughts guys.

 

[Rigmann]

I think I would fish worm lob tail , if you get pestered by 3lb perch you will just have to lump it ?

 

[squimp]

If you really want to be selective then use bigger boilies !

specimen tench Angler’s in Kent in the ‘80’s used 20mm+ to preselect fish of over 7lb. The idea was the smaller fish couldn’t get the bait into their mouths !

if you are really after massive roach then fish a 15mm bait and a hook to match. But you might wait a while for each bite.......

 

[Silverfisher]

Tbh if you've had over 100 2 pounders I'd just stick to what you've been doing as that's a very impressive record. I don't do any specimen fishing and as I've said I only fish for roach in the bag up style but still have only had 1 2 pounder and maybe a dozen others over a pound in 15 years. Just to catch another 2 pounder would be a dream for me so if you're catching them at that rate already may as well just stick to it, bit of by catch of smaller fish just adds variety anyway.

 

[squimp]

There won’t be many on here with 100 2lb plus roach to show for our efforts. I certainly haven’t got anywhere near that total.

however one of the secrets of catching big fish (any species) is having an enquiring mind and learning from other Angler’s and other types of fishing.

if the OP can successfully transfer tactics from big chub/barbel fishing then well done him. I for one would love to hear whether it works.....

 

[Rick123]

Gents. I was fortunate to live in a time of big roach, on a river that again at one time would produce them in big numbers. On river Wensum years ago you could catch two pound fish (up to 2lb15oz) daily. Six in a day was my best, but many days 2-4 fish for almost a decade, and some big two's as well, not just scrapper twos. I've not had a two for many years now, and the Trent does not produce such fish, but does put up some nice fish. A pound roach is a wonderful creature, however most baits are un-selective, unlike boilies. A 10-12mm is a bit too big for roach much under a pound. I will give it a try guys maybe on dusk. If I end up with a bloody great chub or barbel, I'll be really upset?

 

[Tinca Steve]

I suggest you try white coconut 14mm boilies as l have caught good roach while tenching.

 

[Rick123]

Thanks Mate. But I'll try those the barbel anglers use but in a smaller size. I'm told they like strawberry flavour too, maybe for my maggot approach I'll try something sweet?

 

[Neil ofthe nene]

Seems like a question for @MarkW

 

[rudd]

If you are going to fish boilies for Roach - Yellow/Pineapple 10mm are a good bet.
Hair rig and use a scaled down semi fixed bolt rig.
The bait is blatent and there is no finesse in the method - BUT it works.

 

[Dave Spence]

I would recommend, as previously stated, a big lump of flake. You need all of your watercraft skills, however, to know where to fish it.

 

[jpr.esq]

having been a carp angler for past 22 years and fished a lot rivers for carp with boilies in all seasons, i can think of just a handfull of roach ive ever caught on biolies, even 10mm baits. however using liquidised bread and caster in pva mesh and a huge flake would often result in a bite from a clunking roach! many around the 2lb = never got to the magic three though but got near.

 

[Pikerwoods]

I would also have said bread flake on a lightish straight lead setup, the less resistance the fish feels the better, don't over complicate things, unless there are lots of snags I would probably fish 4lb mainline with a 2 or 3lb hook length with a light actioned rod ( something like the darent valley 0.75lb TC specialist). The real trick though is firstly locating the bigger fish then being on the water when they are feeding

I have a pair of these rods and wondered if you fish them using top as quiver tip while roach fishing...?