Best bait colour for Roach

[Philip]

It is a real melting pot.

I guess we have all had situations were a change of bait, be it changing the colour, number or just recasting a new one has led to instant results. Its difficult to know if that was down to the bait change or perhaps as I think Keith suggested just the fact it was recast led to it being presented better.

I know in Carp fishing circles its actually a well documented tactic to use washed out or old baits, yet in match fishing circles the advice is usually to use the freshest possible. Horses for course I guess & there wont be any one solution that fits all situations.

One thing I have noticed is that you don’t see many blue or green baits about yet I we all know they will pluck at weed or eat silkweed and so on. …has anyone tried using maggots in a colour other than say the typical red, white or orange ?

I suspect a lot of baits are colured to attract the angler rather than the fish. They probably see colour differently to us anyway...

 

[flightliner]

Hi Mick, I was actually replying to Peter, saying the "best colour" might be different in different places and so on.
My post ended up under yours and looked like my question was to you.
Your roach are way bigger than ones I tend to catch.
You've reminded me of that reservoir where you tracked down the hotspot and the angry bloke set up at your elbow.

Morning Kev, sorry about the intrusion.

 

[@Clive]

I have added blue food dye to sweetcorn to make it green when chub became wise to the yellow stuff. It didn't work.

 

[nottskev]

Morning Kev, sorry about the intrusion.

You're no intrusion, Mick.

 

[nottskev]

One of the bait farms used by local ts's does yellow maggots, not pale bronze. They are a large size, coloured by feed, not on the surface and I'm always pleased to come across them as roach seem to like them.

 

[Ged28]

I know in Carp fishing circles its actually a well documented tactic to use washed out or old baits to yet in match fishing circles the advice is usually to use the freshest possible. Horses for course I guess & there wont be any one solution that fits all situations.

I think the theory with boilies is pre soaking them starts the breakdown process, so that the soluble elements are giving off a stronger food signal as soon as they go in the water. Rather than waiting a few hours for the process to begin.
Years ago I was told a very successful northern match angler would keep back some maggots from the previous week to use as hookbaits. The theory being that, they were a little tougher, so didn't burst as easily and the fish would hang on to them a little longer.

 

[barbelboi]

For most of my larger roach (2lb+) it's been caster over hemp on gravel pits and either flake or the little black snails (found in silkweed) on the rivers. So it's mostly been in black and white on the rivers.....

 

[Philip]

or the little black snails (found in silkweed)

Did you fish those with the silkweed or on their own Jerry ? ...& trotted or static ?

 

[barbelboi]

Trotted on their own Philip (I have never tried them static so I can't comment on whether or not how effective the presentation may be). I've never found the snails in silkweed on structures (weirs etc) only on the free growing weed in the river.