rayner
Well-known member
Not talking big roach because I rarely encounter them, when I fished as a lad right through up to present date it seems I've only had smaller fish. Of course, I could fish waters that held bigger roach, in truth I couldn't care less. I could have fished say the Dam Flask that held some big roach I even had a little time fishing for them with some success on bread flake but it wasn't really my bag. Roach to 8oz even 12oz was quite acceptable for me.
Light lines were to my mind order of the day coupled with small hooks, careful feeding as not to ever feed was my way. In summer I'd move all the shot up the line to the waggler then have a piece of Peacock quill about 6 to 8 inch from the hook to fish shallow but didn't hit too many bites because the bites were lightning-quick plus striking through the float it wasn't really successful, it all added to the progression.
After a few years came the puller a stick float with two pieces of thin tube for the line to run through stopped with a slider knot, with no shot it was rigged with No7 styles, it was a mega slow sinking bait that was pulled slowly through the feed, cast out take the line between finger and thumb then retrieve slowly fish, roach mostly would hook themselves against the tight line. Quite tricky until you got the hang of it. An upside-down waggler with the line flowing through a ring at the top of the float worked to a degree if the fish were out of casting range with the puller float.
Then came the bubble, it was nothing more than a feeder with no lead. A sort of kinder egg with holes drilled for the bait to escape with a long hooklength cast it out keeping a tight line again roach hooked themselves. A red hot tactic in the right hands.
After that came fishing as shallow as the fish get with fixed rigs close to the surface on the pole, rigs from 8-inch deep with a 3 inch from the pole tip to the float with a 2-inch to the bulk with a 3-inch hook length, two more shallow rigs with varying depths to cover the top 12-inch of water,
Finally, the jigger fished on a three feet piece of .19 line with a 3-inch hooklength of .14. a bulk of shot at the knot No8s normally, the .19 line is to keep the line straight as the rig is lowered. It seems to go against everything I've learnt but it is devastating when it comes to catching fish.
I've probably missed other technique changes I was shown how to catch roach quick but they elude me for the moment.
Light lines were to my mind order of the day coupled with small hooks, careful feeding as not to ever feed was my way. In summer I'd move all the shot up the line to the waggler then have a piece of Peacock quill about 6 to 8 inch from the hook to fish shallow but didn't hit too many bites because the bites were lightning-quick plus striking through the float it wasn't really successful, it all added to the progression.
After a few years came the puller a stick float with two pieces of thin tube for the line to run through stopped with a slider knot, with no shot it was rigged with No7 styles, it was a mega slow sinking bait that was pulled slowly through the feed, cast out take the line between finger and thumb then retrieve slowly fish, roach mostly would hook themselves against the tight line. Quite tricky until you got the hang of it. An upside-down waggler with the line flowing through a ring at the top of the float worked to a degree if the fish were out of casting range with the puller float.
Then came the bubble, it was nothing more than a feeder with no lead. A sort of kinder egg with holes drilled for the bait to escape with a long hooklength cast it out keeping a tight line again roach hooked themselves. A red hot tactic in the right hands.
After that came fishing as shallow as the fish get with fixed rigs close to the surface on the pole, rigs from 8-inch deep with a 3 inch from the pole tip to the float with a 2-inch to the bulk with a 3-inch hook length, two more shallow rigs with varying depths to cover the top 12-inch of water,
Finally, the jigger fished on a three feet piece of .19 line with a 3-inch hooklength of .14. a bulk of shot at the knot No8s normally, the .19 line is to keep the line straight as the rig is lowered. It seems to go against everything I've learnt but it is devastating when it comes to catching fish.
I've probably missed other technique changes I was shown how to catch roach quick but they elude me for the moment.
