The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker

It's interesting that the canal roach are so undeterred by the cold. What bait are you using? My reason for asking is that I'm in two minds about whether I should scale down and try pinkies, cos the roach don't seem to like my maggots! Although if course it could just be that there are no roach in the swims I have tried recently.

Happy Christmas by the way!

Hi FT. Nothing more technical than a single maggot (red or white: seemed to make no difference) on a size 18 on 2lb hook length. (I would have gone to 20, but there seemed no need). Not sure my local tackle shop sells pinkies. The maggots were over a week old and quite tired, but this didn't seem to put the roach off. There being virtually no flow (apart from barge wake) I used the smallest stick float I could get away with, shirt-button shotted, and set just above the bottom (ie I adjusted to the point where  I stopped dragging the bottom or picking up leaves). It was prob about 4ft deep and while there was bleak activity on the surface, the roach seemed to be on the bottom. I used my 15ft float rod pretty much as a whip and fished 2 lines, one say 6ft out, the other maybe 18 (ie both my side of halfway). The swim is quite sheltered, next to a bridge and close to some bankside reeds. I tossed in the occasional small ball of liquidised bread and maybe 6 loose maggots every 4 or 5 mins. There, I can't claim any great wisdom to this, but it seemed to work when most of my trips seem to fail, and hope there is something in it that might bring you good juju.

Thank you for your Christmas wish, which I of course return. My presents kindly included a fishing jumper and a voucher for Thatcham Angling, to which I will be rushing when it next opens, and checking on pinkie availability.

Good luck: keep the faith - it will happen!

Bayleaf, I fish that stretch of the K&A occasionally, I park at Bellwood.  I fish mainly for roach these days and have also caught lots of roach there but none of any size - do you know if there are any gooduns in there?  I usually use bread flake.  PS, I enjoy reading your and CP's blogs.

In my limited experience, I've not had a roach bigger than 6 ounces in the canal. Out of the NAA waters I've been told that there are good roach in both Bellwood and Collins (neither of which I have fished much), with my own p.b.s coming at Willows and Knotts. These may have only been 12-ounce tiddlers, but still seemed like bars of solid silver to me. Thank you for your kind words re blogs, but I'd  favour CP's as he always has far more fish in his posts. 

Peterjg, would you be interested in leaving a blog occasionally? As a roach specialist it would be really interesting I am sure. One way is by leaving a blog like CP, BTG and me from time to time. There's also the 'A few hours out yesterday' thread started by Tigger a few years ago. It's mainly reports by Tigger, but it's also used by other anglers. 

Flying Tench, it's not really a good idea.  I hardly set the fishing world alight and although I fish a lot I am a bit stuck in my ways so a blog would be a bit repetitious - especially having now mastered the art of blanking.  I have fished for around 60 years, done over 1200 nights, have a good record of catching big carp (42 thirties and 3 forties).  Now ninety nine per cent of my fishing is for roach but unfortunately I really struggle to catch the bigguns!