Keepnet for roach?

[Steve Walker]

Hemp is the seed of the cannabis genus of plant but in its sterile form so we don't end up with millions of anglers inadvertently growing pot in their back yard and on the river banks!!! Researching it quickly threw up a surprise. Although I knew it was possible to smoke and eat the leaves of the plant I did not know the following about the seeds!

 

The seeds are very tasty roasted, you can buy them in the health food section of the supermarket.

 

I don't think the strains of the plant used in legitimate agriculture have high enough levels of THC to be worth smoking, though, even if you could get them to sprout.

[Mark Wintle]

Well thanks, Mark and others. I'm certainly doing something wrong. I fished for 2 hours. Bait was 2 bits of the largest bread punch or flake, and I used 0.5 kilo of Sensas roach flavoured groundbait over the time, reasonably steadily I think. The trace was 0.1mm line and the hooks were kamasan B520 size 12 and B511 size 14 - the finest they had in the tackle shop. I was fishing about 20 to 25 feet from the bank in about 3 feet of water. Ah, now on this occasion 4 narrow boats went by, which I realise can upset the fish, but I tend to kill the swim somehow even when there aren't boats. I would say that the boats kept a degree of colour in the water.

 

I don't think it was a big shoal - the bites were never bite-a-chuck - but I'm sure there were a lot more than i caught! be grateful for any tips as to my mistake(s).

 

Presumably you're fishing the K&A? It's possible your approach of groundbait and flake is the wrong one and that a different approach might be better. Fishing sparingly fed casters fished on a size 20 is another approach. Also the contours of the canal; are you fishing down the middle? Across to the far shelf? One canal roach strategy is to fish close in for an hour or two, possibly with bread punch, bottom of near shelf all the while feeding casters right across then switch to laid on caster on the far shelf after two or three hours.

 

As has been mentioned there is no set feeding method for roach but experimentation and experience help develop successful methods for the waters you're fishing. Quite often there is more than one way to skin a cat and even on the same water several methods are required according to conditions. Other factors include water colour, temperature, whether the roach have been fed recently, current speed and flow, and the particular swim, which may have other fish present such as dace, bream, chub etc.

[Phone]

All,

 

Ignorance is bliss.

 

I thought roach, like chub and carp were minnows. Why haven't I seen any mention of fishmeal?

 

Phone

[The Flying Tench]

Presumably you're fishing the K&A?

 

Yes, but a swim where the river comes into the canal, and where boats turn round which I'm told makes it slightly deeper. The swim is opposite the river, so the current comes right over to the side where I fish. So I'm really fishing canalised river rather than canal.

 

The reason I'm fishing bread is that the fish are attuned to it as a lot is thrown in for the swans. I'm getting a much better stamp of fish than when I tried maggot, but I must admit I've never tried caster. Maybe I should do so. Thanks for the help.

[The Flying Tench]

Hi John

In fairness you seem to be rather eager most times to tell all about your less than successful sessions and rarely do we hear of you triumphs. Now I know you go fishing a fair old bit and I do know you fish some of the best waters for Roach in the country, and, you are a very modest chap... so come on stop ''hiding your light'' tell all

Actually there's no 'hiding my light', T-M. I've been 'off-fishing' since last November due to back trouble, but I now have a corset (!) which I wear for fishing so I've been able to do short trips for a month now. All is revealed in my blog, but it ain't a lot! Hope things have been going OK for yourself.

[watatoad]

Back to the keepnet, I would never use a keepnet unless I were match fishing.

 

1: I know if I have had a good day or not so I do not need to keep a total.

 

2: In the days of long ago when I did use a keepnet (well over 40 years) I never found once I stopped using one any difference.

 

3: I like to catch fish that are in good condition and I think keepnets can damage fish especially when they are crowded, a bit like people on a crowded tube or railway train or bus, many of you know that's not much fun.