Feeder fishing for roach

[The Flying Tench]

There may be no answer to this one, but let me try it on some of you more experienced roach anglers.

 

We all know that, ledgering for roach, specially in winter, you need a very sensitive tip. But that gives problems trying to cast a feeder with any accuracy. In still water I use a straight lead and loose feed, but that's not so successful in a river with much flow, when loose feeding won't have anywhere near the accuracy of a feeder. What do others recommend?

[ayjay]

Most of the really big roach I've caught have been whilst barbel fishing with 8lb line and big hooks.The bites have not been difficult to connect with.

 

If you want to fish specifically for roach I would use the right tip for the conditions on the river and see what happens.It certainly wouldn't worry me having to use a 3 or 4oz tip if that was what the conditions dictated.

 

Liquidised bread in a cage feeder with a flake or punched bread hookbait if there is some colour in the water otherwise go with maggots.One tip is to try not to fish too close,for some reason roach seem harder to hook at close range.

[PeterJC]

Hi John, for rivers try going upstream.

Use a quivertip (strength unimportant), have a few casts with an empty feeder and very gradually tighten to the feeder. Learn how far round the tip has to go before the feeder is dislodged.

Once you know where this point is, start fishing, once the feeder has settled tighten the line until the quivertip is just below the "dislodge" point. Any fish picking up the bait will give a glorious dropback.

One word of warning, this method is frustrating if there is rubbish and leaves coming through but most should have cleared by now.

Hope this explains the method, the proportion of bits hit using this method is far greater than fishing downstream.

Can't help you on the lakes problem, I'm afraid, but I am sure there must be someone out there who can.

Happy roaching.

Peter.

[John Ellison]

Do yourself a favour, go and buy Fantastic Feeder Fishing by Archie Braddock. Santa brought me it a few years since, I was rivetted. All christmas day and boxing day I digested that book. Archie explains the principles of the upstream feeder. I, like millions more, missed roach bites by the thousand, I still miss a few but my hit rate has improved enormously. If this is a plug for Archie, and it is, he deserves it.

[The Flying Tench]

Thanks for the comments.

 

AJP. I was interested on a previous thread when you mentioned catching roach on 8lb line! I realise you're not suggesting i do this, but I wondered whether they were either at night or in quite fast water?. Thanks for the tip about them being bolder at a distance.

 

Peter and John E - you're both pushing me to try upstream ledgering! It wouldn't solve my problem of casting the feeder. My problem, I think, is that my quiver-tip rod is very floppy (less than 1oz), and doesn't cast a feeder very well. But I've just measured the test curve of the finest tip on my feeder rod, and it's about 2.5oz, which I've suspected of being too insensitive for roach. I may eventually need a new rod, but I'll take ajp's advice for now and try the feeder rod - at dusk/night.

 

Having said that, i probably need a push on the upstream ledgering. I've tried it half-heartedly for half an hour or so, and caught nothing; but it deserves a proper go. There's a rather pricey day-ticket water near me that i go to about once a year, where there's supposed to be a shoal of 2lb roach under a bridge. The nearest swim upsream you're allowed to swim is about 100 metres (?) away, and everyone long-trots and tries to coax the roach up. But as far as I can remember there's a downstream swim quite close, but no-one thinks to upstream ledger! So, yes, I'll give it a go - and I'll probably buy the book! Thanks.

[ayjay]

I've had a couple of big roach in the dark John,I only normally fish for a few hours after sunset not all night, but I've had plenty in daylight.My biggest roach came in the afternoon of a very sunny day in October,it took about 20 maggots on a size 10 hook.

 

I don't think I've had any in really fast water,just good steady flows.The barbel on the Stour in summer are only normally found where there is more flow but it is not what I would call fast.

 

I think I know what you mean about it not casting a feeder well but you have to not think about it too much and just go for it,your rod should give some sort of indication of a maximum casting weight,the only thing you can really do is to trust the makers.

[PeterJC]

John,

Such was your glowing review I have just logged onto Amazon and ordered a copy of Fantastic Feeder Fishing. We're never too old to learn (although my son says I am).

Happy new year to all Angler's net members.

Here's to a whole string of PBs in 2004.

Peter.

[jeepster]

i've done the same, sounds like a very useful tome!

[jeepster]

i've done the same, sounds like a very useful tome!

[JW]

The most important thing in pacey water is that the rig is balanced. If the rig is balanced right you'll have no problem seeing bites from all but the smallest of roach. A 3oz tip may seem brutal but if you're fishing with that much lead you can't fish any other way. I see others have said about "fishing upstream" what we generally do is very similar. Just cast normally but when the feeder is about to hit the water lift the rod to 12o'clock, wait until the feeder hits bottom then simply lower the rod into the rest (which should be set so the rod is pointing up in the air). The resulting bow helps the feeder stay static in the flow. If it starts bouncing add a bit more weight until you get it balanced. Using braid is useful with this method as the low diameter helps cut the amount of drag on the line. Any sort of bite at all will dislodge the feeder and show very positively on your tip (usually a big drop back).