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Ideal roach fishing rod


Anderoo

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I had that impulse...! It happens to me very rarely, I thought a mid-week evening when rain was forecast would have been a pretty safe bet. Next time I'm going to go at dawn, which I really prefer not to do, but I doubt anyone else would be there then. To be honest, I don't think it'll be that good just yet, but I want to get a good look at it and have a dabble before the autumn rains fill it up and - hopefully - the roach properly move in. It's very shallow indeed right now, I know that much!

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Well a speculative bid on eBay has made me the proud (and slightly surprised) owner of an old fox kevlex specialist rod. Looks just the part for big roach.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Fortunately, not something I have to face too often, because "undesirable types" usually don't like walking very far. The first fortnight of a new season is perhaps the exception, when all the best chub swims on one of my rivers are occupied by instant barbel fishers. They are usually gone by July.

 

That said, the natural impulse of a true angler upon finding someone else in his favourite swim is to kill him. Civilisation is a mixed blessing....... <_<I

Is that ilegal in sussex, I moved from kent 10 years ago and i believe it is a justifiable defence there

Life is not a dress rehearsal, enjoy it

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Best roach tip at present - get on hemp and tares whilst you can - the roach are most definitely taking it (excellent prospect on the Thames) and will continue until it cools down which can be as late as November.

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Cheers mark, I'll have to give that a go. Had a good evening on the Thames, a few roach on the quivertipped flake, biggest a scale perfect fish of 1lb 2oz on the first cast.

 

As soon as darkness fell it all went very quiet, which seems to happen regularly. Have you found the same? Also the biggest fish are often the first, again, something you've noticed?

 

Ps the crays were a right old pain...

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Hemp and tare fishing is almost the opposite to the style of fishing you're trying at present, Andrew. I fish my sessions in the late morning to mid afternoon in the heat of the day, and the sunnier the better. On a good day the swim builds with the bigger fish taking a couple of hours to show though not always. Last week I had big roach swirling 18" down with 15 minutes though not easy to catch. If you're getting the biggest first then it suggests the fish are getting wary quickly for some reason. I have fished into dark with bread on the float on the Frome in summer and it's often the case that the roach don't show at all until it's nearly dark (unlike the dace0 though I pack up as soon as I can't see the float, that said I have caught roach into dark with floats with starlights.

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If you're getting the biggest first then it suggests the fish are getting wary quickly for some reason.

That was our conclusion too!

 

Thinking back to all the bigger roach I've had so far from the Thames, all have been the first fish, all have been very confident bites with the hook well back in the mouth, and then it gets hard with shy, twitchy bites (less so when there's some flow and the balanced feeder can be used) and seemingly nervous fish.

 

Could be because the first fish coincides with a bit of bait in the swim and the crays turning up, which they dislike? Or the mashed bread quickly overfeeds them? Or just that the rest of the shoal gets edgy when one disappears?

 

It's a puzzle I want to solve because I'm certain there are good fish in front of me that I should be catching. I'd rather sit in one swim and fish it well but I guess if I can't I might be better off moving regularly and trying to get 1 decent roach in each swim...

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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From what I know of local (Oxford) match anglers' approach to this, it does seem that hemp and tares are the way to go in summer. The roach will come up in the water so crayfish aren't a problem, and you are building the swim - they get roach to 2lbs. It's vital to fish light rigs; no. 8s and 10s down the line, but it does work. In the past I've had some very good catches on the Thames fishing this way with distance and cost the main deterrent now to fishing it more often. When the water cools considerably in late autumn and winter, and there is some flow and colour then your approach is ideal, and of course the crayfish are much less active.

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Ta mark, I will give that a proper go next time. Do you have an idea why they're getting wary after 1 fish? It happens just as much in winter conditions. Overfeeding?

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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