Roach Fishing with Ultralight 'pin; What Line?

[Kingfisher]

I always use 1.5lb Drennan Double strength for my hook links fished with a 3.5 lb Daiwa sensor mainline. It's always been enough to bully those chub out of intereferring branches when needed and yet keep the finesse enough for Roach fishing.

In reference to line twist, try running your hooklink over your jeans/trousers a few times to eliminate static. I've always found it to work for me.

[Santiago]

The hooks I now use for roach are Drennan silver fish maggot in spade end.

[Moley]

Dear Woodburner Mat,

This Mole is fat and generally useless at most things to do with modern life. However, he has done rather a lot of trotting over the years and has found a centrepin works better, on a river, with a line with a decent diameter as it catches the flow better. Also going too light can be a problem if your river has decent Chub in it or marauding Trout of any description......Barbel too.

Daiwa Sensor and Maxima are both reliable and well proven lines, so a good starting point. Probably best to start with 4lb bs and see how you get on. The ultra light set ups with 2lb or less bs lines are for the more experienced and are not fun to use when windy or rainy as they stick to the reel, the rod and anything else you can think of and some things you would not believe.

As for hook lengths take a variety of pre-tied ones, either made up yourself or purchased pre-tied. Drennan are pretty good for these and again reliable. Get a variety of different hook sizes, type and bs and see which ones you have the most success with. It might also be worth bearing in mind that bigger hooks do not look ridiculous with some baits ie Flake or Crust and these give you more hooking power. You might find, as this Mole has, that sometimes going up a hook size or a change of hook pattern works better than the much mooted mantra of always dropping the hook size if the fish are finicky. The much vaunted experts we all hear about and from, often loudly, are not always right, so try different things and find what works for you.

The other vital consideration and oft overlooked, is float choice. Small is not necessarily best and always pick a float to boss the conditions and not the other way round, this only leads to frustration and much chucking the rod up the bank in anger

Remember, the rules you have probably learned for Stillwater float fishing do not apply in the same way in swiftly running water.

By the way what 'pin did you purchase, as again this really can make or break a tyro at trotting?

Hope this has helped, in a small way but to be totally honest the best way is to go to a match and watch the real experts or better still get out on the bank with someone who is prepared to spend time showing you the ropes; this really is the best short cut to cutting out a lot of frustration in the long run!

Good luck as once learned to a tolerable level, trotting really is the most satisfying way to catch Roach, Dace and Chub too!


As ever,..........


Mole Power!!!

[WoodBurnerMatt]

Hi All,

Thank you Moley Et Al, I have learned lots. I think I may do as moley says and get some practice with 4lb and a light hook length before trying to go lighter. The pin is a Garry Mills/Perfection Angling Ultralight Roach Reel, which is a thing of beauty and has no place in my fishing bag really!

Thank you all once again
Woodburnermatt

[ReelMaker]

Dear sir,This new Drennan Supplex is the answer ,its brillant nylon and you can buy it in 50yrds at under 3lbs bs,I have used it on my centre pin for small roach at 2.5 bs and it is not expensive as some low diameter nylon.Reelmaker.