The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Some of the roach you get in carp dominated lakes are fantastic specimens and almost ignored.

Here is a typical "net fish" I caught yesterday approx 10-12 oz. Using light lines and size 20 hooks.



Last year the lake went barmy (after severe frosts) and one day I had a freak catch of 35 roach over 1lb in a bag that must have topped 100lb. (Best 1.10). I weighed each fish (on Avons) that looked over 1lb and each time it was confirmed as pound plus, I dropped a split shot in a bait box and counted up the split shot at the end of day.

At 11am I had 6 roach over 1lb in 6 casts.

There is another lake that does throw up the odd "2".

One below I got some time ago now.




Might be worth checking out you local carp lake/commercials for ignored goldmines of roach.

What you do have to watch out for is some lakes you will get too many small ones so you need to go after severe frosts in my opinion which seems to stun the little uns.

(NB the real biggies seem to get caught by the carp blokes on carp gear and it's soul destroying!).

Those roach are in superb condition

Lovely roach, they look freshly minted.

Lovely fish Mark, well done.

Very nice. I have to agree. I fished my local commercial for about 15 years and was regularly the only person targeting roach. I had numerous fish to 1lb 12oz although the magic 2lb eluded me.

I used to fish a couple of small irrigation pools on a farm over near Hereford. It contained Carp, roach and eels. One day, I was fishing by a little raft of bull rushes in one of the corners, I was catching nice little 5 ounce roach over a bed of mashed bread, with bread flake on my hook. I'd been fishing these pools for a few years, if ever I got fed up with catching the small roach, I'd step up my tackle and have a go for the carp, (Which was the case on this occasion). I hooked a fish which felt like a carp until I recognized the darting fight of a roach. This fish was the outcome, followed swiftly afterwards by another of the same size.



The photo doesn't do the fish justice. I've had people tell me that it only looks about 1lb but eventhough I didn't weigh it, I know in my own mind how big it was.

The tackle box is 12 inches in length. I really wish id put a coin or something next to it.

One thing is for sure though. You shouldn't over-look any water, the pool only covered about quarter of an acre but it was 7/8 feet deep, maybe 10ft in the middle.

Julian wrote:Those roach are in superb condition

Yes indeed - they get good quality nutrition care of the carpers.

Not to labour the point too much but here are two more over the magic barrier. They are in good nick generally.



On one water it's 12 foot deep but if you keep on feeding the maggots/casters you get the larger roach in 3 foot or less of water - this is in winter with hard frost on the ground.



These days, they are just about the only fish that do it for me.

Lovely pair of fish.

I have two carp lakes close to me where I have my eye on a big winter roach. On one, the owner was astounded when, during the summer and in an oxygen crash, a small shoal of massive roach came to the surface. As for size, if I said the number was bigger than 'two' you'll appreciate it made me listen!

Tengisgol wrote:I have two carp lakes close to me where I have my eye on a big winter roach. On one, the owner was astounded when, during the summer and in an oxygen crash, a small shoal of massive roach came to the surface. As for size, if I said the number was bigger than 'two' you'll appreciate it made me listen!

The typical issues when trying for them is:

1) Keeping carp away
2) Keeping the smaller roach at bay

Both usually mean fishing in very cold conditions.

Also be wary of others telling you how big the roach are - I've seen lots of 1.5lb roach caught by carpers who put them back without weighing them and they claim they are well over "2".