Hareshaw quarry bag

[Santiago]

Whilst planning to fish the Thames a few years back from my boat I had run out of groundbait, and I had no cooked hemp or bread, but I wanted to pre-bait a 10 ' deep spot just off the front of the boat only half a rod length out. I knew from past fishing there was roach there and wanted to target them. Anyways, I discovered a really good and simple groundbait that pulls big roach in and gets them feeding on the bottom confidently. And is now my go to method. It's simply several handfuls of uncooked porridge oats. It lies nicely on the bottom and shows up well, and in my experience works every time, and even keeps them interested the day after. Best used very slow moving sections.

[Ian]

The river Tay had shoals of big roach.i never witnessed it but seemingly they hung around the docks where the grain boats would be.when the boats stopped the roach all disappeared.any grain wether it barley,wheat,corn,any will put the beef on the fish.they like it.stewed wheat used to be used as a feed and when a guy up here stocked his fishery for the first time the carp were about a lb and he used to go down at night and chuck in barley.some of them got to 6lb in two or three years

[Stuart Whiting]

Couldn't agree more.got to be confident with ones set up.there is a good reason for using a curved float on a still water.maybe not that banana one right enough lol.i,like Stuart,prefer a good westerly breeze.a good wave on the water is ideal,but I prefer to sit with the wave rolling right to left,but that's just my personal preference.i don't really get the chance to use those floats often,but come September,when those winds start to pick up from the west and the water starts to pruduce those big smooth rolling waves,that's when I will use them.you have to fish over depth with them 8 inch or so and they are designed for this.the curvature of the float faces the same way as the flow.the way the float acts in the wave is what makes them work so well.the float will stay level and the crest of the wave will roll over the top of it.the float won't Bob in the slightest.under the wave then reappear,under reappear,under reappear.get used to the timing.the art of using these floats is not to look for the float to get pulled under by the fish but for it not to reappear or not to fully reappear.once you get used to the timing it's a great method to fish and it's amazing how easy a wave rolls over the top of a curved float fished over depth.

Mmmm interesting Ian, seems I may have to look into that a little more and perhaps give the tactic a go myself

Stuart

[Stuart Whiting]

Whilst planning to fish the Thames a few years back from my boat I had run out of groundbait, and I had no cooked hemp or bread, but I wanted to pre-bait a 10 ' deep spot just off the front of the boat only half a rod length out. I knew from past fishing there was roach there and wanted to target them. Anyways, I discovered a really good and simple groundbait that pulls big roach in and gets them feeding on the bottom confidently. And is now my go to method. It's simply several handfuls of uncooked porridge oats. It lies nicely on the bottom and shows up well, and in my experience works every time, and even keeps them interested the day after. Best used very slow moving sections.

Very interesting you mention about the porridge oat Trev, a few years ago I used to use ready break mixed with the milk so it was like a thick sloop, made a brilliant cloud bait

Have now moved onto Liccy but with another added powder ingredient

Stuart

[Ian]

Couldn't agree more.got to be confident with ones set up.there is a good reason for using a curved float on a still water.maybe not that banana one right enough lol.i,like Stuart,prefer a good westerly breeze.a good wave on the water is ideal,but I prefer to sit with the wave rolling right to left,but that's just my personal preference.i don't really get the chance to use those floats often,but come September,when those winds start to pick up from the west and the water starts to pruduce those big smooth rolling waves,that's when I will use them.you have to fish over depth with them 8 inch or so and they are designed for this.the curvature of the float faces the same way as the flow.the way the float acts in the wave is what makes them work so well.the float will stay level and the crest of the wave will roll over the top of it.the float won't Bob in the slightest.under the wave then reappear,under reappear,under reappear.get used to the timing.the art of using these floats is not to look for the float to get pulled under by the fish but for it not to reappear or not to fully reappear.once you get used to the timing it's a great method to fish and it's amazing how easy a wave rolls over the top of a curved float fished over depth.

Mmmm interesting Ian, seems I may have to look into that a little more and perhaps give the tactic a go myself

Stuart

You should try it Stuart.i don't know how it would work with the wind blowing straight towards you,but it might be just as good.the bites are quite obvious too.i think it must be something to do with the width of the quill float tapering down from eye to tip that makes them hold so steady and the wave going over them so easy.just so happens that quill floats are 99 percent going to be curved,but the curve defo shapes with the flow.the guy who more or less showed me how to roach fish always used them.big ones too,even in 3ft of water.

[Stuart Whiting]

Couldn't agree more.got to be confident with ones set up.there is a good reason for using a curved float on a still water.maybe not that banana one right enough lol.i,like Stuart,prefer a good westerly breeze.a good wave on the water is ideal,but I prefer to sit with the wave rolling right to left,but that's just my personal preference.i don't really get the chance to use those floats often,but come September,when those winds start to pick up from the west and the water starts to pruduce those big smooth rolling waves,that's when I will use them.you have to fish over depth with them 8 inch or so and they are designed for this.the curvature of the float faces the same way as the flow.the way the float acts in the wave is what makes them work so well.the float will stay level and the crest of the wave will roll over the top of it.the float won't Bob in the slightest.under the wave then reappear,under reappear,under reappear.get used to the timing.the art of using these floats is not to look for the float to get pulled under by the fish but for it not to reappear or not to fully reappear.once you get used to the timing it's a great method to fish and it's amazing how easy a wave rolls over the top of a curved float fished over depth.

Mmmm interesting Ian, seems I may have to look into that a little more and perhaps give the tactic a go myself

Stuart

You should try it Stuart.i don't know how it would work with the wind blowing straight towards you,but it might be just as good.the bites are quite obvious too.i think it must be something to do with the width of the quill float tapering down from eye to tip that makes them hold so steady and the wave going over them so easy.just so happens that quill floats are 99 percent going to be curved,but the curve defo shapes with the flow.the guy who more or less showed me how to roach fish always used them.big ones too,even in 3ft of water.

Cheers Ian,

Sounds interesting and am always interested in different tactics regarding roach, in due time I'll no doubt give these type of floats a go

Stuart

[Ian]

Plenty of time Stuart,like I said,need to wait for those September gales.

[Stuart Whiting]

Plenty of time Stuart,like I said,need to wait for those September gales.

Stuart

[Ian]

like winter up here today.cold easterly and rain.was meant to be 15 degrees yesterday,more like 7.looks like I wont be roach fishing again this week unless it heats up from tomorrow til suday.

[Stuart Whiting]

like winter up here today.cold easterly and rain.was meant to be 15 degrees yesterday,more like 7.looks like I wont be roach fishing again this week unless it heats up from tomorrow til suday.

18 degrees here today in northwest Kent, tis getting towards that time where I do me river reccies, love walking the river banks at this time of year amongst all the Fournier and wild life but I will stress that being a naturalist it's wise not to interfere with nature especially breeding birds etc ,

In some regions with prior permission I do at times put nest boxes up in the trees along the river banks and have had yer usual birds in em but the best I've had nest was a pair of spotted fly catchers

Hope it gets a bit warmer up there soon

Stuart