Roach Fishing - A Complete Manual of the Art of Angling for Roach

By Faddist

This vintage book contains a complete manual of the art of angling for roach, with comments on methodology, equipment, tactics, and other information useful to the roach fisherman. This book is written in simple, plain language and includes a wealth of practical instructions and useful tips, making it a must-read for the novice roach fisherman. The chapters of this book include: 'The Roach', 'Descriptive', 'Statistical', 'Roach Waters', 'The Roach Fisherman', 'Baits and Ground-Baits', 'Major Tactics and Major Considerations', 'Methods and Styles', 'Odds and Ends - In Lighter Vein', and 'Hempseed Fishing for Roach'. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, high-quality, modern edition complete with the original text and images.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Geikie Press
• Release date: Dec 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781473347717

Book preview

CHAPTER I

THE ROACH

Descriptive—Statistical—Roach Waters—The Roach Fisherman—The Angle’s Responsibilities

NONE of our freshwater fish is sought after so assiduously, and by so many anglers, as is the roach. The roach is the common quest. It is a boon and a blessing to Mr. Everyman angler. Indeed, the widespread popularity of roach fishing—nowadays roach anglers are as the hosts of Midian—renders unnecessary an apology for this book. So straight to our subject-matter!

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The roach (Rutilus rutilus) is a member of the carp family (Cyprinidœ), and is classified amongst the coarse fish, termed ‘coarse’ to distinguish them from game fish—salmon, trout and grayling. It is of pleasing appearance; top of head and body greyish-green tinged with blue, gradually shading down to silvery-white sides, and so to the white abdomen. The underneath fins (pectoral, ventral, and anal) are bright red in colour. The pectoral fins having a tinge of yellow; the top (dorsal) and tail (caudal) fins are brownish-red.

This colour scheme varies. In some localities one meets with roach answering exactly to the foregoing description, fish of generally ‘silver’ appearance. Elsewhere one finds roach of a ‘bronze’ type; fish far darker in general appearance, with blood-red fins—handsome roach of decidedly carp-like appearance. In shallow, streamy waters, there may, too, be a shape difference. Stream roach, doubtless by reason of their environment, are more shapely fish, longer for their weight and less deep, and almost invariably these roach are of the bronze type.

The back (dorsal) fin is placed almost directly over the ventral fins; in the case of rudd the dorsal fin is set nearer the tail, and by this token they may readily be distinguished from roach—this apart from the ‘lip’ difference—the top lip of the roach projects beyond the lower lip, in the rudd the lower lip projects. The scales (of the roach) in the lateral line number from forty to forty-six. Eyes large, circles golden, pupils red. Teeth in throat.

It is important to note that the acid test distinguishing the hybrid roach-bream from the true roach is the number of rays in the anal fin, i.e., the underneath fin next the tail. In the anal fin of the roach there are about thirteen rays, in that of the bream from twenty-five to thirty-two, and in that of the hybrid the number of rays varies about mid-way between these figures.

Roach spawn about mid-May and on into June; warm weather hurrying and cold weather delaying the process. Prior to spawning, roach congregate in large shoals and head for the chosen breeding places. At this time, the close season (the close season with but few exceptions is from 15 March to 15 June, both dates inclusive), the fish are in wretched condition, being rough, lean and slimy, hungry, and on occasion so ‘silly’ tame that they may be found rustling about in weeds or reeds close to bank and may be captured by hand.

Roach are prolific spawners: the number of eggs in the case of a large female possibly running to six figures. The eggs are fertilised by milt from the males. The incubation period of eggs, which are shed on river bottom or on water-weed, is one or two weeks. Shortly thereafter the fry may be seen swimming about in closely packed shoals, often amongst reeds near to bank. It is well that roach are such prolific spawners, as in the fight for existence the scales are heavily weighted against them. They are taken by anglers (the total annual bag must run into millions); they are eaten by birds and by fish; and there are numerous other perils with which they have to contend, not the least being wholesale massacre by water pollution.

Gregarious by nature, roach swim in shoals and are common and plentiful in Britain—in almost any water, insignificant or imposing … pond, lake, mere, river, reservoir, and broad—as far north as Loch Lomond and the Teith, though scarce in Cornwall, Devon and West Wales. According to the authorities roach are also found in Europe, north of the Pyrenees and Alps; in Turkestan and Siberia. Irish ‘roach’ are ‘rudd’!

In weight roach run up to 2 lb., and sometimes larger still. On most waters the size limit is 7 in. or 8 in.; a 1 lb. fish is considered quite a nice fish, a 1 pounder really good, and anything over 1 lb. 15 oz. exceptional.

It is interesting to note that Mr. C. Tate Regan in his British Freshwater Fishes writes of roach that they ‘are said to attain sexual maturity when quite small, at an age of two years, whilst three-year-old fishes are said to be 4 in. or 5 in. long.’

In the make-up of roach, special note has to be taken of the top lip, which can be raised and brought forward. By its aid roach can pick up or take in food with almost uncanny precision and promptitude; and, if such food is unwanted or danger is scented, this telescopic top lip enables the fish to eject the food with lightning-like speed. A playful habit of theirs, at times. When a fish is netted and the gentles are found up the gut several inches from the hook, this may be due to such forcible and rapid ejection, but it does not follow that this is always the case. Weed and water resistance may have the like effect. But the fact that this top lip enables roach to take in and eject the baited hook so quickly and so delicately must be noted, as this accounts in some measure for difficulties of bite detection and correct timing of strike.

Two other characteristics of roach call for special mention. Their shyness and capriciousness. The former is dealt with under the heading of ‘Major Tactics and Major Considerations’ (Chapter III). On the latter count, however suitable weather and water conditions may appear, one can never be certain that roach will feed. And vice versa. Nor can one say for how long they will or will not feed. Believe me, like Major Bagstock, roach are ‘Artful, sir! Artful and dee-vilish sly!’ On apparently promising days piscator may come empty away; conversely on apparently hopeless days the roach may be found willing to feed freely. Perhaps this really is not a matter for surprise, seeing that changes in water temperature and oxygenation, and in weather, wind, and water conditions affect the feeding habits of roach. Some aspects of this problem are discussed later.

In rivers in the early part of the season the shoals of roach will often be found amongst the weeds or in the shallow runs, showing preference for streamy waters which enable them quickly to recover from the effects of spawning. For this reason in June and July it is well to pay special attention to the shallow, streamy runs, where the clear, bubbling waters act as a tonic to roach, putting new life and strength into them.

From July onwards roach gradually leave the weeds—though weed cover (and the weed cupboard) remains an attraction—and spread out all over the water.

With the approach of winter, roach move to the deeper runs and pools, visiting the shallows and coming in close to bank on those occasions when the sun deigns to shine, when a warmish spell occurs, in the pre-dusk hour, and possibly throughout the hours of darkness.

Mill-pools and tails with their little eddies and laybyes are favoured roach haunts and always worth extended trial. It has, too, to be noted that roach have particular liking for a swim where the bed is gravelly or sandy; and where there is a stream there will the roach gather together. But really the kind of water it inhabits means little to roach; deep water, shallow water, swiftly flowing or absolutely still, it is all one to them. On occasion one hears it said that roach fishing in ponds and some still waters is a hopeless proposition in winter, but this certainly is not invariably the case. In the words of no less an authority than the late Mr. J. H. R. Bazley: ‘Even during the colder months of the year roach may be induced to feed at times very freely in ponds and other still waters.’ (Quoted from The Art of Coarse Fishing).

At all times in still waters of considerable area difficulty may be experienced in tracking down the fish. One should try first, clear swims close to beds of weed. But a more paying proposition is carefully to ground-bait a likely spot—which probably means near weed cover—and make the fish come to you.

It will be appreciated that roach are seldom in first-class condition at the opening of the season; roach of still waters taking longer to recover than those of streams. Quite often it is well on into July and August before they recover condition, and, as a rule, it is not until September or October that roach are fighting fit. From then on until the season closes in March they are very different opponents from Summer roach. In other words, roach are at their best when the weather is at its worst.

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The record rod-caught roach weighed 3 lb. 14 oz. and was captured on 6 September, 1938, by Mr. W. Penney, a London angler, fishing the Lambeth Reservoir, Molesey. On that day Mr. Penny had three ‘bites’ One led to nothing, the others to roach of 3 lb 14 oz. and 3 lb. 1 oz. The larger roach was 18 inches in length and 14 inches in girth; the smaller fish 17 inches in length and 13 inches in girth.

The 3 lb. 14 oz. roach was weighed by the M.W.B. keeper and later its weight was checked by Messrs. Eggington and by Mr. Griggs, of Messrs. Cooper, who ‘cased’ the brace.

The runner-up to the record rod-caught roach weighed 3 lb. 10 oz. and was captured on the afternoon of 15 August, 1917, from Hornsea Mere, Yorkshire, by Mr. W. Cutting—the only roach he took that afternoon. Bait—lobworm; on hook No. 7. This fish was 18 inches in length. Scales in lateral line 45. It satisfies ‘fin’ and other tests; and definitely has no bar sinister.

The list of 3 lb. rod-caught roach, apart from the foregoing, makes interesting reading. Here it is, as far as I can trace:

* Taken in close season, on May-fly.

† Stated slightly to exceed 3 lb.; exact weight over 3 lb. not verified.

These statistics would be incomplete without reference to two large roach, not rod-caught:

1. A specimen of 3 lb. 12 oz. netted from Becontree Angling Society’s water