How to choose the best for roach: tips to follow

Roach is considered to be one of the finest catches a keen angler can get. With the correct practices and the right know-how, one can easily catch their best ever roach in no time. 

With that being said, there’s still some things to consider, in particular, the bait that you will choose. Since it's one of the key components for a successful fishing trip, we’ve decided to write an article with advice on what professionals say about choosing bait for roach angling.

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So, without further adieu, let’s dive into it.

The fresher the bait the better

Typically, angling professionals recommend going for maggots when it comes to roach fishing. A fresh bait means it's softer and thus more attractive to the fish you’re targeting. When preparing for your fishing trip, visit your local tackle shop to buy a fresh pack of maggots.

If you’re keen on using leftover maggots from earlier, make sure that they aren’t too dry before you head out to the spot.

Bigger fish means more bait

In places where there’s a lot of roaches, naturally, you’ll want to aim for the big ones. Bigger fish, however, means that you’ll need more bait for the area in order to catch them.

Experts agree that boilies, lobworms and maggots are all great options in this case, so set up a good position and wait for the lucky catch. Just be patient and you won’t be disappointed.

Pellets can help

Catching roaches with the help of pellets is a trickier thing to do as there will be many failed attempts in a successful catch. However, if you feel that your typical methods aren’t working, this might be worth trying out.

Experts recommend using softer pellets as they do increase the chance of a successful catch.

Don’t shy away from a dedicated mix

Roach are a popular fish to angle, so there’s plenty of groundbait mixes being manufactured specifically for catching them. 

Professionals recommend looking for a mixture containing hemp and brown crumb, however, there are some premium mixes that contain some additional spices to further increase the flavour.

Try mixing them with another groundbait option at a 50-50 rate and you should size the number of bites skyrocketing.

Bread can be helpful as well

When we talk about roach catching it's important to note two distinct subspecies including river and lake roach.

Still water fishes are often considered much more picky than their river counterparts, so a wider variety of bait is required to interest them.

For river roach, however, even a few breadcrumbs can be welcoming if the fish are especially hungry. So, don’t be afraid to try out even the simplest of bait to see what works for you.

All in all

In this article we’ve talked about a few main tips for choosing roach bait. It’s important to try different things, and even unconventional ones, although roach is a fish that can be caught with a bit of patience.