Q. WHEN WOULD YOU USE GROUNDBAIT OVER LOOSEFEED?
Match Angler 1;- I'd always use groundbait. Loosefeeding alone brings the fish off bottom, which isn't what you want to happen. I use 50/50 Sensas Gros Gardons and Canal Fine Noire, mixed on the dry side to make it very active. I will loosefeed too, but only over the top every now and then.
Match Angler 2;- Generally, for roach on a natural venue, I will always put some groundbait in. This gets a bed down early for roach to graze on and settle over. Which groundbait I decide to use depends very much on the depth of the swim, but I always base my mix around the reliable Sensas Gros Gardons.
Match Angler 3;- I will use groundbait to concentrate the shoal, but it's loosefeed that really gets them competing. On harder natural venues my mix is Sonubaits Supercrumb Lake, over which I'll periodically loosefeed maggots.
Match Angler 4;- In clear conditions it's loosefeed alone but with colour in the water groundbait becomes a must. Normally I feed groundbait at the start, then loosefeed over the top. My mix is Sensas Gros Gardons with casters, a little chopped worm and sometimes dead maggots and pinkies.
Q. DO YOU HAVE A NUMBER ONE HOOKBAIT TO PICK OUT THE BIGGER ROACH?
Match Angler 1;- There's only one bait for big roach, and that has to be casters. However, although double caster has a great track record, I rarely use it and instead stick to a single bait with the hook buried fully inside it. Catching big roach is really all about subtle presentation of the hookbait.
Match Angler 2;- That has to be casters! Double caster is a favourite of mine in Ireland and it certainly picks out the bigger roach.
Match Angler 3;- Caster is a reliable big roach bait fished single or double but anther bait that's often overlooked is a small piece of worm or the head of a worm. This really does pick out the bigger roach and you can catch several on the same bait. I find that if I can catch roach on a piece of worm, then I'm going to be in for a good day!
Match Angler 4;- Casters are most anglers' favourite, but I've caught so many big roach on a section of worm. Redworms are also brilliant fished as a tail section teamed with loosefed casters.
Q. WHEN DOES THE FEEDER COME INTO PLAY FOR CATCHING ROACH?
Match Angler 1;- I'd switch to a feeder only if the fish were out of pole range or there wasn't enough depth on the pole line. That would only be as a last resort, though, because in my experience the feeder isn't ideal for catching roach. I find I miss too many bites, even on prolific venues.
Match Angler 2;- The feeder is becoming more and more popular for catching roach, and it certainly works if the fish are out of pole range or want to be feeding in a certain depth. Ireland is a great place for this style of fishing, with Inniscarra Lake a reliable venue for bagging up on the feeder.
Match Angler 3;- Distance is what governs whetherI fish a feeder for roach. If the fish are beyond 30m out that's too far even for a waggler, so the feeder is your only option - but I'd always want to try and catch on the pole, even if the water was relatively shallow on this line, as this method offers such superior presentation and accuracy.
Match Angler 4;- I'd only think of fishing the feeder for roach on big lakes at long range. You need to be very active, filling the feeder with lots of casters, fishing a long hooklink with floating maggot on the hook and never leaving the feeder in for more than a few minutes. Most bites come as the feeder settles.
