Before we start talking about what the roach’s bite depends on, let’s try to understand in general terms what a roach is.
Roach is a fish that inhabits most freshwater bodies of water. Belongs to the family of carp fish. With the exception of sea roach, it is not of particular commercial value, but is one of the main fish species that is the object of sport and recreational fishing.
Roach
Roaches are divided into subspecies and have different names depending on their habitat:
- roach,
- ram,
- vobla,
- sorog,
- chebak,
- bagel,
- carpenter
- serushka,
- red-eye,
- flesh.
The rudd is called the rudd roach, but still, it stands out as a separate species of fish, although there are also hybrids. And if you start to carefully understand and study the subspecies of roach, it will become clear that there is no single classification.
- Roach on the first ice. Roach bite in winter
River and sea roach
Azov roach
There are river roaches and sea roaches, or rather, anadromous roaches that live in salty sea water and in fresh or mixed brackish water. Anadromous and semi-anadromous subspecies of roach are roach (Caspian sea roach), ram (Azov-Black Sea sea roach) and Aral roach. All other species are common roach leading a residential or sedentary lifestyle.
In some regions of the middle zone and to the north, river roach with a narrow body and yellow eyes is called chebak (Siberian roach), roach with a wider body and red eyes is called soroga (roach in the middle and upper Volga and some other places). In some places, large old bream is also called chebak.
Growth and size of roach. Large roach
The roach grows very slowly; in order to reach a weight of 300 grams, a river roach needs to live for about 10 years. Depending on the average water temperature and the abundance of food, roach grows slower or faster. The sea roach grows larger. It is the slow growth of roach that makes this fish not very attractive for commercial catch and cultivation, and therefore it is considered a weed in water bodies that are inhabited by valuable fish species.
The largest roach caught weighed 2.58 kg - a world record. The maximum weight of roach does not exceed 2.8 kg. In regular fishing, a roach weighing more than 200 - 300 grams is considered large, and the majority of the catch is fish weighing 100 - 150 grams. Large roaches adhere to schools of small ones, but are more cautious and timid.
Roach feeding
Roach is a peaceful fish that feeds on food of plant and animal origin - underwater vegetation, insect larvae, and mollusks. However, large roaches can also eat young fish. Roach and rudd are often caught using spinning rods.
Red roach
As bait for catching roach in the summer, anglers use a worm, maggot, canned corn, boiled pearl barley, dough or mash (semolina-based bait). In winter fishing, roaches are caught using reelless jigs, and when fishing with bait, bloodworms, maggots, jigs, and burdock moth larvae are used.
Bait for catching roach
Summer bait for catching roach consists of plant components and is made on the basis of ground crackers and wheat bran, to which are added various bite enhancers - attractants. The most famous bite activators are vanillin, milk powder, cocoa powder, coriander, and various flavorings.
Winter bait for catching roach differs from summer bait in the absence of large fractions and a reduced amount of any flavorings. In the absence of bites, winter bait for roaches is food bloodworms in its pure form.
Here is one of the many recipes for homemade universal bait for roaches:
Roach hook size
Considering that the sizes of hooks from different manufacturers differ from each other and often do not correspond to the international classification, we will give only general recommendations for choosing a hook for roach.
Hook size
The size of hooks for roach is selected in accordance with the size of the bait. The smallest ones are for fishing with bloodworms, medium ones for maggots, and larger hooks for worms and plant baits. For catching roach with a worm, hooks with a long shank are preferable; in other cases, hooks with a short shank are preferable. Larger hooks are also used for attaching a “bundle” or several plant baits.
In general, more delicate hooks are used for float fishing than for feeder fishing. In addition, you need to take into account the activity of the fish - the worse the bite, the thinner and smaller the hook should be.
With a spatula or a ring, the hook is just a matter of habit; it does not have much effect on the roach’s bite. One thing is important - the hooks must be sharp, thin and durable.
Fishing tactics
The technique for catching April roach is quite unique. They differ for the feeder and the Bolognese fishing rod, and now we will look at fishing with these tackles.
Bolognese fishing
In order to catch a roach using Bolognese tackle, you need to find its parking place. It is best to start searching from a tributary or stream, and gradually go downstream.
First, we cast the rig and make several retrieves over a long distance. Each cast we make further from the shore. If there is no result, we go downstream, approximately to the place to which we did the wiring, and repeat the procedure.
Rest assured, active roach will immediately show itself with a good bite. After you have found the point where the bite occurred, you can choose a convenient distance so that you can throw the equipment there without difficulty.
Now the fishing actually begins. If the bites weaken, you can throw a little bait at the fishing point. If the bait does not help activate the fish, or you simply do not have bait, you need to change the place.
Further tactics are as follows: If you are fishing in the evening and the water has begun to cool, you need to go downstream, using the same tactics as when choosing a place at the beginning. If, on the contrary, the sun heats up the water, you need to move upstream towards a tributary or stream.
Feeder fishing tactics
When fishing on a feeder, the tactics are significantly different. With a feeder you don’t really walk along the shore, and there’s no point in doing so. The main thing here is to initially choose the right place to fish.
Excellent places will be spits, shallows bordering the depths, small areas of calm water where the fish can take a break from fighting the spring flow.
The roach will enter any of these places from time to time and naturally will not refuse the tasty bait.
Since the fish is not far from the shore, sometimes even closer than 5 meters, we need to take a place above the promising point and cast downstream. If you choose a braid, you need to cast to a nearby dump.
Here, the roach passing through a shallow place will move along the bottom until it reaches a horizon that is comfortable for itself, and naturally it will find our bait at the bottom.
Read How to assemble and equip a float rod
Exactly the same tactics should be followed when fishing at the border between shallows and depth. To fish in areas with a calm current, you need to try to cast to the border of a calm and strong current.
This way the current will move and lift the bait, and it will not go unnoticed. You can also place a foam ball on the hook; sometimes this technique attracts roaches very well.
The main thing in feeder fishing tactics is endurance. The fish will definitely come, you just need to wait, change baits, experiment with the length of the leash, and a bite will definitely follow!
That's all, dear fishing enthusiasts. If you have any questions, ask, I will be happy to answer, and see you next time!
Roach bite
Catching roach with a float rod
The roach bite depends on its activity at different times of the year, weather conditions and characteristics of the reservoir - all these are objective factors influencing the fish bite.
During the year, there are two bursts of roach biting and two times when the roach bite weakens along with the activity of other fish. The rest of the time, the roach bites and is caught quite evenly, reacting only to changes in weather and water conditions.
What should you fish for?
In order to replenish its strength and gain energy, like any other organism, roaches need high-calorie food. In March, when the water is still very cloudy, there are plenty of bites, it is important to choose a parking spot and bait. You should fish in shallow places where spring rays warm the water better. Often the bite is better where there is no strong current and shallow depth.
Of the baits, animal baits are preferable:
- Red worm - available in stores all year round
- Maggot - this is what is best to catch throughout the spring
- Caddis fly is great for March
- Bloodworms or a bunch of bloodworms are a good option for large roaches
- Dragonfly larva is only available in April
Plant species are also acceptable:
- Steamed pearl barley is a classic, used from spring to autumn
- Steamed wheat is not so good, but in some reservoirs you can’t live without it
- White bread
- Dough with larger balls to cut off small bites
- Semolina from a syringe is also irreplaceable
- Foam balls rising above the bottom do a good job of attracting the attention of not only roach, but also other whitefish.
Since it is difficult to visually find bait (due to turbid water), you can resort to using flavorings (dips) - read about them below. They are necessary to make it easier for fish to find bait by smell. If there is no bite, you need to alternate baits or use a sandwich: put several different baits on the hook at once.
What bait to use
There are unspoken rules for bait that significantly increase catches:
You can make the mixture yourself using one of the following recipes:
- Mix store-bought bait with breadcrumbs and ground seeds.
- Use only ready-made roach mixture.
- Various porridges, for example from millet with the addition of chopped worms.
- If fishing is done with a float rod, then you can make several casts with a feed bloodworm, maggot or worm.
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Universal bait can be made at home using the following recipe:
- 1/2 kg breadcrumbs
- 1/2 kg bran
- 4-5 tablespoons milk powder
- Oatmeal - added to give desired consistency
Breadcrumbs and milk powder act as a “cloud of dust” that will rise when casting, arousing the interest of the roach. This effect is especially attractive when the main turbidity of the reservoir has already settled. Having rolled small balls, a starting cast of 3-4 pieces is made.
Then feeding is repeated after 30 minutes - 1 hour, in the amount of 1 pc. If flavorings (for example vanillin) were used in the bait, then do not overdo it with their quantity, this may negatively affect the bite.
The best flavors
These dips are used not only in spring, but also in summer until November. It is important to use them carefully: 1 spray on the bait before casting will be enough.
Smells that perfectly attract roaches:
- Anise
- Banana
- Vanilla
- Strawberry
- Chocolate
- Garlic
The article talks about catching roach in the spring. The most important points related to the behavior of fish in early and late spring, what gear and bait are best to use, and feeding tricks are covered.
Best time and weather for roach fishing
Roach can be caught all year round, but as we have already said, there is a time when the roach bites better and when the fish bite dies out. The worst time for catching roach can be considered the winter wilderness and the peak of the summer heat. In both cases, the absence of a bite occurs due to the temperature of the water and the lack of oxygen necessary for breathing.
In winter, reservoirs are covered with ice, and in the dead of winter, the supply of oxygen dissolved in water, which comes from the air, is exhausted. In summer, the amount of oxygen in water decreases due to the fact that its solubility in warm water deteriorates. In both cases, bitinglessness occurs.
Best time to catch roach:
1. First ice. The roach bite on the first ice is more active due to the adaptation and restructuring of the roach to feed in the winter. This is a short period of activity for roach and other fish before the stagnation of the bite during the deep winter period. 2. Spring movement of roach. The roach bite in the spring begins with an increase in water temperature and reaches its peak during the roach's journey to the spawning grounds.
Roach on the first ice. Roach bite in winter
During the first ice, the maximum activity of any fish during the entire winter fishing period is observed. This time is not tied to the calendar, but depends on the weather and air temperature. Winter may come ahead of schedule in mid-autumn, or it may be delayed for a long time. In addition, in the north of the country, the winter fishing season opens much earlier. One way or another, with the onset of frost, the reservoirs freeze, and winter ice fishing begins.
The roach bite on the first ice in winter is very active. You just need to find a concentration of fish. The roach switched from plant food to animal food, so the best baits are bloodworms and larvae of other insects. On the first ice, roach can be caught using jigs without a nozzle. These are roach-less reelers like:
- little devil
- Uralka,
- nymph,
- goat,
- clove - nail ball and nail cube.
At the beginning of winter, bait for roaches based on plant components works well, but in the dead of winter, this is no longer the case - it is better to feed bloodworms in their pure form.
The course of the roach. Roach bite in spring
After winter, when the reservoirs are already free of ice and the water temperature reaches 3 - 4 degrees, the roach begins to actively feed and gathers in large flocks. Fishing for roach in early spring is most successful in shallow water, in places with remnants of algae, where the water warms up faster. At this time, pike spawning is already underway.
The roach run has not yet begun, but in places where fish accumulate, the roach bite is very active. Fish activity increases when the water temperature rises to 5 - 7 degrees. The roach begins to peck at greater depths in places with a small or reverse current. With a further increase in water temperature, the roach bite intensifies and becomes ubiquitous.
When the water warms up to 10 degrees, the roach receives a signal that it is time to spawn. The roach bite reaches its peak and becomes maximum. At this time, the flood and the pre-spawning run of roach usually begin.
A sign that the roach run has begun or will soon begin is the active flowering of spring dandelions. This is the best time after winter to go to a pond with a fishing rod for roach.
Roach spawning
When the water spills over the meadows and the flood begins, river fish begin to spawn and roach is no exception. Roach spawning begins after the water temperature warms up to 12 degrees.
Spawning time is not tied to any date, but depends solely on water temperature. Therefore, roach spawn in different reservoirs at different times.
Before spawning, the roach begins to actively feed in order to gain strength. This time begins before the roach moves and is called pre-spawning zhor. The fish rushes to the warmest shallow areas of water near the shore and swims into the meadows. The roach finds flooded tree branches and last year's vegetation and spawns in these places.
After spawning, roach and other fish hardly feed for some time, they say “the fish is sick,” but after a couple of weeks, the fish’s bite is restored and becomes quite stable - the fish go for a walk after spawning.
Features of the spawning process
In the morning, when roach spawning begins, fishermen can observe from the shore a large school of fish swimming next to the reeds. Usually spawning occurs in the morning, but in cold conditions the fish prefer lunchtime.
Evening roach spawning time is an exception to the rule; it occurs in exceptional cases when there is strong warming or there are so many fish that some individuals were unable to get to the shore.
Small individuals go to spawn first, and trophy specimens tend to spawn towards the end of the period. Females lay a lot of eggs, this is the only way for fish to survive, because roach has many natural enemies. They look for areas among aquatic vegetation and try to lay eggs on the greenery; they are attached with a sticky base to the leaves. It is easier for males to fertilize eggs that are laid on greenery. Throughout the spawning period there is a strong noise, only slightly inferior to the spawning of crucian carp.
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Weather and roach bite
The roach bite, like the bite of any other fish, depends on the weather and many other factors. The first and most significant weather factor affecting fish bite is the amount of atmospheric pressure.
The fish can bite normally at any stable atmospheric pressure, but as soon as it changes sharply, the fish’s bite also fades away. As a rule, wind indicates that the pressure is beginning to change, and rain, snow, a change from cloudy skies to clear skies, or a change in air temperature indicate that the pressure has already changed.
For roach, a smooth decrease in pressure is better than an increase, although there are exceptions. After all, fish bite depends not only on pressure.
