Big Roach Fishing - Phil Spinks

This entry was posted on 16th May, 2017

It’s difficult to know where to start on with this blog, as I have been lucky enough to experience probably the best specimen roach fishing in the UK. I’ve dedicated so much time to chasing big roach during the winter months over the years. When a roach reaches the magic 2lb they look massive!

My roach kit hasn’t been out too much during the winter that just past, simply because I was engrossed in predator fishing and, with limited time, I couldn’t fish for everything – although I do try at times!

Over the last couple of years, I have discovered the feeding times of big gravel pit roach change throughout the season. Most of the big roach I’ve caught in the depths of winter would be caught after dark. However, come March, for some reason they become more catchable during the day time. So, the plan was to wait for the rivers to close and then dust down the roach kit – and I’m so glad I did!



I’m not going to describe each and every capture of big roach in this blog but, to give an idea of what I experienced, I managed 14 roach over 3lb in five day-trips. This was topped by probably the best day’s roaching ever, where I landed six fish over 3lb. The exact weights were 3lb 2oz, 3lb 5oz, 3lb 6oz, 3lb 8.5oz, 3lb 10oz, and 3lb 12oz. This isn’t even to mention several back up twos. I would think this is the first time six 3lbers have ever been caught in a single day, and that the 3lb 10oz and 3lb 12oz could possibly be the largest UK brace? It was an absolute dream come true for me!

I change my approach during the spring for catching the big roach. During the colder months, I’ve nearly always used maggots; nothing fancy, just white maggots combined with the Korum Heli Rig Kits and 40 gram maggot feeders. But, come March, the lake becomes much more active – meaning that as soon as my maggot hookbaits are cast out, a small roach has taken them. So the maggot feeders are swapped for groundbait feeders and the hook bait is a hair rigged 12mm Code Red boilie. Another noticeable difference is the amount of bait I feed during the spring. A winter roach day session would consist of 3-4 pints of maggots and maybe a pint of casters. A day in the spring would be 3-4kg of SonuBaits explosive feeder groundbait, 1kg of sweetcorn, 1kg 12mm Code Red boilies, 3-4 pints of maggots, 2 pints of caster, and possibly 1kg of pellets.



The ground bait feeders are regularly recast to keep the swim topped up and I will feed a mix of boilies, corn, maggots, pellets, and casters via a spod over the feeders. There are huge shoals of roach and bream in the lake and they will soon clear the bait out if you don’t keep topping the swim up. Even though it’s applied little and often throughout the day, it’s surprising how much bait I can get through during a day.

It still hasn’t really sunk in catching six 3lbers in a day. I can remember driving mile upon mile and fishing well into dark on freezing cold winter nights in the hope of catching a 2lb roach and a 3lber was considered the holy grail! It goes to prove that you never quite know what’s around the corner in this fishing lark and I have been well and truly spoilt roach wise! I never thought the day would come when I slipped upper twos back without taking a picture.

The lake has recently produced a very near record roach of 4lb 3oz to fellow roach angler Ken Fuller; an enormous roach that is well deserved by Ken, who has had tunnel vision for the big roach while many of us are side-tracked by the big carp in the lake. I don’t think Ken will mind me saying that he is an old school roach angler who has been fortunate enough to catch roach from the river Wensum over 3lb in the river’s heyday. Well done to him indeed. Surely a record is on the cards soon?