Roach

Frequently asked questions

What is the best bait for roach, including in winter and alongside perch, rudd or bream?

The most reliable roach baits are maggots and casters, bread (punch or flake), hemp and sweetcorn. Maggots also catch perch, rudd and bream, while bread and hemp tend to select bigger roach. In winter, scale down: single maggot or small bread punch on a fine hook, with very little feed.

FishBase lists bottom invertebrates, zooplankton, plant material and detritus as roach food, and Brabrand (1985) showed that roach switch between animal and plant food depending on what is available. Baits follow that pattern. Maggots, pinkies and casters are the universal choice and also catch perch, rudd, bream and skimmers, which is useful on mixed venues. Bread, as punch or flake, and hempseed with a caster or tare are more selective and often pick out the better roach; sweetcorn works in summer. For bream on the same swim, heavier groundbait and a bigger bait such as worm or several maggots help. For rudd, which feed higher in the water, a slow-sinking maggot or floating bread near the surface is effective. For perch, a small worm or maggots fished near cover work alongside roach. In winter, fish are less active: use fine lines, small hooks, single maggot or a small punch of bread, and feed sparingly, because overfeeding kills the swim. We have no study ranking baits, so this ranking reflects established practice rather than measured data. In England and Wales, using another fish as bait is only allowed on the water where you caught it (GOV.UK).

Official sources : FishBase – Rutilus rutilus (Rotauge) ; Brabrand 1985 – Food of roach and ide (Oecologia) ; GOV.UK – Freshwater rod fishing rules: tackle you can use

How do you catch roach?

Roach are caught on fine tackle: a pole, a float rod or a light feeder, a small hook and baits such as maggots, casters, hemp, bread or sweetcorn, fed little and often. Present the bait just off the bottom or mid-water. Roach bite all year, and in England and Wales river fishing closes from 15 March to 15 June.

FishBase describes the roach (Rutilus rutilus) as an omnivore of lowland lakes and medium to large rivers, eating bottom invertebrates, zooplankton, plant material and detritus; Brabrand (1985) showed that its diet shifts with food supply and competition. That explains the classic approach. With a pole you fish a precise spot right under the rod tip; with a match rod and waggler or stick float you reach further; with a light feeder rod you present the bait on the bottom in a bed of groundbait. Good baits are maggots, casters, hemp, bread punch or flake and sweetcorn. Feed a little at the start and then little and often so the shoal stays without filling up. Set the bait to trip just over the bottom, or shallower in summer. Fine hooks, ideally barbless, make release easier; Pottinger (1998) measured stress markers in fish held in keepnets, so keep retention short. Rules differ by country: in England and Wales the coarse close season on rivers runs from 15 March to 15 June, and keepnets must meet design rules (GOV.UK). In Ireland no coarse fish over 25 cm may be killed and only four may be kept per day, and moving live roach is banned (IFI).

Official sources : FishBase – Rutilus rutilus (Rotauge) ; Brabrand 1985 – Food of roach and ide (Oecologia) ; Pottinger 1998 – Cortisol, glucose and lactate in carp retained in keepnets (J. Fish Biol.) ; GOV.UK – Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fish ; GOV.UK – Freshwater rod fishing rules: tackle you can use ; Inland Fisheries Ireland – Angling regulations reminder (pike bye-law 809/2006, coarse fish bye-law 806/2006)

What do roach (the fish) eat?

Roach are omnivores: FishBase lists bottom invertebrates, zooplankton, plant material and detritus. Brabrand (1985) showed that roach switch between animal and plant food depending on supply and competition. That is why both maggots and plant baits such as bread, hemp and sweetcorn catch them.

According to FishBase, the roach (Rutilus rutilus) feeds on bottom-dwelling invertebrates, zooplankton, plant material and detritus. Young roach feed mainly on plankton; older fish take more bottom food such as midge larvae and small molluscs, as well as algae and water plants. Brabrand (1985) studied the diet of roach and ide and showed how diet shifts shape competition between these omnivores: depending on season, water and competitors, roach move between animal and plant food. FishBase also notes that roach change habitat and diet in response to predation pressure. For anglers this means that animal baits such as maggots, pinkies and casters work all year, while plant baits such as hempseed, tares, bread and sweetcorn are often best in warmer months and for larger fish. A fine groundbait with particles draws shoals into the swim. Note that this answer concerns the fish; questions about 'roaches' in homes refer to cockroaches, which are unrelated insects. In Ireland, moving live roach between waters is prohibited under the regulations summarised by Inland Fisheries Ireland, so check before moving any fish.

Official sources : FishBase – Rutilus rutilus (Rotauge) ; Brabrand 1985 – Food of roach and ide (Oecologia) ; Inland Fisheries Ireland – Angling regulations reminder (pike bye-law 809/2006, coarse fish bye-law 806/2006)

What is the best lure for roach?

Roach are not usually caught on lures: they feed mainly on invertebrates, plankton and plant material, so natural baits like maggots, casters and bread work far better. Small flies such as nymphs or tiny wet flies can catch roach, and very small soft baits occasionally do. We found no study ranking lures for roach.

FishBase describes the roach as an omnivore that eats bottom invertebrates, zooplankton, plant material and detritus; it is not a predator of fish. That is why spinning lures rarely catch roach deliberately, and most roach taken on lures are accidental. If you want to catch roach without natural bait, the realistic options are small artificial flies, which imitate the insects roach eat: small nymphs, buzzers and wet flies fished slowly, or small dry flies when roach rise in summer. Tiny soft plastics and micro jigs used for perch sometimes pick up roach too. For consistent catches, however, natural baits are the proven choice: maggots, casters, hempseed and bread fished under a float or on a feeder. We did not find a scientific study comparing lures for roach, so this answer reflects the species' diet rather than measured catch rates. Note that in England and Wales, lures and baits are restricted in some areas during the coarse close season on rivers from 15 March to 15 June, when coarse fishing on rivers is not allowed at all (GOV.UK).

Official sources : FishBase – Rutilus rutilus (Rotauge) ; GOV.UK – Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fish

How big do roach get?

Roach commonly reach about 25 cm (10 in); FishBase gives a published maximum of 50.2 cm, 1.8 kg (about 4 lb) and 14 years. Most roach caught are well under 25 cm, and a fish of a few pounds is exceptional. In Ireland, no coarse fish over 25 cm may be killed.

FishBase gives the roach (Rutilus rutilus) a common length of 25 cm total length, a published maximum length of 50.2 cm, a maximum weight of 1.8 kg and a maximum reported age of 14 years; it matures at around 14 cm. Growth is slow and depends strongly on food and competition: in crowded waters roach stay small, while in rich waters with fewer competitors, such as some large lakes and rivers, specimen fish develop. Large roach are often old fish, which is one reason anglers increasingly return them. Keeping rules differ: in England and Wales anglers may take up to 15 small fish up to 20 cm per day from rivers, including roach, and must follow local byelaws (GOV.UK); in Ireland, Inland Fisheries Ireland summarises that no coarse fish over 25 cm may be killed and only four coarse fish may be kept per day. Weigh and photograph big roach quickly on a wet mat and return them, handling with wet hands. National record weights are kept by angling bodies; we did not verify a current record for this answer.

Official sources : FishBase – Rutilus rutilus (Rotauge) ; GOV.UK – Freshwater rod fishing rules: fish size and catch limits ; Inland Fisheries Ireland – Angling regulations reminder (pike bye-law 809/2006, coarse fish bye-law 806/2006)

Where should you fish for roach?

Fish for roach in slow to moderate lowland rivers, canals, lakes, gravel pits and ponds, especially near weed beds, overhanging trees, marinas and deeper slack water in winter. FishBase notes that in fast rivers roach need backwaters and shelter to overwinter. In England and Wales, rivers are closed for coarse fishing from 15 March to 15 June.

FishBase describes the roach mainly as a lowland fish of nutrient-rich lakes and medium to large rivers, also found in backwaters, small streams and even brackish lagoons. In fast-flowing rivers it is restricted to stretches with cover and to backwaters where it can overwinter. In practice, good roach swims are the edges of weed beds, lily pads, overhanging trees, bridge piers, marinas and the inside of bends in summer; in winter, deeper, slower water, backwaters and harbours where shoals concentrate. Canals hold roach along the far-bank cover and near boat moorings. On stillwaters, look for shoals feeding over features or at the margins in coloured water. Rules matter as much as location: in England and Wales you cannot fish for coarse fish on rivers from 15 March to 15 June, while most stillwaters and canals are open all year subject to local byelaws, and a rod licence is required from age 13 (GOV.UK). You also need the permission of the fishery owner or club. In Ireland there is no national coarse close season according to IFI's summary, but coarse fish over 25 cm may not be killed.

Official sources : FishBase – Rutilus rutilus (Rotauge) ; GOV.UK – Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fish ; GOV.UK – Buy a rod fishing licence: when you need a licence ; Inland Fisheries Ireland – Angling regulations reminder (pike bye-law 809/2006, coarse fish bye-law 806/2006)