BREAM ROACH

We all catch fish of some sort as we start fishing ,and get pleasure in angling the fish ,In your pursuit of a fish you catch a perfect FISH of a species which leads some anglers to look for that special fish in a partiticualy species the SPECIMEN .

There is a whole branch of angling using special rods ,rigs and accessories devoted to catching specimen fish along with different methods that can be neutralized in catching that specimen . Some anglers like to pursue the large fish in carp and barbel, hard powerful fighting fish ,but to other anglers a specimen roach or perch would give as much pleasure.

Carp angling as become the biggest branch of angling in the UK a double figure carp being the quarry . Carp reaching 20lb and over is classed as a specimen fish ,Carp can grow up to the 30lb and 40lb range in the UK and these specimens being the ultimate banked fish (Uk carp record at 64lb 14 oz's) ,although imported fish from Europe top the fifty mark in some commercial fishery

Specimen Bream

Big Bream are known as Bin Lids not know for giving you a good fight when they reach specimen size lots of waters hold bream round 5lb/6lb ,but specimen bream 10lb and over are hard to find ,with a few waters around the country getting good names for these elusive creatures .

Pennington Flash in Leigh is known as a large big bream water, holding bream over 10lb ,fishing on the swimfeeder and putting a good bed of groundbait down is needed to hold the shoal when it moves in to your swim ,fished with a fixed paternoster with a snap swivel so you can alternate with a bomb as some times the fish get wary of a feeder .

Also you can fish the double loop method were the feeder can move along a loop of line so if a fish picks up your bait there is no resistance on the line.

TIP for the beginner when fishing on the tip .

Look for a marker on the opposite bank and area of water you will fish in .Cast out a cage feeder unfilled till you are happy were you will fish .

Clip up the line on your reel and cast out the cage feeder filled with your ground bait to the spot you have marked cast out 7/8xs in a X pattern with the filled cage feeder ,now cast out your feeder with the bait hooked.Fish with about a 4ft tail at first if no bite after 5min recast ,till you start getting bites once your bites start shorten the tail to 2ft this will increase your catch rate .

It pays to pre bait your swim when going after big bream putting bait samples down in your chosen swim over a few days will reward you with some good bream fishing as they are know to patrol the same areas in there hunt for food .Warning once you start catching bream be careful of putting more groundbait in , Bream do not like balls of groundbait coming down over their heads. Put plenty of groundbait in at the beginning topping up with a swim feeder during the session ,also chose your pre baited area carefully you don't want to arrive at your peg and find someone else fishing it .

Baits of micro boilies ,red maggot and big lob worms will sort out the better bream .

SPECIMEN ROACH FISHING.

Specimen fishing for big roach can be a frustrating challenge .As the the once Great Specimen Angler Richard Walker commented "he got more pleasure out of landing a 2lb roach then a 20lb carp".

Roach at specimen size are hard to find with cormorant preditation lots of places have lost their big roach ,so catching a 1lb + roach is a good fish ,2lb+ plus roach and your in specimen territory ,3lb+ roach well you have reached the ultimate level of specimen roach fishing .Big roach are to be found in rivers especially the Seven and the Avon ,listen to anglers in your local area for reports of big roach being caught . Still waters like Linch Hill in Oxfordshire hold good head of big roach above the 2lb mark .You have to do your homework when trying to catch big roach by finding the hotspots on a water were big roach have been caught or seen ,Before fishing a target water go on a few recce's at dawn and at dusk and study the water noting the attactivity as the light changes.Doing this is rarly wasted time remember the key to catching big roach is location.

Ok its dawn and you have arrived at the water ,you have set up your seat box and tackled up two 13 ft float rods one set up for fishing on the drop ,the other set up for bottom fishing .

Reels are loaded with 2ld.5 line with a insert waggler on the drop rod the is shot spaced out down the line button shirt fashion so giving you a natrual fall thou the water ,with a stright waggler on the other bottom rod your shot is bulked all together about near to the bottom with 3 no 10s spaced 6inches away from the hook if its calm a few inches over depth will surffice but if it is windy fish about a foot on the bottom with two or 3 no 10s on the bottom. Hooklengths are 1lb.5 tied to a size 18 B511

Bait

Maggots Casters Hemp Smallworms

Yellow or Brozne maggot ,a great additive for the maggot is to use turmeric powder which is available from most supermarkets.  Use one teaspoon per pint of maggots ,giving the maggots a good shake in the tub do this at home so by the time you reach the water all the maggots are coated in the additive

Casters to be used as a alterative bait, fish the darker caster as they fall thou the water slower as it is more buoyant then the lighter coloured casters.

When you have chosen your swim ,catapult in some hemp and casters to put a bed of bait down on the bottom and to attract fish into your swim as the bait falls thou the water .Begin fishing on the drop watch the water for swirls as the roach flash in and out for the tit bits you have offered them .Hopefully you can feed off the smaller roach and encourage the larger roach to feed,as a guide two pouches of casters to one of hemp ,feed all the time even when you are rebaiting or unhooking fish bait falling thou the water in your swim holds the shoal in front of you

TIPS TO CATCH YOU A SPECIMEN ROACH.

• Take plenty of bait to feed off the smaller roach
• Feed all the time it may take a few hours for the bigger fish to move in on the swim
• Always use fresh casters turned that day
• Alternate your shotting pattern to keep you getting bites
• Big Roach like cold water so choose a cool day .

TENCH

Its a warm summers dawn the mist is rising off the water as the sun is just appearing on the horizon ,tench time the period that tench come to feed .

Your float lifts in the air as the weight and bait are lifted by the tench as the fish sucks in your bait ,for you to strike and feel the powerful fish begin its fight .

Submitting to you ,you slide your landing net under a 9lb specimen of olive green tiny scaled fish with a tiny bead of a orange eye hopefully one of many to come in this early morning session .

Of all British coarse fish the Tench is held in high estmine by all anglers .A Tench of 8lb or over is classed as specimen size .Quite a lot of articles are written about catching tench numorus books and articles in the angling press.

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