roach

Roach

The Roach (Rutilus rutilus, family Cyprinidae, plural also roach) is a small freshwater and brackish water fish native to most of Europe and western Asia. It is typically a small fish, reaching 35 cm long, rarely 45 cm, and weighing up to 1 kg, rarely 1.8 kg.

It has an elongated tailfin with silver scales and is often found in moving water, the roach likes depths of about 2 or 3 m; it also enjoys weedy waters.

A Roach is a gregarious fish that lives in schools; the bigger ones keep themselves somewhat apart from the others. In terms of food they eat small molluscs, insect larvae, annelid worms, moss, algae and surface insects.

Fishing for roach in Britain is relatively easy because the species is found in most rivers, lakes and Ponds throughout the country. Larger specimens tend to be particularly elusive, but smaller individuals are easy to catch on relatively light line and with a bait such as maggot or worm. They also take particle baits such as sweetcorn and can be caught on a variety of different types. The only limit in type is regarding the size of the bait. Boilies and luncheon meat are generally avoided by Roach because they are too large for them to swallow. Because it is a schooling species, it is not unusual for an individual fish to be caught many times during a single session, and sometimes a larger, specimen individual could be waiting outside the shoal. Roach are infamous for their ability to throw the hook during a catch, which further perpetuates the idea that larger roach are notoriously difficult to bank. The maximum recorded weight for the species in Britain is 4 lb 3 oz. Any fish over a pound is regarded as a specimen individual.