A Guide to Roach Fishing at Any Age, In Any Weather - With Ade Kiddell

This entry was posted on 13th March, 2023 by Anna Cooper

In this article, Ade Kiddell shares the benefits of targeting river fish before the closed coarse season as well as advice on fishing in bad weather, with a bad back and even ways to upgrade your seat box!

With only a few days left of the UK river fishing season, it’s a case of getting out and enjoying what can be some very rewarding fishing. I have had some great season-end catches even when conditions aren’t the best the fish seem to oblige, so my advice is don’t miss the last chance to fish running water until mid-June, you might just get a surprise.

Best Fish to Target in the Spring

Running water fish are often hungry after a hard winter and need to feed up in anticipation of the rituals of spawning in the spring.

When is Closed Coarse Fishing Season?

In Europe, each country has its own rules regarding closed season, if you are planning a trip do some research first as in some countries its very complicated and even varies from region to region in that country.

Read our detailed article on the Traditional Fishing Season

Can You Fish in Bad Weather?

The last few weeks of fishing have been very good, despite the poor weather conditions. I hear a lot of anglers complain about the weather, but for me, it is not a problem. There is so much quality fishing clothing and footwear available for anglers, that I tend to fish in most conditions. It has to be pretty extreme for me to sit on the sofa instead of my fishing chair!

How to Relieve Back Pain While Fishing

I haven’t used a seat box for fishing for a long time. I prefer a fishing chair as I suffer from back issues. The support of a fishing chair means a much more comfortable day of fishing. However, sitting in a chair pole fishing is not ideal, especially when targeting the local canal as it can be awkward for holding and handling the pole.

Benefits of a Seat Box for Pole Fishing

I have had in my garage for a while a Preston 360 seat box, which in effect is a seat box with a swivel chair on top. I thought I would try a few fishing sessions to see if I could get on with it. I am glad I did it is absolutely perfect for what I want. Without a doubt, my pole fishing has improved because of it.

How To Upgrade Your Fishing Seatbox

The change to the seat box was working out well but I needed to sort out a secure platform for it. Whilst I could get it level using the leg system, I needed to be higher and more stable. The guys at Angling Direct Norwich recommend the Matrix Duralite Platform.

It is brilliant. With the canal banks being rocks and sloping steeply I need a sturdy safe platform, I didn’t fancy a bath in a cold deep canal. I can thoroughly recommend this to anyone a very versatile platform that’s easy to set up and works for chairs as well as seat boxes in all types of situations.

Best Baits for Big Roach

Previously, I tried bread for the big roach, with good success, but thought I would try the normal local method of groundbait and castor. It worked and I have had some great results with plenty of quality roaches falling to castor bait.

Baiting Methods for Roach

The method like a lot of continental-style fishing, involves an initial “balling in” of groundbait laced with feed and then regular top-ups as the fishing dictates. I have been starting by introducing 10 orange-sized balls of groundbait laced with castor and hemp. A sticky mix is required as the canal is 5 to 6 metres deep and flows hard at times. I add around 30% mole hill soil to my mix to add bulk and create a nice cloud in the baited area.

In some sessions, it takes a couple of hours for the fish to turn up but once they find the feed and settle I have had some lovely nets of roach, sizeable fish among them up to almost 1kg with the best net totalling over 13kgs not bad for a winter bag of redfins.

Where to Shop for Fresh Fishing Bait

It can be a real problem finding quality bait in Europe. Over in the UK, it's easy to find quality fresh bait! I just go to any Angling Direct Fishing Tackle Store and you will find maggots, castors or worms. Unfortunately here in Europe, it is not the same. I have struggled at times to find quality fresh bait and without doubt, results suffer if the bait isn’t up to scratch.

Barbel Fishing in Belgium

Other than chasing the roach, I did venture into Belgium for one barbel session and was rewarded with 8 nice barbels from a small river close to Liege.