Description : This species is common in lakes and rivers, usually in shoals near weedbeds, feeding on plant material and invertebrates. Instantly recognisable by its distinctive red fins (often nicknamed "Red-fins"). During spawning from April to June, the male develops white tubercles over the head and upper body and each female lays 5000 - 10000 eggs, which stick to plants and hatch in 4 - 10 days. Stunted roach are found in overcrowded habitats. When living in a mixed community the roach will often interbreed with other species, creating hybrids such as the roach-bream hybrid.

Angling information : The current UK record is 4 lb 3 oz 0 drm, and anything over around 1.5 lb is considered to be a specimen. The roach is a fast biter, often coming up in the water and taking the bait on the drop and will shy away from anything suspicious. For this reason a good bait presentation is essential to temp the better fish. Thus the favoured method is float fishing be it stick float, waggler or the preferred pole. Fine tackle is a must - hi tech hook lengths and hooks as small as size 24 are often used. The best baits include : bloodworm, caster, hemp, maggot and bread.

Tip : Use caster to target the better fish. Bury the whole hook into the caster.