Roach Rigs for Children

Roach Rig with circle hook
8 lbs plus, guided by Uncle George, and caught by Cory

The Roach Rig is a slip rig. This rig was developed for serious anglers to catch light biting fish. Most children don’t have experience, the feel, or the coordination to use this rig effectively. Basically this rig allows you to feel the fish, release the line to let the fish swim with the bait with no line tension. After about 10 seconds you reel up the slack line and set the hook when the line gets tight. This requires experience and skill. A good method for children developed by my good friend, George Walters, is to use FireLine and circle hooks. FireLine has no stretch so you can feel the bites better. Circle hooks get caught in the corner of the fish’s mouth without setting the hook. You must not set the hook with circle hooks or you will miss the fish. In summary, release the line when something tugs, wait 10 seconds, reel up the line steadily and the fish will be hooked, reel the fish in, and hope the netter is ready!